Category: The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

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Quote/s of the Day – 13 January

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Quote/s of the Day – 13 January – The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Memorial of St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church and Blessed Francesco Maria Greco (1857-1931)

“O Lord, wishing to fulfil all things
that You ordained before the ages,
You received the servants of Your mystery,
from among the Angels, Gabriel,
from among Men, the Virgin,
from among the Heavens, the Star
and from among the Waters, the Jordan,
in which You washed away the sin of the world,
O our Saviour, glory to You.”

St John Damascene (675-749) Doctor of the Churcho-lord-wishing-to-fulfil-all-things-st-john-damascene-7-jan-20181.jpg

“God only knows how to be love
and He only knows how to be Father.
And the one who loves is not envious
and one who is Father is so totally.
This name does not permit compromises,
as if God were only father in some aspects
and not in others.”god only knows how to love - st hilary 13 jan 2019.jpg

“The privilege of our Church is such that
it is never stronger
than when it is attacked,
never better known
than when it is accused,
never more powerful
than when it appears forsaken.”
(Treatise on the Trinity)

“The Church is the Ship
outside which
it is impossible to understand
the Divine Word,
for Jesus spoke from the boat
to the people gathered
on the shore.”

“No matter how sinful
one may have been,
if he has devotion to Mary,
it is impossible that he be lost.”

St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Churchthe-privilege-of-our-church-st-hilary-of-pitiers-13-jan-2018.jpg

“In solitude,
in the presence
of the Blessed Sacrament,
I learned the love of Jesus
and the power of this love.”

Blessed Francesco Maria Greco (1857-1931)in solitude in the presence of the blessed sacrament - bl francesco m greco 13 jan 2019.jpg

Posted in CHRISTMASTIDE!, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The NATIVITY of JESUS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 January – 6th day after Epiphany – Today’s Gospel: John 3:22–30

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One Minute Reflection – 12 January – 6th day after Epiphany – Today’s Gospel: John 3:22–30

“This joy of mine has been made complete.
He must increase, but I must decrease.”…John 3:29-30this joy of mine ...he must increase - john 3 29-30 12 jan 2019

REFLECTION – “Listen, children of light: you who have been adopted for the Kingdom of God;  listen, my dearest brethren; listen and exult for joy in the Lord, you just, for “praise from the upright is fitting” (Ps 33:1).   Listen to what you already know;  reflect on what you have heard ; love what you believe; proclaim what you love!…
Christ is born, God from His Father, man through His mother.   He was born from His Father’s immortality and His mother’s virginity.   From the Father without the aid of a mother;  from the mother without that of a father.   From His Father without time; from His mother without seed.   According to His Father he is the principle of life; according to His mother, the ending of death.   According to His Father, He was born to determine the order of days;  according to His mother, to consecrate the day that is here.
He sent John the Baptist before Him, causing him to be born when the days were beginning to decrease, while He Himself was born when the days began to grow in length, thus prefiguring John’s own words:  “He must increase, I must decrease”.   For indeed, human life must grow weaker in itself but stronger in Jesus Christ “so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2Cor 5:15) and so that each one of us might repeat those words of the apostle Paul:  “Yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20).”…St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctorchrist is born - st augustine 12 jan 2019

PRAYER – Almighty ever-living God, through Christ Your Son, You made of us a new creation.   Shape us then, in His likeness, since in Him, our human nature now lives with You.   Grant that by the prayers of our blessed Virgin Mary and of Your holy men and women, we may be granted assistance in our struggle here below.   Through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for all eternity, amen.blessed virgin holy mother pray for us

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 5 January – St Charles of Mount Argus’s Prayer to Mary

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Our Morning Offering – 5 January – Christmas Saturday and the Memorial of St Charles of Mount Argus C.P. (1821-1893)

Most Holy Virgin Mary Oh, my Mother!
By St Charles of Mount Argus

Most Holy Virgin Mary Oh, my Mother!
How sweet it is to come to thy feet,
imploring thy perpetual help!
If earthly mothers cease not to remember their children,
how can thou, the most loving of all mothers, forget me?
Grant then, to me, I implore thee,
thy perpetual help in all my necessities,
in every sorrow and especially in all my temptations.
As we are all thy children,
I ask for thy unceasing help for all who are now suffering.
Help the weak, cure the sick, convert sinners
and console all earthly mothers
who are now weeping over their children.
Open the gates of heaven to those we loved upon earth
and who are now suffering in purgatory.
Obtain for us, dear Mother,
that having earnestly invoked thee on earth,
we may see thee, love thee
and eternally thank thee, hereafter in heaven.
Amenmost holy virgin mary oh my mother by st charles of mount argus 2 -5 jan 2019

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, Uncategorized

Thought for the Day – 1 January ” Mother of God” Blessed J H Newman

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Thought for the Day – 1 January – The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and the Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord

The Blessed Virgin is Theotocus, Deipara, or Mother of God….God is her Son, as truly as anyone of us is the son of his own mother….What dignity can be too great to attribute to her who is as closely bound up, as intimately one, with the Eternal Word, as a mother is with a son?   What outfit of sanctity, what fullness and redundance of grace, what exuberance of merits must have been hers, when once we admit the supposition …. that her Maker really did regard those merits and take them into account, when He condescended “not to abhor the Virgin’s womb”?
Is it surprising then, that on the one hand she should be immaculate in her Conception? or on the other that she should be honoured with an Assumption and exalted as a queen with a crown of twelve stars, with the rules of day and night to do her service?

Men sometimes wonder that we call her Mother of life, of mercy, of salvation – what are all these titles compared to that one name, Mother of God? (Certain Difficulties felt by Anglicans in Catholic Teaching, ii, 3)

Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

Immaculate Queen, Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us!

imm queen mother of god ora pro nobis 1 jan 2018.jpg

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Our Morning Offering 1 January – Prayer of St Ephrem to the Mother of God

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Our Morning Offering 1 January – The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and the Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord

O Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God
By St Ephrem (306-373) Father & Doctor of the Church

O Immaculate and wholly-pure Virgin Mary,
Mother of God,
Queen of the world,
hope of those who are in despair,
you are the joy of the saints,
you are the peacemaker
between sinners and God,
you are the advocate of the abandoned,
the secure haven
of those who are on the sea of the world,
you are the consolation of the world,
the ransom of slaves,
the comfortress of the afflicted….
O great Queen, we take refuge in your protection.
After God, you are all my hope.
We bear the name of your servants,
allow not the enemy to drag us to hell.
I salute you, O great mediatress of peace
between men and God,
Mother of Jesus our Lord,
who is the love of all men and of God,
to whom be honour and benediction
with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Ameno immac virgin mary mother of god - st ephrem 1 jan 2018

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1 January – The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and the Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord

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1 January – The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and the Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lordoctave-day-mary-mother-of-god-2016jpg

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, our Lady’s greatest title.   This feast is the octave of Christmas.   In the modern Roman Calendar only Christmas and Easter enjoy the privilege of an octave.   One of the earliest titles given by Christians to the Blessed Virgin was Theotokos—“God-bearer.”   We celebrate her as the Mother of God because, in bearing Christ, she bore the fullness of the Godhead within her.icon mary and jesus

In fact, the Church regards the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, as so important that it is a Holy Day of Obligation in most countries.   On this day, we are reminded of the role that the Blessed Virgin played in the plan of our salvation.   Christ’s Birth was made possible by Mary’s fiat:  “Be it done unto me according to Thy word.”

“Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time.   For the first time in the plan of salvation and because His Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where His Son and His Spirit could dwell among men.   In this sense the Church’s Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary.   Mary is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the “Seat of Wisdom.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church 721

As we begin another year, we draw inspiration from the selfless love of the Theotokos, who never hesitated to do the will of God.   And we trust in her prayers to God for us, that we might, as the years pass, become more like her.

Post on 1 January 2018: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/01/01/1-january-2018-the-solemnity-of-mary-the-mother-of-god/

O Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us!MARY MOTHER OF GOD PRAY FOR US - 1 jan 2019

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Thought for the Day – 23 December – Today’s Gospel: Luke 1:39-45

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Thought for the Day – 23 December – The Fourth Sunday of Advent – Today’s Gospel: Luke 1:39-45

In those days, Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
Luke 1:39-40

“When the Holy Spirit touches a heart, He puts to flight all tepidity.   He loves diligence and promptitude and is the enemy of procrastination and delays in the performance of the divine will… “Mary set out in haste”…

What graces and favours must have descended upon Zechariah’s house when the Virgin entered it?   If Abraham received so many graces for having given hospitality to three angels in his tent… what graces and how many heavenly blessings must have descended upon the house of Zechariah into which entered the Angel of the Great Counsel (Is 9:5, Septuagint), that true Jacob and Divine Prophet, the true Ark of the Covenant, Our Lord enclosed within the womb of Mary!   Indeed, the whole house was overcome with joy; the infant leapt with joy, the father recovered his speech, the mother was filled with the Holy Spirit and received the gift of prophecy, for on seeing this blessed Lady enter her house she exclaimed:  “Who am I that the Mother of my Lord should come to visit me?”… And Mary, hearing what her kinswoman, Elizabeth, said in her praise, humbled herself and referred all the glory to God.   Then declaring that all her happiness came from the fact that God had looked upon His servant in her lowliness, she intoned that beautiful and wonderful canticle, the Magnificat.

Oh, how overwhelmed with joy we should be when visited by this divine Saviour in the most Blessed Sacrament of the altar and by the interior graces we receive daily through the many inspirations and words He speaks to our hearts!”…St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church

Come, Lord Jesus Come!come-lord-jesus-come-23 DEC 2018 HOLY COMMUNION AND ADVENT

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us!holy mary mother of god pray for us sinners - 4 may 2018

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Today’s Gospel:  Luke 1:39-45

23 December

God’s love is demonstrated by the birth of Jesus

“Consider the love of God.   It was always present but did not always appear.    It was first promised in many prophecies and foreshadowed by many figures but, at the birth of our Redeemer, this divine love did indeed appear.   But despite the birth of Jesus, why is it that so many people have not known God’s love and so many people seem ignorant of His love? This is the reason – “The light of the world has come into the world and humanity loves darkness rather than the light.” They have not known Him and they do not know Him because they do not wish to know Him, loving rather the darkness of sin than the light of grace.   Let each one determine this day not to be numbered among those unhappy souls who prefer the darkness.

O my holy Infant, now I see You lying on the straw, poor, afflicted and forsaken.   I have been one of those ungrateful ones who do not know You.    Help me never to forget You again.”

Scripture

Restore us, O God;
let thy face shine, that we may be saved!

Psalm 80:3advent with st alphonsus psalm 80 3 restore us o lord -23dec2018

Prayer

O Emmanuel,
King and Lawgiver
Desire of the nations,
Saviour of all people,
Come and set us free,
Lord, our God!emmanuel-king-and-lawgiver-23-dec-2017

Advent Action
Carrying You in her womb, Your mother rushes to meet Elizabeth.   What an awesome moment that meeting turns out to be!   You are already on duty as our Redeemer, sanctifying John in his mother’s womb. In fact, the child in Elizabeth’s womb, responds to Your presence, as the mother, filled with the Holy Spirit, bears witness to it.
As these final days of this preparatory Season draw to a close, there is still time to allow body, mind and heart to be attuned to the transforming intervention of Jesus, God-in-the-flesh.   There is still time to permit body, mind and heart to see “the plan” already at work in life, especially in those dark and difficult moments of life.   There is still time for body, mind and heart to cry out to the Holy Spirit for a zealous and determined connection with the Person Jesus, who pours His abundant joy into every aspect of our lives.
Lord, grant me the grace, to bring Your joy to all I meet along the path of life.  May Your presence in my heart, as in Mary’s womb, bring salvation to all!
“Being awake for God and for other people – that is the kind of ‘waking’ that Advent has in mind, the wakefulness which discovers the light and brightens the world!” (Pope Benedict XVI – The Light of a new humanity p 19)

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Thought for the Day – 22 December – – Today’s Gospel Luke 1:46-56 – The Canticle of the Magnificat

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Thought for the Day – 22 December – – Today’s Gospel Luke 1:46-56 – The Canticle of the Magnificat

Pope Benedict XVI – Encyclical “Deus Caritas Est” 541

Mary’s Magnificat—a portrait, so to speak, of her soul—is entirely woven from threads of Holy Scripture, threads drawn from the Word of God.   Here we see, how completely at home Mary is, with the Word of God, with ease she moves in and out of it.   She speaks and thinks with the Word of God;  the Word of God becomes her word and her word issues from the Word of God.   Here we see how her thoughts are attuned to the thoughts of God, how her will is one with the will of God.   Since Mary is completely imbued with the Word of God, she is able to become the Mother of the Word Incarnate.since mary is completely imbued with the word - pope benedict the magnificat 22dec2018

Finally, Mary is a woman who loves.   How could it be otherwise?   As a believer who in faith thinks with God’s thoughts and wills with God’s will, she cannot fail to be a woman who loves.   We sense this in her quiet gestures, as recounted by the infancy narratives in the Gospel.   We see it in the delicacy with which she recognises the need of the spouses at Cana and makes it known to Jesus.   We see it in the humility with which she recedes into the background during Jesus’ public life, knowing that the Son must establish a new family and that the Mother’s hour will come only with the Cross…   At the hour of Pentecost, it will be the disciples who gather around her as they wait for the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14).

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us!holy mary mother of god - pray for us - 7 may 2018

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Quote of the Day – 22 December – Today’s Gospel Luke 1:46-56

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Quote of the Day – 22 December – Today’s Gospel Luke 1:46-56

“The exultation of the humble maiden of Galilee,
expressed in the Canticle of the Magnificat,
becomes the song of all humanity,
which sees with satisfaction,
the Lord stoop over all men and all women,
humble creatures and assume them with Him into heaven.”

Pope Francis – Angelus, 15 August 2016the exultation of the humble maiden of galilee -popefrancis - 22dec2018

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori – 22 December

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787))

22 December

The sorrow that the ingratitude of humankind has caused Jesus

“Consider that Saint Francis of Assisi, during the days of the holy Nativity, went about the highways and woods with sighs and tears and inconsolable lamentations.   When asked the reason, he responded, “Why should I not weep when I see that love is not loved! I see a God who became human for the love of humanity and humanity that is ungrateful to this God.” Now, if this ingratitude caused so much sorrow in the heart of St Francis, consider how much more it must have afflicted the heart of Jesus Christ.   The loving infant does not deserve this response.   He came from heaven to suffer and die for us, so that we might love Him.   How can we remain ungrateful?

O my Jesus, I love You and will always love You.   Inflame my heart every day with the memory of Your love for me.   Mary, my mother, help me to live a life grateful to God, who has loved me, even after I have so greatly offended Him.”

Scripture

“…For he who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.”…Luke 1:49

Prayer

O KING OF ALL NATIONS
and keystone of the Church
come and save man,
whom You formed from the dust!o-king-of-all-nations-22-dec-2017

Advent Action
“The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”   Mary looks back to the beginning of her song, where she said:  My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. Only that soul for whom the Lord in His love does great things can proclaim His greatness with fitting praise and encourage those who share her desire and purpose, saying – ‘join with me in proclaiming the greatness of the Lord, let us extol His name together.'”…St Bede the Venerable (673-735) – Father & Doctor

Have you ever been overcome by the goodness of God?   Today’s Scripture presents the images of Hannah and Mary, who are both overcome by God’s goodness.   Lord, today, I too want to join Your mother in her hymn of thanksgiving.   On the threshold of Christmas, this is the best prayer that we humans can raise to the Almighty God.   Let us make this song our own – our continual song of gratitude!   Together with Mary, let us rejoice for the fulfilment of the promise of which You, already in her womb, are the fruit and proof.   Lord, make us too partners in the revolution that You begin, with Your incarnation – the revolution that pulls down the mighty and exalts the poor and the powerless.advent with st alphonsus - luke 1 49 for he who is mighty 22 dec 2018

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Our Morning Offering – 22 December – The Magnificat, The Canticle of Mary

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Our Morning Offering – 22 December

The Magnificat
The Canticle of Mary
Luke 1:46-55

My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour
He looks on His servant in her lowliness
Henceforth all ages will call me blessed:
The Almighty works marvels for me,
holy is his Name!
His mercy is from age to age,
on those who fear Him.
He puts forth His arm in strength
and scatters the proud-hearted.
He casts the mighty from their thrones
and raises the lowly.
He fills the starving with good things,
sends the rich away empty.
He protects Israel, His servant,
remembering His mercy,
the mercy promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his sons forever.the-magnificat-luke-1-46-55-22dec2018 today's gospel

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Thought for the day – 21 December – St Peter Canisius and the Hail Mary

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Thought for the day – 21 December – The Memorial of St Peter Canisius S.J. (1521-1597) Doctor of the Church

St Peter Canisius and the Hail Mary
“Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death”

On today’s feast of St Peter Canisius S. J., Catholics may wish to thank this Doctor of the Church for giving us the second half of the Hail Mary prayer.

This 16th-century saint, known as the second Apostle of Germany, followed in the giant footsteps of St Boniface, who evangelised Germany a thousand years earlier.   He was also quite active at the Council of Trent and wrote much on the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The first half of the Hail Mary, of course, comes from Scripture.   What many Catholics don’t know is that the second half of this Catholic prayer is due to the intervention of St Peter Canisius at the Council of Trent.   St Peter began adding on to the scriptural part of the Hail Mary the second half of this familiar prayer, “Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death.”   It was Trent that officially accepted the prayer and included it in their famous Catechism of the Council of Trent in 1566.hail mary and ave maria -stpetr canisius holy mary - 21dec2018

This learned saint was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI in 1925.   He was a holy and learned Jesuit, who wrote catechisms based on Trent’s Roman Catechism, which he helped generate.   He also wrote a breviary and many works on Mary.

Saint Peter’s main mission was to counter the Protestant revolt in Germany.   He was providentially born just four years after Martin Luther penned his 95 theses.   To withstand the errors of the Protestant deformers, St Peter wrote his catechism in 1555, which was called a Summary of Christian Doctrine.   This catechism basically enshrined what came to be known as the Counter-Reformation.

St Peter Canisius, Pray for Us!canisius-pray-for-us-2016

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 December – The Memorial of St Peter Canisius (1521-1597) Doctor of the Church

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 December – The Memorial of St Peter Canisius (1521-1597) Doctor of the Church

“While remaining the Mother of our Judge,
Mary is a mother to us, full of mercy.
She constitutes our protection.
She keeps us close to Christ
and she faithfully takes
the matter of our salvation
into her charge.”while-remaining-the-mother-of-our-judge-st-peter-canisius-21 dec 2016-image

“Never was a whimpering bit of humanity
so powerful that,
while lying on His bed of straw,
He could command the very stars
to direct whom He wished to visit Him.
Never a child so wise or so rich as this little Infant
who was full of grace and incarnate truth.
Never anyone so marvellous as to be at once so small
and so great, true God and true Man,
the Uncreated Word and weak human flesh,
mighty King and a lowly slave.
Never had any child so emptied Himself of all that He really was,
in order to become a tiny, speechless, naked, unknown babe.”

St Peter Canisius (1521-1397) Doctor of the Church

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori – 21 December

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Advent and Christmas Wisdom with St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787))

21 December

Jesus is a prisoner in the womb of Mary

“Consider the painful life that Jesus Christ led in the womb of His mother and the long-confined and dark imprisonment that He suffered there for nine months.   He had His senses but He could not use them.   A tongue but He could not speak.   Eyes but he could not see.   Hands but He could not stretch them out.   Feet but He could not walk.   For nine months, He had to remain the womb of Mary, a voluntary prison but also a prison of love. He was innocent but He had offered Himself to make payment for our debts and our crimes.

What gratitude and love we should demonstrate for our Lord in return for the love and goodness that He has given us.   He has put Himself into chains, in order to deliver us from the chains of evil.

O my Jesus, You are the innocent one. I implore You to bind my poor soul to Your feet by Your holy love, so that it may never again be separated from You.”

Scripture

“Blessed are you among women
and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

Luke 1:42luke 1 42 blessed are you among woman - o raidant dawn 21dec2018

Prayer

O Radiant Dawn,
splendour of eternal light, sun of justice!
Come and shine on those
who dwell in darkness and in the
shadow of death.o-radiant-dawn-21-dec-2017

Advent Action
Dawn never happens quickly.   Long before dawn, while it is quite dark, the birds start their sounds of joy.   Slowly the night changes from dark, to charcoal, to haze, to light. Today’s Scripture presents to us the image of waiting.   In the Gospel, Mary and Elizabeth, wait and wonder together and the Lord waits, St John the Baptist waits.   Oftentimes, we are called to wait.   We must believe that in our waiting, the dawning also exists. We know that the Lord will always draw us from darkness into His cleansing light. Patience is a virture – displayed so wonderfully and painfully by the Lord.   How can we give into our impatience?   Rest in Me, remember me in the womb of My mother Mary and learn patience!

Posted in ADVENT, DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The INCARNATION

Thought for the Day – 20 December – St Bernard “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus.”

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Thought for the Day – 20 December – “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus.” – Today’s Gospel Luke 1:26-38

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Abbot and Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from Homily 4

” In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.   And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”   But she was greatly troubled at the saying and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.   And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.   And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”…Luke1:26-31

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

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

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

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

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

Behold the handmaid of the Lord, she says, be it done to me according to your word.luke 1 38 and mary said behold - the price of our salvation - st bernard 20dec2018

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us!Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us 20dec2018

Posted in ADVENT, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 18 December – The Memorial of Our Lady of Expectation

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Thought for the Day – 18 December – The Memorial of Our Lady of Expectation

The Gospel message on this feast relates the story of the Annunciation.   God asks a woman, His creature for a favour to be Mother of His Son and at the same time, He respects her freedom.   She is free to say “yes” or “no.”   There is a moment of waiting in heaven and on earth – God waits for her answer, the heavenly messenger waits for her answer, the first parents Adam and Eve wait for her answer, all confined in hell wait for her answer.   With grateful heart, we thank Mary, the Wise and Prudent Virgin, for saying “yes” to God on our behalf.   Her simple words: “Let what you have said be done to me” (Lk 1:38) brought down to us the Saviour and has changed the world forever  . She obeyed the Angel, not the Devil and thus she pleased God – “Blessed are you because of your belief that the promise made to you by the Lord would be fulfilled” (Lk 1:45).

At the offertory, the Church blesses “Our Lady of Expectation” with the Angel’s greeting “Rejoice, so highly favoured.   The Lord is with you” (Lk 1:29);  “Of all women you are the most blessed and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Lk 1:42).   Mary is doubly blessed – in her virginity and motherhood and thus stands as an ideal and inspiration for every woman single or married.   Her virginal womb is blessed with the Divine Life.   She is the Mother of every child ever conceived under the mother’s heart.   What an example she offers to all expectant mothers to welcome, to nurture life and to bring it to the full maturity of Christ’s humanity.   At the same time, we must pray for the end of abortion, the greatest evil in our days and to promote the civilisation of love and family life.

The Holy Virgin Mary, “Our Lady of Expectation”, is a great educator of the Christian family.   Christmas is a family celebration.   We all want to be home for Christmas.   She teaches us how to love and enjoy our own humanity and the humanity of her Son, we celebrate on Christmas Day.

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!maranatha - come lord jesus - 18 dec 2018 ourladyofexpectation

Posted in ADVENT, DOGMA, MARIAN QUOTES, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The INCARNATION, The WORD

Quote of the Day – 18 December – Mary’s Fiat

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Quote of the Day – 18 December – The Memorial of Our Lady of Expectation

“Mary said, Behold I am the handmaid

of the Lord”

luke 1 38 - mary said, behold i am the heandmaid of the lord - 4 may 2018

Let what you have said be done to me

Luke 1:38luke 1 38 - let what you have said be done to me - 18dec2018 ourladyofexpectation

Posted in ADVENT, DANTE ALIGHIERI!, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, Our MORNING Offering, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 18 December – Maiden yet a Mother by Dante Alighieri

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Our Morning Offering – 18 December – The Feast of Our Lady of Expectation

Maiden yet a Mother
By Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)
Tr Msgr Ronald A Knox (1888-1957)

Maiden yet a mother,
daughter of thy Son,
high beyond all other,
lowlier is none;
thou the consummation
planned by God’s decree,
when our lost creation
nobler rose in thee!

Thus His place prepared,
he who all things made
‘mid his creatures tarried,
in thy bosom laid;
there His love He nourished,
warmth that gave increase
to the root whence flourished
our eternal peace.

Nor alone thou hearest
When thy name we hail;
Often thou art nearest
When our voices fail;
Mirrored in thy fashion
All creation’s gird,
Mercy, might compassion
Grace thy womanhood.

Lady, let our vision
Striving heavenward, fail,
Still let thy petition
With thy Son prevail,
Unto whom all merit,
prayer and majesty,
With the Holy Spirit
And the Father be.

Maiden Yet A Mother is a translation of a poem by Durante (Dante) degli Alighieri (c 1265–1321).   It is based upon the opening verses of Canto 33 of the Paradiso from his Divine Comedy in which St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153) praises and prays to the Virgin Mother on behalf of Dante.   It was translated from the original Italian into English by the Catholic convert, Monsignior Ronald A Knox (1888-1957).maiden-yet-a-mother-dante-10-dec-2017

Posted in ADVENT, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

The Feast of Our Lady of Expectation – 18 December

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The Feast of Our Lady of Expectation – 18 December

Like a secret told by angels,
getting known upon the earth,
is the Mother’s expectation
of Messiah’s speedy birth.

Fr F W Faber (1814-1863) “Our Lady’s Expectations”like a secret told by angels - fr faber - ourlady'sexpectation 18dec2018

One of the most inspiring days preceding Christmas is the feast of “Our Lady of Expectation,” unknown to many today but still kept alive in many countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy and Poland as well as in a few religious orders.   In older editions of missals, this feast is still listed as a votive Mass.   The feast is celebrated on the 18 December, a week before Christmas Day.Sarinyena,_Verge_de_l'Esperança_amb_àngels_músics,_Ca_1610.jpg

Our Blessed Lady, well advanced in pregnancy, is portrayed in the highest dignity of her Divine Motherhood.   Dressed in royal apparel as daughter of David the King, she awaits with joy the arrival of her divine Son, the Prince of Peace.   Her whole posture suggests how she remains wholly consumed in contemplation of her Son under her heart. Her immaculate womb has become a living portable sanctuary of divinity.   There are special prayers and novenas to “Our Lady of Expectation” available for women who cannot conceive or bear a child.

We can try to imagine what those nine months were like for The Blessed Virgin, knowing that the Lord grew within her, was one with her.   We can only begin to understand the patience she had to possess, looking forward to both the glory and joy of the divine birth. We experience these same feelings—albeit to a lesser extent, no doubt—during this Advent season of preparation.   We examine our lives and look forward to the saving grace of our Lord, as mediated by Our Blessed Mother.   While the Lord’s plan was first enacted at the moment Mary was conceived without sin and made manifest to the Blessed Virgin at the Annunciation, it was made evident to the world at the moment of the Nativity.   Prior to that, Mary had seen and heard what others had not and she had only one more week to anticipate the arrival of her son, Our Lord, the Redeemer of the World!

Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Magnificat_(Le_magnificat)_-_James_Tissot_-_overall_
James Tissot – The Magnificat

Our Blessed Mother was the original tabernacle, in which the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.   Saint Augustine wrote that Mary conceived the Word in her heart before she conceived the Word in her flesh—that as she anticipated the birth of Jesus, her faith grew simultaneously.   The second Vatican Council declared that during the time of her pregnancy, the heart of the Incarnate Word beat gently below her immaculate heart – two immaculate hearts, beating silently and prayerfully as one.our lady of the-expectation

We can imagine Mary’s nine-month journey as one of wonder and anticipation but given the circumstances she found herself in, we also know of her difficult journey, the doubts of Saint Joseph, the anxiety that she must have experienced during that time.   But Our Blessed Mother demonstrated not only patience but also forbearance and deep trust in the Lord.   She knew the road would not be easy—in fact, that her joy would almost certainly be linked to suffering throughout her life—but in hope and confidence placed her life in the Lord’s hands.   As she prepared for the birth of Jesus, Mary emptied herself, allowing her body and soul to be filled with the grace and spirit of the Lord. During Advent, we pray for a similar experience, that we might approach the birth of Our Saviour with hope and confidence.our-lady-of-expectation-1

The votive Mass of “Our Lady of Expectation” is theologically enlightening and spiritually enriching for the time of Advent and Christmas.   With the entrance antiphon, the Church prays with the prophet for the coming of the Just One from heaven that the earth may be ready to welcome the Saviour: “Send victory like a dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the just.   Let the earth open for salvation to spring up” (Is 45:8).

In the opening prayer, the Church offers the prayer to God through Mary’s intercession: “O God who wished that your Word would take the flesh from the womb of the Virgin as announced by the Angel and whom we confess to be the true Mother of God, may we be helped by her intercession.”our lady of expectation

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Quote of the Day – – 17 December

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Quote of the Day – 17 December – The Memorial of St John of Matha O.SS.T (1160-1213) – Founder of the Trinitarians and the Devotion to Our Lady of Good Remedy

From the Apostolic Letter “Sacred Vessel of the Holy Trinity” by St Pope John XXIII
(AAS LIII, 1961, 602-604)

The Trinitarian religious whose primary duties are to worship the Triune God with a special devotion, to promote this devotion and to aid the needy and those who suffer by performing works of mercy, have honoured the Virgin Mary – Sacred Vessel of the Holy Trinity – under the title of “Mother of Good Remedy” from the very beginnings of their Order.

Indeed, St John de Matha, their founder and lawgiver, had a great love for the Virgin Mother of God.   He founded and spread this holy Order under her protection and bequeathed to his sons and daughters the heritage of a strong Marian devotion.   A singular love, for the Mother of God, has flourished among these religious throughout the ages, for she continually healed the sufferings of her suppliants;  indeed, it still flourishes among them up to the present day.

The General Chapter of 1959, aware that such traditional devotion had become even stronger in the Order, decided to express the desire of all religious of the Order and to petition the Apostolic See that the glorious Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Good Remedy, should be declared the principal, heavenly patroness of the Trinitarian Order.

We have willingly decided to grant this request, hoping that the friars of the Order will be inflamed to honour the Virgin Mary under this title with an even more ardent love. We also trust that they, moved by her example, will more intensely commit themselves to bring relief and remedy to the less fortunate.   Therefore, after consulting with the Sacred Congregation of Titles, with full knowledge and mature deliberation and with the fullness of our apostolic authority, by virtue of this document, we designate and declare the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Good Remedy, to be forever the heavenly, principal patroness of the whole Order of the Most Holy Trinity, along with St Agnes, virgin and martyr.   The celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Good Remedy is to be given all the liturgical honours and privileges which are fittingly accorded to the patrons of religious Orders and Congregations;  moreover, we grant the added faculty of celebrating her feast each year on 8 October.

Most powerful Virgin,
we come to you in dangers and adversities.
You are our protection,
you are our refuge,
you are our Mother of Remedy.most powerful virgin - our lady of good rememdy stjohn of matha 17dec2018

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, HYMNS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 17 December – Prayer/Hymn to Our Lady of Good Remedy

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Our Morning Offering – 17 December – The Memorial of St John of Matha O.SS.T (1160-1213) – Founder of the Trinitarians and the Devotion to Our Lady of Good Remedy

Prayer/Hymn to Our Lady of Good Remedy

O Mary, you accept our prayers
and lovingly grant remedy,
we ask you with humility,
remain with us continually.

Be with us if we fall in sin
and feel its cruel captivity,
break all the bonds which hold us chained,
and cleanse our hearts’ iniquity.

Help us when love is growing cold
and worldly lures lead us astray,
let heaven shine within our hearts
lest we forget salvation’s way.

Assist us in our sufferings,
when body soul or spirit fail.
Bring peace and calm into our lives
until the light of heaven prevail.

Be with your children at death’s hour,
protect them in your great pity,
that with your aid, they may enjoy
rewards throughout eternity.

With grateful hearts we sing your praise
with hymns unto the Trinity,
for giving us in all our needs
the Virgin as a remedy.
Amen.Breviary prayer hymn to our lady of good remedy - 17dec2018 stjohn of matha

From the Breviary Office of Readings for the Feast of Our Lady of Good Remedy

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

Our Morning Offering – 15 December “Saturdays with Mary”

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Our Morning Offering – 15 December – Saturday of the Second week of Advent

O Most Blessed and Sweet Virgin Mary
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church

0 most blessed and sweet Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, filled with all tenderness,
Daughter of the most high King,
Lady of the Angels,
Mother of all the faithful,
On this day and all the days of my life,
I entrust to your merciful heart,
my body and my soul,
all my acts, thoughts, choices,
desires, words, deeds,
my entire life and death,
So that, with your assistance,
all may be ordered to the good
according to the will of your beloved Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ameno most blessed and sweet virgin mary - st thomas aquinas - 27 april 2018

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

Our Morning Offering – 13 December – Prayer of St Philip Neri

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Our Morning Offering – 13 December – The Memorial of Blessed Antonio Grassi Cong. Orat. (1592 – 1671)

Mary, I Love You
By St Philip Neri (1515-1595)
Founder of the Oratorians

Mary, I love you.
Mary, make me live in God,
with God and for God.
Draw me after you, holy mother.
O Mary, may your children persevere in loving you.
Mary, Mother of God and mother of mercy,
pray for me and for the departed.
Mary, holy Mother of God, be our helper.
In every difficulty and distress,
come to our aid, O Mary.
O Queen of Heaven,
lead us to eternal life with God.
Mother of God, remember me,
and help me always to remember you.
O Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to you.
Pray for us,
O holy Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray to Jesus for me.
Amenmary I love you by st philip neri - 26 may 2918

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Thought for the Day – 12 December – Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

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Thought for the Day – 12 December – Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Mary’s appearance to St Juan Diego as one of his people is a powerful reminder that Mary—and the God who sent her—accept all peoples.   In the context of the sometimes rude and cruel treatment of the Indians by the Spaniards, the apparition was a rebuke to the Spaniards and an event of vast significance for the indigenous population.   While a number of them had converted before this incident, they now came in droves.  According to a contemporary chronicler, nine million Indians became Catholic in a very short time.

In these days when we hear so much about God’s preferential option for the poor, Our Lady of Guadalupe cries out to us that God’s love for and identification with the poor is an age-old truth that stems from the Gospel itself.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for Us!Our lady of guadalupe pray for us 12 dec 2018 no 3

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 12 December – Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

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Our Morning Offering – 12 December – Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

St Pope Pius X’s Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Mystical Rose,
make intercession for the holy Church,
protect the Sovereign Pontiff,
help all those who invoke thee in their necessities,
and since thou art the ever Virgin Mary
and Mother of the true God,
obtain for us from thy most holy Son
the grace of keeping our faith,
sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life,
burning charity
and the precious gift of final perseverance.
Amen

This prayer was approved and enriched with an indulgence of five hundred days by St Pope Pius X at all audience held on August, 1908 and was included in the official edition of approved indulgenced prayers (1950).
Raccolta number 389, 500 days Indulgence, St Pope Pius X audience, 15 August 1908.Prayer to our lady of guadalupe - by st pope pius X 12 dec 2018

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe – 12 December

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Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe – 12 December

On 9 December 1531, a 57-year-old Aztec, Juan Diego, saw the Blessed Mother on a hill in Mexico City.   She told Juan to have a church built in her honour.   When Juan went to ask Bishop Zumarraga about this, the bishop did not understand the Indian dialect—and he did not believe in the vision Juan described.

our lady of guadalupe lg

Three days later, on 12 December Mary appeared again to Juan Dieg, and this time she gave him a sign for the bishop.   “Take these roses to the bishop,” she said, as she arranged in his cloak beautiful roses she had Juan Diego pick from the hillside although it was winter.   When he was admitted into the bishop’s room, Juan Diego opened his cloak and out dropped the roses.   On the cloak there remained an image of Mary as she had appeared to Juan Diego.

The image of Mary on the cloak is known as Our Lady of Guadalupe for an interesting reason.   On that same day, Mary appeared to Juan’s uncle and cured him, giving him a message for the bishop, saying that she would “crush the serpent’s head.”   The bishop did not understand the Indians’ language.   The Indian word for “crush the serpent” sounded to him like “Guadalupe,” the name of Mary’s shrine in Spain.   Thinking that the Virgin wanted the new shrine to have the same name, the bishop called her Our Lady of Guadalupe.
our lady of guadalupe with st juan diego

Mary appeared to Juan Diego dressed as an Aztec woman to show her love and compassion to an oppressed group of people.   Mary had heard the prayers and pain of these people and she came to give them hope.

our lady of guadalupe artwork

Mary’s visit to Guadalupe is a reminder that God will remember Hs mercy for all people. In Mary’s song of joy, the Magnificat, she praised God because he has put down the mighty, exalted the lowly, filled the hungry, and sent the rich away empty.

The clergy, secular and regular, has been remarkably faithful to the devotion towards Our Lady of Guadalupe, the bishops especially fostering it, even to the extent of making a protestation of faith in the miracle a matter of occasional obligation.   Pope Benedict XIV decreed that Our Lady of Guadalupe should be the national patron of Mexico and made 12 December a holiday of obligation with an octave and ordered a special Mass and Office.   Pope Leo XIII approved a complete historical second Nocturne, ordered the picture to be crowned in his name and composed a poetical inscription for it.   Pope Pius X permitted Mexican priests to say the Mass of Holy Mary of Guadalupe on the twelfth day of every month and granted indulgences which may be gained in any part of the world for prayer before a copy of the picture.our lady of guadalupe glass detail

The place, called Guadalupe Hidalgo since 1822, is three miles northeast of Mexico City. Pilgrimages have been made to this shrine almost without interruption since 1531-1532. A shrine at the foot of Tepeyac Hill served for ninety years and still forms part of the parochial sacristy.   In 1622 a rich shrine was erected and in 1709 a newer, even richer one.   There are also a parish church, a convent and church for Capuchin nuns, a well chapel and a hill chapel all constructed in the 18th century.   About 1750 the shrine got the title of collegiate, a canonry and choir service being established.   It was aggregated to Saint John Lateran in 1754.   In 1904 it was created a basilica, with the presiding ecclesiastic being called abbot.   The shrine has been renovated in Byzantine style which presents an illustration of Guadalupan history.

Holy Mother of Guadalupe, Pray for Us!our lady of guadalupe statue

More here:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/saint-of-the-day-the-feast-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe-12-december/

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Memorials of the Saints – 12 December

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Our Lady of Guadalupe (Feast) The First Apparition was on 12 December 1531.
All about Our Lady of Guadalupe: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/saint-of-the-day-the-feast-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe-12-december/

St Abra
St Agatha of Wimborne
Bl Bartholomew Buonpedoni
St Pope Callistus II
St Colman of Clonard
St Columba of Terryglass
St Conrad of Offida
St Corentius of Quimper
St Cormac
St Cury
St Donatus the Martyr
St Edburga of Thanet
St Finnian of Clonard
St Gregory of Terracina
St Hermogenes
Bl Ida of Nivelles
Bl James of Viterbo
Bl Ludwik Bartosik
Bl Martin Sanz
St Simon Phan Ðac Hòa
St Spyridon of Cyprus
St Synesius
St Vicelin of Oldenburg

Martyrs of Alexandria – (6 saints): A group of six Christians martyred for their faith during the persecutions of Decius. We know little more than five of their names – Alexander, Ammonaria, Dionysia, Epimachus and Mercuria. They were burned to death c 250 in Alexandria, Egypt.

Martyrs of Trier – (4 saints): A group of six Christians martyred for their faith during the persecutions of Decius. We know little more than five of their names – Alexander, Ammonaria, Dionysia, Epimachus and Mercuria. They were burned to death c 250 in Alexandria, Egypt.

Posted in MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life

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Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas, Patroness of the Unborn – Day Nine – 11 December

Ninth Day

O God, You have been pleased
to bestow upon us
unceasing favours by having placed us
under the special protection
of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary,
who has constantly come
to assist us throughout history
and throughout the world.
We now pray to her,
Our Lady of Guadalupe
for the protection of the unborn
and all human life.
Grant us, Your humble servants,
who rejoice in honouring our Mother,
Holy Mary, today upon the earth,
the happiness of seeing her,
face-to-face in heaven.
Amen

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be

and the Prayer for the Protection of all Human Life

Prayer for the Unborn and the Protection of all Human Life

Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you,
who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve to join you
in protecting all human life.
Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.
May our prayers
also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness
and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose may give courage
to those who are fearful and bring light
to those who are blinded by sin.
O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.
Amenday nine - novena our lady of guadalupe 11 dec 2018

Posted in MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Protection of the Unborn and all Human Life, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Madonna of the Americas, Patroness of the Unborn – Day Eight – 10 December

Eighth Day

With my heart,
full of the most sincere veneration,
I prostrate myself
before you, O Mother,
to ask you to obtain for me
the grace to fulfil the duties of my state in life
with faithfulness and constancy.
I pray especially today
for all the mothers
and the mothers-to-be
of the world.
Amen

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be and the Prayer for the Protection of all Human Life

Prayer for the Unborn and the Protection of all Human Life

Our Lady of Guadalupe,
we turn to you,
who are the protectress of unborn children
and ask that you intercede for us,
so that we may more firmly resolve to join you
in protecting all human life.
Let our prayers be united
to your perpetual motherly intercession
on behalf of those whose lives are threatened,
be they in the womb of their mother,
on the bed of infirmity,
or in the latter years of their life.
May our prayers
also be coupled with peaceful action
which witnesses to the goodness
and dignity of all human life,
so that our firmness of purpose may give courage
to those who are fearful and bring light
to those who are blinded by sin.
O Virgin Mother of God,
present our petitions to your Son
and ask Him to bless us with abundant life.
AmenDAY EIGHT NOVENA OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE 10DEC2018.jpg