Tears of Joy or Regret

On December 8, I assisted at the Mass of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. While I was distributing the Host, the body of Christ,  I had a vision and a thought.  I envisioned Holy Mary holding the body of Jesus.  It was in the form of the Pietà, the great sculpture by Michelangelo.  I felt a sense of awe, honor and humbleness as I realized I was holding the body of Jesus just as Mary held her Son so many times over His life.  This time it was different though.   As I distributed Holy Communion I could not stopping thinking that I was holding the risen Jesus in my hand.  The Jesus that became fully human then died for our sins so we might have salvation.  I could not fathom the pain Mary must have felt while holding her crucified son in her arms.  I know that Mary as the mother of Jesus had to suffer.  She had to suffer as only a parent does when their child dies.  I can imagine though the gentleness in which Mary held her Son as her tears washed over Him.

While assisting at the Christmas Mass during the Night, the image of Mary holding Jesus returned to me.  This time is was different.  I envisioned Mary holding her newborn baby.  There would be tears but they would be the tears of a mother’s joy at the birth of her Son.  While distributing Holy Communion I felt the great miracle that had taken place.  I felt the baby that was born in a world that had no room for him.  I felt the love that is shown through the sacrifice of the cross and I felt the presence of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord.

Are we worthy of the sacrifice Jesus made for us?  Will the tears we shed at the end of our life be tears of joy or tears of regret?  Live every day of your life as if it is Christmas.  Be full of joy that a Savior has been born unto us.  May your final tears be those that come from the joy of knowing that by death you will be born into eternal salvation.

Second Sunday of Advent

This is the column I wrote for our Church bulletin dated December 7, 2014.

Almost everything we do that is of importance to us requires the devotion of our time. If we like a clean house or a manicured yard we must put in the time to maintain those features. If we like to be good in academics or athletics then we must set aside time for study and practice. Our faith should be the same way. For us to be good Catholics we must devote the time for growth in our faith. This would include personal time for prayer, scripture reading and the study of the writings of our Church fathers.

Personal time is not all that is needed for growth in faith. A few weeks ago was the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. We learned that we are all members of the Kingdom of God. Just as the members of earthly kingdoms do, we must come together to praise and worship our heavenly king. We come together through the celebration of the Mass. This coming together in celebration of the Mass is so important to the formation of our faith that it is one of the five precepts of the Church.

The Precepts of the Church are the basic actions required as a practicing Catholic. The five precepts are;

• You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor.
• You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
• You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season. 
• You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
• You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church. 

The precepts are in place to guarantee each one of us has the opportunity for more growth in our faith. Monday, December 8, is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a Holy Day of Obligation. We know that as a precept of the Church, we must attend Mass on Monday and that by attending Mass we will grow in our faith.

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was infallible dogma proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854. He stated that “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.” We learn through the Catechism of the Catholic Church that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. Mary was born into our world free of Original Sin.

In this second week of Advent there will be many opportunities to follow the precepts of the Church. Along with attending Mass on the Holy Day of Obligation, our Cathedral will offer a Reconciliation service on December 10th. The Advent giving tree is now available. It is one of many ways you can help provide for the needs of the Church. May your faith continue to grow.