Mary, as a spiritual mother, wants the best for us, Bishop Kevin Kenney said. Growing up, Bishop Kenney said he always knew that Mary was with him.
“How do we lean into her? We lean into her through that love that (our) mother has for us and that care. … To lean into her as a prayerful figure who can continue to lead us and guide us,” Bishop Kenney told Rachael McCallum, producer of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show, for an episode set to air at 9 p.m. May 23 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
While discerning his way to accepting the role of auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Bishop Kenney prayed to Jesus, but he also asked Mary for her intercession and asked her to walk with him.
“I felt her push along as well, saying, ‘Yes, you can do it. My son is calling you. Just accept it and we’ll be there. We’ll help you,’’ Bishop Kenney said. “Even just taking a moment to pray a Haily Mary. That’s such a powerful prayer as well. To be able to know that she is there.”
In the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Bishop Kenney said he sees a mother who cares for her children and wants the best in faith for them.
“To come to know Jesus and to have that opportunity that everyone is welcome, it’s like the neighborhood house that you would all go to and the mother would be in there making cookies or preparing lunch,” Bishop Kenney said. “She was at the foot of the cross, seeing her son suffering in his death and just the pain that she felt at that time, the sorrow, but she didn’t lose that trust. She didn’t lose that hope that this was God’s will.”
To say yes to God without knowing the future is to be like Mary, Bishop Kenney said.
“OK, Lord, let it be done to me according to your will,” Bishop Kenney said. “We know what the final goal is, and that is the good news of Jesus Christ. … And that’s what she always points us to, is her son.”
To hear more from Bishop Kenney about Mary’s unique role, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. May 24 and 2 p.m. May 25.
Also on the program, Rachel Hastreiter, a Trinity High School graduate, shares the importance of transitions, and Kate Soucheray, a Catholic Spirit columnist, shares how lay Catholics are called to evangelize.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
