Feast Of The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary

Being a very bad Catholic, I am never mindful of the Holy Days of Obligation.  Today happens to be the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  I was only reminded of it because I dropped by the church that I plan to be a part of, wishing to ask about how often they had Vespers.  It was only when I picked up the weekly bulletin did I realize that today was a Holy Day of Obligation, obligating a Catholic to attend Mass.  Well, the next Mass was going to start at 6 p.m. and it would be in Latin.

I say the rosary in Latin, along with the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel and the Memorare, but I do not know any other Latin words, with the exception of a few legal terms.  It was not a Mass that I planned on attending, in whatever language.

A reminder that today is a Holy Day of Obligation did not distract me from my goal.  A man familiar with the grounds directed me to the office.  A lady by the name of Carmel (the accent is on the first syllable, not the second, as I have learned) opened the door.  She was sweet and helpful.  Carmel said Vespers was a new addition and not quite yet in place, so she called a priest to ask.  

Fr. Patrick Driscoll, one of the two new priests at the church came down to greet me instead of talking with me on the telephone as Carmel suggested.  I did not expect a meeting and was slightly apprehensive, for I am used to living anonymously.  I was there just to ask about Vespers, but the conversation started on a very different path.  It turned out to be a pre-confession conversation.  I was happy to have met Fr. Driscoll, but the meeting did not change my mind on skipping the 6 p.m. Mass.

I had planned to workout.  At 5:30 p.m. I was confronted with a choice: gym or Mass?  The decision came quickly.  I had no problem admitting that the Blessed Virgin Mary has been helping me a lot.  She comes to my aid every time I pray to Her.  I just could not bear ignoring Her day of Assumption (that would certainly have been a confessable sin), so I went to Mass.

It was the first Latin Mass I had attended.  I did not understand much of anything (except for the sermon which was in English) but I am determined to learn.  The priest who said the Mass was Fr. Driscoll.  It was nice seeing him again.  There was a degree of familiarity.  I like that.

Upon returning home, moments before I opened the door, I felt a lightness in my step, a certain happiness that came from within, a total relief from all my worries and burdens.  I felt as if I did not have a care in the world.  I was free!  I was happy from within.  This feeling was different from the fully relaxed feeling I get after an endorphin-releasing workout.  The after workout feel is physical, but the after Mass feel today was plenary (physical, mental and spiritual).  It was a gift from my Blessed Mother, an encouragement to attend Mass more, to be more dedicated to a Catholic life and be an active participant at the church (that can be challenging, but the Blessed Mother always asks a lot of us, but never more than what we are able to accomplish).

Asking is one thing, actually accomplishing what have been asked of is quite another.  A mind that wanders during Mass is probably not what the Blessed Mother expects, but it happens.  It happened during the 6 p.m. Mass, probably while Fr. Driscoll was saying something in Latin, when I came up with this prayer [1]:

O Blessed Virgin Mary, You were assumed into Heaven.  Take us with you!



[1] This time my wandering thoughts came up with a prayer at least.  Sometimes Satan enters and they become momentarily stuck in Its corner.  It happened today, too.