The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

September 8, 2021

This Wednesday we celebrate the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We know that everyone has a birthday. The Bible doesn’t say anything about Mary’s birth, but we know that she was born.  Like all parents, Mary’s parents—we call them Joachim and Ann—probably took one look at their newborn daughter and knew that she was special.

Joachim and Ann loved God very much, and they were filled with gratitude to God for the gift of a child.  They raised Mary as a child of God, teaching her to love and serve God. (Read more…)

The Passion of St. John the Baptist

August 29, 2021

This Sunday we also, celebrate the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. The drunken oath of a king with a shallow sense of honor, a seductive dance and the hateful heart of a queen combined to bring about the martyrdom of John the Baptist. The greatest of prophets suffered the fate of so many Old Testament prophets before him: rejection and martyrdom. The “voice crying in the desert” did not hesitate to accuse the guilty, did not hesitate to speak the truth. (Read more…)

The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

August 22, 2021

Pope Pius XII established this feast in 1954. But Mary’s queenship has roots in Scripture.  At the Annunciation, Gabriel announced that Mary’s Son would receive the throne of David and rule forever. At the Visitation, Elizabeth calls Mary “mother of my Lord.”  As in all the mysteries of Mary’s life, she is closely associated with Jesus: Her queenship is a share in Jesus’ kingship. We can also recall that in the Old Testament the mother of the king has great influence in court. (Read more…)