Dear friends in Christ
Faith is the first and foundation of all the virtues of the Christian life. This is what the Readings at Mass this Sunday proclaim. As with all of the other virtues, Faith is increased the more we exercise it. We increase our Faith by making constant acts of our belief and trust in God. Most especially during Holy Mass we make acts of Faith in Almighty God, as we listen to His Word and adore Jesus in his true presence upon the Altar, especially at the moment of the Consecration. Faith, like charity, grows cold when not lived-out in practice. When we don't exercise or live by Faith, it dies. To survive as Christians in the world we need to see everything through the optic of supernatural Faith. This requires us to see the hand of God at work wherever we are, and wherever we find goodness. As we listen to the Readings at Mass this weekend, we can ask God—as the Apostles so often did—to increase our Faith!
October is the Month of the Holy Rosary. We have understood the importance of the praying of the Holy Rosary for peace over the last months only too well. The Church is constantly reminding us of the call Our Blessed Mother made at Fatima. She told us with a Mother’s concern that, if Christians do not pray for peace then Russia would spread it’s errors throughout the world; that there will be great suffering but she adds, in the end, her Immaculate Heart will triumph. This is the great note of hope: if we persevere in praying, there will be peace on earth and the aggressors will receive the grace of conversion. Of course, none of this is new, since the very feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary this coming Friday—7th—was itself instituted by Pope St Pius V in thanksgiving for the victory of the Christian forces over the infidel forces at the famous naval Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The image on the Newsletter this weekend shows Our Lady giving the Rosary to St Dominic. It reminds us of the urgency with which we must continue to pray this wonderfully powerful prayer. As Saint—John Paul II reminds us:
The Church has always attributed particular efficacy to this prayer, entrusting to the Rosary, to its choral recitation and to its constant practice, the most difficult problems. At times when Christianity itself seemed under threat, its deliverance was attributed to the power of this prayer, and Our Lady of the Rosary was acclaimed as the one whose intercession brought salvation. Today I willingly entrust to the power of this prayer. . .the cause of peace in the world and the cause of the family. (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 39)
Finally, the statue of St Joseph has gone away for re-painting. This is long overdue as we had promised to have this done for his special year, which ended last December.
God bless you!
Msgr Kevin Hale