Over the course of the past year and a half we have spent time considering the Sacraments of the Church, we now come to the final sacrament we will review, that of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. We have been using the various rituals of the Church which confer the sacraments as a way of guiding our study of each individual sacrament and we will do the same with Holy Orders. However, there are three orders in Holy Orders – the diaconate, the priesthood, and the episcopacy – each having its own ritual of ordination. Our most common experience with those in Holy Orders are those who are priests, so we will use that ordination ritual as our guide and, at the end of our study, look more briefly at the diaconate and the episcopacy.
Before we delve into the nature of Holy Orders, especially that of the nature of the priesthood, we must step back for a moment and come to a deeper understanding of the priesthood in light of the priesthood of Jesus Christ, because Jesus Himself is a priest, He possesses the fullness of the priesthood and is most truly our great high priest. The priesthood of priests cannot be fully understood without first examining the nature of Christ’s own priesthood, since all priests participate and are given a share in that priesthood. The first question we must ask is where does Christ’s own priesthood come from? The Letter to the Hebrews which is, in many ways, a sustained reflection on the priesthood tells us where the priesthood of Christ comes from, we read, “Neither doth any man take the honour to himself, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was. So Christ also did not glorify himself that he might be made a high priest: but he that said unto him: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place: Thou art a priest forever, according to the order of Melchisedech” (Hebrews 5.4-6) This points out something very important – that the priesthood of such grandeur that not even Christ in His Humanity can take it on Himself, it is something which His Father bestows upon Him. The Father bestows the priesthood on the Humanity of Christ at the first moment of His conception. At that moment, the Father acknowledges that Christ, is the one mediator between heaven and earth. We can rightly say that His consecration as Priest takes place at the Incarnation. In Christ Himself, all humanity is united in order to be purified and sanctified and to be brought back to God – in this we see that the very heart of Christ’s priesthood (and the priesthood itself) is to be the mediator offering oblations and sacrifices to the Father and in return the Father uses the priest to communicate His graces to mankind. As we read in the Letter to the Hebrews, “For every high priest taken from among men, is ordained for men, in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins” (Hebrews 5.1). St. Thomas Aquinas points out the other dimension of the priesthood – that of handing over sacred things, as he points out that the Latin word for priest, sacerdos, means “one who gives sacred things.” We now can turn to the second aspect of the priesthood of Christ which must be highlighted, that Christ is both Priest and Victim. In the Old Testament the priest and the victim are distinct. The priest offers up some victim or offering (usually an animal or perhaps the fruits of the field) in order to offer God the praise that is His due and as an offering to make reparation for the sins of the people. This Old Testament priesthood is a type of the priesthood to come, in Christ’s priesthood something radical happens – no longer are priest and victim separate, in Christ both priest and victim are one. His sacrifice constitutes the perfect homage giving glory to God and obtains for us the grace of eternal life. Christ as Priest gives perfect adoration and reverence. Christ as Victim gives also adoration but which finds expression in His acceptance of death. What is accomplished by this offering of Christ on behalf of His people? St. Thomas Aquinas points out that there are three reasons sacrifice must be offered: for the remission of sin, so man be preserved in the state of grace, so the spirit of man may be united perfectly to God. Christ confers all three of these on us. We can also rightly point out that Christ is the principal Priest and Victim at every Mass. How does Christ exercise His priesthood? We can point to the way it is lived out over the course of His earthly life. From the first moment of His conception, Christ the Priest offered Himself up and this plays out over the course of His entire earthly life – constantly offering Himself up to the Father as a living sacrifice. This offering of Himself up comes to its culmination in the events of the Passion where He completes the sacerdotal act. At the Last Supper He offers Himself to His Apostles in the Eucharist, an action which prefigures the sacrificial offering of Himself on the Cross. We can see then in the Eucharist and the priest celebrating Mass, Christ, both Priest and Victim. At the Last Supper He institutes the Mass, the Eucharist and the Priesthood, all of which are intimately tied together. Christ’s priesthood comes to its pinnacle on the Cross when He offers Himself as a sacrifice to the Father for the forgiveness of our sins and in so doing renders an offering more pleasing to God than all sin has displeased Him. It is a priestly act full of love and obedience and becomes the source of all grace and mercy. Christ’s priesthood does not end with His earthly life, after His Ascension, but instead, Christ continues to have an “everlasting priesthood” (Hebrews 7.24). We enjoy the fruits of Christ’s priesthood in our own lives, for His priesthood is the source of graces received on earth and eternal life in heaven. (This article is part of a series of articles on The Sacraments which will appear in the bulletin over the course of this year.) St. Mary’s has been blessed, for nearly 32 years, with the gift of our Perpetual Adoration Chapel – day and night, week after week, on sunny days and snowy days, someone has been present in our Chapel praying before the Blessed Sacrament. The graces which have flowed from this Chapel are incalculable. I recently came upon this article that I thought would be worthwhile to include in the bulletin, because it points out the power of Perpetual Adoration in one city in Mexico. This article was originally published by the Catholic News Agency (www.catholicnewsagency.com) on January 26th of this year, it is written by Barbara Bustamante and tells of the dramatic changes that have occurred in Juarez, Mexico due to Perpetual Adoration, here is the article:
“Juarez, Mexico, Jan 26, 2017 / 02:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Juarez, located in the state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico, was considered from 2008 to 2010 to be one of the most dangerous cities in the world, due to drug trafficking violence and the constant struggles for power and territory between the cartels. However, the city of 1.3 million inhabitants dropped off this list thanks to a significant decrease in the number of homicides: from 3,766 in 2010 to 256 in 2015. Although this drop can be credited to an improvement in the work of local authorities, for Fr. Patrico Hileman – a priest responsible for establishing Perpetual Adoration chapels in Latin America – there is a much deeper reason: Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. “When a parish adores God day and night, the city is transformed,” Fr. Hileman said. The priest told Radio María Argentina that in 2013 the missionaries opened the first Perpetual Adoration Chapel in Juarez. At that time “40 people a day were dying because two drug gangs were fighting over the city to move drugs into the United States.” It was the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels, whose former leader Joaquín “el Chapo” Guzmán Loera was recently extradited from Mexico to the United States. Fr. Hileman recalled that “the parishes were saying that the war wasn't ending because a group of soldiers were with one gang and the police were with the other one. They were killing people, burning houses down so they would leave, fighting over the city.” One of the parishes that was “desperate” asked the missionaries to open a Perpetual Adoration chapel because they assured that “only Jesus is going to save us from this, only Jesus can give us security.” The missionaries only took three days to establish the first Perpetual Adoration chapel in Juarez. Fr. Hileman told how one day, when the city was under a state of siege, a lady was on her way to the chapel to do her Holy Hour at 3:00 in the morning, when she was intercepted by six soldiers who asked her where she was heading. When the woman told them that she was going to “the little chapel” the uniformed men asked her what place, because everything was closed at that hour. Then the woman proposed they accompany her to see for themselves. When they got to the chapel, the soldiers found “six women making the Holy Hour at the 3:00 in the morning,” Fr. Hileman said. At that moment the lady said to the soldiers: “Do you think you're protecting us? We're praying for you 24 hours a day.” One of the uniformed men fell down holding his weapon,“crying in front of the Blessed Sacrament. The next day at 3:00 in the morning they saw him in civilian clothes doing a Holy Hour, crying oceans of tears,” he said. Two months after the chapel was opened, the pastor “calls us and says to us: Father, since the chapel was opened there has not been one death in Juarez, it's been two months since anyone has died.” “We put up ten little chapels in a year,” Fr. Hileman said. As if that were not enough, “at that time they were going to close the seminary because there were only eight seminarians and now there are 88. The bishop told me me that these seminarians had participated in the Holy Hours.” Fr. Hileman pointed out that “that is what Jesus does in a parish” when people understand that “we find security in Christ.” He also noted that “the greatest miracles occur in the early hours of the morning. “ The early morning “is when you're most at peace, when you hear God better, your mind, your heart is more tranquil, you're there alone for God. If you are generous with Jesus, he is a thousand times more generous with you,” Fr. Hileman said.” If you haven’t been to the Chapel in a while or perhaps have never been in it, I strongly encourage you to stop by and to spend time in prayer. If you want to visit after the door is locked, please simply call the Rectory for the combination. Also, please consider the possibility of committing to an hour a week, times where we need coverage are listed every week in the bulletin, along with a weekly reflection helping to deepen our faith and our understanding of the power of Perpetual Adoration. To all who so generously generate their time as one of our adorers, thank you! Every four years we, as a nation, go through the process of the inauguration of a president and, at the same time, those who are elected to various elected offices take up their duties for a new term in office. Archbishop John Carroll was the first bishop appointed for the United States, by Pope Pius VI in 1789. His brother, Charles Carroll was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. In 1791 Archbishop Carroll wrote a prayer to be prayed in all parishes, calling to mind our need and duty to pray for those who hold leadership positions, whether in the Church or in the civil government. I thought that, with the inauguration this week, this would be a good prayer to include in the bulletin and perhaps something we can each pray on a regular basis for those in authority. Please note that when “N.” appears, the name of the current office holder would be said.
We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name. We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope N., the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, N., all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation. We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty. We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state, for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability. We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal. Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen. Today we celebrate the Feast of Mary, Mother of God. It seems fitting that at the very beginning of a new calendar year we would begin by honoring Our Lady and asking her for her prayers so that this year – 2017 – may truly be a year of grace. To begin this year I thought it would be fitting to share some of the words from one of the sermons of St. Bernard of Clairvaux in honor of Our Lady:
“This verse ends: ‘And the Virgin’s name was Mary.’ Let us now say a few words about this name, which means ‘star of the sea’ and is so becoming to the Virgin Mother. Surely she is very fittingly likened to a star. The star sends forth its ray without harm to itself. In the same way the Virgin brought forth her son with no injury to herself. The ray no more diminishes the star’s brightness than does the Son his mother’s integrity. She is indeed that noble star risen out of Jacob whose beam enlightens this earthly globe. She it is whose brightness both twinkles in the highest heaven and pierces the pit of hell, and is shed upon earth, warming our hearts far more than our bodies, fostering virtue and cauterizing vice. She, I tell you, is that splendid and wondrous star suspended as by necessity over this great wide sea, radiant with merit and brilliant in example. O you, whoever you are, who feel that in the tidal wave of this world you are nearer to being tossed about amongst the squalls and gales than treading on dry land, if you do not want to founder in the tempest, do not avert your eyes from the brightness of this star. When the wind of temptation blows up within you, when you strike upon the rock of tribulation, gaze up at this star, call out to Mary. Whether you are being tossed about by the waves of pride or ambition or slander or jealousy, gaze up at this star, call out to Mary. When rage or greed or fleshly desires are battering the skiff of your soul, gaze up at Mary. When the immensity of your sins weighs you down and you are bewildered by the loathsomeness of your conscience, when the terrifying thought of judgement appalls you and you begin to founder in the gulf of sadness and despair, think of Mary. In dangers, in hardships, in every doubt, think of Mary, call out to Mary. Keep her in your mouth, keep her in your heart. Follow the example of her life and you will obtain the favor of her prayer. Following her, you will never go astray. Asking her help, you will never despair. Keeping her in your thoughts, you will never wander away. With your hand in hers, you will never stumble. With her protecting you, you will not be afraid. With her leading you, you will never tire. Her kindness will see you through to the end. Then you will know by your own experience how true it is that ‘the Virgin’s name was Mary.’” All Hail to Our Lady, Queen of Heaven and Earth! After all the preparations of the season – the cooking and baking and wrapping and shopping and hosting and decorating and cleaning, Christmas is upon us! What a joyful day! And not only a joyful day but an entire liturgical season – the Christmas Season – in which to enjoy the great gift of the birth of the Redeemer. I thought I would include some words from St. Alphonsus Liguori on this great day and season of rejoicing, from his Discourse for Christmas Night:
“Arise, all ye nobles and peasants; Mary invites all, rich and poor, just and sinners, to enter the cave of Bethlehem, to adore and to kiss the feet of her new-born Son. Go in, then, all ye devout souls; go and see the Creator of heaven and earth on a little hay, under the form of a little Infant; but so beautiful that he sheds all around rays of light. Now that he is born and is lying on the straw, the cave is no longer horrible, but it is become a paradise. Let us enter; let us not be afraid. Let every soul, then, enter. Behold and see that tender Infant, who is weeping as he lies in the manger on that miserable straw. See how beautiful he is; look at the light when he sends forth, and the love which he breathes; those eyes send out arrows which wound the hearts that desire him; the very stable, the very straw, cry out, says St. Bernard, and tell you to love him who loves you; to love God, who is infinite love; and who came down from heaven, and made himself a little child, and became poor, to make you understand the love he bears you, and to gain your love by his sufferings. Now then, O all ye devout souls, does Jesus invite you to come and kiss his feet this night. The shepherds who came to visit him in the stable of Bethlehem brought their gifts; you must also bring your gifts. What will you bring him? Listen to me; the most acceptable present you can bring him is that of a contrite and loving hart.” On behalf of myself and the entire parish staff, a joyful and blessed Christmas to you! We find ourselves on the threshold of Christmas – this is one of those delightful years when we have an Advent of four full weeks which means we have had the time to fully enter into Advent and, hopefully, prepare ourselves well for the coming celebration of Christmas. Just a few notes, with Christmas falling on a Sunday, we will have our normal Christmas Mass times rather than the usual weekend Mass times. So Masses will be celebrated on Christmas Eve at 4:00 PM and at 10:30 PM with a Christmas concert beginning at 10:00 PM. Masses for Christmas morning will be celebrated at 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, and 11:00 AM. I know that every year we have large crowds, most especially at the 4:00 PM Christmas Eve Mass, and so we will have the Atrium system up and running for those who are in the overflow in the Atrium.
A few other notes to pass along, the first is in reference to Christmas falling on a Sunday this year. Did you know that 18% of our general stewardship offerings are received during the month of December? It is a very important month for the parish financially, unfortunately with Christmas falling on a Sunday that means we will have one less weekend of collections this year. May I ask you to consider helping to support the parish in making up for this loss of a collection with your Christmas donation? People at St. Mary’s are so generous and, on behalf of myself, the Parish Trustees and Finance Council I want to thank you. I wanted to bring you up to date on the continued efforts of the Archdiocese to address the declining number of priests through effective parish planning. I am sure we are all familiar with the fact that St. Mary’s is one of what has been known as the Quad Parishes of St. Mary’s, St. Dominic, St. John Vianney and St. Joseph. In particular, St. Mary’s and St. Joseph have been clustered together. With the continued unfolding of the diocesan planning process things change based on circumstances and that has happened once again. As the diocesan planning process has unfolded it was deemed worthwhile for the cluster of St. Mary’s and St. Joseph to draw to a close and for St. Joseph to cluster, instead, with St. Agnes Parish in Butler. This means that St. Mary’s will now be considered a “stand alone” parish without a clustering partner. We will, however, continue to collaborate on various efforts with St. John Vianney and St. Dominic and what was known in the past as the “Quad Parishes” will now be the “Tri Parishes” of three separate “stand alone” parishes. We are grateful to have such wonderful neighbors and wish many blessings on St. Joseph and St. Agnes as they begin their new cluster relationship. Please pray for vocations – our seminary has more young men studying for the priesthood than it has in thirty years – this is an important trend, but one we must continually reinforce through prayer and encouraging vocations! Finally, as we gear up for Christmas, I hope that you will be able to find some time for rest and most especially for prayer. I am convinced that the joy of Christmas is affected by the time we spend in preparation for the celebration on a spiritual level. So if wrapping and baking and shopping are fraying your nerves, perhaps it is a sign from the Holy Spirit to stop what you are doing and to pray! I wanted to end our examination of the Sacrament of Marriage with a substantial quote from the Second Vatican Council which sums up so nicely the various aspects of marriage that we have been looking at. It comes from the Constitution of the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et spes, 48):
“The intimate partnership of married life and love has been established by the Creator and qualified by His laws, and is rooted in the conjugal covenant of irrevocable personal consent. Hence by that human act whereby spouses mutually bestow and accept each other a relationship arises which by divine will and in the eyes of society too is a lasting one. For the good of the spouses and their off-springs as well as of society, the existence of the sacred bond no longer depends on human decisions alone. For, God Himself is the author of matrimony, endowed as it is with various benefits and purposes. All of these have a very decisive bearing on the continuation of the human race, on the personal development and eternal destiny of the individual members of a family, and on the dignity, stability, peace and prosperity of the family itself and of human society as a whole. By their very nature, the institution of matrimony itself and conjugal love are ordained for the procreation and education of children, and find in them their ultimate crown. Thus a man and a woman, who by their compact of conjugal love "are no longer two, but one flesh" (Matt. 19:ff), render mutual help and service to each other through an intimate union of their persons and of their actions. Through this union they experience the meaning of their oneness and attain to it with growing perfection day by day. As a mutual gift of two persons, this intimate union and the good of the children impose total fidelity on the spouses and argue for an unbreakable oneness between them. Christ the Lord abundantly blessed this many-faceted love, welling up as it does from the fountain of divine love and structured as it is on the model of His union with His Church. For as God of old made Himself present to His people through a covenant of love and fidelity, so now the Savior of men and the Spouse of the Church comes into the lives of married Christians through the sacrament of matrimony. He abides with them thereafter so that just as He loved the Church and handed Himself over on her behalf, the spouses may love each other with perpetual fidelity through mutual self-bestowal. Authentic married love is caught up into divine love and is governed and enriched by Christ's redeeming power and the saving activity of the Church, so that this love may lead the spouses to God with powerful effect and may aid and strengthen them in sublime office of being a father or a mother. For this reason Christian spouses have a special sacrament by which they are fortified and receive a kind of consecration in the duties and dignity of their state. By virtue of this sacrament, as spouses fulfil their conjugal and family obligation, they are penetrated with the spirit of Christ, which suffuses their whole lives with faith, hope and charity. Thus they increasingly advance the perfection of their own personalities, as well as their mutual sanctification, and hence contribute jointly to the glory of God.” We have now taken a look at six of the seven sacraments over the past year and a half. In the new year we will be examining the final one, the Sacrament of Holy Orders. (This article is part of a series of articles on The Sacraments which will appear in the bulletin over the course of this year.) This weekend we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in response to the persecution of Catholics in Mexico during the 1920s. This persecution saw the martyrdom of numerous priests, religious and laypersons and has given birth to many saints – one of the most recent being St. Jose Sanchez del Rio. St. Jose was captured by government forces and submitted to terrible torture before finally being martyred. His tormentors would taunt him, “If you shout ‘death to Christ the King’ we will spare your life.” But St. Jose responded only with, “I will never give in. Viva Cristo Rey!” When they reached the place of execution, St. Jose, as he lay on the ground, made the cross in the dirt with his fingertip and kissed it shortly before being martyred on February 10, 1928. St. Jose Sanchez del Rio was fourteen years old.
The cry of “Viva Cristo Rey!” – “Long Live Christ the King!” gave the impetus for Pope Pius XI Encyclical Quas Primas proclaiming the Feast of Christ the King. As this liturgical year draws to a close this weekend we are reminded of the witness of so many martyrs who gave their lives for the King – may we, in our own time and place in history, acknowledge His Kingship and submit ourselves to it. Later this week we will celebrate Thanksgiving as a nation. This is such a wonderful and joyful holiday and all of you are invited to begin your celebration of Thanksgiving with the celebration of the Mass on Thanksgiving morning at 9:00 AM. There is so much to be thankful for and know that I am deeply grateful and thankful for all of you here at St. Mary’s and for the grace of having been assigned to such a wonderful parish. Thank you for all you do for St. Mary’s, know that I pray for all of our parishioners regularly and will do so especially this Thanksgiving. I also want to take a moment to publicly thank our parish staff. Again and again, in all times and seasons, they pour themselves into their work on behalf of this parish, this parish could not do what it does without them. If you see a member of our parish staff over the course of the next few weeks, be sure to thank them! Finally, we could not enter into this week without turning our thoughts to Advent. I don’t know about you, but with the weather being so warm so late into the year it almost seemed to sneak up on us! Of course Advent is a time of preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord. There are numerous ways we can prepare for this great feast. One way is to mark the weeks by the prayerful use of an Advent Wreath. Our Christian Women are again selling rings and candles after all the Masses this weekend and next weekend. Another way to prepare for Christmas is by readying our hearts through the Sacrament of Penance. Confessions are heard on Friday afternoons from 2:00 – 5:00 and again on Saturday mornings after the 8:00 Mass (please note that on Saturday, December 10th the Quad Parish Penance Service with Individual Confessions will take place here at 10:00, replacing the normal Saturday confessions). During this Advent we will be adding another opportunity to go to confessions on Tuesdays during Advent at Noon. If it’s been a while since you’ve gone to confession please know that the priest will help you and there are numerous examinations of conscience and ‘how to’ guides on the internet that you can find to assist you. Finally, another way to prepare for Christmas is by setting aside more time for prayer – visit the Adoration Chapel, read the Nativity accounts in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke a little bit each day, pray the rosary, pick up a book on a life of a saint – the more time and energy put into Advent will lead to the experience of a deeper joy at Christmas. Viva Cristo Rey! Long Live Christ the King! This weekend we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in response to the persecution of Catholics in Mexico during the 1920s. This persecution saw the martyrdom of numerous priests, religious and laypersons and has given birth to many saints – one of the most recent being St. Jose Sanchez del Rio. St. Jose was captured by government forces and submitted to terrible torture before finally being martyred. His tormentors would taunt him, “If you shout ‘death to Christ the King’ we will spare your life.” But St. Jose responded only with, “I will never give in. Viva Cristo Rey!” When they reached the place of execution, St. Jose, as he lay on the ground, made the cross in the dirt with his fingertip and kissed it shortly before being martyred on February 10, 1928. St. Jose Sanchez del Rio was fourteen years old.
The cry of “Viva Cristo Rey!” – “Long Live Christ the King!” gave the impetus for Pope Pius XI Encyclical Quas Primas proclaiming the Feast of Christ the King. As this liturgical year draws to a close this weekend we are reminded of the witness of so many martyrs who gave their lives for the King – may we, in our own time and place in history, acknowledge His Kingship and submit ourselves to it. Later this week we will celebrate Thanksgiving as a nation. This is such a wonderful and joyful holiday and all of you are invited to begin your celebration of Thanksgiving with the celebration of the Mass on Thanksgiving morning at 9:00 AM. There is so much to be thankful for and know that I am deeply grateful and thankful for all of you here at St. Mary’s and for the grace of having been assigned to such a wonderful parish. Thank you for all you do for St. Mary’s, know that I pray for all of our parishioners regularly and will do so especially this Thanksgiving. I also want to take a moment to publicly thank our parish staff. Again and again, in all times and seasons, they pour themselves into their work on behalf of this parish, this parish could not do what it does without them. If you see a member of our parish staff over the course of the next few weeks, be sure to thank them! Finally, we could not enter into this week without turning our thoughts to Advent. I don’t know about you, but with the weather being so warm so late into the year it almost seemed to sneak up on us! Of course Advent is a time of preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord. There are numerous ways we can prepare for this great feast. One way is to mark the weeks by the prayerful use of an Advent Wreath. Our Christian Women are again selling rings and candles after all the Masses this weekend and next weekend. Another way to prepare for Christmas is by readying our hearts through the Sacrament of Penance. Confessions are heard on Friday afternoons from 2:00 – 5:00 and again on Saturday mornings after the 8:00 Mass (please note that on Saturday, December 10th the Quad Parish Penance Service with Individual Confessions will take place here at 10:00, replacing the normal Saturday confessions). During this Advent we will be adding another opportunity to go to confessions on Tuesdays during Advent at Noon. If it’s been a while since you’ve gone to confession please know that the priest will help you and there are numerous examinations of conscience and ‘how to’ guides on the internet that you can find to assist you. Finally, another way to prepare for Christmas is by setting aside more time for prayer – visit the Adoration Chapel, read the Nativity accounts in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke a little bit each day, pray the rosary, pick up a book on a life of a saint – the more time and energy put into Advent will lead to the experience of a deeper joy at Christmas. Viva Cristo Rey! Long Live Christ the King! We are continuing our examination of the Sacrament of Marriage in light of the Marriage Ritual. If you recall, last time we looked at the matter and form of the sacrament and examined the first part of the marriage ritual which contains an instruction on what the sacrament is and what it accomplishes. The next part of the ritual is comprised of three questions which call the couple to affirm that their understanding of marriage is what the Church understands by marriage. The Questions Before the Consent are three, the first is “have you come here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?” The couple then responds, “I have.” This first question points out a fundamental truth about marriage – no one can be forced into it, it must be freely chosen. We may think of this merely as if someone were “kidnapped” and forced into marriage, however, the question is referring to a number of circumstances that may propel or coerce someone into marriage. These can be many and varied, the point of the question though is to establish that the couple is freely and willingly making this commitment. A forced commitment – a forced vow in this case – could never be the basis of a sacrament.
The second question is now asked, “Are you prepared, as you follow the path of Marriage, to love and honor each other for as long as you both shall live?” The couple responds, “I am.” This question reminds the couple that marriage is something which calls for love and the deepest respect for the spouse – their lives together should be rooted in that love and upon that respect and honor in which they hold each other. We have all probably encountered couples that do not seem to respect or honor each other and do not even appear to love each other very much, that is, in the end, a diminution of what marriage is meant to be. The second part of the question establishes that marriage is something which is permanent and that the marital bond lasts while both spouses are living. This is important to keep in mind, especially in our culture which seems to have made divorce an everyday occurrence. Marriage is something sacred, it is a bond that is sealed by the Lord Himself and so nothing can break it. The final question is, “Are you prepared to accept children lovingly from God and to bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?” The couple then responds, “I am.” Marriage has two primary ends, one is unitive, the other is procreative. The unitive end of marriage is summed up in the second question when it speaks about a couple that honors and loves one another. That love and honor unites them together in marital intimacy. The third question refers to the procreative end – the openness to children. Marriage is fruitful and the primary fruit of marriage is the gift of children. That does not mean that a marriage where the spouses are incapable of having children is not a real marriage, it is, its fruitfulness if exhibited in other ways. But, in both cases, a sacramental marriage is one that is open to the transmission and gift of life at all times and in all seasons. This explains the Church’s position on artificial contraception – the marital act without the openness to life is lacking in something fundamental – namely, the openness to bearing fruit as God intends it. The marriage ritual now moves to The Consent itself – the vows. We will examine that consent in our next article. (This article is part of a series of articles on The Sacraments which will appear in the bulletin over the course of this year.) |
Fr. PeterArchives
June 2023
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