December 8 O Mary conceived without Sin, pray for us who have recourse to you!
A Happy feast of the Immaculate Conception to all. It is always a good day to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. DE MARIA NUMQUAM SATIS! It is the Patronal feast of the Seminary today and Archbishop Pilarczyk will celebrate Mass and welcome our first year Seminarians into Candidacy. Candidacy is a special rite in which the first year men make a public statement of their desire to study for the priesthood, and the Archbishop accepts it. The names of the men making candidacy today are Jon-Paul Bevak, Karl Borchers, Daniel Hunt, Bob Lanterman, Matthew Robben, Jim Romanello and Marc Soellner. This is their first formal step towards Holy Orders, so keep them in your prayers.
Yesterday was the feast of St. Ambrose, and I did not have the opportunity to write on him. So today, I am including a Marian passage from St. Ambrose on the Annunciation:
She does not appear to have doubted the event but asked how it would take place. Clearly, if she asked how it would happen, she must have believed in its fulfillment. Thus she merited to hear the words: Blessed are you becuase you have believed.
Yes, truly blessed for having surpassed the priest Zechariah. While the priest denied, the Virgin rectified the error. No wonder that the Lord, wishing to rescue the world, began his work with Mary. Thus, she through whom salvation was being prepared for all people, would be the first to receive the promised fruit of salvation.
Father, you prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy Mother of your Son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin.
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