tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64741370595590029272024-03-13T22:35:42.300-04:00Great and GloriousA blog about all things CatholicFr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-6205565203025479332022-06-24T16:46:00.000-04:002022-06-24T16:46:32.602-04:00With God there are No Coincidences - Roe v. Wade Comes to an End<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuJzgCUzSTOQTYtqz9KS1HaI_M1es6RcSCtNp5vdLDyAMDruIWtJS9NQr7whG7QyXaKfwbfIxP2ZTmYPVNtqtWvQsu7jMcesMU5-F1bOckklHDSGA5biojpklmHbKvyqbJzNkm_apw0dVAqcSeOXPu5F7WgddWxxxbHU8xMGEqyq99V199ZFQfcxO3w/s2601/Antependium_Stra%C3%9Fburg-facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1833" data-original-width="2601" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuJzgCUzSTOQTYtqz9KS1HaI_M1es6RcSCtNp5vdLDyAMDruIWtJS9NQr7whG7QyXaKfwbfIxP2ZTmYPVNtqtWvQsu7jMcesMU5-F1bOckklHDSGA5biojpklmHbKvyqbJzNkm_apw0dVAqcSeOXPu5F7WgddWxxxbHU8xMGEqyq99V199ZFQfcxO3w/w320-h226/Antependium_Stra%C3%9Fburg-facebook.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>By the time I post this, it will not be news to anyone that earlier today, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the case of Roe v. Wade, essentially returning the issue of abortion to State Legislators. This decision has, of course, been eagerly awaited since the draft decision was leaked nearly two months ago. The fact that the final decision was published today is, I think, no coincidence.<p></p><p>Recently, I've been listening to the Mystical City of God in a Year Podcast by <a href="https://www.edwardlooney.com/" target="_blank">Fr. Edward Looney</a>, a specialist in Mariology who has published several books. Each day he reads a segment of the 2500-page work on the life of Our Lady and offers a short commentary. At the moment, I'm currently about two months behind, but that has put me at the account of the three months Our Lady spent with her cousin Elizabeth during the Visitation.</p><div style="text-align: left;">While this is a private revelation, it is approved, so nothing contradicts the deposit of the faith in this section of the monumental work by Ven. Maria of <span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Agreda, we are told that when Mary arrived, far more took place between these unborn cousins than St. John simply leaping for joy; by a special grace, they were able to see each other as though the bodies of their mothers were made of glass, and while St. John was already six months old in his mother's womb, Our Lord was just one week old, but nevertheless prayed for His cousin and bestowed special graces upon him.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So here we have two unborn children, Our Lord and one of the greatest saints to ever have existed, interacting together while still in their respective mother's wombs. These are the only two unborn children whose actions are recorded in Scripture or anywhere else for that matter. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today we celebrate the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the feast primarily focused on God's love for humanity, on the same day as the birth of St. John the Baptist (yes, the observance of the feast has been transferred, but it's still his birthday), a confluence of days that while not impossible, is exceedingly rare, and today is the day, in his Divine Providence, that God ordained that this life-saving court decision should be issued. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">Here in Canada, of course, R. v. Morgentaler remains on the books and our complete absence of any law protecting unborn children, a distinction we share with China and North Korea, also remains. So much pro-life work focuses on the political side of things, supporting particular candidates, providing voting guides, protests and marches, and trying to educate the masses with logical argumentation in a society that has abandoned logic. While these things are helpful, today, God has blared over the megaphone that the spiritual battle is far, far more critical. He has also told us who we need to call upon, St. John the Baptist and the Sacred Heart of Our Lord, who, long before their respective ministries began, blessed one another while still in the womb.</span></div>Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-80637432123907278112021-09-10T10:39:00.006-04:002021-09-10T15:08:56.921-04:00Yes Virginia, there is a Patron Saint of Purgatory<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jDWZN6Nk-Ts/YTtnQRCatSI/AAAAAAAAGWs/dHRGeInDai8qq10W_C_Qte0KxgdAh_grACLcBGAsYHQ/s1005/Ritratto_di_San_Nicola_da_Tolentino.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="798" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jDWZN6Nk-Ts/YTtnQRCatSI/AAAAAAAAGWs/dHRGeInDai8qq10W_C_Qte0KxgdAh_grACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Ritratto_di_San_Nicola_da_Tolentino.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">Yes, you read the title correctly. There is a patron saint of Purgatory. Of course, it only makes sense given that there is a patron saint for literally everything else in existence, so why not a patron saint of Purgatory.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;">St. Nicholas of Tolentino was born in answer to the prayer of a holy mother and was consecrated before his birth to the service of God. Named for the miraculous St. Nicholas of Myra, at whose shrine his parents prayed to have a child, at the age of 16, he joined the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I won't go too much into his life and earthly accomplishments. You can easily find more about St. Nicholas online; I want to reflect briefly on why the Church has declared him the patron saint of Purgatory (or, more specifically, Patron of the Holy Souls).</p><p style="text-align: left;">St. Nicholas lived a very austere life in an Order already quite austere in its practices. During his life, he received visions of Purgatory, which his close acquaintances attributed to his holiness, and his rigorous fasts. Because of these visions, he conceived an ardent charity for the Holy Souls and was often granted revelations that the souls whom he had prayed for at Mass had been admitted to the Heavenly Kingdom.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Despite his evident holiness, St. Nicholas was often haunted by his own sinfulness until he received a vision of Our Lady who said, "Fear not, Nicholas, all is well with you: my Son bears you in His Heart, and I am your protection." </p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">St. Nicholas took his repose in the Lord on September 10th, 1305. He was canonized <span style="background-color: white;">in 1446 by Pope Eugene IV, and because of his great devotion to the Holy Souls, St. </span><span>Nicholas was proclaimed patron of the souls in Purgatory in 1884 by Leo XIII.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Oxygen;">Devotion to the Holy Souls seems to have experienced a revival among many Catholics, which is certainly a worthy devotion, as every soul we liberate from Purgatory by our prayers and meritorious works becomes our grateful intercessor in heaven. So if you are praying for the Holy Souls today, don't forget to invoke the powerful intercession of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, Patron Saint of Purgatory.</span></p><p></p>Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-76940006437044072982021-09-03T16:53:00.006-04:002021-09-03T16:57:16.985-04:00It's alive, IT'S ALIVE!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_EUlA5Kq91E/YTKJ0rlXjOI/AAAAAAAAGQU/NE9yQMAMYY8fTgaxTr2_1WXeQAKVnxAzACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/itsalive.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_EUlA5Kq91E/YTKJ0rlXjOI/AAAAAAAAGQU/NE9yQMAMYY8fTgaxTr2_1WXeQAKVnxAzACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/itsalive.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>For anyone reading this post, all you have to do is look at the next most recent post to see that it dates from Christmas of 2012. What happened? Well, in 2013 a number of things happened. As you recall, Pope Francis was elected, and what seemed like a new springtime for tradition in the Church became a time of questions and unease. In 2013 I also became a pastor for the first time at St. Mary of the Purification in Mount Forest, Ontario, and found that my time was much more limited, particularly my first year of settling into the new role. Around that time too, blogs began to transform from something everyone did to professional blogs with multiple writers, while everyone else was posting on Twitter and other forms of social media. Nowadays, of course, most younger people are on TikTok, and the visual medium has taken over for them, others are producing podcasts, and everyone else is still on social media. <p></p><p>So why have a revived a nine-year-old blog that hardly anyone remembers, and hardly anyone read in the first place, especially since I'm on social media, and have my own fledgling <a href="https://greatandglorious.buzzsprout.com/" target="_blank">podcast</a>? Just because, because in my current role I do have time to produce some extra content each week, because it's nice to have a little outlet for my thoughts and musings, and because if my thoughts and reflections help even a single person in their spiritual lives, to grow in their faith, to find their way to the Catholic faith, or just to find some hope in knowing that someone out there does think they way they do and they are not alone, it is worth it.<br /></p><p>I doubt I will be able to post daily content like most of the professional blogs, but hopefully, in the midst of everything I can find the time to put up a couple of posts each week, so check back for more new content, here on Great and Glorious!</p>Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-31240404990492191202012-12-25T15:18:00.000-05:002012-12-25T15:18:08.678-05:00A Blessed Christmas to All!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: red;">Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.</span></b></span>Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-18713243259257568662012-10-31T20:56:00.000-04:002012-11-01T13:19:49.631-04:00A Rant, Because It's My Blog - For Crying Out Loud Catholics, Celebrate Halloween!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HeBCBmcjA4E/UJG-a2QKbZI/AAAAAAAAAMM/lswhggoyi-I/s1600/allhallowspainting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HeBCBmcjA4E/UJG-a2QKbZI/AAAAAAAAAMM/lswhggoyi-I/s320/allhallowspainting.jpg" width="201" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">I'm not sure when this trend started, I remember it beginning at least a decade ago, or perhaps a little before, this apparent aversion Catholics have to Halloween. I should say the aversion that seems to be present among some circles of Catholics, an almost fundamentalist approach to what is essentially a Catholic holiday. Instead of the traditional costumes and images of ghouls and goblins, we have to dress children up in saintly costumes, and call the day "All Saints' Eve". Even though the term "All Hallows' Eve" means precisely the same thing. I remember during my highschool years, the first "All Saints" party held in my home parish, where ghoulish costumes were <i>verboten</i>, and only saintly attire was permitted. I also remember one occasion during my university days when I was visiting one of my favourite Christian bookstores on October 31st, and a delivery man had just dropped off a shipment to the young woman working the checkout counter. As he was about to depart he wished her a "Happy Halloween", and in a very indignant fashion she responded, "I'm Catholic, I don't celebrate Halloween, I celebrate All Saints' Day." I'm sorry but, give me a break! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Halloween is as Catholic a day as they come. It originated in Irish popular piety as a day to recall the reality of Hell. Thus, Halloween is, say it with me now: <span style="color: red;"><b>SUPPOSED TO BE SCARY</b></span>. It is a day to remember the sad fate of the souls of the damned, and that Hell is a real possibility for all of us, unless we strive to enter by the narrow door. The earliest celebrations of "All Hallows" began in the 300s, but was celebrated in May, on May 13th in fact, the day it is still observed in some Eastern Churches<span style="font-family: inherit;">. It was transferred to November 1st in 844 when Pope Gregory
III consecrated a chapel in St. Peter's Basilica to All Saints. It has <span style="color: red;"><b>NOTHING TO</b></span><span style="color: red;"><b> DO </b></span>with a druid harvest festival. There is no agreement among scholars that the pope consciously transferred the feast to "baptize" the pagan festival of Samhain, and the idea that the pope would transfer a feast of the Universal Church for the sake of a small group of pagans at the edge of the world seems to me to be rather far fetched. The appropriation of Halloween by pagans is a modern innovation, not extending any further back than the late 19th century. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is quite true that the celebration of Halloween has become as much secularized as many other Christian feasts, Christmas being chief among them, and so dressing up children in secular costumes like Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga, frightening as that may be, is not the true intention of Halloween either. But to dress children up as saints for this day also misses the entire point of this particular observance. We honour the saints tomorrow on November 1st, we remember the souls in Purgatory the following day on November 2nd, but this day, October 31st is to remind us that there is a third possibility for us after we die, one we should avoid at all costs. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm going to step out on a limb here, I hope you'll join me, I'm going to suggest that ignoring the true heritage of Halloween plays right into the Modernist ideals that have infected the Church over the past decades. Today we only talk about heaven, a great many Catholics don't even have a concept of Purgatory or the need to pray for the dead any more. The generally accepted idea is that when we die, we all go up to heaven, no stops along the way, and you really don't even need to be that holy, as long as you're a good enough person, it's a free pass right upstairs. This is totally at odds with Sacred Tradition and the teaching of Our Lord in Sacred Scripture. Nonetheless, good Catholics seem to be playing right along, and ignoring the teachings of our Church on the Last Things. Halloween is not about the saints, that is for tomorrow, today is a day to remind ourselves, and catechize our children, that Hell is a reality, and it is something we need to strive to avoid by living lives that are truly Holy!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Further <span style="font-size: small;">reading:</span></span></span><br />
<a href="http://www.zenit.org/article-35858?l=english"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.zenit.org/article-35858?l=english</span></span></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.fisheaters.com/customstimeafterpentecost12aa.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.fisheaters.com/customstimeafterpentecost12aa.html </span></span></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.wordonfire.org/WoF-Blog/WoF-Blog/October-2012/Culture--Time-for-Catholics-to-Embrace-Halloween.aspx"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.wordonfire.org/WoF-Blog/WoF-Blog/October-2012/Culture--Time-for-Catholics-to-Embrace-Halloween.aspx</span></span></span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span></span>Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-90300845756367901142012-10-11T11:24:00.001-04:002012-10-11T11:25:22.000-04:00The Year of Faith Begins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B4PBVeBTJXU/UHbabA-cy4I/AAAAAAAAAL0/vsLdd-I65lM/s1600/Second_Vatican_Council.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B4PBVeBTJXU/UHbabA-cy4I/AAAAAAAAAL0/vsLdd-I65lM/s200/Second_Vatican_Council.jpg" width="154" /></a></div>
Today inaugurates the Year of Faith called for by Pope Benedict. It also marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council in 1962. It's often said that the Church works in centuries, so we just have 50 more years to go until the Council is properly understood and properly implemented, right? Perhaps. Of course at this point in the Church there still rages the debates of the proper interpretation of the Council, with those on one side arguing for the "spirit" of the Council to be held in higher regard than the actual words of the documents. On the other we have those who would even doubt the validity of the Council. The truth as it always is, is of course somewhere in the middle. Unless one has one's head in the sand, it's not hard to see that the process of change and growth in understanding of the Council is still ongoing. Many younger clergy, religious, and laity are studying the documents thoroughly, through the lense of "continuity" as our Holy Father has called for, and working for a balanced understanding of the Council; working to correct many of the extreme responses (on both sides) that have taken place over the last 50 years (though I must acknowledge, the majority of the extreme responses do seem to have been to one direction over the other). We pray that this ongoing process of renewal continues, under the inspiration and prayers of Blessed Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict.<br />
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As depicted above, the CCCB has issued a pastoral letter marking this auspicious occasion entitled,<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Second Vatican Council: What was it and why is it important today?</span></span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span>The article on the document can be found <a href="http://www.cccb.ca/site/eng/commissions-committees-and-aboriginal-council/national-commissions/doctrine/documents/3426-the-second-vatican-council-what-was-it-and-why-is-it-important-today">here</a>, and the document itself can be found <a href="http://www.cccb.ca/site/images/stories/pdf/Second_Vatican_Council.pdf">here</a>. I'd like to offer some of my thoughts on this pastoral letter. First of all, my kudos to the authors of the document for many of the fine points it makes, especially with regard to the proper interpretation of the Council:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"We see good fruit, however, where the Council is understood properly. This has been strongly emphasized by Pope Benedict XVI, who has pointed out that Vatican II, rather than being an event of 'discontinuity and rupture' with the Church before the Council, is <span style="color: red;"><b>to be viewed in continuity with the Church before it</b></span>. It was <b><span style="color: red;">not a break, but an act of reform</span></b>. For this reason, we do not reject what came before the Council as being outdated, nor do we consider all that came after as inconsistent with the Church’s Tradition. Moreover, <b><span style="color: red;">we cannot appeal to the 'spirit' of the Council as if this were opposed to the 'letter' of the Council’s documents</span></b>. The Church that existed before Vatican II is the same Church we belong to today. Yet it is also true that things did change after the Council."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<b><span style="color: red;">Rather than making the Church worldly or 'modern,' the Council’s job was something else entirely: it was 'to overcome erroneous or superfluous contradictions in order to present to our world the requirement of the Gospel in its full greatness and purity.'</span></b>"</blockquote>
The letter describes what a Council is, and a bit of the background to why Blessed Pope John XXIII called the Council in the first place. My critique of this letter comes though in what is has to say, or doesn't say about the four Constitutions of the Council. The paragraph on the Liturgy, I think, sadly misses the mark. It does speak about some concerns with the liturgy before the Council, such as a lack of understanding of Latin by the laity (which is easily resolved through the use of a bilingual hand missal), and the hurried celebration by many priests (a genuine problem, but not the worst liturgical abuse out there, especially considering what came after the Council). As always it emphasizes the "full, conscious, and active participation" of the laity, but fails to explain that this paragraph is to be interpreted primarily as interior participation, not exterior. This paragraph also extols the near universal use of the vernacular, something not called for in <i>Sacrosanctum Concilium</i>. Finally the paragraph seems to point out that the liturgy is a constantly changing thing, perhaps to justify the liturgical changes since the Council. It fails to note however, that for 1500 years any structural changes to the liturgy were relatively minor, and the wholesale recreation of the liturgy following the Council is not called for in any of the documents.<br />
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As for images of the Church, triumphalism is bad, but I'd take a little triumphalism over the mistaken notion that so many Catholics have today, that the Catholic faith is just one among many. With respect to the Universal Call to Holiness, it is true that some before the Council didn't understand this notion, but this idea did not begin with Vatican II, it is present in the preaching of saints down through the centuries even into the 20th century itself (it's a central feature of the preaching of St. Josemaria Escriva for one). As for the paragraph on Salvation, again it seems to imply that the understanding that non-Christian religions have some value for evangelization was a brand new idea at Vatican II. Someone might want to tell that to those who evangelized Asia and used their native religions and the truths found therein as their starting point.<br />
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There is much more that I could critique, but this article is getting too long already. Once again I'd like to offer grateful thanks for the emphasis on the fact that we must understand the Second Vatican Council in light of the 1900 years that went before it. Sadly though, the first part of the document seems largely to follow the theme that the Church began in 1962 with all of these new ideas, and so seems to contridict the latter half. On the whole, worth a read as we begin this year of faith, but it should be an invitation to read the documents themselves and see what the Council really had to say.Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-58128414877618974822012-10-05T11:09:00.000-04:002012-10-05T11:13:44.185-04:00A Bountious Bevy of Backlogged BlogpostsGreetings one and all, I took a bit of a hiatus from blogging over the summer, and it lasted a little longer than I thought, I have a number of homilies that will be uploaded in a short while, in the meantime, for those who like to rack up as many indulgences as they can get, you will have plenty of opportunities over this coming year:<br />
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<b>PLENARY INDULGENCE FOR THE YEAR OF FAITH</b><br />
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Vatican City, 5 October 2012 (VIS) - According to a decree made
public today and signed by Cardinal Manuel Monteiro de Castro and Bishop
Krzysztof Nykiel, respectively penitentiary major and regent of the
Apostolic Penitentiary, Benedict XVI will grant faithful Plenary
Indulgence for the occasion of the Year of Faith. The indulgence will be
valid from the opening of the Year on 11 October 2012 until its end on
24 November 2013.<br />
<br />
"The day of the fiftieth anniversary of the solemn
opening of Vatican Council II", the text reads, "the Supreme Pontiff
Benedict XVI has decreed the beginning of a Year especially dedicated to
the profession of the true faith and its correct interpretation,
through the reading of - or better still the pious meditation upon - the
Acts of the Council and the articles of the Catechism of the Catholic
Church".<br />
<br />
"Since the primary objective is to develop sanctity of
life to the highest degree possible on this earth, and thus to attain
the most sublime level of pureness of soul, immense benefit may be
derived from the great gift of Indulgences which, by virtue of the power
conferred upon her by Christ, the Church offers to everyone who,
following the due norms, undertakes the special prescripts to obtain
them".<br />
<br />
"During the Year of Faith, which will last from 11
October 2012 to 24 November 2013, Plenary Indulgence for the temporal
punishment of sins, imparted by the mercy of God and applicable also to
the souls of deceased faithful, may be obtained by all faithful who,
truly penitent, take Sacramental Confession and the Eucharist and pray
in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.<br />
<br />
"(A) Each time they attend at least three sermons during
the Holy Missions, or at least three lessons on the Acts of the Council
or the articles of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in church or
any other suitable location.<br />
<br />
"(B) Each time they visit, in the course of a pilgrimage,
a papal basilica, a Christian catacomb, a cathedral church or a holy
site designated by the local ordinary for the Year of Faith (for
example, minor basilicas and shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin
Mary, the Holy Apostles or patron saints), and there participate in a
sacred celebration, or at least remain for a congruous period of time in
prayer and pious meditation, concluding with the recitation of the Our
Father, the Profession of Faith in any legitimate form, and invocations
to the Blessed Virgin Mary and, depending on the circumstances, to the
Holy Apostles and patron saints.<br />
<br />
"(C) Each time that, on the days designated by the local
ordinary for the Year of Faith, ... in any sacred place, they
participate in a solemn celebration of the Eucharist or the Liturgy of
the Hours, adding thereto the Profession of Faith in any legitimate
form.<br />
<br />
"(D) On any day they chose, during the Year of Faith, if
they make a pious visit to the baptistery, or other place in which they
received the Sacrament of Baptism, and there renew their baptismal
promises in any legitimate form.<br />
<br />
"Diocesan or eparchal bishops, and those who enjoy the
same status in law, on the most appropriate day during that period or on
the occasion of the main celebrations, ... may impart the papal
blessing with the Plenary Indulgence".<br />
<br />
The document concludes by recalling how faithful who, due
to illness or other legitimate cause, are unable to leave their place
of adobe, may still obtain Plenary Indulgence "if, united in spirit and
thought with other faithful, and especially at the times when the words
of the Supreme Pontiff and diocesan bishops are transmitted by
television or radio, they recite ... the Our Father, the Profession of
Faith in any legitimate form, and other prayers that concord with the
objectives of the Year of Faith, offering up the suffering and
discomfort of their lives".Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-54548308282224478862012-05-15T09:50:00.000-04:002012-10-05T11:15:10.602-04:00Pastoral Letter on Freedom of Conscience and Religion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday the Canadian Bishops issued their new Pastoral Letter on Freedom of Conscience and Religion. It makes a number of charitable but forceful points about the need for the free exercise of religion, in both the private and public spheres, and even gives a fervorino at the end about the need for bold courage in the face of persecution. Some excerpts:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Recent international and national events present a disturbing trend of threats to freedom of conscience and religion experienced by those who suffer from bias, prejudice, hate propaganda, discrimination and persecution because of their religious beliefs."</blockquote>
"Conscience is not, however, an absolute placed above truth. Rather, by its very nature, conscience has a relation to objective truth, a truth which is universal and which all must seek."<br />
<br />
"Believers must therefore be allowed to play their part in formulating public policy and in contributing to society as a way of living their faith in daily practice. When this right is truly acknowledged, religious communities and institutions can operate freely for the betterment of society through initiatives in the social, charitable, health care, and educational sectors, which benefit all citizens, especially the poorest and most marginalized."<br />
<br />
"In the past decade in Canada there have been several situations that raise the question whether our right to freedom of conscience and religion is everywhere respected."<br />
<br />
"We all need to be vigilant in preserving, in a respectful manner, the religious symbols and celebrations which express the particular spiritual heritage of nations shaped in the crucible of Christianity. Forcing religious believers to keep their convictions to themselves, while<br />
atheists and agnostics are under no such restriction is, in fact, an expression of religious intolerance."<br />
<br />
"Those who refuse to cooperate with an unjust law or practice that would oblige them to act against their conscience – and are not given the right to conscientious objection or accorded respectful accommodation – must be prepared to suffer the consequences that result from fidelity to Christ."<br />
<br />
Read the rest <a href="http://www.cccb.ca/site/images/stories/pdf/Freedom_of_Conscience_and_Religion.pdf">there</a>.Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-64769595447592202852012-04-07T12:50:00.004-04:002012-10-05T11:16:29.391-04:00The Lord's descent into hell<div align="left">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6474137059559002927" name="top"><b><i><span style="color: #663300; font-size: large;">"W</span></i></b></a>hat is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great
silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was
in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the
ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.</div>
<div align="left">
Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to
visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the
prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and
Adam's son.</div>
<div align="left">
The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam,
the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out
to all: 'My Lord be with you all.' And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And
with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O
sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.</div>
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‘I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your
descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth,
and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise.</div>
<div align="left">
‘I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner
in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man,
work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go
hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.</div>
<div align="left">
‘For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your
form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under
the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead;
for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and
crucified in a garden.</div>
<div align="left">
‘Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order
to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my
cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own
image.</div>
<div align="left">
'See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load
of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for
a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil
one.</div>
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`I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in
paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your
side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword has checked
the sword which was turned against you.</div>
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‘But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of
paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of
heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am
united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would
slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.</div>
<div align="left">
"The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and
waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting
houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been
opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages.<i><b><span style="color: #663300; font-size: large;">"</span></b></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="left">
A reading from an ancient <b> homily for Holy Saturday</b></div>
Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-5411012704223912522012-04-06T17:24:00.000-04:002012-04-06T17:24:05.765-04:00Behold the wood of the Cross...Another reflection, for this Good Friday evening:<br />
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<br />Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-82779850488353239752012-04-06T12:45:00.001-04:002012-04-06T12:45:30.771-04:00The Passion of Our LordFor your reflection on this Good Friday, here is the Passion according to St. John, chanted in Latin.<br />
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<br />Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-81145142461495661812012-04-05T15:01:00.002-04:002012-04-05T15:01:33.682-04:00Mandatum Abuse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As the evening of Holy Thursday draws ever closer here in the Eastern Time Zone, we will in but a few hours time be celebrating the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. Traditionally, within that Mass, we see the practice of the washing of feet carried out. In most parishes in North America you will likely see a mixed bag of men, women, and children. An appeal to inclusivity no doubt, but a very problematic liturgical abuse. The Roman Missal uses the words, "chosen men", (in Latin, <i>viri selecti</i>), this is the only place in the Missal where the Latin word <i>vir</i> is used, a word that is exclusive of male persons, rather than the word <i>homo/homines</i> which is often rendered in English as "men" but more properly means "people". The washing of the feet is intrinsically connected to the priesthood, it is not a sign of Christian service or of being nice to everyone as it has come to be interpreted. In the scriptures those coming from heaven (cf. Gen. 18:4, Gen. 19:2, & Luke 7:38) have their feet washed. Before being consecrated as priests, the chosen men are ritually washed (cf. Lev. 8:5-7). Christ is ritually washing the feet of his apostles, his <i>viri selecti</i>, to symbolize that the priesthood he is inaugurating at the Last Supper is no longer a priesthood of men, as in the old law, but is a priesthood from heaven, a sharing in his own divine priesthood. The foot washing or <i>mandatum</i> is only recently returned to the rites of Holy Week, before 1955, it was restricted to washing the feet of priests, and so usually only seen in cathedrals, as the bishop washed the feet of 12 priests. After the reforms to the rites of Holy Week it was permitted to parishes, but was meant to carry out the same symbolism.<br />
<br />
For those who think that the rite has changed, or the washing of anyone's feet is permitted, the Congregation of Divine Worship issued an interpretation in 2008, in response to an inquiry. The letter is given above, the text, which is a little hard to read in the image is given here with my <b style="color: purple;">emphases</b>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments gratefully acknowledges your letter dated 12 April 2008, in which you enquire about the rubrics for the washing of feet during the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
According to the Missale Romanum (tertia edito typica 2002), Feria V in Cena Domini, Ad Missam vespertinam, no. 11, the washing of feet is reserved to “<b style="color: purple;">chosen men</b>” (<b style="color: purple;">viri selecti</b>), that is, <b style="color: purple;">male persons</b>. This is also stated in the Caeremoniale Episcoporum (editio typica 1984, reimpressio 1995), no 301. This Dicastery considers this legislation clear and wishes to add nothing further.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Should your problems persist, the Congregation would remind you that you write again to the Diocesan bishop who is the moderator, promoter and guardian of the liturgical life of the diocese (cf. canon 835 #1). He would be the appropriate person to contact.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
With every prayerful good wish, I am<br />Sincerely yours in Christ</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Fr. Anthony Ward, S.M.<br />Undersceretary</blockquote>Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-26588484199397556172012-04-05T11:17:00.003-04:002012-04-05T11:17:47.440-04:00The Sacred Triduum BeginsThis evening the Sacred Triduum of Our Lord's Passion, Death, and Resurrection begins with the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. As I write this our Holy Father is preparing to celebrate this Mass in Rome. The Mass traditionally concludes with the transfer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to a place of repose away from the main altar, in preparation for the stripping of the altar and commemoration of the Passion tomorrow. The faithful are invited, like the apostles in the garden, to keep vigil with the Lord. For your reflection, here is the transfer of the Blessed Sacrament from last year:<br />
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<br />Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-9033145432686014532012-04-05T11:11:00.003-04:002012-04-05T11:11:46.171-04:00The Gauntlet has Been Thrown Down<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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LifeSiteNews is today reporting comments from the Ontario Government's minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, Glen Murray, who has openly told the bishops of Ontario what they can and cannot teach in Catholic schools, specifically that they are not allowed to teach the Church's doctrines on homosexuality:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“I have to say to the bishops: ‘You’re not allowed to do that anymore,’”</blockquote>
Here we see the tolerance of the left, you can do what you will, as long as you do what we say. Essentially this in my mind amounts to the beginning of the end of religious freedom in this province, in the same way the raging debate of the Obamacare initiatives in the U.S. have signaled an attack on religious freedoms in our neighbour to the south.<br />
<br />
Suresh Dominic of Campaign Life Catholics, has observed that the minister's statements:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“amount to a declaration of war against the Catholic Church and all people who support traditional moral values.”</blockquote>
No longer is the separation of Church and State being respected from the side of the state, so perhaps it's time to respond in kind on the part of the Church. I hope and pray that our bishops in Ontario will realize what is happening, that the provincial government may be talking cooperation, but it's actions are a blatant attempt to stifle religious freedom in our schools. A rally was held by parents at Queen's Park last week, but I think the faithful need to see leadership from the top, to see their bishop's responding. Hopefully, the bishops of Ontario will responds as vigourously to this attack as the American bishops have to the attacks on religious freedom in the U.S.<br />
<br />
Read the rest of the article over at LifeSite: <a href="http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/gvmt-minister-rebukes-bishops-on-catholic-sexual-teaching-youre-not-allowed">http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/gvmt-minister-rebukes-bishops-on-catholic-sexual-teaching-youre-not-allowed</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br /></blockquote>Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-88683929402668540832012-03-29T16:45:00.000-04:002012-03-29T16:45:14.648-04:00Masculine Liturgy & The Church Militant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
A follow-up video from Mr. Voris. While I don't always agree with Mr. Voris' approach, on this subject he is right on.Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-26604367637855790242012-03-29T14:19:00.000-04:002012-03-29T14:19:29.302-04:00Sunday Homily - Removing the Externals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-15177727396919050452012-03-29T13:39:00.000-04:002012-03-29T13:41:43.730-04:00Is D&P worth donating to? You decide<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Fr. Raymond de Souza, the National Post's priest commentator, in an article in the Catholic Register questions whether it is worth donating to Development and Peace, the Canadian Bishop's Social Justice arm, beleaguered by numerous recent scandals.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"CCODP has a tenuous claim on Catholic dollars because, aside from
fundraising in Catholic parishes, they have a tenuous relationship with
any distinctively Catholic mission... It’s a prudential judgment about whether a particular organization is an
effective means of carrying out the corporal works of mercy, advancing
the cause of liberty and justice, and contributing to the common good.
As a commentator, I have given my judgment in light of recent
controversies. The pastors of the Church have a different collective
judgment."</blockquote>
Read the full article <a href="http://www.catholicregister.org/columns/item/14145-is-dp-worth-donating-to?-you-decide">here</a>, and you decide.Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-85939701176008129722012-03-29T13:23:00.000-04:002012-03-29T13:23:01.135-04:00What's Old is New Again!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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All I can say is, amen!Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-50841205947029564612012-03-19T17:41:00.001-04:002012-03-19T17:41:55.301-04:00Sunday Homily - Shining the Light on our Souls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-8008387143393029422012-02-27T15:13:00.003-05:002012-02-27T15:14:06.883-05:00Sunday Homily - New Translation Check-up, Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-54574480864592184412012-02-27T15:04:00.000-05:002012-02-27T15:14:06.870-05:00Sunday Homily - New Translation Check-up, Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-73718623155292917232012-02-27T15:02:00.000-05:002012-02-27T15:14:06.876-05:00Sunday Homily - Speaking with Authority<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello all, it's been a while again since I last posted, things have been busy, especially with the pastor away for some holidays, and the accompanying break-in and other sundry craziness. So here are three homilies backlogged from a few weeks back. I think for the time being, I will just be posting the audio, transcribing takes a bit more time than I have available. Enjoy!Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-76904726216793455202012-01-17T11:56:00.003-05:002012-01-17T11:56:54.707-05:00Encourage Priests<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was just reading about this <a href="http://encouragepriests.org/">excellent site</a> over at Fr. Z's blog. Many people probably don't know the stress and workload of a modern parish and all the stresses that priests have to face each day in their ministry and in their personal lives, priests need a lot of prayers and a lot of encouragement, encourage your priest today!Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-86640115983976197402012-01-17T11:43:00.001-05:002012-01-17T11:43:40.967-05:00Sunday Homily - Mary, Mother of the Living<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As promised, the text of the January 1st Homily:<br />
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Today we celebrate the motherhood of our Blessed Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. The title of this feast, "Mary, Mother of God" is actually a theological doctrine, that goes all the way back to the year 431 at the Council of Ephesus, when our Blessed Mother was declared, "Mother of God". It was really intended to say more about Jesus, the fact that Jesus was God, than it was to say something about Mary. Nonetheless, being such an important feast of our Blessed Mother, I would like to focus my reflections on her this morning. I don't know how many of you have had the opportunity to surf over to our diocesan website, admittedly it's not a very user-friendly website, but if you can navigate around, somewhere buried in there, is an explanation of our diocesan Coat of Arms, and our diocesan motto. For those who don't know, our diocesan motto is <i>Mater Viventium</i>, "Mother of the Living" and this is another title given to our Blessed Mother, "Mother of the Living." Certainly we know that she is the Mother of God, she is the Mother of Christ, she is Mother of the Church. When our Lord gave her over to St. John as he hung on the Cross, she became the Mother of the Church, but that title is given to her as well, Mother of the Living. It was given to her by St. Epiphanius (that's a $10 factoid there that you can impress your friends with, St. Epiphanius called Mary, "Mother of the Living"). That title was actually first used, in Genesis Chapter 3 to make reference to Eve, that Eve was the "Mother of the Living". After all, she is the first woman, she is the mother of all humanity, but then Mary is also called the Mother of the Living, because she is often referred to as the "New Eve." If we go back and take a look at that story in Genesis, we see that it was Eve who was the one who was first tempted by the serpant, it was Eve's disobedience that caused Adam to sin, to bring Original Sin into the world, to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So just as Eve first was disobedient and led Adam into sin, so first Mary was obedient to God's plan, before our Lord's obedience in his sacrifice of himself on the Cross. Christ is often referred to as the New Adam, because he revereses Adam's sin, and Mary the New Eve, because she reverses the disobedience of the first Eve. As we know, Mary was obedient to God throughout her entire life, at every moment of her life she did God's will, she never committed a single sin throughout her entire life. Her obedience was most important though, at that moment when the Angel appeared to her, and the Angel of the Lord told her that she would become the Mother of God. Nevertheless, she still had the free choice, she could have said "no". She could have said, "I don't want to be a part of it, I don't understand, I'm afraid, I can't do this" but of course she was perfectly obedient in all things, and so she did say "Yes, let it be done to me according to your word." Through that act of obedience to God's will, she became the Mother of Christ, and she became the New Eve, the Mother of all the Living. Her role as mother, of course, doesn't end with that, her role as mother continues. She loves each and every one of us with a mother's love, she loves the whole world, each and every person with a mother's love, not just the members of her Son's body, the members of the Church. So we are invited, we are encouraged to turn to her in our times of need. Mary's intercession is certainly very powerful. I myself have to confess being a bit of a late comer to Marian devotion, there was not much Marian devotion practiced at home when I was growing up, but I have come to discover in my life, on a few occasions turning to our Blessed Mother, that her intercession is indeed very, very powerful, and very effective. It might be a very simplistic way to say it, but, if we have Mary on our side, then we cannot fail; that what seems almost impossible, suddenly becomes almost easy if we have our Blessed Mother on our side. She wants to help us, she wants to show us that mother's love, that she has for each and every one of us, she wants us to turn to her, so she can lead us to her Son. So as we begin this new year, 2012, we commend our Parish, our families, our friends, our Diocese, and indeed the whole world to the prayers and the intercession of our Blessed Mother; Mary, Mother of the God, Mary, Mother of the Living, that she might continue to show us a mother's love, that she might continue to intercede for us, that we might know the grace and power, and forgiveness and mercy of her Son. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6474137059559002927.post-45386518797900598682012-01-15T23:39:00.000-05:002012-01-15T23:43:32.641-05:00Sunday Homily - The Voice of GodHello folks, sorry for the lack of posts, I've been a bit under the weather the last little while. In fact if you listen closely you'll probably hear me cough a couple of times during this homily. Still intend to put the full text up for the homilies later this week. God's blessings for the week to come.<br />
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<br />Fr. Brendan McGrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11412977293896828901noreply@blogger.com0