Living the Liturgical Year in September

September... Labor Day, harvest, back to school, corn stalks and scare crow, pumpkin patches, a new leaf (pun totally intended) is turned. But for us, Catholics, what does September bring? What is Mother Church trying to teach us in September?

The month of September is dedicated to our Lady of Sorrows, whom we celebrate on September 15th.

The devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary goes back to the Middle Ages but has its source in the Gospel: Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother: “This child is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed—and you yourself shall be pierced with a sword—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare.” Luke 2:34-35 (NAB)

Art by Marion Meert

During the month of September the Church invites us to reflect on the Seven Sorrows of Mary. I was personally introduced to this devotion through Immaculee Ilibagiza's book Our Lady of Kibeho. It moved me deeply and I started praying the Seven Sorrows Rosary. In our family it is now a tradition to pray this rosary daily during the month of September. 

Our Lady of Sorrows
XIXth century, Villefranche, France

According to St. Bridget of Sweden (1302-1373), the Blessed Virgin grants seven graces to the souls who honor her daily by meditating on her tears and dolor, at the same time praying seven Hail Marys for each sorrow.

The seven special graces are:

1) Our Blessed Mother will grant peace to their families.

2) They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.

3) Our Heavenly Mother will console them in their pains and she will accompany them in their work. 4) She will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the perfect will of her Divine Son or the sanctification of the soul.

5) Our Blessed Mother will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and she will protect them at every instant of their lives.

6) She will visibly help them at the moment of their death. They will see the face of their mother.

7) She has obtained this grace from her Son, that those who propagate this devotion to her tears and dolor, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven. She and her Son will be their eternal consolation and joy.

Source: http://www.catholic-church.org/grace/marian/7sorrows.htm

It is a beautiful devotion which brings many graces to us and I would encourage you to discover it for yourself.

But September also brings many feast days! Here are a few that we celebrate in our family (and one of the best way Catholic celebrate is with food! So I have attached a few recipes for each fest day that pertains to the saint being celebrated):

- September 5th: Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Feast Day Plans
Mother Teresa Tea

Birth of the Virgin by Bellini, 15th century

- September 8th: Birth of Mary (our oldest daughter Alice shares this birthday with Mary)
Blueberry Cheesecake for Our Lady
A Birthday Cake for Our Lady

- September 12th: The Most Holy Name of Mary
Holy Name of Mary

Crucifix Pont Saint Esprit, Visitation

- September 14th: the Exaltation of the Holy Cross: This feast was observed in Rome before the end of the seventh century. It commemorates the recovery of the Holy Cross, which had been placed on Mt. Calvary by St. Helena and preserved in Jerusalem, but then had fallen into the hands of Chosroas, King of the Persians. The precious relic was recovered and returned to Jerusalem by Emperor Heralius in 629. 
Tomato Basil Mozzarella Salad

St. Matthew

- September 21st : Saint Matthew, Apostle and Gospel Writer

Padre Pio

- September 23rd: Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
Italian Sausage and Pasta
Cappucino Mousse Trifle

St. Vincent de Paul

- September 27th: St. Vincent of Paul
Poor Man's Caviar

The Archangels

- September 29th: Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
Apple Chicken
Angel Food Blackberry Trifle for Michaelmas

So many opportunities to rejoice in our Catholic faith! 

Following the Queen

by Maura
-->

Drawing in ink- Christine Meert

By some small miracle, we ACTUALLY made it to morning mass today- the feast of the Queenship of Mary. Our wonderful priest gave a short homily, but one that was so profound that… here I sit, still thinking about it, hours later. He said it much better, but the idea was this: All of the feasts of Mary go back to one moment- the Magnificat- the moment that Mary said yes to God. We are all called to say yes to God, and Mary showed us how to do that. In fact, she is the QUEEN at that! 

I often hear from couples that they are afraid for the future. They have financial debt, they are unsure of where they will settle, some are still finishing school, etc. From the viewpoint of an engaged person, the idea of total self-giving love is scary….they are so close, but they have yet to experience what it truly means to give 100% of yourself to the spouse.  The idea of pregnancy is scary for many. The idea of NFP is…let’s face it, kind of hard. What if that means a honeymoon of abstinence? Major buzz kill. Couldn’t they just use contraception until they get the hang of NFP? Questions and questions and uncertainty after uncertainty….leading to logical points on why THEY are the exception to the 
(God- is-in-Charge) rule.

Now imagine Mary, a single teenager living in a culture where adultery meant stoning to death. Imagine her uncertainty! But she said yes to God. Her faith at that moment paved the way for our salvation. Her faith at that moment outweighed the possibility of severe consequences for being pregnant and unwed. 

Drawing in ink - Christine Meert

Drawing in ink - Christine Meert

 “Living in the moment” has a reckless ring to it, right? There is a difference with that and with what we SHOULD do, which is to constantly respond to the stream of God’s graces.  Luckily, we are not asked to provide anything—just to respond to what is being provided for us. One couple, who had always planned on using contraception, was upset when they were presented with the knowledge that contraception is actually sinful. Now what? They preferred the time when they didn’t know it was wrong. Well, don’t worry. The God who led you down this path of marriage with your intended chose this very moment for you to receive this knowledge. All he asks is for you to respond. Clean Slate. Respond now. Drop pre-planned ideas and preconceived ideas. It will take time to talk this out with your spouse. It will take humility, no doubt, to come to grips with the knowledge that your prior plan wasn’t good. But, be like Mary. Don’t look to the uncertainty of what is ahead. Don’t be too proud to face the fact that your plan wasn’t best.  Respond to the truth that is being given to you this day. Tomorrow there will be another one, then another one, then another one. And that is what it means to walk in faith. No one who has walked this faith and responded to these truths is left alone and uncared for. 

And, yet, here I am married with 4 kids. Every single time we have been open and generous to life, God has outdone us in generosity in other areas of our life. You’d think that responding back with more generosity would not be scary or hard….how little we are! I’m that apostle. (Sorry, Thomas). My husband is Peter. No really- that is his name. Pray for us!