Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This week a number of our young people take important steps in their lives of faith. This Sunday we have our First Communion Mass. It is always a joy to see the excitement and happiness on the faces of our children as they receive the body and blood of Jesus for the first time. This past Thursday at the Basilica, our young people
received the sacrament of Confirmation. A special thank you to all of you parents who have diligently led your children to these important milestones. A special thank you also goes to our staff, Kathy Hejna and Theresa Rider, for their hard work in preparing our children.
In our Catholic tradition, the month of May has been one dedicated to honor the blessed mother. The Catechism says that: “The Virgin Mary most perfectly embodies the obedience of faith.” And so, if we want to know what true faith looks like, we look to our mother who is the perfect example of it. She is the one who definitively said her “Yes” to God; her “fiat” meaning let it be done to me. John Paul II in his encyclical “Mother of the Redeemer” says: “Mary uttered this fiat in faith. In faith, she entrusted herself to God without reserve and ‘devoted herself totally as the handmaid of the Lord to the person and work of her Son.’” This is a great summary of the faith of Mary; She entrusted herself to God without reserve and she devoted herself to the person and work of her son. And this also serves as our model as disciples of Christ; That we entrust ourselves to God without reserve and we devote ourselves to the person and work of Christ.
Let’s make a special effort to honor the blessed mother this month. If you are not in the habit of it, I recommend praying the rosary. It is a beautiful way to reflect on the gospels and a special way to ask for the grace to be a disciple like our blessed Mother.
God bless,
Fr. Tony