Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: December 03, 2017
First off, I should remind you of two special feast days coming up. One is a holy day of obligation this week. Friday, December 8, is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, and for your convenience Masses here at the Cathedral will be offered at 7:30 am and 12:00 noon. Under this title Mary is the Patroness of the United States of America, and goodness knows the government and people of our nation could use Mary’s intercession in asking God for more help in this day and age!
This Solemnity recalls that Mary, by a special miracle, was preserved free from sin all her life long, beginning at her own conception in St. Anne’s womb. 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 Jesus’ mother. 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 Tuesday, December 12: the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Under this title Mary is Patroness of All of the Americas. Devotion to her is especially popular in Latin America.
This feast goes back to when Mary appeared in México to St. Juan Diego in 1531, 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 Latin American history, 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 before we can help each other. It is in part by understanding others that the Kingdom of Christ is built up.
No, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe isn’t a holy day of obligation. But it is a feast well worth a little extra daily prayer – and maybe even daily Mass!
Next weekend, on December 9, our Saturday vigil Mass is cancelled due to the Santa Run and then the Christmas Parade downtown. Come enjoy the parade if you wish, but especially come on Sunday to Mass!
Finally, in this week's issue of The Carpenter (here on our website, http://www.cathedralbr.org/bulletins.php) you can find the whole holiday liturgical schedule here at your Cathedral. Please note that the 12 noon Mass “disappears” on December 24, 25 and 31! But of course we’ve added Christmas Eve Masses at 4 and 9 pm, and our famous “Gumbo and Champagne” Vigil Mass and dinner on New Year’s Eve.
Oh, and before people start wondering out loud: it is very much the mind of the Church that one must attend Mass two times over that weekend, once for Sunday and once for Christmas. If it’s absolutely impossible to attend two Masses, well, then, of course, there’s no sin, since no one is bound to the impossible! And any priest or deacon in the Diocese of Baton Rouge can dispense from the obligation to attend Mass on a Sunday or holy day of obligation. But all of us who seek to be faithful Catholics and live out our faith in the best way possible will celebrate the last Sunday of Advent and the Nativity of the Lord Jesus separately!
Sincerely yours in Him,
Fr. Paul
