Our Lady of Hope Blog

My Dear Friends,

Next Sunday, February 2nd, the Church celebrates the Presentation of the Lord. This feast is scriptural, meaning that in the Old Testament, the law prescribed that parents would take their newborn child to the Temple forty days after birth. Joseph and Mary are fulfilling the law by bringing Jesus to the Temple, forty days after the Nativity. It is in the Temple that Anna and Simeon both approach the parents and acknowledge that this child is who they were both waiting to see. It is Simeon’s words that give the foundation for blessing candles on this day (commonly called Candlemas). Simeon says, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples; a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32)

My Dear Friends,

Chapter Three of Pope Francis’s encyclical on the Sacred Heart begins with understanding the veneration, adoration, and worship of the Person of Jesus Christ, which can be found in the image of the heart. The heart is truly a symbol of friendship, love, and affection. Pope Francis writes, “Indeed, throughout history and in different parts of the world, it has become a symbol of personal intimacy, affection, emotional attachment, and capacity for love…When two persons fall in love and draw close to one another, their hearts beat faster; when we are abandoned or deceived by someone we love, our hearts sink. So, too, when we want to say something deeply personal, we often say we are speaking ‘from the heart’. The language of poetry reflects the power of these experiences.” (Paragraph 53)

My Dear Friends,

“He loved us,” Saint Paul says of Christ (cf. Rom. 8:37), to make us realize that nothing can ever “separate us” from that love (Rom. 8:39). Paul could say this with certainty because Jesus himself had told his disciples, “I have loved you” (John 15:9,12). Even now, the Lord says to us, “I have called you friends” (John 15:15). His open heart has gone before us and waits for us unconditionally, asking only to offer us his love and friendship. For “he loved us first” (cf. 1 John 4:10). Because of Jesus, “we have come to know and believe in the love that God has for us” (1 John 4:16).

My Dear Friends,

Today we celebrate the Epiphany. This important feast can be a Holy Day of Obligation, and is in many other countries. Since we have already had Christmas and Mary, Mother of God on December 25th and January 1st (as well as Immaculate Conception on December 8th) as Holy Days of Obligation, the United States Bishops decided to move Epiphany to the second Sunday after Christmas so that we could benefit from the mystery without yet another obligation.

My Dear Friends,

In a few days we will begin the year 2025. What a year this past 2024 has been for all of us, not only in your circle of family and friends but also in the country and in the world. A new year always brings a new hope, just as every newborn baby brings forth new hope as well. On January 1st, we honor the Blessed Mother under her title, the Mother of God. Given to us by her Son as our mother, we experience her mother’s heart as she prays for all her children, bringing us in her Immaculate Heart to the Sacred Heart of her Son.

My Dear Friends,

Christmas is in three days!! What a joyous time to be a Christian and a Catholic. Christmas has a way of bringing our brothers and sisters back to Mass, if only for a day before we see them again at Easter (and maybe Ash Wednesday). This is so important because the name of Christmas comes from Christ Mass; the Mass of Christ. We celebrate and commemorate the birth of the Savior, the most important birthday ever recorded in history. It is so important that since the Savior’s birth we in this world count the years from his birth, regardless of religious affiliation.

My Dear Friends,

As usual, Advent is flying by. Christmas is in ten days. This Tuesday we begin the O Antiphons in the Catholic liturgy. The O Antiphons are the words to the beautiful Advent hymn, O Come O Come Emmanuel. The excitement builds as we move closer to December 25th. The preparations are probably taking up a lot of your time. But as we continue to prepare for Christmas day with decorations, parties, food, presents and entertainment, we are also called to reflect and meditate on Advent for ten more days.

My Dear Friends,

Today is the great solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Because it falls on a Sunday in Advent, Holy Mother Church has moved this solemnity this year to tomorrow, December 9th. There has been a lot of confusion concerning whether it is a Holy Day of Obligation this year. Normally, the Bishops in the United States have taken away the obligation if the holy day falls on a Monday or a Saturday. This concerns only the holy days of January 1st (Mary, Mother of God), August 15th (the Assumption), and November 1st (All Saints). For the moment, the solemnity of the Ascension still falls on Thursday, forty days after Easter. The other two holy days in the United States are Christmas and Immaculate Conception. If these days fall on a Monday or a Saturday, they are still to be celebrated as a Holy Day of Obligation. But when the Immaculate Conception falls on a Sunday, the bishops of the United States always rescind the obligation.

My Dear Friends,

Today we begin the season of Advent in preparation for the great feast of Christmas. I have also come to the realization that like so many other holidays and birthdays, I remember more previous Christmases than I will experience new Christmases. With that realization and the reality that life in general is short, it is important for us to enter into the season of Christmas with that joy and love and peace that comes through a life of faith.

My Dear Friends,

This Thursday is Thanksgiving. We remember, as we do every year, that thanksgiving in Greek is the word eucharistia. From this word comes our word, Eucharist. We celebrate, as Catholics, thanksgiving every day of the year, not just the fourth Thursday of November. We are grateful to our Father who sent his Son into the world, taking on human flesh without losing his divinity, in order to free us from sin and open the gates of heaven, reconciling us with the Father, which was destroyed through the sin of Adam.

My Dear Friends,

We finish up the Eucharistic prayers today. As I mentioned in a previous bulletin letter, there are two Eucharistic prayers for Reconciliation. Many priests choose one of these prayers during the season of Lent, but they can be used at any time. There were three Eucharistic prayers for children, but mercifully they were left off the Third Edition Roman Missal in 2011. They were to be primarily used during Masses with children, but in my opinion, as well as the opinion of many other priests and theologians, these Eucharistic prayers were pitifully written and treated children as if they were not able to understand or comprehend eternal truths. It was dumbing down of the faith.

My Dear Friends,

Today we talk about Eucharistic prayer IV. The essential elements are the same as the other three Eucharistic prayers, but it also has differences. For example, this Eucharistic prayer has a set preface which has to be used whenever you use this Eucharistic prayer. The preface is the prayer the priest prays (or sings) before we sing the Holy, Holy, Holy. There are many preface options that may be used, but not with this Eucharistic prayer.

After spending a few weeks on the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I), and having already mentioned Eucharistic Prayer II and how it was composed a Trastevere in Rome, I will move on to Eucharistic Prayer III.