Was there a good point made in the sermon you heard for your Mass of Obligation?
Let us know.
For my part, for the Extraordinary Form (it isn’t the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God), on this Octave of Christmas (olim Feast of the Circumcision) I spoke about Anna the Prophetess who appears in Luke 2. As we look to a new year, full of hope, we don’t know what will happen. Anna was a widow of 80+ years, and so she was either 84 when the little Lord was brought to the temple or 105 or so. Life threw her a curve. We make plans but we don’t know what will happen. God disposes our lives and He knows us better than we know ourselves. Anna persevered in prayer and service in the temple. She is our good example. We must take care of our temples, keeping them pure, in good order, improving always and full of prayer: the temple that is our church, the family home and our soul, temple of the Holy Spirit. During the rest of the Christmas cycle through Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of Mary, remember Anna and how she persevered. She was there when the Lord came to the Temple on that 40th day after Christmas., After she had made her plan, God put her on a new course. Take stock of your situation now, in your church, your home and your soul for the next month, to determine their purity, good order, how they are to be improved. Ask Anna to intercede with God to help you take stock as this new year of salvation begins.
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Father V— spoke of how Mary, the Mother of God, did not always understand the import of her Son’s mission, “holding these things in her heart.” We, likewise, often do not understand God’s ineffable plans for us and, so, must accept with humble faith what Our Lord graciously gives us. (It was a gem of a short and inspired sermon.)
EF Missa Cantata. Father began by highlighting that 2017 will be the 100th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions and that we should reflect on the important messages given in them.
Father also suggested that we purchase a notebook and note the good things that happen to us each day as a result of God’s grace. In today’s modern world due to secularism, we fail to see the work of God’s grace in our lives and do not accept that grace comes from God.
It was one of the best sermons I’ve heard in a long time.
We had EF Feast of Circumcision. Fr took the opportunity to remind us how throughout the octave of Christmas the passion and crucifixion remain closely in view as we celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord. So we were reminded that the first day after Christmas day is St Stephen, the first martyr, who willed martyrdom and gave his life for Christ. We also have the feast of the Holy Innocents who didn’t will martyrdom (they were too young) but nevertheless gave their lives for Christ, who, of course, gave his life for us some 33 years later. Being in England, we also have St Thomas of Canterbury in the octave who was unafraid of speaking truth to power and paid the price for defending the Church with his blood. Not forgetting St John the Evangelist whose martyrdom was to remain at the foot of the cross (with Mary) during Christ’s passion when all the other disciples had fled. Then, to today’s feast, the Circumcision, which was the sign of belonging to the chosen people. Jesus’ circumcision was the first shedding of his blood. It was a prefiguring of the shedding of his blood at the crucifixion. And the message for us…that in this new year, as in every new day, we are invited to take up our cross and follow Christ. Salvation comes by way of the cross.
Our FSSP priest spoke of the meaning of “Feast Days” in the liturgical year and how a Catholic ought to appreciate the great graces available through the celebration of the Feasts throughout the year. Feast days to Catholics do not mean eating large lavish meals and having wild parties but rather having religious celebrations in honor of the saints lives or special events in Our Lord and Our Lady’s lives. He spoke of the three classes of feast days and the power of the Octave. Families ought to do special celebrations at home especially on the 1st Class Feasts: Advent, Immaculate Conception, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, etc. He suggested that perhaps homeschooled children should get the day off from school to celebrate certain special feast days and he encouraged every family to have a Church Calendar and a Missal that explained the feast days so that one could follow the Feasts and to celebrate them. He gave an example of one saint who only ate one meal a day throughout the year, but on big Feast Days – he would not eat at all!
How many times have we said I wish I had done what my mother said to? Then what shepherds were like. Our Lady appeared to three shepherds who were children. Also explained the Five First Saturdays. There were a lot of great things about devotion to Mary too. And how she is the Queen of Peace.
I titled my homily, for Solemnity of the Mother of God, “The Importance of your Name.” I talked about the Divine Name, which is alluded to in the first reading, and how it was rarely spoken, but we have the privilege of speaking the name of Jesus. Most of my homily was about the importance of the names we give our children, and of giving them a patron saint; I alluded to our genial host’s report on the issue of baptizing a child “Lucifer” along the way (linked on my blog). I concluded with an explanation of the plenary indulgence obtainable both yesterday and today; we prayed the indulgenced prayers at the end of Mass.
Father began with a joke. A man went to the Pearly Gates and met St. Peter, who says, “You may enter Heaven if you pass a test, proving to me that you deserve to do so, and receive 100 points.” The man replies, “I am ready! I was faithful to my wife for 50 years”. St. Peter replies, “Very good! I shall give you two points.” The man replies, “This is going to be harder than I thought! Alright, I was faithful to the Church throughout those fifty years, I went to Mass every Sunday and I raised my children in the faith, sent them to Catechesis and they grew up strong.” St. Peter replies, “Excellent. Three more points!” So the man says, “Ugh, I must try harder! Well, I did very well for myself over the years, and I regularly tithed to the Church. Upon my death I willed my entire fortune to my parish and it was worth over $100,000.” St Peter exclaims, “Wonderful! That will earn you four points!” Well, the man cries, “This is going to be impossible! It is only with the grace of God that I will get into Heaven at all!” And St. Peter exclaims, “EXACTLY! That is worth 100 points. Well done, good and faithful servant!”
So we cannot earn our way into Heaven and the works of the law will only get us so far. It is God’s grace upon which we rely, and only God’s grace which will grant us entrance to Heaven.
OF Vigil: Good point–Mary our Mother as the ideal disciple, who wholly believed in the love and goodness of God, not just unto accepting the favours that came with it, but also the sorrow. How are we, in wholly throwing ourselves after the will of God, and in giving an unqualified yes to Him? Not-so-good point–
[… not needed.]
EF: The Octave of Christmas. God was incarnate as a subject of the law, demonstrating the continuity between Judaism and Christianity. Ergo, Christianity is not a new religion but the fulfilment of what was first handed to the Jews, in the plenitude of time. We cannot then say that we get to decide what the contents of our religion are, because we must recognise this continuity and humbly hand down what we have accepted from the apostolic tradition of the church. One cleric was recounted as having said that until Vatican II the church’s worship was “nonsensical”, but we’ve now put that straight–such is a lamentable attitude towards tradition.
OF: Mary’s wholehearted service to God shows us that we need to address rising income inequality and save the environment. Le sigh. Good point was a point-by-point review of St Ignatius’ prayer of generosity as a reflection on Mary’s fiat.
Today we went to our local Ordinary Form parish. Father also noted that 2017 will be the 100th anniversary of Fatima, then went on to discuss Mary’s trust in God, adding that we should look upon her as our “mama.”
What a wonder-filled Christmas season! Our priest preached on the Blessed Virgin being our Mother, beginning with a history of the early Church arguing over her status, eventually proclaiming her the Mother of God. He then spoke to the importance of asking for her intercession at all times and in every need. The most important aspect of his homily, however, was to witness the growing or maturing of a young priest in his own faith. His apparent ability to not only to preach the Word, but to witness to it to the people of God.
Peace and God bless,
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Sorry, Father, you’re right, and it was unnecessarily mean-spirited of me to shoehorn that in.
Matilda P, if you mean that the priest was encouraging you to take stock of your zeal in following Mary as an example, even to the point of discomfort, that’s a good thing. It was a point made at my parish which I left out.
Our Deacon shared his story of his first meeting with Mary as boy in Brooklyn. He asked who the woman depicted in the statuette he loved was. His grandfather replied, “That’s Mary, your Mother. She loves you very much.” These words finally convinced him to convert to Catholicism and lead to his vocation. After this, he reminded us of the Bishop’s Marian Year, which commenced yesterday. He urged us all to participate zealously.