Category: MARIAN TITLES

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Thought for the Day and it’s Marian too – 29 May “Mary’s Month!” – The Memorial of Blessed Joseph Gerard O.M.I. (1831-1914)

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Thought for the Day and it’s Marian too – 29 May “Mary’s Month!” – The Memorial of Blessed Joseph Gerard O.M.I. (1831-1914)

BEATIFICATION OF FATHER JOSEPH GÉRARD

HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II

Maseru Race Course (Lesotho)
Thursday, 15 September 1988

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” (Luc. 1, 46).

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

1. On the day after the feast of the Triumph of the Cross of Christ, the liturgy of the Church, directs our attention towards her, who is found at the foot of the Cross, to the Mother of Christ, Mary.

She stood at the foot of the Cross, together with three other women and with John, the disciple whom Christ loved.   The Second Vatican Council, teaches us that Mary is found there, at the foot of the Cross, “in keeping with the divine plan” (Lumen Gentium, 58).

Indeed in a certain sense this was the climax in her life’s pilgrimage, the moment for which the Holy Spirit had been preparing her throughout her entire existence and especially from the time of the Annunciation.   It was the culmination of her pilgrimage of faith, of hope and of that special union with Jesus, her Son, the Redeemer of the world.

At the beginning of this pilgrimage, we hear Mary say in the house of her kinswoman Elizabeth, when she speaks of the great things the Almighty has done for her:  “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord”.   At the foot of the Cross, “a sword pierces Mary’s soul”, fulfilling the words of Simeon (Cfr. Luc. 2, 35).

And yet, Mary does not cease to believe.   The great works of God are accomplished precisely through this Cross, through the Sacrifice of the life of her Son.   And united to the redemptive Sacrifice of her Son is the maternal sacrifice of her heart.

2. The Church leads us today into the very centre of the Heart of Mary, into the intimate mystery of her union with her Son, a union which here, at the foot of the Cross, reaches its particular fullness.

In the Letter to the Hebrews we read that Christ, while being Son of God, one in being with the Father, “learned to obey through suffering” (Hebr 5, 8).   And precisely through this obedience, even to death on the Cross “he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation” (Ibid 5, 9).

At the moment of the Annunciation Mary first spoke her “fiat”.

She said:  “Let what you have said be done to me”.   And, with new strength of faith and trust in God, she repeated this “fiat” at the foot of the Cross!   This was her maternal sharing in the redemptive obedience of her Son as he offered his life on the Cross for the sins of the world.

At the foot of the Cross, Mary never ceased to praise the wondrous mercy of God, the mercy which endures “from generation to generation”.     And she did not cease to proclaim the saving “power of his arm”, which puts down the proud and raises the lowly. Like no other person on earth, Mary was able to penetrate the Paschal Mystery of Christ; she understood it with her heart.

3. And therefore the Church sees the Mother of God, as the one who “preceded in the pilgrimage of faith” all the People of God on earth.  In this faith, she became a true daughter of Abraham; indeed she even surpassed him whom Saint Paul calls “the Father of all believers” (Rom. 4, 11).   Her pilgrimage of faith, has done something even greater:  it has enabled us to enter, ever more profoundly, into the inscrutable mysteries of God.

The Church in your country, in Lesotho, here in Maseru, as does the Church throughout the earth, goes forward on this same pilgrimage of faith, the pilgrimage on which the Mother of God has gone before us.   Today the Bishop of Rome meets you on this pilgrimage.   He stands in your midst and celebrates with you the Eucharistic Sacrifice on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.

4. It is with great joy, that I join you in prayer today, my brothers and sisters of the Church in Lesotho.   I know that many of you have had to make many sacrifices in order to be here and I assure you of my happiness and gratitude that you have come.   Your presence at this Liturgy is a sign of your love for the Church and an expression of your willingness to bear witness to the Kingdom of Christ.

I am also aware that many people would have liked to be with us but have been unable to do so:  the sick and suffering, those who live too far away, those who are too young or too old.   To all of them, I say with deep affection, the Pope embraces you and loves you in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

My fraternal greetings go to Archbishop Morapeli of Maseru and to the bishops of the other dioceses of Lesotho.   With them, I greet all your dedicated priests and religious, your catechists and all the members of your Christian families.

I greet our non-Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ and all people of good will and I thank you for joining us on this historic occasion.   I offer very cordial greetings, to those who have come from beyond the borders of this country.

In a very special way, I greet the people of South Africa where Blessed Joseph Gérard laboured in Natal and the eastern Free State.

As members of one family, united in the love of Jesus, we rejoice today in the everlasting mercy of God who has granted us the gift of faith and made us a people of hope, a people on pilgrimage to the eternal Kingdom of God.

5. This day has a particular significance for the journey of faith which the Church in Lesotho is making.   For today we celebrate the Beatification of the Servant of God, Joseph Gérard.

In the First Reading of the Liturgy, taken from the book of Genesis, we hear God calling Abraham to set out on a journey of faith, to set out on a road that will take him away from all that he has ever known and loved, to put all his trust in the promise of the Lord.

Father Gérard heard God addressing to him a similar call of faith.   As in the case of Abraham, the Lord said to the young Frenchman named Joseph, “Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you” (Gen. 12, 1).   And he went promptly, as the Lord told him.   He followed God’s call.   He placed all his trust in the promise he had heard from on high.

The land that God showed Blessed Joseph was Africa, more precisely the land of South Africa and then some years laser the land of the Basotho people.   To this land, this Kingdom of Lesotho, he came as a man of faith.   He came because he had been called and sent to proclaim the Kingdom of God.

6. From an early age, Joseph Gérard had been convinced that God was calling him to be a missionary.   His heart overflowed with gratitude for the gift of the Christian life and he longed to share with others this treasure, this priceless pearl, the infinite riches of knowing Jesus Christ.   And it was this constant zeal for evangelisation that shaped every stage of his long life.

Upon his arrival in Lesotho, together with Bishop Allard and Brother Bernard, he at once set about learning the language and customs of the Basotho people.   He tried to understand their way of thinking, their sensitivities, their hopes and desires.   He was eager to understand their very souls, so that he could decide on the best methods to use in preaching to them the Good News of salvation.

Father Gérard and his companions began their apostolic work at the mission called Roma.   They gave themselves wholeheartedly and sacrificially to the task, relying completely on the grace of the Holy Spirit.   And the Spirit of God soon brought forth fruit.   Only a few years later, in 1866, a second mission at Korokoro was established.   And in 1868 yet a third mission dedicated to Saint Michael was begun.

In obedience to his superior, Father Gérard went to the northern part of the country in 1876, where he founded the mission of Saint Monica.   For the next twenty years and more, he laboured there untiringly, establishing a convent and school and building other missions in the surrounding area.   In all his pastoral endeavours and plans, he placed all his hope in God, remembering the words spoken at his priestly ordination, namely that God who began the good work in him would bring it to completion.

Wherever Blessed Joseph Gérard went, he lived his missionary vocation with extraordinary apostolic fervour.   His love for God, which burned ever more ardently in his heart, showed itself in practical love of neighbour.   Above all he is remembered for his special care for the sick and suffering.   Through frequent visits and his gentle manner, he always seemed to bring them fresh courage and hope.   For those near the hour of death he found the right words to prepare them to meet God peacefully, face to face.

The secret of his holiness, the key to his joy and zeal, was the simple fact that he lived continually in the presence of God.   Blessed Joseph’s whole life was caught up in the love of the Holy Trinity.   People wanted to be near to Father Gérard because he always seemed near to God.   He was filled with a spirit of prayer, nourished daily by the Liturgy of the Hours and by frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament.   He had a fervent devotion to the Mother of God and the Saints.   During his long and difficult journeys to outlying missions and the homes of the sick, he conversed continually with his beloved Lord.   It is undoubtedly, this vivid sense of being always in the presence of God, that explains his lifelong fidelity to his religious vows of chastity, poverty and obedience and to his obligations as a priest.

God blessed Father Gérard with a long life of apostolic service.   He granted him the grace to see over half a century of the unfolding evangelisation of Lesotho.   Father Gérard is certainly rejoicing today at the vitality of the Church in this country which was so dear to his heart:  its bishops are native sons, there is an increasing number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, the active laity numbers more than six hundred thousand people, including a hundred and forty thousand studying in Catholic schools.   But with his missionary spirit, would he not still encourage us today to carry on with fresh enthusiasm the many-sided task of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ?

7. Here in Lesotho you have a traditional greeting:  Khotso, Pula, Nala, – peace, rain and abundance.   Blessed Joseph Gérard must have often prayed for these same blessings, he must have often uttered this same greeting in this land.   Above all, he always tried to be a servant of reconciliation and peace, for this is an essential part of evangelisation.

To evangelise means to proclaim the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the whole world, to tell the story of how “God wanted all perfection to be found in him and all things to be reconciled through him and for him, everything in heaven and everything on earth, by his death on the Cross” (Col. 1, 19-20).   The first step of evangelisation is to accept the grace of conversion into our own minds and hearts, to let ourselves be reconciled to God.   We must first experience God’s gracious mercy, the love of Christ which has “reconciled us to himself” and given us “the work of handing on this reconciliation” (2Cor. 5-18).

As the twentieth century draws to a close and as your country looks to the future, this is the special gift and the greatest responsibility which the members of the Church offer to their fellow citizens, to be servants of reconciliation and peace, after the example of Blessed Joseph Gérard.

Always believe in the power of love and truth, the love of neighbour which is rooted in the love of God and the truth which sets people free.    Reject violence as a solution to any situation, no matter how unjust it may be.   Put your trust in the methods that respect the rights of all and that are fully in accordance with the Gospel.   Above all, trust in the God of justice, who created all things, who sees all human events, who holds in his hands the destiny of every person and of every nation.

8. Dear brothers and sisters:  I rejoice with you on this solemn day of celebration.   It is a day of great importance in your pilgrimage of faith and hope, a day of jubilation on the journey to union with Christ which the People of God in this land are making.   Let us give thanks to the most holy God for this day.   Let us sing, together with Mary:  “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my Saviour” (Luc. 1, 46-47).

Together with Mary and with Blessed Joseph Gérard, let all the people of Lesotho exult in God our Saviour.   Yes, all of you: young and old, children and parents, workers and teachers, priests and religious, the handicapped and the sick.   Let us all praise the Lord with grateful voices, for the Almighty has done great things for us.   Holy is his name!

9. Yet, at the same time, let the eyes of our faith never wander from the Cross of Calvary.

We read in the Gospel: “Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son’. Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother’. And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home” (Io. 19, 26-27).

My fervent wish for all of you, dear brothers and sisters, is that the word of John’s Gospel may be fulfilled in you.

May each of you discover Mary as your Mother.

May each of you seek to be a son, a daughter, of Mary, who at the foot of the Cross becomes in a particular way for us the “Mother of Divine Grace”.

May each of you “make a place for her in your home”, and even more so in your heart, every day and throughout your life, especially at those times of trial and suffering.

May the memory of this blessed day be inscribed for ever in the history of this city and this country, in the history of the whole continent of Africa.

Blessed Joseph Gérard, pray for us, lead us to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our Mother in faith. Amenbl joseph gerard - pray for us - 29 may 2018

Act of entrustment to Mary

O Mary, Mother of our Redeemer, Mother of the Church, at the end of this celebration of the Eucharist, we turn to you with confidence and love.   On this feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, we remember your own sharing in the suffering and death of Christ your Son.

O Mother of Sorrows, it was precisely at the hour of your Son’s death that you became by a new title our Mother, Mother of all the faithful.   For your loving Son said to you, as you stood at the foot of the Cross, “Woman, this is your son!”.

From that moment onwards and throughout the course of human history, you are the Mother not only of the beloved disciple but of every member of the Church.   You are our gentle Mother.   You care for us all as your dear children.   In fact, you see in each of us the face of your beloved Jesus and you intercede with Him on our behalf, for our good and the Redemption of the world.

Today, dearest Mother, I entrust to you all those present at this Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and all the people living in this mountain Kingdom.   I entrust them to you with complete confidence and love.

O Mother of Sorrows, I bring before you the sick and the elderly and all who are burdened by sin.   I know they will find in you a safe harbour and a consoling help.   You will bring them tenderly but surely, to the foot of the Triumphant Cross.

O Immaculate Heart of Mary, so filled with love for your Son, I entrust to you the youth of Lesotho in whose eyes the future shines.   Protect them from the evil one.   Enable them to see that only your Son is “the Way and the Truth and the Life”, only in Him is there a future full of hope and a life truly founded on love.

O Blessed Virgin of Nazareth, I place before you the families of the Basotho people, all married couples who with their children are called to form a lifelong communion of love.   Keep them pure and chaste, ever faithful to one another, always faithful, as you were, to the life-giving word of God.

O Mary, Model of holiness and first disciple of your Son, I entrust to your gentle care the Church in Lesotho.   As it rejoices in a century and a quarter of evangelisation and in the beatification of Father Joseph Gérard, lead your sons and daughters in the way of constant conversion, along the path of spiritual renewal.   Pray for this local Church, so dear to the Successor of Peter, so dear to your own Immaculate Heart.   Help our brothers and sisters to come to believe with conviction what you believed at the foot of the Cross. that human death is not the final word, for the final word belongs to God, the God of love and mercy, the God who has saved the world through the victorious Cross of your Son.   Amen.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us!

O Mother of Sorrows, Pray for us!

 

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One Minute Reflection – 29 May “Mary’s Month!”

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One Minute Reflection – 29 May “Mary’s Month!”

“And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars”…Revelations 12:1

REFLECTION – “MARY:  THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN – “She lives now and is protecting us. She is there [in heaven], body and soul, with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. She is the same person who was born in Palestine, who gave herself to God while still a child, who received the message from St Gabriel the Archangel, who gave birth to our Saviour and who stood beside Him at the foot of the Cross.  In her, all ideals become a reality.   But we should never think that this sublime greatness of hers, makes her inaccessible to us.   She is the one, who is full of grace and the sum of all perfections . . . and she is also our Mother!”…St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) “Mother of God and our Mother,” Friends of God, 292

Let us offer to our Mother today:
The “Hail Holy Queen” at each hour.rev 12 1 - in her, all ideals become a reality - st josemaria - mary queen of heaven - 29 may 2018

PRAYER – O God, Who by the Resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, hast been pleased to give joy to the whole world, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may attain the joys of eternal life. Our Lady, Queen of Heaven and Mother of us all, pray for us!   Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.mary, queen of heaven, pray for us - 29 may 2018

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Marian Thought for the Day – 28 May “Mary’s Month!”

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Marian Thought for the Day – 28 May “Mary’s Month!”

Mary is the “Virgo Potens,” the Powerful Virgin
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-18900)

THIS great universe, which we see by day and by night, or what is called the natural world, is ruled by fixed laws, which the Creator has imposed upon it and by those wonderful laws, is made secure against any substantial injury or loss.   One portion of it may conflict with another and there may be changes in it internally but, viewed as a whole, it is adapted to stand for ever.   Hence the Psalmist says, “He has established the world, which shall not be moved.”

Such is the world of nature but there is another and still more wonderful world.   There is a power which avails to alter and subdue this visible world and to suspend and counteract its laws, that is, the world of Angels and Saints, of Holy Church and her children and the weapon, by which they master its laws, is the power of prayer.

By prayer all this may be done, which naturally is impossible.   Noah prayed and God said that there never again should be a flood to drown the race of man.   Moses prayed and ten grievous plagues fell upon the land of Egypt.   Joshua prayed and the sun stood still. Samuel prayed and thunder and rain came in wheat-harvest.   Elias prayed and brought down fire from heaven.   Eliseus prayed and the dead came to life.   Ezechias prayed and the vast army of the Assyrians was smitten and perished.

This is why the Blessed Virgin is called Powerful—nay, sometimes, All-powerful, because she has, more than anyone else, more than all Angels and Saints, this great, prevailing gift of prayer.   No one has access to the Almighty as His Mother has, none has merit such as hers.   Her Son will deny her nothing that she asks and herein lies her power.   While she defends the Church, neither height nor depth, neither men nor evil spirits, neither great monarchs, nor craft of man, nor popular violence, can avail to harm us, for human life is short but Mary reigns above, a Queen for ever.her son will deny her nothing - bl john henry - mary virgo potens - 28 may 2018

Mary, “Virgo Potens,” Powerful Virgin, Pray for us!MARY VIRGO POTENS, POWERFUL VIRGIN - PRAY FOR US - 28 MAY 2018 - BL JOHN HENRY

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One Minute Marian Reflection – 28 May “Mary’s Month!”

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One Minute Marian Reflection – 28 May “Mary’s Month!”

And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another ‘s…Job 19:26-27

REFLECTION – “MARY:  TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN – “Mary has gone to heaven in both body and soul and the angels rejoice.   I can imagine, too, the delight of St Joseph, her most chaste spouse, who awaited her in paradise.   Yet what of us who remain on earth?   Our faith tells us that here below, in our present life, we are pilgrims, wayfarers.   Our lot is one of suffering, of sacrifices, and privations.   Nonetheless, joy must mark the rhythm of our steps. ‘Serve the Lord with joy’ — there is no other way to serve Him.” … St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) – Cause of our Joy,” Christ is Passing By, 177.
Let us offer to our Mother today:
A smile when someone corrects us or misjudges us.mary has gone to heaven - st josemaria - 28 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, for You are the Way, the Truth and our Life and Light, in doing Your will, is true joy on earth and eternal heavenly bliss.   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 immaculate holy mother of god - pray for us - 28 may 2018

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One Minute Marian Reflection – 26 May “Mary’s Month!” Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year B

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One Minute Marian Reflection – 26 May “Mary’s Month!” Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year B

You are the glory of Jerusalem, the surpassing joy of Israel…Judges 15:9

REFLECTION – “MARY:  THE WAY TO JESUS – “Mary does the immense favour of bringing to the cross, of placing face to face with the example of the Son of God, those who come close to her and contemplate her life.   It is in this confrontation that Christian life is decided.   And here, Mary intercedes for us, so that our behaviour may lead to a reconciliation of the younger brother — you and me — with the firstborn Son of the Father.   “Many conversions, many decisions to give oneself to the service of God have been preceded by an encounter with Mary.   Our Lady has encouraged us to look for God, to desire to change, to lead a new life.”…St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) “To Jesus through Mary,” Christ is Passing By 149
Let us offer to our Mother today:
Teaching someone how to say the Holy Rosary.mary does the immense favour - st josemaria escriva - 26 may 2018

PRAYER – “Hail, Mother of the Lord, Virgin Mary, Queen of the Rosary!   Blessed among all women, you are the image of the Church robed in paschal light, you are the honour of our people, you are the victory over every assault of evil.” ……………..Excerpt from the Prayer of Pope Francis at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima,12 May 2017.    Pray for us Holy Mother of God and our Mother, lead us to your Son!mary the way to jesus - pray for us - 26 may 2018

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Our Morning Offering – 25 May “Mary’s Month”

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Our Morning Offering – 25 May “Mary’s Month” Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year B

Mary, Virgin and Mother,
shows us what love is
and whence it draws its origin
and its constantly renewed power.
To her we entrust the Church
and her mission in the service of love.

Pope Benedict XVI:
Deus Caritas Est, 42

Holy Mary, Mother of God
By Pope Benedict XVI:
Deus Caritas Est, 42

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
you have given the world its true light,
Jesus, your Son – the Son of God.
You abandoned yourself completely
to God’s call and this became a wellspring
of the goodness which flows forth from Him.
Show us Jesus.
Lead us to Him.
Teach us to know and love Him,
so that we too, can become capable of true love
and be fountains of living water
in the midst of a thirsting world.

Amenholy mary mother of god by pope benedict deus caritas est no 42 - 25 may 2018

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Marian Thought for the Day – 24 May “Mary’s Month” – Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians

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Marian Thought for the Day – 24 May “Mary’s Month” – Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians

Mary is the “Consolatrix Afflictorum,” the Consoler of the Afflicted
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

St PAUL says that his Lord comforted him in all his tribulations, that he also might be able to comfort them who are in distress, by the encouragement which he received from God.   This is the secret of true consolation:  those are able to comfort others who, in their own case, have been much tried and have felt the need of consolation and have received it.   So of our Lord Himself it is said:  “In that He Himself hath suffered and been tempted, He is able to succour those also that are tempted.”

And this, too, is why the Blessed Virgin is the comforter of the afflicted.   We all know how special a mother’s consolation is and we are allowed to call Mary our Mother from the time that our Lord from the Cross established the relation of mother and son between her and St John.   And she especially can console us because she suffered more than mothers in general.   Women, at least delicate women, are commonly shielded from rude experience of the highways of the world but she, after our Lord’s Ascension, was sent out into foreign lands almost as the Apostles were, a sheep among wolves.   In spite of all St John’s care of her, which was as great as was St Joseph’s in her younger days, she, more than all the saints of God, was a stranger and a pilgrim upon earth, in proportion to her greater love of Him who had been on earth, and had gone away.   As, when our Lord was an Infant, she had to flee across the desert to the heathen Egypt, so, when He had ascended on high, she had to go on shipboard to the heathen Ephesus, where she lived and died.

O ye who are in the midst of rude neighbours or scoffing companions, or of wicked acquaintance, or of spiteful enemies and are helpless, invoke the aid of Mary by the memory of her own sufferings among the heathen Greeks and the heathen Egyptians.

Mary “Consolatrix Afflictorum,”Consoler of the Afflicted – Help of Christians

Help us!, Pray for Us!our-lady-help-of-christians-pray-for-us-24 may 2018jpgour lady consoler of the afflicted - pray for us - 24 may 2018

 

 

 

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Quote of the Day – 24 May “Mary’s Month” – Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians

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Quote of the Day – 24 May “Mary’s Month” – Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians

“This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace,
continues uninterruptedly, from the consent,
which she loyally gave, at the Annunciation
and which she sustained, without wavering beneath the Cross,
until the eternal fulfilment of all the elect.

Taken up to heaven, she did not lay aside this saving office
but by her manifold intercession, continues to bring us
the gifts of eternal salvation.   By her maternal charity,
she cares for the brethren of her Son,
who still journey on earth, surrounded by dangers and difficulties,
until they are led into their blessed home.

Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church
under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress and Mediatrix.
This, however, is so understood,
that it neither takes away anything from,
nor adds anything to,
the dignity and efficacy of Christ the one Mediator.”

Lumen Gentium, 62
Blessed Pope Paul VI (1897-1978)lumen gentium 62 - bl pope paul VI - 24 may 2018

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One Minute Marian Reflection – 24 May “Mary’s Month” – Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians

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One Minute Marian Reflection – 24 May “Mary’s Month” – Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians

He said to the disciple, “there is your mother.”...John 19:27

REFLECTION – “MARY:  HELP OF CHRISTIANS – “Yes, we are still pilgrims but our Mother has gone on ahead, where she points to the reward for our efforts.   She tells us that we can make it.   If we are faithful, we will reach home.   Not only is the Blessed Virgin our model but she is also the Help of Christians.   And as we besiege her with our petitions — ‘Show that you are our Mother’ – she cannot help but watch over her children with motherly care.” … St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) “Cause of our Joy,” Christ is Passing By, 177.
Let us offer to our Mother today:
In addition to the mysteries of the day, one more part (five decades) of the Holy Rosary.john 19 27 - yes, we are still pilgrims - st josemaria - 24 may 2018

PRAYER – Have pity on us Mother and heal the wounds of our souls, remove the sorrow and worries of our souls.    Console us in our day of suffering and enlighten us by your wisdom.   Show us your mercy, Mother and pray for us, turn our sadness into true joy. Fill our hearts with your sweetness and make us forget the miseries of this life.   Be gracious to your children and do not allow them to be overcome in their temptations.  For Hail Mary, full of grace, our Mother and Mother of our Lord, He is with thee!   Amenour lady help of christians pray for us - 24 may 2018

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Our Morning Offering – 24 May “Mary’s Month” – Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians

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Our Morning Offering – 24 May “Mary’s Month” – Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians

Our Lady, Help Of Christians
By St John Bosco (1815-1888)

Most Holy Virgin Mary,
Help of Christians,
how sweet it is to come to your feet
imploring your perpetual help.
If earthly mothers cease not
to remember their children,
how can you,
the most loving of all mothers forget me?
Grant then to me, I implore you,
your perpetual help in all my necessities,
in every sorrow and especially in all my temptations.
I ask for your unceasing help
for all who are now suffering.
Help the weak,
cure the sick,
convert sinners.
Grant through your intercession,
many vocations to the religious life.
Obtain for us, O Mary, Help of Christians,
that having invoked you on earth
we may love and eternally thank you in heaven.
Amenprayer to our lady help of christians by st john bosco - 24 may 2018

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Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians – 24 May

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Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians – 24 May – Also known as Auxilium Christianorum.our lady header - help of christians - wp size

The tradition of this advocation goes back to 1571, when the whole of Christendom was saved by Our Lady, Help of Christians when Catholics throughout Europe prayed the Rosary.   The great battle of Lepanto occurred on 7 October 1571.   For this reason, this date has been chosen as the feast of the Holy Rosary.   In 1573 Pope Pius V instituted the feast in thanksgiving for the decisive victory of Christianity over Islamism.

Near the end of the 17th century, Emperor Leopold I of Austria took refuge in the Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians at Pasau, when 200,000 Ottoman Turks besieged the capital city of Vienna but a great victory occurred thanks to Our Lady, Help of Christians, on 8 September, Feast of Our Lady’s Birthday, plans were drawn for the battle.   On 12 September, Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, Vienna was finally freed through the intercession of Mary, Help of Christians.   All Europe had joined with the Emperor crying out “Mary, Help!” and praying the Holy rosary.our lady help of christians-spanish - lg

In 1809, Napoleon’s men entered the Vatican, arrested Pius VII and brought him in chains to Grenoble and eventually Fontainbleau.   His imprisonment lasted five years. The Holy Father vowed to God that , if he were restored to the Roman See, he would institute a special feast in honour of Mary.   Military reverses forced Napoleon to release the Pope and on May 24th 1814, Pius VII returned in triumph to Rome.   Twelve months later, the Pope decreed that the feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, be kept on 24 May.Our-Lady-Help-of-Christians.lg

St John Bosco (1815 – 1888) was a dynamic priest who founded the Salesian Order in the XIX century in Italy.   His many prophetic dreams, beginning at age nine, guided his ministry and gave insights on future events.don-bosco-y-maria-auxiliadora

On 14 May 1862, Don Bosco dreamed about the battles the Church would face in the latter days.   In his dream, the Pope of those days anchors the ‘ship’ of the Church between two pillars, one with a statue of Our Lady ( the Auxilium Christianorum or ‘Help of Christians’) and the other with a large Eucharistic Host.Don Bosco Dream

St John Bosco wrote about his congregation, the Salesians:  “The principal objective is to promote veneration of the Blessed Sacrament and devotion to Mary, Help of Christians.   This title seems to please the august Queen of Heaven very much.”

The Salesian Sisters of St John Bosco or Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, are the sister order of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

St John Bosco, himself, on 9 June1868, dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians, the mother church of his congregation at Turin (Italy).   The Salesian Fathers and their Sisters have carried the devotion to their numerous establishments all over the world.Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians ~Turin, ItalyMary-help-of-christians-1Our lady help of christians basilica - turin

More info here:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/05/24/saint-of-the-day-24-may-the-feast-of-mary-help-of-christians/

 

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Feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians/Auxilium Christianorum and Memorials of the Saints – 24 May

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Our Lady, Help of Christians/Auxilium Christianorum

Our Lady of China:  Our Lady of China is a title for the Virgin Mary in China who is believed to have appear at the small village of Donglu in 1900.   In Chinese she is called Zhōnghuá Shèngmǔ.   She is also known as Our Lady of Donglu.Official_authentic_portrait_Lady_of_China

—
St Afra of Brescia
Bl Benedict of Cassino
St David of Scotland
Bl Diego Alonso
St Donatian of Nantes
St Gennadius of Astroga
St Hubert of Bretigny
Bl Isidore Ngei Ko Lat
St Joanna the Myrrhbearer
Bl John del Prado
Bl John of Montfort
Bl Juan of Huete
Bl Louis-Zéphirin Moreau
St Manahen
St Marciana of Galatia
Bl Mario Vergara
St Meletius the Soldier
Bl Nicetas of Pereslav
St Palladia
St Patrick of Bayeux
Bl Philip of Piacenza
St Rogatian of Nantes
St Sérvulo of Trieste
St Simeon Stylites the Younger
St Susanna
Bl Thomas Vasière
St Vincent of Lérins
St Vincent of Porto Romano
—
Martyrs of Istria: A group of early martyrs in the Istria peninsula. We know little more than some names – Diocles, Felix, Servilius, Silvanus and Zoëllus.

Martyrs of Plovdiv: 38 Christians martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian and Maximian. We don’t even known their names. They were beheaded in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Martyrs of the Small West Gate: Additional Memorial – 20 September as part of the Martyrs of Korea. A group of lay catechists and catechumens who were imprisoned and executed together for the crime of being Christian.
• Saint Agatha Kim A-Gi
• Saint Agatha Yi So-Sa
• Saint Anna Pak A-Gi
• Saint Augustine Yi Kwang-Hon
• Saint Barbara Han A-Gi
• Saint Damianus Nam Myong-Hyok
• Saint Lucia Pak Hui-Sun
• Saint Magdalena Kim Ob-I
• Saint Petrus Kwon Tug-In
They were beheaded on 24 May 1839 at the Small West Gate, Seoul, South Korea and were Canonised on 6 May 1984 by Pope John Paul II.

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One Minute Marian Reflection – 23 May “Mary’s Month”

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One Minute Marian Reflection – 23 May “Mary’s Month” Wednesday in the 7th Week of Ordinary Time Year B

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together...Acts 2:1

REFLECTION – “MARY:  QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES – “If we take our Lady’s hand, she will make us realise more fully that all men are our brothers – because we are all sons of that God, whose daughter, spouse and mother she is.   Our neighbours’ problems must be our problems.   Christian fraternity should be something very deep in the soul, so that we are indifferent to no one. Mary, who brought up Jesus and accompanied Him through His life and is now beside Him in heaven, will help us recognise Jesus as He crosses our path and makes Himself present to us, in the needs of others.”… St Josemaría Escrivá (1902-1975) “To Jesus through Mary,” Christ is Passing By- 145.
Let us offer to our Mother today:
A kind word, a friendly conversation, a helping hand to persons with whom we live or work.acts 2 1 if we take our lady's hand - st josemaria - mary queen of the apostles - 23 may 2018

PRAYER – Almighty God, we offer our thanks for the great gift of the Mother of Your Divine Son, for as she was a Mother to His apostles, so still is she a Mother to us all.  Grant we pray, that by her intercession, we may learn to recognise Jesus in all our neighbours and serve them as we would Him.   Through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.mary queen of the apostles pray for us - 23 may 2018

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Marian thought for the Day – 21 May 2018 “Mary’s Month!” – The First Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church

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Marian thought for the Day – 21 May 2018 “Mary’s Month!” – The First Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church

“Mary Mother of the Church, Mater Ecclesiae

our new Universal Memorial today!mary-mother-of-the-church-21 nov 2017

Blessed Pope Paul VI explicitly proclaimed Mary Mother of the Church and asked that she be honoured and invoked with this title by all the Christian people.

The title “Mother of the Church” thus reflects the deep conviction of the Christian faithful, who see in Mary not only the mother of the person of Christ but also of the faithful.   She who is recognised as mother of salvation, life and grace, mother of the saved and mother of the living, is rightly proclaimed Mother of the Church.

Pope Paul VI would have liked the Second Vatican Council itself to have proclaimed “Mary Mother of the Church, that is, of the whole People of God, of the faithful and their Pastors”.   He did so himself in his speech at the end of the Council’s third session (21 November 1964), also asking that “henceforth the Blessed Virgin be honoured and invoked with this title by all the Christian people” (AAS 1964, 37).

In this way, my venerable Predecessor explicitly enunciated the doctrine contained in chapter eight of Lumen gentium, hoping that the title of Mary, Mother of the Church, would have an ever more important place in the liturgy and piety of the Christian people.” – St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)

“We need to meditate frequently on the fact that the Church is a deep, great mystery, so that we never forget it.   We cannot fully understand the Church on this earth.   If men, using only their reason, were to analyse it, they would see only a group of people who abide by certain precepts and think in a similar way.   But that would not be the Church.

In the Church we Catholics find our faith, our norms of conduct, our prayer, our sense of fraternity.   Through it we are united with all our brothers and sisters who have already left this life and are being cleansed in Purgatory—the Church suffering—and with those who already enjoy the beatific vision and love forever the thrice holy God—the Church triumphant.   The Church is in our midst and at the same time transcends history.   It was born under the mantle of our Lady and continues to praise her on earth and in heaven as its Mother (“The Supernatural Aim of the Church,” 28 May 1972).

If we become identified with Mary and imitate her virtues, we will be able to bring Christ to life, through grace, in the souls of many who will in turn become identified with him through the action of the Holy Spirit.   If we imitate Mary, we will share in some way in her spiritual motherhood.   And all this silently, like Our Lady; without being noticed, almost without words, through the true and genuine witness of our lives as Christians, and the generosity of ceaselessly repeating her fiat, which we renew as an intimate link between ourselves and God.” – St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975) – Friends of God, 281-283

“….We have spoken about Mary, about Jesus. What about us?   We who are the Church? What kind of love do we bring to others?   Is it the love of Jesus that shares, that forgives, that accompanies, or is it a watered-down love, like wine so diluted that it seems like water?   Is it a strong love, or a love so weak that it follows the emotions, that it seeks a return, an interested love?   Another question: is self-interested love pleasing to Jesus? No, it is not because love should be freely given, like His is.   What are the relationships like in our parishes, in our communities?   Do we treat each other like brothers and sisters?   Or do we judge one another, do we speak evil of one another, do we just tend our own vegetable patch? Or do we care for one another?   These are the questions of charity!

And briefly, one last aspect:  Mary as the model of union with Christ.
The life of the Holy Virgin was the life of a woman of her people:  Mary prayed, she worked, she went to the synagogue…  But every action was carried out in perfect union with Jesus.   This union finds its culmination on Calvary, here Mary is united to the Son in the martyrdom of her heart and in the offering of his life to the Father for the salvation of humanity.   Our Lady shared in the pain of the Son and accepted with Him the will of the Father, in that obedience that bears fruit, that grants the true victory over evil and death.

The reality Mary teaches us, is very beautiful:  to always be united with Jesus.   We can ask ourselves:  do we remember Jesus only when something goes wrong and we are in need, or is ours a constant relation, a deep friendship, even when it means following him on the way of the Cross?

Let us ask the Lord to grant us His grace, His strength, so that the model of Mary, Mother of the Church, may be reflected in our lives and in the life of every ecclesial community. So be it!”...Pope Francis 23 October 2013

Mary, Mater Ecclesiae, Mother of the Church

Pray for the Universal Church, pray for us all!mary mater ecclesiae - mother of the church - pray for us - 21 may 2018

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 May 2018 “Mary’s Month!” – The First Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church and the Memorial of St Eugene de Mazenod (1782-1861)

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 May 2018 “Mary’s Month!” – The First Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church and the Memorial of St Eugene de Mazenod (1782-1861)

“…She is clearly the Mother
of his members;
that is, of ourselves,
because she cooperated
by her charity,
so that faithful Christians,
members of the Head,
might be born in the Church.
As for the body,
she is the Mother of its Head…
Mary gave birth to our Head;
the Church gave birth to you.
Indeed, the Church also,
is both virgin and mother,
mother, because of her
womb of charity,
virgin, because of the integrity
of her faith and piety.”

St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of Graceshe is clearly the mother of His members - st augustine - first memorial of mother of the church - 21 may 2018

“This celebration will help us to remember.
that growth in the Christian life,
must be anchored to the Mystery of the Cross,
to the oblation of Christ in the Eucharistic Banquet
and to the Mother of the Redeemer
and Mother of the Redeemed,
the Virgin who makes her offering to God.”this celebration will help us to remember - card sarah for pope francis - 21 may 2018

“As a caring guide to the emerging Church,
Mary had already begun her mission
in the Upper Room, praying with the Apostles,
while awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit.”

Cardinal Robert Sarah

Congregation of Divine Worship
and the Discipline of the Sacraments,
11 February 2018, the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes.
DECREE ON THE CELEBRATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY,
MOTHER OF THE CHURCHIN THE GENERAL ROMAN CALENDARas a caring guide to the emerging church - cardinal sarah - 21 may 2018

“We glorify God in the masterpiece
of His power and love…
it is the Son whom we honour
in the person of His Mother.”we glorify god in the masterpiece - st eugene de mazenod - 21 may 2018

“To love the Church
is to love Jesus Christ
and vice versa.”to love the church is to love jesus christ - st eugene de mazenod - 21 may 2018

“Practice well among yourselves:
charity, charity, charity
and outside,
zeal for the salvation of souls”

St Eugene de Mazenod (1782-1861)practice well among yourselves charity - st eugene de mazenod - 21 may 2018

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Our Morning Offering – 21 May 2018 “Mary’s Month!” – The First Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church

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Our Morning Offering – 21 May 2018 “Mary’s Month!” – The First Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church

Prayer to Mary, Mother of the Church and Mother of our Faith
By our Holy Father, 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)
Image of Mary – Our Lady of the Column in St Peter’s Basilicaprayer to mary, mother of the church and mother of our faith - pope francis - 21 may 2018 - memorial of mater ecclesiae

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The First of the Universal Celebration of the Official Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church/Maria, Mater Ecclesiae and Memorials of the Saints – 21 May 2018

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Maria, Mater Ecclesiae/Mary Mother of the Church – the First Official Memorial of this new feast day to be held this year, 2018.   Vatican Decree here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/03/04/pope-francis-institutes-new-celebration-of-mary-mother-of-the-church/decree - mater ecclesiae - new memorial monday after pentecost - 4 march 2018

Martyrs of the Mexican Revolution (Optional Memorial):   The 1917 Mexican constitution was pointedly anti-clerical and anti-Church, and its adoption instituted years of violent religious persecution including expulsion of foreign priests, closing of parochial schools, and the murders of several priests and lay leaders who work to minister to the faithful and support religious freedom.   25 of them who died at different times and places but all as a result of this persecution were celebrated together.   They each have separate memorials but are also remembered as a group.

• Saint Agustin Caloca Cortes
• Saint Atilano Cruz Alvarado
• Saint Cristobal Magallanes Jara
• Saint David Galván-Bermúdez
• Saint David Roldán-Lara
• Saint David Uribe-Velasco
• Saint Jenaro Sánchez DelGadillo
• Saint Jesús Méndez-Montoya
• Saint Jose Isabel Flores Varela
• Saint José María Robles Hurtado
• Saint Julio álvarez Mendoza
• Saint Justino Orona Madrigal
• Saint Luis Batiz Sainz
• Saint Manuel Moralez
• Saint Margarito Flores-García
• Saint Mateo Correa-Magallanes
• Saint Miguel de la Mora
• Saint Pedro de Jesús Maldonado-Lucero
• Saint Pedro Esqueda Ramírez
• Saint Rodrigo Aguilar Alemán
• Saint Roman Adame Rosales
• Saint Sabas Reyes Salazar
• Saint Salvador Lara Puente
• Saint Toribio Romo González
• Saint Tranquilino Ubiarco Robles

Canonised: 21 May 2000 by Pope John Paul II
—
St Adalric of Bèze
Bl Adilio Daronch
St Ageranus of Bèze
St Ansuinus of Bèze
St Antiochus of Caesarea Philippi
St Bairfhion of Killbarron
St Berard of Bèze
St Collen of Denbighshire

St Constantine the Great
St Donatus of Caesarea
St Eugene de Mazenod O.M.I. (1782-1861)

St Eutychius of Mauretania
Bl Franz Jägerstätter
St Genesius of Bèze
St Godric of Finchale
Bl Hemming of Åbo
St Hospitius of Cap-Saint-Hospice
Bl Hyacinth-Marie Cormier
St Isberga of Aire
Bl Jean Mopinot
Bl Lucio del Rio
St Mancio of Évora
Bl Manuel Gómez González
St Nicostratus of Caesarea Philippi
Bl Pietro Parenzo
St Polieuctus of Caesarea
St Polius of Mauretania
St Restituta of Corsica
St Rodron of Bèze
St Secundinus of Cordova
St Secundus of Alexandria
St Serapion the Sindonite
St Sifrard of Bèze
Bl Silao
St Synesius
St Theobald of Vienne
St Theopompus
St Timothy of Mauretania
St Valens of Auxerre
St Vales
St Victorius of Caesarea
—
Martyrs of Egypt:  Large number of bishops, priests, deacons and lay people banished when the Arian heretics seized the diocese of Alexandria, Egypt in 357 and drove out Saint Athanasius and other orthodox Christians.   Many were old, many infirm and many, many died of abuse and privations while on the road and in the wilderness.   Very few survived to return to their homes in 361 when Julian the Apostate recalled all Christians and then many of those later died in the persecutions of Julian.

Martyrs of Pentecost in Alexandria:  An unspecified number of Christian clerics and lay people who, on Pentecost in 338, were rounded up by order of the Arian bishop and emperor Constantius and were either killed, or exiled, for refusing to accept Arian teachings.   339 in Alexandria, Egypt.

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Marian Thought for the Day – 19 May “Mary’s Month” – Saturday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

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Marian Thought for the Day – 19 May “Mary’s Month” – Saturday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

Mary is the “Vas Insigne Devotionis,” The Most Devout Virgin
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

TO be devout is to be devoted.   We know what is meant by a devoted wife or daughter.   It is one, whose thoughts centre in the person so deeply loved, so tenderly cherished.,, She follows Him about with her eyes;  she is ever seeking some means of serving Him and, if her services are very small in their character, that only shows, how intimate they are and how incessant.   And especially if the object of her love be weak, or in pain, or near to die, still more intensely does she live in His life and know nothing but Him.

This intense devotion towards our Lord, forgetting self in love for Him, is instanced in St Paul, who says. “I know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”   And again, “I live, [yet] now not I, but Christ lives in me;  and [the life] that I now live in the flesh, I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and delivered Himself for me.”

But great as was St Paul’s devotion to our Lord, much greater was that of the Blessed Virgin, because she was His Mother and because she had Him and all His sufferings actually before her eyes and because she had the long intimacy, of thirty years with Him and because she was from her special sanctity, so ineffably near to Him in spirit.   When, then, He was mocked, bruised, scourged and nailed to the Cross, she felt as keenly as if every indignity and torture inflicted on Him, was struck at herself.   She could have cried out in agony at every pang of His.

This is called her compassion, or her suffering with her Son and it arose from this that she was the “Vas insigne devotionis.”

Mary, “Vas Insigne Devotionis,” The Most Devout Virgin

Pray for us!mary most devout virgin - pray for us - 19 may 2018

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Our Morning Offering – 19 May “Mary’s Month” – Saturday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

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Our Morning Offering – 19 May “Mary’s Month” – Saturday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide

Mother of my God and my Lady Mary
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor

Mother of my God and my Lady Mary,
as a beggar, all wounded and sore,
presents himself before a great Queen,
so do I present myself before you,
who are Queen of heaven and earth.
From the lofty throne on which you sit,
disdain not, I implore you,
to cast your eyes on me,
a poor sinner.
God has made you so rich
that you might assist the poor,
and has made you Queen of Mercy
in order that you might relieve the miserable.
Behold me then and pity me,
behold me and abandon me not,
until you see me changed
from a sinner into a saint.
Amenmother of my god and my lady mary - st alphonsus - 19 may 2018

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

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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

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

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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

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

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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

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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)

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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 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 CARMELITES, DEVOTIO, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Saint of the Day – 16 May – St Simon Stock (1165-1265)

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Saint of the Day – 16 May – St Simon Stock (1165-1265) Religious Monk, Visionary, Mystic, Marian devotee, early prior general of the Carmelite religious order.   Born c 1165 in Aylesford, County Kent, England – died on 16 May 1265 in the Carmelite monastery at Bordeaux, France of natural causes while on a visit.    Patronage – Bordeaux, France.

HEADER 2 marian-scapular-vision-small1header - Nicolas_Mignard-Vierge_et_saint_Simon_Stock

Simon was born in Aylesford, England, to one of the most well-known and respected Christian families in the County of Kent.   While still an infant, he was chosen by the Blessed Mother for her own, with his parents and others hearing him recite the Angelic Salutation of the Archangel Gabriel, long before he had learned to speak.   Prodigious as a child, he learned and memorised the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin before he was able to read, reciting it on a daily basis.   He was observed to read the Holy Scripture, kneeling in his room, by the age of six.

At the age of twelve, Simon left home, living as a hermit in the hollowed trunk of a large oak tree, earning him the name Simon “Stock.”   There he triumphed over the demon, as he would later tell his religious, only by the assistance of the Most Holy Virgin.   While living as a hermit, he drank only water and ate only herbs, roots and wild apples. Eventually, after eight years of solitude, Simon felt called back to communion with others and joined the Carmelite Order.   He finished his studies at Oxford and later (in 1215) was appointed Vicar General of the Order.

Saint Simon worked tirelessly to spread the Carmelite Order throughout Europe, founding many communities in university towns such as Cambridge, Oxford, Paris and Bologna.   He was responsible for the revision of the Rules of the Order, leading the community from lives as hermits to those of mendicant friars.   Known for his deep devotion to Our Blessed mother, as well as for the spiritual gifts of miracles and prophecy, Simon was elected as the sixth Superior General of the Carmelites at age 82.   He continued to govern the order for twenty years, demonstrating holiness, vision and prudence.

During his tenure as Superior General, Simon was graced with a visitation from the Blessed Mother, to whom he was so devoted.   Radiantly surrounded by a multitude of Angels, Our Lady of Mount Carmel appeared to him as he knelt in prayer at Aylesford, England.   Presenting to him the Carmelite Brown Scapular, she made Her Promise of unparalleled generosity to him, his spiritual children and to all those who wished to consecrate themselves to her by this special sign: Her words were:

“Receive, my beloved son, this scapular of your Order.   It is the special sign of my favour, which I have obtained for you and for your children of Mount Carmel.   He who dies clothed with this habit shall be preserved from eternal fire.   It is the badge of salvation, a shield in time of danger and a pledge of special peace and protection.”

The scapular (from the Latin, scapular, meaning “shoulder blade”) consists of two pieces of cloth, one worn on the chest and the other on the back, which were connected by straps or strings passing over the shoulders.   In certain Orders, monks and nuns wear scapulars that reach from the shoulders almost to the ground as outer garments.   Lay persons usually wear scapulars underneath their clothing, consisting of two pieces of material only a few inches square.   Although the scapular may be worn by any Catholic, even an infant, proper investiture must be done by a priest.   Subsequently, the scapular must be worn in the proper manner, the individual forfeiting its holy benefits if neglectful or careless.

Saint Simon Stock died on 16 May 1265, at the age of 100 and was buried in the cathedral of Bordeaux, where he was visiting at the time of his death.   The Saint’s bones are still preserved in a cathedral in Bordeaux;  a tibia was brought to England in the 1860s for the Carmelite church in Kensington, a part of the skull was enshrined at Aylesford in 1950.   St Simon was never formally Canonised but he has been venerated by the Carmelites since at least 1564 and the Vatican has approved the Carmelite celebration of his feast.

Pietro_Novelli_Our_Lady_of_Carmel_and_Saints
Pietro Novelli, Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Carmelite Saints (Simon Stock (standing), Angelus of Jerusalem (kneeling), Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi, Teresa of Avila), 1641 (Museo Diocesano, Palermo.)

Scapular-Vision-Shrine-12-800x500

Devotion to the Brown Scapular remains widespread and recommended by the Catholic Church.   The Carmelites continue to find meaning in the traditional story and iconography of Saint Simon Stock receiving the scapular, particularly as reflecting their filial relationship with Mary.   When St Pope John Paul II addressed the Carmelite family in 2001 on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the bestowal of the Scapular, he said:

“Over time, this rich Marian heritage of Carmel, has become, through the spread of the Holy Scapular devotion, a treasure for the whole Church.   By its simplicity, its anthropological value and its relationship to Mary’s role, in regard to the Church and humanity, this devotion was so deeply and widely accepted, by the People of God, that it came to be expressed, in the memorial of 16 July on the liturgical calendar, of the universal Church, “the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.”

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

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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

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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

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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

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.