Category: The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Posted in MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MOTHER of GOD, The IMITATION of MARY, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – 20 May – The Grandeurs and Tenderness of Mary

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Thought for the Day – 20 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947

SERMON (VII)
The Eminent Dignity of the Mother Of God

I. In the suggestive language of poetry, when we compare God to the sun, we liken Mary to the moon, as the planet which comes immediately after the greatest.
Thus it is in reality – Mary is, after God, the most beautiful and the greatest marvel of the universe.
The dignity and the grandeur of a being is due to its functions.
What grandeur more sublime, what dignity more striking
than those of “Mother of God?”
The Greeks had created purposefully, in order to designate it, a word which applies only to Mary –Theotokos, “she who has brought forth God.”

II. In the enumeration of the privileges of Mary, the beauty, the sweetness, the power, the force and the majesty, nothing equal is found here on earth.
Just as the Temple of Solomon was unique in the world, thus Mary, is unique in the order of creation.
But, if grandeur frightens ordinarily, here it attracts, for to the grandeur, is attached too, tenderness – the tenderness of a Mother!

III. Hence, the Author asks Mary, in the final prayer, for the assistance of her power and the protection of her love – “Tutamen et solomen.”

MEDITATION
The Grandeurs and Tenderness of Mary

The enumeration of the privileges of Mary is her most beautiful eulogy, says St Germain.
Thou art, O my Mother, the panegyric of all the ages and of all spheres.
Thou ary great and thou art powerful, yjou art sovereign and thou art mistress, thou art Queen and thou art woman, thou art she, who is always named and thou
art she, who cannot be named at her worth.
Thou art the Mother and thou art the ineffable.
Thy tenderness is that of a virginal heart, inserted into the flesh of a Mother.
Just as the mother gives us both of her soul and of her body in forming us within her womb, thus thou gives us of thy heart and of thy substance when we receive Jesus, thy Son, in the Eucharist.
O inaccessible grandeur, O ineffable tenderness!

Practice:
Often recite the Litanies of the Holy Virgin which are
a summary of her privileges.

Thought:
O Mary, thou surpassest in greatness and sweetness, all
creatures – “Tn snpergressa es universas, O Maria! Thy sweetness extends throughout the universe, o Mary!

Fr & Dr Célestin Albin de Cigala (1865-1928)
Faculty of Paris (1947)
Doctor of Theology and Philosophy

Posted in MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, QUEENSHIP of MARY, The IMITATION of MARY, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – 19 May – The GREATNESS and PRIVILEGES of MARY

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Thought for the Day – 19 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947

Chapter VII
The GREATNESS and PRIVILEGES of MARY

i. In order to succeed in knowing, at least in part, the greatness and dignity of the Virgin Mary, briefly note, the eminent graces with which God has clothed her, while exalting her above Angels and Saints in Heaven and, above all men on earth.
She is the holy virgin, she is the beloved Mother, of whom is said in the Church and throughout the universe, “Thou art raised, Holy Mother of God, higher than the angels, raised to the throne of Heaven.“
Review with care the deeds and acts of the ancient Patriarchs.
It is from their root that Mary was born, Virgin and Mother equally, a rose without thorns amid the thickets.
Just as formerly Christ was prefigured in His Birth, in His
Death and in His Life, by Patriarchs, Prophets, and Kings, by Judges, Priests and Levites, by Doctors and finally by Scribes, in words, in symbols and in signs –
likewise, as by a Divine Ordination, the Blessed Virgin Mary was equally announced, by celebrated virgins of past epochs, by illustrious mothers, by exemplary widows,
by all women living in sanctity.

ii. By testimony of the Holy Scripture, Mary was, from all time and will be always, the holiest Virgin among all virgins, the most beautiful woman among all women, the sweetest Mother among all mothers, the purest daughter among all daughters, the gentlest mistress among all mistresses, the most illustrious Queen among all queens.
In her are found again assembled, dwelling and shining with an unequalled brilliance, all virginal beauty and all virtuous charm, all divine thought and all the love of the heart, every virtuous work and every fruit of sanctity.
Mary never had a predecessor, she has not today an equal, she will never henceforth, have a peer.
Just as formerly among the holy temples Solomon’s was the most adorned, the richest, the most renowned, the most unique – so, the symbolic temple of Mary surpasses, in excellence, the temples of the Saints.
It alone merits more of love and glory.

iii. Prayer:
O Mary, Star which Shines in the Sky,
Virgin, Queen of Heaven

O Mary, Star which shines in the sky,
Virgin, Queen of Heaven,
Sovereign ol the World,
no woman can be compared to thee,
no matter with whatever virtues
Heaven may have adorned her
because thou art unique
in the midst of the elect.
God the Father, secs thee
as thou were before all ages
and created thee upon earth,
at the selected time,
in order to make of thee the Mother of His Son.
O Miracle ineffable, O joy unhoped for!
This Son of the Living God to save the universe
becomes thy Son and thou art His mother!
Thus thou became our mediatrix,
and the mediatrix of the entire world.
O Mary, the most beautiful of all women,
let the whole world glorify thee,
honour thee, sing to thee and love thee!
May every creature repeat thy praises
in Heaven and on earth,
now and forever.

( By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
Sermons to the Novices, XXV)

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN Antiphons, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 19 May – Tota Pulchra Es, Maria

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Our Morning Offering – 19 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Tota Pulchra Es, Maria
You Are All Beautiful, Mary
Unknown Author – 4th Century

You are all beautiful, Mary,
and the original stain is not in you.
You are the glory of Jerusalem,
you are the joy of Israel,
you give honour to our people.
You are an advocate of sinners.
O Mary, O Mary,
Virgin most intelligent,
Mother most merciful.
Pray for us,
Plead for us,
To the Lord Jesus Christ.

Tota pulchra es, Maria.
Et macula originalis non est in Te.
Tu gloria Ierusalem.
Tu laetitia Israel.
Tu honorificentia populi nostri.
Tu advocata peccatorum.
O Maria, O Maria,
Virgo prudentissima.
Mater clementissima.
Ora pro nobis.
Intercede pro nobis.
Ad Dominum Iesum Christum.

This prayer used by the Church since the 4th Century for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the Purity of the Blessed Virgin. It takes some text from the book of Judith and other text from Song of Songs, specifically 4:7. Many composers have set this prayer to music over the centuries.

Posted in IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The LITTLE OFFICE of MARY

Our Morning Offering – 18 May – INVIOLATA! INVIOLATE!

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Our Morning Offering – 18 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – Easter IV

INVIOLATA!
INVIOLATE!
Unknown Author
(11th Century)

Thou art inviolate, undefiled
and chaste, O Mary.
Thou has become the resplendent
Gate of Heaven,
O loving and dearest Mother of Christ,
Accept our devout acclamations
in praise of thee.
That our minds and bodies
may be pure,
Devoted hearts and lips
now implore thee.
Through thy sweet sounding prayers,
Gain us pardon forever.
O kind one, who alone
didst remain inviolate.
Amen

The Hymn Inviolata has been claimed by the Carmelite Order, as a Traditional Hymn originating within their ranks. The Hymn is also used by Dominican Friars in the chanting of Compline. Its origins trace to the 11th Century. It appears in Hymnals from 1860 to 1920.

Posted in MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, The HOLY NAME of MARY, The IMITATION of MARY, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – 17 May – Of the POWER and ABILITIES of MARY

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Thought for the Day – 17 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947

Chapter VI
OF THE POWER AND ABILITIES OF MARY

i. Mary is faithful in her promises and generous in her gifts to her pious servants.
She enjoys the veneration of Angels but yet, she accepts the attentions of men.
She tenderly sheds tears with the unhappy; she is compassionate with the sorrows of those who suffer;
she comes to give assistance in the struggles of those who are tempted; she turns herself ever, to those who pray to her.
All those who go with confidence and devotion to seek refuge with her and call upon her name, find in her abundance and consolation.
A Queen, she commands the Angels in Heaven and can send them to succour the needy.
In the same way, she has empire everywhere over the demons and can prevent them from harming her servants.
The demons dread the Queen of Heaven and her name alone suffices to disperse them.
They tremble before the awesome and holy name of Mary,
before the name which causes joy to Christians, they no
longer dare to show themselves before us or to again try their insidious assaults.
As soon as they hear this holy name resound, they tremble, they prostrate, they flee as before a burst of thunder from the sky.
And the more often this name is pronounced by us, the more it is invoked devotedly and piously, the more quickly the demons fly from us.

ii. It is for us a duty, sacred above all, at every moment, that of loving the holy name of Mary.
It ought to be, a cult, for all the faithful; for Religious, a meditation; for people in the world, a devotion; for preachers, a veneration; for those who suffer, a consolation; in all dangers, a protection.
Mary is truly, very near to God; very dear to His Beloved Son, Jesus.
All powerful in her intercession, in obtaining pardon and succour for the unfortunate sons of Adam.
In all the circumstances of life, she intervenes with her Son to obtain mercy for the culpable.
She, too, like Jesus Himself, is always heard, because of the honour which is due to her.
Thus, therefore, let every pious Christian hurry to seek refuge near Mary, if he wishes to escape from the shipwrecks of the world and to arrive at the port of eternal salvation.
We may indeed expect much from her because, although placed above us all, she loves to come to the least of us, happy to be called Advocate of the unfortunate and more happy still, mother of orphans.

iii. Prayer: O Mary, Gentle Mother, My Cherished Queen

O Mary, gentle Mother,
beloved Mother above all,
thou art the star on the horizon of the sea,
the star which smiles on the lost mariner,
the star which leads to the haven of peace.
Let it rise to thee, O Mary,
my simple prayer.
May the flame of my desire
arise toward thee, my cherished Queen.
Defend my cause at the tribunal of thy Son,
for no-one is found innocent before Him.

(By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
Sermon to the Novices, Chapter XXIII)

Translated By:
Fr & Dr Célestin Albin de Cigala (1865-1928)
Faculty of Paris (1947)
Doctor of Theology and Philosophy

Posted in IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 17 May – I’ll Sing a Hymn to Mary By Father John Wyse

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Our Morning Offering – 17 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

I’ll Sing a Hymn to Mary
By Father John Wyse (1825-1898)
Irish Priest and Hymn writer

I’ll sing a hymn to Mary,
The Mother of my God,
The Virgin of all virgins,
Of David’s royal blood.
O teach me, Holy Mary,
A loving song to frame,
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
To love and bless thy name.

O Lily of the Valley,
O Mystic Rose, what tree,
Or flower, e’en the fairest,
Is half so fair as thee?
O let me, tho’ so lowly
Recite my Mother’s fame.
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

O noble Tower of David,
Of gold and ivory.
The ark of God’s own promise,
The gate of Heav’n to me.
To live and not to love thee
Would fill my soul with shame.
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

When troubles dark afflict me
In sorrow and in care,
Thy light doth ever guide me
O beauteous Morning Star.
Lo, I’ll be ever ready
Thy goodly help to claim,
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
To love and bless thy name.

The Saints are high in glory,
With golden crowns so bright;
But brighter far is Mary,
Upon her throne of light.
Oh that which God did give thee,
Let mortal ne’er disclaim;
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

But in the crown of Mary,
There lies a wonderous gem,
As Queen of all the Angels,
Which Mary shares with them;
No sin hath e’er defiled thee,
So doth our faith proclaim;
When wicked men blaspheme thee,
I’ll love and bless thy name.

And now O Virgin Mary
My mother and my Queen,
I’ve sung thy praise so bless me,
And keep my heart from sin.
When others jeer and mock thee,
I’ll often think how I
To shield my Mother, Mary,
Would lay me down and die.

Verses 4, 5 and 6 omitted on image.

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES on PURITY of INTENTION

Our Morning Offering – 16 May – O Purest of Creatures by Fr Faber

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Our Morning Offering – 16 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

O Purest of Creatures,
Sweet Mother, Sweet Maid
By Fr Frederick W Faber C.Orat. (1814-1863)

O Purest of creatures, sweet Mother, sweet maid,
The one spotless womb wherein Jesus was laid!
Dark night hath come down on us, Mother! and we
Look out for thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Deep night hath come down on this rough-spoken world,
And the banners of darkness are boldly unfurled;
And the tempest-tossed Church,—
all her eyes are on thee;
They look to thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

He gazed on thy soul, it was spotless and fair,
For the empire of sin—it had never been there;
None ever had owned thee, dear Mother but He.
And He blest thy clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Earth gave Him one lodging; t’was deep in thy breast,
And God found a home where the sinner finds rest;
His home and His hiding-place, both were in thee,
He was won by thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea!

Posted in MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MOTHER of GOD, QUOTES on TIME, St Francis de Sales, The IMITATION of MARY, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – 14 May – The Eminent Dignity of the Mother of God

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Thought for the Day – 14 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947

SERMON
The Eminent Dignity of the Mother of God

I. The dignity of a person or of a being, is measured by its
function.
There is not on earth, nor even in Heaven, a function equal to that of the Divine Maternity of Mary.
Mary is truly Theotokos, Mother of God and, at the same time, Mother of the Saviour because, in Jesus, the Divinity and the Humanity are substantially united.
There is, therefore, no dignity superior to the dignity of Mary.

II. This eminent maternal dignity confers, on Mary, divine
prerogatives, at the same time, it infuses into her, human
tenderness superior to the most exquisite tenderness of mothers on earth.
Even from the viewpoint of the physical function, of the beauty of the woman and of the mother, Mary is, above all those who have been outstanding in the world by their charms and attractions.
St Dennis, the Areopagite, a refined Athenian and disciple of St Paul, having gone to Jerusalem and having seen Mary, found her so beautiful, he wished to prostrate himself before her, as before a goddess.
Thus should we do in spirit!

III. It is what the disciple promises enthusiastically in the prayer addressed to Mary.

MEDITATION
The Use of Time

Between the past which escapes us and the future which does not belong to us, there is the present which alone we possess.
This is the time of action and of duty.
To employ the present well, is to enrich your life; to waste it, is to die with it.
The first rule to use time well, is to use it and not to lose it!
Next, to use it in time and not to act at random.
Finally, to use it profitably and not without goal and rule; put off nothing, delay nothing until later!
This is the secret, par excellence, of success.
Mary, here again, can serve us as model.
She was undoubtedly, the valiant and diligent woman of whom the Gospel speaks.
She fulfilled, with perfection, the motto of the noble Romans.
Mary, indeed, was at once Israelite by birth and Roman by adoption.
She is the perfect type of woman in the double sense of: fernina et mulier.
Let us reproduce this model and this type.

Practice:
St Francis de Sales purchased by an alms, each hour
which he thought to have lost or misused – imitate
him!

Thought:
The thought of Mary is a consolation and a protection: “Solamen et dictarnen – Comfort and diration.”

Fr & Dr Célestin Albin de Cigala (1865-1928)
Faculty of Paris (1947)
Doctor of Theology and Philosophy

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, MOTHER of GOD, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 14 May – Alma Redemptoris Mater, Loving Mother of the Redeemer

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Our Morning Offering – 14 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Alma Redemptoris Mater
Loving Mother of the Redeemer
By Blessed Herman Contractus
of Reichenau OSB (1013–1054)

Loving Mother of the Redeemer!
Hear thou thy people’s cry,
Star of the deep
and portal of the sky!
Mother of Him
Who thee from nothing made,
Sinking we strive
and call to thee for aid;
Oh, by that joy
which Gabriel brought to thee,
Thou Virgin first and last,
let we thy mercy see.

Alma Redemptóris Mater,
quæ pérvia cæli
Porta manes, et stella maris,
succúrre cadénti,
Súrgere qui curat pópulo:
tu quæ genuísti,
Natúra miránte,
tuum sanctum Genitórem
Virgo prius ac postérius, Gabriélis ab ore
Sumens illud Ave,
peccatórum miserére.

Marian Antiphon Traditionally said from Advent to the Purification of the Blessed Virgin.
Blessed Herman is the Author of the Salve Regina, the Veni Sancte Spiritus and the Alma Redemptoris Mater amongst others.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GUARDIAN ANGELS - Prayers etc, HYMNS, JESUIT SJ, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, MARIAN QUOTES, PRAYERS of PETITION, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FREEDOM, QUOTES on HERESY, QUOTES on LOVE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on TRUTH, SACRED and IMMACULATE HEARTS, SACRED HEART QUOTES, The HOLY NAME of MARY

Quote/s of the Day – 13 May – St Robert Bellarmine

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Quote/s of the Day – 13 May – St Robert Bellarmine SJ (1542-1621) Bishop, Confessor, Doctor of the Church

“It is granted to few,
to recognise the true Church,
amidst the darkness,
of so many schisms and heresies
and, to fewer still,
so to love the Truth
which they have seen,
as to fly to it’s embrace!”

“A Pope who is a manifest heretic
automatically (per se),
ceases to be Pope and Head,
just as he ceases, automatically,
to be a Catholic and a Member of the Church.
Wherefore, he can be judged
and punished by the Church.
This is too, the teaching of all the ancient Fathers.”

“Charity is that, with which no man is lost
and without which, no man is saved.”

“Freedom of belief is pernicious,
it is nothing but the freedom
to be mistaken.”

“It seems unbelievable
that a man should perish
in whose favour Christ said to His Mother:
‘Behold thy son’,
provided that he has not turned a deaf ear
to the words, which Christ addressed to him:
‘Behold thy Mother!’”

“When we appeal to the throne of grace,
we do so through Mary,
honouring God by honouring His Mother,
imitating Him, by exalting her,
touching the most responsive chord
in the Sacred Heart of Christ,
with the sweet name of Mary!”

Custodes Hominum Psallimus Angelos
Praise We the Guardian Angels of Men
By St Robert Bellarmine SJ (1542-1621)
Archbishop of Capua, Theologian
Doctor of the Church

Angel-guardians of men,
spirits and powers we sing,
Whom our Father hath sent,
aids to our weakly frame,
Heavenly friends and guides,
help from on high to bring,
Lest we fail through the foeman’s wile.

He, the spoiler of souls,
Angel-traitor of old,
Cast in merited wrath
out of his honoured place,
Burns with envy and hate,
seeking their souls to gain
Whom God’s mercy invites to Heaven.

Therefore, come to our help,
watchful ward of our lives:
Turn aside from the land,
God to thy care confides
Sickness and woe of soul,
yea and what else of ill
Peace of heart to its folk denies.

Now to the Holy Three
praise evermore resound:
Under Whose Hand Divine
resteth the triple world
Governed in wondrous wise,
glory be Theirs and Might
While the ages unending run.
Amen

This Hymn by St Robert Bellarmine,was added to the Roman Breviary in 1608, by command of Pope Paul V. It is for Vespers in the Office for “the Holy Guardian Angels. Double of the second class,” 2 October..

St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)
Doctor of the Church

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 12 May – Hail, O Mary, Mother of God By St Cyril of Alexandria

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Our Morning Offering – 12 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

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

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

Posted in MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION

Our Morning Offering – 11 May – Blessed Shall be Her Name

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Our Morning Offering – 11 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Blessed Shall be Her Name
Anonymous Author

Praise we the Lord this day,
This day so long foretold,
Whose promise shone with cheering ray
On waiting Saints of old.

The prophet gave the sign
That those with faith might read;
A Virgin, born of David’s line
Shall bear the promised Seed.

Ask not how this should be,
But worship and adore;
Like her whom Heaven’s majesty
Came down to shadow o’er.

She meekly bowed her head
To hear the gracious word,
Mary, the pure and lowly maid,
The favoured of the Lord.

Blessed shall be her name
In all the Church on earth,
Through whom that wondrous Mercy came,
The Incarnate Saviour’s Birth.

Jesus, the Virgin’s Son,
We praise Thee and adore,
Who are with God the Father One
And Spirit evermore.
Amen

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, GOD the FATHER, Hail MARY!, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on CONSOLATION, QUOTES on JOY, The ANNUNCIATION, The FAITHFUL on PILGRIMAGE, The IMITATION of CHRIST, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – 9 May – OUR DUTIES TO MARY

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Thought for the Day – 9 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947
Translated from the French
Dr Célestin Albin de Cigala (1865-1928)

PART ONE
THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES
Chapter II
OUR DUTIES TO MARY

i. Choose, O my son, Mary for mother, for advocate and for model, before all things.
Greet her everyday with the Angelic Salutation. This salutation pleases her above all others.
If sometimes, the devil tempts you and turns you from your duties as a devout servant of Mary, do not permit that to stop you from invoking her always.
Think always of Mary; repeat the name of Mary, over and over.
Honour Mary; glorify Mary in everything; prostrate yourself before Mary; give yourself again to Mary.
Live with Mary; meditate with Mary; rejoice with Mary; weep with Mary; work with Mary; watch with Mary; act with Mary; rest with Mary.
With Mary, bear Jesus in your arms; live at Nazareth with Mary.
Go to Jerusalem, go with Mary; search, as Mary did, for Jesus.
Remain near the Cross with Mary, weep for Jesus; weep for Him with Mary; with Mary bury Jesus in the tomb; rise with Jesus and with Mary.
Rise to Heaven with Jesus and with Mary! Live always with Mary in life and in death.

ii. If you know how to think and act in this way, you will advance rapidly in perfection.
Mary will protect you with all her power and, Jesus will hear you in His gentle mercy.
What we do is very little. It is nothing. Nevertheless, if we do it with Mary, we shall rise, little by little, to God our Father.
We shall always find, consolation and joy, near Him.
Happy is he, who knows how to keep Jesus and Mary near him always, as hosts of his table, consolers in his troubles, aid in his danger, counsel in his doubt, protectors at his death.
Happy is he who, considering himself as a wayfarer in this world and, as a stranger, keeps Jesus for a Companion and Mary for a hostess.

iii. Prayer:
Ave Maria, Full of Grace!

O Mother, I come to you filled with hope.
I come to you recalling the exultant joy
which the Archangel Gabriel once brought to you,
when, falling on his knees before you,
he saluted your virginity, saying respectfully:
Hail, Mary, the Lord is with thee!
This greeting I say to you again,
O Mother, with the heart,
and, if I could, with the voice of all the faithful,
so that thus all creatures may sing with me
from the depth of their souls and their being:
Ave Maria, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,
thou art blessed, O Mother, among all women
and Jesus the fruit of thy womb,
is blessed on earth and in Heaven,
today and always.

(By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
Soliloquy of the Soul, Chapter XVIII)

Posted in FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN PRAYERS, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 9 May – Hail to Thee, Forever Virgin,Mother of God,

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Our Morning Offering – 9 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Hail to Thee, Forever Virgin,
Mother of God,
By St Methodius of Olympus (Died c311)

Hail to thee forever-Virgin
Mother of God,
our unceasing joy!
for unto thee do I again return. . . .
Hail, thou fount of the Son’s Love for man. . . .
Wherefore, we pray thee,
the most excellent among women,
who boast in the confidence
of thy maternal honours
that thou wouldst, unceasingly,
keep us in remembrance.
O holy Mother of God,
remember us, I say,
who make our boast in thee
and who, in august hymns
celebrate thy memory
which will ever live
and never fade away.
Amen

(From “Oration on Simeon and Anna”)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of PETITION, REDEMPTORISTS CSSR, St Alphonsus de Liguori,, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 8 May – Shelter Me Under Thy Mantle

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Our Morning Offering – 8 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

Shelter Me Under Thy Mantle,
Refuge of Sinners
By St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary,
to thee, who art the Mother of my Lord,
the Queen of the Universe, the Advocate,
the Hope, the Refuge of sinners,
I, who am the most miserable of all sinners,
have recourse this day.
I venerate thee, great Queen
and I thank thee for the many graces
thou hast bestowed upon me, even unto this day,
in particular, for having delivered me from the hell
which I have so often deserved by my sins.
I love thee, my dearest Lady
and because of that love,
I promise to serve thee willingly forever
and to do what I can to make thee loved by others.
I place in thee all my hopes for salvation,
accept me as thy servant
and shelter me under thy mantle,
thou, who art the Mother of Mercy.
And since thou are so powerful with God,
deliver me from all temptations,
or at least, obtain for me the strength
to overcome them until death.
From thee, I implore, a true love for Jesus Christ.
Through thee, I hope to die a holy death.
My dear Mother, by thy love for Almighty God,
I pray thee to assist me always
but most of all, at the last moment of my life.
Forsake me not then,
until thou shalt see me safely in Heaven,
there to bless thee and sing of thy mercies,
throughout all eternity.
Such is my hope.
Amen

Posted in Hail MARY!, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on Lukewarmness, QUOTES on PATIENCE, QUOTES on SIMPLICITY, QUOTES on WATCHING, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The HEART, The IMITATION of MARY, Thomas a Kempis, To JESUS through MARY

Thought for the Day – 7 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Thought for the Day – 7 May – The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947

PART ONE
THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES
Chapter I
The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

i. Many young girls, says the Author of Wisdom, have amassed riches but thou, O Mary, thou surpass them all greatly.
Children, be faithful imitators of Jesus and perfect imitators of Mary.
It matters a great deal, it matters for your salvation, for the honour of Jesus and the glory of Mary, that you always be devout in your prayers, sober in your words, discreet in your looks.
In brief, be scrupulously disciplined in all your deeds.

ii. Do you wish to praise Mary worthily; do you wish to praise her in all magnificence?
Be simple, like the simple children of God, without deception, without envy, without criticism, without murmuring and without any suspicion.
Support all adverse things with charity, with great patience and great humility.
For Jesus, for Mary and, in order to imitate the Saints, watch here below, watch and be yourselves saints!
To one who knows how to offer his life to the Divine Trinity, all which is bitter here on earth appears sweet and all which seems heavy, appears very light.
Such is the fruit of the remembrance of Mary and Jesus.

iii. Prayer: When the Heart Says: Ave Maria!

O Mary, O sweet Mother of my Jesus,
I beg you, deign to open to thy poor servant,
both thy maternal compassion and thy love,
laden with sweetness.
Pour into my heart, one drop of thy tenderness
so that I may love thee with a pure heart,
thee, O Mother, the sweetest of all mothers,
so that I may imitate thee and Jesus.
Listen to me, Mother, listen to me, Mary,
kneeling I salute thee: Ave Maria!
The sky rejoices and the earth smiles
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
Satan flies afar and all hell shudders
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
The world seems small and the flesh trembles,
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
Sadness flees and happiness reigns,
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
Lukewarmness disappears and love reappears
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
Devotion grows and compunction is born,
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
Hope gushes forth and consolation increases,
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
The whole soul rekindles and love grows tender,
when the heart says: Ave Maria!
So rich and so great is the sweetness of this prayer
that it could not be expressed in words.
Thus, again I kneel before thee,
O Mary, O Virgin, O Mother
filled with goodness and I say to thee,
over and over, with reverence and devotion:
Hail, Mary, Hail!
Receive this pious salutation and with it receive me,
O Mother, within your bosom.

(Thomas à Kempis– Discourse XXV)

Posted in Hail MARY!, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, The IMITATION of MARY, Thomas a Kempis

Thought for the Day – 6 May – SOLILOQUIES OF THE SOUL

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Thought for the Day – 6 May – Extracts fromThe Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Extracts from The Imitation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Thomas à Kempis CRSA (1380-1471)
Imprimatur 17 February 1947

SOLILOQUIES OF THE SOUL

—Thomas à Kempis

Read, O my son, or rather, chant while reading,
These sweet versicles in honour of Mary.
Take them as a viaticum for the soul;
Take them as one does a staff for a journey.
Read often and re-read with devotion while praying.
May Jesus and Mary be for you, in life,
At all times, in every place, your sole company,
For fear that you may wander alone or unguided,
Shedding without, the perfumes from within.
You will find here a treatise on Mary, brief,
But a treatise full of sweetness for meditation.
And a treatise full of strength, to protect you well.
Meditate on it often and often, pray too,
Saying with a full heart:
Hail, Mary!

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN Antiphons, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 6 May – The Memorare By St Bernard

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Our Morning Offering – 6 May – “The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary”

The Memorare
By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father and Mellifluous Doctor

REMEMBER,
O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known,
that anyone who fled
to thy protection,
implored thy help,
or sought thy intercession
was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence,
I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of virgins,
my Mother,
to thee do I come,
before thee I stand,
sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions
but in thy mercy
hear and answer me.
Amen

Posted in Hail MARY!, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MAY - The Blessed Virgin MARY'S MONTH, MOTHER of GOD

It’s 1 May, Tis the Month of Our Mother, the Sweet Month of May

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It’s 1 May
Let us Rejoice in our Mother Mary!
The Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“Bright Mother of our Maker, Hail!
Thou Virgin ever blest,
the Ocean’s Star by which we sail
and gain the port of rest!”
(Anonymous 8th Century Latin Hymn)

Visits to the Altar of Our Lady
On the Love of Mary for Her Children
(Imprimatur, 1867)

Mary loves us because we are her children. A loving and tender Mother is never wearied by the importunities of her little ones and Mary, who is the most loving and tender of all mothers, will never weary of hearing and answering our petitions.
The one great thing which she desires, for all her children is that they should become like her Son Jesus. He is the only Child Who never disobeyed her or grieved her.
It is for His love that she loves us.
How great must be His love for us, when He inspires Mary with such a love! The best return we can make Him is to have a perfect trust and confidence in His Blessed Mother.
Those who are not devout to Mary cannot really understand the great Mystery of the Incarnation and do not love Jesus as they should – for, if they loved Him, they would love His Mother too, even a tiny bit as much as He loves her.

Let us try, then, during this Month of May, to become more like Jesus.
Let us consider what spiritual grace we need most, in order to attain this great end and let us ask it with confidence everyday.
Let us also try to induce others, to honour Mary, by special devotion to her during this most beautiful month.

Tis the Month of Our Mother,
the Sweet Month of May!
Unknown Author
An Old French Hymn

The blessed and beautiful days,
When our lips and our spirits,
are glowing with love and with praise.

Refrain:
All Hail! to thee, dear Mary,
the guardian of our way;
To the fairest of Queens,
Be the fairest of seasons, sweet May.

Oh! what peace to her children,
mid sorrows and trials to know,
that the love of their Mother,
Hath ever a solace for woe.

And, what joy to the erring,
The sinful and sorrowful soul;
That a trust in her guidance,
will lead to a glorious goal.

Let us sing then, rejoicing
that God hath so honoured our race,
as to clothe with our nature,
Sweet Mary, the Mother of Grace.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on COURAGE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on SUFFERING, REDEMPTIVE Suffering, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 18 April –The Crucifixion

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Thought for the Day – 18 April – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

The Crucifixion

“After a painful and exhausting journey, Jesus reaches Calvary, where He is to be Crucified.
Once again, He is stripped of His garments, which, by this time, have become glued to His swollen sores.
Then, He is stretched upon the wooden Cross, to which, one of the brutal executioners fastens His Hands and Feet, with blows from a hammer.
The sharp nails are driven through His flesh into the hard wood.
Jesus looks upwards and offers Himself in silence, as a Victim of Expiation, on behalf of His tormentors and of all of us.
His Mother Mary, is standing a few paces away in the company of the holy women and of the beloved Disciple.
The blows of the hammer pierce the maternal heart of the Blessed Virgin but,she remains silent also and prays.

When we have been afflicted by misfortune or sorrow and our hearts are racked with grief, how do we behave?
Have we the resignation, the trust in God and the spirit of prayer, which Jesus and Mary had on Calvary?
Let us remind ourselves, that we are members of the Mystical Body of Christ.
If Jesus our Head, has suffered, how much more, do miserable sinners like the rest of us deserve to suffer!?
Jesus wishes us to participate in the work of redemption by uniting our sufferings to His.
“I rejoice now,” says St Paul, “in the suffering I bear … and what is lacking of the suffering of Christ, I fill up in my flesh…” (Col 1:24).

Let us face adversity with courage, therefore and keep our eyes hopefully towards Heaven.
Let us remember, as St Paul also says, that even as we share in the sufferings of Christ, so we shall share in His triumph (Cf 2 Cor 1:7).
Jesus had to ascen Mount Calvary, before He could ascend to Heaven.
If we are to walk in His footsteps, we shall have to do the same!”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in GOOD FRIDAY, JULY - The MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD, LENT- 2025, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, The PASSION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT

Lenten Meditations – 18 April – The Descent from the Cross

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Lenten Meditations – 18 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”
“Short Meditations for Lent”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

Good Friday
The Descent from the Cross

Read St Mark xv:38-46
(See below)

+I. No sooner is the sacrifice consummated and the last drop of the Precious Blood shed from Our Lord’s Sacred Heart, than all is changed.
That lifeless Body is now treated with the utmost respect and veneration. See how gently and carefully Joseph and Nicodemus wind linen bands around the Limbs and lower it to the ground reverently, adoring that Body which only a few hours before had been a laughing-stock and object of contempt. Henceforth, no more ignominy, no more contempt, no more ill-usage but the love and adoration of Saints and Angels for all eternity.

+2. Our Lady receives the Body of her Son.
What were her thoughts as she gazes into the Five Wounds and sees how, from Head to Foot, it is covered with gaping wounds, sores and bruises, battered out of all recognition by the cruelty of man!?
O Mother of Sorrows, great as an ocean, is thy sorrow! What must thy hatred of sin be, when thou seest what it has wrought in the Divine Beauty of thy spotless Son!
What a mixture of agonised compassion and mournful sorrow and hope and consolation and gratitude and triumph ant joy, fills thy sacred soul while thou lookest upon the Dead Body of thy Divine Son!

+3. The day on which Jesus died, is indeed well named, Good Friday.
It is the day when Jesus consummated His victory over sin and death.
While we mourn over His sufferings and our sins which caused them, we must also rejoice exceedingly, at the thought of Satan conquered and Heaven opened and millions of sinners cleansed from sin, in His Most Precious Blood!

St Mark 15:38-46
[38] And the veil of the temple was rent in two, from the top to the bottom. [39] And the centurion who stood near Him, seeing that crying out in this manner, He had given up the ghost, said: Indeed this man was the Son of God. [40] And there were also women looking on afar off, among whom was Mary Magdalen and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joseph and Salome, [41] who also, when He was in Galilee followed Him and ministered to Him and many other women who came up to Jerusalem, with Him. [42] And when evening was now come (because it was the Pasch-eve, that is, the day before the sabbath).[43] Joseph of Arimathea, a noble counsellor, who was also himself looking for the Kingdom of God, came and went in boldly to Pilate and begged the Body of Jesus. [44] But Pilate wondered that he should be already dead. And sending for the centurion, he asked him if he were already dead. [45] And when he had understood it by the centurion, he gave the Body to Joseph.
[46] And Joseph buying fine linen and taking Him down, wrapped Him in the fine linen and laid Him in a sepulchre which was hewed out of a rock. And he rolled a stone to the door of the sepulchre. [Mark 15:38-46]

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOOD FRIDAY, HOLY WEEK, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, STATIONS of the CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The SECOND COMING, The SEVEN LAST WORDS of CHRIST, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 April – There they crucified Him – John 19:18

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One Minute Reflection – 18 April – Good Friday – The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to St John 18:1-40.19:1-42 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“There they crucified Him and with Him two others, one on either side and Jesus between them. ” – John 19:18

REFLECTION – “Truly, you are a hidden God!” (Is 45:15).   Why hidden?   Because He had neither form nor beauty, yet power was in His Hands.   It was there His fortitude was hidden.

Was He not hidden when He submitted His Hands to brutes and His Palms received the nails?   The print of the nails gleamed on His Hands and His innocent Side received the wound.   They shackled His Feet in fetters, the iron pierced His soles and His Feet were fastened to the tree.   These wounds did God suffer on our behalf, at the hands of His own people, in His own home.   O how marvellous are His Wounds by which the wounds of the world were healed!   How victorious His Wounds, by which He slew death and stung hell! … Therefore, O Church, O dove, You have coverts in the rock and a hollow in the wall in which to rest (cf. Sg 2:14). …

And what will you do … when He comes in the clouds with great power and majesty? (cf Mt 24:30)   He will come down with Heaven and earth ablaze and by the terror of His coming, He will dissolve the elements.   When He has come, the Sign of the Cross will be seen in the sky and the beloved One will show the scars of His Wounds and the prints of the nails, by which He was transfixed in His own home!” … St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159) – Cistercian Monk, Bishop

PRAYER – Deliver us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all evils, past, present and to come and by the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God and of the Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul and of all the Saints, mercifully grant peace in our days, that through the assistance of Thy mercy we may be always free from sin and secure from all disturbance. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Faithful Cross! above all other, One and only noble Tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom, None in fruit thy peer may be.
Sweetest wood and sweetest iron,
Sweetest weight is hung on thee. (Antiphons).

Posted in Hail MARY!, LENT- 2025, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARY, MATER ECCLESIAE, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on THE MYSTICAL BODY, The PASSION, The SACRED PASSION - Meditations for LENT, To JESUS through MARY

Lenten Meditations – 13 April – Jesus Commends His Disciples to His Holy Mother’s Care

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Lenten Meditations – 13 April – With Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900) Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“The Sacred Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”
“Short Meditations for Lent”
From “The Devout Year”
By Fr Richard Frederick Clarke SJ (1839-1900)

The Sixth Sunday in Lent
Jesus Commends His Disciples
to His Holy Mother’s Care

Read St.John xix:25-27

[25] Now there stood by the Cross of Jesus, His Mother, and His Mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas and Mary Magdalen.
[26] When Jesus, therefore, had seen His Mother and the disciple whom He loved, He saith to His Mother: Woman, behold thy son. [27] After that, He saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own. [John 19:25-27]

+1. Our Divine Saviour did not depart from those He loved without providing them with a Mother, who should be their Consoler, their Protector, their Advocate with God.
In the person of St John, He entrusted them all to Mary’s care.
If He had simply been providing Mary with a home, He would first have addressed St John and commended to him, the pious task of sheltering the Mother of God. By speaking firstly to Mary, He showed that it was she, who was to shelter all those, who were desolate and in sorrow. St John was the representative of all who love Jesus, when Jesus said to Mary respecting him:
“ Woman, behold thy son.”

+2. This was the occasion when Our Lady, for a second time, became a mother.
The birth of her first-begotten Jesus, cost her no pains of travail; the birth of her spiritual children, the sinful sons of men, brought unspeakable anguish to her. The Queen of Heaven became the Queen of Dolors before she could earn the right, to exercise, a mother’s fostering care over each of us,.
How we ought to value the privilege of being her children, when it cost Mary such unspeakable suffering!

+3. When Jesus said to Mary: “Woman, behold thy son” He asked Our Lady to regard us with a mother’s love for His Sake.
Her love for Him was to be transferred to us, without, however, becoming one whit the lesser. She was to love us for Jesus’ Sake; to show her love for Him, by loving us.
With what perfect confidence can we go to Mary, who sees in each of us, in spite of our sins, the image of her Divine Son!
Hail Mary full of grace!

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRAYERS on the CROSS of CHRIST, Prayers to the SORROWFUL MOTHER

Our M orning Offering – 12 April – What Can I Say? By St Anselm

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Our Morning Offering – 12 April – Saturday in Passion Week

What Can I Say?
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Magnificent Doctor
Marian Doctor

My most merciful Lady,
what can I say about the fountains
which flowed from thy most pure eyes
when thou saw thy only Son before thee,
bound, beaten and suffering?
What do I know of the flood
which drenched thy matchless face,
when thou beheld thy Son,
thy Lord and thy God,
stretched on the Cross without guilt,
when the flesh of thy flesh
was cruelly butchered by wicked men?
How can I judge, what sobs,
troubled thy most pure breast,
when thou heard,
“Woman, behold thy son,”
and the disciple, “Behold, thy Mother,”
when thou received as a son,
the disciple, in place of the Master,
the servant, for the Lord?
Amen

From “The Prayers and Meditations of Saint Anselm with the Proslogion.”

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARY, MATER ECCLESIAE, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, ONE Minute REFLECTION, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 11 April – “Behold, thy mother” – John 19:27

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One Minute Reflection – 11 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Friday of Passion Week – St Leo I, the Great (c400-461) Pope, Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church – Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows – Judith 13:22, 25 – John 19:25-27–Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Behold, thy mother” – John 19:27

REFLECTION – “Woman, this is thy son. This is thy mother.” By what right is the disciple. whom Jesus loved, the son of the Lord’s mother? By what right is she his mother? By the fact that, without pain, she brought into the world the salvation of us all, when she gave birth in the flesh to the God-Man. But now, she is in labour, with great pain as she stands at the foot of the Cross!

At the hour of His Passion, the Lord Himself rightly compared the Apostles to a woman in childbirth, when He said: “When a woman is in labour she is in anguish because a child is born into the world” (cf Jn 16:21). How much more, then, might such a Son compare such a Mother, the Mother standing at the foot of His Cross, to a woman in labour? What am I saying? “Compare?” She is indeed truly a woman and truly a mother and, at this hour, she is truly experiencing the pains of childbirth. When her Son was born she did not experience the anguish of giving birth in pain as other women do; it is now that she is suffering, that she is crucified, that she experiences sorrow; like a woman in labour because her hour has come ( Jn 16:21; cf 13:1; 17:1). …

When this hour has passed, when the sword of sorrow has completely pierced her soul in labour (Lk 2:35), then, no more will she “remember the pain because a child has been born into the world” – the new Man Who renews the entire human race and reigns forever over the whole world, truly born, beyond all suffering, immortal, the Firstborn from the Dead. If the Virgin has thus brought the salvation of us all into the world, in her Son’s Passion, then she is, indeed, the Mother of us all!” – Rupert of Deutz (c1075-1130) Benedictine Monk, Theologian, Exegete and Writer – (Commentary on Saint Johns Gospel, 13).

PRAYER – O God, in Whose Passion the sword, according to the prophecy of blessed Simeon, pierced through the soul of Mary, the glorious Virgin and Mother, mercifully grant that we, who reverently commemorate her piercing through and her suffering, may, by the interceding glorious merits of all the Saints faithfully standing by the Cross, obtain the abundant fruit of Thine Passion. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Prayers to the SORROWFUL MOTHER, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on THE WORLD

Our Morning Offering – 11 April – O Mother of Sorrows ,Stand by Me in My Last Agony

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Our Morning Offering – 11 April – Feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady of Sorrows

O Mother of Sorrows,
Stand by Me in My Last Agony
By St Gabriel Francis Possenti
of Our Lady of Sorrows (1838-1862)

O Mother of Sorrows,
by the anguish and love
with which thou didst stand
at the Cross of Jesus,
stand by me in my last agony.
To thy maternal heart
I commend the last three hours of my life.
Offer these hours to the Eternal Father
in union with the agony of our dearest Lord,
in atonement for my sins.
Offer to the Eternal Father
the Most Precious Blood of Jesus,
mingled with your tears on Calvary,
that I may obtain the grace
of receiving Holy Communion
with the most perfect love and contrition,
before my death
and that I may breathe forth my soul
in the adorable Presence of Jesus.
Dearest Mother, when the moment
of my death has at last come,
present me as your child to Jesus.
Ask Him to forgive me for having offended Him,
for I knew not what I did!
Beg Him to receive me into His Kingdom of Glory
to be united with Him forever.
Amen

Posted in CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, In the PRESENCE of GOD, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on SACRED SCRIPTURE, QUOTES on SUFFERING, The HOLY NAME of MARY, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 4 April – St Isidore of Seville

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 4 April – St Isidore of Seville (c 560-636) Bishop, Confessor, Father & Doctor of the Church

“Mary signifies “Light-Giver”
or “Star of the Sea”
for she gave birth
to the Light of the World.
In the Syriac tongue, however,
Mary means “Lady” and beautifully so,
since she gave birth to the Lord.”

“If a man wishes to be always in God’s company,
he must pray regularly and read regularly.
When we pray, we talk to God;
when we read, God talks to us.”

“The suffering of adversity
does not degrade you but exalts you.
Human tribulation teaches you;
it does not destroy you.
The more we are afflicted in this world,
the greater is our assurance of the next.
The more we sorrow in the present,
the greater will be our joy in the future.”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/04/quote-s-of-the-day-4-april-st-isidore-of-seville-3/

St Isidore of Seville (c560-636)
Father & Doctor of the Church

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Prayers and Novena, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MOTHER of GOD, PRAYERS on the CROSS of CHRIST, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, The HOLY CROSS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION

Quote/s of the Day – 27 March – St John Damascene

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Quote/s of the Day – 27 March – St John Damascene (675-749) Confessor, Father and Doctor of the Church

“By the Cross all these things have been set aright…

It is a seal that the destroyer may not strike us,
a raising up of those who lie fallen,
a support for those who stand,
a staff for the infirm,
a crook for the shepherded,
a guide for the wandering,
a perfecting of the advanced,
salvation for soul and body,
a deflector of all evils,
a cause of all goods,
a destruction of sin,
a plant of resurrection
and a tree of eternal life.”

“This woman will be the Mother of God,
the door to light, source of life.
She will reduce to oblivion the judgement
that weighed on Eve.
Daughter of David the king and Mother of God,
King of the universe, masterpiece
in whom the Creator rejoices…
thou art to be nature’s full achievement.
For thou life is not thine,
thou were not born for thyself alone
but thou life is to be God’s.
thou came into the world for Him,
thou will serve for the salvation of all people,
fulfilling God’s design, established
from the beginning …”

“You are more to be valued than the entire creation,
for from you alone the Creator received
a share in the first-fruits of our humanity.
His Flesh was made of your flesh,
His Blood of your blood;
God was nourished by your milk
and your lips kissed the lips of God. …
In His foreknowledge of your dignity,
the God of all the world, has loved you
and, in accordance with His love for you,
He predestined you and called you into being ”

MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/03/27/quote-s-of-the-day-27-march-st-john-damascene-2/

St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Posted in CHRIST the KING, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Hail MARY!, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES on CHASTITY, QUOTES on HUMILITY, The ANNUNCIATION, The INCARNATION

Quote/s of the Day – 25 March – The Annunciation

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 25 March – The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Isaias 7:10-15 – Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ By a woman,
came the flood of our ills
and by a woman too,
our blessings,
have their spring.”

St Gregory Thaumaturgus (c213-c270)
“the Wonder-Worker,” Bishop, Confessor

“And some seed fell on good ground”
Luke 8:8

“Rejoice, O Mary, House of the Lord,
earth trodden by the Footsteps of God…
Rejoice, O Paradise
more happy than the Garden of Eden,
where every virtue has been seeded
and where the Tree of Life has grown.”

St Theodore the Studite (750-826)
Father, Abbot, Theologian, Writer

“Through a woman, [Eve]
a curse fell upon the earth;
through a woman, [Mary]
there returned to the earth,
a blessing!”

St Peter Damian (1007-1072)
Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church

“May the Blessed Virgin,
unique in her merits,
stand in the presence of her Creator
interceding always in our favour.
She will be radiant in the fullness of glory,
she who brought forth,
from her virginal womb,
the King of glory.”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159) 

“She saw herself raised to the highest dignity
that ever was or will be, for although
it should please God to create anew many worlds,
He could never make a pure creature
be greater than the Mother of God.
Our Lady humbled herself
and acknowledged herself unworthy
of being raised to the high dignity of Mother of God, therefore, she was made to be His Mother,
for she had no sooner uttered the protestation
of her littleness, than, having abandoned
herself to Him, by an act of incomparable charity,
she became the Mother of the Most High,
Who is the Saviour of our souls!”

(Sermon on 25 March 1621
at a religious Profession).

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritas

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Hail MARY!, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MOTHER of GOD, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, The ANNUNCIATION, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, The INCARNATION, The REDEMPTION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 25 March – – ‘… Speak the word that is transitory and embrace the Word which is everlasting!’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 25 March – “The Month of Saint Joseph” – The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Isaias 7:10-15 – Luke 1:26-38 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And Mary said: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word.” – Luke 1:38

REFLECTION – “You have heard, O Virgin, that you are to conceive and bring forth a Son and that this will not be through the power of man but, by the virtue of the Holy Spirit. The Angel awaits your reply, for it is time that he should return to God Who sent him. We, too, are waiting, O Lady, for a word of mercy, we, who are groaning under the sentence of condemnation. See, the price of our salvation is offered to you; if you consent, we shall at once be delivered. By the Eternal Word of God were we all created and behold, we will all die. By your brief answer, we shall be refreshed and recalled to life! …

Hasten, then, O Lady, to give your answer; hasten to speak the word so longed for by all on earth, in limbo and in Heaven. Yes, the King and Lord of all things, Who has “greatly desired your beauty” (Ps 44:12), desires, as eagerly, your word of consent by which He has purposed to save the world. He, Whom you pleased by your silence, will be yet more pleased by your reply. Hark! He calls to you from Heaven – “O most beautiful among women, let me hear your voice” (Sg 1:8; 2:14) … Answer the Angel quickly, then; yes, through the Angel give your consent to your God. Answer one syllable, receive the Word; utter your own word and conceive that which is Divine. Speak the word that is transitory and embrace the Word which is everlasting! …”

“Behold,” she says, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to thy word.” – St Bernard (1091-1153) Father and Doctor of the Church (Homily 4 on the “Missus est” [He was sent] #8-9).

PRAYER – O God, Who, by the message of an Angel, willed to take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant that we, Thy suppliants, who believe her to be truly, the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession with Thee. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).