Sunday Meditation: You Must Forgive

On the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time for Year A, Jesus completes His Community Discourse with the requirement to forgive wrongs.   To Peter’s well-known question as to how many times one should forgive a “brother or sister,” Jesus responds “not seven times but seventy-seven times” (or sometimes translated as “seventy times seven,” RSV, 2^ndCE).  This is to say infinite.  Jesus then follows that up with the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.

The infinite number of times one is to forgive, set in the context of the first reading, “Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven” (Sir 28:2) and combined with the Our Father’s “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” makes forgiveness a requirement for salvation.  But it’s even more than that.  In forgiving, God allows you to participate in His Divine action.  You become Godlike in the act of forgiveness.

The parable is a fascinating one.  It will be explicated by the homilists, but I want to touch on one element.  An internet homilist, who I won’t mention by name, but I have embedded his homilies here in the past, last week made a remark about empathy which I think misses the mark.  From a book he read called Suicidal Empathy he reached a conclusion that “empathy is not a supreme value” but acting in love to will the good of the other is.  That’s a false dichotomy.  I will get to the problem with that in a second, but to make matters worse, the homilist framed the issue in political terms: “I think it's the best exposure and take-down of the lunacy at the heart of much of the wokeist philosophy that dominates things today.”  So my first reaction to that was then Jesus doesn’t have a Sacred Heart of infinite compassion?  What then does the Sacred Heart of Jesus mean and what does Divine Mercy mean?

What the homilist gets wrong, in my humble opinion, and I admit I don’t have his stature or education, is that empathy starts the process, and then once connected to the other person’s heart (cor ad cor loquitur, heart speaks to heart from St. John Henry Newman) one reaches a rational plan of action that will address the good of the other.  But empathy is the entrance to that love.  Yes it is a supreme value.

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant from today's Gospel is a perfect example.  The Master empathizes with the first debtor and releases him from his debt.  That was willing his good and it was a result of his heart being moved.  That debtor then refuses to empathize with the second debtor.  No connection in the heart is sparked, and so he throws second debtor in jail, justice without any empathy.  Jesus then sums it up, “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”  "From the heart," the center of empathy, is Jesus’s final word on the subject.

 

 

 

Today’s Gospel:

 

 

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,

“Lord, if my brother sins against me,

how often must I forgive?

As many as seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.

That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king

who decided to settle accounts with his servants.

When he began the accounting,

a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.

Since he had no way of paying it back,

his master ordered him to be sold,

along with his wife, his children, and all his property,

in payment of the debt.

At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,

‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’

Moved with compassion the master of that servant

let him go and forgave him the loan.

When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants

who owed him a much smaller amount.

He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,

‘Pay back what you owe.’

Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,

‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

But he refused.

Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison

until he paid back the debt.

Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,

they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master

and reported the whole affair.

His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!

I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.

Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,

as I had pity on you?’

Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers

until he should pay back the whole debt.

So will my heavenly Father do to you,

unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

~Mt: 18:21-35

 

 

For the exegetical homily I go the USCCB’s Fr. Greg Friedman OFM.  This is a short but perfectly explained exegesis.

Fr. Greg:

Today's gospel parable is about the servant whose massive debt had been most generously forgiven by his master, but who in turn refuses to let a fellow servant off forgiving a very minor debt.  When the original master hears of this cruelty, we hear the result. Jesus concludes the parable with a harsh judgment by the master. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant as I had pity on you? Jesus concludes the parable by describing how in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.  After that conclusion, Jesus adds his teaching. So will my heavenly father do to you unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart. Like so many of Jesus parables, the ending shocks us in more than one way. And yet the responsibility for forgiveness is consistent with Jesus teaching earlier in the gospel in the sermon on the mount and with the prayer Christians pray daily. The Lord's prayer forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

 

The parable today is given as a response to the exchange between Jesus and Peter which precedes it in today's gospel to Peter's question about forgiveness.  Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times. Jesus gives the well-known answer, I say to you, not seven times, but 77 times. The offer of forgiveness seven times seems a reasonable attitude, one I suspect most people today actually would find rather extravagant. As Father Raymond Brown notes in his observations about Peter, Father Brown suggests that most of us might forgive once or twice but let someone offend a third time and we'd probably say enough is enough.  Peter, Father Brown suggests, was being very generous. And yet, the parable is about extreme forgiveness.  The standard Jesus sets is also staggering in its demand. Forgive 77 times which really suggests unending forgiveness.

The parable may be extreme, but Jesus is being serious: forgive or our heavenly Father will not forgive you.

 

For the pastoral homily, I’m returning to Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger who knocks it out of the park with a great example of extreme forgiveness.

Archbishop Weisenburger:

"And so it shall be with each of you, unless  you forgive your brother from your heart."  Okay, this is serious stuff, a serious  demand. But brothers and sisters, this passage conveys an essential element  of Christianity. It's not something nice, extra. This is of the essence of our faith, and  it cannot be glossed over or denied. Moreover, I fear many of us, and I surely include myself  in that group, many of us would rather apply this demand of Jesus to others, rather than to  ourselves. It's a reflection on that line of the Our Father, where we pray as Jesus did,  saying, "forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who trespass against us." Yes, this teaching  serves as a lasting reminder of our God's demand that we have not simply been called to revel or  glory in His mercy for us, but rather we are to live that same kind of profoundly challenging,  difficult, or daunting mercy in our own lives.

 

Now, as I pondered the parable, I was  reminded of something that happened in my senior year of seminary college. It was during Christmas season of 1983. A photo from Rome flashed across the scene. All around the world, it was the corner of a prison cell.  The subject of the photo: two men hunched over, sitting close together on molded plastic chairs. One in a white cassock with white skull cap, the other in a blue sweater, jeans, and running shoes with no laces. Time magazine told the story accurately, and I quote, "Last week, in an extraordinary moment of grace, the violence in St. Peter Square was transformed.  In a bare, white-walled cell in Rome's Rebibbia Prison, Pope John Paul II tenderly held the hand that held the gun that was meant to kill him. For 21 minutes, the Pope sat with his would-be assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca. The two talked softly. Once or twice, Agca laughed.  The Pope forgave him for the shooting. At the end of the meeting, Agca either kissed the Pope's ring or pressed the Holy Father's hand to his forehead in a Muslim gesture of respect."  End of quote. We're then told later that when asked about what they had talked about, Pope John Paul II responded, "That will have to remain a secret between him and me.  I spoke to him as a brother whom I have pardoned and who has my complete trust."

 

Okay, brothers and sisters, that picture, more expressive than a thousand words. That simple phrase, "a brother whom I have pardoned," continues to challenge us mightily more than four decades after the event took place. It actually gives life to the words of our Gospel today. And in doing so, it challenges us. And not because Pope St. John Paul provides a simple solution to the world's problems of "retaliation versus reconciliation." But quite the contrary, the Pope's words, "I pardoned him," compels me to ask what being a Christian demand of me today in a world that seems increasingly saturated with the cravings of revenge.

 

A picture and a real life example is worth a thousand homiletical words.

 

 

 

Sunday Meditation: “Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?"

 

 

 

Here is a hymn I have never heard before but so beautiful, “Give Me a Heart of Forgiveness” credited to PureFire Worship.

 

Give me a heart of forgiveness, Lord,

Soft and open, like Yours before.

Help me to let go and to love again,

To break these chains and heal within.

Oh, give me a heart,

A heart of forgiveness.

 

Jesus, make my heart like yours.

 

Music Tuesday: In Memoriam, Dolly Parton

As you all probably know, Dolly Parton, the great country singer and songwriter and even sometime movie star, passed away two weeks ago now on August 25^th.  Sassy, traditional, revolutionary, feminist without the negative aspects of feminism, wife to one husband for decades, philanthropist, believing Christian, and all-round good person, she was one of a kind.  She grew up poor, became rich from her talent, but always understood those that struggled to make ends meet.  From ABC News:

Dolly Parton, the beloved country music superstar known as much for her philanthropy and theme park business as she was for her chart-topping hit songs, has died at 80.

Parton's death on Tuesday was announced by her publicist, who said the singer "died peacefully" in Nashville. No cause of death was initially provided, but a later statement provided by her publicist said Parton died at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones after "bravely facing a brief battle with cancer."

A small private service will be held for immediate family, the publicist said.

"As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures," Parton wrote on Instagram in September 2025, though she never specified the nature of her health issues. Nearly six months later, at the seasonal opening of her Dollywood theme park, she said that she was still dealing with "a few little health issues" from which she was taking time to recover.

Parton also shared that she was still navigating her grief over the March 2025 death of her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, saying that she had been taking time since to rebuild herself "spiritually, emotionally and physically."

I did not really know Dolly Parton’s work that well.  Her music wasn’t exactly in my catalogue of listening titles, but I did like what I heard.  The thing that surprised me the most as I learned about her life is that she was a great songwriter.  She wrote her own songs and songs for others.  I can’t recall the exact number but the songs attributed to her are in the thousands.  AP devoted an article to her music legacy and said this.

Parton’s legacy starts with the immortality of her music: songwriting as solace, an exercise in creativity and an unwavering ability to write experience into art. Across her career, Parton wrote and performed perennial hits (“Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors,” “Little Sparrow,” take your pick) and others that took on a life of their own (most famously, “I Will Always Love You,” made immortal by Whitney Houston ).

Parton grew up in poverty, one of 12 kids in East Tennessee’s rural Sevier County, where she started writing songs as a toddler. By 10, she was on the radio and TV in Knoxville, Tennessee. By 13, she had made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry. At 21, she joined “The Porter Wagoner Show,” her star power quickly eclipsing its host.

The accomplishments — and the trials and tribulations that came with them, which she let roll off her shoulders with enviable resiliency — came fast and furious, as they do with once-in-a-lifetime talents. There are the 10 Grammys, the numerous Hall of Fame inductions, and the fact that she revolutionized the world of country music for women alongside Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette, creating a path for crossover artistry. But there are also her Hollywood forays. It’s telling that her first feature film, “9 to 5,” celebrated women in the workplace and messed with their devious bosses.

The other aspect of her life that I learned was her philanthropy.  PEOPLE magazine had an article on her charitable giving. 

Beyond writing and performing hits like “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “Coat of Many Colors,” the legendary country singer-songwriter — who died on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at age 80 — dedicated much of her life to helping others at home and abroad.

From starting her Dollywood Foundation in the 1980s to help children in Sevier County, Tenn. — where she grew up — achieve educational success, to funding COVID vaccine research, Parton’s philanthropic efforts, like her career, were wide-ranging.

“I’m kind of addicted to the feeling of giving,” the country star told PEOPLE in 2021 for a People of the Year cover story. “Knowing that I’m doing something good for someone else.”

The following year, she was recognized with the prestigious Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy for her decades of charitable efforts, which also include her foundation’s Imagination Library, a monthly book gifting program for children under five.

“I’m proud of the Imagination Library as much as anything I’ve ever done in my life,” Parton told PEOPLE while receiving the award in 2022. The same night, the country icon also shared how she finds causes to support, revealing that she has a team of staffers to help out in between her other work. She also said she followed her heart.

“I always want to do things that I can be proud to talk about, things that I believe in,” Parton told PEOPLE at the time. “I cannot be a hypocrite and just say I’m going to donate this money for a tax write-off. I’d really like for it to mean something to me — something I can take pride in.”

So after spending a week exploring her music, I came up with these seven songs which I think capture various aspects of her body of work.  First, let’s go with one of her first hits, “Jolene” of 1973.

 

 

The intensity of expression is captured in the ever increasing desperation in the singer’s voice with each successive “Jolene.”  Dolly makes this song with her articulation, and it feels so honest.  I also love the interweave of three acoustic guitars. 

Even before “Jolene” was “Coat of Many Colors” (1971) which combines her story of growing up in poverty with nostalgic family love rooted in Biblical values.

 

Much later in 2001 she wrote and recorded “Little Sparrow.”  She was a great performer, so I’m going to select a live rendition to show off her voice and showmanship.

 

Of course, the little sparrow, who feels no pain, contrasts with singer.  This is wonderful songwriting. 

“9 to 5” (1980) is probably her most well-known song, and she captures perfectly a woman’s hardship in a male dominated work world.

 

The video uses excerpts from the movie and hopefully also captures her foray into movie acting.

From 1975, Doly wrote “The Bargain Store” for the album by that name.  Yes, this song is country, but there is such a folk song element to it.  It crosses genres.

 

Again such great songwriting.  A hurt, perhaps emotionally damaged woman, compares herself to a store of reduced priced items.  The song strives to be hopeful but the tension of the passed hurt belies the hope.

A brighter and more joyous song is the 1974, “Love is Like a Butterfly,” where Dolly makes another comparative leap.

 

And I love her articulation in that song as she flutters from word to word.  That’s two minutes and twenty-five seconds of perfection!

Finally I want to capture Doly’s faith as expressed in song.  Christianity Today also wrote on her passing and covered religious side.  Here’s an excerpt.

She wove religious themes and imagery into her songs and, like many other country artists, frequently recorded and performed covers of sacred songs. Her 1971 hit, “Coat of Many Colors,” blends her story of growing up in poverty with the biblical story of Joseph. One of her first original songs, “Letter to Heaven,” is written as a child’s petition to God after the death of her mother. Her 1994 album Heartsongs: Live from Home includes a cover of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” and Precious Memories (1999) features an array of familiar hymns like “In the Garden,” “Amazing Grace,” and “Power in the Blood.”

The article quotes from Dolly’s autobiography.

One day as I prayed in earnest, I broke through some sort of spirit wall and found God,” Dolly Parton wrote in her 1994 autobiography. “Not as a chastising, bombastic bully but as a friend I could talk to on a one-to-one basis. He is our father, after all.”

They also quote her as to why she doesn’t belong to an organized church. 

Parton described herself as “very spiritual” but not religious. She grew up going to the Pentecostal church where her grandfather preached, but said that after being shamed by fellow churchgoers for the way she dressed, she chose to part ways with organized Christianity.

Still, I find her faith sincere.  Let’s end her retrospective with “When Jesus Comes Calling For Me.”

 

When I was a child I recall an old man everybody loved old Zeke

(He was all alone, his family was gone one day he said to me)

I'm just sittin' here thinkin' about Jesus, rockin' as my old chair creaks

Some glad day I'll fly away when Jesus comes calling for me

It might be today, it might be tomorrow, maybe one day next week

I'll soon be done with trouble and sorrow when he comes calling for me

When Jesus comes calling for me

When I die don't grieve and cry

Lordy, don't feel sorry for me

Oh what a day, what a mighty fine day

When Jesus comes calling for me

When he comes calling for me

 

Somehow I think she had these lyrics on her lips as the Good Lord came calling for her.

Eternal Rest give onto her, Lord,
And let perpetual light shine upon her.
May Dolly Parton rest in peace.
Amen.

 

Sunday Meditation: Two or Three Gathered in His Name

For Year A’s Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Gospel reading breaks into the fourth of Matthew’s discourse, the Discourse on the Church.   One can read this Gospel passage in a very castigating way, but the Church, who matches this reading with the “love-thy-neighbor” commandment as articulated in St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans and St. Matthew himself in this chapter surrounds this passage with Parables of the Lost Sheep and Unforgiving Servant and the direction to Peter to forgive an infinite amount of times.  Whatever exclusion that sinner is faced with, in no uncertain terms are we not to forgive and be charitable. 

I’m always curious to see what Gina Hens-Piazza from America Media has to say on the Sunday Gospel passages, and on this she has the same perspective as I have just stated.  She cites various gentiles Jesus shows compassion to, and she cites the various passages where Jesus is compassionate to tax collectors: Mt 9:9-13, Lk 19:1-10, Mt 9:10-13. 

What’s curious to me, and frankly I haven’t heard anyone mention this, is that Matthew himself was a tax collector.  He would be the last person to condemn all tax collectors as inexpiable, but he would also be conscious of the separation of those not in communion.  As to gentiles, Matthew just three Sundays ago (20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time) gave us the healing of the Canaanite woman’s daughter.  Matthew the apostle was there to witness it.

Gina sums up her exegesis with this:

 

Therefore, when Jesus invites us to treat resistant wrongdoers like a Gentile or tax collector, he means for us to continue recognizing them, never to close the door on them or anyone. He urges us never to justify excluding or ending our outreach to them. Finally, we must resist deciding that they are unreconcilable. Such verdicts are the sole prerogative of our God, the Great Judge, whom Jesus taught us in the parable of the unforgiving servant, forgives even those who can’t pay their debts. And, perhaps, each one of us, at some time in our life, can be grateful for that.

 

 

 

Today’s Gospel:

 

 

Jesus said to his disciples:

"If your brother sins against you,

go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.

If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.

If he does not listen,

take one or two others along with you,

so that 'every fact may be established

on the testimony of two or three witnesses.'

If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.

If he refuses to listen even to the church,

then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.

Amen, I say to you,

whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,

and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Again, amen, I say to you,

if two of you agree on earth

about anything for which they are to pray,

it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name,

there am I in the midst of them."

~Mt: 18:15-20

 

 

Fr. Joseph Mary of the Capuchin Friars, one of my favorite homilists, provides a very good exegetical homily.

 

Fr. Joseph:

There's perhaps no greater antithesis to the divine nature of the church than the divisions and hostilities which have splintered the body of Christ. In this Sunday's gospel, Jesus gives his disciples a clear mandate for dealing with divisions and especially with a brother who sins. Now, at first glance, this passage seems like an enumeration of the rules of an institution. If a brother sins against you, go and speak to him personally regarding his transgression. he refuses to listen, take two or three others to act as witnesses. If he still refuses to listen, take the matter to the church.  And if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a gentile or a tax collector. In other words, excommunicate them from the fellowship of the Christian community.  Again, these seem like juridical regulations for dealing with obstinate sinners, laws governing the punishment for heretical obstinacy.  And that's a fair reading.

 

Jesus begins by saying, "If your brother sins against you, go and try to convince him of his error between you and him alone." Now, if your brother sins against you, Jesus is reminding us the members of the Christian community are truly brothers and sisters. The catechism teaches that we're united more intimately by the bonds of our baptism than we are by our blood relations.  Within the Christian community, we should truly see in the other a brother and a sister before God. This first sentence sets the tone for everything that follows. It's not simply if a man sins against you or a lawyer sins against you or a brick layer sins against you. It's if your brother sins against you. Everything that follows has to be understood from the perspective of the unity of the Christian community.

This is an outstanding point.  It’s a brother who is being wayward, and so there are certain bonds which cannot easily be dissolved.  The passage is first and foremost addressing Chrisitan community.

 

And if this last attempt should fail, Jesus says, treat the offending brother as you would a gentile or tax collector.  Again, juridically this can mean excommunication. But even excommunication is never intended simply for the sake of punishment. It's medicinal, intended to bring the obstinate brother to his senses.  After all, how did Jesus Christ treat the Gentiles and the tax collectors? He answered the prayer of the gentile woman, and a tax collector was among his apostles. Jesus sat down and ate with sinners, hoping through merciful love to draw them to himself. There's an undeniable undercurrent throughout this gospel, a plea for unity. It's an echo of the prayer that Christ will utter to the father at the last supper that they may all be one father as you are in me and I am in you.  That they may be one in us. So authentic unity must be rooted in Christ, rooted in charity, and rooted in truth.

That is quite a fascinating take on this passage.  Ultimately it is a call for unity despite the need for separation.

 

For the pastoral homily, I’m going to go to someone new, Fr. Yamil Samalot Rivera, O.P. with the “Word of Hope” sermon from Dominicans of St. Albert Province.

 

 

Fr. Yamil Samalot Rivera:

This Sunday's gospel brings us a message full of love and hope.  On one hand, we can feel Jesus' immense desire to save us.  Offering opportunity after opportunity, for us to turn our lives around.  First, he sends someone from the community to help us.  If that isn't enough, he sends more brothers and sisters to support us.  If we still need more guidance, he calls upon the whole community, the church.  And if we still refuse to set our paths straight, he leaves us to live without belonging like Gentiles

That’s a bright and sunny way to view this passage that so many see as stern. 

 

On the other hand, and this is perhaps the most beautiful and rich theological aspect of this text, Jesus reveals the power present in the life of the community.  It is worth recalling the words the master spoke to Peter two Sundays ago, in the 1st part of chapter 16 of the gospel of Matthew.  The power given to Simon Peter, the rock of our church.  Jesus now grants to the entire community of faith, of which Peter is to be leader and shepherd.  Amen.  I say to you, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

 

Our Lord assures us that a life of communion in the community makes him truly present.  For where 2 or 3 are gathered together in my name. There I am in the midst of them.  It is almost an Eucharistic power.  Coming together in agreement and faith makes him present.  Jesus has given immense power to the church as a community of faith so that we will not be lost, so that miracles may happen so that his saving presence continues in the world.  And mind you, this applies to each and every one of the baptized to all of us who strive to love our brothers and sisters as Jesus loves us.  Let us make a commitment, not only to live in community, but to live in communion in our communities.

This brings it again to community and communion.  The Eucharistic element here is rather interesting, but “Communion” is another name for Eucharist. 

I also urge to go back to three years ago where I embedded a video of Dr. Brant Pitre’s exegesis of this passage.

 

 

 

Sunday Meditation: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

 

 

This is one of the most beloved of Catholic hymns, “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus!” performed by Catholic Music Initiative.

 

Alleluia! Sing to Jesus! His the scepter, his the throne;

Alleluia! His the triumph, his the victory alone;

Hark! The songs of peaceful Zion thunder like a mighty flood;

Jesus out of every nation has redeemed us by his Blood.

 

Alleluia! King eternal, You the Lord of lords we own.

Alleluia! Born of Mary, Earth your footstool, heaven your throne:

You within the veil have entered, robed in flesh, our great High Priest;

Here on earth both Priest and Victim in the Eucharistic feast.

 

Alleluia! Alleluia! Glory be to God on high;

Alleluia to the Savior who has won the victory;

Alleluia to the Spirit, Font of love and sanctity;

Alleluia! Alleluia! To the triune majesty.

 

His the victory!

Handmaids and Warriors Newsletter: September 2026

This is Alice’s September newsletter.  I explained Alice’s monthly newsletter here.  This month focuses on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Before the newsletter, let us pray: For Pope Leo XIV

Hail Mary, full of grace…

Hail Mary, full of grace…

Hail Mary, full of grace…

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

 

 

Handmaids of Mary

St. Michael’s Warriors

 

September 2026 Newsletter

 

 

CELEBRATING THE NATIVITY OF MARY

8th September

 

Prayer: HOLY CHILD MARY, mystical dawn, gate of heaven, thou are my trust and hope.

O powerful advocate, from thy cradle stretch out thy hand, support me on the path of life.

Make me serve God with ardor and constancy until death and so reach an eternal  crown.

 

The feast of the Nativity has two aspects.

The first shows us Heaven’s view: it enables us to enter into God’s plan for the salvation of the world.

The second shows us what happens on earth; it has the freshness of dawn and of a first morning.

SEEN FROM HEAVEN

 

It is a Trinitarian Feast:  it is the first moment in the preparation of the Alliance which will unfold between heaven and earth.

-Mary is the privileged daughter of the Father who prepares Her for Her heavenly destiny.

-She is the future Mother of the word of God who will make His home in Her.

-it is she who at the Annunciation will pronounced the decisive “YES” to the coming of the Holy Spirit.

 

SEEN FROM EARTH

 

First and foremost Christians who are able should share in the Eucharist which the church celebrates on the birthday of their heavenly mother, and bring others along with them.

At a family level, the feast should be prepared and celebrated in the heart of our Christian family.

So the feast of the Nativity of Mary is a feast of hope for the renewal of the church.  It inaugurates the plan of the Trinity for the salvation and happiness of humanity. For that reason, this date in the liturgy should be especially dear to us.

“Lord may your church renewed in this holy Eucharist be filled with joy at the birthday of the Virgin Mary, who brought the dawn of hope and salvation to the world” (L.J. Cardinal Suenens)

 

Alice Desmond
A special letter for the Nativity of Mary