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The coming days are rich with feast days of the Church. On Wednesday the 12th is the Feast of The Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Mary” was a popular name among the Hebrew people, in memory of Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron. Some scholars think that this name is perhaps related to an Egyptian word meaning “beloved,” which certainly fits Mary of Nazareth. She was so beloved by God that God chose her to be the Mother of Jesus, and for this purpose God preserved her from the stain of sin from the first moment of her conception in the womb of her mother, St. Ann (Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception). No sin would distort or destroy her relationship with God. We honor Mary’s name and the holiness that it represents, and we call upon her intercession in our times of need.
On Thursday, September 13th, we celebrate the feast of St. John Chrysostom who was born in Antioch in the year 347 AD. As a priest, he was famous for his eloquent sermons and respected as a powerful preacher. In 398 AD he was named Archbishop of Constantinople. He died while being exiled by his enemies. His dying words were: “Glory be to God for all things.”
On Friday the 14th is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, formerly known as the Triumph of the Cross, a feast that commemorates the finding of the true Cross by Emperor Constantine’s mother, Helen, in about the year 320 AD. In the 4th century, two churches in Jerusalem were dedicated on this day. The feast day commemorates both the dedication of the original Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 335 AD, and Christ’s victory over death by his crucifixion and Resurrection. As St. Cyril of Jerusalem reminds us: “The Cross has set free all who were slaves of sin. It has redeemed all humanity.” Please note that this year, Archbishop John C. Wester has called for all Catholic churches, schools, and institutions in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe to observe this day (September 14th) as a day of prayer, atonement, and reparation for the sins of those bishops and priests who either abused children or failed to protect them. Most especially, he has asked us to pray for the healing of victims of sexual abuse.
On Saturday the 15th is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, formerly known as the Seven Sorrows of Mary, a memorial that was begun by the Servite Friars (Servants of Mary) in 1668 AD. In 1814, Pope Pius VII extended the celebration of this feast to the entire Western Church. The Seven Sorrows of Mary are: Simeon’s prophecy at the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, the flight into Egypt, the disappearance of Jesus as a boy in Jerusalem, the road to Calvary, the crucifixion, the removal of the Body of Jesus from the Cross, the burial of the Body of Jesus. These can be meditated upon, just as one meditates upon the mysteries of the Rosary or the Stations of the Cross.
These are just some of the feast days that will be observed in the coming days. There are several others. These feast days are a reminder to us of the richness of our faith, and how the glory of God is reflected in the lives of the saints.
