Dear friends,

Truly righteous or virtuous people know that they, too, are capable of contemptible behavior. They know that it is only because of the goodness of God that they have been spared situations in which their weaknesses would have overpowered them. The truly righteous are fundamentally humble.

We are no longer slaves to sin but beneficiaries of adoption as children of God in Christ through Mary. We are therefore made righteous by the Love of God."...God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us". Rom 5:8. Fear no more, but embrace the freedom of the children of God through Christ.

I congratulate everyone who made the effort to pray the Rosary this month, and I hope that as October ends soon, that doesn’t mean the end of our devotion to the Holy Mother of God, who is full of grace. Rather, let this time be a moment of renewal for all of us to grow in our devotion to praying and valuing the Holy Rosary as a token of gratitude to Mary, and a means of gaining peace through the intercession of Our loving Mother, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.

In most of Mary’s apparitions, and particularly in Fatima to the three Children (now Saints; Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco), Mary has requested that we pray the Rosary always (Every day) for peace in the world and the Conversion of sinners. Pope Leo XIV has recently repeated that we pray the Holy Rosary to end the many wars and forge lasting peace in the world.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, while visiting Elizabeth, her cousin, and after hearing what Elizabeth said, responded with the words, "My soul glorifies the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God, my Savior."

This song of gratitude (The Magnificat) is a beautiful song indeed. In it, Mary expresses her humble gratitude and dependence on God’s blessings and mercy. She recalls her ancestor in faith, Abraham, and how God keeps His Promises.

We also have been gifted in various ways by a generous and compassionate God, and it goes without saying that we must always express our gratitude to God for His love, mercy, and goodness to us. As the song by Bethel Music and Jenn Johnson goes:

I love you, Lord. Oh, your mercy never fails me
All my days, I've been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up, until I lay my head
I will sing of the goodness of God
All my life, you have been faithful, all my life, you have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God
I love Your voice. You have led me through the fire
In the darkest night, you are close like no other
I've known You as a Father, I've known You as a Friend
I have lived in the goodness of God
All my life, you have been faithful, all my life, you have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God
Your goodness is running after. It's running after me
Your goodness is running after. It's running after me
With my life laid down, I'm surrendered now, I give you everything
Your goodness is running after, it's running after me.

The Blessed Virgin Mary's Fiat has merited for us the Savior, Jesus, our restorer to sanity. Each time we pray, the "Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you..." And again, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners..." We acknowledge Jesus Christ coming and His mission among us as one who is God’s response to our cry for help. Born of the Virgin Mary. He comes to save us from our sins (Acts 4:12). Each one of us will have to turn our will and our lives to God in order to experience the gift of his grace that results in justification.

No matter how big and many your sins, maybe Jesus Christ has what it takes to deal with each one of them. "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Romans 5:20)

"In Christ, great sinners can become great saints," Pope Francis once said. Yes, Pope Francis has said that while we are all sinners, we are also fundamentally loved by God. The late Pope Francis (MHSRIP) described the Church as a "hospital for sinners," not a "museum for saints," to emphasize that its mission is to welcome and help all people, regardless of their flaws.

God loves and forgives all people, and His mercy can help even the greatest sinners to become saints. No one, nobody is disqualified from being loved by God and therefore going to heaven, in fact. The greater the sinner, the closer God is to them because Christ came for the sinners.
We are lucky to have two great friends, Mary and Jesus, who will help us get to Heaven. May Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Star of the Sea, bring us all to her son Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life.
Jesus, I trust in you!

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