Ordinary of the Mass
Mass Text - Latin
Mass Text - English
“Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
Among Catholics there is no prayer
more frequently recited than the “Hail Mary,” based, as it is, on the
angelic salutation of the Blessed Virgin by the Archangel Gabriel.
The second part, which I just read, was composed by the Church—probably in
the fifteenth or sixteenth century, and is mentioned in the Catechism of the
Council of Trent, published at the order of the Great Pope Saint Pius V in
1566.
This second part recognizes the willingness of our Blessed Mother to help us
with all our necessities—throughout our life, but even more importantly at
the inevitable moment of our death.
Absolutely nothing is more important
to us than our own personal salvation. But we must not be misled by our
prayer to think that salvation is a concern for us only at the very end of
our lives—the “now” in our prayer indicates the time in which we must
prepare for a holy death. It would be the height of presumption to assume
that if we live an unholy life, our Lady will step in and make things right
at its end. Yes, our Lord did step in and resurrect the young man in
today’s Gospel, but the number of such resurrections described in the Bible
can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Yes, it is possible
that you will be conscious at the end. But there is no guarantee of that.
Modern medicine, particularly if it is administered by government at the end
of life tends to be palliative—that is to say that the emphasis is on
suppressing the patient’s pain with drugs that may well fog his mind rather
than elicit thoughts of penitence and contrition. You and your family may
have very little control over the care and medication you receive in your
final days and hours.
Yes, it is possible
that you will have a priest at your side at the end. But there is no
guarantee of that either. Modernism has seen to that. The number of
priestly vocations has plummeted in the past forty years. And many of the
new priests would rather send the deacon or the Eucharistic minister to make
the hospital rounds—neither of whom can hear Confessions, anoint the sick,
or give the Apostolic Blessing. Modernism has convinced many of them that
“no one really goes to hell”—that Christ’s death on the Cross brought
about not only the redemption of mankind, but also for the forgiveness of
the sins of all men and women.
(That’s why the consecration of the wine was mistranslated in nearly every
modern language, and why it took forty‑odd years for a Pope to fix it—God
bless Pope Benedict.)
The Modernist thinking seems to be if “no one really goes to hell” it
is not all that important whether or not one believes the truths of the
Catholic Faith, not all that important whether or not one keeps the
Commandments, not all that important whether or not one loves God and his
neighbor, and certainly not all that important to make sick calls when it is
too hot, too cold, or otherwise inconvenient.
So, if there is no guarantee that we
will be able to reform an unholy life at the very last minute, what is it
that we must be doing in the here and now? What are we asking for when we
ask our Lady to “pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death”?
First of all, we must know, believe,
and defend the Catholic Faith. This means learning the Catechism for
younger people, and for older people something suitable to their education
and intellectual abilities. Remember that a lot of nonsense has been
written in recent years, so stick with older titles until your knowledge is
developed. At every age, the Church encourages us to read Sacred
Scripture—the Bible itself for adults, and one of those Bible history books
for children.
This is the Faith by Canon Francis Ripey is a pretty good “catechism”
for adults.
Monsignor Ronald A. Knox’ The Belief of Catholics adds to it an
understanding of why we are Catholics and not something else.
But knowing the Faith is not
enough. It is necessary to live the Faith. One has to develop a
spiritual relationship with God, and a charitable relationship with the
people around us. The spiritual life is developed through prayer and
frequent reception of the Sacraments. I believe that everyone can benefit
from a daily Rosary—start out with a decade a day, and build on that—be sure
to actually meditate on the mysteries. The more intellectual soul might
benefit from reading the Divine Office, or at least one of the Little
Offices.
Do attend Mass as often as you can.
Thomas à Kempis’ The Imitation of
Christ is a valuable tool for the shaping of your spiritual life—he
places great emphasis on humility, which is the natural soil in which the
soul must grow. It is available in many translations—choose the one with
which you are most comfortable.
Sometimes à Kempis seems anti-intellectual—he is not, but he does insist on
humility among would-be scholars.
A minute ago I referred to “a
charitable relationship with the people around us.” That doesn’t
necessarily require handing out money—although sometimes we must. Today’s
Epistle describes this charitable relationship: a society in which people
are humble, not envious nor provoking one another, in which people share
their knowledge and are grateful for receiving it, in which everyone bears
his own burden but is willing to bear the burdens of those who cannot. A
society in which spirituality is esteemed over the works of the world; and
the works of the flesh are avoided. A society in which fraternal correction
is gratefully received, and all the spiritual works of mercy abound. A
society in which people, motivated by the Catholic Faith, love one another
as God loves them.
And, yes, sometimes we are bound to
the corporal works of mercy. In Matthew 25, our Lord reminds us that when
we do something for the “least of His brethren” we do it for Him, and that
if we refuse them we refuse Him. In the same chapter He gives us a vivid
picture of those who fail the final judgment: “Depart from me, you cursed,
into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Hell is real, no matter what the Modernists would like to believe or have
others believe.
You may have noticed that I have yet
to mention keeping the Commandments as part of our salvation. Certainly
they are integral, and we should make a regular examination of conscience to
evaluate how well we are keeping them. But I would suggest to you that if
you know the Faith, and develop a life of spirituality and charity, you are
well on your way toward keeping the Commandments. You will not want to
offend God or His Blessed Mother. Saint Augustine is reputed to have said:
“Love God and do as you please.” That seems a bit too permissive for
Augustine. I believe he meant “Love God, and then what pleases Him will
also please you.”
The widow of Naim in today’s Gospel
is a figure of the Blessed Mother, who would have to watch her only Son
die. The widow and her son should remind us of God’s desire for our
salvation, and of His Mother’s joy in helping us to secure it. And remember
that we should be working to secure that salvation both “now
and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
