Advent 4: Mary’s Decision and Ours

by Chris Findley, Editor, H2R

The waiting is almost over. One-half of a very busy week is all that separates us from Christmas day. Only a few more days of morning commutes, perhaps one last trip to the mall and then we can celebrate! This week will be a week of decisions. This week many of us will decide on that final gift, or that final schedule for the holidays. Final decisions will be made (if they haven’t already) about when, where, and what we will eat and when gifts will be opened. We will make many decisions this week about Christmas. But have you ever stopped to think just how many decisions you make in a day or a month? Some of them are big, some are small, but part of living our lives means making decisions. And one of the things we must remember is that our decisions matter.

One observant writer noted, “It may be true that there are two sides to every question, but it is also true that there are two sides to a sheet of flypaper, and it makes a big difference to the fly which side he chooses.” 1

The Advent season has been attempting to draw us in, help us search, to prepare us for the coming of Christ. This time of preparation has had a purpose. We want to be awake and prepared so that we can decide. The word “Advent” means “arrival” and with Jesus’ arrival there always comes decision. With his arrival there comes invitation, an invitation to recognize, an invitation to believe, an invitation to follow. Advent’s goal is for us to be ready to decide how we will respond when Jesus our Lord arrives. The Gospel lesson for this 4th Sunday of Advent centers on Mary’s response to the invitation of God. There is perhaps no better example than Mary to help us move from the anticipation of Advent to the celebration of Christmas.

Mary

Before converting to Catholicism I didn’t pay much attention to the Blessed Virgin. Unfortunately many people don’t have a clue about Mary and don’t quite know what to do with her. Many people think Catholics overemphasize her, so many (especially Protestants) ignore her. Since becoming Catholic, I have come to deeply revere her. I see why the Church holds her up as the model of discipleship for she is the one who said “yes” to God before anyone else. She had a unique role in Salvation History and a role from which we can learn what it looks like to be prepared for Christ’s coming. What should we be pondering as we make our final preparations for Christmas?

The Communion of Saints

from Catholics United for the Faith

All in the Family – The Communion of Saints

Issue: What is the communion of saints?

Discussion: The communion of saints is the intimate union that exists among all the disciples of Christ. This communion is known as the Mystical Body of Christ: the Family of God consisting of the faithful on earth (the Church Militant or pilgrim Church), the holy souls in purgatory undergoing spiritual cleansing (the Church Suffering), and the saints in heaven (the Church Triumphant). This union of believers joins us in Christ, our source of grace and life, and calls us to love and pray for one another as members of His body. Therefore, we can ask for the prayers of the saints in heaven, and we can also pray for people on earth and those in purgatory (Catechism, nos. 946-62).

The doctrine of the communion of saints was taught by the apostles, both in the Scriptures and the Tradition they handed down in words and practice. It is explicitly contained in the Apostles’ Creed. The Church reaffirmed this teaching at the Second Council of Nicea (787) and further addressed it at the Councils of Florence (1438-45), Trent (1545-63), and Vatican II (1962-65).

This communion refers to the bond of unity among the followers of Christ. Such a bond is possible because, as believers in Christ, we become children of God (1 Jn. 3:1), members of His family (Rom. 8:14-17), with divine life bestowed on us through Baptism (Jn. 3:3-5). The apostles teach us that through Baptism we become “fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17) and “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4). Saint Paul states that this union of the faithful, brought about by the Holy Spirit in Baptism, is so complete that we are actually members of a single body, Christ’s own body (cf. 1 Cor. 12:12-27).

Continue Reading at CUF.org >>>

May, Mary, and Mother’s Day

by Chris Findley, Editor, H2R

Last Sunday several things converged. It is May, the month the Catholic Church honors the Virgin Mary in a particularly intentional way. Mary is the mother par excellence; Mary is the mother of our Lord and Savior. Of course this past Sunday was Mother’s Day when we pay special attention to the role our earthly mothers play in our lives. Not only was it Mother’s Day, it was also Pentecost. How many things can we add to a single Sunday? But all these things are not mutually exclusive celebrations. In fact they are closely related, especially if we consider the role of the Virgin Mother, Mary.

According to the Catechism, “Mary gave her consent in faith at the Annunciation and maintained it without hesitation at the foot of the Cross. Ever since, her motherhood has extended to the brothers and sisters of her Son “who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties.”" (para 2674) Since the earliest days of the church, Mary has been honored and revered. As the catechism puts it so beautifully and plainly, her motherhood extends to us. But what does this mean? What is Mary’s role in the life of the Catholic Christian?

One way we see Mary’s role in salvation history is by her cooperation in God’s divine plan (often called co-redemptrix). Mary is asked, chosen, hand-picked, to play a major role in the coming of Christ into the world. She was asked and accepted this sacred calling to be the Mother of God. She participated in the life of Jesus from his first cries in Bethlehem to his last gasp at Golgatha. Her “yes” is the first “yes” to God in the New Testament and that “yes” puts the plan of salvation into motion.

We also see Mary as Mediatrix or mediator of graces. Through Christ we receive saving grace and Christ comes through Mary by the Holy Spirit. Mary’s “Yes” enables our reception of the graces of Christ. Consider the story of the wedding in Cana in John 3. Jesus has not yet performed any miracle or sign. But at the urging of His Mother, He changes water into wine, his first miracle. She continues to be about this kind of loving mediation to the world which leads to the next way we see her at work, as advocate.

As advocate Mary prays for us as a mother prays for her children. She not only participates in our redemption and mediates grace and blessing to us, she also intercedes and prays for us. Who better to do this than our mother?

The Catechism sums this up well, “Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation” (CCC, 969) So, during May and especially as we have Mother’s Day fresh on our minds, we should give thanks for our Mother Mary and for all the ways God continues to bless us through her.

Knights of Columbus Founder, Father McGivney, Declared Venerable

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, MARCH 16, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The founder of the Knights of Columbus was declared venerable by Benedict XVI, furthering his process toward possibly becoming the first American-born priest to be canonized.

The Pope approved Saturday a decree recognizing the heroic virtue of Father Michael McGivney.

“All of us who are members of the Knights of Columbus are profoundly grateful for this recognition of the holiness of our founder,” said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. “The strength of the Knights of Columbus today is a testament to his timeless vision, his holiness and his ideals.”

Worried about the religious faith and financial stability of immigrant families, Father McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus with the help of several men of St. Mary’s Parish in New Haven in 1882 to help strengthen the faith of the men of his parish and to provide financial assistance in the event of their death to the widows and orphans they left behind. He was also known for his tireless work among his parishioners.

Michael McGivney was born in Connecticut in 1852 to parents who were natives of Ireland and immigrants to the United States.

From an early age, he realized a calling to the priesthood and was ordained in 1877 in Baltimore, Maryland.

His cause for canonization was opened in December 1997.

Still maintaining its headquarters in New Haven, the Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic fraternal organization with more than 1.7 million members in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America, the Caribbean islands, the Philippines, Guam and, most recently, Poland.

One more reason…

As if the world needed another reason to love Pope John Paul II, I ran across this picture today and laughed out loud.  As a hockey fan, it just made my day!  -Chris, Ed., H2R

St. Padre Pio

I’ve been watching Ignatius Press’ movie on Padre Pio and I must say it is an extremely moving portayal of the Saint.  Being a relatively new convert, I’d heard of the saint but didn’t know much about him.  His story is amazing and the movie is beautiful and moving.  I’d encourage everyone to view it and learn more about St. Padre Pio.  Shot on location in Italy, the scenery is incredible.  It is not in English, but has English subtitles but like Mel Gibson’s “The Passion” the story is so riveting that one effortlessly reads the text with no problems.

His story is told from the viewpoint of the aging Pio preparing for his own death and recounting the ways the Lord had moved in his life.  Frequent flasbacks including his amazing meeting with the young Karol Wojtyla and his prediction that this young priest would one day be Pope, “a good Pope.”  It also chronicles his ability and renown as a confessor, his controversial and often-doubted experiences with his on-again off-again good standing with Church officials.  Relationships with the religious of his order and the people of the surrounding village is explored wonderfully. It is a long movie at 214 minutes, but doesn’t drag at all.

The following is a short bio of St. Padre Pio from EWTN: http://www.ewtn.com/padrepio/man/biography.htm

Chris, Ed., H2R

Immaculate Conception

By Monsignor Charles M. Mangan, from cuf.org

“Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous deeds.”

It is always fitting that we praise God for the wonders He has worked. One such wonder is His Mother. The Almighty fashioned Mary in an incredible manner. At the exact moment of her conception in the womb of her mother Saint Anne, Mary was preserved from Original Sin.

This marvelous deed is the focus of today’s Holy Day of Obligation. God is so awesome that He was able to keep Mary free from the stain of Adam and Eve which you and I inherited.

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception provides us with a special opportunity: to consider what God has done in the life of Our Blessed Mother. The Lord had a unique plan for Mary. She would become the Mother of God. Therefore, the Lord shielded her from the disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve. Our Lady did not contract the separation from God that resulted because of the evil choice made in the Garden of Eden.

The Best Possible Mother

When we ponder the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, that Mary was conceived without Original Sin, we notice how good God is. He wanted to ensure that Jesus Christ the Son of God would have a worthy Mother. By preparing Mary to become the Mother of Our Savior, the Lord raised her up to an exalted level of sanctity. Jesus would have the very best mother possible.

Eve, who is our first mother, was not the best possible mother. She and Adam decided to disobey God. Our first parents were tainted because of their refusal to heed God’s reasonable command.

The same cannot be said for Mary. There was never a time when Our Blessed Mother rejected God and His directives. Mary always loved God and obeyed Him.

What God did in preserving Mary from Original Sin helps us. When we look at Mary, we see our model of holiness. Mary is as human as we are. She lived in the midst of our broken and sinful world. Yet, she pushed aside sin and welcomed all that God required of her.

Not only was Mary preserved from Original Sin but she also avoided Actual Sin—those thoughts, desires, words, and deeds that are not of God.

Continue Reading >>> 

“I’m back…”

A good friend of mine once said he wished he’d wake up one morning (this was before the election of Pope Benedict) and see Pope John Paul II waving from the balcony and saying, “I’m back…” 

This photo has been floating around the internet for a day or so and of course seems rather fantastic.  I’ve never been one to see images in clouds or trees or pizza slices.  However, here in Nashville there was a famous cinnamon roll that looked like Mother Teresa.  No kidding, to my chagrin, it really did resemble the late sister. 

 The photo of this bonfire wouldn’t be nearly so noteworthy except for the fact that it was taken in Poland (the late Pope’s homeland), near his birthplace, at a ceremony to mark the 2nd anniversary of his death. 

I don’t know what to make of it….could just be a fire caught by the wind and a camera lens at an odd moment. 

But this raises the larger questions of our entire attitude toward the supernatural in our society.  Do we really believe that there are moments when God does indeed intervene in big ways or small in our world?  Have we grown so skeptical that we think, however unlikely it may be, that God would not offer some sort of encouragement in this way? 

One of the beauties of Catholicism is its willingness to see God in, rather than despite the physical world around us.  It’s incarnational.  It’s sacramental.  It’s, believe it or not, very Biblical too.

Whether the picture shows the late Pope or not, let us at least offer up a prayer of thanks for the servant of God, Pope John Paul II.  And let’s consider the inbreaking of God anew.

 Blessings for Now,

Chris, Ed., H2R