I want to start off this reflection with a little story from my past.
When I was a child, I would attend mass with my parents as a young child my parents would never let us sit in the front of the church because we would either be late to mass or my mom thought me and my sister would be disruptive.
So, we often sat in the brown chairs on the hard floor in the back and I would ask my mom when we could go and sit in the red-carpet section with the comfy chairs.
I never got a real answer until St Anne’s changes the mass time to 8,10,12 morning masses. It was at that time that we moved up to the second row across from the choir near the ambo. I remember this row very specifically because we would sit behind the Dizon Family. We always had an order to our seating first it was my dad on the edge of the row, then my mom (or my sister if we were fighting) then my sister then me.
This is an important detail because one of my earliest memories during mass was sitting in the church on a hot day and Mrs. Dizon (Grandmother) was feeling the heat so I was directed by my mom to use Mrs. Dizon’s fan to help fan her since she was elderly and would get tired of fanning herself. I would do this quite often as I grew up until I started to Altar Serve.
This long-winded story is relevant to the Gospel because in the Gospel Mary goes and visits her cousin Elizabeth who is also with Child and the Child in Elizabeth's womb leaps for joy at the sound of Mary’s Voice. I relate my mom and Mrs. Dizon’s relationship to this because, looking back I think My mom saw something in Mrs. Dizon that reminded her of my grandma (Lola).
Now, I am not saying that I am John the Baptist in the womb, but I remember how happy my mom was when she watched me fan Mrs. Dizon like I was taking care of my Lola that I never got the chance to meet. When I read this Gospel what stands out to me is, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
My mom had a special Devotion to the Blessed Mother so much so that on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception she fell ill and the day that she passed was the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
This Gospel is a wonderful Gospel because its where we first hear the response in the Hail Mary. (A prayer I could never recite as a kid) I am not sure why, but Prayers did not come natural to me as a kid. Now that I am older, I try to have more conversation like prayers with God than the “the rigid” structured prayers like the Hail Mary or the Our Father. None the less this Gospel makes me think of the many strong women in my life that have been role models of faith, by word or deed.
In the first reading, something spoke to me as I have been in a reflective mood after coming down from our mountain top retreat experience, the lines that spoke to me were “He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock; by the strength of the LORD.
These lines speak to me because as Jim shared on our retreat that our Church lost a father -like figure, a shepherd for our diocese with the passing of Bishop John Cummins.
Bishop Cummins was a man that made people feel special and cared about with his presence. Although I went through the Confirmation Program later than my peers, I was not confirmed by Bishop Cummins, but I still had gotten several chances to meet with him and talk with him. Bishop Cummins was surely a Blessed Shepherd for his flock here in our local diocese and he will be greatly missed.
I still remember one of the first times I served with Bishop Cummins as MC (Master of Ceremonies), he was already Bishop Emeritus and he was at St Anne’s for a blessing. Having the celebrity-like presence that a Bishop has when he comes to a local parish was rather taxing for Bishop Cummins and so I found myself being a barrier of sorts for him from the crowds of people wanting to kiss his ring and greet him with touch.
At the end of that day, Bishop Cummins leaned over and thanked me for serving with him on that day. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but I remember coming back from a trip (I think it was LA Youth Day) and finding envelope addressed to me from the Office of the Bishop of Oakland.
I thought I was in trouble because it looked important but the contents of the envelope was something I never expected. It was a personalized letter from Bishop Cummins thanking me for my service at the mass. He ended the letter saying that he would love to have me serve with him again.
I took at last line of the letter with great honor and pride. After that, whenever Bishop Cummins would come to St Anne’s, I made sure I was his MC.
The last line of the first reading speaks to my impression of Bishop Cummins “he shall be peace.” Bishop Cummins brought this presence of Peace to all he interacted with; I will not forget the last time I saw him which was earlier this year when I visited him at his retirement center and he in his frail state still took the time to share his blessing with me. Bishop Cummins is now at peace and resting in the arms of our Creator.