May 8, 2022: Fourth Sunday of Easter
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Dear friends in Christ,Happy Mother’s Day! It is appropriate that this busy month of May begins with a celebration of our mothers. It is also appropriate that the month of May is a special month to celebrate Mary, the Mother of God, and our spiritual mother as well.Sometimes, as Catholics, we are asked about our special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mother. People may think we worship Mary or treat her like another member of the Holy Trinity or as divine. We need to be clear with people that we do NOT worship Mary. She is the greatest and most perfect example of what it means to be a Christian and follower of Christ, but she is fully human just like us. So, what is our devotion to Mary all about?Well, we love Mary and ask for her special intercession. You know who else loved Mary and turned to her in His need? Jesus Christ. We are really imitating Jesus when we show special love and devotion to Mary. We ask Mary to pray for us, but we do NOT pray to Mary in the sense that she is the one who answers our prayers or has the power to do this. All grace and favor we receive from our special devotion to the Mother of God comes from God alone.So, what is up with the statues and stuff with Mary? I think the best way to think of statues are very special old pictures. There is nothing wrong with having pictures of your mother or grandmother. What about your great, great, great, grandmother of whom you do not have a picture? Well, a statue or an image capturing a likeness of that special person is a wonderful thing and honors her and our family. The statue is a way to help us remember and revere our loved one, but we know it is not the person themselves, it is like a picture. Just like we don’t worship Mary, we also do NOT worship statues.So, next time you hear someone question the beautiful devotion we are all called to have towards Mary, the Mother of Jesus, remind them that we are imitating Jesus Himself. We love and honor Mary because she is like our perfect and wonderful grandmother and matriarch of all our families.God bless you!Love and peace,Fr. Matt
SYNOD presentation:
During the weekend of May 21st and 22nd, we will have special gatherings after Mass to talk about the fruit of our Synod listening sessions. The document striving to capture what was shared in our listening sessions will soon be available online and we will have a chance to share it together and talk about that weekend before we send it to the Archdiocese.
Save the date for our next spiritual gathering at Saint Matthew on Sunday, May 15th, at 1 PM. Our last spiritual gathering generated some lively discussion on Ignatian Contemplation. Consider joining us!
Pray the Rosary in the month of May!
Join us at 10 AM every Sunday to honor our Blessed Mother by praying the Rosary! Especially during the month of May, please pray with us!
Relics of Saint Bernadette to visit us in May!
