Pentecost XV
During the High Mass on this Labor Day weekend, the Lilies glow in the morning sun.
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Daily Sermons
August 21 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Jane Frances and the Will of God
August 28 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Augustine: How He Became a Saint
September 2 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Gertrude of Nivelles
September 3 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Pius X
September 4 – Fr. Lehtoranta – Aligning Our Desires with Our Final Goal
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✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
That extra week of Summer which opened September this year proved a real sizzler. We will all be happy for tomorrow’s holiday, to have hot Summer at least officially over. Labor Day started with Socialist trade unions a century and more ago, but now it is just a day without labor for many, a holiday, marking Summer’s end. Long forgotten are the riots and revolutionary rumblings of the labor movement, forgotten too are the wise teachings of real popes on these social questions. Thus we have the untrammeled selfishness of the few who are rich, and the galloping socialist of the Republicans and Democrats both. How much we need good St. Joseph, patron of all who labor. Say a prayer to him tomorrow for all of society’s needs, and for all of your own.
I wonder what our masters are up to in provoking a new, and thus far successful Mohammedan invasion of Europe? One writer compares it to the Barbarian invasion of he Dark Ages. Still, nature abhors a vacuum, and the former Christians of Europe are no longer having children. The cities are emptying out. Now the pitiless followers of the Prophet will occupy once Christian lands. It seems a logical, but horrifying fit, and certainly a fitting punishment from God. Join us in our Masses and prayers in honor of Mary for the conversion of the Moslems, and for all of our intentions during this month, of all the twelve most her own.
What a comfort it is to start the new season with so many and wonderful feasts of Our Lady. Baby Mary’s cradle stands empty today, in preparation for her birthday celebrations come Tuesday. Be sure to come to one of the Masses, and bring your children to her cradle. A school year, a new church season started with Mary, Dawn of our salvation, is one well started indeed. On this kind of foundation we can build.
Kentucky’s poster lady for marriage turns out to be not much of one. She has been “married” four times, and her current husband is not her husband. In the end, it is always all about marriage, true natural marriage until death. But they will chop your head off pretty near anywhere, if you say so, just as they did to John the Baptist.
Bishop Sanborn stopped by the other day, on his travels from Michigan, where he was replacing Fr. Saavedra, who is visiting his family in Mexico. His Excellency filled us in on the news. I am happy to report four new seminarians expected for later this month, three of them Americans. This will bring the total to ten. The seminary priests have started a new mission in Veroe Beach, Florida, in addition to their other and pressing labors for the formation of our future priests. Please keep Bishop Sanborn and his seminary in your grateful prayers. They all work very hard indeed.
Fr. Cekada and I returned from our traditional visit to Santa Fe with colds, but nothing can diminish a really restful and prayerful visit to the City of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi. I was able to visit Our Lady’s oldest image in our land, the Conquistadora, most days, and be sure I prayed for you all. We also made our customary pilgrimage to Chimay, “America’s Lourdes.” Finally, we picked up the trail of the remarkable Venerable Mary of Agreda, who bilocated from her cloistered convent in Spain to New Mexico in the 17th century, to teach the Indians catechism, and even to assist the Franciscan Padres in organizing Baptisms. This time we visited the haunting ruins of the Salinas Pueblo missions, where holy Franciscans brought so many savages to salvation in the one true Faith.
One of the spiritual benefits of such trips today is to reinforce our faith, and the realization of the albeit relatively recent holiness of our beloved land. “The land on which you walk is holy land.” We should show our gratitude to God’s goodness in sending so many saints to American by knowing and revering them, as well as by resolving to become one ourselves.
There, that’s a good September resolution, isn’t it? May Our Lady grant you perseverance throughout this new year, and St. Joseph to work alongside you!
–Bp. Dolan