May 13 2026 - Our Lady of Fatima (school mass) - Become like shepherd children

 

Today, May 13 is the anniversary of Mary, the Mother of Jesus appearing to three shepherd children in the small village of Fatima in Portugal in 1917.  Mary appeared six times to Lucia, age 9, and her cousins Francisco, age 8, and his sister Jacinta, age 6, between May 13, 1917 and October 13, 1917.

Why was it, that out of all the people in the world, Mary appeared to three young children the ages of many of you here? She didn’t appear to the Pope. She didn’t appear to a journalist or a historian who could write a thorough and detailed account of her visit. She didn’t appear to a news anchor who could interview her on live television. Why three young shepherd children?

Part of that answer is mysterious—God works in mysterious ways. God wanted Mary to appear to those three children in Portugal because that’s what God wanted, He has his reasons, and those reasons are not always immediately known to us—we’ll find out in heaven.

Likely though, Mary appearing to three, poor shepherd children has something to do with Jesus telling us that unless you become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

This message was especially true in 1917. For in 1917, the world was on the verge of tremendous technological advancement: a lot of our own country still didn’t have electricity, but in just a few yers the world would change—automobiles, airplanes, nuclear power, soon computers, wireless communication, space rockets, internet, now artificial intelligence.

In 1917, the world would soon be getting more powerful and more complex, and Mary, appears from heaven to three simple, weak, poor children, and tells them to pray, to be dependent on God, and to not let material things become the center of your lives.

If Mary had appeared to adults, to their parents even, would they have believed her, that God wanted us to pray the rosary, to go to confession, to believe in Jesus. Many adults think of themselves as too sophisticated to pray the rosary, too proud to go to confession, too learned to believe in hell and the devil, too cultivated to practice fasting. This is why they are often so unhappy, because they have stopped believing in God in their deepest hearts. But, as we heard in the Gospel, "blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

Dear ones, please head our Lady’s message. Don’t grow up to think that you don’t need God. Don’t grow up to think that the point of this life is just to become rich or that the right amount of material things will make you happy. Don’t grow up to think that it’s okay to sin. If you do, you’ve grown up wrong.

God gave Mary a special job to appear to these three young children, he trusted them with this simple yet profound message: that if we want to be happy in this life and be with God in eternity, we need to turn way from sin, practice prayer, believe in Jesus and his teachings, and do what we can to help others turn to God.

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Inspired by Mary’s call to prayer and to trust in God, we offer now our prayers of petition:

For the holy Church of God, that she may always heed Our Lady’s message of Fatima by proclaiming and living out the call to prayer, penance, and conversion with faith, hope, and love.

For peace in our world, that through the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima, hatred may give way to reconciliation, violence to justice, and war to enduring peace,

For the conversion of sinners and the renewal of faith, especially in places darkened by unbelief and indifference to Christ.

That during this month of May, all people may turn their hearts to the Blessed Virgin Mary, seeking her aid and imploring her intercession with increased and fervent devotion, imitating her example of Faith, Hope, and Love..

For those who suffer, especially the poor, the persecuted, and the forgotten, that they may know the comfort of Mary’s immaculate heart and the strength of her Son’s redeeming love,

For the dead, that they may be received into the glory of heaven where Mary, reigns as Queen.

O God, who chose the Blessed Virgin Mary to bring your Son into the world, hear our prayers and strengthen us in faith, hope, and charity, that we may one day share in the triumph of her Immaculate Heart. Through Christ our Lord.

 

August 14 2024 - St. Maximilian Kolbe - The antidote to poisonous indifference

 Last week, on August 9 we celebrated the martyr Saint Theresa Benedicta of the Cross, a jewish convert to Catholicism and Carmelite nun who was killed in the Nazi Concentration Camp in Aushwitz in 1942.  A year earlier, the Franciscan priest Maximilian Kolbe, was also martyred at Auschwitz.

Today’s Saint died a heroic death in a Nazi concentration camp in 1941.  

Born in Poland in 1894, Maximilian Kolbe entered the Conventual Franciscans at the age of 16.  Ordained at 24, Fr. Kolbe saw religious indifference as the deadliest poison of the day. No doubt, Fr. Kolbe saw the inhumanity rampant in the war, inhumanity that led to those death camps, the inhumanity rampant throughout the 20th century, as a result of that indifference.

Our ultimate meaning, our ultimate purpose, is found in our relationship with God. And when we are indifferent toward God, our already damaged moral compass suffers even more. Without God, there is nothing to stop greed, lust, and pride from becoming the primary motivators of our lives. Indifference toward God is poisonous. And our society has largely succumbed to this terrible poison. 

To combat the growing religious indifference in early 20th century Poland, Fr. Kolbe founded the Militia of the Immaculata, whose aim was to fight evil with the witness of the Catholic life, prayer, work, penance, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Fr. Kolbe started a religious magazine under Mary’s patronage, Knight of the Immaculata magazine, to help spread the message of the Faith. 

Fr. Kolbe knew that the Blessed Virgin Mary is not only the antithesis of religious indifference, but also the antidote to it. 

Mary ‘s active, engaged faith, her intentional contemplation of God, her attentiveness to the needs of others, her nearness to Jesus at the cross, and to the apostles at pentecost, sharply contrasts with the indifference of our day. Her example inspires us move beyond coldness and antipathy toward God, to full, active pursuit of the one thing that matters.  Mary's "yes" to God,  stands in stark contrast to modern attitudes of self-centeredness which breed innumerable evils.

Mary's "fiat"  in response to the Annunciation demonstrates complete openness and submission to God's will. Throughout her life, Mary actively participates in God's plan, from the Visitation to her presence at the foot of the Cross. The Gospels describe Mary as "pondering the things of God in her heart," suggesting deep reflection on spiritual matters - the opposite of indifference. 

It was Mary’s faith, hope, and charity, that led Fr. Kolbe to lay down his life for another in the concentration camp, love that is praised by the Lord himself, when he says, there is no greater love, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.

Like him, May faith, hope, and love animate our lives, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For the Church, that like St. Maximilian Kolbe, we may combat religious indifference with active faith, fervent prayer, and devoted service to others. 

For world leaders, that they may recognize the inherent dignity of every human life and work for a society of lasting peace. 

For all Catholics, that inspired by Mary's "fiat," we may respond with wholehearted "yes" to God's will in our lives.

For those experiencing persecution for the faith, those who suffer illness, extreme poverty, addiction, and those near death, may they find hope and peace in the example of the saints.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who laid down their lives for our safety and freedom. 

Almighty Father, hear our prayers, and grant us the grace to serve you, as so many faithful saints through the centuries. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin grant us what we truly need to be your devoted servants always and everywhere. Through Christ our Lord.

May 31 2024 - Feast of the Visitation - Living in harmony with God

 On this final day of May, the month dedicated to our Blessed Mother, we honor Our Lady in celebrating the joyful feast of her visitation to her kinswoman Elizabeth pregnant in her old age.

Even though Mary had just experienced a life altering event of her own at the annunciation, she leaves the comfort of her home to assist her pregnant kinswoman Elizabeth in haste. Mary doesn’t remain isolated in anxious worrying about the unknown challenges of her vocation as Mother to the Son of God.  Rather, she set out on a mission of charity without fearful hesitation. 

Mary is clearly motivated by love and a desire to live a life that is pleasing to God—in harmony with God. After all, it was God’s angel who made known to Mary Elizabeth’s need.  Mary is attuned to Elizabeth’s difficult pregnancy because God is attuned to Elizabeth’s difficult pregnancy. 

There is a Greek new testament word—αρεσκειν (ar-ay-skein)—which is translated to mean that a person is pleasing to God and also in harmony with God. And Mary is the new testament character that exemplifies both meanings of the word—she is most pleasing to God because she is the most in harmony with Him—so much so, that she is able to say, in all honestly and humility—that her soul truly magnifies the Lord—in other words, you can come to know more about God by looking at her soul. 

Mary’s life, actions, and words point to God's magnificence and mercy, effectively "enlarging" or enhancing the perception of God's greatness to those around her. In every single one of the instances in the Gospels where we read of Mary—she is magnifying the Lord—at the annunciation, at the visitation, the nativity, the wedding at Cana, at the cross, at Pentecost—she is showing that God is worthy of our faith, our obedience, our love, our trust, our prayers and worship.

And like her, despite the challenges of our life—our family dramas, health concerns, and financial challenges—we are called to live in harmony with God, in ways that our pleasing to God—in charity, patience, purity, generosity, and trust. 

God sent Mary in the messiness of Elizabeth’s life, and he sends us into the messiness of the world to magnify his presence through lives that are attuned to Him. 

Though the month of May now draws to an end, may we continue to look to the Blessed Virgin Mary as the model of holiness to which God calls each of us for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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To Our Lady’s most powerful intercession, we commend ourselves and the entire Church to God.

That Our Lady may bring constant guidance and assistance to the Holy Father and the Bishops in their apostolic mission, and aid all who help them in their work. 

That all government leaders may be awakened to the supreme dignity of each human life, and that all people of our nation may work together for an end to the culture of death. 

Mary was chosen as the uncorrupted ark of God’s presence, may we live always free from the corruption of sin.

Mary is the help of all Christians and comforter of the afflicted, may she bear God’s gifts of healing, strength, and peace, to all of the sick and the suffering.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight.

Saturday before Ash Wednesday 2022 - Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners

On this final Saturday of Septuagesima, on the verge of the penitential season of Lent, I’d like to consider briefly one of the titles of Our Lady from the Litany of Loreto: Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners.

This title of Our Lady inspires confidence in us who are in need of God's mercy. As St. Louis Marie de Montfort says: "If we fear to go directly to Jesus Christ, our God, whether because of His infinite greatness, or because of our vileness, or because of our sins, let us boldly implore the aid and intercession of Mary, our Mother. She is good, She is tender, She has nothing in Her austere and forbidding, nothing too sublime and too brilliant. In seeing Her, we see our pure nature. She is not the sun, which by the brightness of its rays blinds us because of our weakness; but She is fair and gentle as the moon (Cant. 6:9), which receives the light of the sun, and tempers it to make it more suitable to our capacity" 

And yet, we know that God is merciful and full of compassion, so when we turn to Our Lady with that consoling title, "Refuge of Sinners," we see in Her one who loves the lost sheep, as God loves them. Our Lady loves us because God loves us. And she intercedes continually that not one of us may be lost. She is our refuge, our advocate, because God wants us to come to Him through Her, since every grace He gives us is given through Her hands. 

The tender arms of Our Lady are opened to all of us poor sinners, so much that St. Bonaventure said that "Mary embraces with motherly love even such a sinner as is despised by all the world, and ceases not to embrace him until he is reconciled with his Judge." 

As the members of the Church acknowledge our sins this Lent, we turn to our Lady, seeking refuge in the folds of her mantle, where we plead with our Mother to teach us how to repent well, to be reconciled well with God, to be open to the conversion God desires for us. 

Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners, pray for us, that we may become worthy of the promises of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

August 20 2019 - St. Bernard - A light shining and burning

Adviser of popes, preacher of the Second Crusade, defender of the faith, healer of a schism, mystical contemplative ,reformer of a monastic Order, Scripture scholar, theologian and eloquent preacher: today we celebrate the memorial of St. Bernard of Clairvaux.

In the year 1111, around the age of 20, Bernard left his home to join the Cistercian monastery at Citeaux in France.  St. Bernard with his intelligence and holiness of life attracted many vocations, in fact two of his uncles and five of his brothers joined the monastery with him, and his sister became a Benedictine nun. There is even a book written about St. Bernard’s family called, “The Family that Conquered Heaven.” Bernard founded not only the monastery at Clairvaux, but 163 other monasteries throughout Europe. 

The Collect Prayer for his memorial calls Bernard a “light shining and burning” in the Church. And his light was certainly not hidden under a bushel basket, rather it drew many to seek holiness, as it does for us.

From where did his holiness derive? Bernard’s love for Our Lady is renowned. Bernard had a unbounded confidence in the intercession of Our Lady, and composed that powerful prayer, the Memorare: “Remember, O Most Gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided.”

The Magnificat Antiphon for Vespers this evening calls Bernard the “most eminent preacher of the Virgin Mary’s glory”. St. Bernard’s love for the Blessed Virgin was so renowned, that when Dante composed his Divine Comedy, it is St. Bernard who leads the pilgrim to the highest heaven, to the mystical rose, to Our Lady whose faith, hope, and love for God surpasses all others. It was Bernard who proposed the title for Our Lady as Mediatrix of Grace.

It was Bernard, too, who uttered one of my favorite quotes. He said, “the three most important virtues are humility, humility, and humility.”

Through the intercession and example of St. Bernard, may we grow in confidence and love for Our Lady, may we grow in humility, humility, humility, and may we seek that personal holiness, which becomes a light for others to draw near to Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

For an increase in vocations to the consecrated religious life, and that our consecrated religious may continue to be a shining and burning light in the Church.

For those who disbelieve in Our Lady’s role in the Church and plan of God, for increased devotion to Our Lady’s intercession, that we may imitate the love of her Immaculate Heart.

That the young students of our school beginning classes this week may know the love of Christ in their families, that each school family may seek to practice right religion to the honor of God.

For mercy and peace for all those who suffer: for the sick and diseased, for those undergoing surgery this week, for the destitute and despairing, for all victims of war, violence, and abuse, and for those who will die today and the consolation of their families.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, and for N., for whom this mass is offered.

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

Annunciation 2018 - Mary, Co-Redemptrix

The Feast of the Annunciation is one of the most ancient feasts of the Church. Earlier names for the Feast were Festum Incarnationis—The Feast of the Incarnation, and Conceptio Christi—the Conception of Christ. Though the name has varied, the date of the Feast is is placed exactly nine months before Christmas: nine months, the term of a pregnancy, except when it is displaced by Holy Week or the Octave of Easter, as it was this year.

We just celebrated Easter, and this feast gets us thinking about Christmas already. But this feast is so important, because without the Annunciation there wouldn’t have been an easter, without Mary’s yes, there would be no incarnation, and with no incarnation, there would be no saving sacrifice, no resurrection, no hope.

This is why Mary is often given the title of “Co-Redemptrix”. Mary participates in the redemption of man through her fiat. She cooperates with God’s plan for human redemption when she humbly accepts the Will of God, saying “Be it done unto me according to your word.” She accepts the labor and sufferings that the will of God entails. The devotion of the Seven Sorrows of Mary help us to contemplate all she suffered in union with Christ her Son to bring about—to deliver—our salvation.

Since Jesus Christ is the Mercy of God incarnate, Mary can rightly be called the “Mother of Mercy”, as she is in the Salve Regina. Since Jesus Christ is the salvation of the world, Mary can rightly be called the “Cause of our Salvation”, cause, in the Aristotelian sense, as she was called by St. Irenaeus in the 3rd century. Since Christ is Our Joy, Mary is rightly called the “Cause of our Joy”

Mary’s role in our salvation is not to be overvalued—as many protestants claim we do, nor is it to be undervalued, as most protestants end up doing. The Catholic position is not too hot, not too cold, but just right. To rightly love the Son, we rightly love the mother who brought him into the world through a consent of the will so humble it made the angels rejoice.

May we rightly enshrine Mary in our hearts by imitating her humility, by humbly submitting our minds, our wills, our whole lives to the Lord. May the Blessed Mother bring about in us a flowering, a new birth, of God’s grace within each of us, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That through the teaching, preaching, and pastoral care of the Church all Christians will grow in their devotion to and imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  We pray to the Lord.

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, hatred, violence, and cruelty will cease in the world.  We pray to the Lord.

For those trapped in the downward spiral of sin, that the hope offered through the Incarnation of Christ in the womb of the Blessed Virgin will bring them new life in the Spirit.  We pray to the Lord.

That Mary’s maternal care and heavenly intercession will raise us to the moral greatness befitting true children of God.  We pray to the Lord.

For blessings on all expectant mothers, newborn infants, and young families.  We pray to the Lord.
That from the moment of conception all children will be preserved from bodily harm; for the overturning of unjust laws that permit the destruction of innocent life; and that the minds of all may be enlightened to know the dignity of every human life.  We pray to the Lord.

For all those who have died, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for all who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.  We pray to the Lord.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

December 22 2017 - An attitude of gratitude for Christmas

The readings today remind us that every gift and every blessing comes from God. God is the origin of every good thing in our lives.

In the first reading, from the first book of Samuel, Hannah brings her son Samuel to the temple to present him, dedicate him, and consecrate him to the Lord. Remember, Hannah had experienced deep sorrow and misery over her barrenness, so she prayed devoutly for a son. She recognizes that the birth came through the Lord’s great favor, and so she returned to the temple where she once prayed, now to thank God for her son. “I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;”

Yesterday, we heard how Our Lady went in haste to the hill country of Judea to care for her kinswoman Elizabeth. When Elizabeth praises Our Lady, calling her “the mother of my Lord”, Mary in turn praises God by praying her great Magnificat. Mary recognizes that God is the source of her blessing, and returns all praise to Him.

Mary and Hannah teach us an important lesson as we approach Christmas. Christmas is filled with so many blessings: of family, presents, good food. As we partake in these great blessings, it is important for us to do so with the prayerful gratitude. At the end of each day, in fact, we do well to look back on our day, thanking God for each and every blessing.

The O Antiphon for today, the 22nd of December, reminds us of our humble origins. “O King of the nations, the cornerstone and the desire of all peoples. Come and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay.”

Made from the clay, we owe our gratitude to God for everything, for the gift of life, for the food which fills the earth, for the time we’ve been given to “work out our salvation” as St. Paul says.
May an attitude of gratitude prevail in us this Christmas by using our time, talent, and treasure for his will, not simply our own. May we recognize in the Christ Child the source of all blessing and salvation, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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We raise up our prayers of petitions, as we await with longing the Advent of Christ the Lord.

That all peoples of the earth may come to believe in God as the source of all life, goodness, and blessing.

For the protection of the unborn, and the overturning of all laws lacking respect for the dignity of human life.

That those struggling with winter depression or addiction may find peace and joy in Christ.

That Christ may banish disease, drive out hunger, ward off every affliction, and strengthen all who suffer persecution for the sake of the Gospel.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

Homily: Dec 20 2016 - Four short lessons of faith

We hear the annunciation story 3 or four times throughout Advent each year: once on the Immaculate Conception, again on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, depending on the year we might hear it on the 4^th Sunday of Advent, and now, in late Advent every year on December 20^th.

The Church celebrated the feast of the Annunciation nine months ago; nine months, the term of a pregnancy. That Holy pregnancy is coming to term in just five days—that holy pregnancy which is marked by Mary’s deep faith.  As we now imminently prepare for Christmas, let us reflect on four different aspects of Mary’s perfect Advent faith.

First, her faithful “search”. When the angel announces God’s plan, Mary asks, “how can this be?” She does not doubt the Angel’s message, like Zechariah. She seeks to understand God’s plan for her. Each of us do well to search these next few days—to ask, “God, how can I be more faithful to your plans for me? How are you calling me to be more faithful in the concrete details of my life?” 

Faithfulness requires the ardent, patient, and generous search for the will of God and the face of God.

Secondly, Mary’s “acceptance” of God’s plan. Mary’s response to the angel’s message is simply, fiat, “Let it be done.” Her acceptance of God’s will is courageous, she take it up enthusiastically, knowing and trusting that God’s will is her greatest good. In your faith life, where do you need to be more courageous and enthusiastic? Mary abandons herself to God’s will, not with sad resignation, but with joyful openness.

A third dimension of Mary’s faithfulness is her “consistency”—after saying “yes” to God’s will, she begins to adapt her life in faithful obedience to God’s plan. For Mary there is no break between what she practiced and what she believed. Her faith is consistent throughout every dimension of her life. What are the parts of my life where I have yet to conform to God’s will?

Finally, we should emulate Mary’s “constancy”. When we make a new spiritual commitment, it is easy to be consistent for a day or two. But to remain constant in that commitment, day after day, week after week, that is where truly holiness lies. In what spiritual practices am I called to be more constant? All faithfulness must pass the most exacting test: that of duration.

Mary’s faith always points us to the deepest reality of our celebrations. As Mary is semper fidelis, always faithful, may she increase our faith, that we may prepare our hearts well for the Christmas festivities for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: Sept 8 2016 - Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary - Joy and Light

Two themes pervade the readings and prayers of this feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: joy and light.

“With delight we rejoice in what the Lord has done” – we proclaimed in the Psalm. Saint Andrew of Crete said all creation sings with joy, exults, and participates in the joy of this day....for this is, in fact, the day on which the Creator of the world constructed His temple; today is the day on which by a stupendous project a creature becomes the preferred dwelling of the Creator"

Joy comes from recognizing the importance, meaning, and weight what God has done for us. Considering the truly miserable state of humanity without God, broken, fallen, enslaved, divided, self-destructive; without God, separated from God, we are in darkness. Joy breaks into our souls when we truly appreciate His love for us, in saving us from the darkness.

Today is a feast of joy, because it is part of the story of salvation—God’s light breaking into the darkness of the history of humanity’s sin. The liturgy tells us: “Let us celebrate with joy the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for from her arose the sun of justice, Christ our God.”

There is an ancient hymn about Mary and Christ in which this beautiful theology of salvation is expressed:

1. Mary the dawn, Christ the Perfect Day; Mary the gate, Christ the Heavenly Way!
2. Mary the root, Christ the Mystic Vine; Mary the grape, Christ the Sacred Wine!
3. Mary the wheat, Christ the Living Bread; Mary the stem, Christ the Rose blood-red!
4. Mary the font, Christ the Cleansing Flood; Mary the cup, Christ the Saving Blood!
5. Mary the temple, Christ the temple’s Lord; Mary the shrine, Christ the God adored!
6. Mary the beacon, Christ the Haven’s Rest; Mary the mirror, Christ the Vision Blest!
7. Mary the mother, Christ the mother’s Son. Both ever blest while endless ages run. Amen.

On this side of eternity, in each one of us there is always still some darkness.  And we know all too well, how this darkness continues to pervade our world. This feast reminds us to turn to Mary every day, pray to her, that the light of Christ will banish the darkness of selfishness and sin in us; that as God used her as the Gate to bring salvation into the world, God continues to use her to bring grace into our souls.

If we want joy we need to turn to her devoutly for joy, if we want peace we need to turn to her earnestly for peace, if we want to be with God forever in heaven, we need to turn to Mary fervently for help in following Christ faithfully for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Homily: August 15 2016 - Assumption of Mary - "Concerning Mary, never enough!"

Looking around my office this morning, I saw a painting of the immaculate heart, a small statue of the Blessed Virgin I found in Madagascar, a cross stitch of the Blessed Mother holding the Christ child my mother gave me on the occasion of my ordination, an icon of Mary, Seat of Wisdom, I had commissioned, a stained glass window of the crucifixion with Mary standing at the foot of Jesus, and an image of Our Lady of Czestochowa I rescued from a garage sale. Some might think this excessive.

St. Bernard, the eloquent doctor of the Church, who is remembered for his great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary once wrote: “De Maria,  numquam satis”, “Concerning Mary, never enough.”

When we love Mary, it helps us to love God. So we can never love Mary enough. When we seek Mary’s intercession, we are seeking help from the woman God chose to bear his only Son. So we can never seek her intercession enough. When we honor her, we show honor to her Creator, who made her Immaculate. So we can never honor her enough. Mary reflects the light of God like a perfect Mirror, she is called Mirror of Justice. Peering into her face, we see God’s love for us reflected, and magnified. So, we can never say enough about her, because we can never say enough about God.

St. Louie Marie de Montfort wrote, “We have not yet praised, exalted, honored, loved and served Mary as we ought. She deserves still more praise, still more respect, still more love, and still more service.”

On this Solemnity of Mary’s Assumption into Heaven, what can we say about Mary? Well, our Scripture readings seem to have something to say.

Our first reading, from Revelation, speaks of struggle, a struggle that goes back to the beginning of human history. The struggle between the woman and the dragon, the enmity between the powers of good and evil. All of the disciples of Jesus Christ are engaged in this struggle. We face temptation and attack from the perennial enemy of God. But in this struggle, scripture shows us, we are not alone. The Mother of Christ is always with us. Assumed into heaven, she is able to be with all of us always; accompanying us, sustaining us in our fight against the forces of evil. And we do well to turn to her constantly, in our devotional prayers, for help; she is the auxilium christianorum, the help of all Christians.

Our second reading spoke of victory. Mary’s assumption, and the defeat of God’s enemy, was only possible through the victory of Christ. We are able to experience the fruits of that victory in our life, the life of grace. The powers of death, sin, temptation, though they bombard us in this life, do not get the final say. Assumed into heaven, Mary shows us the power of Christ’s victory at work. Body and soul, we too, will experience this victory ultimately in the resurrection.

Finally, our Gospel speaks of our vocation. Mary magnified the Lord in a life of faith, hope, and love. Pope Benedict wrote in his first encyclical, “Mary’s greatness consists in the fact that she wants to magnify God, not herself. She is lowly: Her only desire is to be the handmaid of the Lord (Lk 1:38, 48). She knows that she will only contribute to the salvation of the world if, rather than carrying out her own projects, she places herself completely at the disposal of God’s initiatives.” Assumed into heaven, Mary reminds us of the life each one of us are called to live, by following her Son in all things, we are to magnify the Lord in in all of our activities, choices, attitudes, pursuits. By following her humility, her faith, her trust in God, we can come to love God and neighbor as we should.

May we know her help in our struggles, may she teach us to love more deeply, and may she increase our hope for a future with God in eternity, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.