Mary And The New Year
Our parish had Eucharistic adoration from 10PM to 12 AM New Year's Eve so we were able to usher in the New Year in the presence of Christ himself, then the following morning celebrate the New Year by receiving Him during in mass. What a way to start the New Year!
The New Year's Day Mass used to be the feast of the circumcision but it has been changed to be a solemnity, the Solemnity of Mary. The Church in her wisdom reminds the faithful that Mary is the model of holiness and obedience for all Christians. When Mary is emphasized, which tends to be a sticking point for non-Catholics, God is ultimately glorified. This has been the pattern for 2000 years and whenever the Church made an infallible statement regarding her, it was for a better understanding of Christ. ( Yes I am aware that some Catholics can take Marian devotion too far, and this issue has always been with the Church, see my post here)
Dr. Jeff Mirus has written an excellent piece on Mary which is one of the best short articles I have seen that explains Mary's role in the Church. From the early Christians onward, Mary was considered an important part of salvation history. She is not an "add on" by Catholics but it has been the Father's will from the beginning to grant us salvation through the flesh of humans, and in particular Mary, the first Christian.
posted by Russ Rentler, M.D. | 9:31 AM
5 Comments:
How loving of our Father to give us not only a "Brother" His Son, our Savior, but a Mother, too!
Speaking of Mirus, you may like his article on the Mass:
http://www.ewtn.com/library/LITURGY/CATHLIT.TXT
"....questions of style are
secondary in Catholic worship for the simple reason that Catholic worship is not primarily about what we do for Christ, but about what Christ does
for us."
Amen Susie! It resonates with our hearts doesn't it. But we fought it for so long...
KKol:
How apropo that link you suggested!
I was just taking a break from working on a new sung Lamb of God, for the Mass and was thinking about Liturgy and the purpose of music in Liturgy.
I so related to so many parts of that article, particularly his comments regarding emotion and spiritual progress. that was a sore point for me as an evangelical in a very charismatic church where spirituality was judged by how much you jumped or crawled or moaned or yelled during their worship services. If a person week after week, stood fairly motionless during worship, they were accused of being dis-engaged and running from God! These are actual things I was told!
As my church became more and more emotion-based with increasing professionally staged worship music, their worship was judged by how much the congregation could be whipped into a fervor. I knew this wasn't right then, but had no idea what true Liturgy was all about, Christ's work in Mass rather than our own emotional responses and feel goodism. I want a Church that worships in spirit and truth, not one that makes me feel good. I know longer have to look any further as Dr. Mirus says, God instituted a universal Church divinely inspired to bring the congregant, regardless of intellect, emotional IQ, etc into His presence.
thanks for the Link
"a very charismatic church where spirituality was judged by how much you jumped or crawled or moaned or yelled during their worship services."
I'm frightened, Aunt Em!
I use that Mirus article as a foundation for my 6th grade treatment of the Mass. Not to dump links on you, but I also value this next one, which references Mirus. No obligation on your part to slog thru it all. Some pith:
"The sacrifice at the Last Supper was the same one as at Calvary but like the original Passover, it was done in anticipation of death of the First Born the next day."
"Jesus never offers his body an blood for sin on Calvary. He only does this explicitly at the Last Supper. As such, Jesus' own priestly action is essentially and irreducibly tied to the Last Supper. Without the Last Supper, Jesus was merely a martyr, not a sacrifice for sin."
http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/primer.html
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