Mary, our mother, Happy Feast Day!
Happy Feast of the Assumption!!!
(For those of you who are not Catholics..this is what is called a Solemnity, and a Holy Day of Obligation in the Catholic Church-- that means we are obligated by church law to go to Mass today.)
I wear a scapular. I love Our Lady. I don't worship her (as all you Catholics know,) but I honor her as the mother of my Savior.
When I was in the hospital recently I was reminded of another time I had been there with an irregular heart rhythm. At that time I almost took my scapular off. ( How stupid would that have been??!!) I was worried about what people would think (as they put EKG electrodes on my chest.) I was afraid they would think I was a fanatic. I felt very bad about this impulse afterwards, although I did not actually take it off.
This more recent ER visit, by God's grace, I felt completely different. I didn't think at all about what people would think. I didn't even care.
Instead, as I was being prepared for a treadmill test and the technician was navigating her wires around the scapular, I decided to bring it up. I touched the scapular ribbon and asked, "Is this in your way?" She said, "No, it's fine."
I asked, "Are you Catholic?" She smiled and said, "No."
I said, "Well, it's a scapular. It's a devotion to Mary. And If I'm going to die today I want to be wearing it."
Laughing she said, "Well, let's not call on her today, OK? I don't think we're going to be needing her today."
I said, "I hope not." And we both laughed again.
She was a sweet young woman, clearly not anti-Catholic. May God bless her (through the intercession of his Blessed Mother)!
6 comments:
I woke up this morning at 8am, not realizing it was the Feast of the Assumption (not even knowing it was the 15th either...) and I had a small nudging in my heart to go to 9am Mass... I'm embarrassed to say, I ignored it because I 'had too much to do today before we leave for our trip this afternoon'....then I found out on someone's blog at 10:15 that it was the Assumption! It was too late to go to Mass though...
Sadly, it's not a day of obligation for Catholics in Canada.
The only one we have here is New Year's Day.
Wimps, these Canadians!
Maybe I'll remember next year...
I wear a scapular just like yours.
Happy Feast Day.
I wear a scapular too and I'm wearing it more and more. Mine was blessed by a very special Franciscan of the Immaculate Friar and he also touched them to a piece of cloth that he had from St. Francis of Assisi! I feel very close to it and yet sometimes it isn't on, but not often anymore. :)
Happy Feast Day too! And I had major abdominal surgery (2001) with mine wrapped around my ankle and hidden by the socks they let me wear on my footies!
Alexa, we've had a lot of obligatory holy days deleted too. just on a yearly basis--- like if it falls on a Monday. Teehee. guess we can't be trusted to go to Mass two days in a row.
Thanks, Mimi.
Suzanne, how special.
KM. LOL. I think that counts!!! Good idea.
KM's stealth Catholicism at it's best! ha, that made me laugh!!
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