The month of May is typically dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus and our mother as well. This weekend we have our May Procession as we honor Mary and bring flowers to her as a sign of our love and affection. Praying the rosary on a more frequent basis would be a gift she would appreciate even more as we draw closer to her and “the fruit of her womb, Jesus.”
This week, Mary’s son, Jesus, reminds us of his love for us in referring to himself not only as the good shepherd but also as the sheep gate (John 10:1-10). As the sheep gate, Jesus serves as the entrance into a land of security, peace, and safety. It is a state of being and a relationship that gives life more abundantly than we can imagine.
So, this weekend, we celebrate two blessings: Mary and Jesus. May we strive to enter a deeper relationship with Our Lord and Our Lady.
Fr. Carl
“We must be like the shepherds in the fields during the winter. They have a fire, but from time to time they search about for sticks to keep it alive. If we knew how to keep up the fire of the love of God in our heart by prayers and good works, it would not go out.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars
“INSIDE OUR SACRED SPACE”
Baptism is the door to all the Church’s sacraments. The baptistery or baptismal font is part of every Catholic Church and located so that the congregation can participate in the baptismal ceremony. Some fonts are large pools with free-flowing water and normally found as you enter the nave; others are smaller and placed in different locations. The early converts to Christianity were baptized in rivers, streams, public baths, some in the catacombs. For the most part, it wasn’t until the fourth century with the construction of churches that baptisms were brought indoors.
Over the centuries, even until recently, the receptacle used for baptisms has been continuously reduced in size. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ document “Built on living Stones” says for each parish that, “One font that will accommodate the baptism of both infants and adults symbolizes the one faith and one baptism that Christians share.”
***This article “Inside Our Sacred Space” was originally published in the OSV Newsweekly, www. OSV.com, on January 8-14, 2017 and is used with permission of the author D.D. Emmons. ***
