Dear Parishioners,
There is a spectacular and mysterious image we contemplate in the second reading from Hebrews this weekend: “you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel” (Heb 12:22-24).
All of this is what we approach in the celebration of every Mass! At Mass, all of heaven is present; it is our primary contact with God—where He speaks to us and we to Him; where God reaches out to touch us and we Him.
The Mass is my favorite thing about being a Catholic—my favorite thing about being a priest. It is the primary draw for many inquirers and converts to the Catholic faith in our Pastorate; and, it is my favorite place to see you!
This upcoming Sunday, September 7, we will be blessed with newly canonized saints Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati. The two of them are inspiring patrons for young people—Carlo died at age 15 and Pier at age 24. They are also saints whom we know to have been driven by their Eucharistic faith. Hear what they had to say about the Eucharist:
“If Jesus stays with us wherever there is a consecrated Host, what need is there to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to visit places he lived two thousand years ago? If only people visited tabernacles with the same devotion!” – Blessed Carlo Acutis
While I sincerely pray everyone can make a pilgrimage to our Faith’s holy shrines, Blessed Carlo’s words ring true.
“I urge you with all the strength of my soul to approach the Eucharistic Table as often as possible. Feed on this Bread of the Angels from which you will draw the strength to fight inner struggles, the struggles against passions and against all adversities, because Jesus Christ has promised to those who feed themselves with the most Holy Eucharist, eternal life and the necessary graces to obtain it.” – Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
Blessed Pier reminds us of the tremendous power of our Daily Bread.
Please join us for daily Mass this week if you are able. There will also be Eucharistic adoration on Friday September 5 at St. Jane Frances from 9am–3pm and Our Lady of the Chesapeake from 9am–10am.
As we take tomorrow as a nation to celebrate Labor Day, let us give thanks to God for the dignity of our labors. We pray for and open our hearts to those who are not accorded fair wages and how we might serve and advocate for them.
You may find the following reflections and resources formative: https://www.usccb.org/committees/domestic-justice-and-human-development/labor-day-resources
God bless you and thank you for keeping the Pastorate of the Visitation in your daily prayers!
Father John
