Mary, Mother of the Church

Mary, Mother of the Church

“Then Jesus said, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.”

This past year, on February 11, 2018, on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, Pope Francis added a new feast to the calendar: Mary the Mother of the Church. This feast will be commemorated by the universal church every year on the Monday after Pentecost.

Mary is a central part to our salvation and our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We see in scripture how Mary was always focused on doing the Will of God.

Our first encounter with Mary in Scripture is in Luke, chapter 1. In this chapter Gabriel first visits Zechariah and informs him that his wife, Elizabeth, was going to have a baby, who was to be called John. Gabriel then goes to Mary and informs her of the fact that she will conceive and carry a son, who she is to call Jesus. Upon first encountering Mary, Gabriel says, “Hail full of Grace, the Lord is with you.” Though Mary was startled and wasn’t sure what this greeting meant, she would listen attentively to Gabriel as he went on to explain God’s plan for salvation, using Mary to be the mother of the Messiah. Mary wasn’t sure how this was to take place since she wasn’t yet married and had not yet had any marital relations with Joseph. After being explained that it was through the power of the Holy Spirit that this will occur, Mary replies, “I am the handmaiden of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word.”

Then years later, at the Wedding Feast of Cana, we see Mary concerned about the bride and groom running out of wine. Mary’s advise to the waiters was, “Do whatever he tells you.” As a result, Jesus saves the day by making wine out of water.

Then finally we see Mary at the foot of the cross, watching her Son being cruelly put to death on the cross. With her is John the Evangelist. Jesus, from the cross, instructs John to take care of His Mother, and in turn he gives His mother to John. This is symbolic of the feast we are remembering today. By giving Mary to John, Jesus is in turn giving Mary to the Church and to each one of us.

As heartbreaking as it was, watching her son die such a cruel death, she had hope and trust in God. She would, three days later, see her risen Son on that First Easter Sunday.

When our Lord gave John his mother on that Good Friday morning, he was giving her to us as well, to be our mother. We are called to imitate her in all things. God was always at the heart and center of all she did in her life. She was called by God, through the Angel Gabriel, to bring Jesus into the world. Then she would be part of his life as a good mother throughout his entire life here on earth. Her priority throughout life was to always have Jesus at the center of all she did. Then Jesus was given to us to draw us closer to Him and to get closer to the God who loves us.

Prayer was always an important part of Mary’s life and relationship with God. She was in prayer when Gabriel first appeared to her to be the mother of Jesus. Then, as we heard in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, she was praying with the apostles: “All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”

In the book The True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin by Saint Louis-Marie De Montford we read, “When Mary has taken root in a soul, she produces in it wonders of grace which she alone can produce for alone she is the fruitful Virgin who has never had and never will have her equal in purity and fruitfulness.” When we allow Mary to take root in our soul, we allow the Lord Jesus to be in our souls as well. Saint Louis-Marie De Montford goes on to say, “With the Holy Ghost Mary produced the greatest thing that ever was or ever will be: God-Man; she will produce, consequently, the greatest thing that will come to be in latter times.”

With the Blessed Mother, our Mother, in our souls, we will allow Jesus to be the center of all we do. We, like the Blessed Mother, are able, through the grace that is produced by her, to bring Jesus into the world and our lives, thus making it a world that is more God-centered.

Allow Mary into your heart and soul. Call upon your Mother in all your cares and needs! And Jesus will be there to bring you the peace and joy that can only come from God.

 

B. Maria Sagrario of St. Aloysius Gonzaga (OCD), Virgin & Martyr (m)

Today the Carmelite Order commemorates Blessed Maria Sagrario of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Virgin and Martyr.

Blessed Maria was born in Lilo, Toledo, on January 8th, 1881. She was a pharmacist by trade, and was the first woman in Spain to be admitted to this profession. In 1915 she entered the Carmel of St. Anne and St. Joseph in Madrid. She had a great love for the Eucharist, and devoted much prayer and contemplation before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. She was prioress of her community when she was martyred on August 15th, 1936. This martyrdom was due to the fact of the Spanish Civil War and the persecution the Church was facing as a result of this Civil War.

On July 20th, 1936, the convent was attacked by a mob. Mother Maria Sagraria spirited her sisters to safety and sought shelter with one of them at the  home of that sister's parents.  She was arrested, along with the other sister, on August 14th.  Surviving testimony well documents her serenity and abandonment to God's will.  Under interrogation she staunchly refused to betray anyone, and was executed by being shot on the following day, August 15th, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In her writings, she says, "Blessed be God who gives us ways of offering ourselves up to his love!" Blessed Maria Sagrario was able to offer herself as a sacrifice out of love of God in order to protect those under her care. Christ was at the center of her decision, and as a result was able to die for the sake of Christ. She goes on to say in her writings, "Keep your gaze always on our most beloved Jesus, asking him in the depths of his heart what he desires for you, and never deny him anything even if means going strongly against the grain for you."

This is fortitude takes great strength, but if we remain faithful to Christ and His will for us, we will find the peace and contentment that can only come from Him. Each one of us has things in our lives that are a struggle for us to deal with, whether it's a job we don't like, a family member that may get on our nerves, or people in our lives that are difficult to get along with. We are called to find out what the will of God is for us in those situations. Our Lord will lead us to do what he Wills, we just need to be open to His promptings. We are to offer our sufferings, as Blessed Maria did, to the Will of God.

Then we can pray, as she prayed, "Blessed be he who arranges everything for our good! In possessing him, we possess everything."

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On August 15^th Holy Mother Church commemorates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was on November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of faith: “We pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory.”

As a dogma of faith, we as Catholics are expected to believe that the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary to be true and real. In the Office of Readings for this feast, we read from Pope Pius XII, “In their homilies and sermons on this feast the holy fathers and great doctors spoke of the assumption of the Mother of God as something already familiar and accepted by the faithful.”

Why would Mary deserve such an honor as to be assumed body and soul into heaven? We see in scripture the kind of life that Mary lived and that she was chosen to be the Mother of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Pope Pius XII goes on to say, quoting St. John Damescene, “It was necessary that she who had preserved her virginity inviolate in childbirth should also have her body kept free from all corruption after death. It was necessary that she who had carried the Creator as a child on her breast should dwell in the tabernacle of God.”

Mary’s whole life was centered on doing the Will of God. She not only said “yes” to the angel Gabriel in agreeing to be the Mother of the Savior, she was also part of His whole life, following Jesus throughout his ministry, and finally standing at the foot of the Cross watching Her Divine Son give His life for the salvation of the world. Her whole life centered on doing the Holy Will of God.

Mary is to be an example of how we are to live our lives. We are called to carry Jesus in a different way. Mary carried Jesus in her womb and gave birth to Him physically more than 2,000 years ago. We, as Catholics, carry Jesus in ourselves whenever we receive Holy Communion. As Catholics, we know that the Host we receive at Mass is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. We are called, like Mary, to bring Jesus into a world that needs His presence.

One of the choices for dismissal at Mass is, “Go in peace glorifying the Lord by your life.” We do this by bringing Jesus into the world! Let us, like Mary, attempt to do God’s will by bringing peace into a world that so desperately needs His peace.

Lily of the Mohawks

On July 14th the Church commemorates Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lilly of the Mohawks. She was born in 1656 to a Mohawk father and a Christian Algonquin mother in the village of Ossernenon in upstate New York.

Growing up, she was greatly influenced by the Jesuit missionaries that were present in that area of upstate New York. The Jesuits were hated by the Native Americans but they but could do nothing to them because a peace treaty with the French required their presence in villages with Christian captives. Hearing the words of the Jesuits about Jesus Christ and the Catholic faith, Kateri converted to the faith, after refusing to be given in marriage to a Mohawk brave. Shortly after her baptism at the age of twenty, she moved to the Saint Francis Xavier mission near Montreal.

Because of her love of God she took a vow of virginity. Central to her life was to be pleasing to God. She had a deep prayer life that centered on love of God, and being pure in His sight.

It took a great deal of courage for Kateri to embrace the Catholic faith. It could have meant death since she was rejecting her heritage as a Mohawk. But she found faith in Jesus Christ and was willing to suffer persecution rather than to turn away from her faith in Christ.

Are we as brave as Kateri in our faith in Jesus Christ and our Catholic faith? Are we willing to share this faith with others, no matter what the cost? Faith in Jesus Christ is more than just a personal relationship with Him. We are called to bring that faith in Jesus Christ to others in our lives. We are to live the gospel of Christ and allow Christ to effect our life in all we do. It's more than just attending Mass on Sunday morning. We are called to live our faith that we profess on Sunday during the week that follows our Sunday worship.

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha pray for us!

Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

 

“…above all else it was faith that most characterized the Mother of God – the kind of faith that does not need proof, but accepts a thing as true because God has spoken.” Pope Paul VI
On July 16^th, the Carmelite Community celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Central to Mary’s life was faith in God. She trusted in God’s love for her and was always open to His Will for her, even if she didn’t quite understand what God was asking of her. In Luke we read, after the angel Gabriel approaches Mary, “But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” (Luke 1:29) She was confused by the message from Gabriel that she was to be the Mother of the Savior. But once Gabriel explains that it’ll occur through the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary says, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

Mary was trusting that God will be with her in all the difficult circumstances that will occur because of her saying “Yes” to what God was asking her to do. She was at peace with her response to God and at peace in her relationship with Him.

We are called to be like Mary, putting our full trust in God. After finding out she was to be the mother of the savior, she rushed to her cousin, Elizabeth, in her time of need. When Elizabeth praises Mary for her faith and trust in God, Mary responds, “My soul  proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” (Luke 1:46-47). We, too, are called to give praise to God and his greatness, even when things aren’t exactly going our way.

As Carmelites, let us imitate Mary in our trust for God and all he has in store for us. We are to have that relationship with God through prayer and contemplation, and then we are to go, like Mary, to those around us to be of help in their time of need. We are called to bring God’s message of love and salvation to everyone in our lives, whether family, friends or co-workers.

As Pope Paul VI said, “it was faith that most characterized the Mother of God…” Let us have that same faith and share that faith with all those around us.

Are we hiding from God?

Readings for the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time can be found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/061018.cfm

In the first reading from Genesis we hear the familiar story of Adam and Eve eating from the tree of life and death. The prohibition was to protect Adam and Eve from some of the hurtful consequences of eating from that tree, death being one of them. But the man and woman  ignore God's protective  word and listen to the word of another who is not at all concerned with their welfare.

Realizing their mistake and fearing God because they were naked, they attempt to hide from God. Before their rejection of God's command, they were comfortable with God's presence. Now they feel shame and hid from His presence.

And what do they do when God approaches them? They start shifting the blame to others. At first, when God presented the woman to Adam, Adam was grateful and satisfied at finding someone he can share his life with. Now, after eating the forbidden fruit, facing God, accuses the woman of giving him the fruit, calling her instead "the woman you put here with me", as if it was God's fault for putting her there with Adam.

Then there's Eve, with Adam pointing his accusing finger at her, pointing her finger at the serpent for getting them into this mess to begin with. The serpent gets his just reward from God for tempting Adam and Eve as he did. "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers...", (Genesis 3:15) but ultimately Adam and Eve have to take responsibility for their actions in disobeying God.

How often in the mistakes of our lives do we point the blame to others, rather than taking on the responsibility ourselves?

The message of Adam and Eve is that we are always to be open to God's promptings in our lives. We are to do what is right, according to God's Will, in all the circumstances of our lives, no matter how difficult. We are to be obedient to His Will for us to love Him, and to love others in our lives. We are never to turn away from God and ignore Him. He's there for us in our gatherings on Sunday, and in Scripture. In all our decisions of our lives we are to act as God would have us act.

Keep God in the center of all you do. And, when you sin and turn away from Him, don't be afraid to turn back to him in repentance and ask His forgiveness.

Carmel in Flemington, New Jersey

This past Sunday on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi I had the privilege of leading a Holy Hour for the Carmelite Nuns in Flemington, New Jersey.

The quiet and peace of this place is still with me today, almost a week after being there. Their love of the Lord in their routine of prayer and solitude is something that is wonderful to see and witness.

These beautiful women are called to live a life of prayer. Their day includes quiet time in prayer and contemplation, praying in community the Liturgy of the Hours, Daily Mass, and work that helps sustain and support their way of life. The focus of all their activity is on our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can learn from these servants of God on how to live our lives in the secular world. In our busy lives we need to find a way to have Jesus at the center of all we do. We need to make time throughout the day to remain focused. Sometimes we are so busy and worried about getting things done in our lives, that we forget that Jesus is present in every situation in our lives.

Though we can't live in a monastery like the Nuns do, what we can do is try to imitate them in how we carry out our day. We can and should make time to pray Scripture during the day, whether in the morning over our cup of coffee or in the evening before or after dinner. If possible, try to attend daily mass at a nearby church. If we can't attend daily mass, we can use the scriptures assigned for mass that day as a way of sanctifying our day and keeping focused in the fact that we are always in the presence of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

If you wish more information on the Carmelites in Flemington, New Jersey, you can go to their website https://flemingtoncarmel.org/home/welcome-page/ and get that information. If you're able, take time to go and visit them. I'm sure also that they would appreciate any financial contribution you can afford to give.

Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever!