Mur. C.

For those of you that text out there this abbreviation is immediately obvious, for me not so much. My husband pointed out that Mur. C. was on the outside of my daughter Claire's door to her hospital room. It is also the abbreviation they put on the bulletin board in ICU with the name of her nurse next to her name to inform the doctors and nurses on staff. This abbreviation means mercy, during this month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus this is what we seek and pray for. This abbreviation for Claire's name has probably been on the board or outside the door of her hospital room for years given all of her surgeries and hospital stays; but I noticed it now after the abbreviation had been written this way for years. I know it takes me awhile to pick up on things, and often I am just not paying attention enough to notice, and I needed the help of my husband to be able to see it. It could also be that I was not ready for what God ultimately would reveal to me in His time. I pray that through all of the struggles and sufferings that conversions happen and grace is received for all the intentions and needs that we pray for.
In addition, while in this month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary I was reading an article about the story of Jesus being found in the temple. This sorrow and joy of our Lady is depicted and written beautifully in the Gospel of Luke. Still, I did not truly understand it's richness until I read a deeper understanding of Mary's own words and the profound concern she expresses to God, her son. Mary, being human, questions Jesus the Son of God asking "why have you done this to us?" Don't we all do this?, or at least feel tempted to do so. "Lord, enough is enough already. Can't you make it stop?" Even Mary, being sinless, was concerned and questioned God's will.
The gospel goes on to explain that Mary told Jesus that she was filled with great anxiety as she and her husband Joseph searched for Him. The blessed Mother is the icon of the acceptance of the will of God. Her fiat allowed the incarnation to take place. She accepted God's will completely, yet she was still anxious. We may not always understand or completely lack worry over our valley of tears in this life. And, as the bible illustrates we are not alone in our anxiousness and worry.
Finally, Jesus tells His mother and foster father Joseph "why were you looking for me, did you not know I must be about my Father's business." Jesus tells them not to worry, and the passage of Luke goes onto explain "they did not understand what He said to them... and His mother kept all these things in her heart." This was all becoming more clear to me enabling me to answer my own dry fellings in prayer. This article explained my feelings of abandonement, my looking and praying to God and finding emptiness. We may not truly understand the will of the Father in our daily lives. Yet, by keeping these things in our heart and fully placing trust in the Lord we can try to imitate Mary's total "yes" to the Lord. Sure we question the purpose of all of it, we may be anxious, and we certainly may not understand everything that we are called to do. We still must persevere in faith, and trust in the Lord. We pray for God's mercy.
We appreciate your prayers for Mur. C.
May the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary remain with you always. Amen