From a grateful heart

Prayer of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla

Jesus, I promise You to submit myself to all that You permit to befall me,

make me only know Your will.

My most sweet Jesus, infinitely merciful God, most tender Father of souls,

and in a particular way of the most weak, most miserable, most infirm

which You carry with special tenderness between Your divine arms,

I come to You to ask You, through the love and merits of Your Sacred Heart,

the grace to comprehend and to do always Your holy will,

the grace to confide in You,

the grace to rest securely through time and eternity in Your loving divine arms.

Amen

Hubby is home, playing Pokemon with the brood, and I am one grateful wife.

The woman pictured above, and the author of the prayer, is Saint Gianna Molla. Saint Gianna was a working mother, an obstetrician/pediatrician, with three children, a full-time medical practice serving poor mothers and children, and a husband who often travelled for work. Her pregnancies were not easy, because she suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum (http://www.helpher.org/), the same pregnancy condition I suffered with N. Gianna loved fashion and opera and skiing. This is a woman I can fully relate to, a saint for the working moms. I often ask for her prayers, and she has never, ever let me down. She is truly my friend and comfort.

During her fourth pregnancy, doctors found a tumour growing in her uturus, and suggested she have the entire uterus removed. She refused, allowing them to only remove enough of the tumour so her baby could continue growing. She chose to risk her life in order to save the life of her daughter. She died of sepsis several days after Gianna Emmanuela was born, crying aloud, "Oh my Jesus, I love you!"

I prayed to St. Gianna a lot during this last sail. When her husband was away for work, she wrote him letters, and I've read them. She often talks of love in marriage, and Jesus and her deep, abiding faith -- but she also discusses household matters, her own exhaustion, and  how much the children miss him. This woman understands my life.

So, to all the other working moms, Navy wives and those who deal with the challenges of modern work and modern marriage -- may I introduce you to my friend? I guarantee she will be a help and comfort to you, too.