Dear Parishioners,

We are still waiting for the details of the reopening that is supposed to happen this coming Monday. Howard County announced yesterday that they are reopening on Friday. However, religious services will only be allowed outdoors. Will Prince George’s do the same? Stay tuned.

A good stay at home activity today is to watch the launch the SpaceX rocket. This is the first time in nine years that the US is launching men into space. You may have children or grandchildren who have never seen such a thing.

The Vatican has announced that Fr. Michael J. McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus, will be beatified. This is joyous news for the Knights of Columbus and for the Church. Here is an article about Fr. McGivney and his beatification. It seems he died of pneumonia during what we now believe to be a coronavirus pandemic: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/knights-of-columbus-founder-father-michael-mcgivney-moves-closer-to-sainthood-301066060.html

Today is the Feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury, the bishop credited with bringing the faith to England. Pope Gregory the Great, who was Pope from 590 to 604, wrote about the evangelization of the Angles:

From a letter by Saint Gregory the Great, pope

The nation of Angles was bathed with the light of holy faith

Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth, because the grain of wheat has fallen into the earth and has died. Christ has died in order to reign in heaven. Not only that: by his death we live; by his weakness we are strengthened; by his passion we are freed from suffering; impelled by his love, we are seeking in Britain brothers whom we do not know; through his help we have found those for whom we were searching, although we were not acquainted with them.

Who, dear brother, is capable of describing the great joy of believers when they have learned what the grace of Almighty God and your own cooperation achieved among the Angles? They abandoned the errors of darkness and were bathed with the light of holy faith. With full awareness they trampled on the idols which they had previously adored with savage fear. They are now committed to Almighty God. The guidelines given them for their preaching restrain them from falling into evil ways. In their minds they are submissive to the divine precepts and consequently feel uplifted. They bow down to the ground in prayer lest their minds cling too closely to earthly things. Whose achievement is this? It is the achievement of him who said: My Father is at work until now and I am at work as well.

God chose illiterate preachers and sent them into the world in order to show the world that conversion is brought about not by men’s wisdom but rather by his own power. So in like manner God worked through weak instruments and wrought great things among the Angles. Dear brother, in this heavenly gift there is something which should inspire us with great fear and great joy.

For I know through your love for that people, specially chosen for you, that Almighty God has performed great miracles. But it is necessary that the same heavenly gift should cause you to rejoice with fear and to fear with gladness. You should be glad because by means of external miracles the souls of the Angles have been led to interior grace. But you should tremble, lest on account of these signs, the preacher’s own weak soul be puffed up with presumption; lest, while seeming externally raised aloft in honour, it fall internally as a result of vainglory.

We should remember that when the disciples on their joyous return from their preaching mission said to their heavenly master: Lord, in your name even devils were subjected to us, he immediately retorted: Do not rejoice about this but rather that your names are inscribed in heaven.

God bless, Fr. LaHood