Like many of us today, the disciples on the road to Emmaus were at a loss and in despair over a world seemingly gone mad, seeing the foundational principles of the world around them being shaken and living in fear for their own lives. The horror and shock of the Crucifixion had overwhelmed all hope and threatened the teachings of love and compassion Jesus had sought to install. Do the horrors of today’s world events overwhelm your sense of hope? Do the teachings of love and compassion seem pointless in the face of terrorist atrocities, global warming, racial hatred, refugee crises, and so many other evils? Wherever you are at this moment, you are on that road to Emmaus… Something happens on this road.

Lisa Kelly – Our Road to Emmaus

This Week Let us include in our prayers…

• We thank all essential workers for their continued presence at their jobs. This week let us pray for nurses, doctors, paramedics, and other medical staff in developed and developing worlds who continue to manage and make do with the resources they have to care for the sick and dying.
• We pray also for our political leaders who are now balancing the community's public health needs with the needs of the economy, business and workers.
• We pray for those who are having to find new ways of providing for themselves and their families as a result of job losses

May – the Month of Mary

The proper place for devotion to Mary is a clear one: she is the mother, the woman, the human participant in the work of redemption by her Son. She is the one who heard the Word of God in her heart and followed it to the end, whatever the cost to herself. By her unconditional fiat, she became the perfect recipient of God’s will that each of us would like to be. Her life belongs not simply to her own life but the life of the world as well. From The Liturgical Year, Joan Chittster

America Magazine – Pope Francis asks to the world to pray the rosary to end Coronavirus -

• The month of May is traditionally devoted to Mary and many Catholics already are in the habit of praying the rosary at home during the month, he noted. "The restrictions of the pandemic have made us come to appreciate all the more this 'family' aspect, also from a spiritual point of view."

Franciscan Media – Why Pray the Rosary

• Think of the rosary as being like the ocean: There’s something in it for everyone, whether you consider yourself a veteran mystic longing to go deeper in prayer with our Lord, a novice struggling to learn how to pray, or someone seeking the Lord’s help, right now, with something going on in your life. The deep-sea explorer and the child making sand castles on the beach can fully enjoy the same ocean while playing at different levels. And this is true with the rosary.

Australian Catholics – Mary, our Mother

• Mary has a special and honored place in salvation history and in our Church. As we approach the month of May, explore these engaging activities to enhance family celebrations of Mary at home.
  • Explore Mary’s faith and trust in God with the help of our family faith-sharing guide. A Family Faith-Sharing Guide: Facing new and uncertain situation
  • Download and color “The Story of Mary,” and take time to pray a traditional or modern prayer honoring Our Lady. Marian Resources
  • Read how one DRE came to appreciate Mary’s intercession by having conversations with her using the Ignatian style of prayer known as colloquy. Conversing with Mary, Colloquy-Style.

May St Joseph smile on you,

Meg Newell