Back to... Routine?

Routine can be a wonderful thing.  It establishes consistency.  It can make life predictable in a reassuring way.  But routine can also become monotonous and boring.

The first day of school is rapidly approaching.  Students at Cosgriff, as well as students attending Salt Lake City and Granite School District schools, will return in just a little less than two weeks!  Teachers come back to school next week.  Parents may be sighing in relief that their children will have a more structured day once again.  On the other hand, they may be feeling the stress of trying to prepare for a new school year in the little time that is left to them.  Kids are probably dreading the end of summer vacation.

Some measure of routine is good for everyone.  An established routine can make an otherwise chaotic environment calmer.  One does need to be careful not to get into a rut, however, relying so much on routine to structure one’s days and weeks that when something disrupts routine, it throws off the entire situation.  In order to avoid this, one could change a small part of the routine, or add something new to it.

Think about this in terms of your spiritual life as well.  Have you fallen out of routine over the summer with Mass attendance?  Now is the time to get back into the routine.  Have you gotten into a rut with your prayer life, saying the same prayers over, and over, and over again?  Try adding a new one.  The parish Facebook page posts a “Prayer of the Week” you could try incorporating each week.  Or you could try starting a new devotion.  The Catholic Church dedicateseach month of the year to a different devotion.

What routines can you establish to strengthen your prayer and add consistency to your life?

Marian Titles: Gate of Heaven, Morning Star, Health of the Sick

This week, we continue our series on Marian titles with Mary as Gate of Heaven, Morning Star, and Health of the Sick.

Gate of Heaven

Just as Jesus says, “No one comes to the Father, except through me” (John 14:6), no one comes to Jesus, except through Mary in a very literal sense.  Without Mary, there would be no Jesus.  According to Tom Perna, “Mary is the ‘Gate of Heaven’ because … Our Lord, who entered the world through her, allows her to lead us closer to Him” (source).  One of the few direct quotes we hear from Mary in the Bible is “Do whatever he [Jesus] tells you” (John 2:5).  Mary brings people to Jesus, so that He may help them.  One of the individuals who went through RCIA this year found her way to the Catholic Church through a special devotion to Mary.  It is wonderful to see Our Lady working through people in their day to day lives even now.

Morning Star

Morning Star can be used to refer to Jesus Himself, as in the Exsultet proclaimed at the Easter Vigil:  “May this flame [the Easter candle] be found still burning by the Morning Star:  the one Morning Star who never sets, Christ your Son.”  But in the case of applying this title to Mary, we need to think a little more literally, as well as metaphorically.  In nature, the “morning star” is the one that appears in the sky, in the east, before dawn.  At various times of the year it may be the planet Venus, the star Sirius, or the planet Mercury.  So, if we apply this metaphorically, the star which comes before the sun (or Son, Jesus) is Mary.  She is the forerunner of Christ, and from her comes the one who is the Savior of the world.

Health of the Sick

This title, once again, allows us to view Mary through the lens of her son, Jesus.  Jesus of course brought about great instances of healing.  He cured a woman of hemorrhages, restored sight to the blind, made the lame walk, healed Simon Peter’s mother of her ailments, and even brought people back to life, most specifically his good friend Lazarus.  Mary, through her intercession to Jesus, can also bring about healing.  We see this very vividly in the miracles that take place at Lourdes, France.  Furthermore, Mary herself suffered greatly in her life, and so she is well-disposed to understand our own suffering.

Next week:  The final part of this series:  Mary as Refuge of Sinners, Comforter of the Afflicted, and Help of Christians

Marian Titles: Tower of David, Tower of Ivory, House of Gold, Ark of the Covenant

This week we continue our series on Marian titles with Mary as Tower of David, Tower of Ivory, House of Gold, and Ark of the Covenant.  These particular titles all relate to Old Testament symbolism.

Tower of David

The Tower of David formed an important part of Israel’s defense, much as the Great Wall of China once did.  Referring to Mary as the Tower of David situates her as a defender of the faith.  Though that particular phrase only came into use later in the life of the Church, we can see Mary as the very first defender of the faith.  After all, without Mary, the mother of Jesus, there would be no Catholic faith to begin with.

Tower of Ivory

This image of Mary as the Tower of Ivory is meant to recall Song of Songs, where the same phrase is “used … to describe the beloved bride” (source).  As such, to me, it recalls another title of Mary used earlier in the Litany of Loreto:  Mother of the Church.  Mary is both the mother of Jesus, and thereby the Church, as well as the Bride of Christ in her devotion and dedication to her son.  However, the title of Tower of Ivory is also meant to evoke Mary’s purity, holiness, and sanctity.

House of Gold

This title accorded to Mary is meant to place her in contrast to a symbol of the early Roman world:  the emperor Nero’s “House of Gold,” which was a grand palace that lasted only four years after it was constructed.  Mary is similarly highly esteemed, but she is a lasting symbol of the power of the Church.  The Magnificat states, “From this day, all generations shall call me blessed” (Luke 1:48).  Her status of honor will endure, unlike temporary things.

Ark of the Covenant

This title of Mary likens her to the Ark of the Covenant, which housed the Ten Commandments.  Jesus is the New Covenant God has made with humanity.  Therefore, since Mary carried Jesus in her womb, she is also an ark of this New Covenant.  Similar language is used to describe what will happen to Mary when she conceives Jesus as is used to describe the presence of God around the Old Testament Ark.

Next week:  Mary as Gate of Heaven, Morning Star, and Health of the Sick

Marian Titles: Mirror of Justice, Seat of Wisdom, Cause of Our Joy

Traditionally, the month of May is celebrated as the month of Mary in the Catholic Church.  So, this month, this blog will be dedicated to various titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  These titles are found in the Litany of Loreto, which may be recited after the rosary.  You can find the full litany here.  Each week, I will delve a little deeper into three or four Marian titles from the middle section of the litany.

Mirror of Justice

According to Christopher Heffron, “Every title linked to Mary makes sense only in relation to how completely she cooperated with God’s grace and how perfectly she models being a disciple of Jesus” (source)  Mary’s life was far from fair, but she accepted God’s will for her.  From the beginning of her life, when she was immaculately conceived, she was prepared to be the mother of God.  And, when the angel Gabriel informed her of her divine “destiny”, she accepted selflessly:  “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).  Throughout Jesus’ life, when Mary would encounter a particularly trying time—giving birth in a stable, and losing Jesus in Jerusalem at twelve years old, for example—“Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Luke 2:19 NABRE translation). 

Mirrors reflect what is in front of them.  We hear very few of Mary’s actual words in the four Gospels, but her actions speak of wanting the best for those around her, as her son Jesus does.  So Mary, as the Mirror of Justice, presents to us a manner of living that advocates for fairness to all.

Seat of Wisdom

Picture an image of Mary with the Child Jesus, and what probably comes to mind is Mary with Jesus sitting in her lap.  Jesus is the second person of the Trinity.  He is God, three in one and one in three.  He has an intimate relationship with the other two persons of the Trinity:  the Father and the Holy Spirit.  And one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is wisdom.  In the Advent hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” we implore, “O Come, O Wisdom from on high.”  So, this particular title of Mary is more literal than it may appear at first.  She is literally a seat for Wisdom incarnate in the person of Jesus.

Cause of Our Joy

Mary models for us how to live life without complaint.  As I mentioned earlier while discussing Mary, Mirror of Justice, she faced life and took time to ponder her difficulties.  A different translation of Luke 2:19 states that Mary “treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart” (NRSV translation, emphasis added).  She shows us how to find joy in the mundane, everyday moments of life, as well as in the bigger events.  If Mary could find a reason to be happy during the “boring” parts of life, surely we can as well.

Next week:  Mary as Spiritual Vessel, Vessel of Honor, Singular Vessel of Devotion, and Mystical Rose

Praying for Those in Purgatory

As we begin the month of November, we celebrate the feasts of All Saints Day and All Souls Day.  On All Saints Day, we remember those who have gone before us who are in Heaven.  This includes those saints who are canonized (i.e., whose feasts and memorials we celebrate throughout the year), as well as other holy people who we know are in heaven.  On All Souls Day, we pray for those souls that are in Purgatory.  At St. Ambrose, we specifically remember those who have passed away in the last year at the Mass on November 2^nd.

The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of November to praying for those souls that are in Purgatory.  But why do they need our prayers?  Purgatory is not so much a place as it is a process according to Catholic teaching.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) refers to it as a “cleansing fire” (CCC 1031).  In the summary part of this section of the Catechism, it states:

Those who die in God’s grace and friendship imperfectly purified, although they are assured of their eternal salvation, undergo a purification after death, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of God.  (CCC 1054)

Since this period of purification is a process, it makes sense that we would pray for those going through the process, just as we might pray for someone living who is experiencing a time of trial in his or her life.

It is comforting to know that we will not be condemned for our sins automatically.  As long as we are repentant for our actions, we can be saved from damnation in Hell.  During this month of November, of course pray for your loved ones who have died, but also, consider praying for the souls in Purgatory who have no one to pray for them.