To Jesus through Mary

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On the Feast of St. Luke I was blessed to attend a most reverent daily Mass with Fr. Cliff Ermatinger of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee as the presider. Fr. Cliff had not ever presided at daily Mass at my parish as far as I know, and this was the first time that I had ever been present at his Mass.  I was deeply moved by how reverent he is!  Fr. Cliff spent a great deal of time elevating both the host and the chalice which made for a significant amount of adoration of both.  I had never seen that done at such length before and felt that it really helped to keep me focused on the real purpose of the Mass and prevented me from becoming distracted as, sadly, I too often seem to be.  

His homily for the feast day was enlightening!  He said that not only was St. Luke a physician and an artist, but he was also an historian who personally  sought out the sources before writing his Gospel. Although he never met Jesus in person, he had met His mother Mary, and it was through Mary that he learned everything about Jesus. He learned about the Incarnation, the Visitation, the Nativity, and all aspects of the  life of Jesus, through the eyes and stories of the Blessed Mother, with whom he personally spoke. How did he know that she pondered these things in her heart?  He knew because she told him.  And that's why Luke's Gospel is the only one that shares the personal details about Mary's experience.

St. Luke went to Jesus through Mary, just as we do today!  What a great and beautiful example!