During the second week of Advent, I was at Holy Hour and privileged to witness an event I had never experienced before. Someone entered the chapel , I heard rustling. I didn’t turn around but kept my eyes forward. There were a few footsteps and then the door opened and closed again. My prayer partner looked at me and whispered, “Was someone just here?” I nodded, yes. She said, “Well, that was odd.” We went back to praying and about 10 minutes later again the door opened, there was rustling and foot steps, a man in a long, black trench coat walked past me toward Mary’s alter. He held a clear, glass vase filled with beautiful red roses. He tried to adjust the roses by wiggling, jiggling and finally, bowed his head slightly and turned to leave. My prayer partner said, “Thank you, those roses are so beautiful.” The hurried man’s simply reply was, “There isn’t a woman in Heaven or on Earth who doesn’t love getting a bouquet of red roses.” He smiled and was gone. The rest of my hour was spent in wonder and awe, drinking in the magnificent fragrance of red roses and how one single nation adored  God.

A man taking time out of his obvious busy day, maybe on his way home, late from work but stopped to place roses before Blessed Mother. Once he arrived, he learned there was no vase in the place where extra vases are usually kept. He had to leave, run to a nearby store, purchase a vase and return to present his roses to the Blessed Mother. Subzero outdoor temps didn’t help to arrange the flowers with his gloveless, cold fingers.

One man, one nation adoring his God who share His own mother with us.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 96 ¹⁰ Say among the nations, ‘Yahweh is king.’ The world is set firm, it cannot be moved. He will judge the nations with justice. Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad! Let the sea thunder, and all it holds! Let the countryside exult, and all that is in it, and all the trees of the forest cry out for joy,

Dear Lord,

Help me to slow down,

And take time to smell the roses you put before every day.

Help me to share the roses with others.