SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
October 14th, 2012; 20th Sunday After Pentecost
Epistle: Eph. 5: 15-21; Gospel: Jn. 4: 46-53
Mass Schedule October 15th through October 19th
Monday –Saint Teresa of Avila, Virgin-- NO LATIN MASS
Tuesday-Saint Hedwig, Widow
Wednesday-Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin
Thursday-Saint Luke, Evangelist
Friday-Saint Peter of Alcantara, Confessor—NO LATIN MASS
There will be NO LATIN MASS on Friday, October 19th. There will be NO LATIN MASS October 22nd through October 26th due to the annual clergy conference in Branson, MO.
The purpose of the rosary is to help us meditate on the great mysteries of our salvation. Pius XII called it a compendium of the gospel. The main focus is on Jesus—His birth, life, death and resurrection. The Our Father’s remind us that Jesus' Father is the initiator of salvation. The Hail Mary’s remind us to join with Mary in contemplating these mysteries. They also make us aware that Mary was and is intimately joined with her Son in all the mysteries of His earthly and heavenly existence.
The rosary’s appeal lies in the fact that it is simple. The constant repetition of words helps us to contemplate the mysteries of God. We sense that Jesus and Mary are with us in the joys and sorrows of life. We grow in hope that God will bring us to share in the glory of Jesus and Mary forever. In his apostolic letter “The Rosary of the Virgin Mary” Pope John Paul II states:
“The rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christ-centered prayer. It has all the depth of the gospel message in its entirety. It is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb.... It can be said that the rosary is, in some sense, a prayer-commentary on the final chapter of the Vatican II Constitution Lumen Gentium, a chapter that discusses the wondrous presence of the Mother of God in the mystery of Christ and the Church.”
Although Jesus Christ is God, he willed while on earth to receive everything through His Mother. It is to her that He made known all His needs, and addressed all His requests. I likewise address to her all my prayers and receive everything from her mother’s hand. Jesus is infinitely good and powerful. He is ready to give us all! But He will not do so except on receiving a sign from His Immaculate Mother! She is the distributor, the Mediatrix of All Graces.
In Christ,
Fr. Jeff Fasching
