A Shower of Blessings

Today as my daughter and I set out for Sunday Mass the air was heavy with humidity.  The sun was bright in the sky with intense rays.  The temperature was around 90 degrees.  As today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Snow I asked Mary to cool any anger and inpatience in my heart with her cool drops of snow and bring peace into our hearts.  Alina and I had finished a rosary when I had the thought to tell her of the story of Our Lady of the Snow and the Dedication of the Basilica to Mary Major. As we walked I told Alina the story of how Our Lady in a dream had told a faithful couple in Rome in the year 352 AD that on the evening of August 4th into August 5th snow was to fall.  In the location of the snow she desired a Church be built in her honor.  Alina had a big smile across her face, she enjoyed thinking of the snow in the middle of a steamy summer in Rome.  We began another rosary as the walk to Mass takes about 30 minutes.  As we were in view of the Church with the sun beating down on us the smallest drops of water began to fall.  Alina got so excited to feel the cool water.  Normally I am worried if it begins to rain when I am walking to Church as I have special orthotics which I need to walk which should not get wet.  But today with the sun out I was not worried.  I held out my hand and the water that was falling was so delicate and cold it barely would wet you but we could feel it hit our skin.  Our clothes were not getting wet as the drops were so small and delicate that they evaporated almost immediately.  As I looked at my hand I wondered could this be snow,  but no I could see no flakes.  Yet Alina and I were both deeply touched.  We felt enveloped in love from Our Lady.  We gigged like small children and entered Mass refreshed.

The love that Alina and I felt before entering Mass only intensified during the celebration of Mass.  Several times I was moved to tears.  These were not tears of sorrow but tears of joy as the feeling of love surrounded us.  As I thought of Our Lady tears also welled as my heart ached with love for her.  In a deeper way during Mass I found I was able to pray and offer myself to the Lord, all the while I felt that this intimacy was a special gift from Our Blessed Mother.  She was guiding us showering us with love and blessings and all the while pointing toward her Son present in the Eucharist.  For weeks now I have been feeling this coming but today my heart said with certainty that I am falling in love with the Mass.  The beauty and wisdom of the readings and gospels which seem to answer so many questions and move my heart.  The words of the priest which once seemed to skim by me hit me to the core.  I am overcome with beauty throughout the Mass and my heart feels so full of love and joy.  It is hard to think of the world outside and one feels like for a moment the peace of heaven is within us.  I have read of such things but today they were as real as the water on my hand.  I take no credit for this experience and feel an eternal gratitude to Our Heavenly Mother for helping lead us all to her Son.  She tells us that He is waiting for us in the Eucharist.  How sad He must be when we do not look for Him there.

God Bless all who read this and I pray we may all fall more and more in love with the Holy Mass and meeting Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Amen