Mary, Untier of Knots
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Friends in Christ, today we begin the New Year.
In the history of the Church, this day has been commemorated in different ways through the centuries. For the early Church in Rome, this feast day honored Mary as the Mother of God; but by the 7th century, influence from the Eastern Church led us to emphasize more the other Marian feasts, and following the practice in Spain and France, this day began to commemorate Jesus’ infancy and Circumcision. Nevertheless, the prayers of the Mass retained the theme of the Motherhood of Mary.[ii]
.
The feast of the “Maternity of the Blessed Virgin” came to be celebrated in Portugal on October 11th; this was extended to the entire Church in 1931, and in 1969, in the reform of the calendar, it was restored to the more ancient practice of January 1st, which we have today.
And so it is a perfect way for us to begin the New Year by honoring Mary, the Mother of God, and our Mother.
.
This Divine Mother, who cradles the new-born Jesus in her arms in this Christmas season – she also remains solicitous for her other children – us.
.
St. Ambose, speaking of Jesus in the womb of Mary, says that virtually, we were all there with him. And God revealed to St. Bridget in a vision that although Jesus was Mary’s first-born Son in the flesh, all of mankind are her other children according to the Spirit.
So, Jesus’ Mother is our own Mother, and she really wants to help us.
.
We’ve just completed 2014; looking back, there were certainly blessings we can point to, but also challenges or troubles that happened. No one knows what 2015 will hold, only God knows, but challenges always come: whether they be worrisome, practical problems, or temptations or even failures or discouragement. Troubles come in daily life that sometimes seem insolvable, and worry only makes them worse.
.
I remember growing up, you can get a knot in a shoestring or in a drawstring; it seems impossible to ever untangle it. But then we go to mom; ‘Here, I can’t get it!’ And it’s not long, that somehow mom is able to get it all undone and every knot untangled.
.
Now the dear Blessed Virgin has been called, the ‘Untier of Knots.’ There is a famous painting by Johann Georg Schmidtner from around 1700 which shows this. It was commissioned by a man whose prayer was answered by Mary – an answer to a very difficult problem.
.
Mary as the Untier of knots originated with St. Irenaeus back in the 2nd century; he said that “The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary.” Mary undid the knot, that Eve had gotten us into.
.
A Fr. Jorge Bergoglio was studying in Germany and came to love this image; he brought a copy of this painting back with him, to Argentina. The devotion spread. Today, not only Germany, but also in Argentina and Brazil one finds widespread devotion to Mary, Untier of Knots. The painting shows Mary calmly undoing the knots in a long rope, and this is the patient Mother who wishes to help us with all the knots – the troubles in our own life.
.
Sin has a way of complicating everything. Sinful habits tangle up our heart and make it seem impossible to regain our happiness and freedom. The fall into a mortal sin, or so many other problems of life, can lead us to despair, just as a knot pulled tighter and tighter becomes harder to untie. But Mary can do it.
.
A certain man in Germany had committed a great sin, and he was ashamed to confess it; on the other hand, he could not endure the guilt that he felt and he went to cast himself into the river; but just as he was on the point of doing so, he stopped, and bursting into tears he prayed for help, and went home.
.
That night in his sleep, he felt someone waking him and heard a gentle woman’s voice say: ‘Go and make your confession.’ He went to the church, but yet did not confess. A second night he heard the same voice, and again went to the Church, but he said he would rather die than confess that sin. He was about to return home when he stopped before an image of Mary and asked her help. Hardly had he knelt down before he felt himself entirely changed. He rose, called for a priest, and made a full and sincere confession. Later he would always say that on that day he felt happier than if he had gained all the gold in the world.
.
Mary can help us untie the knots in our life, if we let her, none are too difficult.
.
We make many resolutions for the new year.
Let’s make one resolution, that no matter the challenges, we will follow Jesus Christ in our life no matter what.
And for the other resolution: let us never fail to call on our Mother in heaven to help us do it.
.
ii. For this reason, the Traditional Latin Mass when offered today, still retains this official theme of the Circumcision of the Lord, although the prayers of the Mass continue the ancient theme of Mary, the Mother of God.
The Word was made Flesh
Friends in the Lord, today we read this magnificent beginning of the gospel of St. John. ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
.
‘In the beginning was the Word.’ Here we see that the Son of God is called the ‘Word,’ capital W. He is the Word, as if spoken by the Father. This teaches us that the Son is Divine, co-equal with the Father, consubstantial with the Father as we say in the Creed.
And then we read: ‘The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.’ The Eternal Son of God has taken on our human nature, he has united himself to humanity. St. Paul says, ‘Though he was by nature God, he emptied himself, taking the nature of a slave.’ Its because of this marvelous mystery, that Mother Church urges us to say the Angelus each day, preferably at Noon. The Angelus reminds us of this mystery, that God became Man, and that he is living with us, in us.
.
And so we can speak of the Hypostatic Union. The union in Jesus Christ of two natures, human and divine, in one Person: Jesus is not a human person plus a divine person, but rather one Divine Person, uniting in himself, heaven and earth.
.
Now, knowing this about our Savior, that he is one Person, in two natures, what does this mean for us? Well, Jesus was not just ‘one man who lived long ago.’ It is different than that. It is more. – because there is the ‘Whole Christ.’ The Whole Christ must include his entire Mystical Body. The Church, the Christian people, are called ‘The Mystical Body of Christ.’
.
The Lord truly continues to live in us, to dwell in us. We do not live and act, and think and pray, or suffer, alone. Never. For Christ is in and with us, he has joined himself to us. This is the beautiful mystery of Christmas, and it is summed up for us each time we pray the Angelus.
On the Gift of Understanding
Friends in Christ, we read today of Anna, the Prophetess who was night and day praying in the temple. She was granted, along with Simeon, a great gift: the ability to identify the Redeemer when he came.
St. John today, writes of those living in Christ, who have an ability to know God.
.
Essential to this is the supernatural Gift called Understanding. This is one of the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit. St. Thomas Aquinas explains that man has by nature a power to penetrate into the meaning of things. This is the natural power of the mind. But one needs more than natural intellect to understand the purpose for which he exists, and the means of achieving heaven. For this one requires the supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit called Understanding.
.
Though Faith is still necessary in this life, the Gift of Understanding allows one to know the mysteries of Faith more surely. Understanding permits the mind with ease, to grasp teachings of the Faith, and have an instinct for Faith.
.
Even those who are not very bright in the natural realm, by the Gift of Understanding, are instructed in those things necessary for salvation. With regard to those things necessary for salvation, the Gift of Understanding never withdraws from a holy person, but in order to prevent pride, it may withdraw sometimes with regard to other things, so that the mind is unable to penetrate all things clearly.
.
This Gift is not our doing, it is infused into our soul at Baptism, it comes alive when acted upon, and remains as long as we are in the state of grace. Without the state of grace, no one has this Gift. If lost, it is recovered when mortal sins are confessed and the state of grace is regained.
.
The opposing vice, St. Thomas calls ‘dullness of mind,’ and here a person, in regard to heavenly things, requires many explanations and still has difficulty arriving at the truth of the thing. Dullness of mind denotes a certain weakness of the mind regarding spiritual goods.
.
St. John warns us not to love worldly things; the world is full of lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. To follow these ways leads to dullness of mind.
.
St. Thomas says that the Gift of Understanding corresponds to the 6th Beatitude: ‘Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.
By Christ’s coming into the world, the Lord enables us to participate in the Divine Life, and prepare for union with God in the world to come. The Gift of Understanding really helps us on the way there.
St. Thomas Becket
Friends in Christ, today is the feast of St. Thomas Becket, of England.
As we know, there has been a long history of oppression of the Church in England. To this day, it is illegal for any Catholic to become king or Queen of England. This all goes back to Henry VIII starting his own church, the Church of England, so that he could marry another woman – and another, and another…
.
In those days, Catholics held secret Masses, risking their lives, such as St. Margaret Clitherow who gave her life for Christ so that the holy Mass could be said in her home. This is the reason that England has always been even to modern times, mostly all Anglican. It is interesting to note that today, more Catholics go to Church in England than Anglicans, so our persistence is paying off!
.
But pressure against the Catholic Church actually did not begin just with Henry VIII in 1530. If we go back to 1160, we find St. Thomas Becket, our saint for today. He was chancellor of England, and he had to resist pressure that the king was putting on the Church. So the king sent his executioners to dispatch Thomas.
.
When they came to the Church, many tried to defend him, but Thomas opened the church door himself saying: I gladly face death for the Church of God. He commended his flock and himself to God, and bowed for execution where he died by the sword.
.
Here in the United States, most people don’t imagine there could be persecution against the Church, but it is beginning now in the form of government and legal pressures to conform to the secular mindset.
– Laws forcing the Church to pay for medical procedures we morally oppose.
– When a person is dismissed from working for the Church because of their sinful lifestyle, the newspapers cry ‘discrimination,’ and the lawsuits begin.
– Laws against the consciences of doctors, nurses and pharmacists,
– the ridicule of those who oppose same-sex marriage, the list goes on.
.
Cardinal George once remarked: ‘The way things are going, I will die in my bed, my successor will die in prison, and his successor will die a martyr in the public square.’
.
When Christ was born, Simeon prophesied: this child is set for the fall and rise of many and a sign that will be contradicted. It was this way with Jesus, but also for his followers.
The Church is most glorious when persecuted, because persecution weeds out those who are not really faithful, and makes the rest prove their metal. Let us therefore follow St. Thomas Becket in faithfulness, regardless of what they say.
Always young in Christ
Latin Mass: Sunday within the Christmas Octave
Beloved in Christ, today during this beautiful Octave of Christmas, the Gospel brings before our eyes this scene of the Child Jesus being brought to the Temple. Simeon is there who speaks words of prophecy; and this woman Anna is there also. It says that she was a widow who prayed day and night in the Temple, she was 84 years old.
.
William Barclay, commenting on this passage says, old age often weakens the body, but even worse, it can weaken the life of our hearts, it depends on how we think of God. If we think of God as distant from us, we may become resentful or bitter as we age. But if we think of God as close to us and with us – if we see that his Providence guides everything we do – then old age can make us kinder, more sympathetic, and it can make us feel young.
.
Once when I was with Cardinal George he said to me, ‘Old age takes it’s toll on a person, but a Christian is forever young because we live in Christ.’
The measure of a Christian life is not in years, it’s measured in another way. The Book of wisdom says: ‘The age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time, nor can it be measured in terms of years. (Wis 4:7)
.
Today it is not hard to meet a young person – even in their 20’s – who seems to be tired, bitter, even jaded – it is as if he is 95 years old and worn down. What is missing? Like Simeon today, they need to have someone put a Divine Child in their arms: ‘Here, hold him! This is Jesus!’ When Christ is with us, we feel the vigor of a purposeful life.
.
Older people sometimes say, ‘I just wish the Lord would take me, I’m tired.’
The Lord rather, wishes that you recover some of that youthfulness of heart; you are on a mission for Christ whether you are 20 or 90. ‘But what can I do, here in my bed?’ Pray. Sacrifice. This world needs intercessors very much, people to pray for this world.
.
St. Dorotheus lived to be very old, yet in his heart, he was full of vigor for Christ. He attended the famous Council of Nicea at age 70; attending that great Council, that should be enough to cap off a lifetime; but no, he still had much to do; he wrote several books and then at 97 years of age, persecution forced him into exile. But the spirit of Jesus continued to drive him on; he worked tirelessly to preach the gospel until he was arrested and beaten to death for his Faith – as a martyr. A martyr – at 107 years old.
.
A Christian is forever young.
St. Paul worked tirelessly for the Lord, trying to influence everyone he met, to bring them to Christ. Yet he wanted to be in heaven, and rest. ‘I’m torn between two desires’ he says; ‘I long to go and be with Christ, but for your sake, it is better that I continue to live.’ (Phil 1:23)
.
In today’s Epistle we read: God sent His Son….that we might receive the adoption of sons. ‘God hath sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying: ‘Abba, Father.
.
A friend was visiting in Palestine a while back, and he said ‘You will see people walking down the street, fathers with their children, and you hear often ‘Abba,’ ‘Abba.’ It means ‘Daddy,’ or ‘Papa.’ So when we are told in the Scriptures that we should call God our ‘Abba, Father,’ it means that we are really children of God. This is the spirit that will keep us young at heart, whether we are very old, or very young; a life lived in trust of Jesus keeps us from getting jaded or discouraged. We have that virtue of hope, and it will be contagious. St. Peter says: ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks the reason for the hope that you have.’ (1 Peter 3:15)
.
In his book ‘Through Wind and Waves’ Father Fernandez says, our faith should be that of a son or daughter of God; thus one is always cheerful and optimistic, never falling prey to anxiety.’ (p. 78)
.
But being a child of God does not mean being ‘childish.’ Immaturity is from a lack of self-discipline. We cannot find simplicity of heart if our life is a tangle of desires and emotions, if we are guided only by our whims and our ego. (p. 81) A child of God is mature and his heart is clear and uncomplicated.
.
But how young of a child should we be? Someone asked St. Josemaria that. ‘Be very little, he said, not more than 2 years old, 3 at the most!’ And remember, when you really are a child, you will be almighty – love will make you almighty.[i]
.
Blessed Alvaro del Portillo was the kind of saint that always had a twinkle in his eye and a smile for everyone; it was the reason for his enormous influence with many people. When he was celebrating his 80’th birthday; he said, ‘I feel very young. How old you are is not so important, what matters is the youthfulness of sons and daughters of God, it is the youthfulness of lovers, those in love with God.[ii]
.
The Gospel shows us today, that as the Holy Family approached the Temple, Jesus was safely carried in the arms of Mary. If we wish to be children of God ourselves, that is where we need to be too, in the arms of our Mother, who will make us just like Jesus.
.
[Entrusted to the prayers of Venerable Mother Dudzik]
.
[i] The Way, #875, 863, 868
[ii] Saxum, p. 219
St. John the Apostle
Friends in the Lord, today is the Feast of St. John the Evangelist.
Each Evangelist has a symbol, often seen in stained-glass windows or sometimes on chalices. If you go down to the chapel downstairs, on the old altar there, you will see 4 paintings of the Evangelists and their symbols. The symbol of John is the Eagle. Well the Eagle soars high above the earth, and it is St. John’s gospel that soars high up – it is the gospel that emphasizes the Divinity of Christ.
.
St. John was very young, a virgin, and the beloved of Christ. He is usually pictured with no beard, to show his youth and innocence. He also wrote the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd letters of John, and tradition believes he wrote the Book of Revelation as well.
.
It is worthwhile to consider the change that happened in John by his having met Christ. He was a fisherman; a fisherman back in the first century, surely he had no real education. A man with rough hands, working with his father Zebedee in an old boat on the Sea of Galilee. He meets Christ the Lord, and spends what – 3 years with him. Yet, at the end of his life he writes the most beautiful lines of scripture, writings that one would expect from a master poet and theologian or mystic.
.
Like all of us, John had no real life until he met Christ. But in the Lord he met a man who showed him the meaning of his life. He met his Creator. He met Love Himself, born into the world.
.
On Mt. Tabor, John was permitted a vision of the Lord’s Divinity. At the Last Supper, it was he who leaned his head on the breast of Christ, who had the deepest friendship with Jesus. It was John, to whom was entrusted the Blessed Mother’s care. We should take note, that John writes the Gospel not using his own name, but referring all the time to ‘the Beloved Disciple, the One Jesus loved. He is saying: this is each of us: you are the Beloved Disciple. Each Christian, when he receives the Lord at the Holy Supper, leans his head on the breast of Christ, to speak to him.
.
You know, the emperor Domitian plunged John into a caldron of boiling oil to murder him, but he was unharmed. So he was exiled to the Island of Patmos. Patmos – where on a clear day, he could look across the bay and see the hill, on top of which was the house of Mary his mother. She was there. Praying for him, praying for the beloved disciple, and also for each of us – beloved disciples.
St. Stephen
Friends in the Lord, today is the Feast of St. Stephen, and this feast always is the day after Christmas.
.
Jesus Christ is born for us, he leads the way for us. We are to follow, and be ‘other christs.’ Well, today Mother Church holds up for us St. Stephen, as the first example of the ideal Christian. He gave his all, even his life for Jesus.
.
St. Stephen was the first martyr, and he was also a Deacon. We read in the Book of Acts, that the Apostles needed help in their duties, so that they could spend more time in prayer, for this reason they ordained 7 Deacons, one of whom was Stephen. Stephen was a great leader and because of this, the enemies of the church went after him. They debated with him about the Catholic Faith, brought false witnesses against him, and stoned him to death. While they were killing him, he prayed for his enemies, that God would forgive them. As he died, he said: ‘Lord Jesus receive my spirit.’
.
St. Stephen was a solid Christian, who listened to the Holy Spirit, and won every debate he was in. He is an example to us, that we should walk in the Spirit, and not be afraid to speak up about our Faith, no matter the cost, even giving our life if necessary.
.
In the book ‘the Golden Legend, it is said so beautifully, that ‘Stephen ‘fell asleep’ – rather than saying that he died. This was a favorite expression of the early Church, and is used still today in Eucharist prayers, and in funeral liturgies: to fall asleep – we say that death is merely to fall asleep, because we believe in our resurrection.
.
It is said that in his life, St. Stephen raised 6 persons back to life, and did countless miracles. But these wonders continued on after his death. St. Augustine tells, that flowers which had been laid on the altar of St. Stephen, cured sick persons to whom they were touched. A blind woman recovered her sight when flowers taken from the altar of Stephen were applied to her eyes. In the same book it says, that a man named Martial, an unbeliever, fell gravely ill, but refused to be converted. His son-in-law went to the Church of St. Stephen, took some flowers from the altar, and placed them secretly on the sick man’s bed. The sick man slept on them, and when he awoke, he called for a priest and was baptized. Afterward, as long as he lived, the man kept repeating the words: ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit; he said this, not knowing that these were the same words of St. Stephen himself.
.
St. Stephen is the patron saint of Deacons, of casket makers, of horses, and headaches.
The Savior Rescues Us
Christmas Day
Beloved in the Lord Jesus, today is Christmas. It is the day when we celebrate the birth of Our Savior into the world.
.
Jesus came into the world for one purpose: to save us from our sins, so that we may go to heaven.
.
I saw a man in the hospital the other day, he was not sure he would make it home for Christmas, but he said, ‘Father, if Jesus had not come, we would all end in hell.’ I said, ‘You’re right.’
.
Since the Original Sin had alienated us from God, the world had been waiting for the promised Savior. Our first parents chose to follow the Devil, instead of their Creator, and so we were under the rule of sin and Satan.
.
But as the time was nearing for the Son of God to come down from heaven, the prophecies of the Old Testament were being fulfilled, and those who were seeking God felt that something – was happening.
A great Impulse of grace was about to push into the world. This world, and the heavenly world were mixing, touching.
Shepherds observe a tear in the fabric of space, momentarily revealing angels on the other side;
those supernatural beings, unable to contain themselves, break through to this world singing, ‘Glory to God in the highest.’
God is preparing to renew the world, to save us.
.
But as Divinity is preparing to enter the world of Man, as the Son of God prepares to begin his mission to take back the earth, an uncomfortable silence is felt in the world of the demons. That satanic being, Lucifer, is very old. When he tricked Adam and Eve, and took them from the heart of God, he knew God would come some day to win them back. And now there was a sense that he was losing his grip on humanity. One can almost hear Lucifer say ‘I sense that he is coming, the Promised One, there is danger.
.
Today the demons tremble. The God of Armies enters the world as a helpless infant. A sense of dread has infected the demonic channels. The battle is enjoined; God’s invasion of the earth is about to begin, to win it back. ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, says Zechariah, for he has come to his people to set them free to save us from our enemies.’
.
Brothers and sisters, how many people out there are walking in the darkness, lost in their sins? So many, are in the shadow of death. Caught in an empty life of despair, not knowing the call of the Savior. In our own circles we know those who are trying to fill their heart with THINGS – materialism; or yet another relationship – giving their body away outside of marriage, killing the pain of loneliness in drunkenness or drugs or pornography or gambling or adultery – and the endless ways that lives are dissipated away in despair.
.
There are many who say to themselves: ‘I should stop this way of living, it’s destructive, but it will have to be later.’
You know, for St. Augustine, before his conversion, he cried out to God, ‘Lord, make me chaste, but not yet!’
I’ll turn back to God – later. The devil uses this thought to drug these poor souls and hold them in their mess.
.
But Jesus says, ‘I have come to wash you clean in my blood, to cure you, and take away all your sins. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven. You can begin again.’
.
Christ once told a parable about a shepherd who lost one of his sheep. He went out carefully looking for that sheep, and when he finds it, does he scold it and say, ‘why have you wandered away? No. He is very happy, and he puts it on his shoulders and carries it home. ‘I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents.’
.
This is why Jesus came down from heaven. He is the shepherd who has left heaven, to come down to search for his lost sheep: you and I. And everyone.
.
‘But my sins are too great; it’s too late for me; my lifestyle I can’t change,’ they say. Really? Do you know how many saints in the Catholic church we honor, who lived lives – I guarantee you – worse than yours? St. Cammilus, St. Margaret of Cortona, Mary of Egypt, St. Augustine, Bartolo Longo, thousands who knew that they could not get out of their sinful life without the power of Christ. But with his grace, following him – Yes. A new life is possible.
.
You know, there was a custom[i] at the time of Our Lord that when a child was born, musicians would go gather at the house to play music welcoming the family’s new child. Well, Jesus’ arrival was not greeted by some simple musicians, but by a choir of angels from heaven. They sang the message out: We proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.’
.
We don’t need to go to hell. And we should tell our friends.
One drop of the blood of Jesus Christ has the power to take away all our sins. And then we begin again, we begin a new life, but not a lonely or empty one, chasing lies of the devil; we begin a new life in the Lord.
.
How do we keep living it? How do we walk through a perverse world keeping our joy? Well, we here know: daily we pray.
St. Alphonsus says that if we don’t pray we can’t be saved. We pray when we rise. We pray at meals, and thank the Lord at the end of the day. And even more, we speak words to Jesus who is with us in our work and in our play. ‘Lord help me now.’ ‘Help me to love you.’ ‘Forgive me again.’
.
And when the spirit of sadness tempts us, we say: ‘Lord, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me that you hear me, that you are with me.’ And in this, we are walking daily, not our own life any more, but Jesus’ life in us.
.
Many go to daily Mass, and monthly confession, spiritual reading, pray the family Rosary. Walking daily with the Lord. Jesus said, ‘I will be with you all days, even to the end of the world. He is with us spiritually in our souls all day, and he is with us bodily – we touch him – at Holy Communion,[ii] in which he builds us up. He is still with us.
.
St. Paul was once an enemy of Christ, but he changed. He left his former ways. Of the destructive life he led before, he says ‘I count all that as rubbish!’[iii] Leaving it all, he found happiness. The renewed St. Paul says: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; Rejoice! Have no anxiety….and may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
.
May the prayers of Mary, the Mother of God help us all to walk with Jesus in our life, and find the joy and the peace of Christmas.
.
[Entrusted to the prayers of Venerable Mother Dudzik]
.
[i] The Gospel of Luke, William Barclay, p. 17
[ii] In the Latin Mass, at the end of nearly every Mass the priest recites the beginning of John’s gospel: ‘In the beginning was the Word……and the Word was made flesh.’ This reminds us that this is what just happened at Mass.
[iii] Phil 3:8
