Ann Radtke

Third Joyful Mystery – the Incarnation

In 2010 I was blessed to participate in a pilgrimage to Mexico City to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The pilgrimage was with the Queen of the Americas Guild, and the spiritual director for the trip was Bp Joseph Madera, a native Mexican with a great love for Jesus and Mary. He also had a great devotion to a native Mexican spiritual writer and Servant of God, Conception Cabrera de Armida, known as Conchita. She has been compared to St. Teresa of Avila for her profound and beautiful writings, especially about the Eucharist. A wife, mother, and lay apostle, Conchita’s writings are a witness to her mystical experience of Christ and his message of hope and joy in the midst of suffering.

It was in one of her mystical encounters with Christ that He promised her something very special that would take place when the time was right. After another nine years of preparation, she experienced a spiritual incarnation – the joy Mary knew at the conception of Christ in her womb. The meditations and reflections in her spiritual diary are beautiful, and draw one more deeply into love and reverence for the Eucharist.

We visited the Church of the Holy Spirit, where Conchita’s tomb is present for veneration, and listened to Bp Madera as he spoke with such love and admiration for this woman of joy and great courage. At 84, his eyes danced and his whole demeanor came alive as he spoke about these mysteries so close to his heart, and brought them to life for all of us as we listened. Conchita was a soul who was so tuned to Christ’s presence that she knew when He was present in the tabernacle, without having seen the Host, as attested to on several occasions recorded in her writings.

She also felt the Lord calling the world to a greater recognition and reverence for the Holy Spirit, long before Vatican II’s call for a new Pentecost, and the world wide explosion of the Holy Spirit in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal which began in 1967 at the Duquesne weekend…

Lord God, thank You for introducing me to this beautiful Servant of Yours, and to her writings that speak so simply and yet eloquently about Your Presence in the Eucharist. As she experienced the joy of having You come alive within her, may I share in that joy and help bring You to birth in the lives of all those I meet

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Before I had entered the Catholic Church from my Protestant background, I was prompted to do a charcoal drawing of Mary and Jesus copied from a magazine cover. The picture captivated me, and I copied it several times. I marvel at how the Lord prepares us for what He knows will be in our future 🙂 My friend Loretta introduced me to Marian consecration on the Feast of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple on November 21, 1995 – about 20 years after I had done this charcoal drawing…

Lord God, thank You for bringing me into a relationship with Your Blessed Mother, Mary. I’m so grateful for her presence in my life, and pray that all may come to the Heart of the Father, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus ~

Second Joyful Mystery – the Visitation

The Visitation mystery brings to my mind the story by Catherine Doherty related in her book, NOT WITHOUT PARABLES. Catherine was a nurse, and lived in the Catholic community of Madonna House in Combermere, Ontario, which she had founded as an apostolate of lay people living the Gospel message and serving the poor in this rural Canadian area.

She relates the story of a man who came to her for help with his dying wife, who needed a nurse to administer pain relieving shots to her. The man hesitated to ask Catherine, he being non-Catholic (Orangeman was the term used) and not knowing if Catherine would help. She agreed readily however, and accompanied this man each day for three months on a three hour drive to and from his remote homestead. Then he stopped coming, and Catherine assumed the wife had died.

A few weeks later he returned however, and begged her to come back again, or to send “those nuns” who had been such a help for his wife.

I can’t do justice to Catherine’s telling of the story – it needs to be read in the book.

Suffice it to say that a beautiful miracle unfolds, as we discover the identity of the “two nuns” and how they ministered to this dying woman and her husband.

Whenever I go to bring the Eucharist to those in the hospital, or to visit someone who is ill or lonely, I’m reminded to invite the companionship of Our Lady of the Visitation and St. Therese of Lisieux to accompany me, and remain when I leave. This story calls me to a deeper belief in the communion of the saints, and the good they desire to do for and with us, especially for the suffering…

Lord God, thank You for the great gift of the communion of the saints, and of the reality of their presence and help when we call upon them. Thank You for Our Lady of the Visitation – may I never go on an errand of mercy without her ~

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A second remembrance that surfaces for this mystery concerns a beautiful Franciscan Sister of the Renewal who was in my class at the Cenacle of Our Lady of Divine Providence in Florida. We spent a good deal of time in solitary prayer, and on several occasions a scene would surface in my prayer time which included this particular Sister, who seemed to represent Mary to me. It was always a comforting presence, and brought the Lord’s healing grace with it. Sr. Clare has a great smile and contagious laughter, and a heart on fire with love for the Lord.

I picked up my phone one day, and there on the other end was the voice I recognized as Sr. Clare – and my heart leaped for Joy as I heard her speak! I’ve always felt so very blessed to have been called to the Cenacle, and to have met and spent time with so many holy and faith-filled people. Who am I to have been so blessed? So the words from Luke come into my heart: “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” (Luke 1:43-44)

What joy does indeed fill our hearts when we meet and connect with others whose hearts are on fire with love for Jesus! It’s an inner stirring of the Spirit, an interior recognition of God’s presence in the other person. How grateful I am, for it always re-ignites my own fire and fills me with love…

Lord God, thank You for the fire of Your Love that fills the hearts of Your people, and for the tangible experience of meeting and receiving that fire! May my heart be always sensitive and open to celebrate Your presence with profound gratitude ~

First Joyful Mystery – the Annunciation

Whenever I pray the Annunciation mystery, and indeed for each mystery, the beautiful painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner comes into my mind. It depicts Mary, sitting on a low bed and gazing at a column of Light, representing the Angel Messenger, Gabriel. Mary’s face has a quizzical expression, as she hears his perplexing message: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing is impossible with God.”

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:30-38)

Humble trust; hearing but not fully comprehending all that this heavenly messenger was imparting to her. And yet believing – seeing this vision, and embracing the message. There’s something so beautiful about the scene that Tanner portrays – its simplicity, the gentle disarray of the bed cloths, the posture of Mary as she hears these words that are at the heart of salvation history…

Lord God, grant me the grace to receive Your Word as Mary did, with humility and simplicity, trusting in You and knowing in my heart that truly nothing is impossible for You

34) Fifth Luminous Mystery – the Institution of the Eucharist

The Eucharist began to really come alive for me when our son was in the second grade. His class at Sacred Heart was preparing to receive the Sacrament of First Communion, and would come to the celebration of Mass together to learn more about it. Because of some renovating going on in the main church, daily Mass was being held in the basement of the Center, and there usually weren’t too many people besides the second graders in attendance. As it was open to adults though, I attended to be with the class.

On one occasion, Fr. Len hadn’t expected any adults to be present, but an older couple and myself came to the celebration. He hadn’t brought any Hosts from the tabernacle in church, as the second graders weren’t ready to receive yet. So at the conclusion of the liturgy, he said he would go over to the church and bring some Hosts for us adults. I didn’t know the older couple, and felt somewhat out of place; I had errands to run and things to do, so I thought I’d just leave and be on my way. It was snowing outside, so I was brushing the snow off my car when it occurred to me: if the Church teaches that Jesus Christ is truly present in the consecrated Host, what on earth am I doing walking away without receiving Him? Fr. Len had returned to the Center, so I went back in, but he thought I had left, and so had consumed the Host he had brought for me.

This really got me to thinking about what I believed.

I had recently read an article about faith, which had encouraged a doubter to just “act as if” what he professed was true, whether he felt like it or not. “Act as if.” If my faith tells me that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, how should that affect my life? Would I ever leave Mass without receiving Him? Would I be casual about the Blessed Sacrament?

I began to attend daily Mass as often as I could, and often reflected on how my life should look if I truly believed that the Lord of the Universe, the Author of Life, my Lord and my God was present and available to me each day. And as I prayed and read, the recognition grew that this awesome God wanted to come to me; He thirsted for souls to love and receive Him. More than just being “available,” He deeply desired union with us, His children.

The mystery of the Eucharist is so deep and multi-layered, I can only be amazed and incredibly grateful for the grace to believe that Jesus is truly present to us, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, in the Blessed Sacrament. So often God has revealed a truth to me through our children. The best thing I can do is pray, and the greatest prayer I can offer is the Mass…

Lord God, thank You for the incredible Gift of Yourself, offered to us at each Holy Mass. May we never take You for granted or neglect the opportunity to attend the sacred liturgy, keeping participation in the Mass at the center of our lives ~

33) Jesus is Passing By

Reflecting on the Sunday Gospel with my lectio group, the phrase “Jesus passed through…” was highlighted for me. It brought to mind a beautiful painting on the wall of the cafeteria at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois. I don’t know the story of the painting, but it has always captured my attention, as it depicts several people whose gaze is fixed on Something unseen. One person is bending down and touching the stone pavement. Others’ eyes are fixed on a long flight of stone steps. The wind seems to be strong as it is blowing the head coverings of others…All have experienced Something ~ Something that catches my heart and makes me want to know what has happened here…

My photo obviously is imperfect, as it includes the reflection of the lights in the cafeteria and on the windows of the room, but it’s enough to remind me of the painting, and it still stirs something within me ~

What does it stir? Jesus is passing by…. And how often in my day is He passing by, and I don’t notice? How often do I miss Him?

At Mass the other day, as the Eucharistic Minister was carrying the Consecrated Hosts to the back of the church for distribution, a woman in the pew in front of me bowed her head in reverence ~ Jesus was passing by…..

St Mother Teresa greeted each person she met with her hands clasped and her head bowed, in recognition of the sacredness and dignity of the person in front of her ~ seeing Jesus in each person she encountered and served. Jesus is passing by…

Lord God, help me to be more aware of Your Presence everywhere I may be, and especially within those I meet each day. May I live in awe and wonder as I believe, and know in my heart ~ Jesus is passing by…

32) Adoration surprise

While kayaking on the lake one summer day, I leaned on the side of my kayak and tipped over in the water. I had both my camera and my cell phone with me – the cell phone died, but the camera survived, altho it sometimes produced spots on the photos as if to remind me of my water adventure. The camera still worked pretty well most of the time, so I was using it to take some photos of the monstrance in order to promote Adoration in our parish of Sacred Heart. As I looked at the images, they were appearing with a big dot right above the monstrance, which looked just like a huge Host. I had seen dots appear before, but never like this one, and in such a perfect location. It seemed to me as if the Lord were magnifying His Presence in the Host, and the image has been a beautiful blessing for me. It’s not a photoshop trick – it’s a gift from God 🙂

We only had the tabernacle with Mary’s statue in this position for a short time before the tabernacle was moved to a position under the mosaic behind the altar – the “spot” wouldn’t have showed up there like it does on the brick wall. Perfect timing, perfect positioning… Lord God, thank You for this beautiful surprise and declaration of Your Presence in the Blessed Sacrament! May our hearts grow to welcome you and Your Presence be magnified in our lives ~

31) Blush of the Spirit

Blush of the Spirit Jan 8, 2023

Fr. Bob was at the podium to proclaim the Gospel reading, and he had the wrong reading. Oopsie, he began again, and once more was at the wrong day. Third time was a success, and as he began his homily, with a rosy blush on his face, he remarked how blushing was an interior movement, a response to an external experience.

Being the good holy priest he is, led by the Spirit, he followed up on what could have been an awkward or embarrassing moment by relating how God’s grace is too an interior movement.

Fr Bob’s life journey included a time of deep occult involvement, followed by being set free through many prayers of exorcism after a trip to Medjugorje. The Lord brought him into a powerful healing ministry, often bringing peace and healing through the laying on of his hands. He explained how the blessing he imparts when he lays hands isn’t what brings the healing, but rather that blessing evokes from the recipient what is already present ~ it awakens God’s life within the person. That holy life is already there, waiting for a catalyst. This spark ignites the embers waiting for the breath of the Spirit to fan them into flame, to bring healing and restoration.

As a drop of Jesus’ precious blood flows through our body whenever we ask, bringing healing and peace, so too we can see this new life in the eyes of the recipient, even as we see the blush on a person’s face.

Knowing God’s presence lives within us, waiting to be shared in blessing, our very presence extended in love to another can be that spark that awakens God’s life within them. The atmosphere of a conversation, of a room, can be changed just by our intentional love extended to others.

A friend recently remarked how delighted and surprised she often is by the kindness of others, a kindness she hadn’t expected. She expects this from fellow Christians, but had been less expectant of non-believers. We spoke of how the presence of God within her, the desire to love and accept all those she encounters, is perhaps that very spark again that ignites the kindnesses she witnesses. After these encounters, that person who has shown kindness is brought closer to God, and likely to continue to extend His Goodness, perhaps without any awareness of what has happened. God’s Light is within every created being, just waiting to be called forth.

Thank You Lord, for Your presence within me, always with the potential to extend the Kingdom wherever I go. Reflecting on this Reality, another of those unseen yet real manifestations of grace, reminds me again to live in this awareness of God’s presence within me, and within everyone I encounter. Even as the warmth of a blush delights my soul, may it awaken Your life in all I encounter today and every day…

30) Everything I have is yours

Luke 15:31b. “everything I have is yours…” 10/24/19

Reflecting on the parable of the Prodigal Son, the phrase that resonated with me this day was “everything I have is yours…”. I’ve always been struck by the magnanimity of God’s generosity, by the super abundance of what he desires to give to us. My Bible is often highlighted at the words of superlatives, as I see more and more His desire to offer so lavishly from His treasures, while we so often settle for such a pittance, not expecting bounty.

CS Lewis writes, “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” And sometimes we’re not pleased with the little either…

This brings me to a homily shared from his personal treasure store by our pastor, Fr Luke. He recalled a time of healing he received in the course of a directed retreat. As I remember it, the director was asking him about the up-coming Christmas celebrations, and Fr Luke responded that he always had a bit of a cloud over those celebrations. He shared that as a young boy in a large family, each child usually received one special large present and perhaps a few smaller ones. When it came his turn to open what he thought would be his much anticipated special gift, it turned out to be some mittens. He tried not to betray his disappointment, but it left him with a feeling of deep disappointment and of being overlooked and forgotten. His parents immediately realized they had actually forgotten his special gift, and made a hasty trip to buy him something special, but the wound had been created and remained with him even to this time of the retreat. The director suggested he take this to prayer, and ask the Lord where He was in this moment in time, as He was there, even though not in Luke’s awareness at the time.

Fr Luke came to prayer and returned to this memory, asking the Lord to reveal His truth in the situation. He envisioned the moment, and this time saw his older brother coming to comfort him and to assure him that indeed Luke could share and play with all of his brother’s toys, as indeed “everything I have is yours…”. The pain of the disappointment vanished as Fr Luke recognized Christ in His brother, offering all the treasures of the Father’s house to Luke.

Christmas celebrations became no longer a source of sadness and deprivation, but rather an assurance of God’s Goodness and abundant provision, of comfort and of love.

This recollection often brings tears to my eyes, even today when I related it to a friend. The sense of God’s desire to bless me abundantly is revealed to me over and over again as I experience His Goodness in day to day living, and fills my heart with gratitude! Yesterday He surprised me as I came from out of town to a conference of about 1000 people and walked in right next to a good pastor I’ve known for 20 years and had been hoping to see, and led me to a table where I turned around and found 8 ladies from a prayer group that were all so dear to my heart. Hugs and smiles and joy flowed as we were all so delighted at the unexpected meeting! Eph 3:20 comes to mind, “Now to him who is able to accomplish more than all we ask or imagine…”.

Lord God, thank You for the abundance of Your Goodness and Grace! May my capacity of expectant faith continue to grow as I experience Your Goodness overflowing, again and again. May I be ever grateful for Your desire to bless us in so many varied ways, even outside of time as You bring restoration and healing to our hearts…

Author: Ann Radtke