Full of Grace

When the Angel Gabriel spoke to the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation, the angel greeted her with the words, “Hail, full of grace.” When we repeat these words in one of our best-known Catholic prayers, we add her name: “Hail, Mary, full of grace.” The fact that the angel did not use her name does not diminish the greeting given to Mary; it simply shows us the key to her identity: she was filled with the life and love of God.

The Easter Season gives special emphasis to the reality of our Baptism, since it is the cornerstone of our identity as Christians. In Baptism the life and love of God enters us in a particularly strong way, making us “full of grace.” As Christians, we have a special relationship with God and also with everyone who shares the life of grace. This includes a special relationship with the Virgin Mary.

Are we still full of grace? Well, we are not perfect. We do our best to cultivate the life of grace God gives us. As we do so, it is only right that we look to Mary, who is the Mother of all Christians. The month of May is especially dedicated to her, so this is a good time to remind ourselves that the Mother of Christ is our mother as well. She looks out for us and prays to her Son with us and for us. Pray an extra “Hail Mary” every now and then during this month as a powerful expression of faith that our holy Mother prays for us “now and at the hour of our death.”

Gratefully yours,

The Fifty Day Feast

Saint Athanasius, one of the great Fathers of the early Church, said, “The fifty days from the Sunday of the Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday are celebrated in joy and exultation as one feast day, indeed as one ‘great Sunday.’”

It is important that we continue to celebrate the joy, the peace, and the hope that Easter brings. Unfortunately, reminders of Easter in the secular world do not last long.

There are no more Easter greeting cards or decorations in the stores, and Easter does not have familiar “carols” associated with it in our secular culture, as Christmas does. How, then, do we continue the celebration?

The most important way we continue it is with our faithful participation in the Mass. Every time we participate in the Mass, we encounter the Risen Lord just as really and truly as the first Christians did in the gospel readings we hear during this season. By bringing our heart and soul completely with us to the Mass, we continue the Easter experience.

Another way to continue the Easter celebration is by being messengers of hope to those around us. Easter is the final victory of God over sin and death; we have nothing to fear if we are united with him. Let’s spread this awesome news and tremendous hope to everyone we meet.

Alleluia!

Gratefully yours,

Bring a Friend

It is gratifying to see a gradual, but noticeable, increase of people coming to Mass each weekend. Without a doubt, some are people who were away during the worst days of the pandemic, but are now feeling safe to gather again. Others are visitors; almost every week when I’m greeting people after Mass, visitors will introduce themselves to me. And perhaps there are even people who have simply decided to come to Mass after a long time away. Whatever a person’s stated reason for coming to Mass may be, underlying all other reasons is the call of the Lord. I pray that the Lord may call more and more people to our church, and I pray that those who hear his call will follow it.

All of this brings me to a very effective means that the Lord uses to call people to worship him: your invitation! Yes, you can be the voice of God in someone’s life just by inviting them to come to Mass. Readily we recommend movies that we like to our friends; we encourage them to go to shows we have enjoyed, and to visit websites that we find interesting; we invite them to parties and other gatherings. But when was the last time you invited someone to come with you to the greatest prayer, arguably the greatest event, on earth?

I bring this up today as Holy Week approaches. You will find the schedule of Holy Week liturgies in this bulletin and on the parish website. These liturgies are especially rich in meaning, and contain Scripture texts, prayers, ritual actions, and music that are particularly moving. Why not make it a special point this year to bring at least one guest to at least one of our Holy Week liturgies? A practical note: it’s best to invite someone now, at least a week in advance, before their schedule fills up with other things.

I look forward to seeing you, and your guests, at St. Edward the Confessor or San Felipe de Jesús, soon.

Gratefully yours,