From pastor’s desk on the 4th Sunday of Easter – May 8th, 2022
The month of May in the Catholic Church is always marked with the season of Easter and the celebrations of First Holy Communion. Traditionally, it also has been dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. There are several reasons for promoting Mary’s devotion during this month. First, in the northern hemisphere it is usually springtime: it is getting warmer, the trees are becoming green, and the flowers are blooming. It is just a beautiful month in nature, which seems to remind us of the beauty of the Most Holy Mary—the Most Beautiful Creation. Secondly, it is a month of Marian apparitions. Our Lady appeared for the first time to three children in Fatima on May 13th, 1917. At that time Mary brought a warning to the world, but also a message of hope. In Fatima, Mary called people to conversion, particularly through the works of penance and through prayer of the Holy Rosary. So this is my invitation to all of you, that you come to the Blessed Virgin Mary so that She may help you to face current difficulties with faith in Her Son and Our Lord Jesus.
Why the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary? Is it not enough to “pray to Jesus” directly? Many Protestants accuse Catholics of worshiping Mary as a kind of a goddess, whereas we simply recognize her greatness, her beauty and her importance in the history of Salvation. There is one curious correlation that can be historically proven. Namely, the closer we get to the Blessed Mother the closer we get to Jesus Christ. Mary never drives people away from Her Son Jesus Christ; quite the opposite, in humility of Her Immaculate Heart, Mary always leads all back to Him who is the Son of God and our Lord and Savior. Mary’s presence helps the faithful to grow in more authentic and fervent faith in Jesus. Mary’s devotees usually advance in Christian Spirituality, develop much faster, and they gain a better sense of Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist and His mystical presence in the Church. Moreover, Blessed Virgin Mary makes particular churches flourish and keep them faithful to the truths of our faith. In other words, where Mary is, there is Jesus is too.
We are also all invited to participate in God’s grace through Mary’s intercession. The example of the Blessed Mother should encourage us to follow in her footsteps. The more we open our hearts to God, the more grace (love) we receive. Mary gave herself totally and unconditionally to God and in this way She has become the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church, that is, the Blessed Mother of us all in the order of grace. This is the meaning of the words she spoke to the angel the Annunciation: “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done according to your word”. Because of Mary, the Word again can become flesh—the reality—in our lives too.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend, I wish you—all the mothers, both biological and spiritual—that the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary may inspire you to follow God wholeheartedly. I pray that Mary’s intercession be effective in your lives so that you too can praise God’s wonders with Mary’s eternal Magnificat.
Happy Mother’s Day and a blessed week.
Fr. Janusz Mocarski, pastor