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TA B L E O F CONTENTS 6
Ro s a r y Re f l e c t i o n s
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The Hollow of His Hand
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Pa r i s h i o n e r S p o t l i g h t : L a u r a L e n z
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Te e n C o r n e r : A Fr i e n d s h i p Fo r e v e r
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The Luminous Mysteries: The Mysteries of Light
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A l m o n d O r e o Tr u f f l e s
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J P I I C o l o r i n g Pa g e
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Wo r d S e a r c h & D i r e c t o r y
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Rosary Reflections by Jean Mondoro
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The Rosary is one of the most famous and powerful Catholic prayers. Our Lady’s intercession is a precious gift which we often do not utilize in the way that she longs for us to. Many of us have heard the Rosary praised as a miraculous answer to prayers as well as a way to authentically deepen one’s faith. But if you’re anything like me, you don’t see those miracles taking place, and you rarely feel that strong connection to Jesus. While it is undoubtedly a special and beautiful prayer, I would also make the argument that the Rosary is one of the most difficult prayers you will ever pray as a Catholic. Why is this the case? For me, I know that the term “meditate” can be a vague description of what we are supposed to be doing when praying the Rosary. It’s deeper than passively recalling what is taking place in the story, but it doesn’t mean you have to go out on a mountain for hours to do it effectively. I’m sure others have also wondered what people mean when they say to “meditate on the life of Christ while praying the Rosary.” I’ve spent a lot of time trying to explain this concept. Once my youngest sister asked me what it meant and I couldn’t really tell her. After many years of rarely praying the Rosary and hardly ever feeling like I had prayed it well, I believe I have come up with an approach which helps me understand what I’m doing as well as truly draw closer to God by means of this challenging prayer. First, I try to make the commitment to pray the Rosary even when I don’t feel uplifted by it. Prayer needs discipline before it bears fruit. It’s hard to pray! But here’s the good news: God knows that, and He sees when we choose to pray even when it can be so hard
to do and He does not forget that. Then one day we look back and realize that we grew during that time of spiritual dryness. There is something different about our prayer life, be it increased patience or more time spent talking and listening with God. In my experience, I rarely see the fruit of this cross until quite some time later, and then I often receive a nudge from heaven gently showing me how I’ve grown closer to God and whatever I was struggling with isn’t as hard as it used to be. Second, after being disciplined about praying the Rosary, I look at the events in our Lord’s life and try to find ways to make them relevant in my own life. For example, I’ll reflect upon how Jesus wept alone in the Garden before His passion, and I realize that He truly does understand our human nature. Or I think of Mary visiting Elizabeth and consider how I can be more hospitable to my neighbors. This takes practice, though, so don’t expect to get the hang of it right away. It will vary for each person and how individual personalities adapt to this form of prayer, also known as meditation. Given these general starting points for how I personally try to pray the Rosary, I would like to go into further detail by reflecting on each mystery of the Rosary individually. Over this series, I’m going to take one mystery at a time and share some of my own experiences and reflections which I hope will bring others to not only effectively pray the Rosary but also come to love it. May it become a source of hope and comfort as well as a constant reminder that Our Lady is holding onto us and longing for us to ask her for help on our journey to Heaven.
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The Hollow of His Hand by Jim Riley
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I will forever remember where I was August 28, 2019, what happened on that day, and the very real presence of God that I experienced. It was the first day of our daughter Jacqueline’s junior year at St. John Paul The Great Catholic High School. I was at work in Crystal City when I received a notification on my phone that our garage door had opened so I knew that she was home. I sent her a text to check on her at 11:47 AM:
came rushing towards me announcing to the staff to get back in our offices and call 911. That’s when the yelling started. Instead of going to my own office, I went into the empty one next to mine which was closer to where I was at the moment. I shut and locked the door and started to call 911.
“You’re home?”
The yelling became more intense. I hung up the phone as I knew coworkers of mine were calling 911 at that moment and I didn’t want to clog the lines or cause confusion.
“Yes,” she replied. “Guess what I found on the ground outside!”
Then the first gunshot rang out. We had an active shooter in our office suite.
“What?” I asked.
Worse yet, he was in front of the only way out. We were effectively hostages.
She sent me a video at 11:50 AM of her holding a fallen STOP sign outside of her school with her saying, “You need to STOP.” I laughed and we continued to chat for a bit until 11:58 AM when the texts on my end paused for eight minutes. Had we not been texting at this time, I already would have been walking down the hallway to the kitchen to get my lunch out of the refrigerator. God had other plans for me. I had to stop. Had I not stopped, I would have been directly in front of my coworker’s office when she let out a blood curdling scream. When I heard it, I instantly thought someone was having a medical emergency – perhaps a heart attack or seizure – and jumped out of my chair to see what I could do to help. As I began rounding the corner in the hallway, someone
My office is at the end of a hallway and has no windows facing inward so with my door closed, someone unfamiliar with the floorplan could easily mistake it as being storage space or a computer server room. It is likely the safest room there to be in during such a situation. Unfortunately, I was in the office next to it that, apart from a solid door, has a floor to ceiling clear glass window for a wall facing the hallway. The yelling continued and now it was mixed with the sounds of one of my coworkers pleading for her life. I looked around the office I was in for some place to seek shelter as we had learned to do in our active shooter training. Under the desk would not work as someone could easily be seen under there from the hallway. The stand-alone coat closet next to the file cabinets was too small. I did the only thing that
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I could do and got as close to the door and side wall as possible to conceal myself, making me as small a target as possible by getting down on the floor on my knees and elbows. Another shot rang out followed by more screaming and yelling. I prayed. I prayed for my coworker who was being beaten and shot. I prayed for the safety of my other coworkers who were there. And yes, I prayed for myself and my family. I knew that I might die there that day but I wasn’t afraid of that thanks to my faith. I was ready to meet God if that was His will, but all I could think of was what would happen to my wife and our children if I was gone – their loneliness, their heartache, all the milestones in their lives for which I would not be there. That’s when I felt Him. As I was crouched on the floor, I can only describe the feeling as the Hand of God suddenly covering me, shielding me from any potential harm. I had a sense of complete calm and clarity instantly come over me. One of my first thoughts at this point was whether I should activate the audio recording app on my phone so there would be evidence that could be used in a trial of the shooter. I dismissed this as I then considered it might be twisted somehow
to be used against the police who surely must have been on their way to rescue us. More gunfire followed. More yelling. More screaming. I could hear the sirens now. The police were outside down below, but we were on the 8th floor of an office building. Even worse, that building’s lobby was under construction and the front entrance to it was closed so the only way to enter the building was through an obscure door around the block in the back. At 12:06 PM, I sent my wife and kids a text telling them that I loved them. I was determined that if God wanted me to come home that the last words I would leave for my family would be, “I love you.” Still, I knew that I would be safe and make it home that night as I could feel God’s Hand continuing to be cupped over me and protecting me. Suddenly, there was different yelling and several gunshots ringing out all at once along with the sound of breaking glass. At 12:07 PM I wrote, “I think police just shot someone in my office.” This all happened over the course of less than ten minutes. Upon hearing the voices of police officers saying that the location was secure, I made it back
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into my own office where two of my coworkers had taken shelter. We waited there until the police came down the hallway to evacuate us. My coworker survived her multiple gunshot wounds and has since recovered. The shooter remains in custody and is awaiting trial. When I got home, I could tell that my wife, son and daughter were shaken by this incident far more than I was. That feeling of God’s love and protection sustained me in more ways than I can ever know. I have always had a strong faith in God, so it is not as if experiencing this was life-changing for me, like St. Paul on the road to Damascus. Rather, this was more like an affirmation or a vindication of that faith and I feel a calling to share that with you here. It struck me that an Irish blessing we had framed in our home perfectly described what I experienced that day: “May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rain fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.” I know what the hollow of His hand feels like. For the past two years, I have struggled to put this into words so that others like you may understand this. It is love, strength, calm
and clarity in the face of unthinkable adversity. It is something beautiful that God offers to all of us every day. We just need to realize that this gift is there for us and accept it. Have the faith to place yourself in the hollow of His hand. Jim Riley has been an active parishioner of St. Francis since 2001.
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Parishioner Spot
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tlight: Laura Lenz by Laura Lenz
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I am a proud Gen X’er. Somehow, we Gen X’ers are now middle-aged. And that doesn’t mesh with how I see myself. (I’m Forever Young, a fan of Depeche Mode and OMD, and extremely self-sufficient.) But life gets ahead of us and suddenly, while I am still a fan of those bands and am still self-sufficient, it isn’t enough anymore. We are now the “sandwich generation.” Have you heard of that term? It is that time in life when one is raising children and caring for aging parents. It is an incredibly difficult time and, at the same time, one that I wouldn’t skip for the world. I am blessed to walk this journey with my husband of 20+ years, Erik. He and I have been taking care of parents to some degree for over 15 years and all of it long distance, with the exception of one year when Erik’s Mom moved to an assisted living home nearby and blessed to visit her daily. We have seen 3 of our 4 parents move on to Heaven and are grateful to have been there for them. We all find our prayers, sacramentals, and paths that draw us closer to God. Mine have grown and changed over the years, but over the past year, we have been blessed to have one novena given to us that Erik and I have
clung to through the uncertainty and craziness of navigating family care. This global pandemic that we have all been living in for over a year has really cast a microscope over our relationships and responsibilities. We, like so many, had a high school senior who suddenly lost her senior year and went to college where she got to live in a dorm, but couldn’t do much of anything else and only left her room for food and the occasional outing. And like so many, my over 90-yearold Dad caught COVID-19 in rehab in spring 2020 and while he survived, he is bed-ridden. We spent the holidays moving him out of his home of 38 years into my brother’s home in Colorado. Our story is the story of so many of us-- struggling to do what was already challenging in a “normal” time. In September 2020, Erik and I came across the Surrender Novena, attributed to Father (Don) Dolindo Ruotolo. Don Dolindo was a humble Italian priest who experienced much suffering and was able to hear the words of God. We are blessed to have a novena, taken from conversations Jesus had with him. This novena is now my goal—the
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prayer that we say 10 times is: “Jesus, I surrender myself to You. Take care of everything.” I am so far from living that well, but it is what I work towards every day. Different parts of Jesus’ conversation strike me as I go through each day caring for members of my family and meeting my commitments. “Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to Me and everything will be peaceful” (Day One). When it came to light that my Dad was no longer able to live on his own, I worried about everything from how to convince him it was time, to how we were going to empty and sell the house, to how he and my brother would get along. Yet, everything got done. And while there were some hiccups (like Erik breaking his knee cap and finding mold in the basement), it all was accomplished in a manner better than we could have done on our own. “In pain you pray for Me to act, but that I act in the way you want. You do not turn to Me; instead, you want Me to adapt to your ideas” (Day 3). I can’t control my college student’s decisions or actions and sometimes that keeps me up at night. This statement that Jesus offers in Day Three convicts
me. I want Him to take care of her as I see fit. I have to remember that He is the doctor who knows the cure—I am not the expert to tell Him what to do! “Close your eyes and let yourself be carried away on the flowing current of My grace; close your eyes and do not think of the present, turning your thoughts away from the future just as you would from temptation. Repose in Me, believing in My goodness, and I promise you by My love that if you say, ‘You take care of it,’ I will take care of it all; I will console you, liberate you, and guide you.” (Day Eight). This brings me peace every time. Whether it is thinking about where God is leading me or Erik in our careers or community, thinking about our daughter, my Dad, or any of the other myriad life decisions and challenges, it is extremely freeing to picture myself on a raft in the river of God’s grace, heading only He knows where, but safe and secure with Jesus in control. It is life changing, actually. Not to worry where we are going. Just knowing that He is taking us there and being ready to step up to chuck water out of the raft or lean left or right (responding to opportunities or calls to service) as we go.
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So, we will continue to be carried away by the flowing current of God’s grace, knowing that being the current “sandwich generation” will not last forever and there will be sadness as well as relief when the next stage of the river arrives. In the meantime, we hug our young one and my Dad with all our strength, pray for patience and strength, and say to Jesus, “You take care of it”--every moment of every day.
The Surrender Novena, taken from prayer card by Full of Grace USA (fullofgraceusa.com) Laura has been a parishioner of Sacred Heart Manassas for 9 years where she serves as a lector, and is president of the St. Thomas Aquinas Regional School Advisory Council, and president of the Birthright of Woodbridge Board of Directors www.aquinastars.org www.birthrightofwoodbridge.org
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TEEN CO
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ORNER by Natalie Sutton and Kateri Foos
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a friendshi It is very sad knowing this will be the last article we write together. We have written so many wonderful articles so far for this magazine and we hope each one has enlightened all who have read them.
tinue to be as strong as it is today because of how close we are. Living next to each other our whole lives always played a great part in helping our friendship grow deeper since we basically saw each other every day. And shockingly, we never had a time But while it is sad this is our final one, we when we were tired of seeing each other. should be happy because one of us, Natalie, will be entering the convent as a postulant After all those many years living near one with the Dominican Sisters of Mary Moth- another, the time came for Natalie to move er of the Eucharist! This is such exciting to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, which is not news but also a bit bittersweet, as the two exactly very close to Virginia. This was very of us will not be able to talk to each other hard for both of us to cope with, especialas often, which will definitely be a challenge ly Natalie, since she lived in that house her since we are the best of friends. We will whole life and never moved before. Even afonly be able to send letters once a month ter Natalie moved, though, we texted each to each other, but we are happy that we other every day and it felt as if we were still will still be able to talk to each other at all. so close. Two months after Natalie moved, Kateri came with her brother, Levi, to NaEven though we will have limited time to talie’s new home to visit and we had the best talk, we know that our friendship will con- of times together. The week was mostly filled
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forever
with laughter, smiles and lots of picture taking. The two of us picked up right where we had left off. Distance is really not as hard as people say it is, but we believe it isn’t hard for us since our friendship is so strong.
After Kateri and her brother returned home, which was definitely a difficult goodbye to say since it was the last time we would see each other after Natalie entered the convent, it was time for Natalie to really start preparing to enter the convent and get the wheels spinning. As the time for Natalie to enter got closer and closer, it really started to hit Kateri that we will not be able to talk everyday. However, Kateri thinks it is crazy, in a good way, that her best friend is going to be entering the convent. She also thinks it’s so inspiring that Natalie will be marrying the Lord, because in her own words, “You can’t get much better than that.” Kateri knows
that answering God’s call is not always the easiest thing to do, so when she saw Natalie answer “yes” to her specific calling from the Lord, it inspired her to listen even harder for her calling. We both hope that this encourages anyone else to really listen intently to what the Lord may be calling them to do. As the time for Natalie to enter came closer, we both resolved to continue to stay in touch with each other and send letters as much as we can. We will both see each other again without a doubt. We are best friends after all. Hopefully Kateri will be able to come to some of Natalie’s ceremonies, such as the profession of her vows and when she receives her habit for the first time. No matter what happens in the future, the two of us will always be in touch and we will always call each other “my best friend” because that is what the gift of friendship is all about.
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the LUMINOU
THE MYSTERI
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US mysteries:
IES OF LIGHT by Jean Mondoro
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Among the mysteries of the Rosary, probably the least familiar are the Luminous Mysteries, also called the Mysteries of Light. These were instituted by Pope Saint John Paul II in 2002, encouraging us to reflect upon the public life of Christ. He identified 5 critical points in Jesus’ public ministry: 1) The Baptism of Our Lord; 2) The Wedding at Cana; 3) The Proclamation of the Kingdom; 4) The Transfiguration; and 5) The Institution of the Eucharist. Regarding meditation upon these specific mysteries, I have found that these five are often the most difficult. But it is important not to overthink the idea of meditation. Simply recall what is happening in the story, then allow yourself to hear and see whatever God wants you to. The biggest thing is to avoid actively thinking of other things. By keeping your mind as clear and focused as you can, this will open the door to the Holy Spirit, who will touch your heart, even if you don’t notice right away. I’ll go through some of my own reflections, which I hope will spark some of your own thoughts. And remember to always keep your heart open, because the Holy Spirit truly does put thoughts and reflections into your mind which is one way that God speaks to us. It is also a good practice to say a quick prayer asking the Holy Spirit to touch your
heart with whatever God wants you to hear. So, let us quiet our minds for prayer and start at the beginning. The Baptism of Our Lord is the first Luminous Mystery and the start to His public ministry. So, how do we reflect on this event in the life of Christ? I like to focus on considering how these events prove God’s love for me. It’s almost like I believe in His love because that’s what my Catholic faith is all about. But it is so important to look at what He did, not just what He said, because it’s just more evidence that He loves me. The first thing Jesus did in this mystery was simply receive the sacrament. Baptism is the beautiful sacrament in which we are forgiven from original sin, and it is so important that Jesus Himself received it. Think about that for a second. Jesus was fully God, so He didn’t need to be baptized. But He was also fully man, and so He chose to be baptized. This is a tremendous example of the importance of this sacrament. Going along with this is the concept of leading by example. Jesus did this better than anyone. He knew the vital importance of the sacrament of baptism, and the most effective way that He could teach this was by receiving it--or doing it-- Himself. There is a very specific virtue which shines
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forth in this mystery, and in Christ’s actions, and that virtue is humility. Jesus is showing true humility when He, the Savior of the world, chooses to receive this great sacrament from a human being. He did not put Himself above all of us, even though there is no denying He is, being fully divine. What Jesus did was humble Himself to receive the sacrament of baptism as we receive it: from another human being, allowing God to work through this person and thus sharing in our humanity, which is what He did when He came to earth in the humble and dependent form of a baby. Now that we have considered the actions and virtues of Jesus in this mystery, how can we apply these lessons to our own lives? How beautiful it is to think about our own baptism, when we came into God’s family without original sin! For most of us, this decision was made by our parents, and we were baptized as infants. They started us along the path to holiness by taking this first step. And for those of us who were baptized later in life, it is the day that you chose to enter into God’s family. Whenever we receive this sacrament it is important that we are forever grateful for that day and the graces which came with it. Similarly, John the Baptist and
Jesus were both thankful for the gift of the day of the Lord’s baptism. Their gratitude shows us how we should also praise God for our parents, godparents and everyone else who guided us to our baptism days. In reflecting upon the Baptism of Our Lord, the first Luminous Mystery, we can see three beautiful examples which we can imitate in our own faith journeys. Jesus not only said that He loved us, but showed us His love through His actions. He also exemplified true humility by receiving the sacrament in the same way that we receive it as human beings. And lastly, we see in both Christ and John the Baptist the gratitude we must feel for the gift of forgiveness from original sin. May we always see the baptism of our Lord as a reminder of the hope we have if we remain in God’s family from the day we enter into it with forgiveness of original sin until the day we are called home.
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ALMOND OREO TRUFFLES by Colleen Rooney
foodsandfestivitiesofthechristianyear.blogspot.com
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YIELDS: 30 INGREDIENTS: 1 package Oreo Cookies, 45 cookies 1 8 oz. package of Cream Cheese, softened 1 ¼ tsp. almond extract Wilton Candy Melts, whatever colors you like Sprinkles for decoration, optional
EQUIPMENT: 1 large mixing bowl 1 large spoon Food Processor Parchment paper Cookie Sheet Toothpicks
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DIRECTIONS: 1. Place cookies in food processor and pulse until they are fine crumbs. 2. In large bowl place softened cream cheese and add almond extract. Blend thoroughly. 3. Add Oreo crumbs to cream cheese mixture. Mix until well blended. 4. Roll into balls and place on a cookies sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in freezer for one hour or more. 5. Melt candy melts or other chocolate until smooth and creamy. 6. Working in batches of six. Dip the Oreo balls in the creamy mixture one at a time. Cover completely by spooning the mixture over the entire ball. Use a toothpick to remove the Oreo from the candy mixture. Add sprinkles or drizzle chocolate over dipped balls if you like. Place on cookie sheet and return to refrigerator or freezer to harden. 7. Repeat with other balls until all are covered.
Enjoy!
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COUNTY PARISH DIRECTORY
OUR LADY OF ANGELS 13752 Marys Way, Woodbridge, VA 22191 (703) 494-2444 Online Bulletin Here
ST. FRANCIS 18825 Fuller Heights Rd, Triangle, VA 22172 (703) 221-4044 Online Bulletin Here
SACRED HEART 12975 Purcell Rd, Manassas, VA 20112 (703) 590-0030 Online Bulletin Here
HOLY FAMILY 14160 Ferndale Rd, Woodbridge, VA 22193 (703) 670-8161 Online Bulletin Here
ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON 12807 Valleywood Dr, Lake Ridge, VA 22192 (703) 494-4008 Online Bulletin Here
HOLY TRINITY 8213 Linton Hall Rd, Gainesville, VA 20155 (703) 753-6700 Online Here Bulletin
ALL SAINTS 9300 Stonewall Rd, Manassas, VA 20110 (703) 368-4500 Online Bulletin Here
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