The Passion of St. John the Baptist

by Fr. John Granato  |  08/25/2024  |  Words from Fr. John

My Dear Friends,

This week, August 29th, we celebrate the Passion of St. John the Baptist. He is one of the three birthdays that we celebrate, along with our Blessed Mother and our Lord Himself. But because of his importance, we also celebrate his martyrdom and entrance into heaven. He is the bridge between the Old and New Testaments. He is the precursor of the Lord, preparing the way of the Lord and pointing out to anyone who would listen that Jesus is the Lamb of God. He reminds those who were his own disciples that must decrease so that our Lord may increase.

His death was tragic. He was beheaded by King Herod because King Herod lusted after his wife Herodias's daughter and after she danced for him, he offered to give her anything she wanted. Her mother told her to request the head of John the Baptist on a platter. The only reason Herodias asked for the head of St. John the Baptist is that John the Baptist condemned the marriage as unlawful between Herodias and Herod because Herodias was the wife of Herod's brother, Philip. John the Baptist stayed true to his Jewish faith as understood in what we call, the Old Testament. He was willing to be imprisoned and suffer death if need be for speaking the truth of marriage.

Our Catholic faith also has an understanding of marriage, especially sacramental marriage. In some countries, priests are being arrested for hate speech because they uphold the teaching of marriage between one man and one woman. The Church also teaches the immorality of cohabitation, divorce and remarriage, and adultery.

It is not a popular position, to say the least, for a priest or a bishop to uphold these teachings on the morality of a sacramental marriage, especially when some priests and bishops are actively promoting the Catholic Church to change her teachings concerning these immoral activities and situations. Scripture and Tradition are very clear for a Catholic. We are to speak the truth of sacramental marriage and do all we can to encourage each other to remain true to these perennial teachings.

God bless.

Queen of Heaven and Earth

by Fr. John Granato  |  08/18/2024  |  Words from Fr. John

Last week we celebrated the Solemnity of the Assumption. This week, on the octave day of the Assumption, we celebrate the Queenship of Mary. These are the fourth and fifth Glorious Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary. We rightly honor the Blessed Mother and we with joy call her Queen of Heaven and Earth. As Scott Hahn reminds us in his book, Hail, Holy Queen, and Brant Pitre writes in his book, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, the title of queen mother goes back to Solomon and was handed down through the line of kings.

It was the queen mother who interceded for the people and who was the principal advisor to the king, her son; it was not the wife of the king that fulfilled that role. As we remember Mary this week as the queen of heaven and earth, it is an opportune time once again for us to pick up our rosaries and pray the rosary every day, asking our Blessed Mother for her prayers for peace in the world, for the conversion of Russia, in reparation for the sins of the flesh, and for an end to abortion. In honoring the Blessed Mother, we are also making reparation for the sins and offenses against her. In the Rite of Benediction after the people have been blessed by the priest (or deacon) with the monstrance, the priest (or deacon) will lead us in the Divine Praises. It is here where we say the following dogmas of Mary: Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy; Blessed be her holy and immaculate conception; Blessed be her glorious assumption; Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin, and Mother; Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse. Let us pray: Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in the vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us O Holy Mother of God that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.