On May 1, thousands of Catholics across the United States and Canada tuned in to participate in a livestreamed liturgy as Archbishop José H. Gomez celebrated a reconsecration of both countries to the Blessed Virgin Mary from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.
Archbishop Gomez reminded Catholics that Mary is the first model of courage: “Mary was the first person to consecrate herself to Jesus Christ, the first to offer her whole heart to do his will.” He prayed that she would grant the same strength to everyone suffering from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Following the consecration, the archbishop echoed Pope Francis’ request that Catholics pray the rosary during this month of Mary. “This is a beautiful suggestion to unite us spiritually in this time when we are still in quarantine in our homes,” he said. “Maybe we can all offer this little gift to Mary in the month of May, finding time to come together every day, to pray the rosary in our families and in our homes.”
The full text of the archbishop’s homily is below:
Renewal of the Consecration of the United States of America to the Blessed Virgin Mary
My brothers and sisters in Christ,
As we just heard in this passage from the Gospel, in his final words from the cross Jesus Christ entrusts his disciples to the tender care of his mother.
And so we pray with him today: “Woman, behold your sons, behold your daughters.”
Today, we ask our Blessed Mother to turn her eyes of mercy towards us — to help her children in this time of trial, when many are dying and our faith is being tested. We ask her to intercede with her Son, to protect us and deliver us from this evil of the coronavirus.
(Hoy, le pedimos a nuestra Santísima Madre que vuelva a nosotros sus ojos misericordiosos, para ayudar a sus hijos en este tiempo de prueba, en el cual muchos están muriendo y en el que nuestra fe está siendo puesta a prueba. Le pedimos a ella que interceda ante su Hijo, para que él nos proteja y nos libere de este mal del coronavirus.)
The first missionaries came to this continent under the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our nation’s first bishop invoked the Virgin’s protection, and later the country’s bishops consecrated her as patroness of the United States of America.
The Virgin Mary has accompanied this great nation from our beginnings.
Now, in this difficult hour, we renew our consecration to her. We entrust to her motherly heart, all our sufferings and anxieties, all our fears for the future.
(La Virgen María ha acompañado a esta gran nación desde sus comienzos. Ahora, en esta difícil hora, renovamos nuestra consagración a ella. Confiamos a su corazón maternal, todos nuestros sufrimientos y ansiedades, todos nuestros temores del futuro.)
Mary was the first person to consecrate herself to Jesus Christ, the first to offer her whole heart to do his will, to serve his beautiful plan of redemption.
Today, we ask God to give to us that same faith, that same courage. We ask his mercy and pardon. We ask him to purify us and strengthen us to follow Jesus in seeking his holiness and his Kingdom.
Mary carried the child Jesus in her blessed womb, beneath her Immaculate Heart, and she was with him at the foot of his Cross, when his own Sacred Heart was pierced. She goes with us now, as she always has and always will, the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of the Church.
(María estuvo siempre al lado de Jesus desde su nacimiento hasta su muerte al pie de su Cruz. Maria Santísima nos acompaña también ahora, como siempre lo ha hecho y como siempre lo hará; ella, que es Madre de Jesús y Madre de la Iglesia.)
My dear brothers and sisters, as Jesus entrusted himself to Mary, let us today entrust ourselves to her and look to her as our model, as children look to their mother.
From Mary, we learn to trust that God’s plan of love will be fulfilled, in our lives and in history. From Mary, we learn to open our hearts to Jesus, to ponder his words and his life.
And from Mary, we learn to do whatever he tells us, to surrender to the will of God; in everything to pray with her: “Let it be to me according to your word.”
So, let us give our hearts to Jesus, through the heart of his mother. All for Jesus through Mary!
(Mis queridos hermanos y hermanas, así como Jesús se puso en manos de María, encomendémonos nosotros a ella hoy y mirémosla como nuestro modelo, así como los niños ven a su madre. Entreguémosle, pues, nuestro corazón a Jesús, a través del corazón de su madre. ¡Todo a Jesús por María!)
She is the Mother of Fair Love and Holy Hope. And we know that in the end, her Immaculate Heart will triumph. For with God nothing will be impossible.
May she who is the Mother of God and Queen of the Angels continue to guide the whole Church in America. May we keep in our hearts what she told us: that God has done great things for us, and his mercy is from generation to generation.
(Que nuestra Madre Santísima Maria, Madre de Dios y Reina de los Angeles, Madre del amor hermoso y de la santa esperanza, continúe guiando a toda la Iglesia en todo el continente americano y Que siempre vivamos con la certeza de que su Corazón Inmaculado triunfará.
Porque para Dios nada es imposible.)
Holy Mother Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us
Santa Madre Maria, Madre de la Iglesia, ruega por nosotros.
