The OLM Parish Office will be closed on Fridays during the months of June, July, and August. The office is open Monday thru Thursday from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm. You can contact the parish office at 401-884-4968 or by email at parish@olmparish.org
As Father Barrow announced last weekend, Bishop Tobin has appointed him as the new Pastor of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Church and School in Pawtucket. He begins this new assignment on July 1, 2021. St. Teresa is large parish with a large parish school. Congratulations, Fr. Barrow!
We wish Fr. Barrow all the best in his first pastorate and assure him of our prayers. And we thank him for his five years of zealous priestly ministry here at OLM. As our Associate Pastor, he has done a tremendous job serving the parish and school. He is a joy to work and live with, and will be missed by many including myself.
At this time, Bishop Tobin has not named a replacement for Fr. Barrow. This year six priests are retiring from active ministry, and just two men are to be ordained. So please pray for an increase of priestly vocations in the Diocese of Providence.
Father Barrow's last Sunday at OLM is June 20, 2021. Appropriately enough, it is also Father's Day! On that weekend, we shall have a chance to officially say "Thank You" and "Farewell" to Father. So please mark your calendars.
We offer our heartfelt and prayerful best wishes to Sister Emma on the occasion of her 25th Anniversary of Religious Profession as a Franciscan Apostolic Sister. The OLM Parish and School community celebrated this special occasion with a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Robert C. Evans of Providence.
Bishop Evans presents Sister Emma with a Papal Blessing.
Bishop Tobin restores the Sunday Mass Obligation
Effective Sunday, June 6, 2021, on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi
Bishop Thomas J. Tobin announced today that he has signed a formal decree restoring the obligation to attend Sunday Mass in the Diocese of Providence effective Sunday, June 6, 2021, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Bishop Tobin emphasized that since the pandemic lingers, some individuals are not obligated to attend Sunday Mass, and perhaps should not attend Sunday Mass to protect their health and safety, and that of others.
Read Bishop Tobin's Letter to the Diocese
PRAYER OF THE ROSARY TO INVOKE AN END TO THE PANDEMIC
St Peter's Basilica - Gregorian Chapel
Saturday, 1st May 2021
Prayer before the recitation of the Rosary
At the beginning of the month dedicated to Our Lady, we unite in prayer with all the shrines across the world, with the faithful and all people of goodwill, to entrust into the hands of our Holy Mother all of humanity, sorely tried by this period of pandemic.
Each day of this month of May we will entrust to You, Mother of Mercy, the many people who have been touched by the virus and continue to suffer its consequences: from our deceased brothers and sisters to the families who are living the pain and uncertainty of tomorrow; from the sick to the doctors, scientists, nurses who are engaged on the front lines of this battle; from the volunteers to all the professionals who have rendered their precious service in favor of others; from the people in mourning and pain to those who, with a simple smile and a kind word, have brought comfort to those in need; from those — especially women — who have suffered violence within the walls of their homes due to forced closure, to those who wish to enthusiastically resume the rhythms of daily life.
Mother of Relief, welcome us under your mantle and protect us, sustain us in the hour of trial and enkindle in our hearts the light of hope for the future.
After reciting the Rosary, the Pontiff said a concluding prayer
The Holy Father, Pope Francis, prays the Rosary invoking an end to the pandemic.
Under your protection, we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God. In the present dramatic situation, full of suffering and anguish that grips the entire world, we turn to you, Mother of God and our Mother, and seek refuge under your protection.
O Virgin Mary, turn your merciful eyes upon us in this coronavirus pandemic, and comfort those who are lost and weeping for their deceased loved ones, sometimes buried in a way that wounds the soul. Support those who are anguished over their sick because — so as to prevent contagion — they cannot be close to them. Instill confidence in those who are anxious about the uncertain future and the consequences for the economy and for work.
Mother of God and our Mother, implore for us from God, Father of Mercy, that this hard trial may end and that a horizon of hope and peace may return. As at Cana, you intervened with your divine Son, asking him to comfort the families of the sick and the victims, and to open their hearts to trust.
Protect the doctors, nurses, healthcare personnel, and volunteers who in this time of emergency are on the front lines and put their lives at risk to save other lives. Accompany their heroic efforts and give them strength, goodness, and health.
Be close to those who night and day assist the sick and to the priests who, with pastoral solicitude and evangelical commitment, seek to help and support everyone.
Holy Virgin, enlighten the minds of men and women of science so that they may find the right solutions to overcome this virus. Assist the leaders of nations so that they may work with wisdom, solicitude and generosity to help those who lack the necessities of life, planning social and economic solutions with foresight and a spirit of solidarity.
Most Holy Mary, touch consciences so that the enormous sums used to increase and perfect weapons may instead be used to promote adequate studies to prevent similar catastrophes in the future.
Beloved Mother, make the world grow in the sense of belonging to one great family, in the awareness of the bond that unites us all, so that with a spirit of brotherhood and solidarity we may come to the aid of the many poor and destitute situations. Encourage firmness of faith, perseverance in serving, constancy in praying.
O Mary, comforter of the afflicted, embrace all your afflicted children and obtain that God intervenes with his omnipotent hand to free us from this terrible epidemic, so that life may resume its normal course in serenity. We entrust ourselves to You, who shine on our path as a sign of salvation and hope.
O merciful, O pious, O sweet Virgin Mary, may you guide the steps of your pilgrims who wish to pray to you and love you in the shrines dedicated to you throughout the world, under the most varied titles that recall your intercession. May you be a sure guide for everyone. Amen.
L'Osservatore Romano, Weekly Edition in English, 7 May 2021
The Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization explains that “in response to the Holy Father’s heartfelt wish, the month of May will be dedicated to a ‘marathon of prayer, to ask for the end of the pandemic, which has afflicted the world for more than a year now, and to ask for the resumption of social and work activities".
“At the beginning of this month dedicated to Our Lady,” the Holy Father said, “We join together in prayer with all the sanctuaries spread throughout the whole world, with the faithful, and with all persons of goodwill, to entrust into the hands of our Holy Mother the whole human race, sorely tried by this period of pandemic.”
Each day of the coming month, he said, “the many people who have been affected by the virus, and who continue to suffer the consequences of the pandemic,” will be entrusted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Mother of Mercy.”
Congratulations & Welcome!
The Newly Initiated & Received into the Church
Fr. Barrow poses with Gigi Helena Gravel after the Easter Vigil Mass, April 3, 2021.
Baptism, First Communion & Confirmation
Dhara Victoria Teresa Dumont
Reception, First Communion & Confirmation
Elizabeth Edith Stein Plotkin
Gigi Helena Gravel
Baptism & First Communion
Brandon Grady Flood
Lilly Nancy Flood
Cody James Simeone
Michael Arthur Dennis
First Communion
Daniel David Anter
Reception into Catholic Church
Daniel Albert Anter
Confirmation
Thomas Pius Lima
Paulo Anthony Cechinel
Joseph Michael Sinotte
Hunter Peter DePetrillo
Annual Youth Ministry Diocesan Awards
St. Timothy Award
Congratulations to OLM Parishioner and Senior Altar Server Grace Dobrzynski, a LaSalle Academy Senior, for receiving the St Timothy Award, the highest National Catholic Award is given to youth. The St. Timothy Award is a National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry Award given by a diocese to a Catholic youth who lives as a disciple of Christ, sets a positive example for other youth. witnesses to their faith by exhibiting Catholic morals and integrity and demonstrates Gospel values through service to others in their parish, school, and within their community.
Companions on the Journey Award
Congratulations to the 2021 “Companions on the Journey Award” recipient, OLM Parishioner, Cynthia Cavanagh, a teacher at the Prout High School. The Companions on the Journey is a National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry Award given by a diocese to adults who demonstrate a commitment to young people and provide a Catholic faith witness and excellence and outstanding leadership in youth ministry.
CELEBRATION OF PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
St Peter's Basilica
Sunday, 28 March 2021
Every year this liturgy leaves us amazed: we pass from the joy of welcoming Jesus as he enters Jerusalem to the sorrow of watching him condemned to death and then crucified. That sense of interior amazement will remain with us throughout Holy Week. Let us reflect more deeply on it.
From the start, Jesus leaves us amazed. His people give him a solemn welcome, yet he enters Jerusalem on a lowly colt. His people expect a powerful liberator at Passover, yet he comes to bring the Passover to fulfilment by sacrificing himself. His people are hoping to triumph over the Romans by the sword, but Jesus comes to celebrate God’s triumph through the cross. What happened to those people who in a few days’ time went from shouting “Hosanna” to crying out “Crucify him”? What happened? They were following an idea of the Messiah rather than the Messiah. They admired Jesus, but they did not let themselves be amazed by him. Amazement is not the same as admiration. Admiration can be worldly, since it follows its own tastes and expectations. Amazement, on the other hand, remains open to others and to the newness they bring. Even today, there are many people who admire Jesus: he said beautiful things; he was filled with love and forgiveness; his example changed history, … and so on. They admire him, but their lives are not changed. To admire Jesus is not enough. We have to follow in his footsteps, to let ourselves be challenged by him; to pass from admiration to amazement.
What is most amazing about the Lord and his Passover? It is the fact that he achieves glory through humiliation. He triumphs by accepting suffering and death, things that we, in our quest for admiration and success, would rather avoid. Jesus – as Saint Paul tells us – “emptied himself… he humbled himself” (Phil 2:7.8). This is the amazing thing: to see the Almighty reduced to nothing. To see the Word who knows all things teach us in silence from the height of the cross. To see the king of kings enthroned on a gibbet. Seeing the God of the universe stripped of everything and crowned with thorns instead of glory. To see the One who is goodness personified, insulted and beaten. Why all this humiliation? Why, Lord, did you wish to endure all this?
Jesus did it for us, to plumb the depths of our human experience, our entire existence, all our evil. To draw near to us and not abandon us in our suffering and our death. To redeem us, to save us. Jesus was lifted high on the cross in order to descend to the abyss of our suffering. He experienced our deepest sorrows: failure, loss of everything, betrayal by a friend, even abandonment by God. By experiencing in the flesh our deepest struggles and conflicts, he redeemed and transformed them. His love draws close to our frailty; it touches the very things of which we are most ashamed. Yet now we know that we are not alone: God is at our side in every affliction, in every fear; no evil, no sin will ever have the final word. God triumphs, but the palm of victory passes through the wood of the cross. For the palm and the cross are inseparable.
Let us ask for the grace to be amazed. A Christian life without amazement becomes drab and dreary. How can we talk about the joy of meeting Jesus, unless we are daily astonished and amazed by his love, which brings us forgiveness and the possibility of a new beginning? When faith no longer experiences amazement, it grows dull: it becomes blind to the wonders of grace; it can no longer taste the Bread of life and hear the Word; it can no longer perceive the beauty of our brothers and sisters and the gift of creation. It has no other course than to take refuge in legalisms, in clericalisms and in all these things that Jesus condemns in chapter 23 of the Gospel of Matthew.
During this Holy Week, let us lift our eyes to the cross, in order to receive the grace of amazement. As Saint Francis of Assisi contemplated the crucified Lord, he was amazed that his friars did not weep. What about us? Can we still be moved by God’s love? Have we lost the ability to be amazed by him? Why? Maybe our faith has grown dull from habit. Maybe we remain trapped in our regrets and allow ourselves to be crippled by our disappointments. Maybe we have lost all our trust or even feel worthless. But perhaps, behind all these “maybes”, lies the fact that we are not open to the gift of the Spirit who gives us the grace of amazement.
Let us start over from amazement. Let us gaze upon Jesus on the cross and say to him: “Lord, how much you love me! How precious I am to you!” Let us be amazed by Jesus so that we can start living again, for the grandeur of life lies not in possessions and promotions, but in realizing that we are loved. This is the grandeur of life: discovering that we are loved. And the grandeur of life lies precisely in the beauty of love. In the crucified Jesus, we see God humiliated, the Almighty dismissed and discarded. And with the grace of amazement we come to realize that in welcoming the dismissed and discarded, in drawing close to those ill-treated by life, we are loving Jesus. For that is where he is: in the least of our brothers and sisters, in the rejected and discarded, in those whom our self-righteous culture condemns.
Today’s Gospel shows us, immediately after the death of Jesus, a splendid icon of amazement. It is the scene of the centurion who, upon seeing that Jesus had died, said: “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mk 15:39). He was amazed by love. How did he see Jesus die? He saw him die in love, and this amazed him. Jesus suffered immensely, but he never stopped loving. This is what it is to be amazed before God, who can fill even death with love. In that gratuitous and unprecedented love, the pagan centurion found God. His words – Truly this man was the Son of God! – “seal” the Passion narrative. The Gospels tell us that many others before him had admired Jesus for his miracles and prodigious works, and had acknowledged that he was the Son of God. Yet Christ silenced them, because they risked remaining purely on the level of worldly admiration at the idea of a God to be adored and feared for his power and might. Now it can no longer be so, for at the foot of the cross there can be no mistake: God has revealed himself and reigns only with the disarmed and disarming power of love.
Brothers and sisters, today God continues to fill our minds and hearts with amazement. Let us be filled with that amazement as we gaze upon the crucified Lord. May we too say: “You are truly the Son of God. You are my God”.
Prayer for Palm Sunday and Holy Week
This prayer is designed to be said within the family before a Crucifix on Palm Sunday and during Holy Week.
Dearly beloved, in Holy Week, when the most bitter sufferings of Jesus Christ are put before us by the liturgy, the Church invites us to come to Calvary and follow in the blood-stained footsteps of the divine Redeemer, to carry the Cross willingly with him, to reproduce in our hearts his spirit of expiation and atonement, and to die together with him. We ought to glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ in whom is our salvation, life, and resurrection. (From the words of Pope Pius XII On the Sacred Liturgy. )
Let us pray. All-powerful, eternal God, you have chosen to give mankind a model of humility; our Savior took on our flesh and subjected himself to the Cross. Grant us the grace to preserve faithfully the lessons he has given us in His Passion and to have a share in his resurrection. This we ask of you through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen.
A Prayer Before a Crucifix
A candle or vigil light is lit before the crucifix; with the electric lights turned off, the natural light of a candle aids concentration on the action of prayer. If at all possible, the entire family is present and participates. At the beginning or end, a hymn could well be included—providing a setting that will be cherished in most family groups.
O good and dearest Jesus, I kneel before your face. With all my heart I ask you to place in my heart more faith, hope, and charity. Give me a true sorrow for my sins and a strong will to do better With great sorrow and grief I look upon your five wounds and think about them. Before my eyes are the words that the prophet David said of you, O good Jesus: "They have pierced my hands and feet They have numbered all my bones."
Sister Soledad, FAS
We are happy to announce that Sr. Soledad Simbe Salgado, who has been working at the Scalabrini Villa Nursing Home and is to now reside at the OLM Franciscan Covent and work with the FAS Sisters at OLM. She begins her ministry here on Monday, February 1, 2021, and will move into the convent this week.
Sister was born in the Philippines and is the fourth of five children. She joined the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters in 1962. She is now a perpetually professed Sister. She holds B.S and M.A. Degrees in Education and over the years she has done pastoral work taught religion and served as a principal. She has worked in various diocesan, parish, and FAS schools at both the elementary and secondary level in the
Philippines and United States.
Sister Soledad arrived in the U.S. in 1988 to serve in the Diocese of Providence at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Woonsocket, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1994. Following her pastoral work at Our Lady of
Victory, then served briefly in the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois before being assigned in 1995 as a
religion teacher at St Joseph School in York, Nebraska. Following her work there, she was assigned to the staff of St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Lincoln, Nebraska until 2001. From 2001 through 2006, Sister took a leave to care for her aging and infirm Father. She then served until 2008 at the FAS Motherhouse in the Philippines.
In 2008, she returned to Illinois to work as a member of the staff of the Bishop of Peoria. From 2009 until 2019, she served again as a religion teacher at St. Joseph School in Nebraska. In August 2019, Sister joined the pastoral staff at the Scalabrini Villa Nursing Home, working along with 3 other FAS Sisters.
We are most grateful to Mother Josephine, Superior of the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters, for assigning Sr. Soledad to Our Lady of Mercy Church and School. May God bless her pastoral ministry here to OLM.
Almighty Father,
You sent forth your Son as a beacon of hope for all people.
As a Teacher, he has given us the prime example of the importance of education.
As disciples, we look to him for inspiration and strength.
Thank you for the many sisters, brothers, priests, and laypeople who have dedicated their lives in service to our Catholic schools.
Thank you to the teachers and administrators who sustain our schools today.
Thank you to the parents who have given support and witness to the importance of Catholic education in their daily lives.
Thank you to the students who work hard to further their education.
Bless Our Lady of Mercy School and the many people who advance our mission.
May our building be a home for those who seek to grow in faith, knowledge, and service of others.
May our community always support one another and exhibit hospitality to newcomers.
Fill our minds with knowledge and wisdom.
May our understanding of the world help us to grow in appreciation for it.
Fill our hearts with gladness.
May we always turn to you in times of need.
Fill our hands with the tools we need to serve others.
May we show them your unceasing love through our actions.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, pray for us.
St. John Neumann, pray for us.
St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.
Our Lady of Mercy, pray for us.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Answers to Key Ethical Questions
About COVID-19 Vaccines
The development of vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic has received much public attention and raised several ethical questions related to their development and use. This document is intended to provide concise answers to some of those ethical questions as well as links to more in-depth resources.
Is it true that there is a connection between some vaccines and abortion?
Yes. Several decades ago, tissue harvested from the bodies of aborted babies was used to create certain cell lines for research purposes. The cells in these lines are, in effect, the descendants of those cells that were originally harvested. They have been made to replicate themselves and some cell lines can be reproduced indefinitely. These abortion-derived cell lines are used as a “factory” to manufacture certain vaccines (e.g. rubella, chickenpox, some of the COVID-19 vaccines, etc.).i The cells themselves, however, are not present in the vaccines that patients receive.
What does the Church say about abortion-derived cell lines and their connection to vaccines?
The Holy See, through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical Academy for Life, has provided guidance on this topic on four occasions.ii This guidance has made it clear that it is wrong to create abortion-derived cell lines and for pharmaceutical companies to utilize them, that the use of vaccines produced with such cell lines should be avoided if comparable alternatives with no connection to abortion are available, that grave reasons (e.g., serious health risks) may justify the use of vaccines produced with these cell lines when there are no such alternatives, and that everyone concerned for the sanctity of life should protest the use of these cell lines and advocate for the development of vaccines with no connection to abortion.
Do COVID-19 vaccines use abortion-derived cell lines?
As of the date of this writing, hundreds of vaccines for COVID-19 are in development worldwide, and more than a dozen are in the final stages of testing. Some don’t use abortion-derived cell lines at all, some have used such cell lines to test the vaccine’s efficacy, and some are using such cell lines in the development and/or the production phases. There are currently two vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) being distributed for use in the United States, and there are others that are likely to be made available in the coming months (e.g., AstraZeneca, Janssen, etc.).iii Neither Pfizer nor Moderna used an abortion-derived cell line in the development or production of the vaccine. However, such a cell line was used to test the efficacy of both vaccines. Thus, while neither vaccine is completely free from any use of abortion-derived cell lines, in these two cases the use is very remote from the initial evil of the abortion. The AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines raise additional moral concerns because an abortion-derived cell line is used not only for testing, but also in development and production.
Is it morally acceptable to receive a COVID-19 vaccine that uses abortion-derived cell lines?
Given that the COVID-19 virus can involve serious health risks, it can be morally acceptable to receive a vaccine that uses abortion-derived cell lines if there are no other available vaccines comparable in safety and efficacy with no connection to abortion. If it is possible to choose among a number of equally safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, the vaccine with the least connection to abortion-derived cell lines should be chosen.iv If a vaccine with no connection to abortion-derived cell lines is not readily available, vaccines that used such cell lines only for testing would be preferable to those that use such cell lines for ongoing
production. Such choices may not be possible, however, especially in the early stages of vaccine distribution. In that case, one may receive any of the clinically recommended vaccines in good conscience with the assurance that reception of such vaccines does not involve immoral cooperation in abortion.v
Is there a moral obligation to receive a COVID-19 vaccination?
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has noted recently that “vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary. In any case, from the ethical point of view, the morality of vaccination depends not only on the duty to protect one’s own health but also on the duty to pursue the common good.”vi And it said that “in the absence of other means to stop or even prevent the epidemic” vaccination may promote the common good, “especially to protect the weakest and most exposed.” For a vaccine to be effective in protecting society, most people need to be vaccinated in order to break the chain of disease transmission from person to person throughout the community. The Congregation also said that those who refuse to get vaccinated must do their utmost, by taking all the necessary precautions, to avoid “becoming vehicles for the transmission of the infectious agent. In particular, they must avoid any risk to the health of those who cannot be vaccinated for medical or other reasons, and who are the most vulnerable.”
What can those who uphold the sanctity of life do to protest against the use of abortion-derived cell lines and advocate for ethical vaccines?
First, inform yourself and others about how some vaccines are connected to abortion through the use of abortion-derived cell lines, and about which vaccines use such cell lines. Second, inform your doctor about this connection and ask him or her to provide ethical vaccines, when possible. Third, urge pharmaceutical companies and medical researchers to discontinue using abortion-derived cell lines, and thank them when they do.vii
Are the COVID-19 vaccines safe and effective?
The bishops are not and do not claim to be authorities on the safety and efficacy of vaccines. People should rely on information from authoritative sources in the field of medicine and public health, such as the Food and Drug Administration and qualified health care professionals. The FDA affirms that the vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S. have met all the safety and efficacy standards required for such authorization.
Where can I find more information on this topic?
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (www.usccb.org/prolife/biomedical-research) National Catholic Bioethics Center (www.ncbcenter.org)
Charlotte Lozier Institute (www.lozierinstitute.org/category/genetics)
i See Charlotte Lozier Institute at www.lozierinstitute.org/category/genetics.
ii Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on Certain Bioethical Questions (Dignitas Personae) (2008), nos. 35-36 and “Note on the morality of using some anti-COVID-19 vaccines” (21 December 2020).
Pontifical Academy for Life, “Moral Reflections on Vaccines Prepared from Cells Derived from Aborted Human Foetuses”, (9 June 2005); and Note on Italian Vaccine Issue (31 July 2017).
iii https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/explaining-operation-warp-speed/index.html; https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Operation-Warp-Speed/.
iv As of the date of this document, there are no available COVID vaccine options that are completely free from a connection to abortion-derived cell lines. But there are some COVID vaccines in development that may end up free of such connection. v Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith “Note on the morality of using some anti-COVID-19 vaccines” (21 December 2020), no. 3.
vi CDF Note no. 5.
vii The USCCB Pro Life Office helps with such advocacy through the USCCB Action Center. To receive action alerts, sign up at www.usccb.org/prolife/biomedical-research.
MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT THE USCCB WEBPAGE FOR PRO-LIFE ACTIVITIES
WASHINGTON —Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), issued the following statement in response to today’s violence in the United States Capitol:
“I join people of good will in condemning the violence today at the United States Capitol. This is not who we are as Americans. I am praying for members of Congress and Capitol staff and for the police and all those working to restore order and public safety.
“The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of this great nation. In this troubling moment, we must recommit ourselves to the values and principles of our democracy and come together as one nation under God. I entrust all of us to the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. May she guide us in the ways of peace, and obtain for us wisdom and the grace of a true patriotism and love of country.”
“WE ARE IN THIS WORLD NOT TO DIE, BUT TO GIVE LIFE. THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD TEACHES US THAT THE FIRST STEP IN GIVING LIFE TO THOSE AROUND US IS TO CHERISH IT WITHIN OURSELVES.”
The Holy Father is suffering from sciatica, nerve pain, and was unable to celebrate Mass today. But this is the homily he was prepared to deliver. It was read by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state. It’s a wonderful way to begin a new year.
In the readings of today’s Mass, three verbs find their fulfillment in the Mother of God: to bless, to be born, and to find.
To bless. In the Book of Numbers, the Lord tells his sacred ministers to bless his people: “Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them, ‘The Lord bless you’” (6:23-24). This is no pious exhortation; it is a specific request. And it is important that, today too, priests constantly bless the People of God and that the faithful themselves be bearers of blessing; that they bless. The Lord knows how much we need to be blessed. The first thing he did after creating the world was to say that everything was good (bene-dicere) and to say of us that that we were very good. Now, however, with the Son of God we receive not only words of blessing, but the blessing itself: Jesus is himself the blessing of the Father. In him, Saint Paul tells us, the Father blesses us “with every blessing” (Eph 1:3). Every time we open our hearts to Jesus, God’s blessing enters our lives.
Today we celebrate the Son of God, who is “blessed” by nature, who comes to us through his Mother, “blessed” by grace. In this way, Mary brings us God’s blessing. Wherever she is, Jesus comes to us. Therefore, we should welcome her like Saint Elizabeth who, immediately recognizing the blessing, cried out: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Lk 1:42). We repeat those words every time we recite the Hail Mary. In welcoming Mary, we receive a blessing, but we also learn to bless. Our Lady teaches us that blessings are received in order to be given. She, who was blessed, became a blessing for all those whom she met: for Elizabeth, for the newlyweds at Cana, for the Apostles in the Upper Room… We too are called to bless, to “speak well” in God’s name. Our world is gravely polluted by the way we “speak” and think “badly” of others, of society, of ourselves. Speaking badly corrupts and decays, whereas blessing restores life and gives the strength needed to begin anew each day. Let us ask the Mother of God for the grace to be joyful bearers of God’s blessing to others, as she is to us.
The second verb is to be born. Saint Paul points out that the Son of God was “born of a woman” (Gal 4:4). In these few words, he tells us something amazing: that the Lord was born like us. He did not appear on the scene as an adult, but as a child. He came into the world not on his own, but from a woman, after nine months in the womb of his Mother, from whom he allowed his humanity to be shaped. The heart of the Lord began to beat within Mary; the God of life drew oxygen from her. Ever since then, Mary has united us to God because in her God bound himself to our flesh, and he has never left it. Saint Francis loved to say that Mary “made the Lord of Majesty our brother” (SAINT BONAVENTURE, Legenda Maior, 9, 3). She is not only the bridge joining us to God; she is more. She is the road that God travelled in order to reach us, and the road that we must travel in order to reach him. Through Mary, we encounter God the way he wants us to: in tender love, in intimacy, in the flesh. For Jesus is not an abstract idea; he is real and incarnate; he was “born of a woman”, and quietly grew. Women know about this kind of quiet growth. We men tend to be abstract and want things right away. Women are concrete and know how to weave life’s threads with quiet patience. How many women, how many mothers, thus give birth and rebirth to life, offering the world a future!
We are in this world not to die, but to give life. The holy Mother of God teaches us that the first step in giving life to those around us is to cherish it within ourselves. Today’s Gospel tells us that Mary “kept all these things in her heart” (cf. Lk 2:19). And goodness comes from the heart. How important it is to keep our hearts pure, to cultivate our interior life and to persevere in our prayer! How important it is to educate our hearts to care, to cherish the persons and things around us. Everything starts from this: from cherishing others, the world and creation. What good is it to know many persons and things if we fail to cherish them? This year, while we hope for new beginnings and new cures, let us not neglect care. Together with a vaccine for our bodies, we need a vaccine for our hearts. That vaccine is care. This will be a good year if we take care of others, as Our Lady does with us.
The third verb is to find. The Gospel tells us that the shepherds “found Mary and Joseph and the child” (v. 16). They did not find miraculous and spectacular signs, but a simple family. Yet there they truly found God, who is grandeur in littleness, strength in tenderness. But how were the shepherds able to find this inconspicuous sign? They were called by an angel. We too would not have found God if we had not been called by grace. We could never have imagined such a God, born of a woman, who revolutionizes history with tender love. Yet by grace we did find him. And we discovered that his forgiveness brings new birth, his consolation enkindles hope, his presence bestows irrepressible joy. We found him but we must not lose sight of him. Indeed, the Lord is never found once and for all: each day he has to be found anew. The Gospel thus describes the shepherds as constantly on the lookout, constantly on the move: “they went with haste, they found, they made known, they returned, glorifying and praising God” (vv. 16-17.20). They were not passive, because to receive grace we have to be active.
What about ourselves? What are we called to find at the beginning of this year? It would be good to find time for someone. Time is a treasure that all of us possess, yet we guard it jealously, since we want to use it only for ourselves. Let us ask for the grace to find time for God and for our neighbor – for those who are alone or suffering, for those who need someone to listen and show concern for them. If we can find time to give, we will be amazed and filled with joy, like the shepherds. May Our Lady, who brought God into the world of time, help us to be generous with our time. Holy Mother of God, to you we consecrate this New Year. You, who know how to cherish things in your heart, care for us, bless our time, and teach us to find time for God and for others. With joy and confidence, we acclaim you: Holy Mother of God! Amen.
WASHINGTON– On December 14, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Doctrine, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued a statement on the new COVID-19 vaccines. In their statement, the bishops address the moral concerns raised by the fact that the three vaccines that appear to be ready for distribution in the United States all have some connection to cell lines that originated with tissue taken from abortions.
With regard to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, they concluded:
“In view of the gravity of the current pandemic and the lack of availability of alternative vaccines, the reasons to accept the new COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are sufficiently serious to justify their use, despite their remote connection to morally compromised cell lines.
“Receiving one of the COVID-19 vaccines ought to be understood as an act of charity toward the other members of our community. In this way, being vaccinated safely against COVID-19 should be considered an act of love of our neighbor and part of our moral responsibility for the common good.”
With regard to the AstraZeneca vaccine, the bishops found it to be “more morally compromised” and consequently concluded that this vaccine “should be avoided” if there are alternatives available. “It may turn out, however, that one does not really have a choice of vaccine, at least, not without a lengthy delay in immunization that may have serious consequences for one’s health and the health of others,” the bishop chairmen stated. “In such a case … it would be permissible to accept the AstraZeneca vaccine.”
At the same time, the bishops also warned that Catholics “must be on guard so that the new COVID-19 vaccines do not desensitize us or weaken our determination to oppose the evil of abortion itself and the subsequent use of fetal cells in research.”
The full statement from the bishop chairmen may be found here.
On December 3, 2020, Bishop Tobin issued a letter to the faithful of the Diocese of Providence regarding the new COVID Vaccines. Please click here to read the letter.
Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, Bishop of Providence.
Beginning on St. Andrew the Apostle's feast day, November 30, the following beautiful prayer is traditionally recited fifteen times a day until Christmas. This is a very meditative prayer that helps us increase our awareness of the feast of Christmas and helps us prepare ourselves spiritually for His coming.
Prayer of Anticipation for Christmas
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, O my God,
to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.