In this time of suffering, some people might think that the Church is doing wrong by closing her doors to the lay faithful. I will show you that some people are looking at the Church the wrong way.
The Church is called Holy Mother Church because she is our mother. Most people know the mother who gives birth to them. Think of your mother and how she feeds, cleans, teaches, corrects and confronts you. She loves you and does only what is best for you. Your mother has to make hard choices for you. For example, she will keep you home if you are sick and will make you take medicine that might taste bad but is good for you. She also has to make sure she does not show favoritism.
Holy Mother Church is our mother given to us by Jesus. She knows what is best for her children even if they do not like it. It is hard for her to close her doors but she knows this is the best way for her children to stay healthy. We may ask, “What would Jesus do?” He would tell us to be obedient to your mother the Church.
Some people point to Mother Angelica and say she would allow the lay faithful to go to Mass. Mother Angelica founded my community, the MFVAs. When I joined 28 years ago, I looked like I was 12 years old even though I was 19. My mother died when I was 3 years old. Mother Angelica was like a mother to me. When you do not have a mother, you do stupid things. Example: I was about 10 years old. My brothers, sister and I were playing in a ditch full of water. A neighbor told us it was a sewage ditch. If my mother were alive, she would not have let us play in the sewage. My sister told Mother Angelica some stories about our childhood. Mother said she was surprised that we were still alive.
Mother Angelica was a mother and she watched over her nuns, friars, EWTN and all the lay faithful. I am a 100% sure she would have done exactly what Holy Mother Church asked of her. She also would have done exactly what EWTN is doing – making sure that the Mass, prayers and spiritual teachings are available in all forms of media. This way all of God’s children could be helped spiritually in these hard times. If Mother Angelica were alive, she would be acting as a mother to every person.
When my mother died, my dad pointed me to the Blessed Mother. When you lose your mother at an early age, your desire for a mother is greater. I think a lot about what it would have been like to have a mother physically present. It is the same when you cannot go to Mass. Your desire to go to Mass can become stronger.
In this time of suffering, think about Holy Mother Church, the Blessed Mother, your birth mother and all your spiritual mothers. They are all there for you. Let them take care of you.
Happy Mother’s Day!
– Br. Leo Mary, MFVA
I agree with you, Brother Leo. However, I worry that more restrictions might
be placed on us, by constantly limiting the number of people who can attend mass. I hope and pray that our churches can be filled again and that we will soon be able to worship together. We know God has a plan.
Agree to disagree, I understand both sides. I watched my neighbor go to church Sunday. She explained to me how they where taken all precautions. Everything she said to me and how they where going to do it, I completely agreed with her about all the precautions they will be taking place. When she was walking by me, she told me, yah I used to be Catholic. Wow, I became Catholic because of Mother Angelica, I think I would hear hear say, something totally different. I think she would say look at the souls that could have come to the True Church. Think, the Priests need to see the flocks, the flocks need to see their Priests. I feel also that the Sacrament should not be given out. However, most church’s have parking lots, just think what it would mean to the families that our hurting and all the others in the parish. I heard many years ago, about just plan old meetings, public speaking. Why can’t we do that?? We have picnic, in the parking lots. I just don’t get it, we can bring the people together, with all safe guards in place. Have we lost the true meaning in True Church?
6 year old RCIA speaking.
Just saying what I think Mother Angelica would say.
Thank you Br Leo miss mother Angelica God Bless all you friars and EWTN and all the employees 💕🤗🇺🇸
Brother Leo, thank you, for someone do quiet, you speak beautifully, I read this and I could feel Your heart! Very well said and so thoughtful! May God bless you always! I’m in Los Angeles but I am a daily viewer of EWTN because that’s my only tv. You all are amazing for what you do for all of us.
Today is the great Celebration of Pentecost – The Day of The Holy Spirit and hardly any articles on The Holy Spirit over on NC Register. But it isn’t just today, hardly any articles on NC Register on The Holy Spirit leading up to Pentecost, and hardly any articles on NC Register, on The Holy Spirit compared to Mary during the year . There is an element of idolatry / heresy in this (a form of Ultra Conservative Heresy) – NC Register that also brought us AB Vigano using NC Register to demonstrate Lutheran-like rebellion and schism to petition the Pope to resign.
I mention this here because you friars are part of Mother Angelica’s order and Mother Angelica founded EWTN which bought NC Register.
An extra article just appeared on NC Register on The Holy Spirit a few minutes ago (about 1 PM New York time) – but this still doesn’t take away from the lack of content on The Holy Spirit, compared to Mary, on the NC Register website in general over the year, and leading up to Pentecost, not forgetting that The Holy Spirit is GOD.
And yes, we owe gratitude, love and devotion to Our Lady, but without The Holy Spirit, there would be no Mary. All her grace continues to come completely from God. She is NOT God albeit Born without Sin, Virgin, Mother of God and Assumed into Heaven – but she is still NOT God.
And Jesus is very clear about how much we need The Holy Spirit. And all backed up and explained in more detail in The Catholic Magisterium. And look what happened to the disciples and The Church after Pentecost – it took off! But we don’t just need The Holy Spirit for The Institutions of The Church (profound as that is) but for our Private Lives and for The World / Civilisation in general (you can’t really separate all of these – but sometimes the focus is often just on the role of The Holy Spirit in the Institutions of The Church – profoundly important that role is – when His Role in Life and for our salvation – please God – and sanctification – please God – is far more comprehensive).
And with The Church and the world in the crisis it’s in at moment, especially as our world resembles more and more the ancient pagan world before Christianity arrived (although there were good things about the ancient pagan world as well i.e. Homer, Socrates etc), so we really need to return to the kind of love and devotion to The Holy Spirit that the first Christians / first Catholics had, in particular the disciples – and Our Lady.
‘Breathe in me O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. … Draw my heart O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy.’ – St Augustine
The Holy Spirit is also the Great Unifier of The Church. But AB Vigano, using NC Register, to petition the Pope to resign, was an act of Satan – not The Holy Spirit, with Satan trying to divide The Church.
I am NOT saying AB Vigano didn’t have just cause to be angry (nor am I saying he is Satan – but did something very seriously wrong). But not for this anger to spill over into schism.
You friars have a moral duty to defend The Sacred Office of The Holy See and not allow organisations such as NC Register (which you’re morally responsible for / have moral clout over) to disrespect The Sacred Office of The Holy See whilst diminishing the importance of The Holy Spirit by the lacklustre content on the NC Register website to The Holy Spirit compared to say Our Lady (it’s right and proper to show love and devotion to The Holy Spirit but not in a way that undermines / diminishes Who The Holy Spirit is and the profound role He plays in our Church and lives).
If Protestants are heretics, then Catholics who focus on Our Lady more than The Holy Spirit are also guilty of the spirit of heresy but from the other extreme (and Ultra Catholic kind of heresy) – and heresy that results in the sin of idolatry.
Thank you Nr. Leo for your inspiring thoughts about our Blessed Mother and Mother Angelica! I’ve been watching EWTN programs since the early 2000s and Mother Angelica’s meditation helped me persevere in prayers and the sacraments. She gave and is still giving us a lot of hope!
Thank you Br. Leo for your inspiring thoughts about our Blessed Mother and Mother Angelica! I’ve been watching EWTN programs since the early 2000s and Mother Angelica’s meditations helped me persevere in prayer and the sacraments. She gave and is still giving us a lot of hope!
Dear Fathers and Brothers, Thank you for all that you are doing in your works and prayers for us during these difficult days of the virus and our world situation.I try to participate in the daily Masses as best as I can. My prayers and sympathy to Father Joseph at the passing of his father. I understand that Father was home for a family celebration. It was good that he could be there for his family. I know what a comfort it is to have a priest in the family.Again, Thank You All, for your good work and prayers. Please be assured for mine for all of you.