Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: December 04, 2016
Even as our Advent season continues, I’d like to remind you of two special feast days coming up: the first is a holy day of obligation. Thursday, December 8, is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, and for your convenience Mass here at the Cathedral will be offered at 7 am as well as at 12 noon. By this title Mary is the Patroness of the United States of America, and goodness knows we now need Mary’s intercession in asking God for more help for our country!
Don’t make the mistake that this feast refers to Jesus’ virginal conception in Mary’s womb. That doctrine is actually memorialized on the Solemnity of the Annunciation in March. The conception that was immaculate was Mary’s own: by another special miracle she was herself preserved free from sin all her life long, beginning at her own conception by her parents, Sts. Joachim and Anne. She was the only fellow human being ever given such a grace by God: the rest of us are at least “infected” with the limitations traditionally called “original sin.” These are ignorance and an inclination to sin personally, a tendency toward evil that is called “concupiscence” (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 388ff., and especially no. 405). It was especially appropriate that Mary never be scarred spiritually by sin, given her role as eventual mother of the Son of God. Her prayers for us can be a big help in our non-miraculous but necessary overcoming of sin in our own lives.
Another Marian feast is also coming up on Monday, December 12: the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Under this title Mary is Patroness of All of the Americas, with devotion to her especially popular in Central and South America.
If you’re not familiar with the account, I recommend you look it up: in sum, Mary appeared to a poor peasant, St. Juan Diego, in 1531 in México, appearing not as a European madonna but as a beautiful Aztec princess, and speaking to him in his own native American language. From this point on in the history of the Americas, native peoples began to embrace the Catholic faith wholeheartedly. It seems that God and His Blessed Mother know something we often have trouble learning, that we must appreciate the culture and the mentality of those who are not like us in order to help them well. In part, it is by understanding others that the Kingdom of Christ is built up.
No, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is not a holy day of obligation. But it is a feast well worth a little extra prayer – and maybe even daily Mass! Especially as Spanish-speaking Catholics continue to increase in numbers in our Church – some estimates show them becoming a majority of American Catholics by mid-century – it also behooves us to appreciate more this culture and the deep spirituality it can carry.
Let’s see, what else has been going on around your Cathedral Parish? We had a scare the Saturday after Thanksgiving when a water main broke and left us without water – and thus bathrooms! – for a day. But thanks to a ’specially hard-working team from Central Plumbing things were back to normal for Sunday morning!
Although I’m writing this prior to Giving Tuesday, I do want to thank everyone who interrupted their holiday spending for gifts and also gave to the Cathedral and to other worthy causes in our Diocese of Baton Rouge. No matter how much or how little was raised, it’s important to “counter” the modern emphasis on Black Friday and Cyber Monday with a reminder about Giving Tuesday the week after Thanksgiving. I suspect we will continue to participate in the #IGiveCatholic campaign in years to come.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Paul Counce
