15 April 2013 The Holy Mass, a renewal of Calvary The Holy Mass and the Sacrifice of the Cross are one and the same sacrifice, although separated in time. Re-enacted is the total loving submission of Our Lord to his Father’s will. This unbloody offering is identical to the sorrowful and bloody circumstances on Calvary: Christ’s oblation. The Priest and Victim are one. The external manifestation of the Passion and Death of Jesus proceeds in the Mass, sacramentally, by means of the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. In the Mass, the priest serves as the instrument of Christ, the Eternal and High priest. Christ offers himself in every Mass. “... even though it is celebrated privately by a priest, every Mass is not a private action, but the action of Christ and of the Church. In the sacrifice that she offers, the Church learns to offer herself as a universal sacrifice, and applies the unique and infinite redeeming virtue of the sacrifice of the Cross for the salvation of the whole world.” (Cf Paul VI, Encyclical, “Mysterium Fidei”, 4, 3 Sept 1965) How do we attend and take part in the Mass? “Are you at Mass with the same dispositions that Our Lady had on Calvary? Do we realize that here it is the presence of the one and the same God and the consummation of the same sacrifice?” (St Jean Vianney [The ‘Curé d’Ars’], “Sermon on Sin”) A total identification with God’s will, perfect love, an offering of oneself, a desire to co-redeem. Ref: Cf Francis Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 2:185-6 Listening to God If we turn to Sacred Scripture we will see that humility is absolutely necessary when we are making ready to listen to God. “Where there is humility, there is wisdom.” (Prov 11:2) Humility means looking at ourselves as we really are, honestly and without excuses. And when we realize we are worth hardly anything, we can then open ourselves to God’s greatness: there, our greatness lies. How well our Lady, Jesus’ Holy Mother, understood this! She, the most exalted of all God’s creatures that have existed or ever will exist upon this earth! Mary glorifies the power of our Lord, who “has put down the mighty from their thrones and has exalted the lowly” (Lk 1:52). And she sings of how this divine providence has once again been fuflfilled in her: “because he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid, henceforth all generations shall me blessed” (Cf Lk 1:52). Mary becomes transformed in holiness in the depths of her most pure heart on seeing the humility of God: “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.” (Lk 1:35) The Blessed Virgin’s humility is a consequence of that unfathomable depth of grace which comes into operation with the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity in the womb of his ever Immaculate Mother. Ref: Cf St Josemaria Escrivá, “Friends of God”, 96 Full of grace “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit; each tree is known by its own fruit. ... figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Cf Lk 6:43-9) Jesus teaches us through this double comparison: of the tree giving forth good or bad fruits, and of the man speaking from the depth of his heart — that nothing can substitute for sanctity. A man simply gives what is in him, no more and no less. St Bede elaborates — “The treasure of a soul is the same as the root of a tree. A person with a treasure of patience and charity in his soul produces beautiful fruits: he loves his neighbour and possesses qualities Jesus recommends; loves his enemies, does good to whoever hate him, blesses those who curse him; prays for the one who slanders him. “But the man who has a source of evil in his soul does the exact opposite; he hates his friends, speaks badly of the one who loves him, and does all the other things condemned by the Lord.” (St Bede, “Commentary on St Luke’s Gospel”, 2:6) The Holy Spirit filled Our Blessed Mother’s heart with graces. No life ever gave or will give forth such sweet fruit as Our Lady’s life has done except for Christ’s. All graces come and keep coming to us through her; above all, Jesus, too the blessed fruit of her most pure womb. Her lips pronounced the greatest, most pleasing and tender praises of God. At the Annunciation, “the messenger greets Mary as ‘full of grace’; he calls her thus as if it were her real name. He does not call her by her proper earthly name, Miryam (Mary), but by this new name — ‘full of grace’.” What does this mean? Why does the archangel address the Virgin of Nazareth in this way? “... the Gospel context, which mingles revelations and ancient promises, enables us to understand that among all the ‘spiritual blessings in Christ’ this is a special ‘blessing’. In the mystery of Christ she is present even ‘before the creation of the world’, as the one whom the Father ‘has chosen’ as Mother of his Son in the Incarnation. Furthermore, together with the Father, the Son has chosen her, entrusting her eternally to the Spirit of holiness.” (John Paul II, Encyclical, “Redemptoris Mater”, 25 March 1987, 8) Ref: Cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 4:607-8 Recovery “We have to love the Blessed Virgin Mary more. We will never love her enough. “Love her a lot! It shouldn’t be enough for you to put up pictures for her, and greet them, and say aspirations. You should learn to offer her, in your strenuous life, some small sacrifice each day, to show her your love, and to show her the kind of love that we want the whole human race to proclaim for her.” Ref: St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Forge” 527 Supernatural Life — If you lose the supernatural meaning of your life, your charity will be philanthropy; your purity, decency; your mortification, stupidity; your discipline, a lash; and all your works, fruitless. (St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Way”, 279) • In the year 1011, the Blessed Virgin gave the white habit to the blessed Alberic instead of the black which he wore. — See his Life. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Our Lady gave Blessed Alberic the white habit. (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html) • Our Lady of Kieff. Russia. 1010. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm); (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.html); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html)