Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Marian Thoughts –24 May – Pope Francis – The Fifth Luminous Mystery: The Institution of the Eucharist

Marian Thoughts – 24 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter, C

Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

“Throughout her life, Mary did everything that the Church is asked to do in perennial memory of Christ.   In her faith, we learn to open our hearts to obey God, in her self-denial, we see the importance of tending to the needs of others, in her tears, we find the strength to console those experiencing pain.   In each of these moments, Mary expresses the wealth of divine mercy that reaches out to all in their daily needs.”
Pope Francis – 9 October 2016

The Fifth Luminous Mystery: The Institution of the Eucharist

“It is in the Lord, who gave His life for us on the cross, that we will always find that unconditional love which sees our lives as something good and always gives us the chance to start again.
In the Eucharist, Divine Mercy reveals itself in a special way.   Celebrating the greatest mysteries of our faith, we touch the source of mercy.
The Eucharist is flavoured with Jesus’ words and deeds, the taste of His Passion, the fragrance of His Spirit.   When we receive it, our hearts are overcome with the certainty of Jesus’ love. (18 June 2017)
Let us pray that frequent participation in the Holy Mass would expand our hearts, enrich our strength and enable us to give ourselves to our neighbours.”

Pope Francis
WYD 2016

pope francis the 5th luminous mystry - the institution of the eucharist 24 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, The TRANSFIGURATION

Marian Thoughts –23 May – Pope Francis – The Fourth Luminous Mystery: The Transfiguration

Marian Thoughts – 23 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Thursday of the fifth Week of Easter, C

Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

“Mary helps us to understand what it means to be a disciple of Christ.   Eternally chosen to be his Mother, she learned to become his disciple.   Her first act was to listen to God.”

Pope Francis 9 October 2016

The Fourth Luminous Mystery: The Transfiguration

“The Transfiguration helps the disciples and also us, to understand that Christ’s Passion is a mystery of suffering but it’s especially a gift of infinite love on Jesus’ part.   The event of Jesus, who is transfigured on the mountain, makes us also understand better His Resurrection.   To understand the mystery of the cross it’s necessary to know in anticipation, that He that that suffers and is glorified, is not only a man but the Son of God, who has saved us, with His faithful love to death. Thus the Father renews His Messianic declaration on the Son, already made on the banks of the Jordan after the Baptism and He exhorts: “listen to Him!” (v. 7).

The disciples are called to follow the Master with confidence and hope, despite His death – Jesus’ divinity must manifest itself precisely on the cross, precisely in His dying “in that way,” so much so that the evangelist Mark puts on the centurion’s mouth the profession of faith:  “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (15:39).

We now turn in prayer to the Virgin Mary, the human creature transfigured interiorly by the grace of Christ.   We entrust ourselves confidentially to her maternal help, to continue the … journey with faith and generosity.”

Pope Francis

Angelus 25 February 2018

pope francis meditations the 4th luminous the transfiguration - 23 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 23 May – The Depths of the Love of Your Heart

Our Morning Offering – 23 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter, C

The Depths of the Love of Your Heart
By St Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)

Virgin full of grace,
I know that at Nazareth you lived modestly,
without requesting anything more.
Neither ecstasies, nor miracles,
nor other extraordinary deeds enhanced your life,
O Queen of the elect.
The number of the lowly,
“the little ones,” is very great on earth.
They can raise their eyes to you without any fear.
You are the incomparable Mother
who walks with them,
along the common way
to guide them to heaven.
Beloved Mother, in this harsh exile,
I want to live always with you
and follow you every day.
I am enraptured by the contemplation of you
and I discover the depths of the love of your heart.
All my fears vanish under your motherly gaze,
which teaches me to weep and to rejoice!
Amenthe depths of the love of your heart - o virgin full of grace - st therese of lisieux 22 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Marian Thoughts –22 May – Pope Francis – The Third Luminous Mystery: The Proclamation of the Kingdom

Marian Thoughts – 22May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Wednesday of the fifth Week of Easter, C

Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

“Through prayer and meditation on the life of Jesus Christ, we see once more his merciful countenance, which he shows to everyone in all the many needs of life. Mary accompanies us along this journey, pointing to her Son who radiates the very mercy of the Father.”...Pope Francis 9 October 2016

The Third Luminous Mystery:

The Proclamation of the Kingdom

Jesus Christ came to proclaim and bring about the Lord’s everlasting time of grace.   He brought good news to the poor, freedom to prisoners, sight to the blind and freedom to the oppressed (cf. Lk 4:18-19).
Proclaiming the Gospel, forgiving, carrying out His will – when we do these things, we are never alone.   Jesus walks ahead of us, taking our steps before us, preparing the way.

Pope Francis
WYD 2016

pope francis - 3rd luminous proclamation of the kingdom 22 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 22 May – My Lady, My Refuge and My Strength

Our Morning Offering – 22 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Wednesday of the Fifth week of Easter

My Lady, My Refuge and My Strength
By St Germanus (638-730)
First Bishop of Cyzicus,
Patriarch of Constantinople

My refuge and my strength
My Lady,
my refuge, life and help,
my armour and my boast,
my hope and my strength,
grant that I may enjoy
the ineffable,
inconceivable gifts of your Son,
your God and our God,
in the heavenly kingdom.
For I know surely
that you have power to do as you will,
since you are Mother of the most High.
Therefore, Lady most pure,
I beg you
that I may not be disappointed
in my expectations
but may obtain them,
O Spouse of God,
who bore Him,
who is the expectation of all,
Our lord Jesus Christ,
true God and master of all things,
visible and invisible,
to whom belongs all glory, honour and respect,
now and always and through endless ages.
Amenmy lady my refuge my strength - st germanus no 2 - 22 may 2019

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS

Marian Thoughts –21 May – Pope Francis – The Second Luminous Mystery: The Wedding Feast at Cana

Marian Thoughts – 21 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Tuesday of the fifth Week of Easter, C

Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

“The prayer of the rosary is, in many ways, the synthesis of the history of God’s mercy, which becomes a history of salvation for all who let themselves be shaped by grace. “…Pope Francis 9 October 2016

The Second Luminous Mystery

The Wedding Feast at Cana

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him....John 2:11pope francis meditations the second luminous - the wedding at cana 21 may 2019.jpg

“In the context of the Covenant, we are also to understand Our Lady’s observation:   “They have no wine” (v. 3).   How can one celebrate a wedding feast and make merry without what the prophets indicated as a typical element of the messianic banquet? Water is necessary for life but wine expresses the abundance of a banquet and the joy of a feast.  This wedding feast was short of wine, the newlyweds are ashamed of this.   But just imagine ending a wedding feast drinking tea, it would be a shame.   Wine is necessary for a feast.   By transforming into wine the water of the jars used “for the Jewish rites of purification” (Jn 2:6), Jesus preforms an eloquent sign – He transforms the Law of Moses into the Gospel, bearer of joy.   As John states elsewhere: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (1:17).

Sometimes, even our best, beautiful dreams, our hard work and troubles – all go to nothing. Great works demand making sacrifices but sometimes we reach a wall. Let us pray that we – like Mary – know how to humbly show this situation to Jesus and that we strongly believe that even out of the greatest failure, He is able to produce the most unexpected good.”

Pope Francis

8 June 2016

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 20 May – Most Holy Virgin, I Choose You this Day

Our Morning Offering – 20 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Monday of the Fifth week of Easter, C and the Memorial of Saint Bernadine of Siena OFM (1380-1444)

Most Holy Virgin, I Choose You this Day
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

Most Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God,
I am unworthy to be your servant.
Yet moved by your motherly care for me
and longing to serve you,
I choose you this day to be my Queen,
my Advocate and my Mother.
I firmly resolve ever
to be devoted to you
and to do what I can
to encourage others
to be devoted to you.
My loving Mor,
through the Precious Blood
of your Son shed for me,
I beg you to receive me
as your servant forever.
Aid me in my actions
and beg for me the grace
never by thought, word or deed
to be displeasing in your sight
and that of your most holy Son.
Remember me, dearest Mother,
and do not abandon me
at the hour of death.
Amenmost holy virgin I choose you this day - st francis de sales - 5 may 2018.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 19 May – O Mary, Give us a Heart like Yours

Our Morning Offering – 19 May “Mary’s Month” The Fifth Sunday of Easter, C

O Mary, Give us a Heart like Yours
By St Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

O Mary, give us a heart
as beautiful, pure
and spotless as yours.
A heart like yours,
so full of love and humility.
May we be able to receive Jesus
as the Bread of Life,
to love Him
as you loved Him,
to serve Him
under the mistreated face of the poor.
We ask this through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ameno-mary-give-us-a-heart-like-yours-st-mother-teresa-18-may-2018.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Marian Thoughts – 18 May – Pope Francis – The Fifth Joyful Mystery: The Finding of Jesus in the Temple

Marian Thoughts – 18 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter, C

Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

“Praying the rosary does not remove us from the problems of life. On the contrary, it demands that we immerse ourselves in the history of each day, so as to grasp the signs of Christ’s presence in our midst. Whenever we contemplate an event, a mystery of the life of Christ, we are asked to reflect on how God comes into our own lives, so as to be able to welcome Him and follow Him.”
Pope Francis

The Fifth Joyful Mystery:

The Finding of Jesus in the Temple

The Holy Family had gone to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover but on the return voyage, Mary and Joseph discovered that Jesus, who was only twelve years old, was not in the caravan.
They searched for Jesus for three days, finally finding Him in the Temple amid the doctors of the law.
When they found Jesus, the Gospel says, “they were astonished” and Mary expressed her concern to Jesus, saying, “Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
In the Holy Family, astonishment never failed!
To feel astonishment is the opposite of taking everything for granted… It means opening ourselves to others.
This attitude is important for mending compromised relationships and curing the open wounds within the family.
The anxiety felt by Mary and Joseph, shows the centrality of Jesus in the Holy Family. And so we see, why the family of Nazareth is holy – because it was centred on Jesus, all the attention and care of Joseph revolved around Him.
The anxiety felt by Mary and Joseph, when Jesus was lost for three days, should also be our anxiety, when we are far from Jesus, when we forget Jesus, going without prayer, without reading the Gospel for several days.
Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the Temple and we too, should seek Jesus in the house of God – and especially, in the Liturgy, where we have the living experience of Jesus, in His Word and in the Eucharist, from which we receive the strength to face the difficulties of each day….
Pope Francis 2018

pope francis rosary meditations the 5th joyful finding of jesus in the temple 18 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 18 May – O Blessed Lady, Mediatrix and Advocate

Our Morning Offering – 18 May – ‘Mary’s Month” – Saturday Fourth Week of Easter, C

O Blessed Lady,
Mediatrix and Advocate
By St Bernard (1090-1153)

Our Mediatrix and Advocate
O blessed Lady,
you found grace,
brought forth the Life,
and became the Mother of Salvation.
May you obtain the grace for us to go to the Son.
By your mediation,
may we be received by the One
who through you, gave Himself to us.
May your integrity compensate with Him
for the fault of our corruption;
and may your humility,
which is pleasing to God,
implore pardon for our vanity.
May your great charity
cover the multitude of our sins;
and may your glorious fecundity
confer on us a fecundity of merits.
Dear Lady,
our Mediatrix and Advocate,
reconcile us to your Son,
recommend us to Him,
and present us to your Son.
By the grace you found,
by the privilege you merited,
by the mercy you brought forth,
obtain for us the following favour,
O blessed Lady.
Ameno blessed lady mediatrix and advocate - 18 may 2019 by st bernard.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS

Marian Thoughts – 17 May – Pope Francis – The Fourth Joyful Mystery: The Presentation

Marian Thoughts – 17 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter, C

Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

“Praying the Rosary together as a family,
s very beautiful and it gives us strength.”
Pope Francis

The Fourth Joyful Mystery:  The Presentation

Forty days after Christmas, we celebrate the Lord who enters the temple and comes to encounter His people.
In the Christian East, this feast is called the “Fest of Encounter” – it is the encounter between God, who became a child, to bring newness to the world and an expectant humanity, represented by the elderly man and woman in the Temple.
In the Temple, there is also an encounter between two couples – the young Mary and Joseph and the elderly Simeon and Anna.   The old receive from the young, while the young draw upon the old.   In the Temple, Mary and Joseph find the roots of their people. This is important, because God’s promise does not come to fulfilment, merely in individuals, once for all but within a community and throughout history.   There too, Mary and Joseph find the roots of their faith, for faith is not something learned from a book but the art of living with God, learned from the experience of those who have gone before us.   The two young people, in meeting the two older people, thus find themselves. And the two older people, nearing the end of their days, receive Jesus, the meaning of their lives.   This event, fulfils the prophecy of Joel: “Your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions” (2:28).
In this encounter, the young see their mission and the elderly realise their dreams.
All because, at the centre of the encounter, is Jesus … May we never look at the screen of our cell phone more than the eyes of our brothers or sisters or focus more on our software, than on the Lord….Pope Francis 2018pope francis meditations on the holy rosary - the fourth the Presentation - 17 may 2019 no 2.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Marian Thoughts – 16 May – Pope Francis – The Third Joyful Mystery: The Nativity

Marian Thoughts – 16 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter, C

Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

“The month of May is dedicated to Our Lady
and it is “fitting” to start the habit of a daily rosary now.”
Pope Francis

The Third Joyful Mystery – The Nativity

“Mary and Joseph had to leave their people, their home and their land and to undertake a journey in order to be registered in the census.
This was no comfortable or easy journey for a young couple about to have a child – they had to leave their land.
At heart, they were full of hope and expectation because of the child about to be born, yet their steps were weighed down by the uncertainties and dangers that attend those, who have to leave their home behind.
They they found themselves, having to face perhaps, the most difficult thing of all. They arrived in Bethlehem and experienced that, it was a land that was not expecting them. A land, whee there was no place for them.   And there, where everything was a challenge, May gave us Emmanuel.   The Son of God, had to be born in a stable because His own had no room for Him. “He came to what was his own and his own people did not accept him” (Jn 1:11).
That night, the One who had no place to be born, is proclaimed to those who had no place at the table or in the streets of the city.   The shepherds are the first to hear this Good News.   By reason of their work, they were men and women forced to live on the edges of society.   Their state of life and the places they had to stay, prevented them from observing all the ritual prescriptions of religious purification, as a result, they wee considered unclean.   Their skin, their clothing, their smell, their way of speaking, their origin, all betrayed them.   Everything about them generated mistrust. They were men and women to be kept at a distance, to be feared.   They were considered pagans among the believers, sinners among the just, foreigners among the citizens. Yet, to them – pagans, sinners and foreigners – the angel says:  “Do not be afraid – for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for the people, to you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Lk 2:10-11)”

Pope Francis

pope francis meditations on the rosary - the third joyful mystery - the nativity - 16 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 16 May – O Mary, I Give You My Heart

Our Morning Offering – 16 May -‘Mary’s Month’ – Thursday Fourth week of Easter, C

O Mary, I Give You My Heart
By St Dominic Savio (1842-1857)

O Mary, I give you my heart.
Grant me to be always yours.
Jesus and Mary,
be ever my friends
and, for love of you,
grant me to die, a thousand deaths
rather than to have the misfortune
of committing a single mortal sin.
Ameno mary i give you my heart by st dominic savio - 16 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATECHESIS, CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The ANNUNCIATION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE, The INCARNATION

Marian Thoughts – 14 May – Pope Francis – The First Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation

Marian Thoughts – 14 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter, C

Mini Series – Pope Francis and the Holy Rosary

“I want to recommend some medicine for all of you.   It’s a spiritual medicine.   Don’t forget to take it.   “It’s good for your heart, for your soul, for your whole life.” (17 November 2013)pope francis' reflections on the joyful mysteries 1st mystery 14 may 2019.jpg

The First Joyful Mystery:   The Annunciation

“The annunciation to Mary can be read alongside the announcement to Zechariah of John the Baptist’s birth.   One annunciation happens to a priest in the Temple of God, during a liturgy, where everyone is waiting outside, while the other, happens to a young woman named Mary, in a small town that did not necessarily have a good reputation.   This contrast is not insignificant.   It serves as a sign that the new Temple of God, the new encounter of God with His people, will happen in places which we normally do not expect, on the margins, on the peripheries.   By now, it will no longer be in a place reserved for the few, while the majority wait outside. Nothing and no-one, will be indifferent, no situation will be deprived of His presence, the joy of salvation began in the daily life of the home of a youth in Nazareth.
Even today, God is still searching for hearts like Mary’s that are open to welcoming His invitation and providing hope, even when it’s hard.
God continues to walk our neighbourhoods and our streets, He pushes in each place in search of hearts capable of listening to His invitation and making it become flesh here and now.
In the end, the Lord continues to seek hearts like that of Mary, disposed to believe even in very extraordinary conditions.
Just like He did with Mary, God also takes the initiative in our lives, inserting Himself into our daily struggles, anxieties and desires.
It is precisely in the daily routine of our lives, that we receive the most beautiful announcement we can hear – “Rejoice, the Lord is with you!”
(Pope Francis, 2017)

Holy Mary of the Annunciation of Emmanuel,

God with us,

Pray for us!mary's fiat - holy mary pray for us 14 may 2019 pope francis and the rosary from Fr Enrico no 1.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, JESUIT SJ, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 14 May – O Holy Mary

Our Morning Offering – 14 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter, C

O Holy Mary
By St Aloysius de Gonzaga (1568-1591)

O Holy Mary, my mistress,
into your blessed trust
and special custody,
and into the grasp of your mercy
I this day, every day,
and in the hour of my death,
commend my soul and my body.
To you, I commit,
all my anxieties and miseries,
my life and the end of my life,
that by your most holy intercession
and by your merits
all my actions may be directed
and disposed
according to your will
and that of your Son.
Ameno holy mary by st aloysius gonsaga 14 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Marian Thoughts for the Day – 13 May – The message of Fatima is simple

Marian Thoughts for the Day – 13 May -Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter, C and the 102nd Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima

The message of Fatima is simple – Pray!

Unfortunately, some people—not Sister Lucia—have distorted these revelations, making them into an apocalyptic event for which, they are now the only reliable interpreters. They have, for example, claimed that Mary’s request that the world be consecrated to her has been ignored.   Sister Lucia agreed that Pope John Paul II’s public consecration in St Peter’s Square on 25 March 1984, fulfilled Mary’s request.   The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith prepared a June 26, 2000, document explaining the “third secret.”

Mary is perfectly honoured when people generously imitate her response “Let it be done to me as you say” (Luke 1:38).   Mary can never be seen as a rival to Jesus or to the Church’s teaching authority, as exercised by the college of bishops united with the bishop of Rome, for she is the protector of and the perfect type of the Church.   She and the Church are one!

Holy Mother, Our Lady of Fatima, please pray for us!our lady of fatima pray for us no 2 - 13 MAY 2019 adjusted from 13oct2018.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 13 May – Act of Entrustment to Our Lady of Fatima

Our Morning Offering – 13 May – The 102nd Anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima

Act of Entrustment to Our Lady of Fatima
By Pope Francis

Blessed Virgin Mary of Fatima,
with renewed gratitude for your motherly presence
we join in the voice of all generations that call you blessed.
We celebrate in you the great works of God,
who never tires of lowering Himself
in mercy over humanity,
afflicted by evil and wounded by sin,
to heal and to save it.
Accept with the benevolence of a Mother
this act of entrustment that we make in faith today,
before this your image, beloved to us.
We are certain that each one of us is precious in your eyes
and that nothing in our hearts has estranged you.
May that we allow your sweet gaze
to reach us and the perpetual warmth of your smile.
Guard our life with your embrace,
bless and strengthen every desire for good,
give new life and nourishment to faith,
sustain and enlighten hope,
awaken and animate charity,
guide us all on the path to holiness.
Teach us your own special love for the little and the poor,
for the excluded and the suffering,
for sinners and the wounded of heart,
gather all people under your protection
and give us all to your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus.
Amen.

*Act of entrustment to Mary, Virgin of Fátima, at the conclusion of Mass on the occasion of the Marian Day (Saint Peter’s Square, 13 October 2013)act of entrustment to our lady of fatima by pope francis 13 may 2019 102nd anniversary.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN PRAYERS, NOTES to Followers, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Mothers’ Day! 12 May – Mothers’ Day Prayer to Mary, our Mother

Mother’s Day! 12 May and Mary’s Month

Wishing all Mothers a Blessed and Happy Mothers’ Day

May Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ

and our Mother, be a comfort to us all.

Mothers’ Day Prayer
to Mary, our Mother
Intercessions from 1727 the Liturgical Order of Blessing

Mary,
Mother of God
and our Mother,
pray for all mothers,
so that they will be able
to fulfill their maternal responsibilities.
Help them to be lovers and nurturers of
all human life from the moment of conception
until natural death,
all the while being examples
for their own children.
Pray for their children,
so that they, too,
will be faithful followers of your Son.
We pray for our mothers,
who have given us life and love,
that we may show them reverence and love.
We pray for mothers,
who have lost a child through death,
that their faith may give them hope
and their family and friend,
support and console them.
We pray for mothers who have died,
that God may bring them
into the joy of His kingdom
We offer these prayers
through Christ, our Lord
and your Son,
in union with the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever.
Amenmother's day prayer to mary our mother - 12 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 12 May – Mary, Mother of the Church and Mother of our Faith

Our Morning Offering – 12 May – ‘Mary’s Month” – The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year C

Prayer to Mary,
Mother of the Church
and Mother of our Faith
By Pope Francis

Mother, help our faith!
Open our ears to hear God’s word
and to recognise His voice and call.
Awaken in us a desire to follow in His footsteps,
to go forth from our own land
and to receive His promise.
Help us to be touched by His love,
that we may touch Him in faith.
Help us to entrust ourselves fully to Him
and to believe in His love,
especially at times of trial,
beneath the shadow of the cross,
when our faith is called to mature.
Sow in our faith, the joy of the Risen One.
Remind us, that those who believe are never alone.
Teach us to see all things
with the eyes of Jesus,
that He may be light for our path.
And may this light of faith
always increase in us,
until the dawn of that undying day
which is Christ Himself, your Son, our Lord!
Amen

*Prayer to Mary at the conclusion of the Encyclical Lumen Fidei (29 June 2013)prayer to mary mother of the chuch and of our faith - pope francis - 12 may 2019

Posted in ADVENT, CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The INCARNATION

Marian Thoughts – 11 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – The Whole World Awaits Mary’s Reply

Marian Thoughts – 11 May – ‘Mary’s Month’

The Whole World Awaits Mary’s Replymary's fiat - luke 1 38 behold i am the handmaid of the lord - 11 may 2019.jpg

On the Annunciation and Mary’s “fiat”
Saint Bernard (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor

You have heard, O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a son, you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit.   The angel awaits an answer, it is time for him to return to God who sent him.   We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion, the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us.

The price of our salvation is offered to you.   We shall be set free at once if you consent. In the eternal Word of God we all came to be and behold, we die.   In your brief response we are to be remade, in order to be recalled to life.

Tearful Adam with his sorrowing family begs this of you, O loving Virgin, in their exile from Paradise.   Abraham begs it, David begs it.   All the other holy patriarchs, your ancestors, ask it of you, as they dwell in the country of the shadow of death.   This is what the whole earth waits for, prostrate at your feet.   It is right in doing so, for on your word depends comfort for the wretched, ransom for the captive, freedom for the condemned, indeed, salvation for all the sons of Adam, the whole of your race.

Answer quickly, O Virgin.   Reply in haste to the angel, or rather through the angel to the Lord.   Answer with a word, receive the Word of God.   Speak your own word, conceive the divine Word.   Breathe a passing word, embrace the eternal Word.

Why do you delay, why are you afraid?   Believe, give praise and receive.   Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident.   This is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence.   In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous. Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary.   Open your heart to faith, O blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator.  See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter.   If He should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow you would begin to seekHhim afresh, the One whom your soul loves.   Arise, hasten, open.   Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving.   Behold the handmaid of the Lord, she says, be it done to me according to your word.

This homily excerpt of St Bernard is in the Office of Readings for
20 December the fourth week of Advent.
Hom. 4, 8-9answer quickly o virgin - st bernard - 11 may 2019 homily on the annunciation.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Marian Thoughts – 10 May – Lumen Gentium #61-62

Marian Thoughts – 10 May – “Mary’s Month” and Friday of the Third Week of Easter, C

From the Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council
(Lumen Gentium #61-62)

The Motherhood of Our Lady in God’s Plan of Salvation

From all eternity, together with the Incarnation of the divine Word, the Blessed Virgin was predestined to be the Mother of God.   By the will of divine Providence, she was the loving mother of the divine Redeemer, here on earth and, above all others, in a unique way she was the willing partner and the humble handmaid of the Lord.   She conceived, brought forth and nourished Christ.   She presented Him to the Father in the temple and shared the suffering of His Son as He died on the cross.   In an utterly singular way, she co-operated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity in the Saviour’s work of restoring supernatural life to souls.   For this reason, she is a mother to us in the order of grace.

This motherhood of Mary, in the order of grace, began with the consent which she gave in faith, at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, it will last without interruption, until the eternal fulfilment of all the elect.   Once assumed into heaven, she did not set aside this saving role but, with her numerous prayers of intercession, continues to win for us, the gifts of eternal salvation.

By her maternal charity, Mary cares for the brethren of her Son who still wander through this world, in the midst of dangers and difficulties, until they are led to the happiness of their heavenly home.

For this reason the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjustrix and Mediatrix – but they are titles which must be understood, in a way, that neither detracts from, nor adds anything to the dignity and efficacy of Christ the one Mediator.

For no creature could ever be counted as equal with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer. Just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways, both by sacred ministers and by the faithful and, as the one goodness of God, is really communicated in different ways to His creatures, in the same way, the unique mediation of the Redeemer, does not exclude but, rather gives rise among creatures, to a manifold co-operation, which is but a sharing in this one source.

The Church does not hesitate to profess this subordinate role of Mary.   She knows it through unfailing experience of it and commends it to the hearts of the faithful, so that, encouraged by this maternal help, they may follow the Mediator and Redeemer more clearly.

Sancta Mater Maria, Mother of God and our Mother, Pray for us!sancta mater maria ora pro nobis pray for us 10 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 10 May – Hail, O Mary, Mother of God

Our Morning Offering – 10 May – “Mary’s Month” and Friday Third Week of Easter, C

Hail, O Mary, Mother of God
By St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Virgin and Mother!
Morning Star, perfect vessel.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Holy Temple in which god Himself was conceived.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Chaste and pure dove.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Who enclosed the One who cannot be encompassed
in your sacred womb.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
From you flowed the true light, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Through you the Conqueror
and triumphant Vanquisher of hell came to us.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Through you, the glory of the Resurrection blossoms.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
You have saved every faithful Christian.
Hail, O Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners now
and at the hour of our death.
Amenhail o mary mother of god st cyril of alex 10 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Marian Thoughts – 9 May – Mary, our Mother

Marian Thoughts – 9 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Thursday Third Week of Easter, C

St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)

From his sermons – Sermon 20

Mary, our Mother

what shall we say brethren - st aelred 9 may 2019

Let us come to His bride, let us come to His mother, let us come to the best of His handmaidens.   All of these descriptions fit Blessed Mary.

But what are we to do for her?   What sort of gifts shall we offer her?   O that we might at least repay to her the debt we owe her!   We owe her honour, we owe her devotion, we owe her love, we owe her praise.   We owe her honour because she is the mother of Our Lord.   He who does not honour the mother, will without doubt dishonour the son. Besides, scripture says: ‘Honour your father and your mother.’

What shall we say, brethren?   Is she not our mother?   Certainly, brethren, she is in truth our mother.   Through her we are born, not to the world but to God.

We all, as you believe and know, were in death, in the infirmity of old age, in darkness, in misery.   In death because we had lost the Lord, in infirmity of old age , because we were in corruptio, in darkness because we had lost the light of wisdom and so we had altogether perished.

But through blessed Mary we all underwent a much better birth than through Eve, inasmuch as Christ was born of Mary.   Instead of the infirmity of old age, we have regained youth, instead of corruption, incorruption, instead of darkness, light.

She is our mother, mother of our incorruption, of our light.   The Apostle says of our Lord, ‘Whom God made our righteousness, our sanctification and our redemption.’

She, therefore, who is the mother of Chris,t is the mother of our wisdom, mother of our righteousness, mother of our sanctification, mother of our redemption.   Therefore, she is more our mother than the mother of our flesh.   Better, therefore, is our birth, which we derive from Mary, for from her is our holiness, our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, our redemption.

Scripture says, ‘Praise the Lord in his saints’.   If the Lord is to be praised in those saints through whom He performs mighty works and miracles, how much more should He be praised in her, in whom He fashioned Himself, He who is wonderful beyond all wonder.

From the Little Office of Mary
++++++++++++++++scripture says praise the lord - st aelred on mary - 9 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYER WARRIORS, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR

Our Morning Offering – 9 May- Prayer to our Mother of Perpetual Succour

Our Morning Offering – 9 May – ‘Mary’s Month’ – Thursday Third Week of Easter, C

Prayer to our Mother of Perpetual Succour

O Mother of Perpetual Succour,
with great confidence
we come before your holy icon
to be inspired by the example of your life.
We think of you at that moment,
when, full of faith and trust,
you accepted God’s call to be the mother of His Son.
Help us your children, to accept with joy our calling in life.
When you learned that your cousin Elizabeth was in need,
you immediately went to serve her and offer your help.
Make us, like you, to be concerned for others.
We think of you, Mother, at the foot of the cross.
Your heart must have bled to see your Son in agony.
But your joy was great when He rose from the dead,
victorious over the power of evil.
Mother of Sorrows,
help us through our trials and disappointments.
Help us not to lose heart.
May we share with you and your Son,
the joy of having courageously
faced up to all the challenges of life.
AMENprayer to our moether of perpetual succour - prayer warriors prayer 9 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

Marian Thoughts – 5 May – ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.’ 

Marian Thoughts – 5 May – “Mary’s Month!”

From the Sermons of St Sophronius (560-638) Father of the Church

(St Sophronius was a courageous leader of the Jerusalem Church during the Islamic conquests of the seventh century, Bishop Saint Sophronius I has his liturgical memorial on 11 March).hail full of grace, the Lord is with you - luke 1 29.jpg

The blessings of the Father shone upon men through Mary

‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.’   Could anything transcend the joy that is yours, O Virgin Mother?   Could anything surpass this race granted by God to you alone?   Is it possible to think of anything more gratifying and more splendid?   Nothing can even approach the marvel that we see in you.   All things lie far below the grace that is yours; in comparison, even the best of them take second place and their brilliance is overshadowed.

‘The Lord is with you’ and who has dared to strive against you?   God has been born of you, who would stand in your way and not gladly give you first place and supremacy? For this reason, when I contemplate the privileges that put you above all creatures I cry out to you in highest praise. ‘Hail O favoured one, the Lord is with you.’   The joy that comes from you is shared not only by mankind but also by the powers of heaven.

Truly, ‘you are blessed among women’ for you have changed the condemnation of Eve into a blessing.   Because of you, and through you, Adam who hitherto was cast down and condemned received a blessing.

Truly, ‘you are blessed among women’ for through you the blessing of the Father came to mankind and reprieved them from the age-old sentence.

Truly, ‘you are blessed among women’, because through you, your ancestors found salvation.   You were to give birth to the Saviour who would win for them God’s salvation.

Truly, ‘you are blessed among women’ for without the seed of man you bore the fruit that gives a blessing to the whole earth and frees it from being condemned to produce only thorns.

Truly, ‘you are blessed among women’, for though you are a woman like any other woman you will in actual fact become the Mother of God.   If the one to be born of you, is in truth God incarnate, you rightly deserve to be called ‘she who gave birth to God’, inasmuch, as you truly did give birth to God.

You have God enclosed within your womb.   He lives in you according to the flesh and comes forth from you like a bridegroom, giving joy to all and sharing His divine light with all mankind.

In you, O Virgin, as in the clear brightness of heaven, God ‘has placed his tent’ and He ‘will come forth from you like a bridegroom from his chamber’.   Like a giant He will run the course of His life to bring salvation to all living things.   That course ‘will stretch from one end of the heavens to the other’ filling all things with the life-giving warmth of God’s radiance.

From the Little Office of Mary
+++++++++++++

Mary, Rosa Mystica, Pray for Us!mary-rosa-mystica-pray-for-us-8-may-2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 8 May – Most Holy Virgin, I Choose You this Day

Our Morning Offering – 8 May – “Mary’s Month” – Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Easter, C

Most Holy Virgin, I Choose You this Day
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of Charity

Most Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God,
I am unworthy to be your servant.
Yet moved by your motherly care for me
and longing to serve you,
I choose you this day to be my Queen,
my Advocate and my Mother.
I firmly resolve ever
to be devoted to you
and to do what I can
to encourage others
to be devoted to you.
My loving Mother,
through the Precious Blood
of your Son shed for me,
I beg you to receive me
as your servant forever.
Aid me in my actions
and beg for me the grace
never by thought, word, or deed
to be displeasing in your sight
and that of your most holy Son.
Remember me, dearest Mother,
and do not abandon me at the hour of death.
Amenmost-holy-virgin-i-choose-you-this-day-st-francis-de-sales-5-may-2018 and again 8 may 2019.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARY, MATER ECCLESIAE, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Marian Thoughts – 7 May – The Image of the Holy Church

Marian Thoughts – 7 May – ‘May, Mary’s Month’

St Augustine(354-430)
The Image of the Holy Church

Gracious Lady,
you are a mother and virgin,
you are the mother
of the body and soul
of our Head and Redeemer,
you are also truly mother
of all the members of Christ’s Mystical Body.
For through your love,
you have co-operated
in the begetting of the faithful in the Church.
Unique among women,
you are mother and virgin,
mother of Christ and virgin of Christ.
You are the beauty and charm of earth, O Virgin.
You are, forever, the image of the holy Church.
Through a woman came death,
through a woman came life,
yes, through you, O Mother of God.
==========gracious lady the image of the holy church - st augustine - 7 may 2019 no 2.jpg

Mary, Mater Ecclesiae, Pray for us!

mary mater ecclesiae - mother of the church - pray for us - 21 may 2018.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 7 May – Run, Hasten, O Lady

Our Morning Offering – 7 May – ‘May, the Month of Mary’ -Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter, C

O Lady, I Call upon You
By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Doctor of the Church

Run, hasten, O Lady,
and in your mercy help your sinful servant,
who calls upon you,
and deliver him from the hands of the enemy.
Who will not sigh to you?
We sigh with love and grief,
for we are oppressed on every side.
How can we do otherwise than sigh to you,
O solace of the miserable,
refuge of outcasts,
ransom of captives?
We are certain that when you see our miseries,
your compassion will hasten to relieve us.
O our sovereign Lady and our Advocate,
commend us to your Son.
Grant, O blessed one,
by the grace which you have merited,
that He who through you
was graciously pleased to become a partaker
of our infirmity and misery,
may also, through your intercession,
make us partakers, of His happiness and glory.
Ameno lady i call upon you - st bernard, run hasten o lady - 30 may 2018.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Marian Thoughts – 6 May – Pope Francis and Mary

Marian Thoughts – 6 May – ‘May, the Month of Mary’ – Pope Francis and Mary

Mary, Pope Francis said, “shows us the way home.
She brings us to Jesus, who is the Gate of Mercy.”

Francis’s love affair with Our Lady is well documented and it began long before Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio was made a bishop – in 1990, the future pope gave up TV because of a promise he made to the Virgin of Carmel.

After he was appointed archbishop of Buenos Aires, in Argentina, he’d participate in a massive pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Lujan, patroness of his country.

Before and after every foreign trip today, he visits Rome’s Basilica of St Mary Major to venerate the famous icon of Our Lady known as Salus Populi Romani (protectress of the Roman people) and usually leaves a bouquet of flowers presented to him during the trip.pope francis bows in front of populus mary.jpeg

In early 2016, he made a politically-charged trip to Mexico, visiting Ciudad Juarez on the border with the United States to deliver a strong appeal in favour of immigrants.   Yet before and during the trip, he said time and time again he would visit Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and everything else was decided after.   “How could I not come?” Francis asked the Mexican bishops when he met with them.   “Could the Successor of Peter, called from the far south of Latin America, deprive himself of seeing la Virgen Morenita?”

Francis has spoken about how his devotion to Mary helped him through his election to the papacy, about praying the Rosary three times a day and that he always makes a point of stopping and even presenting flowers at the feet of Our Lady when she’s in St Peter’s Square or, wherever, he celebrates Mass during his trips abroad.

In 2005, after the death of St John Paul II, then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Beroglio wrote a piece for a special issue of the Italian magazine 30 Giorni, dedicated to the late pontiff.  In it, the man who today leads the Church wrote about once praying the rosary with the Polish pope and the impact it had on him.

“I felt that this man, chosen to lead the Church, was following a path back to his Mother in the sky, a path set out from his childhood,” he wrote. “I understood the presence of Mary in the life of the pope, a witness he never ceased to give.   From that moment, I recite the 15 mysteries of the Rosary every day.”

Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee!hail mary and ave maria -stpetr canisius holy mary - 21dec2018 .jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 6 May – Prayer to Mary, Woman of Listening

Our Morning Offering – 6 May – “Mary’s Month” – Monday of the Third week of Easter

Prayer to Mary,
Woman of Listening
Pope Francis

Mary,
woman of listening,
open our ears,
grant us to know how to listen
to the word of your Son Jesus,
among the thousands of words of this world,
grant that we may listen
to the reality in which we live,
to every person we encounter,
especially those who are poor, in need, in hardship.
Mary,
woman of decision,
illuminate our mind and our heart,
so that we may obey, unhesitating,
the word of your Son Jesus,
give us the courage to decide,
not to let ourselves be dragged along,
letting others direct our life.
Mary,
woman of action,
obtain that our hands and feet move
“with haste” toward others,
to bring them the charity and love of your Son Jesus,
to bring the light of the Gospel to the world,
as you did.
Amen

Prayer to Mary at the conclusion of the recital of the Holy Rosary

(Saint Peter’s Square, 31 May 2013)
===============pray to mary, woman of listening - pope francis - 6 may 2019.jpg