The writers of the New Testament can hardly have been expected to have a scientific grasp of in-utero development. John the Baptist's recognition of the Lord's visit echoes Elizabeth's his mother's greeting to Mary. In theological and spiritual language, St. Luke conveys that the lives of the unborn deserve respect and protection while in the womb.
Today's Mass of the Ascension was celebrated with Holy Cross School students and parishioners attending together. It was the last mass of the school year where all the students will have been present, since graduations of Kindergarten and Eight Grade begin soon.
In fact, it was the last mass of Holy Cross School, since the school will change its designation to an Academy in the fall semester.
This sculpture on the ceiling of the Ascension Chapel in Our Lady of Walsingham in England (via Fr. Tim Finigan's blog The Hermeneutic of Continuity) takes the interpretation of the Ascension quite literally! We prayerfully rely on Christ's continued presence in the Church, especially His Sacraments and the guidance of the The Holy Spirit to foster the faith in our parish and school for many generations to come.
It was a difficult to get the three colors of blooms in the same frame, since the red Knockouts only opened this morning, but there were just enough to squeeze together: Red Knockouts, White Rugosa and Blue Nepeta for Memorial Day.
Join us tomorrow in the Memorial Day Parade as Holy Cross marches or cheer us on from along the line of march.
The gentle sunshine coaxed the Yellow Knockout Roses into bloom, with many more buds to come. After one recent rocky year, they seem pretty hardy, resistant to mildew and blackspot and unlike their red and pink knockout cousins, have plenty of intoxicating fragrance.
Thank you to our 8th Graders for hosting a delightful Parishioner Luncheon yesterday to show their gratitude for the parish's support of our school. Our Kindergarten, first and second grade students also impressed the guests with their singing, praying and Pledge of Allegiance.
The Knights of Columbus have commissioned an icon of Our Lady Help of Persecuted Christians. She is shown holding the child Jesus with faithful from around the world seeking protection under her maternal mantle. The feast of Our Lady Help of Christians itself was promulgated by Pope Pius VII after his release from imprisonment following Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo.
So many Christians, including Catholics around the world are being persecuted for their faith at peril of their lives. Priests, religious and lay faithful are martyred with barely a notice in the mainstream media. American Catholics are being ridiculed for our beliefs, which are seen by some as disqualifying for juridical or public office.
Mary's protection is still urgently sought to help inspire Christians to speak out against oppression and defend religious liberty around the world.
The readings from Acts of the Apostles at morning Mass have been highlighting the difficulty the early church had in reconciling Jewish Law with the reception of Gentile converts as believers of Jesus, followers of the The Way. Did Gentiles need to convert to Judaism or was Jesus seen as replacing the Jewish commandments with his two commandments of love?
The early church reached a compromise, releasing Gentile converts from the necessity of circumcision and most of the Jewish dietary proscriptions, but retaining a prohibition against eating meat sacrificed to idols. Most scholars agree that it took still longer for faithful Jews and baptized Christians to diverge into completely separate religious groups.
| Saturday Vigil | 5:00 PM |
| Sunday | 8:00 AM |
| 10:30 AM | |
| 5:00 PM | |
| 7:00 PM Latin |
Dragonflies are voracious carnivores, but luckily not for people, as there have been more than I can count around the campus, especially in front of the rectory and the church gardens. The blooming nepeta always attract a lot of pollinators, but it must be the wet weather that has really given the dragonfly population a boost this year.
They eat mosquitoes and other pests and are supposed to be harbingers of spiritual growth.
Pope Francis blessed a statue of St. Rita in St. Peter's Square on its way to the place where her relics are held.
St. Rita is the patron saint of hopeless causes and those with headaches. She married at a young age, was a mother of twins, a widow (her husband was murdered), both sons died and she became a religious. She bore her trials with equanimity and remained close to Christ.
The second graders of Holy Cross School gathered this morning to attend mass as a group. They have been faithfully attending weekday masses during the year and it was a pleasure to welcome them to Holy Communion.
St. Bernadine was apparently short of stature, so I thought he might appreciate this portrait by El Greco, who never painted anyone short in stature!
St. Bernadine traveled Europe preaching street retreats and refused three bishoprics to continue his itinerant mission.
He developed the well-known "IHS" (the first three letters of "Jesus" in Greek) insignia, promoted popular devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, baptized many converts and despite a fiery preaching style worked for peace and compromise between warring factions.
Many of our first communicants returned for Mass this morning in their First Communion clothes to receive their second communion and honor Mary by processing with flowers brought from home in Mary's honor.
Giulia dedicated her entire life to teaching the faith to children and founded the Catechetical Sisters of the Sacred Heart to further that goal. She died the morning after meeting with 100 students preparing for their First Holy Communion.
Pray for our First Communicants and their families who will receive the inestimable grace of the Eucharist tomorrow.