52. How to find Hope and Healing in a Broken World: The Catholic Mother's Retreat

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The news cycle overwhelms us with tragedy—political assassinations, church shootings, global conflicts, and the cries of suffering people worldwide. Where do we turn when darkness seems to engulf our daily lives? This deeply moving episode offers a spiritual sanctuary through a special Mother's Day retreat that feels perfectly timed for our current moment of collective grief.

We journey together to the Garden of Gethsemane, reflecting on how Jesus himself responded when facing his greatest suffering—by turning to prayer. Following His divine example, we're invited to bring our heaviest burdens to the foot of the cross, looking to Mary's "Feminine Genius" as our guide. Her unimaginable strength watching her son die transforms our understanding of suffering, revealing how God can turn even the most horrific evil into the path of salvation.

The retreat begins with "Freedom from Fear," honouring Saint Anne, Mary's mother, whose quiet and little known life of raising the Mother of God reminds us that our daily tasks as mothers—cooking, cleaning, teaching—become part of God's Divine plan when done with love. Sheila's personal testimony of healing through Saint Anne's intercession brings our Catholic faith n into our everyday lives, offering tangible hope when we feel most helpless.

Mary's humble "Yes" to God appears as weakness to a secular world, yet reveals the profound courage found in surrendering our will to God's greater purpose. Through beautiful prayers and a litany honouring Our Lady's  presence around the world, we're equipped to embrace our vocations with renewed trust and peace amid uncertainty.

To find the retreat, please search for "Prayerful and Powerful Retreat for Mothers with Our Lady"
https://hozana.org

To see more of Charlie Kirk's legacy, please visit:
https://www.youtube.com/@UCfaIu2jO-fppCQV_lchCRIQ 

Please subscribe to the Veil and Armoir podcast for weekly inspiration that views Catholic motherhood through both a journalist's lens and a mother's heart. Let's journey together, finding strength to Be Brave, Bold, and Blessed even in life's darkest moments.

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Episode Transcript

Sheila Nonato (00:00):
Sisters in Christ , Welcome to the Veil Armour
Podcast, and this has been atough couple of weeks, a tough
few weeks.
Whichever political side you'reon, the compassionate side of
humanity weeps for Erica Kirk,the widow of conservative
Christian speaker, politicalorganizer, charlie Kirk.

(00:20):
She has lost her best friend,her beloved husband, in the most
horrific, tragic way, and sheand her children witnessed his
cold-blooded, horrific murder,and so did we around the world.
There was also the tragicshooting of Catholic students at
Annunciation Church inMinnesota, the death of two

(00:43):
precious children and thecold-blooded murder of Ukrainian
artist Irina Zerutska on apublic bus in North Carolina.
We still have the ongoing warsaround the world Ukraine, Gaza,
the Israeli hostages still beingheld in Gaza.
We have the famine in Yemen.
The list of suffering aroundthe world is long.

(01:06):
Do these unsettling headlinesmake you wonder what to do?
Let's reflect on what Jesus didwhen he was going to face his
greatest suffering and trial.
He went to the Garden ofGethsemane and reached out to
the Heavenly Father to pray.
I thought it appropriate tobring back a retreat.

(01:28):
I wrote for the Hozana Prayerapp on hozana.
org is where you'll find it.
It was a retreat for Mother'sDay last year and about 2,000
people joined, and please let'sbring our sorrows, our heavy
hearts, our burdens, whatever isweighing us, to Jesus at the

(01:50):
foot of the Cross.
Let's bring it to the HolyTrinity in prayer.
And let us look to the exampleof the Feminine Genius of Mother
Mary and how she was able tocarry her own cross, of watching
her only son die in the mosthorrific, torturous way, and how
God transformed the act oftorture, the act of execution,

(02:17):
into eternal love, how he turnedthat evil act into the path
towards our salvation.
And his last words on the crosswere father, forgive them, for
they know not what they're doing.
And that speaks to us in termsof love, that jesus, even though

(02:39):
he was dying, he was also stillthinking of us.
And how we can turn our sins,turn around our lives and our
sins and give it over to God.
Give it over to Him and comeback to God, and so we can
finally, when it is our time toleave this earth, we can meet

(03:02):
our Heavenly Father face to facein heaven.
Please join me and thank you somuch for being here this week.
May God bless you and protectyou, keep your family safe,
strong in the faith, God bless.

(03:24):
Hello and welcome to the Veiland Armour podcast.
This is your host, SheilaNonato.
I'm a stay-at-home mom and afreelance Catholic journalist,
Seeking the guidance of the HolySpirit and the inspiration of
Our Lady.
I strive to tell stories thatinspire, illuminate and enrich
the lives of Catholic women, tohelp them in living out our
vocation of raising the nextgeneration of leaders and saints

(03:47):
.

Co-Host (03:47):
Please join us every week on the Veil and Armour
podcast, where stories comealive through a journalist's
lens and mother's heart.

Sheila Nonato (03:59):
Hello and welcome to the Veil and Armour podcast.
This is your host, SheilaNonato.
I'm a stay-at-home mom and afreelance Catholic journalist,
Seeking the guidance of the HolySpirit and the inspiration of
Our Lady.
I strive to tell stories thatinspire, illuminate and enrich
the lives of Catholic women, tohelp them in living out our
vocation of raising the nextgeneration of leaders and saints

(04:22):
.

Co-Host (04:22):
Please join us every week on the Veil and Armour
podcast, where stories comealive through a journalist's
lens and mother's heart.

Sheila Nonato (04:30):
Welcome to day one of the retreat for Mother's
Day.
Let's begin with a prayer Inthe name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Day one freedom from fear.
Day 1 Freedom from Fear,trusting in God, Opening Prayer.
Heavenly Father, we thank youfor the gift of all mothers,

(04:51):
especially on this Mother's Day.
We thank you for the gift ofMother Mary and her heroic
witness of faith.
We have gratitude for thegrandparents who raised mothers
well and to the husbands andchildren who support mothers.
In what GK Chesterton wrote wasthe most important vocation,

(05:12):
the homemaker has the ultimatecareer, chesterton wrote.
All the other careers exist forone purpose only, that is, to
support the ultimate career.
May we continue to be inspiredby Our Lady's courage and trust
in you and your divine plan aswe go about our daily

(05:33):
responsibilities of makingfamily meals, nursing the baby,
washing dishes and going aboutour work of motherhood.
May we look to her example offaithful witness to Mother
Mary's vocation as the mother ofJesus, when she fulfilled her
daily tasks with love.
In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

(05:55):
Reflection.
Welcome to Day 1 of the Retreatfor Mothers.
We will start the retreat withGood Saint Anne, the Mother of
the Virgin Mary, our Lady.
We start with the Grandmotherof Our Lord Jesus, because she
too had a noble vocation inraising Mary and in helping to

(06:16):
prepare the Virgin Mary for hermonumental role in salvation
history as the Theotokos, theGod-bearer, the mother of God.
As a mother who homeschools twoof my children, I look to Saint
Anne as a role model, inaddition to Our Lady, and how
her work in the home was part ofGod's divine plan, how she must

(06:40):
have gone about her daily tasksof cooking, cleaning and
teaching Our Lady abouthomemaking and how to run a
household with great love.
The patron saint of my homeparish in Ontario, canada, is St
.
Anne, and she has helped myfamily in so many ways,
including healing from temporaryhearing loss in my right ear
two years ago.

(07:01):
A relic of St Anne, which ispart of a larger relic from
France of the saint's hand,which resides in the
world-renowned Marian Shrinehonoring the grandmother of
Jesus at St.
Anne de Beaupre in Quebec,Canada, resides in our home
parish.
One day our pastor, fr JeffreyOehring, left out the relic of
St.

(07:21):
Anne after Sunday Mass and Iprayed in front of the relic,
seeking healing from Our Ladyand Our Lord through the
intercession of St.
Anne.
A few days later, before myappointment with a specialist at
the hospital to assess anddecide on treatments, my hearing
returned.
I attributed to Our Lord'sDivine healing and the help of

(07:43):
the prayers of Good Saint Anneand Our Lady.
When we reflect upon theuniversal call to holiness, many
have fears, doubts and anxietyabout the future.
Will we be able to live ourvocation?
Are we equipped enough?
How can we answer the call towhich God is calling us?
We look to the examples of SaintAnne and Our Lady in preparing

(08:05):
Mary for her pivotal role insalvation history.
Our Blessed Mother's humble yesmay be seen as a sign of
weakness in the secular world'seyes, a world that doesn't
believe in God.
Yet she chose to answer God'scall with humility and trust in
God, a surrender of her will toGod's will.
The Virgin Mary had a pivotalrole to play, just like we all

(08:28):
do in our own way, however bigor small we see our daily tasks
to be.
As for Our Lady, she showed uscourage in saying "yes to God.
May we learn to embrace ourGod-given vocation in motherhood
Litany.
Good Saint Anne, please pray forus.

(08:49):
Our Lady of Laval please prayfor us.
Our Lady of Penaf rancia, pleasepray for us.
Our Lady of the Cape, pleasepray for us.
Our Lady of Czestochowa, pleasepray for us.
Our Lady of Kibeho, please prayfor us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, please prayfor us.
Dear Jesus, we ask you, throughthe intercession of St Anne, to

(09:13):
help us in our vocation asmothers to guide our children,
to teach them about yourunconditional love, and to
invest love, time and attentionto the domestic church in our
families by making it a peaceful, loving and life-giving home
that honors and glorifies you.
In our daily tasks ofmotherhood and our mission as a
family, sent to every encounterwe come to you, O Good Saint

(09:37):
Anne, you have always beenattentive to God's action,
responding wholeheartedly to Hiscall.
Give us the gift of listeningto everyone with compassion and
commitment and to embrace everyevent in our lives with peace
and serenity.
By sharing the joys and sorrowsof the men and women of today,
we will become missionarydisciples capable of revealing

(09:59):
your merciful presence.
Watch over all those whom wecarry in our hearts.
Intercede with Jesus, yourbeloved grandson, that he may
grant us the grace we ask for.
Please mention your prayerrequest here, O Good Saint Anne.
Always be our guide so that wemay undertake with wisdom and
courage the path that leads tothe only encounter, the one

(10:23):
where we will journey with faithand hope into the loving heart
of the Father.
Good Saint Anne, pray for us Inthe name of the Father and hope
into the loving heart of theFather.
Good Saint Anne, pray for us Inthe name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

(10:50):
Thank you for listening to theVeil and Armor podcast.

Co-Host (10:53):
I invite you to share this with another Catholic Mom
today.
Please subscribe to our podcastand YouTube channel and please
spread the word.
Let's Be Brave, let's Be Boldand Be Blessed together.