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Sunday is the Lord’s Day. Today is September 8, Sunday. It is also Mary’s day. When we have a choice between the Lord’s Day and Mary’s day, the Lord’s day takes priority. That is why the Mass is not the Mass for the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is the Mass celebrating the 234th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The love of Mary and the message of Mary, and the love of God and the message of God, are not contradictory. In fact, they are complimentary.
Let us look at the apparitions of Mary for the past 2000 years. Most popular would be Fatima, Lourdes, the Miraculous Medal apparition at Rue d’Bac, and then Our Lady of Guadalupe. Not as popular are the apparitions in Banneux, Our Lady, Queen of the Poor. One thing is certain though, every time Mary appeared in human history, Mary always carried three messages.
First, Mary always spoke about turning away from sin. That was revealed in Fatima. She requested that in Lourdes and even in Banneux. Juan Diego spoke of that in Guadalupe. The message is the same in Rue d’Bac. Mary always tells people, “Turn away from sin. Convert. Have a change of heart.”
The second common message of Mary in all the apparitions is that Mary always invites people to pray. That is why we have the Fatima ejaculation after every mystery. Mary also taught people to pray at Lourdes. At Fatima, at Rue d’Bac, in Guadalupe, at Banneux, Mary always taught people, “Pray and return to my Son.”
The third component of Mary’s message is “Return to Jesus, my Son. Be united with one another and be united with Jesus, my Son.” Everywhere Mary appeared, these three messages are always echoed and re-echoed over and over again. So that you will remember it more easily, there are three C’s. The first C is conversion. The second C is contemplation. The third C is communion. Mary always wants us to be united with Jesus. Mary always wants us to be united with one another.
With all due respect to Mary, she was not original. All her messages were not original because all her messages were only repetitions. They were borrowed messages from the message of Jesus Himself, because if Mary would have a message separate from the message of Jesus, she would no longer be truly mother of Jesus. Mary is venerated in the Church because everything she does is what Jesus would do. Everything she says is what Jesus wants to say. Mary is only a shadow of her Son, Jesus Christ.
The Gospel for today is a clear proof that the conversion, contemplation, and communion message of all the Marian apparitions are in the message of Jesus Christ. What is the first C? Conversion. Here we have in the Gospel the Lord giving us a mandate. Correct one another; invite one another to change. Invite one another to rise up from sin. Correct one another. “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” In other words, it is not only Mary who must be an instrument of conversion. Every Christian must be a reminder of conversion also.
What is the second C? Contemplation, which is prayer. The Lord says to us in the Gospel for today that “When two or three are gathered in my name, I will be there and whatever you ask for will be granted to you by My Heavenly Father.” Mary encourages us to pray because Jesus taught us how to pray. If Jesus did not teach us how to pray, Mary would have no business telling us what to do or what to pray. Mary tells us to pray because that is the business of Jesus, her Son.
What is the third C? Communion. The Lord said, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven. I will be there in the midst of them.” Today is Mary’s birthday. Today is the Lord’s day. The message of the Lord is the message of Mary, and the message of Mary is the message of the Lord. There is no distinction. The Lord is primary. The Lord is almighty and Mary is only the handmaid of the Lord. Whatever the Lord says, Mary echoes all the time. It was Jesus who said, “I came so that all may be one.” It was Jesus who said, “Turn away from sin, the kingdom of God is at hand.” It was Jesus who taught us how to pray that beautiful prayer that we now call, “Our Father—The Lord’s Prayer.” It is Mary’s day and Mary points to Jesus, her Son. Jesus, her Son, with Mary, point to God the Father, inviting us to convert, to contemplate and to live in communion. If only we can live every day of our lives in the spirit of conversion, contemplation, and communion, we would not only be good children of Mary, we will also be good sons and daughters of the Father and good brothers and sisters to all.
3 Cs OF MARY
Love Like Jesus
