August 10, 2021
Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Josephine Bakhita Parish,
Greetings and summer best wishes1
You may be aware that the Archdiocese of Hartford is one of a handful of U.S. Dioceses that still celebrates most Holy Days of Obligation on their actual dates. The other dioceses often move the Holy Days to the nearest Sunday. And so, this weekend of August 15th we will be celebrating the great feast of The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary…one of those rare times we celebrate in unity with all U.S. Dioceses.
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary has a long tradition in Christian history. Poets, songwriters, and artists have portrayed the Mother of God in words, music, and art that have inspired millions. Mary has stood for the highest form of human virtue. Piety, purity, gentleness, and complete submission to “thy will be done” have made her a model disciple, generation after generation.
In our culture, however, these virtues are not automatically admired. As a matter of fact, they go against the grain of a society that puts a premium on rugged individualism, aggressive self-assertion, fierce competition, and power. The suggestion that Mary should be a model for our times is likely to fall on many deaf ears. In terms of modern success stories, “what did Mary ever do?”
For me, there is something about Mary as a model that resonates deeply with the needs of the human heart and experience. She provides an antidote or a balance to the aggressive exploitation, dog-eat-dog competitiveness, impersonalism, and callousness that so often colors our world these days.
What did Mary ever do? It is not what she did that elevates her in our eyes, but what she was: gentle and faithful. For the sake of all of us who fear for the future of our world, it should be our hope and prayer that it will be the gentle (the meek) and faithful who will inherit the world.
UPDATE ON COVID-19 (Delta) safety:
For the deepest concern and respect for all Catholics in the Archdiocese of Hartford, Archbishop Blair announced and requested on August 7th that all those attending Masses and other events be encouraged to resume the wearing of masks due to the rise in the virus infections in our state. I personally think this is a wise and prudent decision.
Peace and Blessings,
Fr. George Couturier
Pastor
