Tag Archives: Jesus

The Queenship of Mary

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“Christians live from feast to feast,” St. Athanasius said. The church’s feasts are linked to each other through the year, and every feast is linked to the great feast of the Resurrection of Jesus.

The feasts of Mary follow the pattern of the feasts of her Son, for she shares in his saving work. Following the feasts year by year, we learn the mysteries of God, little by little. Mary was blessed from her conception. ( Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8). We celebrate her birth 9 month later. (The Nativity of Mary, September 7). Her death and assumption into heaven are celebrated Augustus 15th.

The Feast of the Queenship of Mary, August 22, is part of the mystery of her assumption into heaven. Introduced into the liturgy of the Roman Catholic church in 1955, the feast celebrates the privileged place of Mary in heaven. She “was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory when her earthly life was over, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things.” (Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium 59)

Royal titles were commonly given to God and those anointed by God in the Old Testament; Christianity continued the pratice, giving royal titles to Jesus and Mary. She is called queen in traditional Christian prayers like the Hail Holy Queen (Salve regina) and Queen of Heaven (Regina Coeli):

“Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in the valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy towards us, and after this our exile, show to us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Mary is a queen, but also a mother. She is the Mother of God, Mother of Jesus Christ, Mother of us all, the New Eve, given to us by her Son from the Cross through his disciple John.

Mary knows her greatness is from her Lord, as she acknowledges in her Magnificat:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior. He who is mighty has done great things to me; holy is his name.” ( Luke 1:46-55)

In the portrayal above, Fra Angelico captures Mary’s humility; she bows before her Son, her hands closed in prayer. The saints below her know that honors given to her are a reflection of the graces promised to humanity.

“Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.”

Faith, a Ticket to Success? Jeremiah 26:1-9

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You can’t listen to the story of the Prophet Jeremiah, our first reading these days,  without thinking about the passion of Jesus.  In fact, readings from the Book of Jeremiah are common readings for Holy Week. We see Jesus in Jeremiah.

God tells Jeremiah to “hold nothing back,” but speak the truth to those in power and the false prophets of the day, no matter how unpopular it is.  Jesus did the same.

Like Jeremiah, Jesus was innocent, but was framed by the powerful as guilty. They questioned his authority, but he would not deny his mission.

Only a few voices seem to stand up for Jeremiah and only a few stood up for Jesus. Neither had many faithful followers at their time of trial. Yet both were carried along by God’s power and their names vindicated.

Jeremiah, like Jesus and  John the Baptist, who suffered a lonely death at the hands of Herod Antipas ,belonged to a brave company.

Some would have us see our faith as a ticket to success, an inoculation against failure or suffering.  Believe and nothing bad will happen to you. Yet, as you look at Jesus, the prophets and the saints, you see a more realistic profile of faith. We’re promised victory, yes, but only by accepting the mystery of the cross.

Keep an eye on Jeremiah and John. Keep an eye on the passion of Jesus. Follow them.

St. Alphonsus Liguori: August 1

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Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) was born near Naples, Italy, into a noble family. He began life as a lawyer but gave up law to become a priest and devote himself to bringing the gospel to the poor. His sermons and instructions were simple. “I never preached a sermon that the poorest old woman in the congregation didn’t understand,” he claimed. In 1732 he founded the Redemptorists, the Congregation of the Holy Redeemer. 

A prolific writer, poet and musician, Alphonsus authored a series of devotional books on Mary and important works on moral theology.  He advocated leniency and mercy towards people, steering a course between severity and laxity.  In hearing confessions, he said he never denied anyone absolution. We can see why he’s an example for pastoral workers today.

 In 1762, he became bishop of Sant Agata dei Goti, a small diocese near Naples, where he worked to reform the clergy and renew its people in their faith. In 1775 he resigned his bishopric because of his health, but continued writing religious and devotional tracts till his death in 1787. In 1816 he was canonized by Pope Gregory XVI. Pope Pius IX declared him a doctor of the church in 1871.

“Hasn’t God a claim on our love? From all eternity God has loved us. ‘ I first loved you. You had not yet appeared in the light of day, nor did the world yet exist, but already I loved you. From all eternity I have loved you.’

God gave us a soul endowed with memory, intellect and will; he gave us a body equipped with the senses; it was for us that he created heaven and earth and all things. The truth is the eternal Father went so far as to give us his only Son. 

  By giving us his Son, whom he did not spare precisely so that he might spare us, he bestowed on us at once every good: grace, love and heaven; for all these goods are certainly inferior to the Son. He who did not spare his own Son, but handed him over for all of us: how could he fail to give us along with his Son all good things?”

The prayer for his feast day points out it’s our turn to do what Alphonse’s did:

O God who constantly raise up in your church new examples of virtue, grant that we may follow so closely in the footsteps of the Bishop Saint Alphonsus in his zeal for souls as to attain the same rewards that are his in heaven.

Martha, Mary and Lazarus: July 29

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The feast of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, the family at Bethany, (once feast of St. Martha alone) is celebrated on July 29th. The famiywere friends of Jesus, who gave him hospitality in Bethany. He blessed them with one of his most important miracles– raising Lazarus from the dead. The church wants us to see them all together, for Jesus affected them all by his presence.

The revision of the feast enforces the historicity of the gospel story. Jesus resided iwith them n Bethany when he came for the feasts. The present revision also brings Mary to where she belongs: she’s Mary of Bethany, not Mary Magdalene or the sinful woman who washes Jesus’ feet.

But Martha still stands out in today’s feast. The  gospel readings from St. John and St. Luke feature her. Martha met Jesus when her brother Lazarus died and spoke those beautiful words of faith when Jesus asked if she believed he could bring life to the dead. “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” ( John 11:  )

Her faith was also the faith of Mary and Lazarus too. Jesus was at home with them.

Early Christians were curious about the fate of the family from Bethany, so closely linked with Jesus. What happened to them after he died and rose again? Nothing is said in the New Testament. One early legend sees them exiled in a boat at sea, eventually landing in France where they contribute to the conversion of that land.

Historians and blblical scholars today discourage stories like that. Better to stay with what the scholars tell us. But is our Christian imagination limited to what scholars say? 

I hope not.

A favorite picture of the house in Bethany, by the 13th century Tuscan artist, Giovanni di Milano introduces this blog. Jesus is talking to Mary. The table’s set for four people.  That would be Jesus, Lazarus, Mary and Martha.

But there’s a knock on the door and standing there are some of Jesus’ disciples, led by Peter. One of them gestures towards Peter, as if saying, “he told us to come.” 

Poor Martha in her apron holds up her hands, “What am I supposed to do with them?” She is Martha who does everything and sometimes runs out of steam doing it. No matter how strong her faith, she is still Martha and this is her house. 

There will be no miracle, except the miracle of Martha’s hospitality. More than four will be fed. 

Not in the gospel, but our imagination, here led by an artist not a biblical scholar, tells us it could be. 

And here’s a look at Bethany today.

Almighty ever-living God, your Son was welcomed to Bethany, Martha’s house, as a guest. Grant, we pray, that through her intercession and that of her brother and sister we may serve Christ faithfully in our brothers and sisters and finally be received by you into your heavenly home. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Hosea 11: The Bands of Love

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Thus says the LORD: When Israel was a child I loved him,  out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the farther they went from me,Sacrificing to the Baalsand burning incense to idols.

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms; I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like onewho raises an infant to his cheeks; Yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer.

My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred. I will not give vent to my blazing anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again; For I am God and not man, the Holy One present among you; I will not let the flames consume you. Hosea 11:1-4,8-9

Today’s reading from Hosea reminds us why we read the Old Testament prophets. In an extraordinary way they capture the image of God in simple human terms, whether it’s the love of man and woman or parents for a child.

“When Israel was a child I loved him.” And God’s love is no abstract love. “I taught him to walk, I took him into my arms. I raised him to my cheeks, I stooped to feed him.”

The prophet describes God’s love through the simple “human cords and bands of love” a parent has in raising a child. How easily we forget those  “bands of love” by which we were brought up. We forget them, and we also forget the myriad ways God has been with us.

We may forget, but God does not forget. God’s love is like a mother and father who cannot forget, the prophet says:

“ My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred. I will not give vent to my blazing anger,I will not destroy Ephraim again; For I am God and not man, the Holy One present among you; I will not let the flames consume you.”

Lonely Prophets: Elijah

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Elijah


The powerful sculpture of the Prophet Elijah with sword in hand stands today on Mount Carmel in northern Israel, where he defeated the false prophets of Ahab, (1 Kings 18:20-39) We will be reading about him this week.

I must confess I like better the picture of Elijah huddled in his cloak facing death while a raven behind him offers God’s food. He’s a prophet on a lonely journey. Yes, the powerful prophet forbade the rain to fall and raised the dead, but according to the Book of Kings he spent most of his time on the run, hiding in caves and wadis, depending on someone like a poor widow for food and shelter. He had no support from other religious or political leaders. He was a lonely prophet.

The compilers of our lectionary knew what they were doing when they pared his story with the readings from Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, also read this week. Some of Jesus’ listeners saw him as Elijah returned. He too had little support from the religious and political leaders of his day.

The Passionist community celebrates June 12th, Blessed Lorenzo Salvi, a Passionist priest who lived at the time of the Napoleonic Suppression of the church in 18th century Europe, when most of the religious communities in Italy where disbanded and their places taken over by the government. Lorenzo took part in rebuilding the church in Rome by his constant preaching. I think of him as a lonely prophet and I also see him as an example for the Passionists today. We have a role in rebuilding our church. d

Lonely prophets are great prophets.

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Magnifica humanitas

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INTRODUCTION

1. Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together. Each generation inherits the task of shaping its own era, of guiding history to become a place where the dignity of every person is safeguarded, justice is promoted and fraternity is made possible. Yet every era also runs the risk of creating an inhumane and more unjust world. Whenever humanity is in danger of marring its true identity, we Christians lift our eyes to the Incarnate God, knowing that it is “only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of humanity truly becomes clear.” [1] In Jesus Christ, this humanity in its grandeur becomes the Way, the Truth and the Life, opening the path for each of us to grow toward fullness.

2. Founded on Christ, the living stone, we experience the powerful and mysterious action of the Holy Spirit, and we believe that every authentic human effort to cooperate with him for the good will be blessed by our heavenly Father, in whom we place our hope. For this reason, we can diligently contribute to every initiative that builds a more just world, and we can call others to collaborate in promoting the integral development of every human being. We wish to engage in dialogue with all men and women of our time, with whom we share in the events, questions and aspirations of humanity. [2] Together with them, we seek to identify new paths for the common good and for promoting a dignified life for all. Indeed, openness to dialogue is an integral part of the Church’s vocation because, constituted in Christ as “a sacrament… of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race,” [3] she recognizes history as the place where the Gospel challenges and directs human experience.

For more:

https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html

The presentation of the encyclical in on YouTube. Pope Leo’s short summary at the end of the video is worth waiting for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxcXcP6NyRM

A Catholic Church

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Our first reading at Mass today, the letter from the church of Jerusalem to the church in Antioch,  offers an important teaching on the nature of the church. The church of Jesus Christ is meant for all peoples. “I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.” www.usccb.org

The universality of our church may be a special gift to the world today, when wars are pitting one country against another, when so many countries are closing their borders in fear of foreigners, when nations are looking only to their own interests. 

We’re living in a divided world. It’s longing for a voice reminding  us of our common humanity.  We’re all children of God.                                                                                                                                                  

Our church is called to be a model of what the world should be. A home for all, whatever your race, or color, or place on the social ladder. I think that’s one reason Leo XIV gets the worldwide welcome he does. 

So let’s pray for him and stand with him. What does a pope stand for? He shepherd’s a church that’s a home for all. He proclaims the message of Jesus, God’s only Son. That’s why Pope Leo was chosen, not because he’s an American, but because he’s a missionary at home in the world itself.

On the day of his election, the new pope told the cardinals who elected him to join him in a mission to the world. On the day after, he asked the crowds in St. Peter’s square to join him too on that mission, to follow Jesus Christ and bring his message to all peoples.

 We belong to the Catholic Church. We have to keep our church catholic. We have to be catholic ourselves. 

Take a look at this important summary of Pope Leo’s teaching from the Vatican site. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-05/the-pope-and-the-catecheses-on-the-council.html

5th Week of Easter: Readings and Feasts

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The Acts of the Apostles, read this week, describes  the church’s growth after the Resurrection of Jesus as Paul and Barnabas bring the gospel tos the gentiles in the Asia Minor cities of Lystra, Derbe, and Pisidia. Yet, the mission raised questions in the Jewish Christian community at Jerusalem. Are the gentiles taking over?

To meet what some considered a threat,  a council was called in Jerusalem, which had enormous consequences . Councils are usually important events in the life of the church. The Second Vatican Council that took place in the 1960s was an important event for the church in our time.

The Council of Jerusalem is described on Wednesday to Saturday of this week.

The gospel readings for the remainder of the Easter season are from the Farewell Discourse from John’s gospel. They help us understand the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and the other sacraments.

“I will not leave you orphans,” Jesus says, yet he will not be with them as he was before. The Paraclete, the Spirit of truth, will teach them all things; Jesus will be present to them –and to us– in signs.

Antioch in Syria

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Antioch in Syria is the second important city our readings from Acts of the Apostles recall this week. Capitol of Roman Syria, Antioch was then a center of trade and government, on a sea route linking the Roman world. It would be an obvious place for Peter and Paul to begin their mission to plant the church in new lands.  Luke indicates that others were also part of this mission. 

“Those who had been scattered by the persecution
that arose because of Stephen
went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,
preaching the word to no one but Jews.
There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however,
who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well,
proclaiming the Lord Jesus.
The hand of the Lord was with them
and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.”

Luke sees  the church of Antioch at the center of the church’s missionary activity, replacing Jerusalem destroyed by the Romans in 70.  Here the believers in Jesus were first called “Christians”.

The church grew and prospered in Antioch. By the 2nd century the Christian Church was organized under a respected bishop, Ignatius, who wrote letters to various Christian churches on his way to martyrdom in Rome. By the 4th century Antioch was considered the most important Christian church after Rome and Alexandria. It was one of first Christian centers to have a cathedral, built between 327-341.  Early church councils took place there. St. John Chrysostom was among its many prominent theologians and leaders.

Known today as Antakya, Antioch is a Moslem city in Turkey.  Flattened by earthquakes, its access to the sea, the Orantes River, silted over, the city offers few traces of its ancient commercial power and Christian past, except a collection of Roman mosaics.

Peter and Paul, who feature so prominently in the Acts of the Apostles, would never have accomplished their mission without the “Cypriots and Cyrenians” who first came to Antioch as persecuted believers and “began to speak to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.”