Lyrics–The Shepherd’s Farewell (English):

Thou must leave thy lowly dwelling,
The humble crib, the stable bare.
Babe, all mortal babes excelling,
Content our earthly lot to share.
Loving father, Loving mother,
Shelter thee with tender care!

Blessed Jesus, we implore thee
With humble love and holy fear.
In the land that lies before thee,
Forget not us who linger here!
May the shepherd’s lowly calling,
Ever to thy heart be dear!

Blest are ye beyond all measure,
Thou happy father, mother mild!
Guard ye well your heav’nly treasure,
The Prince of Peace, The Holy Child!
God go with you, God protect you,
Guide you safely through the wild!

The post L’Enfance Du Christ–Meditations on the Hidden Life of Christ (The Holy Family) first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!  For the first time in history, today the Virgin Mary has been celebrated as Mother of the Church in an Obligatory Memorial throughout the Universal Church.  Pope Francis took the opportunity to reflect on the parallelism between the Church’s motherhood, Mary’s motherhood, and our souls’ femininity as spouses of Christ and spiritual mothers, citing the Church Fathers.  He reminded all Christians that the first duty of any mother is tenderness.

Interestingly, St. Francis of Assisi’s first biographers, Thomas of Celano and St. Bonaventure, both described St. Francis as a mother, and friars who knew him during his life also called him “mother.”  St. Francis said that a good friar should also be a mother, and in his extraordinary tenderness, Francis went blind because of shedding so many tears of love for Christ.  His tenderness also toward the Trinity, the Virgin Mary, his fellow friars (especially those who were most vulnerable or treated him badly), and even the animals and nature is also well documented by his first biographers.

The Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, was observed for the first time on Monday; the movable feast is set for the first day following Pentecost. In his homily during Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis said the first virtue of a mom is tenderness.

“The Church is feminine,” Pope Francis said in his homily on Monday, “she is a mother.”

When this trait is lacking, the Pope continued, the Church resembles merely “a charitable organization, or a football team”; when it is “a masculine Church,” it sadly becomes “a church of old bachelors,” “incapable of love, incapable of fruitfulness.”

That was the reflection offered by Pope Francis during the Mass celebrated in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta for the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. The feast is being celebrated this year for the first time, after the publication in March of the decree Ecclesia Mater (“Mother Church”) by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Pope Francis himself decided the feast should be celebrated on the Monday immediately following Pentecost, in order “to encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as a growth of genuine Marian piety.”

Source: Pope Francis: The Church, like Mary, is woman and mother – Vatican News

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Fr John Lawrence gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on May 13, 2023, on how devotion to Our Lady is so helpful for getting to heaven, as was emphasized in her apparition to the children of Fatima. The highest form of devotion is through consecration to her.

Yesterday, we celebrated the memorial of Saint Leopold Mandic, who highlighted the Blessed Virgin’s presence during the crucifixion John 19:25 – Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and … – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/19?25 and her importance in the Holy Mass. The Virgin Mary, as a loving mother, is concerned about the dangers her children face, especially sin. Our Lady came to Fatima on May 13, 1917, to free her children from these problems, symbolizing a new Jerusalem (Revelation 21: 2 – New Jerusalem coming down from heaven – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/21?2)

She asked the shepherd children at Fatima to offer their sufferings to God for the reparation of sins and the conversion of sinners. When we say yes to God, we will suffer but find comfort in His grace 2 Corinthians 1:3 – The Father of compassion and God of all comfort. – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/1?3. Our Lady’s plan was to establish devotion to Her Immaculate Heart in order to save sinners from hell. This devotion consists of three levels: a plea for help, imitation, and consecration.

In today’s Gospel, the evangelist took Our Lady to himself (John 19: 27 – The evangelist took Our Lady to himself – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/19?27), reflecting the concept of consecration. Let us consecrate ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and pray for the salvation of sinners.

Revelation 21: 4 – God will wipe away every tear and there will be no more death – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/21?4)

John 1: 14 – The Word became flesh and dwelt among us – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/1?14

Ave Maria!

Mass: Our Lady of Fatima – Feast
Readings:  – http://usccb.org/bible/readings/051323.cfm
1st: rev 21:1-5
Resp: jth 13:22-23
Gsp: joh 19:25-27

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1301

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The post Saving Consecration – May 13 – Homily – Fr John Lawrence first appeared on AirMaria.com.