Communication with Visitors* Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on us! May 1 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, For catholics the month of May is dedicated to Mary, the blessed Mother of the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Her humble acceptance of this great responsibility and her willing cooperation with her Son in his life's task excite the admiration of Christians the world over. Furthermore they honor her as a true and faithful disciple of her Son and look up to her as a model for their own manner of fulfilling their responsibilities as sincere and devoted Christians. We have only to read the hymns to her praise found in the Book of Catholic Worship to realize how reverently and dearly she is cherished. Two documents published in later part of the past century will undoubtedly endure as the expression of true and solid devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the Mystery of Christ and the Church. One is chapter eight of the dogmatic constitution, On the Church, found in The Documents of Vatican Council II; the other is the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Paul VI, Marialis Cultus, published in 1974. Richard McBride in his extensive work, Catholicism gives us a brief history of devotion to Mary and an explanation of the Church's doctrine. One could hardly find a better way to honor Mary during this month of May than to read and pray over these documents. Yours sincerely in Christ and Our Mother in Heaven, Fr. Michael Lapierre, S.J. * Fr. Michael Lapierre, S.J., and the editor are currently taking part in this column. While the former is doing January, March, May, etc., the partaking is partaking in February, April, June, etc. As each is completely free to write on any topic without restriction, we would like to apologize for any confusion and inconsistency. Thank you for understanding.
May 1
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
For catholics the month of May is dedicated to Mary, the blessed Mother of the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Her humble acceptance of this great responsibility and her willing cooperation with her Son in his life's task excite the admiration of Christians the world over. Furthermore they honor her as a true and faithful disciple of her Son and look up to her as a model for their own manner of fulfilling their responsibilities as sincere and devoted Christians. We have only to read the hymns to her praise found in the Book of Catholic Worship to realize how reverently and dearly she is cherished.
Two documents published in later part of the past century will undoubtedly endure as the expression of true and solid devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the Mystery of Christ and the Church. One is chapter eight of the dogmatic constitution, On the Church, found in The Documents of Vatican Council II; the other is the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Paul VI, Marialis Cultus, published in 1974. Richard McBride in his extensive work, Catholicism gives us a brief history of devotion to Mary and an explanation of the Church's doctrine. One could hardly find a better way to honor Mary during this month of May than to read and pray over these documents.
Yours sincerely in Christ and Our Mother in Heaven,
Fr. Michael Lapierre, S.J.
* Fr. Michael Lapierre, S.J., and the editor are currently taking part in this column. While the former is doing January, March, May, etc., the partaking is partaking in February, April, June, etc. As each is completely free to write on any topic without restriction, we would like to apologize for any confusion and inconsistency. Thank you for understanding.