The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

It is most fitting that today, Monday after the Solemnity of the Pentecost, we celebrate the new Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. It can rightly be said that Pentecost is the day that the mission of the Church started, the day when the...

The Annunciation of the Lord

Submission. In our world today, where pride, power, individualism, and autonomy dominate the cultural landscape, the word submission sounds so negative. It connotes weakness and failure. Only losers submit, and only because they are forced to. Today’s feast, the...

The Marriage of Joseph and Mary

In the Jewish tradition, the joyful celebration of marriage lasted for one full week. This tradition is reflected in the one-week period which connects the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (March 19) with the Solemnity of the Annunciation...

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God

We can begin our reflection today by pondering the first lines of the Psalm: “May God bless us in his mercy. May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us.” These words, which were written hundreds of years before Christ’s birth, continue...

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The document that declared the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a “doctrine revealed by God” is aptly titled Ineffabilis Deus, that is, “ineffable God.” When something is “ineffable” it is too great or extreme to be expressed in words. Certainly God...