Mary's Month begins with Joseph's Feast and First Friday!

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

How significant this day is! May 1st begins the Month in which the Church honors Mary in a special way. It is also the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker and the First Friday of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is significant especially because this is also the day on which the Bishops of the United States and Canada will be re-consecrating their nations to Mary, as “Mother of the Church”.

Yesterday I read the text for the USA Consecration HERE which will be prayed at 3 pm today:

Archbishop Gomez will lead a brief liturgy with the prayer of re-consecration today, May 1 at 3:00 pm EDT and has invited the bishops to join in from their respective dioceses and asked them to extend the invitation to the faithful in their dioceses for their participation. A liturgy guide will be available to assist the faithful who may join in by tuning into the USCCB’s social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

I pray many will participate in both the USA and Canada.

The Mass readings for today give us options: Readings for Friday of the Third week of Easter or the Memorial of St. Joseph. Both are beautiful but due to the “word limit on CAF” I’ll share only from Friday’s Gospel for it seems to capture the significance of this re-consecration to Mary on May 1st, a day on which we also honor St. Joseph and are called to make reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

These words from Jesus in the Gospel of John are particularly important:

“Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in Me and I in Him.”

The Eucharist is the Source and Summit for Catholic worship and while St. Joseph was not on earth to recieve Jesus’ Body and Blood in Eucharist, Joseph welcomed Jesus and received the Word Made Flesh with Mary at Bethlehem. Joseph remained with Jesus and after death was taken to heaven by the Resurrected Jesus. Mary received Jesus in an entirely unique way, for His human nature was formed in her womb. She held within her His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Jesus lived in her and remained with her on earth and she reigns with Him in heaven now.

I hope you will read the Gospel of (Jn 6: 52-59) and on this First Friday will offer Reparation to the Heart of Jesus who gave us All, yet receives so little love in return but only coldness and disdain from many. Let us pray that today’s re-consecration to Mary will be pleasing in God’s sight. Let us pray with contrite hearts, offering the little we are and have with great love to God through Mary today. Totus tuus.

 

[mary15]

Dear MariaChristi

1. What does it mean to make reparation to the sacred heart of jesus?

Do you have something that is easy to understand like a video or link?

1. Why is May the month of all of the others that is chosen for Mary?

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Mary15 and Quiet Trad,

Thank you both for your “hearts” and your replies. God willing I will answer your replies below but I want to simply say, I’m very grateful that you read the Post and took it to heart! I’m looking forward to this beautiful opportunity to renew with all my Brothers and Sisters in Canada and the USA as well as any other members of CAF who may be renewing their personal consecrations from wherever they may, be today.

May The Lord be praised always and everywhere through Mary, His Mother — through whom, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus came to us in His First coming. May He triumph through her Immaculate Heart in His Second Coming! Come, Lord Jesus!

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear QuietTrad,

Thanks so much for the lovely picture and your reply, sharing with us that you will be consecrating yourself to St. Joseph. I pray to St. Joseph every day after praying Our Lady’s Magnificat. They are so important to us as we ponder the great Love God gave to each of them, and their importance to us in learning to love Jesus as they did.

May Canada and the USA be blessed abundantly today by the hearts of many who will be honoring God and His Mother under her title “Mother of the Church”.

PS I visited the Shrine at Cap du La Madeleine in Canada. See HERE many years ago and later went back to visit Canada twice – once to make a retreat a Madonna House in Ontario, and then to visit Quebec with my husband. Both Trips were tremendous blessings.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Mary15,

Those are good questions, and important ones for all of us to consider.

1. Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus became best known through the apparitons of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary, and I can give you a link to that HERE
2. The Month of May also has a history among Catholics and a link to learn more is HERE I hope these links will be helpful to you, if not please ask again.

Reparation is so important in our time especially because we see such a lack of heartfelt Devotion toward God and His Holy Mother. There is sin both inside and outside the Catholic Church that we need to recognize; not ignore. We need to offer prayers of reparation for our own sins and the sins of the world.

Tomorrow is the First Saturday and that Devotion came later than Devotion to the Sacred Heart , when Mary and Jesus appeared to Sr. Lucia of Fatima in 1925 in Spain. If you’d like to learn more about reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, you can learn more HERE.

Thanks again, Mary. I hope you were able to participate in the Re-Consecration of the USA and Canada to the Blessed Virgin today at 3 pm. It was beautiful!

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Stephie and aroosi,

Thanks to both of you for your “hearts” which let us know of your love for Jesus through Mary. I hope you were able to watch snd participate in the Re-Consecration to Mary, “Mother of the Church” by the Bishops of the USA and Canada, yesterday. It was truly beautiful. I hope there were many who saw and participated in the simple but reverent and sincere Liturgy led by Archbishop Gomez in the Los Angeles’ Cathedral.

The Canadian Bishops were to have their Liturgy at the same time and would use the same prayers in their Re-Consecration. Hopefully both Canada and the USA will receive many blessings.