Treasures from our Tradition

05-12-2019Weekly ReflectionJames Field, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

The reception of Holy Communion at Sunday Mass is such an expected feature of the Mass these days that it is surprising to realize that for many centuries, receiving Communion was a relatively rare event in the life of a faithful Christian. “Easter duty” means that Catholics must celebrate reconciliation if aware of serious sin, and receive Holy Communion during the Easter season. For a while, this was a requirement of Easter week, and later extended to the whole season of fifty days, and even beyond that by a few weeks.

For the majority of people long ago, this meant Communion was a once-a-year moment. A rather complex bureaucracy grew up around this rule in the Middle Ages. Amazingly, people received a kind of token at confession admitting them to Communion in their home parish, which then kept careful records and reported them to the bishop.

Surviving records can tell us a great deal about our ancestors. In fact, people were encouraged to journey to the church of their baptism in order to fulfill their duty, and therefore the Easter duty includes in its origins a grateful pilgrimage to the font in which you were first embraced by Christ. If your “Holy Mother Church” is within a drive, why not make a pilgrimage to that font a feature of your Easter celebration of these fifty days?

Tradiciones de nuestra Fe

Hoy celebramos a una mujer potente e importante en nuestras vidas; la madre. La historia del día de la madre se originó en las fiestas griegas en honor de Rhea, la madre de los dioses. A lo largo de la historia los cristianos también hemos recordado a la Madre de Dios, María, en varias solemnidades, pero hace sólo 100 años, el 10 de mayo de 1907 en los Estados Unidos se empezó a promover la idea de un día de reconocimiento del amor que tenemos como humanos por nuestras propias madres. Eventualmente se paso a muchas naciones latinoamericanas.

Muchas culturas latinoamericanas son matriarcales, es decir, el papel de la madre en la familia es algo esencial. Para los latinos, no hay amor más grande que el de una madre. Sin olvidar la función del padre, ella es la que nos da la vida, nos enseña como vivirla y nos da alimento. Su amor nos recuerda al de Cristo, quien con sacrificio y amor da vida a la Iglesia. Su amor sostiene y cuando las cosas se ponen difíciles emocionalmente, nuestro deseo secreto es de estar en los brazos de mamá.

(Fray Gilberto Cavazos-Glz, OFM, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.)

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