“Every
best gift, and every perfect gift, is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no change, nor shadow of alteration.”
Ordinary of the Mass
Mass Text - Latin
Mass Text - English
That may well be my favorite
biblical passage—it says so much about the false religions with
imperfect and changeable gods—and so much about
modernism with its doctrines and morals
flapping in the wind. But today, instead of talking about the
vicissitudes of non‑Catholics, we have three very precious gifts to
acknowledge. Today is Mother's Day, and May is the Month of Mary the
Mother of God and our Mother, and today we have two young ladies who
will receive Jesus Christ for the first time in Holy Communion.
In its most complete form,
motherhood includes carrying a child or children for the better part of
a year before giving birth in some degree of pain, seeing to the
children's physical, spiritual, and emotional needs over a number of
years, as the child slowly progresses from helplessness to
self-reliance. That may sound relatively simple in theory, but it is
always more difficult in practice. The reward is altruistic more than
it is self-gratifying—the family is the building block of
civilization—successful parenting will turn out productive members of
civil society and men and women who will become saints within the
society of the Church.
Generally speaking, this success
depends more on the mother than on the father—and sometimes it may
depend entirely upon her. Yet, on Mother's Day it would be wrong to
ignore the contributions of those who take up the slack if mother proves
to be unable or unwilling—grand-parents, aunts, sisters, and even older
children sometimes generously step in to fill the gaps. The list will
usually include fathers, and sometimes uncles and brothers. We should
thank God for the great gift He has given us in our mothers and in any
others who made our growing up possible. Today is a good day to show
our appreciation—and if they are no longer with us, to offer heartfelt
prayers to God for their eternal well-being. Go see Mom if at all
possible today!
May is the Month of Mary, the
Mother of God. We talked about that last week, and the sermon is online
if you missed it. Today we will speak about her being our own Mother.
When Jesus was dying on the
Cross, He called out to His Mother and to Saint John: “‘Woman, behold
thy son.’ After that, he saith to the disciple: ‘Behold thy mother.’ And
from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.”
Some of this was practical, for Jesus had no brothers or sisters to look
after Mary after His death—but it is universally understood that Jesus
chose John to represent all Christians if not the entire human race. He
gave us Mary to be our Mother, and we to be her sons and daughters.
When I was a child I was
frightened by the “things that go bump in the night,” and the shadows
that moved across the walls. I would call out for my parents. But one
night my father answered my cries, and explained to me that Mary was the
Mother of all children and that she would keep me safe—particularly from
anything evil. It was easy to fall asleep with a “Hail, Mary” or two on
my lips after that night.
Years later, I was faced with
the difficulties of philosophy and theology (I had always favored the
natural sciences in school)—and I was faced with the complexity of
learning enough Latin to pray the Mass and the Office. Again, I called
upon Mary, asking her help and promising to be her son. Without her, I
would be utterly unable to stand here before you and before the
altar—without her, there could be no Mass and no sermon.
Everyone needs Mary! But this
should not be one sided. We all owe her a debt—a debt to be paid with
prayer and the Sacraments—with good works done freely in her name—by
introducing her and her Rosary to those who don’t know her.
Finally, a great gift will come
down to us today from the “Father of lights” as His Son Jesus Christ
comes down to rest upon our altar under the appearances of bread and
wine. Body and soul, humanity and divinity—great God Almighty will
humble Himself to appear as a small white round of bread. God Himself
will take pleasure, for Kaitlyn and Samantha, whom He has always loved,
will be united with Him in Holy Communion. We give thanks for our
First-Communicants, and for God’s generosity. We pray that this
First-Communion will be but the beginning of a life-long union with God.
Now, if there is anyone who has
been avoiding Holy Communion for any reason, this would be an auspicious
day to return to God’s graces and His love. I’ll be happy to hear
confessions again after Mass if anyone but asks—and God will be pleased
to give Himself in Holy Communion immediately thereafter.
We have a great deal to rejoice
in—the gift of our own mothers; the gift of Mary as our Mother; and the
mutual gift exchanged between God and our Communicants. God bless you
Samantha and Kaitlyn—and God bless all of His sons and daughters. And
let us never lose sight of the source of these gifts:
“Every
best gift, and every perfect gift, is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no change, nor shadow of alteration.”
