"The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary": Solemnity of the Annunciation, Wednesday, March 25, 2020

J.M.J.

With good reason, the Solemnity of the Annunciation has been saluted as the “Feast of our Redemption.” The Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity took flesh in the chaste womb of the Virgin of Nazareth when she consented to the Lord’s astounding proposal as announced through the Archangel Gabriel. Our golden chance to be redeemed by Christ began when Mary uttered her famous Fiat—“Let it be done as you say.”

Life looks much different to us after the Annunciation. Each person of the human race, which had grievously offended its Creator due to Original Sin, now would enjoy the holy opportunity to be reconciled to God.

The Annunciation offers many rich truths upon which to reflect. Here are only a few.

The Son of God obeyed His Beloved Father without delay. The Son fulfilled the wise plan of His Father, becoming incarnate in Mary’s womb. Such a striking example of humility and obedience cannot help but to inspire us to respond affirmatively to the Lord in all the He asks of us.

Our Blessed Lady was completely receptive to the Lord. Mary needed no prodding to submit to her Lord. She had already yielded to God countless times before. She loved Him and at every moment placed His desires, no matter how mysterious, over her own.

The Archangel Gabriel holds an important place in our redemption. Angels are “created spirits.” God, the Uncreated Spirit, made them as His special servants. Over the course of time, many have been messengers to the human sons and daughters of God. Gabriel was chosen for this unique task of sharing with Mary that Jesus would be conceived in her by the power of the Holy Spirit and subsequently born of her. Angels have heralded the Good News for centuries.

The gift of preborn human life is sacred and deserves protection. It is no secret that the legal slaughter of preborn boys and girls has reached endemic proportions. God is not pleased with this savagery. Each of us will have to answer to Him as to how we sought to protect our preborn brothers and sisters. Babies still in their mothers’ wombs require our vigilance and strenuous efforts to secure legal protection for them.

A prayer that the Church has esteemed for decades that commemorates the Annunciation is the Angelus. It is prayed three times daily—6:00 a.m., 12:00 noon and 6:00 p.m. If we do not know this prayer, now is the time to begin to recite and learn it. Many will find that if they pray the Angelus three times daily for a month, at the end of the thirty days they will have memorized this cherished prayer, which is really a meditation in itself.

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.

R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, . . . .

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary, full of grace, . . . .

V. And the Word was made flesh.

R. And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary, full of grace, . . . .

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

When the Archangel Gabriel “declared” unto Mary, he was declaring unto each of us: “Jesus is coming . . . let your souls be open to receive Him.” May our reply echo that of the Ever-Virgin: Fiat.

God the Son, made man for us, have mercy on us!

Mary, Mother of the Redeemer, pray for us!

Saint Joseph, Foster-father of the Christ and Husband of the Ever-Virgin, pray for us!

Saint Gabriel the Archangel, God’s envoy to Mary who proclaimed the Incarnation, pray for us!

Our Lady, Health of the Sick, Please Save Us from COVID-19: Commemoration of Saint Patrick, Tuesday, March 17, 2020

J.M.J.

Pope Francis
On the Occasion of the Day of Prayer and Fasting
Video Message delivered at the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love, Rome

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

To Our Lady, Health of the Sick, for Protection from COVID-19

O Mary,
you always shine on our path
as a sign of salvation and of hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick,
who at the cross took part in Jesus' pain, keeping your faith firm.

You, Salvation of the Roman People,
know what we need,
and we are sure you will provide
so that, as in Cana of Galilee,
we may return to joy and to feasting
after this time of trial.

Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform to the will of the Father
and to do as we are told by Jesus,
Who has taken upon Himself our sufferings
and carried our sorrows
to lead us, through the cross,
to the joy of the resurrection. Amen.

We fly to your patronage, O holy Mother of God. Despise not our prayers in our necessities, but ever deliver us from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.

An Office for Our Lady: Commemoration of Saint Casimir, Wednesday, March 4, 2020

On July 1, 2009, during the Year of Priests, the Most Reverend Paul J. Swain established the Office of the Marian Apostolate (O.M.A.) in the Diocese of Sioux Falls to increase awareness of, and appreciation and love for, the presence of Mary, the Mother of God, in the Diocese. The O.M.A. takes its inspiration from the words that Our Lady uttered during her Magnificat: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Saint Luke 1:46)

The O.M.A. has been involved in a variety of activities:

*supporting the Legion of Mary, including the Annual Public Rosary, and other Marian initiatives in the Diocese, often via Parishes and the Offices of Adult Discipleship and Evangelization and of Youth Discipleship and Evangelization;

*visiting Catholic Schools and Religious Education classes;

*giving Homilies or speaking at Parishes during Mass, Holy Hours and classes;

*publishing Marian articles and essays in The Bishop’s Bulletin and the Ministry Forum as well as in the Catholic press throughout the United States;

*acting as a “clearinghouse” for the dissemination of Marian theology;

*answering questions and inquiries about Mariology;

*making available the Statues of Mary, including that of the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, for diverse events;

*sponsoring Presentations, Days of Recollection, Retreats and Pilgrimages;

*showing videos related especially to Marian theology and spirituality;

*donating the Statue of Our Lady of Fatima that was made in Fatima, which was blessed by Bishop Swain on the eleventh anniversary of his appointment as the Bishop of Sioux Falls and which is present near the Bishop’s Office;

*offering interviews, especially via Radio and the Internet;

*producing 107 episodes of “Morning Star” on the Lamb Catholic Radio Network;

*attending to the Morning Star Blog;

*maintaining the theological, spiritual and canonical volumes found in the library on the second floor of the Diocesan Pastoral Center;

*distributing Sacramentals, including Rosaries, Brown Scapulars of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Miraculous Medals and Lourdes Water, and other theological and spiritual materials;

*inviting to our Diocese, with the permission of our Bishop, speakers about Marian themes, and coordinating various Marian icons circulating throughout the Diocese;

*reciting the Most Holy Rosary in public settings, especially in the Mother’s Garden, the Cathedral of Saint Joseph and in Saint Michael Cemetery;

*encouraging the recitation of the Most Holy Rosary, the Enrollment in the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Divine Mercy Sunday Novena, the Preparation for and the Consecration Ad Iesum Per Mariam as advocated by Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, etc.;

*providing the Endowment of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, which is managed by the Catholic Community Foundation for Eastern South Dakota.

Our Lady’s Earthly Spouse--Saint Joseph, The Terror Of Demons: Commemoration of Saint Katharine Drexel, Tuesday, March 3, 2020

The Church exults daily in the memory of Saint Joseph but especially each March 19th—the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary—and on May 1^st—the Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker.

God shares with us the ways of Joseph’s faith, perseverance, purity and loyalty. Prayerful meditation on the relevant Scripture passages and asking God Himself to teach us about this “just man” is a great place to begin as is by reciting the “Litany of Saint Joseph.” The vivid titles therein convey much meaning.

Take, for example, the appellation, “Terror of Demons.”

Satan and his cohort of fallen angels had no success in seducing Joseph. He was meek, refrained from idle speech and was righteous in his dealings with his neighbors. Because Joseph was close to the compassionate Almighty, he was enabled to overcome the onslaughts of Lucifer and his companions.

Those who turn to Saint Joseph for his powerful intercession and good example do much to keep Satan and the other devils at bay. In this sense, Joseph is the Terror of Demons because when the friends of Jesus avail themselves of his salutary influence, Saint Joseph is for them a sure protection against the wiles of the Prince of Darkness.

There are numerous prayers to Saint Joseph. Here is one from Pope Leo XIII.

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To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our tribulation, and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke your patronage also.

Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by His Blood, and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.

O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence;
O our most mighty protector, be kind to us and from Heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness.

As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your aid, we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness, and to obtain eternal happiness in Heaven.

Amen.

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With Saint Joseph as our help, we may confidently approach the Crucified and Risen Lord through Blessed Mary and realize that our humble efforts—poor as they are—will please our merciful God.

Saint Joseph, Terror of Demons, pray for us.

Our Lady Leads Us to Christ, the Truth: Thursday, February 27, 2020

It is my great joy to have been invited by your Pastor, Father Vander Woude, to lead the Lenten Parish Mission in Holy Trinity Parish. I gladly accepted.

A parish mission is an opportunity for meditation on the mysteries of our Faith and for the making of fresh resolutions to follow Jesus Christ anew.

What does it mean to love God? What does it mean to join others as members of a parish? Let us explore these questions during your Parish Mission.

In our restless, hurting era, it is vital to beg the Lord for hope! Today, many despair. Perhaps we, too, have experienced the same. Our families, our dioceses, our society . . . destruction and turmoil have taken their toll on these basic units. 

Father Vander Woude asked that I center your Parish Mission on the Virtue of Hope. To that end, I have chosen the theme, “The Hope That Is In You” (1 Saint Peter 3:15). Here are the topics for our time together.

Monday, March 16^th=“He will save His people from their sins”: Our Lord Jesus Christ and Hope.

Tuesday, March 17^th=“I will make the nations your heritage”: Saint Patrick and Hope.

Wednesday, March 18^th=“The Mighty One has done great things for me”: Our Lady and Hope.

Thursday, March 19^th=“Well done, good and trustworthy slave”: Saint Joseph and Hope.

Please plan to be with us. Those of all ages and backgrounds are welcome.

                                           

Jesús y María Nos Muestran el Camino a la Perfección: Sunday, February 23, 2020

“Ustedes, pues, sean perfectos, como su Padre celestial es perfecto”.

Jesús nos presenta el desafío que es difícil pero posible. Nadie puede ser perfecto sin Su gracia. Pero con Su gracia, todo puede ser perfecto.

La temporada de Cuaresma comienza este miércoles. Esta es la temporada de oración, ayuno y limosna. Y esta es la temporada de curación. ¡Cómo Jesús, Que es amor y misericordia, desea sanarnos!

Cuando vamos a la Confesión, nuestros pecados son perdonados y nuestras almas se vuelven más perfectas. Los sacramentos son el camino a la perfección.

La meta de nuestras vidas es ser perfectos como nuestro Padre Celestial es perfecto. Queremos cooperar con su fuerza para alcanzar esta meta.

Cuando recibimos dignamente los sacramentos, cuando oramos, cuando servimos, cuando perdonamos, la distancia a nuestra meta se acorta. Deseamos dejar esta tierra perfeccionada en Cristo para poder ir directamente al Cielo sin demora en el Purgatorio.

Nuestra Señora está con nosotros. Ella es el ejemplo perfecto del discípulo de Jesucristo. Cuando rezamos su Rosario, le pedimos que esté con nosotros "ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte".

San José es el patrón de una muerte feliz. Esto significa que él ayudará a garantizar que estemos en el estado de gracia cuando muramos.

Que ahora nos preparemos bien para la Cuaresma y para nuestras muertes. Que Dios te bendiga y María te guarde.

Our Lady and Her Bishops: Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Friday, January 31, 2020

J.M.J.

As we recognize the service to our Diocese of  Sioux Falls of one bishop and await another, we note the connection between the Mother of God and her Bishops, who are the Successors of the Apostles.

Mary knew well the Apostles, who were the friends of her Son, Jesus, and the first Bishops. After the Ascension of Christ to His Father, Mary and the Eleven Apostles joined in the Upper Room. “All these (the Apostles) with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and with His brethren.” (Acts of the Apostles 1:14)

Before the period between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday, there was Good Friday. From the Cross, the dying Jesus commended His Mother to Saint John the Apostle and vice versa. “When Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing near, He said to His Mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your Mother!’” (Saint John 19:25-27) This entrustment was not merely a courtesy, but instead had lasting implications. “And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.” (27)

One tradition is that Our Lady lived with Saint John for some years in Ephesus, which is situated in modern-day Turkey. (Others assert that Mary lived in Jerusalem.) Many believe that the “House of the Virgin Mary” in Ephesus, which is a place of pilgrimage, was where she and John resided. Ephesus was also the location of the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus, held in 431.

We can imagine that the Mother of the Lord loved and supported John. She must have shared details from her life with Jesus and Saint Joseph. John, in turn, undoubtedly loved Mary and treated her as his own mother.

What a scene it must have been when Mary attended Mass celebrated by Saint John! In his True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) cited the learned Jean Charlier de Gerson (1363-1429), the Chancellor of the University of Paris, who asserted that Our Lady often repeated the Magnificat, especially as a thanksgiving after she received Holy Communion (see 255).

Still today, the Bishops of the Church—and all of us—rely upon the prayers of Our Blessed Mother as we progress along the challenging road to Heaven.