Hello friends!
I don’t know about you but I am very happy to be seeing the end of the month of August! Personally, I find the extreme heat and humidity of this month to be very difficult, uncomfortable, and a serious nuisance. I’ve often joked with people that I need to become the opposite of a snowbird; when August comes, I need to flee north into Canada to escape the heat. Perhaps the area around Hudson Bay or Nunavut would be a good destination…
However, with the end of the summer comes the harbinger of my most absolute favorite season, autumn! First of all, I love the coolness of the fall season; there is nothing quite like the brisk and chilly fall mornings.
Second, seeing the leaves change and driving into the country to admire the beauty of God’s creation is one of the highlights of this coming time of year.
Along with the coming season of fall, we come closer to some very significant dates on our liturgical calendar. On September 8th, we celebrate the Feast Day of the Nativity of the most Blessed and Immaculate Virgin! This solemn day, in which we commemorate the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Sts. Anne and Joachim, is helpful to explain things to Catholics, especially if they get confused about the Immaculate Conception. On December 8th, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception, yet some people erroneously think this day refers to the conception of Jesus Himself in the womb of Mary. On December 8th, we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of MARY in the womb of her mother, St. Anne. What is 9 months from December 8th? You guessed it…September 8th…the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In contrast, the conception of Our Lord Jesus Christ is commemorated on March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation, in which Mary conceived our Lord at the word of the Archangel Gabriel. What is 9 months to the day from March 25th? You guessed it…December 25th, or Christmas Day! Therefore, September 8th is an important day in which we celebrate the beginnings of Our Lord’s earthly life, in that the mother of Our Lord, the holy and Immaculate Virgin Mary began her earthly life of profound holiness, humility, and sinlessness. May we honor her and ask her to intercede for us on her birthday, September 8th.
Until next week, friends…
Our Lady of Perpetual Help…pray for us!
May the heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored, and loved, with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time. Amen.
~Fr. Martin Gallagher