Category: MARIAN QUOTES

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Marian Thought for the Day – 18 May “Mary’s Month” Friday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Marian Thought for the Day – 18 May “Mary’s Month” Friday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

Mary is the “Regina Martyrum,” the Queen of Martyrs
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

WHY is she so called?—she who never had any blow, or wound, or other injury to her consecrated person. How can she be exalted over those whose bodies suffered the most ruthless violences and the keenest torments for our Lord’s sake? She is, indeed, Queen of all Saints, of those who “walk with Christ in white, for they are worthy” but how of those “who were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held?”

To answer this question, it must be recollected that the pains of the soul may be as fierce as those of the body. Bad men who are now in hell and the elect of God who are in purgatory, are suffering only in their souls, for their bodies are still in the dust. Yet how severe is that suffering! And perhaps most people who have lived long, can bear witness in their own persons, to a sharpness of distress, which was like a sword cutting them, to a weight and force of sorrow which seemed to throw them down, though bodily pain there was none.

What an overwhelming horror it must have been, for the Blessed Mary, to witness the Passion and the Crucifixion of her Son! Her anguish was, as Holy Simeon had announced to her, at the time of that Son’s Presentation in the Temple, a sword piercing her soul. If our Lord Himself could not bear the prospect of what was before Him and was covered in the thought of it with a bloody sweat, His soul thus acting upon His body, does not this show how great mental pain can be? and would it have been wonderful though, if Mary’s head and heart, had given way as she stood under His Cross?

Thus is she most truly the Queen of Martyrs.

Mary, “Regina Martyrum,” Queen of Martyrs,

Pray for us!mary - regina martyrum - queen of martyrs - pray for us - 18 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Marian Reflection – 18 May “Mary’s Month” Friday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Marian Reflection – 18 May “Mary’s Month” Friday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

“…and you yourself a sword will pierce...” Luke 2:35

REFLECTION – “MARY:  THE CO-REDEMPTRIX – “It is with good reason that the popes have called Mary co-redemptrix. ‘So fully, in union with her suffering and dying Son, did she suffer and nearly die; so fully, for the sake of the salvation of all souls, did she abdicate the rights of a mother over her Son and immolate him, insofar as it was in her power, to satisfy the justice of God, that it can rightly be said that she redeemed mankind together with Christ.’   This gives us a deeper understanding of that moment in the Passion of our Lord on which we shall never tire of meditating:  Stabat autem iuxta crucem Iesu mater eius, ‘There, standing by the cross of Jesus, was his mother.'”…St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) – “Mother of God and Our Mother,” Friends of God, 287.
Let us offer to our Mother today:
Five small hidden sacrifices in honour of the five major wounds of our Lord.luke 2 35 - st josemaria - so full in union wit her suffering and dying son - 18 may 2018

PRAYER – Lord God, in Your wisdom You gave us Your only begotten Son and His Mother to be ours too!   You gave us both Your only Divine Son to save us from our sins and His Mother, to help us become Your perfect children. Penetrate our inmost being with Your holy light, so that our way of life may always be worthy of Your great love and the sacrifice of Your Son and His Mother.   We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.mary - co-redemptrix - pray for us - 18 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The PASSION

Marian Thought for the Day – 17 May “Mary’s Month” – Thursday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

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Marian Thought for the Day – 17 May “Mary’s Month” – Thursday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

Mary is the “Mater Salvatoris,” the Mother of the Saviour
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

HERE again, as in our reflections of yesterday, we must understand what is meant, by calling our Lord a Saviour, in order to understand why it is used, to form one of the titles given to Mary in her Litany.

The special name by which our Lord was known before His coming was, as we found yesterday, that of Messias, or Christ.   Thus He was known to the Jews.   But when He actually showed Himself on earth, He was known by three new titles, the Son of God, the Son of Man and the Saviour; the first expressive of His Divine Nature, the second of His Human, the third of His Personal Office.   Thus the Angel who appeared to Mary, called Him the Son of God;  the angel who appeared to Joseph called Him Jesus, which means in English, Saviour;  and so the Angels, too, called Him a Saviour when they appeared to the shepherds.   But He Himself specially calls Himself the Son of Man.

Not Angels only, call Him Saviour but those two greatest of the Apostles, St Peter and St Paul, in their first preachings.   St Peter says He is “a Prince and a Saviour” and St Paul says, “a Saviour, Jesus.”   And both Angels and Apostles tell us why He is so called—because He has rescued us from the power of the evil spirit and from the guilt and misery of our sins.   Thus the Angel says to Joseph, “Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins;” and St Peter, “God has exalted Him to be Prince and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins.”   And He says Himself, “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is lost.”

Now let us consider how this affects our thoughts of Mary.   To rescue slaves from the power of the Enemy implies a conflict. Our Lord, because He was a Saviour, was a warrior.   He could not deliver the captives without a fight, nor without personal suffering.   Now, who are they who especially hate wars?   A heathen poet answers. “Wars,” he says, “are hated by Mothers.”   Mothers are just those who especially suffer in a war.   They may glory in the honour gained by their children but still such glorying, does not wipe out, one particle of the long pain, the anxiety, the suspense, the desolation and the anguish which the mother of a soldier feels.   So it was with Mary.

For thirty years she was blessed with the continual presence of her Son—nay, she had Him in subjection.   But the time came when that war called for Him, for which He had come upon earth.   Certainly He came, not simply to be the Son of Mary but to be the Saviour of Man and, therefore, at length He parted from her.   She knew then, what it was to be the mother of a soldier.   He left her side; she saw Him no longer, she tried in vain to get near Him.   He had for years lived in her embrace and after that, at least in her dwelling—but now, in His own words, “The Son of Man had not where to lay His head.”

And then, when years had run out, she heard of His arrest, His mock trial and His passion.   At last she got near Him—when and where?—on the way to Calvary and when He had been lifted upon the Cross.   And at length she held Him again in her arms, yes—when He was dead.   True, He rose from the dead but still she did not thereby gain Him, for He ascended on high and she did not at once follow Him.   No, she remained on earth many years—in the care, indeed, of His dearest Apostle, St John.   But what was even the holiest of men, compared with her own Son and Him the Son of God?

O Holy Mary, Mother of our Saviour, in this meditation we have now suddenly passed from the Joyful Mysteries to the Sorrowful, from Gabriel’s Annunciation to thee, to the Seven Dolours.   That, then, will be the next series of Meditations which we make about thee.

O Holy Mary, Mother of our Saviour, Pray for us!holy mary mother of our saviour, pray for us - 17 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST, The WORD

One Minute Marian Reflection – 17 May “Mary’s Month” – Thursday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Marian Reflection – 17 May “Mary’s Month” – Thursday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”…Mark 15:34

REFLECTION – “MARY:  THE SORROWING MOTHER – “Our Lady is there listening to the words of her Son, united to Him in His suffering, when He cried out ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’   What could she do?   She united herself fully, with the redemptive love of her Son and offered to the Father, her immense sorrow, which pierced her pure heart, like a sharp-edged sword.”…St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) “Mother of God and Our Mother,” Friends of God, 288
Let us offer to our Mother today:
The mortification of keeping quiet about any pain or discomfort, any inconvenience or disappointment, uniting it with her pain as she stood by her crucified Son.what could she do - she united herself - st josemaria - 17 may 2018

PRAYER – Almighty God and Father, forgive the sins of Your people and as nothing we can do is worthy in Your sight, save us through the intercession of the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.   As Christ suffered for our sins, so Mary, the Blessed Virgin His Mother, suffered with Him and for us too.   Grant we pray, that by her prayers we may learn to give You these sufferings alone, in silence for our sins in union with our suffering Lord and His Mother, with the Holy Spirit, one God with You, forever amen.mary mother of sorrows - pray for us - 17 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DEVOTIO, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE

Marian Thought for the Day – 16 May “Mary’s Month!” – Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Simon Stock (1165-1265)

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Marian Thought for the Day – 16 May “Mary’s Month!” – Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Simon Stock (1165-1265)

The brown Scapular of the Carmelite Order has gained considerable popularity and use among those devoted to the Blessed Mother.   The following prayer, addressed to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, prays for her continued protection and grace for those who wear the scapular:

Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

O all-blessed, immaculate Virgin,
ornament and glory of Mount Carmel,
you who looks, with most gracious countenance,
on those who have been clothed,
with your venerable livery,
look kindly also on me
and take me under the mantle
of your maternal protection.
Strengthen my weakness with your might;
enlighten the darkness of my heart,
with your wisdom;
increase in me,
the virtues of faith, hope and charity.
So adorn my soul with graces
and virtue of our God,
by your prayers,
that it may always be dear
to your divine Son
and to you.
Assist me during life,
comfort me in death
with your most sweet presence
and present me as your child
and faithful servant,
to the most Holy Trinity,
that I may be enabled to praise
and extol you in heaven forever.
Amenprayer to our lady of mount carmel of the brown scapular - 16 may 2018 st simon stock

In 1322, Pope John XXII issued a document known as a Papal Bull in which he included a promise from Our Lady of Mount Carmel. In his document, the Pope revealed that he had received an apparition of Our Blessed Mother, during which she made a promise to all mankind.

Her “Sabbatine Privilege” was as follows:

“on the First Saturday after the death of one of the faithful, Our Blessed Mother would free from Purgatory her Scapular children who have fulfilled certain conditions.   She stated to Pope John XXII:  “I, the Mother of Graces, shall descend on the Saturday after their death, and as many as I find in Purgatory I shall free.”

The Church has since formalised the Sabbatine Privilege, based on this revelation. Containing three conditions, those who follow and practice true devotion, will be released from Purgatory by Our Lady’s intercession on the Saturday after their death.   As set forth by the Church, the three conditions include:

1)Wear the brown scapular devoutly, once you’ve been enrolled in the Scapular Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel;

2) Observe chastity according to your state in life;

3) Recite daily the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (Given the length of this beautiful prayer, with permission of a priest you can substitute five decades of the rosary, abstinence from meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays or another approved good work).

His Holiness, Pope Pius XII, wrote concerning the Sabbatine Privilege, “Certainly, this most gentle Mother will not delay to open as soon as possible, through Her intercession with God, the gates of Heaven for children expiating their faults in Purgatory.”

Once one has been enrolled in the Scapular Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel, one shares in the daily prayers and other spiritual benefits of the Carmelite Order. Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s scapular promise of salvation to Saint Simon Stock and the Carmelites applies to the enrollee as well!   http://ocarm.org/en/content/ocarm/confraternities

The short form of the investiture is as follows:

Receive this Scapular, a sign of your special relationship with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, whom you pledge to imitate. May it be a reminder to you of your dignity as a Christian, in serving others and imitating Mary.
Wear it as a sign of her protection and of belonging to the Family of Carmel, voluntarily doing the will of God and devoting yourself to building a world true to His plan of community, justice and peace.

scapular

Many popes and other religious figures over the centuries have extolled the virtues of the brown scapular devotion.   Pope Pius XII went so far as to say: “The Scapular is a practice of piety which by its very simplicity is suited to everyone, and has spread widely among the faithful of Christ to their spiritual profit.”   More recently, Pope Paul VI said: “Let the faithful hold in high esteem the practices and devotions to the Blessed Virgin … the Rosary and the Scapular of Carmel.”   Still, they caution that, although our Lady of Mount Carmel promised that the scapular would protect us from eternal fire, wearing it in itself doesn’t guarantee our salvation.

The scapular is not to be worn as a substitute for leading a devout life of love and obedience to our Lord.   The Most Reveren. Kilian Lynch, former prior general of the Carmelite Order, warned that the scapular was not “endowed with some kind of supernatural power which will save us no matter what we do or how much we sin.” He said, “Fidelity to the commandments is required by those seeking ‘the special love and protection of Our Lady.”

The immeasurable benefits of the Scapular result from the fact that the wearing of “the armour of Mary” is not merely an external act of devotion– it is a sign of our internal consecration to the Immaculate Virgin.   The scapular recommends us to her endless grace and generosity.   At Fatima in 1917, the Mother of God encouraged all people to consecrate themselves to Her Immaculate Heart.   And in the final Fatima vision on 13 October, the Blessed Virgin appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, wearing the robes of the Carmelite Order, holding aloft the Brown Scapular.   On that occasion, Our Blessed Mother reminded us that the devoted living of the Brown Scapular consecration, paired with daily prayer of the Holy Rosary, is a necessary part of the amendment of life– the random of a sinful world– for which she so earnestly pleaded.

Pope Pius XII stressed this important truth: “May the Scapular be a sign to them (all who wear it) of their consecration to the Most Pure Heart of the Immaculate Virgin.”   In wearing the brown scapular devoutly, in living in love and obedience to God, we join our hearts to Mary’s and thus, to her divine Son’s Sacred Heart as well!

Father,
You called St Simon Stock to serve You in the brotherhood of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Through his prayers, help us like him, to live in Your presence and to work for man’s salvation.   Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns
with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.   Amen

Holy Mother of Carmel, Pray for us

St Simon Stock, Pray for us

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

One Minute Marian Reflection – 16 May “Mary’s Month!” – Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Simon Stock (1165-1265)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Marian Reflection – 16 May “Mary’s Month!” – Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Simon Stock (1165-1265)

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother…John 19:25

REFLECTION – MARY:  AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS – “We find her on Calvary, at the foot of the cross, praying.   This is nothing new for Mary.   She has always acted like this, in fulfilling her duties and looking after her home.   As she went about the things of this earth, she kept her attention on God.”…St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) “A Life of Prayer,” Friends of God, 241.
Let us offer to our Mother today:
An act of contrition, said many times, asking
her to offer our sorrow for our sins to Jesus crucified.we find her on calvary - st josemaria - 16 may 2018

PRAYER – Almighty God, grant that Your faithful who rejoice in the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may be delivered from every evil through her prayer and come to enduring joys in heaven.   May we, ever fulfil our duties and offer all our sufferings for the reparation of our own sins and those of all the world.   Mary, holy loving Mother, pray for us.   Through our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.holy mothr mary - pray for us - 16 maty 2018

Posted in CARMELITES, CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 16 May “Mary’s Month!” – Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide and the memorial of St Simon Stock (1165-1265)

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Our Morning Offering – 16 May “Mary’s Month!” – Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide and the memorial of St Simon Stock (1165-1265)

Carmel’s Flower
By St Simon Stock (1165-1265)

Carmel’s Flower,
Vine ever blossoming,
Heaven’s splendour!
Virgin who bore a child.
No one is like thee.
Mother gentle and kind.
Yet never touched by man!
To Carmelites give thou the privilege.
Help us Star of the Sea.carmel's flower - st simon stock - 16 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The CHRIST CHILD

Marian Thought for the Day -15 May – “Mary’s Month” – Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Marian Thought for the Day -15 May – “Mary’s Month” – Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

Mary is the “Mater Christi,” the Mother of Christ
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

EACH of the titles of Mary has its own special meaning and drift and may be made the subject of a distinct meditation. She is invoked by us as the Mother of Christ.   What is the force of thus addressing her?   It is to bring before us that she it is whom from the first was prophesied of and associated with, the hopes and prayers of all holy men, of all true worshippers of God, of all who “looked for the redemption of Israel” in every age before that redemption came.

Our Lord was called the Christ, or the Messias, by the Jewish prophets and the Jewish people.   The two words Christ and Messias mean the same.   They mean in English, the “Anointed.”   In the old time there were three great ministries or offices by means of which, God spoke to His chosen people, the Israelites, or, as they were afterward called, the Jews, viz., that of Priest, that of King and that of Prophet.   Those who were chosen by God for one or other of these offices, were solemnly anointed with oil—oil signifying the grace of God, which was given to them for the due performance of their high duties.   But our Lord was all three, a Priest, a Prophet and a King—a Priest, because He offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins; a Prophet, because He revealed to us the Holy Law of God; and a King, because He rules over us. Thus He is the one true Christ.

It was in expectation of this great Messias that the chosen people, the Jews, or Israelites, or Hebrews (for these are different names for the same people), looked out from age to age.   He was to come to set all things right.   And next to this great question which occupied their minds, namely, When was He to come, was the question, Who was to be His Mother?   It had been told them from the first, not that He should come from heaven but that He should be born of a Woman.   At the time of the fall of Adam, God had said, that the seed of the Woman, should bruise the Serpent’s head.   Who, then, was to be that Woman thus significantly pointed out to the fallen race of Adam?   At the end of many centuries, it was further revealed to the Jews that the great Messias, or Christ, the seed of the Woman, should be born of their race and of one particular tribe, of the twelve tribes, into which that race was divided.   From that time every woman of that tribe hoped to have the great privilege of herself, being the Mother of the Messias, or Christ; for it stood to reason, since He was so great, the Mother must be great and good and blessed too. Hence it was, among other reasons, that they thought so highly of the marriage state, because, not knowing the mystery of the miraculous conception of the Christ, when He was actually to come, they thought that the marriage rite was the ordinance necessary for His coming.

Hence it was, if Mary had been as other women, she would have longed for marriage, as opening on her the prospect of bearing the great King.   But she was too humble and too pure for such thoughts.   She had been inspired to choose that better way of serving God, which had not been made known to the Jews—the state of Virginity.   She preferred to be His Spouse, to being His Mother.   Accordingly, when the Angel Gabriel announced to her, her high destiny, she shrank from it, till she was assured, that it would not oblige her, to revoke her purpose, of a virgin life devoted to her God.

Thus was it that she became the Mother of the Christ, not in that way, which pious women for so many ages had expected Him but, declining the grace of such maternity, she gained it by means of a higher grace.   And this is the full meaning of St Elizabeth’s words, when the Blessed Virgin came to visit her, which we use in the Hail Mary: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”   And, therefore, it is that, in the Devotion called the “Crown of Twelve Stars” we give praise to God, the Holy Ghost, through whom she was both, Virgin and Mother.

Mary, “Mater Christi,” the Mother of Christ

Pray for us!mary, mater christi - pray for us - 15 may 2018

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

One Minute Marian Reflection -15 May – “Mary’s Month” – Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Marian Reflection -15 May – “Mary’s Month” – Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”…John 2:4-5

REFLECTION – “MARY:  AT CANA – “In the Gospel, St John has recorded a wonderful phrase of our Lady.   At the wedding of Cana, she turned to the waiters and said:  ‘Do whatever he tells you.’   That is what it is all about — getting people to face Jesus and ask Him:  ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’ “…. St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) “To Jesus through Mary,” Christ is Passing 149
Let us offer to our Mother today:
Prompt obedience, when we are called or asked to do some errand or some act of service.at the wedding of cana - st josemaria escriva - 15 may 2018

PRAYER – Accept our prayer, Lord, as we wend our way to You.   Grant, we pray, that by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may remember her words and do whatever You tell us.   Mary, our Mother and Mother of our Lord Jesus, pray for us. Through Jesus Christ, in union with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever amen.mary mother - pray for us - 15 MAY 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOGMA, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The INCARNATION

Marian Thought for the Day – 14 May – Mary’s Month!” – Monday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

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Marian Thought for the Day – 14 May – Mary’s Month!” – Monday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

Mary is the “Mater Creatoris,” the Mother of the Creator
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

THIS is a title which, of all others, we should have thought it impossible for any creature to possess.   At first sight we might be tempted to say that it throws into confusion our primary ideas of the Creator and the creature, the Eternal and the temporal, the Self-subsisting and the dependent and yet, on further consideration, we shall see that we cannot refuse the title to Mary, without denying the Divine Incarnation—that is, the great and fundamental truth of revelation, that God became man.

And this was seen from the first age of the Church. Christians were accustomed from the first to call the Blessed Virgin “The Mother of God,” because they saw that it was impossible to deny her that title without denying St John’s words, “The Word” (that is, God the Son) “was made flesh.”

And in no long time it was found necessary to proclaim this truth by the voice of an Ecumenical Council of the Church.   For, in consequence of the dislike which men have of a mystery, the error sprang up that our Lord was not really God but a man, differing from us in this merely—that God dwelt in Him, as God dwells in all good men, only in a higher measure; as the Holy Spirit dwelt in Angels and Prophets, as in a sort of Temple, or again, as our Lord now dwells in the Tabernacle in church.   And then, the bishops and faithful people found there was no other way of hindering this false, bad view being taught but by declaring distinctly and making it a point of faith, that Mary was the Mother, not of man only but of God.   And since that time the title of Mary, as Mother of God, has become what is called a dogma, or article of faith, in the Church.

But this leads us to a larger view of the subject.   Is this title as given to Mary more wonderful than the doctrine that God, without ceasing to be God, should become man?  Is it more mysterious that Mary should be Mother of God, than that God should be man? Yet the latter, as I have said, is the elementary truth of revelation, witnessed by Prophets, Evangelists and Apostles all through Scripture.   And what can be more consoling and joyful than the wonderful promises which follow from this truth, that Mary is the Mother of God?—the great wonder, namely, that we become the brethren of our God, that, if we live well and die in the grace of God, we shall all of us hereafter be taken up by our Incarnate God to that place where angels dwel, that our bodies shall be raised from the dust and be taken to Heaven, that we shall be really united to God, that we shall be partakers of the Divine nature, that each of us, soul and body, shall be plunged into the abyss of glory which surrounds the Almighty, that we shall see Him and share His blessedness, according to the text, “Whosoever shall do the will of My Father that is in Heaven, the same is My brother and sister, and mother.”mary mater creatoris, mother of the creator - pray for us - 14 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The CHRIST CHILD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 May – Mary’s Month!” – Monday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 14 May – Mary’s Month!” – Monday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions...Luke 2:46after three days they found - luke 2 46 - 14 may 2018

REFLECTION – “MARY: LOSING AND FINDING THE CHILD JESUS – “The Mother of God, who looked for her Son so anxiously when he was lost (through no fault of her own) and experienced such great joy in finding him, will help us retrace our steps and put right, whatever may be necessary when, because of our carelessness or our sins, we have been unable to recognise Christ.   With her help, we will know the happiness of holding Him in our arms once more and telling Him we will never lose Him again.”…St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) “Mother of God and Our Mother,” Friends of God, 278
Let us offer to our Mother today:
A good, sincere, sorrowful confession of our sins and failures, in the sacrament of Penance.the mother of god who looked for her son - st josemaria - 14 may 2018

PRAYER – Lord God, as You brought joy to the world, through the resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, grant that through His Virgin Mother, we may constantly seek and recognise our Lord and Saviour and turn to Him in complete trust and love.   Mary, Mother of our Lord, bring your holy child to us.   Through Jesus Christ with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.mother of god and our mother - mary pray for us - 14 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The INCARNATION, Thomas a Kempis, Uncategorized

Marian Thought for the Day – 13 May – “Mary’s Month” – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

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Marian Thought for the Day – 13 May – “Mary’s Month” – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord and the Feasts of Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Help, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Memorial of the Dedication of the Minor Basilica of Saint Mary of the Martyrs (Pantheon)

Mary is the “Janua Cœli,” the Gate of Heaven

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)MARY JANUA COELI - GATE OF HEAVEN - BL JOHN HENRY NEWMAN - PRAY FOR US - 13 MAY 2018

MARY is called the Gate of Heaven, because it was through her, that our Lord passed from heaven to earth.   The Prophet Ezechiel, prophesying of Mary, says, “the gate shall be closed, it shall not be opened and no man shall pass through it, since the Lord God of Israel has entered through it—and it shall be closed for the Prince, the Prince Himself shall sit in it.”

Now this is fulfilled, not only in our Lord having taken flesh from her and being her Son, but, moreover, in that she had a place in the economy of Redemption;  it is fulfilled in her spirit and will, as well as in her body.   Eve had a part in the fall of man, though it was Adam who was our representative and whose sin made us sinners.   It was Eve who began and who tempted, Adam.   Scripture says: “The woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold; and she took of {37} the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband, and he did eat.”   It was fitting then in God’s mercy that, as the woman began the destruction of the world, so woman should also begin its recovery and that, as Eve opened the way for the fatal deed of the first Adam, so Mary should open the way, for the great achievement of the second Adam, even our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to save the world by dying on the cross for it.   Hence Mary is called by the holy Fathers a second and a better Eve, as having taken that first step in the salvation of mankind which Eve took in its ruin.

How, and when, did Mary take part and the initial part, in the world’s restoration?   It was when the Angel Gabriel came to her to announce to her the great dignity which was to be her portion.   St Paul bids us “present our bodies to God as a reasonable service.” We must not only pray with our lips and fast and do outward penance and be chaste in our bodies but we must be obedient and pure in our minds.   And so, as regards the Blessed Virgin, it was God’s will that she should undertake willingly and with full understanding, to be the Mother of our Lord and not to be a mere passive instrument, whose maternity would have no merit and no reward.   The higher our gifts, the heavier our duties.   It was no light lot to be so intimately near to the Redeemer of men, as she experienced afterwards when she suffered with Him.   Therefore, weighing well the Angel’s words before giving her answer to them—first she asked whether so great an office would be a forfeiture of that Virginity which she had vowed.   When the Angel told her no, then, with the full consent of a full heart, full of God’s love to her and her own lowliness, she said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word.”   It was by this consent that she became the Gate of Heaven.and so, as regards the Blessed Virgin Mary - bl john henry newman - 13 may 2018

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One Minute Marian Reflection – 13 May – “Mary’s Month” – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

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One Minute Marian Reflection – 13 May – “Mary’s Month” – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord and the Feasts of Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Help, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Memorial of the Dedication of the Minor Basilica of Saint Mary of the Martyrs (Pantheon)

The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom and the favour of God was upon him...Luke 2:40

REFLECTION – “MARY:  HER HIDDEN LIFE WITH JESUS:   I like to go back in my imagination, to the years Jesus spent close to his mother, years which span almost the whole of His life on earth.   I like to picture Him as a little child, cared for by Mary, who kisses Him and plays with Him. I like to see Him growing up, before the loving eyes of His mother and of Joseph, His father on earth.   What tenderness and care Mary and the holy Patriarch must have shown toward Jesus, as they looked after Him during His childhood, all the while, silently, learning so much from Him.   Their souls, would become more and more like the soul of that Son, who was both man and God.   This is why His mother and after her St Joseph, understand better than anyone, the feelings of the heart of Christ and the two of them. are thus, the best way, I would say the only way, to reach the Saviour.”…St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) “Mother of God and Our Mother,” Friends of God, 281

Let us offer to our Mother today:
The effort of doing our ordinary work well, on time, with competence and finesse.what tenderness and care - st josemaria - 13 may 2018

PRAYER – Let us praise You, Lord, with voice and mind and deed and since life itself is Your gift, may all we have and are be Yours.   May Your Mother Lord Jesus, teach us as You taught her.   Grant we pray that Mary, Your Mother and ours and Mother of all the Church, Your Mystical Body,  will take us all to Your heart, with St Joseph by her side.   Mary, most Holy, pray for us.   We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus, the Christ in union with You, Holy Father and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.holy mary mother of god - pray for us - 13 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Feast of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament – 13 May

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Feast of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament – 13 May

History of the Title of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament

St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868), of France, had a strong devotion to the Holy Eucharist and Our Lady and began his priestly life in the Society of Mary.   “But his heart burned with the desire to establish perpetual adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament exposed upon a royal throne and surrounded by a large court of adorers.”  On 2 February 1851, at the shrine of Fourvière, the most Blessed Virgin had made him understand its necessity.   ‘All the mysteries of my Son have a religious order of men to honour them. The Eucharist alone has none . . . .’

After several years of prudent reflection and interior combat, encouraged by Pope Pius IX, he founded the Congregation of the Most Blessed Sacrament at Paris on 13 May 1856

The title of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament was first given to Mary by St Peter Julian Eymard in May 1868, while speaking to his novices.   A few years later he described what her statue should look like:  “The Blessed Virgin holds the Infant in her arms and He holds a chalice in one hand and a Host in the other.”   He exhorted them to invoke Mary: “Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, pray for us who have recourse to thee!”

Later, Pius IX enriched the invocation with indulgences.   Twice, St  Pius X did the same. On 30 December 1905, he granted a 300 days indulgence to the faithful who pray:  “Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.”
“This title, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, is perhaps the most meaningful of all,” said St. Pius X.

In 1921 the Sacred Congregation of Rite authorised the Blessed Sacrament Congregations to celebrate each year, on 13 May, a “solemn commemoration of the Blessed Virgin,” with the intention of honouring Mary under the title of “Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.”   And of course this Feast is still celebrated today with great joy by all the spiritual sons and daughters of St Peter Julian Eymard.

St Pope John XXIII codified the title of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament when he declared St Peter Julian Eymard a saint on 9 December 1962, at the end of the last session of the Second Vatican Council.

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Marian Thought for the Day – 12 May “Mary’s Month!” – Saturday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

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Marian Thought for the Day – 12 May “Mary’s Month!” – Saturday of the Sixth Week of Eastertidemary mirror of justice - speculum justitiae - pray for us - 12 may 2018 - bl john henry newman

Mary is the “Speculum Justitiæ,” the Mirror of Justice
Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

HERE first we must consider what is meant by justice, for the word as used by the Church has not that sense which it bears in ordinary English.   By “justice” is not meant the virtue of fairness, equity, uprightness in our dealings;  but it is a word denoting all virtues at once, a perfect, virtuous state of soul—righteousness, or moral perfection;  so that it answers very nearly to what is meant by sanctity.   Therefore when our Lady is called the “Mirror of Justice,” it is meant to say that she is the Mirror of sanctity, holiness, supernatural goodness.

Next, what is meant by calling her a mirror?   A mirror is a surface which reflects, as still water, polished steel, or a looking-glass.   What did Mary reflect?   She reflected our Lord—but He is infinite Sanctity.   She then, as far as a creature could, reflected His Divine sanctity and therefore she is the Mirror of Sanctity, or, as the Litany says, of Justice.

Do we ask how she came to reflect His Sanctity? —it was by living with Him.   We see every day how like people get to each other who live with those they love.   When they live with those whom they don’t love, as, for instance, the members of a family who quarrel with each other, then the longer they live together the more unlike each other they become but when they love each other, as husband and wife, parents and children, brothers with brothers or sisters, friends with friends, then in course of time they get surprisingly like each other.   All of us perceive this;  we are witnesses to it with our own eyes and ears—in the expression of their features, in their voice, in their walk, in their language, even in their handwriting, they become like each other and so, with regard to their minds, as in their opinions, their tastes, their pursuits.   And again doubtless in the state of their souls, which we do not see, whether for good or for bad.

Now, consider that Mary loved her Divine Son with an unutterable love and consider too, she had Him all to herself for thirty years.   Do we not see that, as she was full of grace before she conceived Him in her womb, she must have had a vast incomprehensible sanctity, when she had lived close to God for thirty years?—a sanctity of an angelical order, reflecting back the attributes of God, with a fullness and exactness, of which no saint upon earth, or hermit, or holy virgin, can even remind us.   Truly then she is the Speculum Justitiæ, the Mirror of Divine Perfection.now consider that, - bl john henry newman - mary the mirror of justice - 12 may 2018

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One Minute Marian Reflection – 12 May “Mary’s Month!” – Saturday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

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One Minute Marian Reflection – 12 May “Mary’s Month!” – Saturday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

…he has looked on his servant in her lowliness…Luke 1:48

REFLECTION – MARY:  HE HAS LOOKED ON HIS SERVANT IN HER LOWLINESS :   “The mystery of Mary helps us to see that in order to approach God, we must become little. Christ said to his disciples:  ‘Believe me, unless you become like little children again, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.’   To become children, we must renounce our pride and self-sufficiency, recognising that we can do nothing by ourselves.   We must realise that we need grace and the help of God our Father to find our way and keep to it.” … St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) “To Jesus through Mary” Christ is Passing By, 143.
Let us offer to our Mother today:
A visit to a lonely person to share the joy of trusting in God alone.the mystery of mary helps us to see - st josemaria - 12 may 2018

PRAYER – Grant us, Lord, we pray, that through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may become like little children, trusting in You, our Father, following Your Son and finally arriving safely home with by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.   Mary, Immaculata pray for us.   Through Jesus Christ our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.mary, immaculata - pray for us - 12 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, EUCHARISTIC Adoration, MARIAN QUOTES, MARY, MATER ECCLESIAE, MORNING Prayers, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote/s of the Day – 11 May – “Mary’s Month!” – Friday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

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Quote/s of the Day – 11 May – “Mary’s Month!” – Friday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

“Who, more than Mary, could be, a star of hope for us?
With her “yes”, she opened the door of our world,
to God Himself;  she became the living Ark of the Covenant,
in whom God took flesh, became one of us
and pitched His tent among us.”

Spe Salvi 49who, more than mary - pope benedict XVI - 11 may 2018

“Consequently, every time we approach
the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharistic liturgy,
we also turn to her who, by her complete fidelity,
received Christ’s sacrifice for the whole Church.
The Synod Fathers rightly declared that
“Mary inaugurates the Church’s participation
in the sacrifice of the Redeemer.”
She is the Immaculata, who receives God’s gift
unconditionally and is thus associated with His work of salvation.
Mary of Nazareth, icon of the nascent Church,
is the model for each of us, called to receive the gift
that Jesus makes of Himself in the Eucharist.”

Sacramentum Caritatis 33

Pope Benedict XVIevery time we approach the body and blood of christ - pope benedict - 11 may 2018

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

One Minute Marian Reflection 11 May – “Mary’s Month!” – Friday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Marian Reflection 11 May – “Mary’s Month!” – Friday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out.   And suddenly the star they had seen rising went forward and halted over the place where the child was…Matthew 2:9

REFLECTION – “MARY:  WELCOMING THE MAGI: “‘Going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother.’   Our Lady is always near her Son.   The Magi are not received by a king on a high throne but by a child in the arms of His mother.   Let us ask the Mother of God, who is our mother, to prepare for us the way that leads to the fullness of love …. Her sweet heart knows the surest path for finding Christ.” …St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975) “The Epiphany of Our Lord,” Christ is Passing By, 38.
Let us offer to our Mother today:
A visit to a poor person to communicate
our Lady‘s concern for that person.going into the house they saw the child with Mary - st josemaria - 11 may 2018

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, Your plans are always the Truth.   So in Your wisdom, You gave us Mary as our Mother, to help us home to You.   Grant that by her prayers we finally arrive with You in Your eternal Kingdom.   Through Jesus our Lord, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.mary mothr of god - pray for us - 11 may 2018

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

Marian Thought for the Day – 10 May “Mary’s Month” and Thursday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

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Marian Thought for the Day – 10 May “Mary’s Month” and Thursday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

Mary is “Sancta Maria,” the Holy Mary
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

GOD alone can claim the attribute of holiness.   Hence we say in the Hymn, “Tu solus sanctus,” “Thou only art holy.”   By holiness we mean the absence of whatever sullies, dims and degrades a rational nature;  all that is most opposite and contrary to sin and guilt.

We say that God alone is holy, though in truth all His high attributes are possessed by Him in that fullness, that it may be truly said that He alone has them.   Thus, as to goodness, our Lord said to the young man, “None is good but God alone.”   He too alone is Power, He alone is Wisdom, He alone is Providence, Love, Mercy, Justice, Truth.   This is true but holiness is singled out as His special prerogative, because it marks more than His other attributes, not only His superiority over all His creature but emphatically, His separation from them.   Hence we read in the Book of Job, “Can man be justified compared with God, or he that is born of a woman appear clean?   Behold, even the moon doth not shine and the stars are not pure, in His sight.”   “Behold, among His saints none is unchangeable and the Heavens arc not pure in His sight.”

This we must receive and understand in the first place but secondly, we know too, that, in His mercy, He has communicated in various measures His great attributes to His rational creatures and, first of all, as being most necessary, holiness.   Thus Adam, from the time of his creation, was gifted, over and above his nature as man, with the grace of God, to unite him to God and to make him holy.   Grace is therefore called holy grace; and, as being holy, it is the connecting principle between God and man.   Adam in Paradise might have had knowledge and skill and many virtues;  but these gifts did not unite him to his Creator.   It was holiness that united him, for it is said by St Paul, “Without holiness no man shall see God.”

And so again, when man fell and lost this holy grace, he had various gifts still adhering to him;  he might be, in a certain measure, true, merciful, lovin, and just but these virtues did not unite him to God.   What he needed was holiness and, therefore, the first act of God’s goodness to us in the Gospel, is to take us out of our unholy state by means of the sacrament of Baptism and by the grace then given u, to re-open the communications, so long closed, between the soul and heaven.

We see then the force of our Lady’s title, when we call her “Holy Mary.”   When God would prepare a human mother for His Son, this was why He began by giving her an immaculate conception.   He began, not by giving her the gift of love, or truthfulness, or gentleness, or devotion, though according to the occasion she had them all.   But He began His great work before she was born, before she could think, speak, or act, by making her holy and thereby, while on earth, a citizen of heaven.   “Tota pulchra es, Maria!”   Nothing of the deformity of sin was ever hers.   Thus she differs from all saints. There have been great missionaries, confessors, bishops, doctors, pastors.   They have done great works and have taken with them numberless converts or penitents to heaven. They have suffered much and have a superabundance of merits to show.   But Mary in this way resembles her Divine Son,  that, as He, being God, is separate by holiness from all creatures, so she is separate from all Saints and Angels, as being “full of grace.”

sancta maria -mary most holy - pray for us - 10 may 2018

 

 

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The WORD

One Minute Marian Reflection – 10 May “Mary’s Month” and Thursday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Marian Reflection – 10 May “Mary’s Month” and Thursday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

The parents of Jesus, took him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord…Luke 2:22the parents of Jesus took him up to Jersualem - luke 2 22 - 10 may 2018

REFLECTION – MARY:  PRESENTING JESUS IN THE TEMPLE: “She teaches us to have charity.   Remember the scene of the presentation of Jesus in the temple.   An old man, Simeon, said to Mary, ‘Behold: This child is destined to bring about the fall of many and the rise of many in Israel and to be a sign, which people will refuse to acknowledge, so that the thoughts of many hearts shall be made manifest. As for your own soul, it shall have a sword pierce it.’   So great is Mary’s love for all mankind that she, too, fulfilled Christ’s words:  ‘Greater love has no man than this, that he should lay down his life for his friends.’ “… St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) – “Mother of God and Our Mother,” Friends of God, 287.
Let us offer to our Mother today:
A pilgrimage to one of her shrines, or at least such a pilgrimage in prayer.as for your own soul - st josemaria - 10 may 2018

PRAYER – Our Father, Your Son was ransomed with the offering of 2 turtledoves and Mary, in obedience and with immense love in heart was submissive and offered herself too, for all mankind.   Her sorrows were to come and she pondered them whilst she manifested her love and charity through her son.   Grant us we pray, through her intercession, that we may grow in charity and through the offering of our sorrows, for the sins of all the world.   Through our Lord Jesus Christ in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.mary mother of god - pray for us - 10 may 2018

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

Marian Thought for the Day – 9 May “Mary’s Month!” – Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

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Marian Thought for the Day – 9 May “Mary’s Month!” – Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

Mary is the “Virgo Veneranda,”

The All-Worshipful Virgin
Blessed John Henry Newman Cong. Orat. (1801-1890)

WE use the word “Venerable” generally of what is old.   That is because only what is old has commonly those qualities which excite reverence or veneration.

It is a great history, a great character, a maturity of virtue, goodness, experience, that excite our reverence and these commonly, cannot belong to the young.

But this is not true when we are considering Saints.   A short life with them is a long one. Thus Holy Scripture says, “Venerable age is not that of long time, nor counted by the number of years but it is the understanding of a man that has gray hairs and a spotless life is old age.   The just man, if he be cut short by death, shall be at rest;  being made perfect in a short time, he fulfilled a long time.” [Wisdom v.]

Nay, there is a heathen writer, who knew nothing of Saints, who lays it down that even to children, to all children, a great reverence should be paid and that on the ground of their being as yet innocent.   And this is a feeling very widely felt and expressed in all countries;  so much so that the sight of those who have not sinned (that is, who are not yet old enough to have fallen into mortal sin) has, on the very score of that innocent, smiling youthfulness, often disturbed and turned the plunderer or the assassin in the midst of his guilty doings, filled him with a sudden fear and brought him, if not to repentance, at least to change of purpose.

And, to pass from the thought of the lowest to the Highest, what shall we say of the Eternal God (if we may safely speak of Him at all) but that He, because He is eternal, is ever young, without a beginning and therefore without change and, in the fullness and perfection of His incomprehensible attributes, now just what He was a million years ago?   He is truly called in Scripture the “Ancient of Days,” and is therefore infinitely venerable;   yet He needs not old age to make him venerable;  He has really nothing of those human attendants on venerableness which the sacred writers are obliged figuratively to ascribe to Him, in order to make us feel that profound abasement and reverential awe which we ought to entertain at the thought of Him.

And so of the great Mother of God, as far as a creature can be like the Creator;  her ineffable purity and utter freedom from any shadow of sin, her Immaculate Conception, her ever-virginity—these her prerogatives (in spite of her extreme youth at the time when Gabriel came to her) are such as to lead us to exclaim in the prophetic words of Scripture both with awe and with exultation, “Thou art the glory of Jerusalem and the joy of Israel;  thou art the honour of our people;  therefore hath the hand of the Lord strengthened thee and therefore art thou blessed forever.”

Mary, Virgo Veneranda, Pray for us!mary virgo veneranda - pray for us - 9 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The CHRIST CHILD, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of JESUS

One Minute Marian Reflection – 9 May “Mary’s Month!” – Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Marian Reflection – 9 May “Mary’s Month!” – Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.   For today in the city of David, a saviour has been born to you, who is Messiah and Lord...Luke 2:10-11

REFLECTION – MARY:  WELCOMING THE SHEPHERDS:   “You must look at the Child in the manger.   He is our Love.   Look at Him, realising that the whole thing is a mystery. We need to accept this mystery on faith and use our faith to explore it very deeply.   To do this, we must have the humble attitude of a Christian soul.” …St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) “Christ Triumphs through Humility,” Christ is Passing by 13.
Let us offer to our Mother today:   

Small hidden sacrifices,
especially those that go against the grain.you must look at the child in the manger - st josemaria - 9 may 2018

PRAYER – Almighty God, Your incarnate Word fills us with the new light He brought to men.   Let the light of faith in our hearts shine through all that we do and say.   Grant that through Mary, mother of Christ and our mother and protector, by her prayers and solace, we may learn humility and true faith.   We make our prayer through Jesus, our Lord, with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.holy mary mother of god - pray for us - 9 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Marian Thought for the Day – 8 May – “Mary’s Month!” – Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

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Marian Thought for the Day – 8 May – “Mary’s Month!” – Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

Mary is the “Rosa Mystica,” the Mystical Rose
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

HOW did Mary become the Rosa Mystica, the choice, delicate, perfect flower of God’s spiritual creation?   It was by being born, nurtured and sheltered in the mystical garden or Paradise of God.   Scripture makes use of the figure of a garden, when it would speak of heaven and its blessed inhabitants.   A garden is a spot of ground set apart for trees and plants, all good, all various, for things that are sweet to the taste or fragrant in scent, or beautiful to look upon, or useful for nourishment;  and accordingly in its spiritual sense, it means the home of blessed spirits and holy souls dwelling there together, souls with both the flowers and the fruits upon them, which by the careful husbandry of God, they have come to bear, flowers and fruits of grace, flowers more beautiful and more fragrant than those of any garden, fruits more delicious and exquisite than can be matured by earthly husbandman.

All that God has made speaks of its Maker;, the mountains speak of His eternity;, the sun of His immensity and the winds of His Almightiness.   In like manner flowers and fruits speak of His sanctity, His love and His providence;  and such as are flowers and fruits, such must be the place where they are found.   That is to say, since they are found in a garden, therefore a garden has also excellences which speak of God because it is their home.   For instance, it would be out of place if we found beautiful flowers on the mountain-crag, or rich fruit in the sandy desert.   As then by flowers and fruits are meant, in a mystical sense, the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost, so by a garden is meant mystically, a place of spiritual repose, stillness, peace, refreshment and delight.

Thus our first parents were placed in “a garden of pleasure” shaded by trees, “fair to behold and pleasant to eat of,” with the Tree of Life in the midst and a river to water the ground.   Thus our Lord, speaking from the cross to the penitent robber, calls the blessed place, the heaven to which He was taking him, “paradise,” or a garden of pleasure. Therefore St John, in the Apocalypse, speaks of heaven, the palace of God, as a garden or paradise, in which was the Tree of Life giving forth its fruits every month.

Such was the garden in which the Mystical Rose, the Immaculate Mary, was sheltered and nursed to be the Mother of the All Holy God, from her birth to her espousals to St Joseph, a term of thirteen years.   For three years of it, she was in the arms of her holy mother, St Anne and then for ten years she lived in the temple of God.   In those blessed gardens, as they may be called, she lived by herself, continually visited by the dew of God’s grace and growing up a more and more heavenly flower, till at the end of that period she was meet for the inhabitation in her of the Most Holy.   This was the outcome of the Immaculate Conception.   Excepting her, the fairest rose in the paradise of God has had upon it blight and has had the risk of canker-worm and locust.   All but Mary;  she from the first was perfect in her sweetness and her beautifulness and at length, when the angel Gabriel had to come to her, he found her “full of grace,” which had, from her good use of it, accumulated in her, from the first moment of her being.

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

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, EASTER, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The INCARNATION, The WORD

One Minute Marian Reflection – 8 May – “Mary’s Month!” – Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Marian Reflection – 8 May – “Mary’s Month!” – Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Eastertide

And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.   Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God…Luke 1:35and the angel said to her in reply - luke 1 35 - 8 may 2018

REFLECTION – MARY:  MOTHER OF CHRIST – “Jesus Christus, Deus homo:  Jesus Christ, God man.   This is one of the ‘mighty works of God,’ which we should reflect upon and thank Him for.   He has come to bring ‘peace on earth to men of good will,’ to all who want to unite their wills to the holy will of God – not just the rich, not just the poor but everyone, all the brethren.   We are all brothers in Jesus, children of God, brothers of Christ.   His mother is our mother .”…St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) – “Christ Triumphs through Humility” – “Christ is Passing By – 13”
Let us offer to our Mother today:
Jesus Himself, when we receive Him in Holy Communion.mary mother of christ - st josemaria - 8 may 2018

PRAYER – Shape us in the likeness of the divine nature of our Redeemer, whom we believe to be true God and true man, since it was Your will, Lord God, that He, Your Word, should take to Himself our human nature in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Grant, we pray, that by intercession of the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, we may reach eternal life.   We make our prayer, through Christ, our Lord, in union with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.mary mother of christ - pray for us - 8 may 2018

 

 

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

Marian Thought for the Day – 7 May “Mary’s Month” – Monday of the Sixth week of Eastertide

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Marian Thought for the Day – 7 May “Mary’s Month” – Monday of the Sixth week of Eastertide

Mary is the “Mater Amabilis”
the Lovable or Dear Mother
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

WHY is she “Amabilis” thus specially?   It is because she was without sin.   Sin is something odious in its very nature and grace is something bright, beautiful, attractive.

However, it may be said that sinlessness was not enough to make others love her, or to make her dear to others and that for two reasons:   first, because we cannot like anyone that is not like ourselves and we are sinners;   and next, because her being holy would not make her pleasant and winning because holy persons whom we fall in with, are not always agreeable and we cannot like them, however we may revere them and look up to them.

Now as to the first of these two questions, we may grant that bad men do not, cannot like good men but our Blessed Virgin Mary is called Amabilis, or lovable, as being such to the children of the Church, not to those outside of it, who know nothing about her and no child of Holy Church but has some remains of God’s grace in his soul which makes him sufficiently like her, however greatly wanting he may be, to allow of his being able to love her.   So we may let this question pass.

But as to the second question, viz., How are we sure that our Lady, when she was on earth, attracted people round her and made them love her merely because she was holy?—considering that holy people sometimes have not that gift of drawing others to them.

To explain this point we must recollect that there is a vast difference between the state of a soul such as that of the Blessed Virgin, which has never sinned and a soul, however holy, which has once had upon it Adam’s sin;   for, even after baptism and repentance, it suffers necessarily from the spiritual wounds which are the consequence of that sin. Holy men, indeed, never commit mortal sin, nay, sometimes have never committed even one mortal sin in the whole course of their lives.   But Mary’s holiness went beyond this. She never committed even a venial sin and this special privilege is not known to belong to anyone but Mary.

Now, whatever want of amiableness, sweetness, attractiveness, really exists in holy men arises from the remains of sin in them, or again from the want of a holiness powerful enough to overcome the defects of nature, whether of soul or body but, as to Mary, her holiness was such, that if we saw her and heard her, we should not be able to tell to those who asked us anything about her except simply that she was angelic and heavenly.

Of course, her face was most beautiful but we  should not be able to recollect whether it was beautiful or not, we should not recollect any of her features because it was her beautiful sinless soul, which looked through her eyes and spoke through her mouth and was heard in her voice and compassed her all about.   When she was still, or when she walked, whether she smiled, or was sad, her sinless soul, this it was, which would draw all those to her who had any grace in them, any remains of grace, any love of holy things.

There was a divine music in all she said and did—in her mien, her air, her deportment, that charmed every true heart that came near her.   Her innocence, her humility and modesty, her simplicity, sincerity, and truthfulness, her unselfishness, her unaffected interest in everyone who came to her, her purity—it was these qualities which made her so lovable and were we to see her now, neither our first thought nor our second thought would be, what she could do for us with her Son, (though she can do so much) but our first thought would be, “Oh, how beautiful!” and our second thought would be, “Oh, what ugly hateful creatures are we!”

Mater Amabilis, Pray for us!mater amabilis - lovable mother - dear mother - the visitation - pray for us - 7 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The WORD

One Minute Marian Reflection – 7 May “Mary’s Month” – Monday of the Sixth week of Eastertide

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Marian Reflection – 7 May “Mary’s Month” – Monday of the Sixth week of Eastertide

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren...Luke 1:36luke 1 36 - and behold elizabeth your relative - 7 may 2018

REFLECTION – “MARY:  OUR MODEL IN ORDINARY LIFE – “We can’t forget that Mary spent nearly every day of her life just like millions of other women who look after their families, bring up their children and take care of their houses.   Mary sanctifies the ordinary, everyday things.what some people wrongly regard as unimportant and insignificant, everyday work, looking after those closest to you, visits to friends and relatives.   What a blessed ordinariness, that can be so full of love of God.” …St Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975) – “To Jesus through Mary” – Christ is Passing By 144
Let us offer to our Mother today:
Affectionate details of service and attention to those closest to us.mary - our model inordinary life - st josemaria - 7 may 2018

PRAYER – Almighty, ever-living God, You inspired the Blessed Virgin Mary, when she was carrying Your Son, to visit her cousin, St Elizabeth.   Grant that, always docile to the voice of the Spirit, we may, together with our Lady, glorify Your name and serve our neighbour.   Mary, you who are kindness and mercy, help us to fulfil our duties with love and please pray for us.   We make our prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord, in union with You, holy Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.holy mary mother of god - pray for us - 7 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Marian Thought for the Day – 6 May “Mary’s Month!” – Sixth Sunday of Eastertide B

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Marian Thought for the Day – 6 May “Mary’s Month!” – Sixth Sunday of Eastertide B

Mary is the “Domus Aurea,” the House of Gold
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

WHY is she called a House?   And why is she called Golden?   Gold is the most beautiful, the most valuable, of all metals. Silver, copper and steel may in their way be made good to the eye but nothing is so rich, so splendid, as gold.   We have few opportunities of seeing it in any quantity but anyone who has seen a large number of bright gold coins knows how magnificent is the look of gold.   Hence it is that in Scripture the Holy City is, by a figure of speech, called Golden.   “The City,” says St. John, “was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”   He means of course to give us a notion of the wondrous beauty of heaven, by comparing it with what is the most beautiful of all the substances which we see on earth.

Therefore, it is that Mary too, is called golden because her graces, her virtues, her innocence, her purity, are of that transcendent brilliancy and dazzling perfection, so costly, so exquisite, that the angels cannot, so to say, keep their eyes off her any more than we could help gazing upon any great work of gold.

But observe further, she is a golden house, or, I will rather say, a golden palace.   Let us imagine we saw a whole palace or large church all made of gold, from the foundations to the roof;  such, in regard to the number, the variety, the extent of her spiritual excellences, is Mary.

But why called a house or palace?   And whose palace?   She is the house and the palace of the Great King, of God Himself.   Our Lord, the Co-equal Son of God, once dwelt in her. He was her Guest, nay, more than a guest, for a guest comes into a house as well as leaves it.   But our Lord was actually born in this holy house.   He took His flesh and His blood from this house, from the flesh, from the veins of Mary.   Rightly then was she made to be of pure gold because she was to give of that gold to form the body of the Son of God.   She was golden in her conception, golden in her birth.   She went through the fire of her suffering like gold in the furnace and when she ascended on high, she was, in the words of our hymn,

Above all the Angels in glory untold,
Standing next to the King in a vesture of gold.mary is the house of gold

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD - PRAY FOR US

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Quote of the Day – 6 May “Mary’s Month!” – Sixth Sunday of Eastertide B

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 6 May “Mary’s Month!” – Sixth Sunday of Eastertide B

The great St Hilary (315-368) , Father and Doctor of the Church (Doctor of the Divinity of Christ), wrote this excellent passage:

“The greatest joy that we can give Mary
is that of bearing Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
within our breast.”

Her motherly union with Jesus becomes a union also with whoever is united to Jesus, especially in Holy Communion. And what can give as much joy to one who loves, as union with the person loved? And we—–do we not happen to be beloved children of the heavenly Mother?the greatest joy that we can give mary - st hilary - 6 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS

One Minute Marian Reflection – 6 May “Mary’s Month!” – Sixth Sunday of Eastertide B

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Marian Reflection – 6 May “Mary’s Month!” – Sixth Sunday of Eastertide B

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus…Luke 1: 31behold you will conceive in your womb - luke 1 31 - 6 may 2018

REFLECTION – “If you seek Mary, you will find Jesus.   And you will learn a bit more about what is in the heart of God, who humbles Himself, discarding all manifestations of His power and majesty to take the form of a servant.   Speaking in human terms, we could say that God outdoes Himself, because He goes much further than He needs to go in order to save us.   The only way to measure what He does is to say that it cannot be measured;  it comes from a madness of love which leads Him to take on our flesh and bear the weight of our sins.”…..St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) To Jesus Through Mary – Christ is Passing By 144  Let us offer to our Mother today:
The Regina Coeli recited punctually at six, noon, six and with great affection.if you seek mary you will find jesus - st josemaria - 6 may 2018

PRAYER – Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us Mary as our help and guide. Enable us to colloborate with her in praising You and in saving our souls and those of all. For mothers always know and love best, give all for the love of their children.   Mary through you, we learn to love, teach us, pray for us!   Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, with You our Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.mother mary - pray for us - 6 may 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Marian Thought for the Day – 5 May “Mary’s Month!” – Saturday of the Fifth Week of Eastertide

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Marian Thought for the Day – 5 May “Mary’s Month!” – Saturday of the Fifth Week of Eastertide

Mary is the “Mater Admirabilis,” the Wonderful Mother
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

WHEN Mary, the Virgo Prædicanda, the Virgin who is to be proclaimed aloud, is called by the title of Admirabilis, it is thereby suggested to us what the effect is of the preaching of her as Immaculate in her Conception.  The Holy Church proclaims, preaches her, as conceived without original sin and those who hear, the children of Holy Church, wonder, marvel, are astonished and overcome by the preaching.   It is so great a prerogative.

Even created excellence is fearful to think of when it is so high as Mary’s.  As to the great Creator, when Moses desired to see His glory, He Himself says about Himself, “Thou canst not see My face, for man shall not see Me and live;” and St. Paul says, “Our God is a consuming fire.”   And when St John, holy as he was, saw only the Human Nature of our Lord, as He is in Heaven, “he fell at His feet as dead.”   And so as regards the appearance of angels.   The holy Daniel, when St Gabriel appeared to him, “fainted away and lay in a consternation, with his face close to the ground.”   When this great archangel came to Zacharias, the father of S. John the Baptist, he too was troubled and fear fell upon him. But it was otherwise with Mary when the same St Gabriel came to her  . She was overcome indeed and troubled at his words, because, humble as she was in her own opinion of herself, he addressed her as “Full of grace,” and “Blessed among women” but she was able to bear the sight of him.

Hence we learn two things:  first, how great a holiness was Mary’s, seeing she could endure the presence of an angel, whose brightness smote the holy prophet Daniel even to fainting and almost to death;  and secondly, since she is so much holier than that angel, and we so much less holy than Daniel, what great reason we have to call her the Virgo Admirabilis, the Wonderful, the Awful Virgin, when we think of her ineffable purity!

There are those who are so thoughtless, so blind, so grovelling as to think that Mary is not as much shocked at wilful sin as her Divine Son is and that we can make her our friend and advocate, though we go to her without contrition at heart, without even the wish for true repentance and resolution to amend.   As if Mary could hate sin less and love sinners more, than our Lord does!   No: she feels a sympathy for those only who wish to leave their sins else, how should she be without sin herself?   No, if even to the best of us she is, in the words of Scripture, “fair as the moon, bright as the sun and terrible as an army set in array,” what is she to the impenitent sinner?

Mater Admirabilis, Wonderful Mother, Pray for us!mater admirabilis - pray for us - 5 may 2018