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Cardinal Dolan fittingly spoke about Mary during the month honoring the Blessed Mother when he was a guest on “CatholicNYC Presents” on Facebook Live and YouTube May 7.
“This month of May classically in our Catholic tradition is dedicated to the Blessed Mother,” said Cardinal Dolan on the show sponsored by the archdiocesan Office of Young Adult Outreach.
“May is so appropriate we devote it to Mary because May is all about life. It’s fresh new life, bringing life to the world, and that, of course, was the role of the Blessed Mother.”
Cardinal Dolan discussed his topic in four segments, the first being the Annunciation on March 25, when the angel Gabriel told Mary she would be the mother to the Son of God.
“When you think about it, Mary is a great example for us in the Annunciation, in her obedience, in her humility, in her conformity to how God wanted her to spend her life,” the cardinal said.
“What a grand example she was. She’s also an example for us in that many ways we’re called to do the same thing. As she was asked to give the Word of God, God the Son, a human nature to allow him to take flesh and enter the human world, so are we. She was asked to do it literally, physically. We’re not asked to do it that way.
“We are called spiritually to allow God the Son to take flesh in our lives, and to take a human nature and to be reborn through us and in us.”
Cardinal Dolan called the next two segments the happiest and saddest days in the history of the world—the birth of Jesus on the first Christmas and the death of Jesus on Good Friday.
“We’re going from the wood of the crib to the wood of the cross,” the cardinal said. “We’re going from his bloody garments to the swaddling clothes. We’re going from tears of joy to tears of profound sorrow.”
Cardinal Dolan closed his talk before taking questions from viewers by discussing the nine days Mary and the Apostles waited in prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost, which is May 31.
Cardinal Dolan reminded viewers they’re not praying to Mary.
“We do not pray to Mary. You can only pray to God. That’s the first commandment,” Cardinal Dolan said. “We pray through her. We pray with her. When we feel that we can use an added boost, we really want to add some passion and some efficacy, we can never go wrong in asking our Blessed Mother to pray with us and for us. We go through her to Jesus.”
“CatholicNYC Presents” began when churches were closed and stay-at-home orders were put in place during the coronavirus pandemic. Cardinal Dolan was the celebrant of the final Young Adult Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral March 4 before churches were closed to daily and Sunday Masses.
“It was such a blessing to have Cardinal Dolan on the show,” said Colin Nykaza, director for the archdiocesan Office of Young Adult Outreach. “The young adults love him and I know they were happy to hear from him. He gave a great reflection on the Blessed Virgin Mary. I hope the young adults felt comforted and filled with hope by his words in these difficult times we are living in.”
“We have to remember, though times are hard right now, God and Our Lady love us more than we can imagine and they are very close to us. They will fill us with the graces we need to get through.”
Nykaza hosts a guest speaker on “CatholicNYC Presents,” which airs during the week at 7:30 p.m. on Facebook Live and YouTube.
The show opens and closes with prayers. The show with Cardinal Dolan began with a Hail Mary and concluded with the Memorare.
“‘The CatholicNYC Presents’ series has been going very well,” Nykaza said. “We wanted to find a way for young adults to still encounter the love of God and still feel connected, despite being isolated with all that is going on. This show has helped us accomplish that.
Along with Cardinal Dolan, the show has featured other “incredible guests” such as Jeannie and Jim Gaffigan, Christopher West, Dr. Edward Sri, Sarah Swafford and many others.
