In the Name of Mary: Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary (Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 1:46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55; Luke 1:39-47)

Today is the memorial for the Most Holy Name of Mary. In some ways, this day is a good opportunity to reflect on the importance of a name in the spiritual life.

When I baptize a child, the first thing I do is ask the parents what name they have given their child.  I also state the name of the child as I pour water on the child’s head to convey the sacrament.  This is very important because their child is someone, not something.  God wants to have a personal relationship with the child and knows that child by the name given by the parents.

That too, is important, because the power to name something means that you have authority over them and responsibility for them.  Adam gained dominion over the animals when he named them.

That’s why from a spiritual warfare perspective, you should never let anyone give you a name.  Nicknames often seem fun and innocent, but there can be a dark side that we need to be aware of.

Speaking of spiritual warfare, the Rite of Solemn Exorcism the priest oftentimes determines the name of the demon. This is for two reasons that both relate to the importance of a name, similar to my point related to baptism. If a demon reveals its name, then it is a sign that its hold on the victim is weakening and the exorcism is efficacious. But more practically, once the priest knows the name of the demon, he can more effectively invoke the authority the Catholic Church has over demons… the same dominion Adam was given over the animals.

We do the same thing in other forms of deliverance ministry.  We give the evil spirits we identify a name.  Then, we name that spirit as we renounce it and send it to the Cross of Jesus Christ for Him to deal with as He will.

To bring this back to our memorial, the Most Holy Name of Mary has a special place in deliverance ministry.

During the Rite of Exorcism, the priest will say, “The glorious Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, commands you; she who by her humility and from the first moment of her Immaculate Conception crushed your proud head”...this is a direct reference to Genesis 3:15.

Demons will generally refuse, or are otherwise unable, to say the name of Mary due to the immense torment the name of Mary causes them.  In fact, a demon once told the exorcist Father Gabriele Armorth that each Hail Mary recited faithfully is like “a blow to the head for me”.

The name of Mary has practical implications to each of our spiritual lives.  Jesus revealed to Saint Bridget that His Most Blessed Mother would grant 3 special graces to those who invoke her holy name with confidence: 

• That He would grant them perfect sorrow for their sins.
• That their crimes should be atoned for. 
• That He would give them strength to attain perfection, and at length the glory of paradise.

And Jesus further added, “For thy words, O My Mother, are so sweet and agreeable to Me, that I cannot deny what thou askest.”

Mary is the most blessed among women because she is the only creature given the charism of total enmity with Satan, which is the essence of the Immaculate Conception.  Through her fiat, the head of Satan is crushed.  Through her fiat, her humility conquers the pride of Satan. 

When we call upon the name of Mary and align our personal fiat to her fiat, the Holy Spirit can work through us, just as He works through Mary. 

When we call upon the name of Mary and align our personal fiat to her fiat, the evil spirits prowling about the world will flee from us just as they flee from Mary.

When we call upon the name of Mary and align our personal fiat to her fiat, we share in the crushing of the head of Satan just as Saint Paul says in Romans 16:20.

In the name of Mary, our mother in Christ, what has been spoken by the Lord will be fulfilled.

Thanks be to God!

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Praise the Lord and His Holy Cross: Thursday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time (Colossians 3:12-17; Psalm 150:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6; Luke 6:27-38)

This Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of the Exultation of the Cross.  On this Feast day, we honor the instrument of our salvation, the instrument made sacred by the Lord’s offering of Himself upon it in response to the New and Eternal Covenant that He initiated at the Last Supper.

On this feast day, we also remember two historical events:  The first event was the discovery of the True Cross by St. Helena in the year 320 after it had been buried by the Romans under a temple to Venus.  The second event was the dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, which houses Calvary, the tomb of Jesus, and the cistern in which instruments of the Passion, including the Cross, were found.

Splinters of the Holy Cross have been sent to parishes around the world, including the relic that we venerate here at Incarnate Word every Good Friday.

In Rome, the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem contains a number of relics from the Passion that Saint Helena brought back to Rome with her, including a sizable portion of  the Holy Cross.

All of that being said, we must remember that it is through the Cross that God forgives us.  It is through the Cross that God showers us with His compassion, His kindness, His humility, His gentleness, and His patience.

God invites us to be to a source of these things to others through the crosses we carry.  In his monthly challenge, Archbishop Lori reminds us:  “When we deal with our suffering in a virtuous way, we unite ourselves to the cross of Christ. In fact, Jesus tells us that taking up our cross is an essential condition for being his disciple. The wonderful thing is that God will supply whatever grace and strength we need to carry our cross, if only we ask for it in faith. May we always carry our cross daily with courage as faithful followers of Christ.”

That grace we receive through His Cross can be a source of courage, strength, and hope for others.

As we celebrate this important feast day, Archbishop Lori invites us to undertake some sacrifice or mortification.  Examples of this could include abstaining from something like meat, sugar, or alcohol, or even abstaining from something like watching sports, in order to strengthen our willingness to carry our crosses daily and help others carry theirs.

What are the crosses you must carry in your life?  Which do you struggle with the most?  Do you faithfully and regularly seek strength from Christ in carrying your cross in prayer and the sacraments?  At Mass, do you intentionally seek to encounter the Cross and unite your cross to it?  Who in your circle of influence needs help carrying their cross?  How is the Holy Spirit calling you to help them carry it to the true Cross at the Mass?

Ultimately, this feast day is a reminder to mindfully bear our crosses as opposed to succumbing to self-pity, anger, resentfulness, or despair.  It is our reminder to lean into His Cross through the Mass to get through the difficult moments in our life, and to give that same gift of love to others by helping them do the same.  Through the Cross, through the Mass, through the Eucharist, all our difficulties can be transformed into something holy.

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord and His Holy Cross!

Saint Michael’s Lent: Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time (Colossians 1:15-20; Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5; Luke 5:33-39)

If you have ever read “The Little Flowers of Saint Francis”, you may be familiar with the devotion an increasing number of Catholics practice this time of the year.  It is a medieval Catholic tradition known as Saint Michael’s Lent.

In “The Little Flowers”, Saint Francis of Assisi expressed his desire for his Franciscan brothers to celebrate the Assumption of the Mary and then spend forty days preparing for the Feast of Saint Michael by fasting.

It was during the practice of Saint Michael’s Lent that Saint Francis was given the stigmata.  Also, God has granted numerous miracles through this devotion.

Saint Michael’s Lent is a period of focused prayer, fasting, and penance from the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary to the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels.   The latter feast was simply known as the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel on the old liturgical calendar and more commonly referred to as Michaelmas.

Similar to Lent, it is a time to deny ourselves of the things of this world in order to make more room in our lives for the grace of God.  It is also a special time to honor Our Lady, as Queen of the Angels, as well as, Saint Michael the Archangel.

Saint Michael’s Lent is not as structured nor as stringent as Lent is.  Rather, it is perhaps more likened to Advent in that we are free to choose how best to prepare ourselves for the upcoming feast. 

It is the time of the year that we can ask ourselves:  How might the Lord be calling us to fast during these forty days to increase hunger and thirst for Him?  How might the Lord be calling us to engage more deeply into prayer and the sacramental life of the Church in order to grow closer to Him?  How might the Lord be calling us to a deeper level of penance?

Overall, this discipline may look different for everyone, but there are some helpful reflections and meditations that we can take to prayer.  It is also common practice to pray the Chaplet of Saint Michael throughout the forty days of Saint Michael’s Lent with the Novena to Saint Michael prayed in the nine days leading up to the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels.

It is also a good time to reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and to examine how well we are living them out in our lives, looking for concrete ways to make the works of mercy a more focused part of our lives.

There are many benefits to the practice of the disciplines of Saint Michael’s Lent:

Personal Sanctity - It is often a time of profound personal transformation and conversion through the focused spiritual practices.

Communal Renewal - Reconnecting with this rich spiritual heritage can often open the door to new strength and vitality for the community as a whole.

Spiritual Warfare - The disciplines often represent a deeper engagement in the spiritual battle which can then avail ourselves more to the protection of God, not only for ourselves, but also for our families and the Church.

The war between the holy and the unholy continue to play out in the ripple effects we see throughout the broken world around us.  In the broken world around us, we continually see the choosing of self over God…just as Lucifer chose self over God.  But Our Lady and Saint Michael both chose God over self.  

Like them, we too can choose God over self.  Like them, we too can choose to be obedient to God and his Holy Catholic Church in spite of the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil.  

Through coming to a deeper love for what is truly good and further developing a willingness to sacrifice for it, we will have the grace to triumph over the evil in our lives  Doing so, we will have new freedom to come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Thanks be to God!

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