Tag Archives: Mary

Homily; Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God

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Photo taken at Saint Anthony Shrine, Boston MA

We begin a new year, it is mixed with both anticipation and fear, beginnings and endings. For us Catholics, we end this year with the sad news of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. He had an definite affect on the Catholic Church, before he became Pope, during his Papacy, and afterwards; and on the world around us.


We are beginning a new year. Liturgically, we are celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. We are reflecting on the important role of Mary in the salvation of humanity. We celebrate her courage to say yes, her willingness to say yes to bearing the child who would be the savior of the world. She was willing to become Mother of God the Son.

For that reason, for that courage, for that love that she had for God, for that love she had for all humanity; she is remembered and celebrated by Catholics and other Christians.


But I would challenge us to see Mary as a real human person. I am sometimes concerned, afraid that we treat Mary and our other saints, as characters in a show, play, movie and not as a real person. And Mary was a real human person. It was her courage and her love for God that allowed her to say response to the angel’s declaration, the Annunciation: “ Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1)


She should courage and strength, making that journey with Joseph to Bethlehem; and finding out that they had to stay in stable. She had the courage and the strength to give birth to the baby who would soon be named Jesus.


We have little information on what life was like for this little family when they finally were able to return to Nazareth. How often did she reflect on what had happened to her, her little child and her husband. Today’s gospel mentioned that she kept all that she experienced in her heart, reflecting on them, what they meant for her and for her son.
We know that she cared for her neighbors, friends and relatives. She and Jesus were invited to a wedding, what the relationship they had with the wedding party, we do not know; but it was there that she asked Jesus to come to the aid of the bridegroom with their wine shortage. And a son cannot say “no,” to his mother.


Mary was present at her Son’s suffering and death on the cross. She must have mourned deeply over witnessing that sight.
In our reflections on Mary, we need to remind ourselves that she was as human as the rest of us. That she experienced great joy, great hope; as well as great pain, and great sorrow. And it is these experiences that makes her a good advocate for us before God. So we can turn to her in our need:


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

Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

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Hail, O Lady,
holy Queen,
Mary,holy Mother of God,
who are the virgin made church
and who are the one chosen by the most holy
Father in heaven,
whom he consecrated
with his most holy beloved Son
and with the Holy Spirit the Paraclete,
and in whom there has been and is
all the fullness of grace and every good.
Hail, His Palace!
Hail, His Tabernacle!
Hail, His Home!
Hail, His Robe!
Hail, His Handmaid!
Hail, His Mother!
And all you holy virtues,
who
through the grace and illumination of the 
Holy Spirit have been poured into the 
hearts of the faithful, so that from their 
faithless state, you may make them
faithful to God.


The Salutation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
written by St. Francis of Assisi

Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Hail,holy Queen, Mother of mercy, 
Our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To thee we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us;
and after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, Joseph – 2014

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The Holy Family      Genesis 15: 1-6; 21: 1-3

       Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19

       Luke 2: 22-40

Today we celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, which comes on the Sunday after Christmas. This year, this Feast and Christmas are only a few days apart. How many of us are still recovering from the Christmas celebrations; the preparations, the clean up; the stresses and the joys of that day. And how many of us are just hoping for a quiet weekend. Can we suppose that Mary and Joseph may have felt the same way, after what had happened on the evening of the birth of their son? First there was the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, then finding shelter in a manger, a barn! Then that appearance of a group of scruffy shepherds, who have this story of angels flying in the night sky, proclaiming that this child, their child, is the long for Messiah. I am sure that what Mary and Joseph longed for was some normalcy, to just perform the rituals required by Law of Moses and then get back to Nazareth and their lives as quickly as possible.

So they go up to Jerusalem, to the Temple to make the required sacrifices. Now keep in mind that they were not the only ones going to the Temple that day. There would have been hundreds, if not thousands of worshipers going to the there. If you have ever seen a picture of the crowds assembled in front of St. Peter’s in Rome, you would have some idea of the crowds going in and out of the Temple courtyards. And yet, and yet; out of that massive crowd of humanity, Simeon, is able to find Jesus, Mary and Joseph. How? He was guided by the Holy Spirit, for God was fulfilling His promise, that Simeon would not see death, before seeing the Messiah. Simeon had such faith in that promise, that for so many years he kept going to the Temple. And despite so many disappointing encounters, he still had faith. Then comes the day his path crosses with Mary, Joseph and their infant son. He praises God that his faith has been rewarded, he has seen the Messiah. Then he tells Mary and Joseph what the destiny of their child would be, and what it would cost them. Now, after hearing this, who could blame Mary and Joseph, if they were to flee south to Egypt; or north to Syria, or east to Babylon? This was not what they signed up for. But they do not flee, they returned to Nazareth, Despite their fears of what the future may hold, they raised the child Jesus up into a strong young man, who was “filled with wisdom” and with the favor of God. They were able to do so because they had faith, faith that whatever trials and tribulations may come their way, God would not abandon them, that God would be there for them. It is that same faith that their ancestor Abraham had when he first listened to God, to a Presence he did not know, yet he believed, and left the safety of the Ur, for an unknown land. He had faith that, despite his old age, he believed that God would keep His promise of making from him a mighty nation.

And it is faith in God’s promise that through His Son, Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, “God is with us.,” we believe that we will never be alone, that indeed, God will be with us always, He will be with us in times of trial, and times of challenge:. He will be with us in the joyful times, and the sad times. It is faith in Him, that draws us here today, as a community of believers, that through Word and Sacrament, that faith will be continually renewed and strengthened. It is by faith in God’s love, which causes us to reach out to others, to share that love. And it is by faith that we look forward to the fulfillment of the promise that Jesus Christ will come again, and a new heaven and a new earth will be born.