9 April 2013 Mary, Mother of Knowledge All the wonders of this earth, the fulfilment of our every ambition, are worthless if the living flame of love burns not within us, unless the light of holy hope gives us a foretaste of never-ending love in our true homeland, heaven. It is with Mary, the ‘Mother of Knowledge’ that we learn the most important lesson of all, that nothing is worthwhile if we are not close to our Lord. “In me is to be found every grace of doctrine and of truth, every hope of life and of virtue.” (Sir 24:25) How wise the Church is to put these words on our Mother’s lips so that we, Christians do not forget them. She is our safety, the Love that never fails, the refuge ever open to us, the hand ever ready to caress and console. One of the early Church Fathers said that we should try to keep in our minds and memories a clear summary of the life of the Mother of God. (Cf St John Damascene, “Homilies in dormitionem B V Mariae”, 2, 19 [PG 96, 751]) I expect you have often referred to handbooks on medicine, mathematics or other subjects for immediate measures to be taken so as to avoid elementary mistakes in these subjects. In the calm quiet of our prayer, we must often meditate on all we have heard about our Mother. The reward will be that the story of her life will become engraved on our souls. We will find ourselves going to her without hesitation, especially when we have no one else to turn to. This may sound like self-interest on our part. It is, of course; but then don’t all mothers know that we, children often turn to them only as a last resort? They know this very well, but it doesn’t worry them. That comes with being a mother. Their disinterested love is able to discern, through our apparent selfishness, our filial affection and our trusting confidence. I am not suggesting our devotion to Mary should be limited to times of urgent need. Nevertheless, we should not feel humiliated if this happens to us from time to time. Mothers don’t keep a record of their children’s tokens of affection; nor measure them with petty calculations. Ref: Cf St Josemaria Escrivá, “Friends of God”, 279, 280 The Value of Ordinary Daily Activity Consciousness that human labor is participation in God’s work should, as the Second Vatican Council teaches, “permeate ‘ordinary daily activities’ as well. When men and women work to gain a living for themselves and their families and carry out their activities in such a way as to do proper service to society as well, they may rightly maintain that they are extending the Creator’s work through their work. ... making themselves useful to their brethren and a personal contribution to accomplishing God’s providential plan in history.” So it is necessary for this Christian spirituality of labor to become the common heritage of all. There is need for this spirituality to demonstrate, especially in our time, that maturity demanded by tensions and anxieties in minds and hearts. The knowledge that man participates in the work of creation through his labor is the deepest motivation for starting out in various sectors. “The faithful”, we read in the constitution “Lumen Gentium”, “should therefore recognize the intimate nature of all creation, its value, and how it is ordained to praise of God; and they must help each other to live holier lives and also undertake appropriate secular activities, so that the world may be imbued with the spirit of Christ and more effectively attain its goal in justice, in charity and in peace. “Therefore, with their abilities in worldly disciplines and through their activities they make a valuable contribution to created goods inwardly elevated by the grace of Christ enjoying progress through human labor, technology and the culture of civilization, according to the Creator’s dispositions and in the light of his Word.” Ref: Cf Pope John Paul II, “Prayers and Devotions”, 1994, pp390-91 Our Lady -- “Love our Lady. And she will obtain abundant grace to help you conquer in your daily struggle. And the enemy will gain nothing by those perversities that seem to boil up continually within you, trying to engulf in their fragrant corruption the high ideals, those sublime commands that Christ himself has placed in your heart.” ‘Serviam!’ — “I will serve!” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Way”, 493) The holy Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, will bring relief to your heart, when it feels as if it’s made of flesh, if you have recourse to her with confidence. (Cf St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Way”, 504) Life of piety Our Lord withdrew often to pray, perhaps for hours at a time. “And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed.” (Mk 1:35) At other times he turned to his Father God with a short prayer, and ejaculation: “I give thee praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth ...” (Mt 11:25) “I thank you, Father, for you have heard me.” (Jn 11:41) Jesus is also moved by the petitions of those who approach him. They are prayers that we, too can use: there is the prayer of the leper who says, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean ...” (Mt 8:2-3); of the blind man from Jericho, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me” (Lk 18:38-9); and of the good thief’s, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingly power” (Lk 23:42-3). Jesus, moved by these prayers, granted their petitions at once. We may use them as a way of seeking forgiveness, just as the tax collector did, he who returned home justified: “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” (cf Lk 18:13) I can repeat with St Peter after his denials, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you” (Jn 21:17) — despite my failings. To ask for more faith: “I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mk 9:23) Strengthen my faith: “My Lord and my God” (Jn 20:28), says Thomas when Jesus appears to him after the Resurrection; a wonderful act of faith as we genuflect before the Tabernacle. We say, like the disciples of Emmaus, “Stay with us for it is toward evening; the day is now far spent” (Lk 24:29). Ref: Cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 2:219-21 • Our Lady of Myans, near Chambrey, in Savoy. It is believed that this image, in the year 1249, prevented the lightning, which had already consumed the town of Saint Andre with sixteen villages, from going farther, and was the cause of its stopping at Myans. — Triple Couronne, n. 114. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Our Lady of Myans (near Chambrey, Savoy). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html) • Our Lady of Myans, Savoy, France (1249). (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.html); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html) • “Notre Dame de Myans” . Near Chambrey, Savoy, France. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm)