Flowers for the Immaculate Conception (This ain’t virtue signaling, edition)

So, just in these last days and weeks, Canada has been following Ireland, so that everything is pretty much wide open, but if there are one or two people in church for Holy Mass (this time a Traditional Latin Mass), all hell breaks out and the Covid Police come to smack people down, chasing altar boys into the sacristy (Yikes!) and parishioners thrown out of the church, the police demanding that they want identifying info to put the offenders on “THE LIST” surely turning into “THE BOOK.”

But will this not turn out to be the Book of Life, with those so listed going to heaven, keeping up with the sacraments?

I’m not bragging with these Flowers for the Immaculate Conception. No. It’s easy for me in far, far, far Western North Carolina. Zero law enforcement officers of any agency could care less about Covid, masks, social distancing, whatever. And we have that on film, multiple agencies in a town meeting with extreme lack of social distancing, none of them wearing a mask. So, it’s easy for me to offer Holy Mass for the past year and a half as normal as normal can be. It’s easy for me to provide all the Sacraments for Jesus’ flock. That’s not to virtue signal. No. Any priest by chance in these parts would do the same, all things being equal, right?

For priests in Ireland, Canada, the Vatican, and elsewhere around the world, things aren’t so easy. There is an outright persecution. Would I be as brave as some of them are in persecution? I’m not going to claim that. That’s about God’s grace, and I have no control over that. Without God’s grace, I’m a total idiot.

So, if I’m doing my rounds to provide the Sacraments and I take a picture of flowers for the Immaculate Conception like the picture up top, it’s also as a gift to her on behalf of those who would do this if they could or are smacked down for trying. So, flowers for you, dearest Mary, from us priests around the world. Show yourself to be a mother to us! Monstra te esse Matrem! We pray for those who are ever so afraid afraid afraid afraid afraid. Hail Mary…