OUR CONSECRATION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

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Priest: In the name of the Father, and of

the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. R. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

Priest: When our Risen Lord appeared to

his disciples on Easter Sunday he said:

“Peace be with you.” We can be confident

that he desires this same peace for all the

members of his body, the Church, and for

the people of the entire world.

In this difficult time we turn to the

Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the

Church and Queen of Peace, to ask that she intercedes with her Son for all those who

are affected in any way by this pandemic. As we renew the consecration of our

country and of ourselves to the Mother of the God, we implore her maternal care for

her children.

OPENING PRAYER

Priest: Let us pray.

O God, Father of mercies,

whose Only Begotten Son, as he hung upon the Cross, chose the

Blessed Virgin Mary, his Mother, to be our Mother also, grant,

we pray, that with her loving help your Church may be more

fruitful day by day and, exulting in the holiness of her children,

may draw to her embrace all the families of the peoples. Through

our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

People: Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING John 19:25-27

Priest: A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

—2—

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of

Cleopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he

loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple,

“Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

The Gospel of the Lord. R. Thanks be to God.

[REFLECTION] DECADE OF THE ROSARY

Recalling Jesus’ words as he hung on the cross – “Behold, your mother” – we

meditate on the fifth sorrowful mystery of the Rosary, The Crucifixion and Death of

Our Lord.

Our Father

10 Hail Marys

Glory Be

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls

to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.

PRAYER OF RENEWAL OF OUR CONSECRATION TO THE

BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Let us now entrust our country and ourselves once again to the Virgin

Mary’s care:

Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, you

are the fairest fruit of God’s redeeming love; you

sing of the Father’s mercy and accompany us with a

mother’s love. In this time of pandemic we come to

you, our sign of sure hope and comfort.

Today we renew the act of consecration and entrustment carried out by those who have gone

before us.

Pope Francis:

With the love of a Mother and Handmaid, embrace our nation which we

entrust and consecrate once again to you, together with ourselves and our

families.

A Bishop for his diocese:

With the love of a Mother and Handmaid, embrace this diocese which we

entrust and consecrate once again to you, together with ourselves and our

families.

—3—

A Pastor for his parish:

With the love of a Mother and Handmaid, embrace this parish which we

entrust and consecrate once again to you, together with ourselves and our

families.

Families, groups, or individuals:

With the love of a Mother and Handmaid, embrace us

as we renew our consecration to you, together with our

brothers and sisters in Christ.

In a special way we commend to you those

particularly in need of your maternal care.

Mary, Health of the Sick, sign of health, of healing, and of divine

hope for the sick, we entrust to you all who are infected with the

coronavirus.

Mary, Mother of Consolation, who console with a mother’s love all who

turn to you, we entrust to you all those who have lost loved ones in the

pandemic.

Mary, Help of Christians, who come to our rescue in

every trial, we entrust to your loving protection all

caregivers.

Mary, Queen and Mother of Mercy, who embrace all those who call upon

your help in their distress, we entrust to you all who are suffering in any way

from the pandemic.

Mary, Seat of Wisdom, who were so wonderfully filled with the light of

truth, we entrust to you all who are working to find a cure to this pandemic.

Mary, Mother of Good Counsel, who gave yourself wholeheartedly to God’s plan for the

renewing of all things in Christ, we entrust to you all leaders and policymakers.

Accept with the benevolence of a Mother

the act of consecration that we make today with confidence, and

help us to be your Son’s instruments for the healing and salvation

of our country and the world.

Mary, Mother of the Church, you are enthroned as queen at your

Son’s right hand: we ask your intercession for the needs of our

country, that every desire for good may be blessed and

strengthened, that faith may be revived and nourished, hope

—4—

sustained and enlightened, charity awakened and animated; guide

us, we pray, along the path of holiness.

Priest: Mary our Mother, bring everyone under your protection and

entrust everyone to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

As we conclude this consecration, we ask the blessing of Almighty God:

Let us pray.

Bestow the grace of your kindness upon your

supplicant people, O Lord, that, formed by you,

their creator, and restored by you, their sustainer,

through your constant action they may be saved. R.

Amen.

[priest:

And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son,

✠ and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you

for ever. R. Amen.]

[Priest:

May the Lord bless us, protect

us from all evil

and bring us to everlasting life. R. Amen.]

REGINA CAELI

As is customary, we conclude our prayer with a Marian hymn:

Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia. Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia. Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia.

Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia. (musical notation may be found in most worship addes)

Reflection by Trish – Green Marks the Season of Hope

Each time the snow melts, which has been about once a

week lately, I notice the signs of spring appearing. The

grass is turning green, the tulips and daffodils are growing,

and buds are forming on the trees. The smell of wet spring

soil is evident. Spring brings many indicators that nature is

changing. We are emerging from natureʼs stark look of

winter to the blooming of spring.

As we watch Mother Earth change from the appearance of

dead trees and lifeless plants to the greening of our

environment, our hearts swell. In Montana most of us enjoy

the change from winter to spring. The longer hours of

daylight feed our soul. The increase in songbirds, birth of

new animals including the frolicking calves, and other new

life fills our hearts. The sights and smells brighten our

outlook and increase our sense of hope.

Every spring, farmers plant their crops with the hope of good

harvest. Gardeners till their soil and plant their seeds

looking forward to eating the vegetables and enjoying the

sight of the flowers. Work is being done now for future

benefits.

We need sunshine and good weather for our physical health

and our spiritual wellbeing. Sunshine gives us vitamin D,

which strengthens our bones and teeth, and protects us from

a range of diseases. People are enjoying the outdoors with

the confidence that there will be more sunshine and good

weather to fill their hearts and feed their spirit.

Green is the color of hope. As the earth turns green it is

common for our spirit to rise up with a sense that good things

are coming. The greening of the earth can give us a new

outlook; we find purpose looking to the future by planting or

doing yard work so our small space on this earth is a joy to

look at and to live in.

This act of looking forward is hope. The definition of Hope:

to desire for some good, accompanied with at least a slight

expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is

attainable. Confidence in a future event with the expectation

of good.

In our church, we change the colors of the altar cloths and

the environment to reflect the current liturgical season.

Green is used the most frequently since it is the symbol of

hope. Our hope is growing as we experience spring. Mother

Earth will be green with grasses, leaves, and blooming

plants. With spring there is freshness in the air, the feeling

of a new beginning. The possibilities may seem endless.

As Christians we are told that the Spirit of God is within us

and leads us. Believing God never leaves us, and that God

is giving us strength and walking with us on this crazy

journey of life, gives us hope. We just celebrated Easter, the

Joy of the Resurrection of Jesus. Along with our belief that

Jesus rose from the dead, we believe that we will rise again

and again from winter moments when we feel our spirit is

dormant, or lifeless. Resurrection to new life gives us hope

for our present moment and our current situations.

Pope Francis said, “The Holy Spirit nourishes hope, not only

in the hearts of men, but also in the whole of creation.”

Romans 8:20-22 talks about creation and humans longing

for the freedom and fulfillment for which we were created.

This week may all of us give thanks to Mother Earth as we

look for new life around us in the changes taking place in

nature. May we give thanks to the Spirit of God within each

of us as we look for chances to plant hope in the era of

COVD-19. May we share the vision of possibilities in our

interactions with others and in our personal circumstances.

 Dear Loving Brothers, Sisters and Children in Christ Jesus!

Reflection for Good Friday, April 10, 2020

Today we celebrate the Good Friday of our Lord’s Passion, the moment when Jesus our Lord was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate at the instigation of His opponents, and put to suffer and was tortured, made to bear the heavy wooden cross, and eventually was crucified on the cross, and died. This is what we commemorate today, the day when our Lord Himself died for our sake.

Our experience of this reading this afternoon is heightened by everything around us. There is a profound sense of loss, of absence, in the church right now. No bells. No decorations. An empty tabernacle. A bare altar. This is the only day in the Church calendar when the Mass is not celebrated. We are almost in a state of suspended animation. All we can do is remember once more what was given for us. We reflect. We relive it. We grieve.

In chapels and churches around the world this day, priests pray the Stations of the Cross and retrace Christ’s steps and recite the ancient words that are engraved in our hearts:
We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

The cross this day is our signpost, the center of our worship, and for good reason: because we embrace in a profound way its meaning, its power, and even its necessity. The cross, we affirm, was a means to an end, not an end itself.

Yet, for all its sorrow and pain, all its drama and tragedy, this account of Christ’s passion and death offers us something else, something that may seem contradictory. It gives us reason to hope. And it is there in the words we just heard.

The detail is no coincidence. St John is giving us an echo of Eden—where man’s journey on earth began, and where he fell from grace. But now, we have a new Adam, Christ, who steps into the garden to face betrayal and suffering and judgment and death. With his Passion, Christ gave us a new Genesis. He offered us a new beginning, a new chance, a new way of going forward. Because of what happened this day, we can begin again.

Christ’s last words in this gospel tell us: “It is finished.” But what is finished? Christ’s earthly life is finished. A long chapter in human history is finished. Our old way of living is finished. Humanity’s wait for a savior is finished. And as much as we may want this gospel to have another ending, we realize that God’s overwhelming love gave us something better.

We no longer see Jesus, and we were not there during His crucifixion. But yet, we are also saved. Why is this so? That is because in every Holy Mass, and including in today’s service, even though there is no consecration today, the Lord becomes really present in our midst, through the Most Holy Eucharist. When the priest consecrates the bread and wine brought forth to the Altar, he in fact, presents the same sacrifice as Calvary, lifting up both bread and wine, but no longer just mere bread and mere wine, but in substance and essence completely transformed into the Body and Blood of our Lord Himself.

Therefore, today as we celebrate the Passion and death of our Lord, let us all spend time in prayer and contemplation and reflect on how much we have caused pain and sorrow for our Lord, as He bore that cross, on His way to save all of us.

Standing near the cross of Jesus is a painful and a powerful place to be. As we pray this Good Friday, we are invited to stand there with Jesus and his disciples. Yet, let us also remember that, Good Friday does not stand by itself. Easter comes after Good Friday. And therefore, because we have shared in the death of our Lord, we also will share in His resurrection and receive eternal life.

Jesus, may your victory on the cross fill me with the courage to persevere in times of difficulty and the hope to see beyond the cross to the joy of the Resurrection.