Annunciation 2024 - Mary does not eclipse, but magnifies the Divine Sun

 

Due to March 25 falling during Holy Week this year, the Solemnity of the Annunciation is transferred to the first day after the Easter Octave, that is today, April 8. 

Interestingly, today also coincides with a solar eclipse, a celestial event where the moon passes between the earth and the sun, totally obscuring the sun's light. 

It is a providential coincidence that invites us to consider the profound relationship between the Blessed Virgin Mary and her Divine Son, Jesus Christ.

Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said, "God who made the sun, also made the moon. The moon does not take away from the brilliance of the sun. All its light is reflected from the sun. The Blessed Mother reflects her Divine Son; without Him, she is nothing. With Him, she is the Mother of men." 

In the cosmic dance we witness today, the moon, by eclipsing the sun, does not diminish its light but momentarily draws our gaze so that we might appreciate the sun's brilliance all the more when it reemerges. In the same way, Mary, in her humility and obedience announced at the Annunciation, does not overshadow Jesus but reflects and magnifies His divine light. Just as the moon is illuminated by the sun, Mary's life is wholly illuminated by the grace and love of God through Jesus. She is the immaculate mirror reflecting His perfect light into the darkness of our world.

Just as the moon reflects the light of the sun, Mary reflects the love and grace of her Son, Jesus Christ. She does not eclipse or diminish His glory but rather magnifies it through her faithfulness and obedience. “My soul”, she says, “doth magnify the Lord.”

The eclipse today, then, becomes a profound metaphor for our spiritual lives. There are moments when our faith seems overshadowed by doubt or fear, just as the sun is momentarily covered by the moon. Yet, these moments do not signify the absence of God's light but rather an invitation to trust in the steady, illuminating presence of Mary, our guide, who always reflects the light of Christ back to us, guiding us through periods of darkness back into His radiant love and mercy.

It is in these moments that we can turn to Mary, our Blessed Mother, who will always guide us back to her Son. As St. Louis Marie de Montfort reminds us, "[Mary] is the safest, easiest, shortest and most perfect way of approaching Jesus and will surrender themselves to her, body and soul, without reserve in order to belong entirely to Jesus."

On this day of celestial wonder and divine grace, let us renew our commitment to journeying towards Jesus by walking with Mary, the star of the new evangelization, who leads us to her Son. Let the eclipse remind us that even in moments of darkness, the light of Christ, reflected in the heart of Mary, is our ever-present guide and hope, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Let us offer our prayers to the Father, guided by the light of Christ and accompanied by the Blessed Virgin Mary, as we present our needs and the needs of the world.

For the Church, that under the maternal guidance of Mary, it may shine forth as a beacon of divine love and truth in the world, leading all people closer to Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.

For world leaders and all those in authority, that they may be inspired by the humility and obedience of the Blessed Virgin Mary to serve with integrity, seeking justice and peace for all people. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all who are experiencing moments of darkness and doubt in their lives, that through the intercession of Mary, they may see the light of Christ and feel His comforting presence amidst their trials. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our community, that we may embrace Mary’s example of faithful service and unconditional love, opening our hearts to God’s will and serving one another with generosity and compassion. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all who are ill or suffering, especially those among our families and friends, that they may find healing and consolation in the love of Jesus, with Mary as their tender advocate and guide. Let us pray to the Lord.

For all the faithful departed, that through the mercy of God and with the intercession of Mary, they may be welcomed into the heavenly kingdom and enjoy eternal peace. Let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear the prayers we offer today, trusting in the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. May our lives reflect the light of your Son, Jesus, as we strive to follow Him more closely each day. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

April 28 2023 - St. Louie Marie de Montfort - Help for living incessantly for Jesus

The priest St. Louie Marie de Montfort is one of the great Marian saints of history. He is one of the patron saints of the Legion of Mary; in fact, he is quoted more than any of the saints in the Legion Handbook.

His words "Totus tuus ego sum” became well known in the last few decades, when they were taken by Pope St. John Paul II as his papal motto. The sainted Pope dedicated his papacy entirely to Mary, and encouraged members of the Church to turn to her as well.

The Easter Season feast of Louis Marie de Montfort provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon the need for a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary if we truly wish to experience the fullness of Christian life. 

St. Louie Marie de Montfort wrote: “Mary is the fruitful Virgin, and in all the souls in which she comes to dwell she causes to flourish purity of heart and body, rightness of intention and abundance of good works. Do not imagine that Mary, the most fruitful of creatures who gave birth to a God, remains barren in a faithful soul. It will be she who makes the soul live incessantly for Jesus Christ, and will make Jesus live in the soul”.

I love those words, Mary helps us “to live incessantly for Jesus Christ” and makes “Jesus live in our souls”. That’s certainly what we find the apostles doing in our first readings all throughout Easter so far—living incessantly for Jesus, making Jesus the primary and all encompassing animating force in their lives. 

That was certainly the lesson the Lord was teaching to Nicodemus last week—that to be born again by water and the spirit means to start a new life distanced from sin, a life seeking above all the holy will of God. 

And that’s certainly what the Lord is teaching in the Bread of Life discourse this week. “Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him.” God desires to make his dwelling in us.

And our Lady helps that happen. She is the auxilium Christianorum, the help of Christians. She helps Christians grow in the grace of God, to obtain virtue, to encounter God more deeply in the Sacraments of the Church, especially the Eucharist by which Jesus dwells in us, like the infant Christ dwelled in the womb of the Blessed Virgin.

One of the tasks of the Legion of Mary is to draw people to the Sacraments of the Church; souls who have wandered, souls who have become lukewarm, souls who have never yet responded to the grace of God to accept the faith. And the members of the Legion of Mary and all of us, do well to study the words of today’s saint, St. Louie Marie de Montford, and have a devotion to him. Because if Our Lady will help all those who turn to her find and love her son, St. Louie Marie de Montfort will help all those who turn to him to find and love our Lady.

St. Louie’s feast prepares us well for the upcoming month of May, dedicated to our Lady, in which we are to increase the fervor of our Marian devotion, that the abundant life of Christ might increase in us and willingly be spread by us for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For deeper Marian devotion amongst all Christians, that the Church may more deeply share in Mary’s Easter joy over the Resurrection of her Son.

For all mothers, that they may find in Mary the example and strength to carry out their vocation of love, and that all sorrowful mothers may know the consolation and peace of God.

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

That from the moment of conception all children will be preserved from bodily harm; for the overturning of unjust laws permitting 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.

That the sick may draw strength, consolation, and healing by turning to Mary, who intercedes for us from her place in heaven

 

August 15 2022 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - De Maria, numquam satis, 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. But I say, never enough. 

 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.” That's certainly true for the spiritual writers and theologians who extoll the virtues of Mary: there is never enough ink to write about her holiness. But it's also true for the honor that we are to show our Lady.

 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.”

 Today’s glorious Feast of Our Lady’s Assumption celebrates the dogma of our faith solemnly defined by the Venerable Pope Pius XII during the Holy Year of 1950. The Assumption is the supreme crown of her privileges – to be preserved immune from the corruption of the tomb,  to be carried up body and soul to the exalted glory of heaven, there to sit in splendour at the right hand of her Son, the immortal King of the ages. "De Maria, Numquam Satis" apparently also applies to the favors God Himself shows to Our Lady.

 In the beautiful Papal decree (MUNIFICENTISSIMUS DEUS), defining the Dogma of the Assumption, Pius XII recalls the eloquent words of St. John Damascene from 1200 years prior. Pius XII writes St. John Damascene, an outstanding herald of this traditional truth, spoke out with powerful eloquence when he compared the bodily Assumption of the loving Mother of God with her other prerogatives and privileges.” And then he quotes St. John Damascene who writes, "It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles. It was fitting that the spouse, whom the Father had taken to himself, should live in the divine mansions. It was fitting that she, who had seen her Son upon the cross and who had thereby received into her heart the sword of sorrow which she had escaped in the act of giving birth to him, should look upon him as he sits with the Father. It was fitting that God's Mother should possess what belongs to her Son, and that she should be honored by every creature as the Mother and as the handmaid of God."

It is always beneficial to us to honor our Lady throughout the Christian life, and yet, in celebrating this glorious Feast, we also contemplate and celebrate our own destiny, provided we endeavour to persevere along the path of grace. The Mother filled with God’s grace is brought body and soul into heaven. She is the stamp of guarantee that we too can come to heavenly glory if we persevere in living in God’s grace, in allowing God’s grace to live in us.

She is, as we sing in the salve regina, Mary is spes nostra: Our hope. We have firm hope that trusting in God like she has, obeying God, loving Christ as she has, is sure foundation for hoping in heaven. And she is our hope, in that she will always help us achieve that end, if we turn to her—her example and most powerful intercession.

She knows the Way, more intimately than any human creature, and she will always help us follow Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Pope Francis and all members of the Church, like the Virgin Mary, magnify the goodness of God through word and deed.

That the Assumption of Mary may awaken government leaders to the supreme dignity of each human life, called to the heights of heavenly glory.

For all mothers, that they may find in Mary the example and strength to carry out their vocation, for the sanctification of all families, and the protection of all young people from the evils of error and sin.

For those who suffer any sort of trial, illness, addiction or trial: that the help of Our Lady, gloriously assumed into heaven, may fill them with the grace needed to carry their crosses with faith and hope

For the deceased members of our family and friends, for all of the poor souls in purgatory…

[EF READINGS]

A reading from the book of Judith

Blessed are you, our God, who today have humiliated the enemies of your people. Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God, above all the women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, the creator of heaven and earth, who guided your blow at the head of the leader of our enemies. Your deed of hope will never be forgotten by those who recall the might of God. May God make this redound to your everlasting honor, rewarding you with blessings, because you risked your life when our people were being oppressed, and you averted our disaster, walking in the straight path before our God. You are the glory of Jerusalem! You are the great pride of Israel! You are the great boast of our nation!

A continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke

At that time Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.”

April 28 2021 - St. Louie Marie de Montfort - Love of Mary bears fruit in our souls

 The priest St. Louie Marie de Montfort is one of the great Marian saints of history. He is one of the patron saints of the Legion of Mary; in fact, he is quoted more than any of the saints in the Legion Handbook.

His words "Totus tuus ego sum” became well known in the last few decades, when they were taken by Pope St. John Paul II as his papal motto. The sainted Pope dedicated his papacy entirely to Mary, and encouraged members of the Church to turn to her as well.

In the Gospel today, the Lord says, “I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness.” Having been sent by the Father, Jesus comes into a world that is fallen and in the spiritual darkness of sin. It is sometimes difficult to believe, and to remain committed disciples of the Lord. It is difficult to follow him amidst so many worldly temptations.

Well, today’s Saint, would say, let Mary help you believe. Give yourself to Mary. She loved Jesus more than anyone in history. She will help you love him too. The greater our doubts, the more we should turn to Mary for help. The greater our temptations, the more we should turn to Mary.

When from the Cross, the Lord said, “behold your mother”, he meant more than just keeping her picture on our mantle. He wants us to study her, to imitate her, to hold her in our hearts as he did. For she will help us in the Christian way like no other. 

In his book “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”, which John Paul II carried with him and read often, Saint Louis wrote, “Mary is the fruitful Virgin, and in all the souls in which she comes to dwell she causes to flourish purity of heart and body, rightness of intention and abundance of good works. Do not imagine that Mary, the most fruitful of creatures who gave birth to a God, remains barren in a faithful soul. It will be she who makes the soul live incessantly for Jesus Christ, and will make Jesus live in the soul”.

St. Louie’s feast prepares us well for the upcoming month of May, dedicated to our Lady, in which we are to increase the fervor of our Marian devotion, that the abundant life of Christ might increase in us and willingly be spread by us for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

For deeper Marian devotion amongst all Christians, that the Church may more deeply share in Mary’s Easter joy in the Resurrection of her Son.

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, hatred, violence, and cruelty will diminish, and purity, righteousness and faith may increase.   

For those whose hearts are hardened against or cold toward Our Lady, that they may come to know her great maternal love for them, for the Church, and all mankind.

That the sick may draw strength, consolation, and healing by turning to Our Lady, Mediatrix of Grace and Help of the Afflicted. 

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

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

 

April 28 2017 - St. Louis de Montfort - A more Marian Easter

The Easter Season feast of Louis Marie de Montfort provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon the need for a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary if we truly wish to experience the fullness of Christian life.

Mary was intimately united with her divine Son, Jesus Christ, during his suffering and death. Scripture tells of Mary standing under the cross. Her unwavering love comes to a sort of fulfillment at the foot of the cross, when her crucified Son pronounces Mary to be the mother of his disciples, Mother of the Church.

Our Lord gave Mary as our Mother, so we do well to give ourselves to her. Totus tuus, I am completely yours Mary, was Louis's personal motto; centuries later Karol Wojtyla, who would become Pope John Paul II chose it as his episcopal motto, when he was first made the auxiliary bishop of Krakow in Poland.

"Totus tuus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria." ("I am completely yours, and all that I have is yours. I take you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart")

We each do well to take “Totus tuus” as our own personal Easter Motto. She who was united to Christ her Son in his death, was also united to Him in his Resurrection. And she helps us to do the same. There is a tradition affirmed by Ambrose of Milan, Ignatius of Loyola, and, most recently, by Hans urs von Balthasar that Mary encountered and rejoices over the Risen Christ.

During the liturgies of the Easter Season, Mary is referred to as one who is filled with joy because of the resurrection of her divine Son. The Marian antiphon sung during the Easter season, Regina Coeli, also celebrates her joy: "O Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia! For he whom you did merit to bear, alleluia! Has risen as he said, alleluia!"

A strong Marian devotion will help us experience the joy of this season and grow in the graces of this season.

In his book “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”, which John Paul II carried with him and read often, Saint Louis wrote, “Mary is the fruitful Virgin, and in all the souls in which she comes to dwell she causes to flourish purity of heart and body, rightness of intention and abundance of good works. Do not imagine that Mary, the most fruitful of creatures who gave birth to a God, remains barren in a faithful soul. It will be she who makes the soul live incessantly for Jesus Christ, and will make Jesus live in the soul”.

May we continue to discover her maternal presence with us throughout our Easter celebrations, that we may know her joy and respond to God with her perfect faith for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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For deeper Marian devotion amongst all Christians, that the Church may more deeply share in Mary’s Easter joy over the Resurrection of her Son.

For all mothers, that they may find in Mary the example and strength to carry out their vocation of love, and that all sorrowful mothers may know the consolation and peace of God.

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, hatred, violence, and cruelty will cease in the world.
That from the moment of conception all children will be preserved from bodily harm; for the overturning of unjust laws permitting the destruction of innocent life; and that the minds of all may be enlightened to know the dignity of every human life.

That the sick may draw strength, consolation, and healing by turning to Mary, who intercedes for us from her place in heaven

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.