Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Elisabeth Sullivan, Executive Director of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, via email in 2025. We have rearranged and edited some of the questions. This provides the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
You describe Catholic education as an “engine of evangelization.” Can you share a specific example of how a Catholic classical liberal arts approach has transformed a student’s or school’s understanding of faith and learning?
At one of our member schools, Holy Innocents School in Long Beach, California, the results were almost immediate after the pastor and principal welcomed ICLE in to form their teachers in 2018-2019. Fr. G. Peter Irving was intent on offering a deeply formative education to the children entrusted to his care in this low-income and socioeconomically diverse Catholic community. His new principal and teachers were devoted to their students and were keen to learn new approaches that would engage them with rich content and better pedagogy.
Principal Cyril Cruz reported that, once the teachers stopped teaching to the test, standardized scores in reading and math jumped dramatically. Both teachers and students were enlivened by a more substantive curriculum.
As one veteran teacher described the change: “It’s not just something that’s compartmentalized into religion class, but it really is the most coherent way to explain reality itself. And the purpose of education is to help our children be able to grasp what reality is, what truth is, and to be able to know how to live according to that truth in their lives. That’s what we call growing in wisdom and virtue.”
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed @churchofambrose from Instagram via phone call on April 11th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
Tell me about your faith journey.
I was born and raised Catholic. During my teenage years I became lukewarm, I moved to university and during the initial years my faith struggled. Slowly, but surely the Lord called me back to the faith in a deeper way. I was fundamentally unhappy for a while before I found God again. I want people to experience it.
The Ambrosian Rite is largely unknown outside of Milan. It is a local church, there’s practically one diocese (Milan).
The Ambrosian Rite dates back to at least the 4th century with connections to St. Ambrose himself. What sparked your passion for preserving this ancient liturgical tradition through digitization?
I think the Ambrosian Rite is one of the most unique rites. It is very intrinsic in our culture. This rite starts from (most likely) the old Roman Rite. Bl. Cardinal Schuster (1880-1954) said that Saint Ambrose took the rite from Rome and slightly modified it. This is probably only partially true, however the Ambrosian Rite is the oldest Western Rite still alive today. Our Lent is the same Lent that Gregory the Great would have followed. It’s so interesting and cool that this rite is preserved. This is how Saints Augustine and Ambrose followed. It feels like I’m going back centuries; it’s very inspiring.
(For example during the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of Lent, instead of the “Gloria” we sing the “Divinae Pacis”. This chant is older than the edict of Milan (313 AD))
For readers unfamiliar with the Ambrosian Rite, what are the most distinctive elements that set it apart from the more familiar Roman Rite celebrated in most Catholic churches?
In general the thing that people notice the most is the thurible. In the Roman Rite there’s a cap on top of it. We don’t have a cap on it and it’s spun in a 360 degree motion. It is spun to form the shape of the cross. (At the start of the Mass the altar is incensed. You can remove this and add the text at the bottom) (Another particular difference, is the incensation of the Tabernacle which is done kneeling at the start of every High Mass.)
The other thing people notice is the chants. It’s very hard to explain, it’s just very different.
(The ambrosian chants were introduced by Saint Ambrose himself in the 4th century. For the first time in the Church’s history, non-psalmic hymns were included in liturgical celebrations. Ambrose, personally composed many hymns, including “Aeterne rerum conditor”, “Deus creator omnium”, “Iam surgit hora tertia”, and “Intende qui regis Israel”. The most famous hymn is obviously the “Te Deum”, which was composed together with Saint Augustine after Augustine’s baptism. I highly suggest the reader listen to the Ambrosian Version of the “Te Deum”. Despite the modifications it underwent over the centuries, Ambrosian chant is considered the oldest surviving body of Western liturgical music.)
And the Offertory is done before the Credo (and it is much longer). We have lots of prefaces (one for each day) and some of them are very old and date back to St. Ambrose.
(there are other differences but these ones are the most noticed by first time visitors)
Your mission focuses on digitizing the Traditional Ambrosian Rite. What are the greatest challenges you’ve faced in translating manuscripts and liturgical books that are many centuries old into accessible digital formats?
The Ambrosian Rite was heavily attacked from its beginning. Most of the original manuscripts are gone. When it comes to more recent things, I have been looking for breviaries and missals. It is very difficult to find these items. There are subtle differences that are easy to miss. It is difficult to find where things originated from.
The Ambrosian liturgical calendar has some fascinating differences, including six Sundays of Advent rather than four. Which seasonal celebrations in the Ambrosian tradition do you find most spiritually enriching?
Our Ordinary Time is limited compared to the Roman Rite. It is only during a few weeks of the year, and differences in color. We have a different hue of purple (morello). During the Lenten period we use black during the weekdays because it’s also a penitential color not just for mourning. Saturday and Sundays are less penitential during Lent, so morello is used.
(Red is the Eucharistic color instead of the Roman Rite white, so the feast of the Corpus Domini (Corpus Christi in the Roman Rite) is in Red not white in the Ambrosian rite)
Who are saints particularly honored in the Ambrosian Rite?
Ambrose (of course being our Rite’s namesake).
Charles Borromeo is our second patron saint. He is the one who reformed the Archbishop of Milan. He had a huge role in the Council of Trent. In Milan he was the first one to create a seminary. He is also the patron saint of seminaries.
We care about our bishops and martyrs. In the Eucharist Prayer we ask for intercession for most of the archbishops and martyrs.
(I’ll send a picture of the Comunicantes with the Ambrosian Saints and Martyrs)
Looking to the future, how do you see traditional liturgical forms like the Ambrosian Rite contributing to the spiritual renewal of the Church in an increasingly digital age?
I’m noticing many young people are more interested in the traditional liturgies. The church where I attend is always full. You might find a seat if you go five minutes early, but not likely. There’s a huge emphasis on the parish. It’s kind of like the dynamic between the Traditional Latin Rite Mass and the Novus Ordo Mass (in the Roman Rite).
Where can my audience find more of your work? On my Instagram page @churchofambrose.
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Daniel Markham via phone call on April 9th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
What inspired you to embark on this journey to attend Mass in all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico?
Version 1.0.0
In 2016, I just dropped off my son to high school soccer practice and I was reminded of a parish and this idea came over me about visiting various parishes across the country. I realized this idea wasn’t from me but it was something I was called to do.
In 2018-2019 I sent letters to all the bishops and archbishops and got permission from my parish. During a span of six months I emailed all the parishes that I had email addresses from.
I started receiving invitations from various churches and I was getting phone calls from various churches and this was when the idea for the book really came into focus. I aimed to start this in January 2021 but due to the Covid Pandemic I wasn’t able to really begin until June 2021. I travelled where I was able to attend. For example, I was in Nebraska writing about a Native American Mission and attended Mass at a school because it made sense in terms of the story I was telling. For most of the Masses it was on a Sunday.
Of all the parishes you visited, which one surprised you the most or left the deepest impression on you?
Great question! It was actually three:
Cottonwood, Idaho (Assumption, Ferdinand; Saint Mary’s, Cottonwood; Saint Anthony, Greencreek)- this state is predominantly Mormon but Idaho County is the one exception where it’s mainly Catholic. The only monastery in the state is just outside of Cottonwood: Center for Benedictine Life at the Monastery of Gertrude. The thing that stood out to me was that I wasn’t expecting this beauty and wonderful Catholic community. I fell in love with the people there! They actually added parishioners coming out of Covid.
How did witnessing so many different expressions of the same faith change your own relationship with Catholicism?
My faith grew without question. If I could go to multiple Masses on a Sunday I tried. Normally, I would hear one homily a week. One particular week, I heard three homilies. Each priest took a different, but equally valid, approach to the reading. These experiences highlighted how rich our Catholic faith is and how we can find so much richness in the Scriptures.
I had experiences that I could see as being negative. There was a weekend I had to stay in a bad motel room, but it reminded me (through a homily that weekend) that in every experience we are blessed. Even in the suffering. The closer one comes to God the greater the understanding that there is blessing in everything we experience here on Earth. An incredible sense of peace occurred and I feel different sharing the Eucharist multiple times a week and in different parishes.
I could drive 15 to 16 hours at a time, and I realized it was the power of the Eucharist that sustained me. When I got tired it was when I allowed my worries and the human desires to creep in. But when I had that faith and trust in God I was truly fueled during my travels.
What common thread did you notice among the most vibrant Catholic communities you encountered?
Wow! That’s a good question. I guess those places where the greater understanding of the Real Presence in the Eucharist existed was the most unifying aspect. It made for the most authentically Catholic communities. Mass is the foundation of our life and the Eucharist is the foundation of the Mass.
After visiting such diverse Catholic communities, what do you think most American Catholics misunderstand about the broader Church in our country?
I think for most Catholics they don’t think much beyond their own parish. For people more engaged there might be a sense of disagreement; maybe some people are more conservative or liberal. I think what we miss in this is that there’s so much more that unites us than divides us. We say the same Creed each week. What we say we believe in the Creed unites us and are more important than what happens in the various differences at the Mass. Some Masses are said in Latin and some in the vernacular. The Eucharist is the same. There’s vastly more that unites us than that divides us.
If readers take just one message from “52 Masses,” what would you hope that message would be?
All of these people I visited had something in common. They answered the call from Christ. Don’t say no to God!
Daniel Markham is the author of 52 Masses, which chronicles his 2021-22 trip to all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to experience Catholicism in America. At each parish he visited, Daniel wrote about someone or something taking place there – a ministry, an effort at evangelization, an individual’s story, etc. He attended Mass in parishes of all sizes, in rural, urban and suburban settings and a few places that weren’t parishes at all. The idea was to explore the many ways Catholics are living the faith in the United States. His book was published at the end of 2022. Daniel and his wife Kemberly, a Catholic school principal, reside in West Chester, Ohio, where they are members of St. John the Evangelist Church. They have three adult children, Ian, Kiera and Cormac.
Have you ever wondered about the week leading up to Easter? It’s called Holy Week, and it’s packed with traditions, history, and deep spiritual meaning. Even if you’ve been celebrating Easter your whole life, there might be some fascinating aspects of Holy Week you’ve never noticed before. Let’s take a closer look at this important time in the Church calendar and uncover some of its hidden gems.
What Exactly Is Holy Week?
Holy Week is the week right before Easter Sunday. It starts on Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. Think of it as a special time to walk with Jesus through the last days of his life, from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem to his crucifixion and burial. The traditions of Holy Week developed in Jerusalem in the 4th century, when Christians wanted to re-enact the final scenes of Jesus’ life in a liturgical way. Because Holy Week is so important, the celebrations that happen during this time take precedence over any other celebrations.
Palm Sunday: A Day of Triumph and Foreboding
Have you ever experienced a day that starts with joy and ends with sorrow? Palm Sunday is like that. On this day, we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and his Passion. The crowds waved palm branches to welcome him, which is why we use palm fronds in the liturgy on this day. But the joyful atmosphere quickly changes as we hear the Gospel reading about Jesus’ suffering and crucifixion. It’s a stark reminder that the road to glory passes through the Cross.
Maundy Thursday: A Night of Firsts and Farewells
Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, is a night of significant events. It’s the day we commemorate the Last Supper Jesus had with his Apostles before his death on the Cross. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all contain narratives of this event. The Gospel of John gives a different account where Jesus washes the feet of his Apostles. During the Mass on Holy Thursday, the priest washes the feet of parishioners as a sign of service.
Institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood
One of the most important themes of the Holy Thursday Mass is service and the role of the priests. It was at the Last Supper “when the Lord Jesus gave to the Church the gift of the Eucharist, and with it instituted our priesthood”. The priest or deacon washing the feet of the laity recalls Christ’s act of service to Peter and the other Apostles.
The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” Those in RCIA might find a special appreciation for Holy Thursday as they have been slowly trekking through the teachings of the Church. The peak is the Eucharist― the gift of Jesus’ body, blood, soul, and divinity.
The Chrism Mass
On the morning of Holy Thursday (in some dioceses it may be another morning during Holy Week), the bishop and the priests of his diocese celebrate a “Chrism Mass,” in which the oils used in the sacraments are consecrated.
Stripping of the Altar
After the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the altar is stripped, the Eucharist is processed to a place of repose, and a period of silent Eucharistic adoration is held.
Good Friday: A Day of Sacrifice and Silence
Good Friday is a day of solemn remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. Mass is not celebrated on this day. Instead, a Communion service is held. This consists of a liturgy of the word, the veneration of the cross, and the distribution of holy Communion. During the Crucifixion, “from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour” — that is, from about noon to about 3 p.m. — at which point Jesus died.
Ven. Fulton Sheen reminds us, “Unless there is a Good Friday in your life, there can be no Easter Sunday.”
Holy Saturday: Waiting in Hope
Holy Saturday is a day of waiting and anticipation. During the daytime hours, Mass is not celebrated, and holy Communion is given only to the dying. However, after nightfall, a vigil Mass commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter is celebrated. It is also customary for catechumens to be baptized and, in many places, for already baptized candidates to be received into the Church. They are also confirmed and receive their first holy Communion, completing the sacraments of Christian initiation.
St. Catherine of Siena encourages us: “He will provide the way and the means, such as you could never have imagined. Leave it all to Him, let go of yourself. Lose yourself on the Cross, and you will find yourself entirely.”
Easter Sunday: The Dawn of New Life
Easter Sunday is the day we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. In the Gospels, the disciples first learned of the Resurrection after the women went to the tomb and met angels, who revealed that it was empty. The Gospel reading is from John 20:1-9, which records the discovery of the empty tomb by Mary Magdalen and how Peter and the beloved disciple ran to the site and found her report was true.
Embrace the Journey
Holy Week is a journey through the final days of Jesus’ life, from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem to his glorious Resurrection on Easter Sunday. It’s a time to reflect on the meaning of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection for our lives. As St. Bruno said, “While the world changes, the Cross stands firm.”
Okay, so picture this: the car’s digital clock reads 9:27 A.M. and you’re thinking to yourself, “Awesome, maybe we’ll actually make it to Mass on time this week… finally!” (Keep in mind that you only live two minutes away from your parish.) So, you and your wife scramble to get your three kids out of the car and into the church before the entrance hymn begins.
Luckily, you made it on time. You think to yourself, “Please, let us get through at least the first part of the Mass without me having to drag one of my children out!”
Let the Shenanigans Begin
But of course, that’s too much to ask for.
Two minutes into the first reading, your 18-month-old son starts to lose focus and wants to make a run for it. The granola bar and sippy cup of water you gave him weren’t enough to keep him occupied, so you’re stuck holding a squirming, twisting toddler and sweating bullets.
It’s a battle you know you’re not going to win, so you leave your oldest son in the pew by himself for a few minutes until your wife comes back—she had to take your daughter out for a bathroom break five minutes into the liturgy!
As you’re struggling to keep your sanity, you wonder why you even bother bringing your kids to Mass. People stare at you as if you have an extraterrestrial being dancing behind them in the pew. “My kids are insane!” you lament to yourself. However, despite the enormous “inconvenience” and “stress” it brings, there are three reasons why you refuse to stop bringing your kids to Mass.
Where You Experience Truth
First of all, you go to Mass because it’s true. Your wife once gave the shortest apologetic statement in history when someone asked her why she converted to Catholicism: “Because it’s true!” Your faith may not be as strong as hers, but you know that you continue to go to Mass on Sundays because it’s a tradition that started with the Apostles—the first friends and followers of Christ—2,000 years ago. Plus, you can’t deny the fact that you need the gift of the Eucharist. Truth is not always easy, but without it, you’re nothing. And let’s face it, humans crave the truth and the Catholic Church provides the truest explanation for the wonders and strangeness of reality.
Eucharist is the Source and Summit
The second reason you refuse to give up on bringing your kids to Mass is because the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church number 1324 states, “The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it.” You’re willing to deal with the difficulties of bringing young children to church because the peak of the Catholic faith is found in the Mass.
You Find Peace in the Mass
The third and final reason is that the Mass provides you with peace. You’ve heard a Catholic priest describe the liturgy as a theological GPS that orients us back to the correct path when we fall away. My main role as a father is getting my children to Heaven.
According to the Catholic Church, “The family is the original cell of social life. It is the natural society in which husband and wife are called to give themselves in love and in the gift of life. Authority, stability, and a life of relationships within the family constitute the foundations for freedom, security, and fraternity within society. The family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom. Family life is an initiation into life in society” (CCC 2207).
How may I expect my children to love God if I did not establish a habit to visit the Divine Presence and rest in His grace? How do I lead my family on the path of true freedom if I do not experience freedom myself?
Where You Can Visit God
The answers are incredibly simple—visit God and visit frequently! My father was [and still is] an amazing example of holiness. He is patient, slow to anger, and consistent in his faith. Looking by at how he accomplished the tremendous feat of raising my siblings and I, I realized that the biggest constant is his life [besides my mom] was the Eucharist. God fed my own biological father through this sacrament.
The Holy Spirit increased my father’s inherent gift of patience to a profound and loving level—I need to follow that example. My youngest child still has not called me “daddy” nor even uttered the word! Somedays I struggle to cope with this developmental delay. I noticed that my 18 month old will immediately fold his hands in prayer when I begin the Prayer Before Meals blessing. Seeing those little fingers crossed together humbled me. This small act has made me prouder than anything else. Life is not about how smart, or beautiful, or successful you are. Life is about love and truth. The Holy Spirit sent me a reminder through the person of my toddler.
The death of Kobe Bryant ushered in the new year. It shocked the world. Suddenly the coronarovirus circled the globed. Lockdowns and quarantines ensued. Our lives have been upended. You may have joked about this year being the beginning of an apocalypse— honestly, it feels Pandora’s box of evil was opened and there is no end in sight.
Recreational outlets for stress such as sporting events, music concerts, and festivals have either been cancelled for postponed indefinitely. Local libraries, zoo, and museums closed. How the heck are you supposed to live? I contracted COVID19 in April and those were among the most miserable weeks for my family. And if that wasn’t bad enough the Church suspended public Masses.
I understand why the bishops temporarily removed the Sunday obligation. Viewing the Mass via the Internet was a gift. It was a grace to hear my diocese’s newly ordained bishop preach (my family ordinarily don’t attend the Cathedral for Mass so we wouldn’t have heard Bishop DeGrood otherwise).
In May several dioceses across the United States started allowing public liturgies with safety precautions. I was recently graced with the ability to receive the Blessed Sacrament for the first time in months. It felt like a homecoming.
Home is Where the Sacred Heart is
Saint Augustine wrote, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee. ” This year was a journey in the wilderness (I mean that literally and figuratively). Lent ended on April 11th however my spiritual dryness and suffering continued well into the Easter Season. Streaming the Mass on TV felt like viewing an oasis far off in a desert. Some weeks it appeared real and other times as a mirage.
The tangibility of going to Mass physically reminds me of the Incarnation— God becoming man. Without that direct connection of hearing and seeing the priest in person it remained a great Cross to bear.
Saint Pope Pius X said, “Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to heaven.” This life is not our true home. It is a pilgrimage toward our destination.
Home is about love. The truest form of love is found in the heart of Jesus.
Community of Love
Another term for the Blessed Sacrament is Holy Communion. I love this name for the Eucharist. Under the section What is this Sacrament Called? the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1331, (It is called) “Holy Communion, because by this sacrament we unite ourselves to Christ, who makes us sharers in his Body and Blood to form a single body.” Love can only happen in the presence of another.
Jesus told his Apostles in Matthew 18:20, “For wheretwoorthree gather in my name, there am I with them.” This is the reality of the Church. People united together with each other through the power of God’s love.
Returning to Mass reminded me of this communion with God AND man. The priest stands in Personi Christ (the Person of Christ). While only a validly ordained priest, Eucharistic prayer, wheat bread, and grape wine are officially needed for the Sacrament to occur, it is a fuller sign of God’s love when the laity are present. Hearing the faithful sing the various hymns helped me to greater enter into the mystery of the Mass.
An Invisible (But Still Real Communion)
The community of the laity are a visible sign of communion. Yet, there is an invisible assembly present in the Mass— the angelic hosts and communion of saints. I felt closer to the holy ones during the Eucharist than when I was watching it in my own home on the television. Jesus’ words to Thomas in John 20:29 hit home last Sunday, “Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'” This world is not our true home. A world beyond the senses exist.
According to the Catechism, “The whole community thus joins in the unending praise that the Church in heaven, the angels and all the saints (CCC 1352). St. Augustine echoes this truth, “The angels surround and help the priest when he is celebrating Mass.” Understanding this reality helped deepen my appreciate for the Mass. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Ask God to Give You Strength
This year continues to send us new and unimaginable trials. Our hearts ache for love. The inability to receive the Eucharist made those challenges exponentially tougher. Some of you may still be in “exile” and wondering how long you have to wander aimlessly in the desert of 2020. God never totally abandons us even though it feels like it sometimes. Read the Bible daily or the writings of saints for comfort. Praying the Rosary or chaplet of Divine Mercy help ward off distress. I offer my sufferings to God in hopes that you may receive spiritual consolation to soothe you during your trials!
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During the recessional hymn for the Mass for the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, I had a profound insight. “This song is teaching us much more than about Mary!” I thought. I could not believe I missed the theology in the song. Here are the lyrics to the hymn Sing of Mary, Pure and Lowly:
Sing of Mary, pure and lowly,
Virgin mother undefiled,
Sing of God’s own Son most holy,
Who became her little child.
Fairest child of fairest mother,
God the Lord who came to earth,
Word made flesh, our very brother,
Takes our nature by his birth.
Sing of Jesus, son of Mary,
In the home at Nazareth.
Toil and labor cannot weary
Love enduring unto death.
Constant was the love he gave her,
Though he went forth from her side,
Forth to preach, and heal, and suffer,
Till on Calvary he died.
Glory be to God the Father;
Glory be to God the Son;
Glory be to God the Spirit;
Glory to the Three in One.
From the heart of blessed Mary,
From all saints the song ascends,
And the Church the strain reechoes
Unto earth’s remotest ends.
Mary as Theotokos
In the fourth century, there arose a heresy, or false teaching, that denied that Mary was the mother of Jesus. Named after the bishop Nestorius who promoted this belief, the heresy formally became known as Nestorianism.
The Third Ecumenical Council at Ephesus in 431 declared that Mary is theotokos (the God-bearer). Led by Saint Cyril of Alexandria, the council fathers spoke of Mary as:
“Mother of God, not that the nature of the Word or his divinity received the beginning of its existence from the holy Virgin, but that, since the holy body, animated by a rational soul, which the Word of God united to himself according to the hypostasis, was born from her, the Word is said to be born according to the flesh.” (DS 251).
Catholics honor Mary as mother, and celebrate her motherhood on January 1st because:
Jesus entrusted us into the care of Mary as our spiritual mother (see John 19:26-27).
Honoring the motherhood of Mary reminds us of the humanity of Jesus
“And by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man”
Catholics are to make a profound bow at this line of the Nicene Creed. Why? Does not this give credence to the Protestant claim we worship Mary?
According to St. Louis de Montfort, “We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his Mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor him even more perfectly. We go to heronly to lead to the goal we seek—Jesus, her Son.” Mary is not the end. God is the ultimate aim of our focus. We honor Mary because of her closeness to Jesus.
The last line of the first stanza in Sing of Mary is “Word made flesh, our very brother,
Takes our nature by his birth.” This is referring to the teaching of the Incarnation. Start with Mary. End with Christ.
Incarnation— Jesus is fully human and fully divine
Mary is discussed in the first stanza of the song. The second stanza centers around Jesus. On his life, death, and resurrection. True honor and devotion to Mary will always lead to the belief in the Incarnation.
Jesus had to be fully human and fully God in order to be the perfect bridge between God and humanity. A mere human Jesus cannot save. But a solely divine Jesus would prevent us from understanding the fullness of Truth. God stooped to our level to teach us about the truth that God is love.
God is Love—a Community of Persons
Mary leads to Jesus (God made incarnate). Jesus teaches us about the Holy Trinity. Recall Sing of Mary’s lyrics. The first stanza talks of Mary. Secondly, we sing about the Incarnation. Lastly, we sing about the teaching of the Holy Trinity:
Glory be to God the Father;
Glory be to God the Son;
Glory be to God the Spirit;
Glory to the Three in One.
From the heart of blessed Mary,
From all saints the song ascends,
And the Church the strain reechoes
Unto earth’s remotest ends.
Mary received into her heart the love of the Holy Spirit. She followed the will of the Father and gave birth to the Second Person of the Trinity. Jesus passed on authority to his Apostles to administer the sacraments to all and to preach the Good News worldwide!
God works in mysterious ways, the Virgin giving birth is the greatest of mysteries, but be on the lookout for other important insights. The processional song at Mass served that purpose for me today. I pray you are open to the working of the Holy Spirit to enlighten you during your next Sunday Mass!
