1st Week of Ordinary Time 2024 - Tuesday - Attentiveness to the Word of God

From now until the beginning of Lent on February 14 this year, our weekday Gospel readings will be taken from the Gospel of Mark.  

Without skipping any passages we’ll make our way from chapter 1 through chapter 8—beginning with the Lord’s baptism, which we heard yesterday, up through the Lord’s feeding of the five thousand during his public ministry. During these few weeks of Ordinary Time before Lent, we will read of healings and exorcisms, parables and teachings and miracles.

Why do we read from the Gospels in this way? Why do we read from the scriptures at all at Mass? After all, at the Last Supper, Jesus said, take and eat, take and drink, he didn’t say take and read.

In scripture we find that God’s Word precedes His presence. Before, the Son of God became incarnate in the womb of the Virgin Mary, his presence was first announced by an angel. When God spoke to Mary, she responded obediently, “Let it be done unto me according to Thy Word.” She first receives the Word of God and then she becomes pregnant as the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Similarly in the Mass, we first listen to the Word of God prior to the reception of the Word Made Flesh in the Eucharist. And so, the liturgy of the Word in the celebration of Mass is of great importance. 

We should not be in a hurry just to receive the Eucharist. We should savor the Word of God spoken to us, and attend to it with great attentiveness.

The 2nd century Church father Origen of Alexandria spoke of the importance of carefully and attentively listening to the Word of God, saying that we should have the same care in listening to the Word of God at Mass to receiving the Eucharist. He said, “You who are accustomed to take part in divine mysteries know, when you receive the body of the Lord, how you protect it with all caution and veneration lest any small part fall from it, lest anything of the consecrated gift be lost. For you believe, and correctly, that you are answerable if anything falls from there by neglect. But if you are so careful to preserve his body, and rightly so, how do you think that there is less guilt to have neglected God’s word than to have neglected his body.”

So over the course of these weeks before Lent, pay attention to Word of God, savor it, savor the details of the Lord’s words and works, "Receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God" as was prayed in the gospel acclamation today, and take care to retain what you hear, to cherish it like our Lady in your heart, that you may be drawn deeper into the divine life, and be a beacon of God’s presence in the world, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That the preaching and teachings of the Pope, Bishops, and clergy may be a source of strength and guidance for the Holy Church.

That those in civic authority may submit their minds and hearts to the rule of Christ, the Prince of Peace and Hope of the nations.

For the liberation of those bound by evil, those committed to sin an error, those oppressed or possessed by evil spirits, and for the conversion of the hardest hearts.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

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

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

Epiphany 2024 - Star worshippers, astrology, and reordering life to Christ

 In keeping with the ancient practice, following the proclamation of the Epiphany Gospel, I just chanted what is called the announcement of Easter and the Moveable Feasts for this liturgical year.  

Before the age of mass-produced calendars and smart phones, the chanting of the feasts was a practical necessity; now, we do it as a way of remaining rooted to Catholic tradition, and to remind us to plan our year around Christ—to order our year—to orient our lives to Christ. 

And in a very real sense, that’s what the feast of the Epiphany is all about, reordering. The birth of Christ has reordered creation, it has reordered time, it has reordered history, and it has reordered humanity. The Magi from the east, following the star to Christ, illustrates this reordering. 

There is an ancient hymn from the Eastern Orthodox liturgy that talks about this reordering. It goes like this: Your Nativity, O Christ our God, / has shone to the world the Light of knowledge; / for by it, those who worshipped the stars / were taught by a star to adore You, / the Sun of Righteousness, / and to know You, the Dawn from on High. / O Lord, glory to You!”

Those who worshipped the stars, referring to the magi, were reoriented, they were taught by a star to adore Christ. 

In the ancient east, and many parts of the world, the stars had tremendous significance; so much so, that many peoples actually worshipped the stars. 

Learned ones, like the magi, of course could keep track of the seasons by studying the stars. Keeping track of the winter and summer solstice, and the spring and autumn equinox, was even a matter of survival. The stars told people when to plant their crops. Plant too early, or plant too late, and your family, your village, would starve. The stars could be counted upon. They were a source of stability in an otherwise chaotic universe. And for that reason, it’s not too difficult to grasp why the ancients worshipped the stars as divine beings. For what is religion but that which helps us to order our lives to something that is greater than ourselves.

So, the gentiles—the pagan world—were star worshippers. The Sumerians, the Babylonians, where the magi in the gospels were from, the Egyptians worshipped the celestial bodies. For the Romans, mercury, venus, mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn, were the names of not just planets, but gods. Many of the constellations—Orion, cassiopia, Hercules—are named after gods who were worshipped. 

It’s also not too difficult to grasp why astrology has been so popular throughout the millennia. Now it’s considered rather silly to think that the position of the stars and planets have any bearing on our personality or world events. But that’s because of Christ. Why are we not worshipping planets and stars right now? Because of Christ.

The Feast of Epiphany celebrates this. It celebrates the pagan world, once bound by error and idolatry—enslavement to stars—now through the birth of Christ  being given the invitation to know and worship the one true God. The magi, representing all the star worshippers of the world, now come to know, adore, and worship the maker-of-the-stars-made-flesh. 

Notice the gifts which the magi bring to the Christ child. The bring gifts, not just fit for a king, but fit for a god. And to this day, we still use these gifts to worship him. We use gold—in our church vessels and furnishings. We use oil—to anoint—to open the soul to divine life. We use frankincense—as part of our worship—to acknowledge the presence of God. 

The time for astrology has passed. We don’t look to the stars for answers to guide our life, we look to the creator of the stars, who has made himself known, and who has entered into this world, to save man from idolatry, error and sin.

In fact, scripture and our catechism explicitly prohibit astrology. The Catechism lists astrology as a sin against the first commandment. It says, “All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums...contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.”

As our western culture continues to reject Christ more and more—we are seeing a rise in popularity and interest in astrology and occult practices. Instead of converting to truth, the world is reverting—regressing, going backwards. If you pay attention to pop culture, you see occult and demonic symbolism all over the place, and witchcraft. Remember, we had demonic graffiti on our church steps this summer. Lucifer—the light bearer—who is called “the morning star” in the book of Daniel--revels in our culture’s regression back into the old occult practices. Back in the 1960s our culture celebrated the dawning of the age of Aquarius with the sexual revolution and the beginning of the breakdown of the family and the eclipse of right religion. And it’s only gotten worse.

But there is also some good news here. There is a hunger for the divine. If Magi from the East will travel thousands of miles to seek Christ, then it’s not impossible for people who live down the street, to accept an invitation to meet Christ here. Because he is here, really and substantially, in the Eucharist. He is proclaimed by the Church, and encountered in our divine worship. And meeting him, and knowing him, and loving him will change your life, and deliver you from the misery that comes from those empty pagan practices.

But the task of the Church—the task of our parish is to be on fire with love for him. The light of our love is the new star that will guide the searchers and seekers to Christ.

Now of course we have some competition. Not only the false light of those old pagan practices, but the addictive light of iphones and computer screens, the light of technology promises people happiness without the need for old fashioned things like church and prayer. The internet, social media, is a new god for a lot of people—and it’s got people enslaved. In a sense, it’s almost worse than the old gods—because at least people were praying back then—they believed in something bigger than themselves. 

So our competition is pretty fierce. And that probably means that Christians of 2024 need to be a lot more public about our faith than in previous generations to draw people’s attention away from the false gods of the world to the one true God—Christ the Lord. Are you up to the task? Are you willing to be reordered a little in order to be the instruments God wants to draw souls to Christ? 

Well, it starts at home, dear ones. Make sure your days are ordered to him—praying as much as you should be, fasting from frivolous entertainment—interacting with real people, geting the rest you need to keep your strength up for the work God has for you, ordering your family life to focus on Christ, to draw life and light from Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

First Friday Holy Hour - January 2024 - Discerning our purpose

This morning, I shared a quote from Bishop John Nepomocene Neumann, the one and only American bishop canonized by the church, whose liturgical feast is today. 

In a sermon on the work God has for us, bishop Neumann said, “Everyone who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; we are not here, that we may go to bed at night, and get up in the morning, toil for our bread, eat and drink, laugh and joke, sin when we have a mind, and reform when we are tired of sinning, rear a family and die. God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, . . . for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also.”  

Each one of us is created by God with a purpose. What an important reminder! And yet, where do we discover that purpose? How do we discern it among the many confusing choices we have in life?

Here. Right here. Kneeling in front of God incarnate, made present in the Holy Eucharist. This is the place the saints have gone for clarity, guidance, and strength. To the Eucharistic presence of Christ.

Here is the silence we need in order to hear him speaking. Here we assume the posture of kneeling—which is at both a posture of humility, and readiness for service. Here we separate ourselves from all the things we could be doing, in order to focus on the one thing, the unum necessarium, the one thing necessary, the will of God.

Lord show us your will for us—your will for us to serve you by cultivating our interior life, which is your presence in our souls, through prayerful adoration. Help us to rejoice in the work you have for us—to not seek selfish gain, but that which profits the mission of the Gospel. What are the gifts, what are the talents you are urging us to cultivate? What are the comfort zones you are urging us to leave? Who are the strangers you are urging us to speak to? What vices are you urging me to give up? What unknown roads are your urging me to walk? What modes of service are you urging me to take up? Give us strength in our trials, and a sincere hope of attaining eternal reward through obedience to your Holy Will, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

January 5 2024 - St. John Nepomucene Neumann - You have been created for a purpose

Although he was born in Bohemia in 1811, in what is now the Czech Republic, John Nepomucene Neumann is celebrated as an American saint.  After studying in Prague, John Neumann came to New York at the age of 25 and was ordained a priest. He used his gifts to learn 8 languages so he could hear confessions for the different immigrant groups.

After several years of working among German speaking immigrants, he joined the Redemptorist community, the missionary community founded by St. Alphonsus Ligouri. While a novice for the Redemptorists, he served at St. Alphonsus Church in Peru Township in Huron County, Ohio, just a little over an hour West of Cleveland. 

At age 41 he was named bishop of Philadelphia where he was particularly committed to providing educational opportunities to immigrant children. He organized the parochial schools into a diocesan system and invited religious institutes to establish new houses within the diocese to provide necessary social services.

In 1854, Bishop Neumann traveled to Rome and was present at St. Peter's Basilica on December 8, when Pius IX solemnly defined, ex cathedra, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

While doing errands on Thursday, January 5, 1860, Bishop Neumann collapsed and died on a Philadelphia street. He was 48 years old. He was beatified by Pope Paul VI during the Second Vatican Council on October 13, 1963, and was canonized by that same pope on June 19, 1977. He is the only canonized American bishop.

In a sermon on the work God has for us, bishop Neumann said, “Everyone who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; we are not here, that we may go to bed at night, and get up in the morning, toil for our bread, eat and drink, laugh and joke, sin when we have a mind, and reform when we are tired of sinning, rear a family and die. God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, . . . for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also.”  

Bishop Neumann was faithful to the work God had for him, may we do the same, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

That all Christians may grow in charitable attentiveness to the needs of the poor in our midst.

For the lukewarm and for all who are searching and longing for Christ, may they find him through the holy witness of His Church.

Through the intercession of St. John Neumann, for the success of our Catholic schools, that young Catholic families may be centered on Christ, and that all Catholics may be diligent in our evangelizing mission.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all widows and widowers, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

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

January 3 2024 - Holy Name of Jesus

According to the Mosaic Law, on the 8th day, young baby boys were to undergo circumcision and given their name. Now in many cultures, a child is given a name at the time of birth, chosen by his parents. But for the Jews, the naming of the child was delayed until the child became a member of the Jewish people through circumcision. Only after he entered into that sacred bond with God, invested in the covenant between God and his people, would the child be named.

There is something so powerful and beautiful in that custom. Your name signifies your identity, your deepest self. You don’t really have an identity if you don’t have a name. And the Jews believed that you don’t have a name—you don’t have an identity—until you entered into relationship with God and into the human race as a member of the Jewish people through the shedding of your life blood. Unless you have shed your own blood for your people and for your God you don’t really have a name or an identity or a people.

Jesus: what a perfect name for the Christ Child. For in Hebrew, the name of Jesus—Yeshua—means Yahweh saves, or God saves. No name has better fit a child in all of history. He is God and Savior. He is God who saves. As the angel told Joseph, “you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

And that perfect name, that name given by heaven itself, is as St. Paul writes to the Philippians, “the name above every other name.” It is the name given to us by God, so that we may call upon him. 

The holy name of Jesus is uttered in prayer by holy devout souls, it is evoked for strength by martyrs at their time of death and all those asking God’s aid in carrying their own crosses. By the name of Jesus, demons are scattered, which is why the demons revel in the fact that the holy name of Jesus is blasphemed in so many corners of our culture—in movies and television, on the internet, as an expletive. 

When you hear his name blasphemed, it is praiseworthy to make the sign of the cross in reparation. If you are in the company of someone who blasphemes his name, it is certainly appropriate to request that they stop blaspheming his name in your presence. 

In one sermon on the Holy Name, St. Bernadine said, “Glorious name, gracious name, name of love and of power! Through you sins are forgiven, through you enemies are vanquished, through you the sick are freed from their illness, through you those suffering in trials are made strong and cheerful. You bring honor to those who believe, you teach those who preach, you give strength to the toiler, you sustain the weary” 

When I am waiting in line at a doctor’s office or grocery store, I like to slowly and simply recite the name of Jesus, to quiet the mind down enough where only the name of Jesus fills it. It’s a beautiful, simple, yet powerful way of praying, encouraged by the saints.

May this Christmas feast of the Holy Name help us believe in Jesus’s name, treat the name of Jesus with reverence, give us conviction in to invoke Jesus’ name in our prayer, live in communion with the Holy Name of Jesus, proclaim Jesus’ name to the ends of the earth, and willingly suffer, like the apostles, for the sake of the name. For the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

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We bring forth now our prayers of petitions.

For the conversion of all those who have turned their hearts from Christ, for those who have fallen into serious sin, for a strengthening of all of the faithful in virtue. And That God may bring the faithless to believe in His Son and increase the faith of those struggling to believe.

For Christians who are persecuted throughout the world, especially those who face martyrdom, that they may have a faith that is constant and pure.

For those oppressed by hunger, sickness or loneliness, that through the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, they may find relief in both mind and body. 

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

January 2 2024 - Sts. Basil & Gregory - Building up the Body of Christ

Today is the only day of the entire year on which we celebrate two doctors of the Church together. Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzen were both bishops of the 4th century and dear friends. Both the Church of the East and the Church of the West look upon them with great love Their holiness of life, the excellence of their teaching and the harmonious synthesis of their gifts in service of the Gospel were exemplary. 

For their memorial today, we read a passage from the letter to the Ephesians where Paul is writing about the mission of the Church and Church unity.

Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers of the Church are to work together to equip Christian believers with the tools and competencies for serving God—for carrying out the mission of the Church. And what’s our mission? St. Paul tells us that our common mission is building up the Body of Christ. 

A parish, like ours, isn’t just a building for Catholics to fulfill their obligation to attend Mass on the Lord’s Day. It’s a place where believers themselves are to be built up—to grow in Christian maturity. It’s a training ground for believers to receive the training they need to do the work of God in the world to make new disciples. My efforts as pastor, in conjunction with the Bishop, and those in church leadership is to help train the members of this parish to build up the body of Christ.

Saints Basil and Gregory, who we honor today, through their teaching and preaching confronted a terrible heresy that was drawing souls away from the one true faith. The Church was being ravaged and divided by the Arian heresy—instead of being built up, it was being torn down by the heretics. And so Bishops Basil and Gregory devoted themselves to teaching the Apostolic Faith received from Christ from the beginning to help heal the wounds caused by error. Church unity was preserved and strengthened through their efforts.

The saints take seriously St. Paul’s admonition to “live in a manner worthy of the call you have received”—the call to rid ourselves of sin and selfishness, error and folly, and to spend ourselves without reserve in the service of God. 

Let us pray through the intercession of Saints Basil and Gregory, that the Church and that our parish may be opened to being equipped, being trained for the work God desires of us, for building up the Body of Christ for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

In this time when the goodness and kindness of God our Savior have appeared, let us, dear brethren, humbly pour forth to him our prayers, trusting not in our own good works, but in his mercy.

That the witness of the Church may help all nations come to believe in the Lordship of Jesus, and that our Bishops and Priests might have the courage to proclaim the truth amidst the errors of the world.

That those in civic authority may submit their minds and hearts to the rule of Christ, the Prince of Peace and Hope of the nations.

For the healing of families divided by sin and selfishness, for a strengthening of all marriages, and that young people may be formed to have deep and authentic faith. 

For those oppressed by hunger, sickness, addiction, or loneliness, that through the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, they may find relief in both mind and body. 

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. Through Christ our Lord.

January 1 2024 - Mary Mother of God

 An octave of days have passed since the feast of the Lord’s Nativity.  Most of the world has already left the message of Christmas far behind. Some retail store, I’ve seen, have already begun to sell Valentine’s Day cards and candy. Even some Catholics looked at me quizzically when I wished them a Merry Christmas this weekend. 

Yet, the Church in her wisdom realizes that celebrating the birth of the Savior is too great an occasion to be contained in a single, 24-hour day. This eighth day of Christmas is celebrated with particular solemnity, as we adore Christ embraced by the arms of his Mother.

Among the most ancient and important catacombs in Rome are the catacombs of St. Priscilla on the Via Salaria, east-northeast of the Vatican.  Painted on the walls of these catacombs are numerous frescoes that throw light on the faith of the early Church.  One fresco depicts the Virgin Mary seated, with the infant Jesus at her breast.  Next to her stands a man pointing to a star directly above, the star being the ancient Jewish symbol for the Messiah. 

This Fresco, dating from the early 200s is the oldest known representation in art of Mary and Child.  This fresco evidences that from the very beginning the Church has placed Mary in a place of honor and devotion.

From the cross, Jesus commanded his disciples to “Behold your mother”. And so the church beholds her. The first thing we do every new calendar year, liturgically, is to behold our mother. We behold our mother by meditating upon those passages of scripture in which she is found, we depict her in art, we compose hymns to her, and erect shrines in her honor.

In the holy city of Rome is found the largest basilica dedicated to our Mother, the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, St. Mary Major. St. Mary Major stands atop one of Rome’s seven hills, the Esquiline Hill, mosaics from the 5th century, paintings by numerous master artists from across the century.

The basilica is of particular importance to the Christians of Rome, for it contains the ancient and venerated image of Mary, the Salus Populi Romani, depicting the Blessed Virgin as the help and protectress of the Roman People. She holds the Christ Child with the Greek Words “Mater Theou—Mother of God.”

According to legend, this image was painted by the Apostle Luke. The story goes that after the crucifixion, the pious women of Jerusalem urged St. Luke to visit Mary in the home of John the Apostle to memorialize her image. While he painted, the Mother of Jesus spoke of the life of her son. Which is why St. Luke’s Gospel contains all those marvelous stories from prior to the birth of Jesus. After it’s completion, St. Luke brought the painting back to Jerusalem where it remained until it was discovered by Saint Helen in the 4th century who brought it to Rome. 

The Christians of Rome gone to that image for centuries seeking our Mother’s intercession in times of war and plague and for assistance in all life’s trials and the mission of the Gospel.

Also contained in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is a shrine visited by pilgrims from all around the world—a shrine which contains the relics of the crib in which the Virgin Mother laid the Christ Child in Bethlehem. I’ve visited that shrine on a number of occasions. When I was there with Bishop Perez and a group of priests from Cleveland 4 years ago, we knelt in front of the shrine and sang “Silent Night” together.

Pope Francis has visited that crib a number of times, seeking the intercession of Mother Mary for himself and the church. On one occasion, after praying the rosary at the holy crib, Pope Francis spoke about Mary’s motherhood. He said, “A mother helps her children to grow and wants them to grow well; Our Lady does the same thing in us, she helps us to grow as human beings and in the faith, to be strong and not to give in to the temptation to be human and Christian in a superficial way, but to live with responsibility, to aim ever higher.”  

She helps us to not give in to the temptation to be human and Christian in a superficial way. Superficial. It means shallow or surface-level. Our Christian faith is meant to permeate all of our words and works. Our thoughts are to be Christian thoughts, are words are to be Christian words, our works are to be Christian works. 

In 2024 we must seek to be Christians of substance—of substantial faith—not mediocre or superficial faith. 

And the Holy Father explains, and I agree with him 100% on this, that Mother Mary helps us like no other, nurtures us and teaches us like no other, to live for Christ. She wants us to resemble Christ, she wants the very life of Christ to grow in us, and will help us, if we let her, if we go to her, if we behold her, as Christ himself commanded us from the Cross.

Behold your mother every day this year. Behold her faith, behold her tender love for Christ, behold her tender love for you. Behold her face in art, behold her virtues in poetry and song, behold her nearness with statues and art around your homes, consider wearing her miraculous medal near to your heart as a reminder of her closeness. Behold her by contemplating the mysteries of the rosary and in all those powerful marian devotions passed down to us through the centuries. Bring flowers to her statues and shrines, invoke her powerful intercession in your temptations and trials.

Behold your mother as Jesus commanded that your days may be blessed, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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In this time when the goodness and kindness of God our Savior have appeared, let us, dear brethren, humbly pour forth to him our prayers, trusting not in our own good works, but in his mercy.

That Mary’s maternal care and heavenly intercession will help us all to reach the moral greatness befitting true children of God.  

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of the Lord and Mother of the Church—blessings of goodness and peace may be upon the world and the Church in this Year of Our Lord 2024.

For blessings on all expectant mothers, newborn infants, and young families. 

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.  

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

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, 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.