Exiit qui seminat “The Sower Goes Out To Sow”

This Monday, August 21st, we celebrate the feast day of Pope St. Pius X. Born Guiseppe Sarto in Italy in 1835, St. Pius X reigned as Supreme Pontiff from 1903 until his death in 1914. A man of great holiness and humility, Pius X had great love for both the poor and for children and rejected the trappings and wealth that came along with the papacy. While being well known for moving the age of First Holy Communion to the age of 7 and the creation of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) in order to catechize children, Pope St. Pius X also was involved in the reform of the Mass. He emphasized the importance of frequent reception of the Eucharist and that Holy Communion was at the heart of not only the Mass, but our faith. The best way to focus on Mass is to acquire its primary source "quae est participatio divinorum mysteriorum" - which is participating in the Divine Mysteries. Mass can seem to be a passive activity. We sit in the pew. We listen to hymns, prayers, readings, homilies, announcements, etc. We receive the final blessing and we go home. What Pope St. Pius X is telling us and what the Church continues to tell us is that we can't get the most out of Mass unless we fully and completely dive into what is happening right before our very eyes. We're not passive participants. We need to be active recipients - to be open and disposed, active and engaged in the graces that we receive at every Mass and the awesome reality that the living Word of God is present in our midst. When was the last time we felt that way when we went to Mass? AND what can we do to be better disposed to what we receive? Maybe it's reflecting on the readings and prayers ahead of time. Maybe it's looking at the words of hymns before we sing (IF we sing ). Because Mass is not a passive transaction ... it's a relationship. So in honor of Pope St. Pius X let us delve into the Divine Mysteries that are made present to us every time we come to Mass!

St. Pius X ora pro nobis!

Fr. Rob