mary
Posted on

May is the month of Mary – 5 ways to honor her

Honoring Mary

The month of May has been set aside for honoring Mary for centuries in the Catholic Church. Many of us have fond memories of May crownings and hymns to Mary such as “On This Day, O Beautiful Mother” (my mom’s favorite.) This year is especially important, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the appearance of Mary in Fatima, Portugal.

We must speak with great care about our devotion to Mary, as it is often misunderstood by other Christians. Catholics do not worship Mary (or anyone else besides God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.) We honor her as the Mother of Jesus – her “yes” to the angel Gabriel changed the world, and is a model for us of complete surrender to the will of God. Just as we may have a photo of our mother in our home, we Catholic put pictures and statues of Mary to remind us of her importance in God’s plan for our salvation. We also know that Mary, conceived without sin, sits very close to  her Son in Heaven, just as a queen sits next to the king. Those in Heaven are closer to God than we could ever be, here on earth (Eph. 2:5) and their intercessory prayers on our behalf can be powerful.

Honoring Mary in our Homes

May is a great time to begin new ways of honoring Mary in our homes. Here are a few ideas.

  1. There is an ancient tradition in the Church of creating Marian Gardens. Many of us have statues of Mary in our yards, but did you know that there are many beautiful plants that are symbolic to the life of Mary? For example, ferns are symbolic of Mary’s hair and pansies (with their three petals) are a reminder of the Trinity and sometimes referred to as “Our Lady’s Delight.” Their are many online sources for such gardens, and it is a fun way to include the entire family.
  2. Have a May crowning. Many parishes of course have a May crowning, but if you have a statue of Mary in your home or yard, have a May crowning. It doesn’t take much talent to create a small crown (I know this from experience!) with small flowers purchased from a craft store. If you have children, include them! Crown Mary, perhaps sing a Marian hymn or pray the Hail Mary of Regina Caeli together.
  3. Pray the Rosary. Many a good intention has has been made to pray the Rosary daily, only to be forgotten in our busy lives. Praying the Rosary is a most powerful prayer  (Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world, said Blessed Pope Pius IX), and Mary herself (at Fatima) promised peace if we would only pray the Rosary daily with great devotion.  If you aren’t sure how to pray the Rosary, it is easy to learn. Again, involve your children if you have any. And if an entire Rosary is too much for some children (I know it was for a couple of mine!), pray a decade with them before bedtime, and then finish the Rosary on your own. If you have kids, make sure they have child-friendly Rosaries.
  4. St. John Paul II credited Mary with saving his life when he was shot in St. Peter’s Square. He had a great devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, and wrote a beautiful prayer to her. Perhaps your May devotion to Mary could be praying this daily. You can find it here; it begins with the words, “O Mother of all mean and women, and of all peoples, you who know all their sufferings and hopes…”)
  5. The University of Dayton is home to the International Marian Research Institute, a treasure of Marian art, prayers, research and dogma regarding Mary. There is a lot to explore here! Why not take some time during this month of May to learn a bit more about the Blessed Mother?

“Hail, Mary!”

We owe Mary so much! Christ came into the world, fully human and fully divine, because Mary said “yes” to God’s request. She is witness to all of Jesus’ life, from his conception to his Resurrection. Our devotion to Mary will always and only lead us to a fuller understanding of Christ, our Savior. Enjoy the month of May, as we pray the words of the angel Gabriel, “Hail Mary, full of grace!”

 

EH headshotElise Hilton is an author, blogger and speaker. Her role at Diocesan Publications is Editor & Writer with the Marketing Team. She has worked in parish faith formation and Catholic education for over 30 years. A passionate student of theology, Elise enjoys sharing her thoughts on parish communication, the role of social media in the Church, Franciscan spirituality and Catholic parenting. To enquire about booking her as a speaker, please contact her at ehilton@diocesan.com.

fatima
Posted on

100th Anniversary of Fatima: What’s It All About?

Private Revelations

There are many people who claim to have what are called “private revelations” in the Catholic Church. That is, they believe that God has spoken directly to them with a specific message, that Jesus has appeared or that the Blessed Mother has visited them. The Church takes these claims quite seriously, and will spend many years investigating before declaring such a revelation valid. Even then, no one is required to believe such revelations. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

Throughout the ages, there have been so-called “private” revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ’s definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the Magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.

Christian faith cannot accept “revelations” that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions and also in certain recent sects which base themselves on such “revelations”.

So, if you’re not captivated by the Shroud of Turin, for examples, or don’t really wish to go to Lourdes, it’s ok. You don’t have to, in order to be a good Catholic.

Mary at Fatima

With that said, one of the best-known and perhaps most important revelations took place 100 years ago, in Fatima, Portugal. Mary appeared to three children, Francisco and Jacinta (who were brother and sister), and their cousin, Lucia. The world was enmeshed in World War I, but these children were tucked away, herding sheep as their families eked out meager livings.

In 1916, the children were visited by three times by St. Michael, who seemingly prepared the children for the appearance of the Blessed Mother. Then, in May of 1917, the Blessed Mother (although she did not specifically identify herself until later that year) appeared to the children:

Our Lady appears to the three children at the Cova da Iria, a large open field outside the village of Fatima, to ask that they return for five months in succession, on the 13th day of each month, at the same hour. At each apparition, Our Lady requested that the Rosary be prayed every day to obtain peace in the world.

The children often said the Rosary as they watched over the families’ sheep, but (as kids tend to do!), they used a very quick method. Instead of saying the entire prayer on each bead, they simply said, “Our Father” and “Hail Mary” and then moved on to the next bead. However, after the apparition of the Lady, they began to pray in earnest.

While the children tried to keep these appearances a secret, they were in fact just children, and Fatima was a very small place. Each month, on the 13th, the children would go to the cove where Mary had appeared, and each month more and more people came. Lucia was the only one who saw, heard and spoke to Mary. Francisco could see her, but not hear her, and Jacinta could see and hear her, but did not speak.

In July, Mary allowed the children a vision of Hell:

“You have seen Hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wills to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart.”

Mary requested that Russia be dedicated to her Immaculate Heart (which happened during the pontificate of St. John Paul II), and also shared what is known as the third secret of Fatima, which Cardinal Ratzinger (who would become Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) had studied and written about:

The third part, commonly known as the Third Secret, involves the vision of a post-apocalyptic world in which a future Pope is executed on a hill before a cross outside a devastated city along with priests, bishops, religious and members of the laity. [The text concerning the vision would be published on June 26, 2000, but the words of the Virgin explaining its precise meaning (as She had explained the vision of Hell) and its historical context have yet to be revealed. Sister Lucia’s Fourth memoir, however, will reveal that the Virgin’s explanation begins with the words: “In Portugal the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved,” to which Lucia added “etc” in order to indicate the rest of a yet-tobe-revealed prophecy concerning a crisis of Faith in the Church outside of Portugal accompanied by the apocalyptic outcome depicted in the vision.]

The Miracle of the Sun

The culmination of Mary’s visit to the children was in October 1917.  More than 70,000 people were in attendance, reporters and photographers included. Mary reaffirmed her request that the children pray the Rosary daily, and urge others to do the same. Then, the pouring rain that had turned the cove into a muddy mess suddenly stopped:

Some 70,000 people, gathered in the Cova during a driving rain, witness the Miracle of the Sun: the rain suddenly stops; the clouds disappear; and then the sun twirls in the sky, throws off vivid colors, and plunges toward the terrified crowd, instantly drying soaked clothing and the ankle deep mud covering the ground. Many were cured of diseases on the spot, many more converted to the Catholic Faith. Even atheists and anticlerical news reporters, present to scoff at the event, admit that the miracle occurred. Nothing like this miracle, announced in advance, has ever occurred in the history of the world.

Despite the fact that they were disbelieved by nearly everyone (Lucia reportedly was beaten by her own father), the children never wavered from their story. Mary, the Mother of God, had appeared to them, required penance and prayer for the salvation of the world.

Sadly, both Francisco and Jacinta died at a very young age (Francisco in 1919 and his sister in 1920.) They offered up their suffering for the world, that sinners would convert. Both have been beatified, and Pope Francis has confirmed that both will be canonized during this anniversary year. Lucia eventually became a Carmelite nun, and lived in a monastery in Coimbra, Portugal until her death in 2005. The cause for her beatification is in the works.

The Message of Fatima Today

While many people have a great devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, it seems as though the world is in nearly the same state now as it was when Mary appeared in Fatima. We still need to pray the Rosary, work to convert sinners (ourselves included!) and continue to pray for peace. Images of Christians in Syria, Pakistan, the Sudan and so many other places should compel us to pray for peace. Indeed, Christianity is now the most persecuted religion in the world. The message of Fatima is needed now more than ever. The 100th anniversary is a great reminder that all of us are called to this message of peace and prayer.

For more reading on the appearances of Mary in Fatima, and about the children, click here.

 

EH headshotElise Hilton is an author, blogger and speaker. Her role at Diocesan Publications is Editor & Writer with the Marketing Team. She has worked in parish faith formation and Catholic education for over 30 years. A passionate student of theology, Elise enjoys sharing her thoughts on parish communication, the role of social media in the Church, Franciscan spirituality and Catholic parenting. To enquire about booking her as a speaker, please contact her at ehilton@diocesan.com.

lamb of God
Posted on

Behold, the Lamb of God!

One of the first people to recognize Jesus as the Messiah was His cousin, John. When Mary journeyed to visit her cousin Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s baby leapt in her womb for joy, in recognition of the Messiah, quietly residing in Mary’s womb.

We have no record in Sacred Scripture of the relationship between Jesus and His cousin John as they grew up. Their relationship picks up as John begins his public ministry, calling people to repentance in order to prepare for the Messiah. However, it would not be hard to imagine that these two spent time together as boys, doing what boys do: exploring and hiking, finding creepy crawly things, helping their parents.

John’s role in salvation history is quite important, as author Jimmy Akin points out:

He served as the forerunner or herald of the Messiah and was to prepare for him by fulfilling an Elijah-like role by calling the nation to repentance.

In keeping with that, he baptized people as a sign of their repentance.

He also came to identify and announce the Messiah. According to John the Baptist: “I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel” (John 1:31).

In the Gospel reading yesterday, John the Baptist makes a bold proclamation to his followers. He points out Jesus and cries out: “Behold, the Lamb of God!” Jesus, he tells those gathered, will take away the sins of the world, and that the Spirit of God has made known to John that Jesus is the Son of God. John’s boyhood friend and cousin is the Messiah, the one who will save us all from sin and death.

To our ears, “Lamb of God” may seem like an unusual phrase. To Jews however, this phrase is quite familiar, and very important. This image is at the heart of the Jewish covenant story, as God brought them out of Egypt and slavery. Fr. Aaron Kuhn:

The original lamb was sacrificed during the time of Moses (1393-1273 B.C.), and its blood marked the doorposts of the Israelites and saved them from the last plague, the angel of death passing over the city and killing every firstborn child and animal (Exodus 12). The body of the lamb was eaten as a sacrificial rite. The blood of the lamb saved the people from death.

The gospel of John the Evangelist—the Beloved Disciple—which we heard today is a Passover message.  At the beginning of the gospel, Jesus is presented as the new Passover lamb, taking the place of the traditional lamb during the celebration of the Passover meal and instead offering his body as food and his blood to save us from death. “I am the living bread come down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world … unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you … my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (John 6:51, 53, 55).

In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul’s words seem to fit this scene of John’s declaration quite well:

For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. (1 Cor. 13: 9-11)

John the Baptist knew that his role in salvation was “partial:” his job was to point the way to the “perfect,” Jesus Himself. These boyhood friends now had to step into the roles God had created for them: prophet and Messiah. Just as they had to put away childish things, so must we. Our faith in the Lamb of God must always be growing, always deepening. “Behold! The Lamb of God!” Our own hearts must cry out for Him, our souls’ greatest desire. Our lives must always point the way to Him, our salvation, so that others may also come to know and believe.

“Behold! The Lamb of God!”

8 day christmas
Posted on

On the Eighth Day of Christmas

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, eight maids a-milkin’

The eight maids can symbolize the Beatitudes, part of the Sermon on the Mount

In this Christmas season, it is fitting that we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. While Mary was conceived without sin, she also had free will. She could have told God “no” when the Angel Gabriel approached her with God’s plan. Thanks be to God, that was not the case. Her resounding “yes” echoes down through the centuries, so that we – some 2,000 years from the birth of the Infant Jesus – not only rejoice in the birth of our Savior, but follow Mary’s model of perfect obedience to the will of God.

Fr. Steve Grunow, of Word on Fire Ministries, reflects on today’s solemnity:

Today, while much of the world marks the new beginning of the calendar year, the Church commemorates the great solemnity of the Mother of God.

What does this mean?

That the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of God means that the child— conceived in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, carried in her body for nine months, and born into this world— is God. As such, this celebration highlights the pivotal truth of the Church’s Faith- that God has, in Jesus Christ, accepted a human nature, chosen to be born into this world as we have all been born into this world, and has lived a real, human life.

In doing so, God has accepted the full implication of what is means to be human, including the experiences of suffering and death.

Like everything about Mary, today’s feast is really her reflection of her Son. Her motherhood is not about her; it is about Jesus. Her life is not her own; she willingly placed herself at God’s feet, as the “handmaid of the Lord.” She instructs us, “Do whatever He tells you,” just as she instructed the waiters at the wedding feast at Cana. Mary, the Holy Mother of God, always places herself and her will, under obedience, to God. Her most fervent wish is that we do the same.

[From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: “The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our world and into our hearts, and reflect on the gift of salvation that is born with him…including the fact that he was born to die for us.” There are, however, the traditional “12 Days of Christmas,” captured in the song of the same title. Some claim the song was meant as catechism of a sort, written and sung for nearly 300 years of British persecution of Catholics. We will be using both the song and the Church’s liturgical calendar to celebrate the Christmas season. We hope you enjoy.]

sixth Christmas
Posted on

On the Sixth Day of Christmas

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, six geese a’laying

The number six is meant to represent the six days of Creation.

Today, we turn our prayerful attention to the Holy Family. It would be easy to dismiss the Holy Family as some sort of fairty-tale creation, a house where no one ever gets angry or raises a voice, where chores are always cheerfully done and there is no such thing as illness or suffering.

That would be wrong.

True, the Holy Family consisted of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, a woman who never sinned and a husband and father who we know to be good and just. But this family knew tremendous hardship. Their son was born in a stable – not exactly what first-time parents would consider a great birth experience. They had to leave all they had behind as they made their way to Egypt in order to keep their Son safe. Imagine, if you will, having to leave NOW with your family and only the clothes on your back for safety. You end up in a foreign land, new parents with no support system. You have no idea how long you’ll have to stay. At some point, the Holy Family lost the man who anchored them in place, regardless of where they were; Joseph died. He was not there to support his foster Son and his wife during the most gut-wrenching time in their lives.

The Holy Family had to make a living, prepare food, clean, get water. They got sick. They prayed together. Deacon Michael Bickerstaff:

The Holy Family is a family that knew hardship yet remained steadfast in God. It is for our families to imitate their model if we are to know joy and peace in the midst of this life; if we are to attain holiness and salvation for ourselves and for our children…

For thirty of His thirty-three years, Jesus lived a humble and obedient life within His family before embarking on His public ministry. In this way, He allowed Himself to be taught experientially by His mother and foster-father, in their words and deeds, in acts both extraordinary and ordinary.

They taught Him the traditional prayers and piety, passed on the cherished customs of His people, showed him the greatest example of love and affection within the family, gave to Him a skill and trade to help support the family.

In His public ministry, Jesus taught with words and examples taken from his early and hidden family life. In the lessons He taught, we discover the great love and courage that St. Joseph must have exhibited for Jesus and His Blessed Mother; the tender love and care that must have been shared between mother and son.

Do not think of the Holy Family as the Never Had Any Problems Family. That family doesn’t exist. The Holy Family, in “acts both extraordinary and ordinary,” are tremendous examples of how a family should be: loving, supportive, prayerful. All families should strive for this holy life. Holy Mary, prayer for us. Good St. Joseph, pray for us. Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, have mercy on us. 

[From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: “The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our world and into our hearts, and reflect on the gift of salvation that is born with him…including the fact that he was born to die for us.” There are, however, the traditional “12 Days of Christmas,” captured in the song of the same title. Some claim the song was meant as catechism of a sort, written and sung for nearly 300 years of British persecution of Catholics. We will be using both the song and the Church’s liturgical calendar to celebrate the Christmas season. We hope you enjoy.]

fifth day christmas
Posted on

On the Fifth Day of Christmas

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, five golden rings

The number five is meant to remember the Pentateuch, the first five books of Jewish Scripture and the Christian Bible

Does it still “feel” like Christmas at your house? Do you still have the Nativity set out and Christmas music playing during dinner? It can be hard to keep the Christmas spirit when your neighbors have all tossed their Christmas trees to the curb the day after Christmas and the stores have shelved Valentine’s Day candy and trinkets.

Yet we Catholic keep right on celebrating! No, it’s not that saccharine “let’s keep Christmas in our hearts all year!” type of celebration. It is a time to meditate and reflect upon the fact that God became one of us. God could have chosen any way He wished to save us from our sins – He chose to become an infant, in a family, in a specific time and place. What a wonder!

It is the tradition that, on Christmas Day, the pope gives his Urbi et Orbi (City and World) message. Here is part of St. John Paul II’s message in 2002:

Together with you, O Virgin Mother, may we stop and reflect
at the manger where the Child lies,
to share your own amazement
at the immense “condescension” of God.
Grant us your own eyes, O Mary,
that we may understand the mystery
hidden within the frail limbs of your Son.
Teach us to recognize his face
in the children of every race and culture.
Help us to be credible witnesses
of his message of peace and love,
so that the men and women of our own time,
still torn by conflicts and unspeakable violence,
may also recognize in the Child
cradled in your arms
the one Saviour of the world,
the endless source of that true peace
for which every heart profoundly yearns.

Imagine: gazing on the face of God! Let the eyes of Mary, full of grace, teach us to see Christ hear and now. Our world needs a Savior, and our continued celebration of His birth will strengthen us to bring Him to our family, friends and neighbors. Merry Christmas indeed!

[From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: “The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our world and into our hearts, and reflect on the gift of salvation that is born with him…including the fact that he was born to die for us.” There are, however, the traditional “12 Days of Christmas,” captured in the song of the same title. Some claim the song was meant as catechism of a sort, written and sung for nearly 300 years of British persecution of Catholics. We will be using both the song and the Church’s liturgical calendar to celebrate the Christmas season. We hope you enjoy.]

third day christmas
Posted on

On the Third Day of Christmas

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me, three French hens

The three French hens symbolize faith, hope and love.

Today is the feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist. John, along with his brother James, were called “sons of thunder” in the Gospels. Maybe they had thundering voices, or were known to have bold personalities. Jesus saw something in these two, as He invited them to become His Apostles.

Jesus’ call changed John’s life forever. He became the “beloved” disciple, and was with Jesus for the Transfiguration, but also for Jesus’ Passion and Death. The only Apostle to stay with Jesus throughout the crucifixion, Jesus asked John to care for our Blessed Mother following her son’s death. John is also understood to be the author of the Book of Revelation, a book of visions into the heavenly banquet that awaits us.

John certainly had faith. He believed that Jesus was who He said he was: the Messiah. John gave up everything to be with Jesus, to learn from Him, to understand how God was creating a new covenant and that the whole world needed to hear this message. His faith was so unshakeable that he remained with Christ as He died; he refused to hide as the other Apostles did.

John was a man of hope. As he stood at the foot of the cross, comforting Mary, John had to recall all that Jesus had taught the Apostles. He had to have hope that the cross was not the end, no matter how terrible and ugly it was.

John loved. He loved Jesus. He loved Him as his Messiah, but also as his friend. John’s relationship with Jesus should be a model for all of us: we should call Jesus our “beloved” and pray that He does the same for us. John loved Mary, and took her into his home, caring for her as his own mother, modeling for us the relationship we should have with her.

John would likely be a bit shy about attention drawn to himself. John’s life, as an Apostle, as a Christian, was a life that was centered on Christ. His passion was learning from Christ. He loved him and wanted to do the work given to him by Jesus. His love gave him the strength to stand at the foot of the Cross and watch Jesus die a horrific death. John’s will became the same as Christ’s, and he followed the perfect advice of Mary: “Do whatever He tells you.”

Today, as we continue to celebrate the birth of our Lord, let us ask St. John, a man of faith, hope and love, for his prayerful intercession: St. John, friend of Jesus, pray for us.

[From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: “The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our world and into our hearts, and reflect on the gift of salvation that is born with him…including the fact that he was born to die for us.” There are, however, the traditional “12 Days of Christmas,” captured in the song of the same title. Some claim the song was meant as catechism of a sort, written and sung for nearly 300 years of British persecution of Catholics. We will be using both the song and the Church’s liturgical calendar to celebrate the Christmas season. We hope you enjoy.]

first day
Posted on

On The First Day Of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree. 

The “true love” is meant to convey that God – the True Love – came down from Heaven on Christmas Day.

It was an ordinary day. Babies were born, people died. Purchases were made, bartering took place. Families loved and fought, prayers were said. People ate and slept. It was an ordinary day.

Tucked away in a shelter for animals, two young Jewish parents, far from home, were watching their newborn. The baby suckled and sighed. His tiny fists stretched out as he snuggled close to the father. The mother rested. All the things a young family does on an ordinary day.

Except … it wasn’t. It was the most extraordinary day ever. It didn’t look different; there were no fireworks or protests or people yelling. No one proclaimed anything from the rooftops. But still, it was the most extraordinary day ever.

There is really no way to explain it. All we can do is muster up metaphors and even then, nothing comes close. Imagine that tonight, at the dinner table, your spouse says, “I got you a gift,” handing you a box. You open it, and the entire galaxy is contained in that box. That day was sort of like that … but not quite.

No, that most extraordinary day was the day that the God of all creation, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Moses and the Jews, Almighty and Ever-living God, came down from Heaven. He came not in a blaze of fire or in a thundering cloud.

He came as a baby.

On this most extraordinary day, we know that our God is a God of true love. He has revealed His love, in part, by becoming one of us, truly, in the flesh. And the first witnesses were two young Jewish parents, far from home, in a shelter meant for animals.

This most extraordinary day.

[From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: “The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our world and into our hearts, and reflect on the gift of salvation that is born with him…including the fact that he was born to die for us.” There are, however, the traditional “12 Days of Christmas,” captured in the song of the same title. Some claim the song was meant as catechism of a sort, written and sung for nearly 300 years of British persecution of Catholics. We will be using both the song and the Church’s liturgical calendar to celebrate the Christmas season. We hope you enjoy.]

jesus king
Posted on

Advent: We Are Going To Meet The King!

TODAY’S ADVENT REFLECTION FOR THE 4TH WEDNESDAY OF ADVENT, 2016

The end of the year is filled with hustle and bustle.  Classes are nearing the end of the semester, concerts are held to present our work, decorations are set in anticipation of Christmas.  The sales, the crowds, the shopping, the bills, the traffic, the taxes – all coming to a climax for the year.  There is a lot to deflect the most wonderful time of the year.

The Gospel, thankfully, focuses my attention to Mary.  It must have been an exciting time for her sensing the final days of carrying Jesus.  I recall those final days just before my children were born.  All the preparations were complete, we were just waiting in anticipation.  But that was a personal experience.

Well, my neighbors are expecting soon, and we are excited!  My colleagues are waiting for adoption, and we are excited!  That’s what a baby does to us.  In four days we will celebrate the birth of Jesus…and it is exciting!  Soon, and very soon, we are going to meet the King.  The final days before Christmas are a chance to reflect on the blessings of the year so that we can be more attentive to the reason for our Christmas celebration.

[Throughout the 2016 Advent season, we will be bringing you posts from a variety of writers. Our hope is that each of these will be a meaningful way for you to slow down, pray well, and prepare for the coming of our Lord. Today’s blogger is Fred Hanna, professor of music at Creighton University. He conducts the Symphonic Band and Symphony Orchestra, and teaches Foundations of Music, advanced Music Theory and Conducting.]

Mary
Posted on

Advent: Mary’s Song of Trust And Acceptance

TODAY’S ADVENT REFLECTION FOR THE

SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, ADVENT 2016

A little history of this dogma and liturgical Feast Day in the Christian tradition might be in order. Pope Pious IX, in agreement with the Catholic Church’s first Ecumenical Council, made official a long-held belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was conceived in her mother’s womb without the effects of, or in any way presence of, sin or stain of sin. This belief had an up-and-down history of acceptance and rejection throughout its history. Some monasteries and dioceses chose to celebrate this devotion while others actually forbade it. There are writings in the early centuries of the Church which attempt to explain this mystery from various aspects. Is it based in Scripture? In our First Reading for today’s Eucharistic liturgy there are the familiar verses about God’s promise that there would be a blockage between a “woman” and the serpent or symbol of evil. The first woman, Eve, tasted sin, the second woman would not.

The Gospel for today is known as the Annunciation, and Mary, a woman, is greeted as “full of grace”. This phrase has been used also as a scriptural proof. I wonder if Gabriel had said, “Hail Sinless One from the moment of your soul’s entering your-bodily substance”, would it have made this mystery any easier for acceptance. Would Mary have understood any more clearly? We are dealing with biblical and not biographical history. We love sound-bite clarity which leads us to certainty and agreement. We are left with the same verbal response as Mary gave to Gabriel, “How can this be?” My question is “Why can this not be?”

There have to be doubts and questions and mysteries and fears in order to have faith, trust and love. It’s just the way of things. Virginal births, bodily assumption into heaven, being Mother of God, are strange and impossible according to our categories.

I was listening recently to a man who told me that he once was Catholic, but left that community, because of “Man-made beliefs.” I asked him which ones bothered him the most. He replied that the one about not eating hamburgers on Friday and the one about adoring Mary. He said he basically didn’t like dogmas of any kind. I knew that was going to be a short conversation; no sound-bites availing.

I am writing this the day before the national election here in the United States. There have been all kinds of dogmatic statements by all kinds of candidates which are taken as truth by those who want to take them so. Those who reject them as false do so with their facts and counter-statements. I am wondering how many voters change their choices because of stated facts or challenges. There must be ambiguity for the possibility of choice. Mary did not have a choice to be born or conceived without sin. She did not have a vote about being enrolled in the “first census” nor giving birth in a stable. She did not have an option about standing at the foot of the cross. She did have an opportunity to say “yes” to the mystery of her life. Her obedience, her listening, her eating of the angelic apple of invitation began the final project of God’s completing creation. The old Adam-and-Eve partnership is represented and refigured in the new Mary-and-Jesus duet. Adam hid himself in shame, because he knew himself to be naked. Jesus clothed Himself in shameless flesh which he had received from the shameless body and soul of His mother, Mary. Both sang the song of trust and grateful acceptance to the invitations to their facing the fears, doubts, and questions in their lives of immaculate receptions.

Today’s reflection was written by Fr. Larry Gillick, SJ, the director of Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality at Creighton University. Gillick says, “I enjoy sharing thoughts on the Daily Reflections.  It is a chance to share with a wide variety of people in the Christian community experiences of prayer and life which have been given to me.  It is a bit like being in more places than just here.  We actually get out there without having to pay airlines to do it.  The word of God is alive and well.”

sorrows
Posted on

A Mother’s Anguish: Our Lady Of Sorrows

Mary is the model Christian. She gave herself totally to God, assenting to His will despite not knowing what lay ahead. She simply and always said, “Yes” to God.

Far too many Christians believe that if they are indeed Christians, they will somehow be insulated from sorrow and heartache. After all, they are good people and God rewards good people, right? Mary’s life is an excellent argument against that type of thinking.

Imagine a young mother, bringing her infant to the Temple, the holiest place on earth for Jews, in order that He might be presented and dedicated to God. On this momentous and happy occasion, an elderly man, well-known for his holiness and gift of prophecy, tells her, “Your heart will be pierced by a sword. You will know sorrow.” Can you imagine? Mary must have clutched that Baby a bit tighter, and wondered and worried what it all meant. There is no mother in the world who does not know sorrow and fear and trials and distress over her child or children; Mary is the model for all mothers who come to know that motherhood is not all about the delight of a baby’s gurgle, a first step or the light of understanding in a child’s eyes.

Today, the Church recognizes Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows. It is the remembrance of a mother’s love for her Son and her willingness to allow God to take her wherever His will dictates, even to the foot of the Cross. Fr. William Saunders:

St. Bernard (d. 1153) wrote, Truly, O Blessed Mother, a sword has pierced your heart…. He died in body through a love greater than anyone had known. She died in spirit through a love unlike any other since His.

Focusing on the compassion of our Blessed Mother … Pope John Paul II, reminded the faithful, Mary Most Holy goes on being the loving consoler of those touched by the many physical and moral sorrows which afflict and torment humanity. She knows our sorrows and our pains, because she too suffered, from Bethlehem to Calvary. ‘And they soul too a sword shall pierce.’ Mary is our Spiritual Mother, and the mother always understands her children and consoles them in their troubles. Then, she has that specific mission to love us, received from Jesus on the Cross, to love us only and always, so as to save us! Mary consoles us above all by pointing out the Crucified One and Paradise to us!

There are several prayers and traditions that focus on Our Lady of Sorrows. There is a litany, attributed to Pope Pius VII. There is also a chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. (A chaplet is much like a typical rosary: a string of beads on which to count prayers while one meditates on a deeper mystery.) The Seven Sorrows of Mary are:

1) The Prophecy of Simeon
2) The Flight into Egypt
3) The Loss of Jesus in Jerusalem for Three Days
4) Mary meets Jesus carrying His Cross on the way to Calvary
5) Mary standing at the foot of the Cross as Jesus Dies
6) Mary receives the dead Body of Jesus as He is removed from the Cross
7) The Burial of Jesus

You can learn how to pray the chaplet here.

Today’s memorial reminds us as Christians that our life will not be free of pain and loss. Jesus tells us we must pick up our crosses and follow Him. That directive alone informs us that the life of a Christian will not be easy. No one knew that better than Mary, and yet she still always chose the cross. She always said yes to God, despite the hardships and sorrows that entailed. Meditating on her sorrows can only lead us deeper and deeper into the mystery that is our Lord Jesus Christ.

O God, in whose Passion, according to the prophecy of Simeon, a sword of grief pierced through the most sweet soul of Thy glorious Blessed Virgin Mother Mary: grant that we, who celebrate the memory of her Seven Sorrows, may obtain the happy effect of Thy Passion, Who lives and reigns world without end. Amen.

Queen of Heaven
Posted on

Hail, Queen Of Heaven! Pray For Us!

The church has acknowledged Mary as “queen” since its earliest days. As soon as Mary accepted God’s plan for her to be the Mother of the Savior, our King, she was Queen. Mary was never a queen in a palace, attended by ladies-in-waiting, nor did she rule over any lands. Like her Son, Mary’s royalty was wrapped in mystery and humility. This royal family lived in simplicity and obedience to God.

In 1954, Pope Pius XII issued the encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam (Queen of Heaven). Sixty years later, this encyclical sounds as fresh as if it was written yesterday. Bearing in mind that Pope Pius was addressing a world still recovering from a horrific world war, he knew that weary hearts needed a mother’s love:

Following upon the frightful calamities which before Our very eyes have reduced flourishing cities, towns, and villages to ruins, We see to Our sorrow that many great moral evils are being spread abroad in what may be described as a violent flood. Occasionally We behold justice giving way; and, on the one hand and the other, the victory of the powers of corruption. The threat of this fearful crisis fills Us with a great anguish, and so with confidence We have recourse to Mary Our Queen, making known to her those sentiments of filial reverence which are not Ours alone, but which belong to all those who glory in the name of Christian.

Today, we watch these same circumstances unfold around us. Our neighbors in Louisiana are overcome with the aftermath of flooding. Our cities have been on fire with riots and shootings all summer long. Our Syrian brothers and sisters have been driven from their homes, their cities, towns and places of worship destroyed. How do we continue to be faithful in our sorrow? We must turn to Mary, our Queen.

Pope Pius XII pointed out that referring to Mary as “queen” is nothing new to Christians:

6. In this matter We do not wish to propose a new truth to be believed by Christians, since the title and the arguments on which Mary’s queenly dignity is based have already been clearly set forth, and are to be found in ancient documents of the Church and in the books of the sacred liturgy.

7. It is Our pleasure to recall these things in the present encyclical letter, that We may renew the praises of Our heavenly Mother, and enkindle a more fervent devotion towards her, to the spiritual benefit of all mankind.

8. From early times Christians have believed, and not without reason, that she of whom was born the Son of the Most High received privileges of grace above all other beings created by God. He “will reign in the house of Jacob forever,” “the Prince of Peace,”the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” And when Christians reflected upon the intimate connection that obtains between a mother and a son, they readily acknowledged the supreme royal dignity of the Mother of God.

9. Hence it is not surprising that the early writers of the Church called Mary “the Mother of the King” and “the Mother of the Lord,” basing their stand on the words of St. Gabriel the archangel, who foretold that the Son of Mary would reign forever, and on the words of Elizabeth who greeted her with reverence and called her “the Mother of my Lord.”Thereby they clearly signified that she derived a certain eminence and exalted station from the royal dignity of her Son.

The pope warned about exaggerating Mary’s role in the church and in our lives, saying that any recognition of Mary’s “divine dignity” must always be attributed to the “infinite goodness that is God.” That is, Mary has no power or ability or role that God Himself has not granted her; she does nothing of her own will but only that of God’s.

Pope Pius XII concluded this encyclical:

51. By this Encyclical Letter We are instituting a feast so that all may recognize more clearly and venerate more devoutly the merciful and maternal sway of the Mother of God. We are convinced that this feast will help to preserve, strengthen and prolong that peace among nations which daily is almost destroyed by recurring crises. Is she not a rainbow in the clouds reaching towards God, the pledge of a covenant of peace? “Look upon the rainbow, and bless Him that made it; surely it is beautiful in its brightness. It encompasses the heaven about with the circle of its glory, the hands of the Most High have displayed it.”Whoever, therefore, reverences the Queen of heaven and earth – and let no one consider himself exempt from this tribute of a grateful and loving soul – let him invoke the most effective of Queens, the Mediatrix of peace; let him respect and preserve peace, which is not wickedness unpunished nor freedom without restraint, but a well-ordered harmony under the rule of the will of God; to its safeguarding and growth the gentle urgings and commands of the Virgin Mary impel us.

52. Earnestly desiring that the Queen and Mother of Christendom may hear these Our prayers, and by her peace make happy a world shaken by hate, and may, after this exile show unto us all Jesus, Who will be our eternal peace and joy, to you, Venerable Brothers, and to your flocks, as a promise of God’s divine help and a pledge of Our love, from Our heart We impart the Apostolic Benediction.

By acknowledging Mary as Queen, we acknowledge Her Son’s Divinity. She shines only in reflection of His Light. She is our mother, because we have been adopted by God the Father through our baptism in Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae; vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve. Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.