By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
The feast of the Annunciation, March 25 which celebrates the moment in which Mary accedes in all wonder and mystery to be the mother of God’s beloved Son, takes on added significance this year in response to Pope Francis’ call to the church to consecrate Russia and the Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

For nearly a month now, there is a desperate plea and prayer for peace for the people of the Ukraine. Our prayer is not limited to this conflict but reaches out to all war-torn nations in our world. However, the inspiration to consecrate a nation, in particular, Russia, afflicted by communism, to the Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Heart originated with Our Lady of Fátima, based on her apparitions reported in 1917 by three shepherd children at the Cova da Iria, in Fátima, Portugal.

The three children were Lucía dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto. The apparitions occurred between May 13, 1917 and Sept. 13, 1917. The consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was first requested on July 13, 1917 as World War I raged and the menace of communism was advancing.

Pope Francis’ decision to consecrate Russia and the Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the Solemnity of the Annunciation comes at another crucial time for the church and the world. The Ukraine’s Latin Rite Bishops made the appeal to Pope Francis after Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24, one month ago.

This is not the first time that the Vicar of Christ, the Bishop of Rome, has consecrated nations and peoples to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In the aftermath of the assassination attempt on his life in 1981, St. Pope John Paul II immediately thought of consecrating the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and he himself composed a prayer for what he called an “Act of Entrustment,” which was to be celebrated in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major on June 7, 1981, the Solemnity of Pentecost. The following is the part which refers specifically to the Act of Entrustment:

“Mother of all individuals and peoples, you know all their sufferings and hopes. In your motherly heart you feel all the struggles between good and evil, between light and darkness, that convulse the world: accept the plea which we make in the Holy Spirit directly to your heart and embrace with the love of the Mother and Handmaid of the Lord those who most await this embrace, and also those whose act of entrustment you too await in a particular way. Take under your motherly protection the whole human family, which with affectionate love we entrust to you, O Mother. May there dawn for everyone the time of peace and freedom, the time of truth, of justice and of hope.”

In order to respond more fully to the requests of Our Lady, the Holy Father desired to make more explicit during the Holy Year of the Redemption the Act of Entrustment of May 7, 1981, which had been repeated in Fatima on May 13, 1982.

On March 25, 1984 in St. Peter’s Square, while recalling the fiat uttered by Mary at the Annunciation, the Holy Father, in spiritual union with the Bishops of the world, who had been convoked beforehand, entrusted all men and women and all peoples to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in terms which recalled the heartfelt words spoken in 1981.

In a 1989 handwritten letter, Sister Lucia said that Pope John Paul’s consecration of the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was “accepted in heaven.” The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the consecration had been completed to Sister Lucía’s satisfaction. “The decision of His Holiness Pope John Paul II to make public the third part of the secret of Fatima brings to an end a period of history marked by tragic human lust for power and evil, yet pervaded by the merciful love of God and the watchful care of the Mother of Jesus and of the church.” (The Message of Fatima, 2000)

On Friday, March 25 there will be prayers of consecration rising up to heaven from all over the world. Our diocese will be in solidarity with the universal church with a special holy hour of consecration at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson, followed by Mass for the Solemnity of the Annunciation. Likewise, there will be prayer throughout the diocese.

Cardinal Ratzinger as head of the Congregation on the Doctrine of the Faith wrote in the 2000 document, “The Message of Fatima” that “we believe that the action of God, the Lord of history, and the co-responsibility of men and women in the drama of God’s creative freedom, are the two pillars upon which human history is built. Our Lady, who appeared at Fatima, recalls these forgotten values. She reminds us that humanity’s future is in God, and that we are active and responsible partners in creating that future.”
The following is an excerpt from the prayers that will rise like incense on the Solemnity of the Annunciation.

“Most Holy Virgin Mary, tender Mother of men and women, to fulfill the desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the request of the Vicar of Your Son on earth, we consecrate Russia and the Ukraine to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and we recommend to You, all the people of our country and all the world. Please accept our consecration, dearest Mother, and use us as You wish to accomplish Your designs in the world.”

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
The celebration of the Incarnation, the beginning of the culmination of God’s plan of salvation for humanity, will be celebrated throughout the Christian world over next weekend on the Solemnity of Christmas. In many countries the Lord’s birth will be commemorated at home or in smaller family clusters, but for the majority of the faithful there will be the joyful gatherings in churches with a wide range of languages and customs. For the throngs who do “go to church,” it will be for the celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass, the divine Liturgy, the holy Eucharist, to give thanks to God who so loved the world that he sent his only Son. (John 3:16)

Next weekend there will be the pastoral challenge in the Catholic world of coordinating the schedule of Masses for Christmas eve, Christmas day, and the Masses for Sunday – the feast of the Holy Family. But whatever Masses we attend let us not lose sight of one of the most sublime mysteries of our faith in the Lord Jesus, the bond between his birth, the Incarnation, and the Mass, when and where we celebrate his death and resurrection.

The link between the words from the prologue of the Gospel of John and the words of consecration from the other three evangelists, Matthew, Mark and Luke, as well as St. Paul are enlightening.

From the prologue:
– “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

– The Lord himself handed on to the church, beginning at the Last Supper and continuing for all time, his words of institution and consecration. (Matthew, Mark, Luke and St. Paul) “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take and eat; this is my body. Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28)

– Several chapters later in John’s Gospel, the Lord unwaveringly wedded his Incarnation with the Eucharist. “I am that living bread come down from heaven! Everyone who eats it will live forever. And the bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)

Throughout the Christmas season, the Octave of Christmas, and its sacred interval through Jan. 9, 2022 – the feast of the Baptism of the Lord – there is ample time to cherish the fullness of our faith in the Son of God.

Jesus Christ is the true light that has come into the world, so that whoever accepts him is granted the power to be children of God. Each time we gather at Mass as his Body – the church – the risen Christ reveals his glory to us, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.

Whenever someone doubts or rejects the real presence of the risen Christ in the bread and wine, which can occur for many reasons, a good place to revisit is the Incarnation of the Son of God.

In the power of the Holy Spirit pray for the grace and truth to see with the eyes of the heart the humanity and divinity of the child Jesus, and the crucified and risen Lord. He shines in glory in His resurrected body at the right hand of the Father and intercedes on behalf of his Body, the church, in this world.

Of course, he would want to feed us with exceptional food and drink – His own body and blood – food for the journey.

As, we grapple with this sublime mystery at various intervals over our life span, and we pray for one another to persevere, as individuals, families and friends with our feet firmly planted in God’s good creation as children of the Most High, who never lose sight of the beckoning horizon of eternal life.

Merry Christmas and peace on earth and goodwill toward all!

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
It is with great joy that we begin a formal Year of the Eucharist on this weekend, the Feast of Christ the King. As Catholics we have celebrated the Eucharist or offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for nearly two millennia, always striving to see the extraordinary in what is central to our Christian lives of prayer and worship. At the center of the sacred obligation to keep holy the Lord’s day, the 3rd commandment, is the Lord Jesus himself, Christ our King, inviting us to draw life from the living fountain of God’s loving mercy.

Consider the conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well in St. John’s Gospel and may we also drink in the living words of the thirsting Lord. “If you recognized the gift of God and who it is asking you for something to drink, you would have asked Him and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)

The Lord was thirsting for her faith as He does for ours, for us to see with the eyes of faith the great gift of God poured out on the Cross and gathered now in the heavenly realms. Of course, the Samaritan woman was not yet “seeing” and wondered where was the Lord’s bucket to draw from the depth of Jacob’s well. But, by the end of the conversation she had become a disciple who spread the Good News of the living God throughout her village.

Like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus for whom the words of the Lord also burned in their hearts, she too would come also to recognize him in the Breaking of the Bread, the gift of the Eucharist. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1324-27) states that, “the Eucharist is the ‘source and summit’ of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all church ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the church, namely Christ himself.”

The Word of God for this weekend’s feast of Christ the King exalts the crucified and risen one not only as the head of the church, but the Lord of all time and eternity. “Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, to him glory and power forever and ever. Amen. ’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘the one who is and who was, and who is to come, the almighty.’” (Rev. 1:5-8)

This eternal drama of God’s love for us is ever ancient and ever new. The church’s cycle of worship in the Mass throughout the liturgical year, is always a culmination and a new beginning, the Alpha and Omega, who renews and refreshes our vision through the forgiveness of our sins.

As we enter into our diocesan “Year of the Eucharist” may we experience the joy of the rediscovery of the gift that is always before us, the encounter that transformed the life of the Samaritan woman and all others who are counted among the disciples of the Lord. The exhortation at the end of each Mass: “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord” is our responsibility and privilege. Or perhaps we could say, put aside the things of this world that distract us, like buckets, and live in the light of the Lord.

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

In 2022 the Catholic Church will mark the 50th anniversary of Respect Life Month in the United States, one year before the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade that continues to cast a shadow over our land and consciences.
The roots for a more formal commemoration of respect for life in the modern world are found in the writings of the Second Vatican Council. Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World, provided a Gospel rationale for what would emerge in the decades to follow as the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

“While the Church helps the world and she receives much from the world, she has one object in view; the coming of God’s Kingdom and the salvation of the whole human race. As she pursues this appointed goal of bringing salvation to all, the church not only communicates the divine life to mankind but also in some measure reflects the light of that life over the whole world. She does this especially through her work of restoring and enhancing the dignity of the human person, of strengthening the fabric of human society, and enriching the daily activity of men and women with a deeper meaning and importance. The church believes that in this way she can make a great contribution toward bringing a greater humanity to the family of humankind and to its history.”

In this marvelous section from Gaudium et Spes that translates as joy and hope, we are inspired to keep our eyes on the goal of eternal life, but never aloof from the world where we work out our salvation.

The dignity of the human person, and the fabric of human society are part and parcel of the Kingdom of God and the mission of the church. This is ardently stated in the opening lines of Gaudium et Spes. “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men and women of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way are afflicted are the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the followers of Christ.”

Catholic Social Teaching builds upon this vision of human life, daily activity and our ultimate destiny with the principles of solidarity and the common good that promote family life, gainful employment, along with the essentials for dignified living: food, water, health care, education, housing and safety, in the context of sustainability for God’s creation.

St. Joseph as previously reflected upon is an exemplary model of one who accepts the lives of mother and child. Let us return to St. Joseph and the Holy Family to understand the some of the struggles that plague the human family today and are in need of redemption.

From the outset his “Yes” to God’s will and the gift of life was beset with trouble. A taxing journey was undertaken from northern Israel to Bethlehem in the south with Mary about to give birth with every bounce along the way atop a beast of burden. The disheartening lack of lodging awaited them.

Yet, their resiliency became apparent in their utilization of the stable to bring the Son of God to the light of day. We are not even certain if they had the time to register in the census decreed by Caesar Augustus, because after a brief respite they were on the run to avoid the murderous venom of King Herod. The sacred scriptures tell us that Joseph and Mary with their newborn spent two years in Egypt before they could return to their beloved homeland and begin to build a life of stability in Nazareth for the only begotten Son of God.

Their early years together offer us direction for our Catholic faith and modern world. As a married couple they had a deep trust and respect for each other, a solid foundation to overcome hardship and hate. They had a living faith in their loving God, evident in their capacity to follow the promptings of their better angles to accept God’s will, one another, and the urgency of the moment. Yet, with all of their personal and relational strengths, in their vulnerability they had to rely on some in Egypt who welcomed the stranger and gave them a foothold for survival.

There are a whole host of people on the move in our world today for reasons that parallel those of the Holy Family. Migrants, immigrants and refugees are often stripped of everything except for the clothes on their back. Many have demonstrated remarkable resiliency and have survived. But in their vulnerability, there is always the need for Good Samaritans to accompany them and get them back on their feet.

Extending the reality of vulnerability, we give thanks during this month’s respect life commemoration to all who accompany and serve those who are on the brink of folding. The reasons can be legion, but the goal is the restoration of human dignity, the strengthening of the fabric of human society, and building a more humane world. This is the mindset that is befitting of disciples of the Lord Jesus in service of all of God’s children.

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
The fundamental truth of our faith in Jesus Christ was proclaimed in last Sunday’s first reading with the creation story from Genesis, so fitting to begin Respect Life Month in the Catholic Church throughout the United States.

From the encyclical Evangelii Vitae (The Gospel of Life) of St. John Paul II we read that God made the human person with the capacity to love and reason, and to live in relationship with the Creator. The human person, male and female, bears an indelible imprint of God, made in God’s image and likeness, the foundation of all human dignity. However, the struggle to elevate the dignity of human life over and against a culture of death, decried in Evangelii Vitae, requires courage and compassion, perseverance and encouragement. To proclaim Jesus is to proclaim life itself.

Evangelii Vitae encourages a spirit of mission because gratitude and joy at the incomparable dignity of the human person impel us to bring the Gospel of life to the hearts of all people and make it penetrate every part of society. We are therefore called to reverence and love every human person, loving our neighbors as ourselves. It is our privilege and responsibility to care for and protect human life, especially the lives of the most vulnerable among us.

At the outset of Respect Life Month we rightly direct our gaze to the foundation of life, the wellbeing of the unborn. During this year of St. Joseph, Pope Francis has brought the beloved patron of the Universal Church to the forefront as a model for righteous living. In his splendid pastoral letter, Patris Corde, (With a Father’s Heart) we hear the pope’s encouragement. Each of us can find in him “an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble.” (PC, Intro)

Joseph shows us how to say “yes” to life, despite our own fears, frailties and weaknesses. For it is Joseph who was chosen by God to guide the beginnings of the history of redemption. He was the true ‘miracle’ by which God saves the child and his mother.” (PC 5) The infant Christ “came into our world in a state of great vulnerability. He needed to be defended, protected, cared for and raised by Joseph.” (PC 5)

The humble and often hidden carpenter of Nazareth accompanied Mary in her pregnancy, assisted at the birth of the Messiah in a stable, presented Jesus in the Temple, fled with his family far from their homeland to protect them, and lovingly raised Jesus as his own son in the years to come. May we, too, be miracles in the lives of those who are most in need, especially at the beginning and end of life.

Dear St. Joseph, you who were “able to turn a problem into a possibility by trusting always in divine providence” (PC 5), help us to imitate your faithful trust and courage.”

Prayer, outreach in ministry, and advocacy on behalf of mothers and their unborn children is not only the work of the church. For example, our diocese has had a strong partnership with the State of Mississippi through our Born Free, New Beginnings program for nearly 30 years.

Catholic Charities is the guardian of this ministry which is snugly housed at the former Norbertine Priory. The promotion of life, justice and peace is well grounded in our Catholic Social teachings, but this world-view is embraced by many who belong to other faith traditions, or by those with no religious ties. Respect Life Month serves to highlight the labor of love that occurs on behalf of the unborn throughout the year.

Advocacy on behalf of the unborn will occur at the highest judicial level on Dec. 1, less than two months out, when our State’s Attorney General, Lynn Fitch, will argue the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization before the Supreme Court. It is commonly referred to as the fetal heartbeat bill that could have landmark consequences. It is a substantial document, but one that is largely readable.

Grounded in our nation’s legal tradition and rule of law it fundamentally seeks to overturn Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood and return this life issue back to the 50 states. “The Court should hold that the Act (Bill) is constitutional because it satisfies rational basis review.” Or, it is reasonable because it seeks to provide greater protection for the unborn, and authentic concern for women, and to restore integrity to the medical profession whose fundamental standard is to do no harm.

The fetal heartbeat bill is a serious step to advance protection for the unborn. Underlying all of its rationale is a profound respect for life, from the outset to the end. This vision of human life requires an ongoing conversion toward all that is true, good and beautiful about God’s creation, most notably, all of us created in the divine image. We all have had and will have our St. Joseph moments compelling us to dig deeper to discern, decide and act on behalf of life. We give thanks to all who labor on behalf of the unborn and their mothers, and for all who labor on behalf of human dignity throughout life, seeking greater justice and peace at every step on the journey.