Crowning and First Holy Communions

If angels could be jealous of men,
they would be so for one reason:
Holy Communion.

— Maximilian Kolbe

Dear Faithful,

Among the many wonderful graces and pleasures accorded to the Catholic priest is the annual distribution of 1st Holy Communions.  To watch the eager, yet timid, and innocent little ones approach the altar to receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord and Savior for the very first time truly brings a consolation like few others.  I thank our dear Lord for being part of this tremendous act of charity once again.  Given the continued attendance limitations, the children have had to receive at different Masses rather than in one ceremony together.  While unfortunate, in a certain sense with less pomp and ceremony, there is an intimacy and focus which has made these special.  It is also a time for each and every one of us to renew the first fervor of our first Communion, to re-kindle the love and desire so important in this greatest of acts.  Being deprived at this time due to the various restrictions will hopefully help to do just that. 

Please find below a beautiful child's prayer for the time after reception of the Blessed Sacrament which was given to me and my siblings when we received our own 1st Communion by our dear mother.  Since by Our Lord's own admonition we are all to become as little children, may this sweet prayer bring us the childhood of confidence, love and devotion which Our Lord in the august Sacrament deserves and we so desperately need.

As announced, Saturday brought the ceremony crowning Our Lady Queen, Queen of our church, of our hearts, of all, Heaven and Earth!  The little ladies of the 1st Communion class this year admirably represented us all.  Enjoy the video attached.

As you know, the great feast of Pentecost is not limited to yesterday's celebration, rather an entire octave is devoted to the commemoration of this glorious event.  The magnificent Sequence from Holy Mass, the renowned Veni Sancte Spiritus is also given below for your listening pleasure and edification.  This can and should be prayed throughout the Octave and beyond.

May the Spirit of Truth and Strength, God the Holy Ghost, guide, enlighten and fortify you and your families, lighting a fire that cannot be extinguished.

Yours in Christ the King,

Father Michael McMahon

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LITTLE WHITE GUEST

You have come to my heart, dearest Jesus,
I am holding You close to my breast;
I'm telling You over and over,
You are welcome, Little White Guest.

I love You, I love You, my Jesus,
O please do not think I am bold;
Of course, You must know that I love You,
But I am sure that you like to be told.

I'll whisper, "I love You, my Jesus,"
And ask that we never may part;
I love You, O kind, loving Jesus
And press You still nearer my heart.

And when I shall meet You in Heaven,
My soul then will lean on Your breast;
And You will recall our fond meetings,
When You were my Little White Guest.

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Gregorian chant notation from the Liber Usualis (1961), pp. 880-881. Latin lyrics sung by the Benedictine monks of Santo Domingo de Silos.

June 2020 Scheduling

How good and pleasant it is to dwell in the Heart of Jesus!
Who is there who does not love a heart so wounded?
Who can refuse a return of love to a heart so loving?

— St. Bernard of Clairvaux
 

Dear Faithful, 

The government regulations promise a mild reprieve starting on June 1st.  Please carefully note the schedule and details below. 

Let me highly praise and commend on the part of so many, the devotion shown to the Holy Mass and the desire to both attend as well as make special visits to the church for adoration and private prayer.  Please retain this fervor, and do not forget the precious treasures which have been and will continue to be threatened, not as much due to the malice of the enemies of God and the true religion, but much more so as a result of the lukewarmness and lethargy of Catholics! 

Remember well, dear soldiers of Christ:  A lazy soldier, a sloppy soldier, an inattentive soldier, a weak soldier, an untrained soldier, an unthinking soldier, a disobedient soldier...is a dead soldier.  And all he was meant to defend, all he holds dear dies right alongside him.  We are the heirs to heroic saints and battle-tested warriors, let us be sure to show it!


Yours in Christ the King,

Father Michael McMahon

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Particular spots are no longer marked for seating, but please note:

• Do NOT sit in the first three rows of pews closest to the communion rail.

• The pews on either side of the sanctuary are not to be used.

• The so-called 'social distance' must be respected.

• As always, a single family or household may sit together.

• Families with young children should use the few pews closest to the doors at the back as previously instituted.

You must continue to register for Holy Mass. See the standard schedule below and carefully note the exceptions:

• Thursday, June 11 — Mass at 7:00 PM for Corpus Christi. No Benediction.

• Friday, June 19 — Mass at 7:00 PM for the Sacred Heart of Jesus

NB: Saint Michael Scapulars will be ordered according to requests. At some point soon, we will hold a ceremony of blessing and imposition of this powerful sacramental. Please email bookstore@stdennis.ca to request one or more of these scapulars.

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"Terrible is this place . . . it shall be called the Court of God!"
— Genesis 28, 17

QUIET and RESPECT
 

Let us all remember that upon entering the church, we enter a sacred and awesome place where the august Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated, divine grace is distributed and Our Lord is ever present in the tabernacle. 

This House of God and Gate of Heaven demands to be properly respected in our demeanor, our dress and our bearing, in our thoughts, words and actions from the moment of entry until we depart.  Please keep this in mind when entering and when preparing for Mass or private prayer.  One should make every attempt out of the most profound respect for Almighty God, as well as to our neighbor to be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible.  

We should prepare ourselves in the vestibule.  That is the designated place to remove our coats and sweaters, not in the pews; that is where we should put our keys away, turn off our phones (if you must have one!), not in the pews; that is where we should recollect ourselves and begin thinking of the great grace about to be ours by crossing the threshold into the nave of the church. 

Entering, we have the grand opportunity to practice fruitfully the two great Commandments by loving God and neighbor through our attentive actions as well as our fervent prayers.  Our actions must manifest our faith.

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Standard Schedule

(Registration required for Holy Mass)

Sunday
Mass:  8:00 AM
Mass:  9:30 AM

Monday
Mass:  11:00 AM

Tuesday
Mass:  7:15 AM

Wednesday
Mass:  7:15 AM
Mass:  7:00 PM
* NO Mass June 10

Thursday
Mass:   7:15 AM
Confessions:  6:30 PM
Benediction:  7:00 PM
*June 11: Mass at 7 PM (No Benediction)

Friday
Mass:  7:15 AM
Confessions:  6:30 PM
*June 19: Mass at 7 PM

Saturday
Mass:  8:00 AM
Confessions: 5:00 PM

Bookstore available during Confession times.

Confessions are also available by appointment.  Call 403-233-0031 

Register for Masses: stdennis.ca/scheduling

Pope Saint Gregory VII

"If you love me, Peter, feed my sheep."

Dear Faithful, 
On this feast day when we commemorate and celebrate one of the greatest, strongest and holiest of popes in Church history, Gregory VII, we are filled with profound sadness and dismay when casting our eyes toward the Eternal City, seeing the scandalous performance of the current holder of that divinely constituted office.   By his own words and actions, we are forced to consider if this pontiff still professes and practices the one, true Faith revealed by Almighty God, sealed in the Blood of Our Lord and Redeemer.

Leaving to the theologians that discussion, and ultimately God Himself the judgement, it is incumbent upon us not only to resist any novelties and deviations by him or any other churchman, but also to pray; pray for our leaders, pray for these men who assume a burden far above their own powers.  The work, however, while extremely difficult, beyond our own measure, is not impossible, since it is commanded by Our Lord.  For success, one must correspond to those graces promised and faithfully given in order to perform these most august duties of state. 

Clearly this Pope, as his predecessors since the Council, has to date simply and ignominiously failed at the task,  wreaking havoc in the Church of God, causing an unprecedented crisis resulting in crass and widespread confusion, in the loss of faith and thus possible loss of numerous immortal souls.

Today, on a great pontiff's feast day, an example of virile and holy leadership for the ages, and during this preparatory novena for Pentecost,  let us fervently pray and do penance for Pope Francis, that he turn from his objectively wicked, nefarious and scandalous ways, becoming the Vicar of Christ that Our Lord desires for His people, and the entire world so desperately needs.  Although criticism and even rebuke are surely more than justified, let us rather turn those words today to prayers, asking the Good Shepherd to pour upon the occupant of the Chair of Peter such a torrent of graces as to compel, as it were, a conversion and commencement of heroic Catholic leadership as an echo of the saintly pontiffs of old.

Faith,  true, fervent and sincere, can move mountains.   Let us move this mountain . . . for the glory of God and the Holy Catholic Church, to the consternation and confusion of Her implacable enemies, as well as for the salvation of innumerable souls!

For your convenience please find below the traditional prayer for the Supreme Pontiff and Pastor of souls, as well as another excellent history of Pope Saint Gregory VII.   May that holy and glorious pontiff of years gone by intercede before the Throne from whence comes all majesty and supernatural power for this current weak successor, making him a man and saint to be truly reckoned with.

Yours in Christ the King,

Father Michael McMahon

Read:     A Pope Dies on the Run

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Oratio pro summo Pontifice
Prayer for the Pope

The following prayer is taken from the Roman Missal.
A partial indulgence is attached to the versicle and response.

V. Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Francisco.

R. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius. [Ps 40:3]

Pater Noster, Ave Maria...

Oremus:
Deus, omnium fidelium pastor et rector, famulum tuum Franciscum., quem pastorem Ecclesiae tuae praeesse voluisti, propitius respice: da ei, quaesumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus praeest, proficere: ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi credito, perveniat sempiternam. Per Christum, Dominum nostrum. Amen.
 

*********************************************

V. Let us pray for Francis, our Pope.

R. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. [Ps 40:3]

Our Father, Hail Mary...

Let us pray:
O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, look mercifully upon Thy servant Francis, whom Thou hast chosen as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we beseech Thee, that by his word and example, he may edify those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saints Michael and Gregory

We hold it to be far nobler to fight for a long time for freedom of the Holy Church than to sink into a miserable and devilish servitude.

Pope Saint Gregory VII

Dear Faithful,

Today's sermon spoke about the great Warrior of God, St. Michael the Archangel, and the mighty assistance he brings to those who remain faithful to the good fight.  Please find below a brief explanation of the chaplet in his honor.  Also, information about that hero and Saint, Pope Gregory VII, who fearlessly stood up to corruption within the Church and Her temporal enemies without.  

Let us fervently pray to the Holy Ghost before Pentecost that by His power and inspiration, many holy leaders of both Church and State valiantly rise to defend truth, honor and the one true Faith.

Yours in Christ the King,

Father Michael McMahon
 

Listen:   Sermon of Sunday, May 24

Read:     Pope Saint Gregory VII

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The Saint Michael Chaplet
 

The Saint Michael Chaplet was revealed by the Archangel himself during an apparition in 1751 to the Servant of God, Antonia d'Astonac, a Portuguese Carmelite nun living in a convent in Vetralla, Italy. He promised special graces and favors to all who recite the Chaplet, "particularly in such times as the Catholic Church should experience some special trial..."

Those who pray the Chaplet before receiving Holy Communion will have an escort of nine angels, one from each of the nine Choirs of angels.

Those who pray the Chaplet daily will enjoy the continual assistance of St Michael and that of all the holy angels during this life.

He, Saint Michael, will obtain deliverance from purgatory for all who pray the Chaplet and for their relations.

A Brief Description of the Chaplet
 

The Saint Michael Chaplet is unique in several ways, most notably the nine segments, all with three beads. The medal of St. Michael and the prayers included in the Chaplet also make it one of a kind.

Each of the nine segments corresponds to one of the nine choirs of angels and follows the customarily recognized hierachy, starting with the Seraphim as the highest ranking and the Angels as the Lowest. Each segment start with a salutary prayer addressed specifically to one of the choirs, and continues with one Our Father and three Hail Marys. Apart from the nine segments are four beads leading the St. Michael medal. One Our Father is recited on each bead — one in honour of St. Michael, one for St. Gabriel, one for St. Raphael and the last in honour of the Guardian Angel of the person praying the Chaplet.

The Chaplet then finishes with a prayer to St. Michael, brief invocation and a concluding prayer to God.

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Litany of Saint Michael


Novena to the Holy Ghost

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Novena to the Holy Ghost

COME HOLY GHOST

Dear Faithful,

Tomorrow we celebrate the feast of Our Lord's glorious Ascension into Heaven; truly a defining moment in the history of the world, the order of grace, as well as the final moment of the Son of God's physical presence upon this earth, begun at the Annunciation.  An event however, tinged with the melancholy of departure and separation, felt most keenly by the apostolic band, who unique among mankind spent hours, days and months in close personal contact with the 'Lord of Life'.  "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life" (1 John 1:1).  

Truly this parting was of sweet sorrow, profound joy mixed with copious tears, deep love expressed, combined with the unhappiness of imminent separation.  This departure, this painful separation, however, was the will of God, absolutely necessary for the good of their souls, and much greater for the spreading of the Kingdom of Heaven!
"If I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you."  Our Lord knew that while the Apostles' love was strong, it was still imperfect, an attachment to and subsequent consolation from His physical presence. He had long proclaimed that proper, live-giving and salvific worship, must be in "spirit and in truth", nothing less, and He would again provide all that was necessary by sending another Advocate.  All is empty, imperfect, incomplete without the Holy Ghost--no true joy, no true peace, no true charity--for without the dispensing of supernatural grace, we can do nothing to sanctify our souls here below in order reach our true and ultimate destiny for all eternity.  

Thus, somewhat dejected, surely with some sense of emptiness, yet not without a fortified Faith from forty days of contact with the resurrected Savior, the disciples trekked back together, to pray and do penance in anticipation of the promised Gift of God to come. Together with Our Blessed Lady, they completed the very first novena in anticipation of the coming in force and fire of the Paraclete: the Holy Ghost, Spirit of Truth and Light!

My dear friends, it is our turn, in this year of grace, an acceptable time, nay for us the acceptable time, to storm Heaven with violence, to make no excuses, to take no prisoners, but to faithfully prepare with vim and vigor, this Pentecost, our Pentecost, as it is the next Pentecost, and the only one we are assured to receive.  Let us manfully prepare in that spirit of the ages of Faith, when men were men, and women, women: given to an ordered, balanced, fervent and vital living of their Faith, not as hearers only, but as courageous doers of the word; Catholics who know who they are and what they stand for, who will count no cost too high, no sacrifice too great, to bring about the sweet reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ through the omnipotent operations and inspirations of the Holy Ghost.

With this in mind, please find attached a traditional novena which begins Friday, the day after the Ascension, culminating on the vigil of Pentecost along with the majestic hymn Veni Creator Spiritus to be recited or better yet sung daily during the novena . In addition, please join us in making these days penitential through strict fasting to the full extent of the powers and possibilities of each of us.  

Clearly we come to a crossroads in human history, dark days of faithlessness, blasphemy, sins crying for vengeance and wanton abandon.  This poor world, redeemed by the Precious Blood of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, Priest, Prophet and King, stands in dire need of 21st century apostles, disciples: men, women and children—yes, even the children, as we recall Venantius, Jose Sanchez del Rio, the Holy Innocents, etc.—who will resoundingly cry out from pole to pole in uncompromising word and heroic deed: Praise be to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation; to Him be glory and honour forever.  Amen.

Yours in Christ the King,

Father Michael McMahon

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Click Here
for the
Novena in Honour of the Holy Ghost

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VENI CREATOR

Learn to sing this hymn at:

http://gregorian-chant-hymns.com/hymns-2/veni-creator-spiritus.html

(English)

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come
from thy bright heav'nly throne;
come, take possession of our souls,
and make them all thine own.

Thou who art called the Paraclete,
best gift of God above,
the living spring, the living fire,
sweet unction and true love.

Thou who art sevenfold in thy grace,
finger of God's right hand;
his promise, teaching little ones
to speak and understand.

O guide our minds with thy blest light,
with love our hearts inflame;
and with thy strength, which ne'er decays,
confirm our mortal frame.

Far from us drive our deadly foe;
true peace unto us bring;
and through all perils lead us safe
beneath thy sacred wing.

Through thee may we the Father know,
through thee th'eternal Son,
and thee the Spirit of them both,
thrice-blessed three in One.

All glory to the Father be,
with the Risen Son;
the same to thee, great Paraclete,
while endless ages run.
Amen.

Let us pray

O God, Who hast taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Ghost; grant that, by the gift of the same Spirit, we may be always truly wise, and ever rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

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(Latin)
 

Veni Creator Spiritus,
mentes tuorum visita,
imple superna gratia,
quae tu creasti, pectora.

Qui diceris Paraclitus,
altissimi donum Dei,
fons vivus, ignis, caritas,
et spiritalis unctio.

Tu septiformis munere,
digitus paternae dexterae,
tu rite promissum Patris,
sermone ditans guttura.

Accende lumen sensibus,
infunde amorem cordibus,
infirma nostri corporis
virtute firmans perpeti.

Hostem repellas longius
pacemque dones protinus;
ductore sic te praevio
vitemus omne noxium.

Per te sciamus da Patrem
noscamus atque Filium,
te utriusque Spiritum
credamus omni tempore.

Deo Patri sit gloria
et Filio, qui a mortuis
surrexit, ac Paraclito
in saeculorum saecula.
Amen.

Oremus

Deus qui corda fidelium Sancti Spiritus illustratione docuisti, da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta sapere, et de eius semper consolatione gaudere. Per Christum, Dominum nostrum. Amen.

The Cristero War (1926–29)

¡Viva Cristo Rey! ¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!

Dear Faithful,

In this third and final installment of historic and heroic events (final only in my writing, as the heroic history of the Church is almost endless in events and deeds to be known, cherished and emulated!), we come closer to home in both time and place, to North America less than 100 years ago to the Cristiada of the Cristeros:  heroes of hearth and home, Faith and fidelity, of heavenly King and Queen.

On this feast day of the 15 year old martyr, Saint Venantius, we fittingly draw your attention to these noble men and women who sacrificed all for the love of God.  We make very special mention of the "echo" of the 3rd century Venantius in 14-year-old Jose Sanchez del Rio (pictured above and his brief but glorious life outlined below), who suffered valiantly unto death for the love of his Faith.

The blood of martyrs has ever been the seed of the Faith; let us walk worthy in our times, treading the royal path paved in love, devotion and blood by these ordinary people who performed extraordinary feats as dedicated disciples of the Son of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ:  the same yesterday, today and forever . . .  ¡Viva Cristo Rey!  

Yours in Christ the King,

Father Michael McMahon
 

Read:

1. Cristero War

2. The Cristero War: the Story Behind the Cover Up

Watch:

1. "For The Greater Glory" The Real Cristeros Survivors Interviewed

2. Blessed Miguel Pro - November 23

3. Heart of a Hero - The Story of Blessed Jose Sanchez Del Rio

4. El Martes me Fusilan - Mexican Cristero Song by Vicente Fernandez  (Watch for the lyrics in English!)

Some Images of the Cristeros:

Venimus, vidimus, Deus vincit!

We came, we saw, and God conquered!
 

Dear Faithful,

On the day we commemorate the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima in May 1917, we present yet another great episode of Catholic heroism and inspiration in the face of tremendous odds, venturing now from the persecuted heroes in Ireland to the proud Catholic kingdom of Poland.  While most are familiar with the famous classical quotation of Julius Caesar following his victory at the Battle of Zela in Asia Minor in the first century BC:  "I came, I saw, I conquered" ( Veni, vidi, vici ), far too few, even among Catholics, are aware of the echoed quote of king, general and crusader Jan Sobieski of Poland who led the largest cavalry charge in the history of warfare against the jihadists of his day to the great victory at the famous Siege of Vienna in September 1683.  

All men, and especially Catholics should be well-versed on our glorious past, in particular this heroism and leadership, both of the king as well as the holy Capuchin monk and inspired adviser to the Holy Roman Emperor, Father Marco d'Aviano.  These are the men and deeds which should inspire a new generation of Catholics to seek self-sacrifice in the service of the Faith and the King of kings!  To leave the lethargy of comfort, couch and gadgets and rather to sally forth to the daily battle for virtue and victory!  Fittingly enough today, the historic victory can be attributed to the intervention of the Queen of Heaven, with Her Holy Rosary once again used as a most powerful spiritual weapon to turn the tide of history!  When it became known that no fewer than 300,000 Turks were advancing on the imperial capital, Pope Innocent ordered that rosaries be recited in the religious houses and churches of Rome.

Although Sobieski surely based his own exclamation upon the already famous words of Caesar, note the enormous difference between the pagan's pride and the Catholic king's humility.  While not excluding his own role and efforts in the glorious victory, rather than I, I, I . . . it is we, we and ultimately the good God who conquers!  In order to familiarize you with this glorious episode in the history of the world and the defense of our holy Faith, please find attached readings as well as a clip of Father d'Aviano's inspired speech before the charge from a movie entitled The Day of the Siege (NB:  I have only seen the clip and not the movie, so there is no full recommendation being made here).  

Long live the Catholic king, long live Catholic heroes, long live the devoted followers of Christ the King and His Immaculate Mother!  May their memories ever inspire generation after generation to the heroic heights of sanctity and may the Queen of Heaven and devotion to Her Holy Rosary, call forth numerous heroes to the battlefield of today.

Yours in Christ the King,

Father McMahon

Read:

1. The Battle of Vienna and the Holy Name of Mary

2. King Jan (John) III Sobieski

Scenes from:

The Day of the Siege (2012)

*This movie in its entirety is not recommended for all audiences.*

Mass Rocks of Ireland

Dear friends,

The refrain in recent days is that these are unprecedented times, and while in some ways they surely are, it seems an excellent time to revisit the past to see that history has a way of repeating itself. The Lord God had scourged the immoral and tyrannical Egyptians to lead His people out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and through many years in the desert while feeding them with miraculous manna from above. Our Father will surely protect us in these troubled times.

Today on the feast of Saint Stanislaus, beheaded by the king himself even while offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we bring to your attention the Mass Rocks of Ireland. This was a time when the entrenched Protestant government tried to crush the Faith and drive it forever from that most Catholic country by any and all means; when priests risked not merely liberty, but life and limb to bring faithful Catholics their essential spiritual needs; and when courageous souls risked property, wealth, family, and life itself to be present at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and to faithfully receive the sacraments.

Yours in Christ the King,

Father McMahon
 

Read:

1. Mass Rocks and the Survival of the Faith in Ireland

2. The Secret Paths that Led Ireland's Catholics to Mass

3. Mass in Ireland In Penal Times

4. Penal Laws in Ireland

5. Penal Days in Clogher

6. Irish Priests during Penal Times

Walk and Sing!

Do not wander!  Do not return!  Do not remain!

Dear Faithful,

The great Octave has ended, Low Sunday has passed and the liturgical celebration has for another year concluded . . . and yet, the Victory of the Resurrected Lord continues at every moment, through each day, for all time, lasting into eternity!  It continues in His Church, it continues through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments of His grace, it continues in the Divine Doctrine infallibly contained in the Deposit of Faith, it continues in the souls of the faithful on Earth, in Purgatory and those now enjoying the Beatific Vision for eternity in Heaven!  The Alleluia of Easter morn resoundingly rings from pole to pole, and will do so before the Throne of the Lamb without ceasing, endlessly and joyfully sung by the choirs of Angels, the blessed and Saints!

While the liturgical year, as the rhythm of life, necessarily continues on its path, the glories of Lenten victories inspired and sustained by the grace of the Cross must take root deeply in our souls and ever spur us on to the valiant practice of virtue, even heroism as we walk the pilgrim's path toward our own death and resurrection!  As the great Saint Augustine wrote long ago to the Christians of all times:  Those travelling long distances by foot are accustomed to sing in order to seemingly lessen the load and labor upon weary feet; so Christians, Walk and Sing!  And what must we sing?  Alleluia, which simply means, Praise the Lord!  My dear friends, let us then ever march on, walking toward that eternal destiny desired by the Crucified and Resurrected Christ, ever closer to obtaining the mansions prepared for us from all eternity, praising God—Father, Son and Holy Ghost—in thought, word and deed!  The same Saint cries out in warning:  Do not wander!  Do not return!  Do not remain!  This march to Heaven is, necessarily, a continual and persevering progress in virtue, a greater and deeper understanding of our holy Faith, and the daily practice thereof.  Simply put:  to grow without fail, without falter, in the knowledge and love of Our Lord Jesus Christ!  For Christ as God is the goal we must reach, and Christ as Man is the road we must travel!

Let our joyous and just celebrations at the Easter season be the harbinger of eternal and never ending glories, stored now in our hearts and expressed in our deeds.  For, as Pope Saint Gregory the Great meaningfully asked, what would  the celebrations of men here below profit us, if we were to miss the eternal celebrations of the angels before the throne of God?  The present solemnities are but the shadow of those to come!  Let then, faithful souls, the participation in these temporal joys, inflame our hearts and minds to thirst for the everlasting ones in Heaven!

Be assured of my prayers and the continual efforts to provide you with the grace of the God, who was not content to merely teach us the way to Heaven, but took upon Himself our human nature to show us the way.  Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!
 
Yours in Christ the King,

Father Michael McMahon

Only the Essential

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and His justice . . ."  (Matt. VI, 33)

Dear Faithful,

During this unique and trying situation of the virus, we are presented with numerous restraints and restrictions by the civil authority, providentially permitting us to humbly and patiently practice numerous virtues.  Whether closures of businesses, stores and recreational activities, social spacing, remaining indoors, etc. those who hold this authority are meant to be doing their very best for public health and safety.  We commend these efforts of good will and exercise of an authority which ultimately comes from Heaven, even in the temporal domain as Saint Paul so clearly teaches.  Through a true desire to obey all legitimate authority based on that very reason, as well as fraternal charity, we should willingly follow all reasonable regulations made for the common good.  Truly, in such a serious situation, we are bound to render to Caesar.  As you well know, here at the church we have done everything possible to comply with the guidelines from the Health Department as they have rolled out these past weeks, and will continue to do so.  

The civil authority has identified the need for the continuance of "essential services" and rightly so.  Food, drink, medicine and health care are essential for man to live, to keep his body healthy, strong and properly functioning.  No better way than to eat right, sleep well and exercise to ward off illness and disease.  While this essential element of human nature is to be cared for, we must not forget, nor even slightly neglect the other essential and more noble element of that same nature, our immortal soul.  Made in the image and likeness of our Creator, the rational soul must be carefully tended as well.  Various agencies both public and private have made valiant efforts during this time to aid these needs.  Live streaming of plays, entertainment, classes and courses have not only been done, but we can say have flourished, aiding to ward off "cabin fever" or worse problems, permitting our psyches the stimulation necessary for right living at least as well as possible within the constraints of the situation. 

These things are needed, nay essential, and in times of crisis one must resort to the safekeeping of and access to those things essential.  Obliged to leave aside the extraneous and superfluous, those not strictly needed for survival in a given crisis, we must nevertheless guard, defend and absolutely demand that the essentials are made available to all when humanly possible.

Caring for the necessities of nature has been briefly examined above with manifold efforts made to ensure access to all.  However, the one absolute essential based upon the highest aspirations, needs, goal and perfection of the human race as deemed by Almighty God Himself, is the supernatural life.  One can never be truly healthy if the whole person is not cared for, and this cannot be done without ministering to the supernatural needs as well.  As Catholics, blessed by God with the Faith, and knowledge of the fullness of Divine Revelation, we know the one absolute supernatural necessity:  the grace of God.  It is that divine grace which cures, enlightens, sanctifies and fortifies the human soul, raising it to a divine level and friendship with God, Father Son and Holy Ghost.  Without this grace, not only can man not enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he cannot be truly whole, healthy, nay even fully human in the manner desired by Our Lord and Redeemer.  As we well know, the Sacraments were divinely instituted to be the very channels by which we receive this grace, all of which have as their life-giving infinite source the Holy Mass, the perpetual continuation and mystical re-presentation of Our Lord's perfect sacrificial death upon the Cross on Calvary.  While clearly there is a hierarchy of essentials for body and soul, there is objectively no greater need for man, the very summit of his needs, the one which perfects the whole wonderful creature that is man than access to sanctifying grace and assistance at Holy Mass.  So essential is this need, that the Church mandates under sanction of serious sin to assist at Holy Mass every single week.  We must therefore ever ensure, and most especially in a societal crisis, this access, not simply as a concession, but as an absolute need and fundamental right.  In the words of our glorious patron Saint Pius X:  "One truth is at stake: was the Church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ or not?  Since it was, nothing can induce us to give up its constitutions, its rights or its liberty . . . one hears spoken too much of the goods of the Church and too little of her good.  Tell them that history repeats itself.  Ages ago on a high mountain two powers stood face to face.  'All this will I give thee,' said the one, offering the kingdoms of the earth and their riches, 'if thou wilt fall down and worship me.' The other refused ---and is refusing still ...''  May we too be found faithful!

As I write, the large office building construction site just next door is in operation, as is the bicycle shop across the street, not to mention the nefarious cannabis dispensaries and abortion mills throughout the city.  My dear friends, with due respect to authority, and yet vehement insistence we must demand and fully expect access to this essential need of the Mass and Sacraments.  In these times, we seek, not the superfluous, but only the essential.  

Yours in Christ the King,

Father Michael McMahon