Brothers and Sisters,

When I last spoke with you, I focussed on the family and the role of a father within the family. Today, I want to focus on the mother in the family. As with the role of the father, we see the role of the mother, in the Blessed Mother, our earthly mother and of course, in regard to the church.

If God is our father, and we know that he is, you might well ask, do we have a heavenly mother? Yes. We do. Mary is our mother. Just as she was Jesus's mother, she is your mother. She brings comfort to the sick and the frightened. She brings love and she brings peace. What a mother to have.

How much does our Heavenly Mother care for us? Well, love can be shown in deeds. The Blessed Virgin gave us the rosary. To some it is just a set of pretty beads. To others, the prayers and the mysteries bring us closer to the Lord. The others are right. We are always looking for ways to be closer to God - well, what can bring us closer than a set of prayers given to us by the Mother of God? This isn't just a nice thing to say - the rosary is a weapon.

Our mother sees us battling the horrors of modern society. She sees us, her children, trying to turn the tide of immorality and pain and she tries to help us. She gives us the rosary. She promises us that she will offer our prayers to the Lord. Could the love of our Mother be more strong?

Look around the world today. Abortion. Gay marriage. Child abuse. War. Murder. Pornography. None of those things come from God. They come from man. They are man made. Each one is an axe that strikes the tree of love. Each one cuts through the bond that gives us life. Each one strikes against God. And Our Lady sees that. She sees men playing God. She knows how this offends the Lord and how this scars our soul. And with love and mercy, she shows us the way to get to Heaven. The way to love and the way to pray. She shows us the teachings of her son. She shows us his love, his way to pray. We see his actions through her appearances to man.

What a mother that is to have. Let us Pray;

"Blessed Mary, Ever Virgin, Queen of Heaven. We pray and ask for your intercession. We thank you for the love you show us. We thank you for the rosary, a sword against evil. We pray that we may share in the love you have for your son and we pray that we will always know his love. We pray that with your words and through your sacred heart, we may always know how to love the Lord and put our faith and trust in him. As you guided our late Pontiff, John Paul II, we ask you to guide Pope Benedict XVI. All this we pray with a true heart."

Amen.

The Service is ended. Go in the Love of the Lord.

Amazing, truly amazing.

Bishop you are a jewel for the Church of Alexandria. I thank the lord the day he decided to grant us such a great believer and worker.

Sincerely,

My sincere thanks Your Eminence. But all praise must go to the Lord - it's his message I bring, not my own.

Amen.

This is a great message.