Pastor’s Corner — May 12th, 2024
Happy Mother’s Day!
This weekend we celebrate our mothers. Because we live in a culture which is increasingly denying the very foundations of motherhood both in terms of denying the differences of men and women and by downplaying (or even rejecting) the gift of children, Mother’s Day takes on a special significance. There is not a single person who has entered this world without a mother. While none of our mothers are perfect, honoring them and thanking them for loving us in the ways they have is the very least thing we can do for them. Since God came to us and revealed himself to us in and through Mary his mother, he sanctifies all motherhood and elevates it to a special vocation.
Every mother knows that she has a unique relationship with each of her children. No child is the same and so she loves each of them in her own way. I love this quote of John Paul II which brings out the uniqueness of our relationship with our mother:
“Of the essence of motherhood is the fact that it concerns the person. Motherhood always establishes a unique and unrepeatable relationship between two people: between mother and child and between child and mother. Even when the same woman is the mother of many children, her personal relationship with each one of them is of the very essence of motherhood. For each child is generated in a unique and unrepeatable way, and this is true both for the mother and for the child.” (John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, 45)
If your mother is still alive, please take care of your personal relationship with her. Call her, visit with her, thank her for loving you so uniquely, no matter how imperfectly she has done so. If she is not alive anymore, make sure the mothers around you know your appreciation for them. Theirs is a unique and beautiful vocation which reflects God so beautifully to our culture which has lost its way.
President Joe Biden and Holy Communion
Everyone knows that the Biden Administration promotes policies that are gravely contrary to the Catholic faith. Recently, someone asked me the question: “Would you give President Biden Holy Communion if he came to your parish?” The answer to the question is really about whether or not a bishop or priest can or should apply Canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law in this circumstance. (For those want to know more on this topic, see Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s note on this back in 2004) In conversations on this topic I usually walk through the teaching of the Church and share the challenge of applying Canon 915 to a public person who is not your parishioner.
Nonetheless, President Biden is a Catholic and advocates for policies that are gravely contrary to the Catholic faith. While it is clear that none of us can (or should) ever judge his heart, it could cause scandal to the faithful if he were to receive Holy Communion. A couple weeks ago Bishop Boyea wrote a short note to us priests saying that if President Biden is in Michigan in the coming months and comes to Mass in our Diocese, he would respect and support our decision not to give him Holy Communion.
While I’m thankful for the Bishop’s leadership and support, the prospect of denying anyone Holy Communion is nothing to celebrate. Let’s continue to pray that all who serve in elected office come to know the truth and enact policies that protect the dignity of the human person.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Mathias