Wh Does Mary Matter?

From the Catholic Liturgy for the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, January 1, 2017. Gal. 4:4-7; Lk. 2:16-21.  Today is Mother’s Day in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. We call name it after Mary Mother of God, the greatest mother, greatest woman, to have ever lived.  Calling her ‘Mother of God’ does not mean she is greater than God, but it points to the truth that her Son is indeed fully God, the Second Person of the Trinity, come to earth and made flesh through her by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary is not a second-rate player in the story of Christ.  She is the leading lady and our salvation was made possible because she dais ‘yes’ to God’s plan for the rescuing of the human race. Mary is not divine. Mary is not the Source of grace. Mary is not our Savior. BUT without her intimate generous love for and cooperation with God we would still be in our sinful condition awaiting God’s liberation. So we rejoice in Mary as Mother in the family of God which is the Church. We ask her to mother us, to birth Christ in us spiritually, so that we may be his witnesses and spread the Gospel and Kingdom of God upon earth. Hail full of grace! The Lord is with thee! Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb!

The Witness of the Manger

From the Catholic Liturgy for Christmas, Dec 25, 2016. Luke 2:1-20. The animal's manger in the stable of Bethlehem is a powerful witness to the reality of WHO Jesus is and the TRUTH of Christianity as the religion revealed on earth by God himself come in the flesh.  When we humans make up our gods and religions, we do not fabricate a God who becomes a vulnerable dependent human, born into a peasant working class family, and who will ultimately be rejected, tortured and executed. Instead, we fabricate gods who are full of power, prestige and position; gods who are string, handsome, powerful and domineering. Look into the manger again...and see Who is really there asleep in the hay.

Joseph's Angel Dream Love Story

For the Catholic Liturgy of the 4th Sunday of Advent, Dec. 18, 2016. Matthew 1;18-24. Today's Gospel if a love story told from a man's point of view...Joseph's love story for Mary. Unwilling to condemn her publicly, Joseph is willing to sacrifice his own life and reputation for the woman he loved, but is told by an angel to take a third option and proceed with his plans to marry the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this gospel we learn that God can direct and guide us through our personal angel if we have the ears of our heart open to his words. in any difficulty or decision, we can turn to God to guide us through our angel and make our lives love stories for others.