July 29, 2010

PASTOR’S CORNER – August 2010

Posted in blog, pastor at 9:46 pm

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

One of the highlights of the month of August is the Feast of the Assumption, August 15th, which this year falls on a Sunday. The Assumption of Mary, body and soul into heaven, has been believed by the Church for centuries, as seen in various devotional paintings (see, for example, at our National Gallery, the Assumption of Neri di Bicci, painted in 1455), but it was only proclaimed a dogma (official, infallible teaching of the Church) in 1950.
At each Mass, we will be renewing the consecration of our parish to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (which was formally done on May 5, 2007). This practice of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary has a long history in the Church. Ultimately, it stems from our call to follow the example of Jesus, who, when He came into the world, gave Himself entirely to His Mother in His Incarnation. Likewise, we, the brothers and sisters of Jesus by baptism, should entrust ourselves to the Mother of Jesus.
Jesus comes to us through Mary; His graces continue to come to us through her, as symbolized by the rays of light streaming from the hands of Mary on the Miraculous Medal. As Jesus comes to us through Mary, we can also go to Jesus and draw closer to Him through Mary.
Consecration would lack in meaning if we did not attempt to live it out each day. Even one daily Hail Mary prayed with sincere devotion is one way of keeping the Mother of God in our hearts and minds, or wearing a Miraculous Medal and daily repeating the prayer, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”
A daily Rosary is not impossible for anyone, if we consider some of the “free” time we have while driving, for example. And I also recommend the First Saturday devotion, through which our Blessed Mother promises to obtain for us the graces necessary for our salvation. It includes: receiving Communion on five consecutive First Saturdays, going to Confession within 8 days of the First Saturday, praying the Rosary that day, and spending 15 minutes with Mary meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary. In Christ, Fr. Tim