Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Flower deliveries and Mother’s Day brunches may look different this year, but those oddities aside, each year the calendar reminds us to appreciate the gift of our mothers. In the life of the Church, it is especially fitting that Mother’s Day should fall in the month of May, which is always dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. Among her many titles, Mary is known as Mother of the Church. In turn, the Church is fondly called our holy mother. In the waters of Baptism, we are born into life in Christ, the life of the Church. The Church nourishes us with the sacraments, which have been given to her by Christ for the building up of His Body on earth. When the imperfections of our holy mother the Church are evident, our faith teaches us to turn back to the Mother of God, to Mary, conceived without sin, holy and immaculate. We have recourse to her, the spotless rose entrusted with giving life to our Savior. She who told the servants at the wedding feast at Cana, “Do whatever he tells you,” always turns our attention and focus back to Jesus. And so when we see deficiencies in the Church or in ourselves, Mary intercedes for us that they might not be stumbling blocks for us, and that they may be wiped away by God’s perfecting power.
During the month of May, Pope Francis asks the whole Church to turn with confidence to the Blessed Virgin Mary, because May is “a time when the People of God express with particular intensity their love and devotion for the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is traditional in this month to pray the Rosary at home within the family. The restrictions of the pandemic have made us come to appreciate all the more this “family” aspect, also from a spiritual point of view. For this reason, I want to encourage everyone to rediscover the beauty of praying the Rosary at home in the month of May. This can be done either as a group or individually; you can decide according to your own situations, making the most of both opportunities. The key to doing this is always simplicity, and it is easy also on the internet to find good models of prayers to follow” (Pope Francis’ Letter to the Faithful for the Month of May 2020). I invite you to join us each day at 5 PM for the Rosary, streamed live on our parish Facebook page (except Saturday, when we pray at noon). With confidence we turn to the holy Mother of God, asking her merciful intercession for an end to the coronavirus pandemic and for all those who are in need of prayer.
Peace,
Fr. Sam
