Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin, the principal feast of Mary in all branches of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church, and indeed, in some Protestant churches as well. The honor paid to Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and God, goes back to the earliest days of the Church. Indeed, it goes back further, for even before the birth of her Son, Mary prophesied, "From this time forth, all generations shall call me blessed." The first Book of Samuel proclaims the song of Hannah. In presenting her child to God, Hannah invokes the ancient priestly instinct. The "Magnificat" of Mary is Hannah's song in a different octave!  Together they have become a lyrical manifestation of a people in praise of God.

When that day comes, heaven will be on fire and will be destroyed. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and melt. 2 Peter 3:12

This week August 6, THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, according to the Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Anglican Church of Canada (BAS) and Church of England Lectionaries. This is a feast day of our Lord. A day of celebration when white vestments and hangings are used. It was declared a universal feast day in 1457 by Pope Callistus III (Died: 6-Aug-1458) though might have been observed in the East since the fourth century. This day holds importance for us as we read again the gospel story of Christ on the mountain, appearing transformed in glory with Elijah and Moses to the puzzled and stunned disciples Peter, James and John. We also remember the more than 200000 lives lost when the United States dropped the atomic bomb August 6, 1945 a profoundly dramatic event that forever changed the world. This cataclysm released such energy that a blue sky was transfigured into a blinding white light of an intensity never before witnessed.