Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Let’s Bring Love to Life
There is an abundance of references to love in this Sunday’s liturgy of the word. St. Peter says God also poured “the gift of the Holy Spirit” on the Gentiles (Acts 10:45 ); the Holy Spirit is the gift of love shared between the Father and the Son. In the first letter of St. John 4:10, John not only says that “God is love,” but adds as well that, “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.”. Jesus says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:12). It is love, love, and love that the Scripture invites us to embrace and practice. Let’s bring love to life.
The month of May, aka the Month of Mary, is an excellent time to celebrate and live Love. Mary is about love. She is about selfless and devoted love for her Savior and Son, Jesus. This Sunday, we celebrate the secular day devoted to the honor of mothers. This Sunday’s Mother’s day is made more special because we take time to recognize the selfless love of our mothers to the family during this trying time of the covid-19 pandemic. Like Mary, our mothers have demonstrated great love for the family. As Pope Francis wrote, a family is a special place of love: “The joy of love experienced by families is also the joy of the church”( Amoris Laetitia, 1). Let us pray for our family to live in love and grow in love by ensuring we pray the rosary together as a family during May.
The family that honors Mother Mary is key to productive witness to Christian love in the world. I will let the words of Pope Francis say the rest:
“Every family should look to the icon of the Holy Family of Nazareth. ….The treasury of Mary’s heart also contains the experiences of every family, which she cherishes. For this reason, she can help us understand the meaning of these experiences and to hear the message God wishes to communicate through the life of our families” (Amoris Laetitia 30). As a sign of honor and love, our First Holy Communion class will crown Mary this Sunday. We love and honor Mary.
Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot love as Christ loves. The Ascension of the Lord is observed on Thursday, May 13, beginning with the vigil Mass on Wednesday, May 12. On Friday, May 14, Novena to the Holy Spirit commences. I strongly encourage everyone to devote time to fervent prayer for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church.
To the amazing women who hold our family together through their sacrificial love,
we wish you a Happy Mother’s Day!
In His Love,
Fr. Bernard, OP
Let’s Bring Love to Life
There is an abundance of references to love in this Sunday’s liturgy of the word. St. Peter says God also poured “the gift of the Holy Spirit” on the Gentiles (Acts 10:45 ); the Holy Spirit is the gift of love shared between the Father and the Son. In the first letter of St. John 4:10, John not only says that “God is love,” but adds as well that, “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.”. Jesus says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:12). It is love, love, and love that the Scripture invites us to embrace and practice. Let’s bring love to life.
The month of May, aka the Month of Mary, is an excellent time to celebrate and live Love. Mary is about love. She is about selfless and devoted love for her Savior and Son, Jesus. This Sunday, we celebrate the secular day devoted to the honor of mothers. This Sunday’s Mother’s day is made more special because we take time to recognize the selfless love of our mothers to the family during this trying time of the covid-19 pandemic. Like Mary, our mothers have demonstrated great love for the family. As Pope Francis wrote, a family is a special place of love: “The joy of love experienced by families is also the joy of the church”( Amoris Laetitia, 1). Let us pray for our family to live in love and grow in love by ensuring we pray the rosary together as a family during May.
The family that honors Mother Mary is key to productive witness to Christian love in the world. I will let the words of Pope Francis say the rest:
“Every family should look to the icon of the Holy Family of Nazareth. ….The treasury of Mary’s heart also contains the experiences of every family, which she cherishes. For this reason, she can help us understand the meaning of these experiences and to hear the message God wishes to communicate through the life of our families” (Amoris Laetitia 30). As a sign of honor and love, our First Holy Communion class will crown Mary this Sunday. We love and honor Mary.
Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot love as Christ loves. The Ascension of the Lord is observed on Thursday, May 13, beginning with the vigil Mass on Wednesday, May 12. On Friday, May 14, Novena to the Holy Spirit commences. I strongly encourage everyone to devote time to fervent prayer for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church.
To the amazing women who hold our family together through their sacrificial love,
we wish you a Happy Mother’s Day!
In His Love,
Fr. Bernard, OP
RSS Feed