Mary is the Mother of Jesus Christ, who is true God and true man. Being the mother of God, Mary is endowed by God with special privileges -- free from all sins, she was assumed into heaven body and soul. (Fr James Socias, et al [Editors], “Daily Roman Missal”, 1989, p1449) The oldest Marian feast native to Rome. (‘Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Encyclopedia”, 1991, p639)
Mother of God and Our Mother
Today we thank and praise God the Father because “The Holy Spirit came upon her and she conceived your only-begotten Son. ... she brought forth Our Lord Jesus Christ, forever the light of the world”. (cf “Preface”, Maternity of the Virgin Mary)
From our hearts we sing “Hail, Holy Mother, you gave birth to the King” (“Entrance Antiphon of the Mass”); “she who has conceived has at the same time the joy of motherhood and the glory of virginity” (cf “Divine Office”, Lauds, Antiphon 3).
Mary is Our Lady, full of grace and virtue (Lk 1:28) “she whom all generations shall call blessed” (Ibid, op cit, 48). The Church teaches that Mary is highest and closest to God, because of her divine motherhood. “She, after her son, by the grace of God, was exalted over all angels and men.” (Second Vatican Council, “Lumen Gentium”, 63)
“Through you, O Virgin Mary, have been fulfilled all the oracles of the prophets who announced Christ -- being a virgin you conceived the Son of God and, remaining a virgin, you gave birth to him.” (“Magnificat”, Antiphon of 27 Dec)
Jesus became man, like us, taking our human nature in the most pure womb of the Virgin Mary. As far as he is God, Jesus is generated by God the Father from all eternity; but as man, he was born of Mary.
“I am exceedingly astounded, that there should be anyone who has any doubt as to whether the Blessed Virgin should be called the Mother of God. lf Our Lord Jesus Christ is God, why should the Blessed Virgin, who gave him birth, not be called the Mother of God? That is the faith that Our Lord’s disciples transmitted to us. And what the holy fathers have taught us.” (cf St Cyril of Alexandria, “Letter” 1, 27:30)
Thus was it defined by the Council of Ephesus. (H Daniel-Rops, “History of the Church of Christ”, 1959, 2:145) “The greatest praise we can give to the Blessed Virgin is to address her loud and clear by the name that expresses her highest dignity -- Mother of God.” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “Friends of God”, 274)
On this solemnity of Our Lady we begin the New Year. There could not be a better start to the year, and of all the days of our life, than being very close to Mary.
‘Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and forever. Amen.’
Ref: cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 1:283-9
Getting to know our Lady
In a very natural way we start wanting to speak to the Mother of God, who is also our mother. We want to treat her as someone who is alive. She is body and soul in the presence of God the Father, her Son, and the Holy Spirit. For death has not triumphed over her.
If we want to understand Mary’s role in the Christian’s life and to feel attracted to her, to be in her company, we need not go into the theological theory, although it is an inexhaustible mystery that she is the Mother of God.
The catholic faith sees Mary as a sign of God’s special love. God calls us his friends; his grace acts in us, winning us from sin, enabling us to reflect in some way the features of Christ, even though we are still wretched dirt. We are not stranded people who God has promised to save. His salvation is already at work in us. ...
Mary tells us about this warmth and security. That’s why her name goes straight to our heart. ...
Ref: St Josemaria Escrivá, “Christ is passing by”, 142
Mary, Mother of the Church
Pope Paul VI solemnly proclaimed ‘Mary, Mother of the Church’ at the end of the third session, Second Vatican Council. When we invoke this title, we re-emphasize that Mary belongs to the Church, just as any mother is truly a part of her family where she has a place of special honor.
Mary is the greatest, loveliest, and most powerful mother. The words of Jesus on the cross, "Behold your Mother" (Jn 19:27) summarize all that Mary should be to us. St Louis de Montfort said, ‘He has not God for his Father, who has not Mary for his Mother’.
Ref: Rev Joseph A Viano, SSP, “Two Months with Mary”, 1984, p11
Our confidence in Mary
Mary became our spiritual Mother on two occasions. First, when she merited to conceive in her virginal womb the Son of God. St Bernardine of Siena emphasizes, ‘when at the Anunciation the most blessed Virgin gave the consent, she from that moment asked our salvation of God and as a most loving mother, she bore us in her womb’.
The second occasion was when she offered to the Eternal Father the life of her beloved Son on Mount Calvary, with so bitter sorrow and suffering. So that St Augustine declares that, ‘as she then cooperated by her love in the birth of the faithful to the life of grace, she became the spiritual Mother of all who are members of the one head, Christ Jesus’.
Oh, blessed are they who live under the protection of so loving and powerful mother! ‘And who’, says Cardinal Bellarmine, ‘would ever dare to snatch these children from the bosom of Mary, when they have taken refuge there? What power of hell, or what temptation, can overcome them, if they place their confidence in the patronage of this great Mother, the Mother of God, and of them?’
St Anselm encourages us, saying: ‘O happy confidence! O safe refuge! The Mother of God is my Mother. How firm, then, should be our confidence, since our salvation depends on the judgment of a good Brother and a tender Mother.’
Ref: cf St Alphonsus Liguori, “The Blessed Virgin Mary”, pp19-25
· ‘O Lord, I thank You for having created the Blessed Virgin Mother, for having made her so beautiful and for having given her to us as our Mother.’ -- St Leonard of Port Maurice (In Rev Joseph A Viano, SSP, op cit, p10)
· ‘Mary alone by her dignity transcends heaven and earth ... She is at once the Handmaid and Mother of God, a Virgin and yet a Mother.’ -- St John Chrysostom (In Rev Joseph A Viano, SSP, op cit, p11)
Memorial: Dedication of Our Lady of the Annunciation, at Florence, by Cardinal William d'Estonville, in the year 1452. There is preserved in this church, a picture of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, which was found miraculously finished when the painter, who had sketched it, prepared to put the finishing strokes to it.(Bethlehem 'Observer' Historical Calendar)
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
27 June 2009: Memorial -- Mother of Perpetual Help
Ancient tradition attributes to St Luke the painting of this miraculous icon. (Eusebius, “Ecclesiastical History”, II:43) In F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 7:225.
Prayer: O Almighty and merciful God, Who hast given us to venerate the Picture of Thy most Blessed Mother under the special title of Perpetual Help; graciously grant, that amidst all the changes of our journey through life, we may be so defended by the continual protection of the same immaculate ever Virgin Mary, that we may deserve to obtain the rewards of Thy eternal Redemption, Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.
'Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help. Pray for us.'
Triumph of the Zeal of the Sacred Heart
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself.” (Jn 12:32) This is the prophecy of the triumph of our Lord’s zeal. What a triumph!
Idolatry vanquished and made despicable; the name of God known and adored everywhere; the way of salvation opened freely to all men. More than eleven million, in every condition of life, bearing witness for the faith by a cruel martyrdom!
Still a triumph that so many persons, regardless of sex, draw from the heart of Jesus a zeal which gives them courage to forsake all things or go into distant and barbarous lands as missionaries.
Ref: cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, p333
Most Sweet Heart of Mary
The most holy Virgin, Our Mother, will teach us how to live trustfully and with confidence in God’s omnipotence, if we have recourse to her frequently each day. In the most Sweet Heart of Mary, whose feast we celebrate in June, we never fail to find peace, consolation and joy. (cf F Fernandez, Op cit, 3:627)
The Consecration of Christ and Mary
In the area of Revelation, we know that seldom does man give something to God. The encounter between God and man finds its full realization in Christ, incarnated by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, crucified and risen: the blood of the new alliance shed in sacrifice for the remission of sins, consecrates the people of all time and space.
Thus consecration and sacrifice are two inseparable poles of the same Paschal event of Christ. The prayer pronounced by Jesus before His death, has been rightly called ‘Priestly Prayer’ ... or a ‘prayer of consecration’, filled with the offer of His own life to the world.
In Greek, to consecrate means 1) to deify or to sanctify, and 2) to sacrifice, immolate. In the accomplishment of this consecratory sacrifice of Christ through the offering of His Body and Blood, He collaborated with the Virgin Mary: from her He took a body to sacrifice for us, the blood through which we are consecrated.
· “We will discover the Heart of Jesus when we contemplate the Heart of Mary.” -- St John Eudes (C Maggioni in “Alliance of the Two Hearts”, pp181-2)
Confirmation Creates Witnesses to Christ
The Sacrament [of Confirmation] ... confirms and seals what was already mysteriously effected in you in Baptism, when you became adoptive children of God by full right.
You were beneficially brought within the range of his love’s action: not only the love which he has for every creature as the Creator, but above all, the range of that most special love which he showed for man in Jesus Christ, as Redeemer.
With this chrism, you acquire a particular relationship directly with the Lord Jesus. You are officially consecrated to him as witnesses to the Church and the world. He has need of you, and he wants to employ you by lending him your countenances, your hearts, your whole persons, so that his behavior towards others will be as you behave yourselves.
If you are good, responsive, dedicated to the well-being of others, loyal servants of the Gospel, then Jesus will be giving that good impression; but if you should be weak and unspirited, then you will be casting a shadow over his real identity, and you will not be honoring him.
So, you are called to a very lofty task, which turns you into true, complete Christians. Confirmation actually brings you to the Christian’s adulthood. That is, it trusts you and acknowledges a sense of responsibility in you.
The child is not yet master of himself, of his acts, of his life. But the adult has the courage of his own choices; knows how to bear the consequences. He is capable of paying in person, because he has gained such an inner maturity that he can decide on his own, employ his existence as he thinks best, and above all give love, instead of only receiving it.
Ref: cf “Prayers and Devotions from Pope John Paul II”, p219
The Holy Spirit, the Secret Force in Confirmation
No one succeeds in being an authentic disciple of Christ if he wishes to be so alone, on his own initiative, with his own energies. That is impossible. The result would be only a caricature of the true Christian.
Just as one cannot become a human adult unless there be a new and decisive contribution from nature, so it is with the Christian on another level. But with the chrism you receive a pouring out and a particular endowment of the Holy Spirit. He, just like the wind, from which the word “spirit” comes, enlivens, urges, refreshes.
He is our secret strength, the inexhaustible reserve and propellent energy of all our thinking and doing as Christians. He gives you courage, as he did to the Apostles at Pentecost. He makes you understand the truth and beauty of Jesus’ words. He gives you life.
He is actually the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. When he comes to you, he does not come alone but also brings the seal of the Father and his Son Jesus with him. At the same time, he introduces you into the trinitarian mystery. It is not easy to discuss this, but that does not mean it thereby ceases to be the foundation of and unmistakable stamp upon our Christian identity.
Ref: Cf Ibid, p220
Our Lady -- “Imitate the Blessed Virgin. Only by openly admitting that we are nothing can we become precious in the eyes of our Creator.” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Forge”, 588)
Our Lady of La Dorade, France
(http://www.divinewill.org/feastofourlady.htm);
(http://www.starharbor.com/santiago/m feasts.html); and (MaryLinks Calendar.htm)
St Cyril of Alexandria, bishop and Doctor of the Church -- He presided over the General Council of Ephesus, at which Nestorius and his doctrines were condemned. Invincible champion of the oneness of Person in Jesus Christ and divine maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (Fr James Socias, et al [Eds], “Daily Roman Missal”, p1559)
Prayer: O Almighty and merciful God, Who hast given us to venerate the Picture of Thy most Blessed Mother under the special title of Perpetual Help; graciously grant, that amidst all the changes of our journey through life, we may be so defended by the continual protection of the same immaculate ever Virgin Mary, that we may deserve to obtain the rewards of Thy eternal Redemption, Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.
'Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help. Pray for us.'
Triumph of the Zeal of the Sacred Heart
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself.” (Jn 12:32) This is the prophecy of the triumph of our Lord’s zeal. What a triumph!
Idolatry vanquished and made despicable; the name of God known and adored everywhere; the way of salvation opened freely to all men. More than eleven million, in every condition of life, bearing witness for the faith by a cruel martyrdom!
Still a triumph that so many persons, regardless of sex, draw from the heart of Jesus a zeal which gives them courage to forsake all things or go into distant and barbarous lands as missionaries.
Ref: cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, p333
Most Sweet Heart of Mary
The most holy Virgin, Our Mother, will teach us how to live trustfully and with confidence in God’s omnipotence, if we have recourse to her frequently each day. In the most Sweet Heart of Mary, whose feast we celebrate in June, we never fail to find peace, consolation and joy. (cf F Fernandez, Op cit, 3:627)
The Consecration of Christ and Mary
In the area of Revelation, we know that seldom does man give something to God. The encounter between God and man finds its full realization in Christ, incarnated by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, crucified and risen: the blood of the new alliance shed in sacrifice for the remission of sins, consecrates the people of all time and space.
Thus consecration and sacrifice are two inseparable poles of the same Paschal event of Christ. The prayer pronounced by Jesus before His death, has been rightly called ‘Priestly Prayer’ ... or a ‘prayer of consecration’, filled with the offer of His own life to the world.
In Greek, to consecrate means 1) to deify or to sanctify, and 2) to sacrifice, immolate. In the accomplishment of this consecratory sacrifice of Christ through the offering of His Body and Blood, He collaborated with the Virgin Mary: from her He took a body to sacrifice for us, the blood through which we are consecrated.
· “We will discover the Heart of Jesus when we contemplate the Heart of Mary.” -- St John Eudes (C Maggioni in “Alliance of the Two Hearts”, pp181-2)
Confirmation Creates Witnesses to Christ
The Sacrament [of Confirmation] ... confirms and seals what was already mysteriously effected in you in Baptism, when you became adoptive children of God by full right.
You were beneficially brought within the range of his love’s action: not only the love which he has for every creature as the Creator, but above all, the range of that most special love which he showed for man in Jesus Christ, as Redeemer.
With this chrism, you acquire a particular relationship directly with the Lord Jesus. You are officially consecrated to him as witnesses to the Church and the world. He has need of you, and he wants to employ you by lending him your countenances, your hearts, your whole persons, so that his behavior towards others will be as you behave yourselves.
If you are good, responsive, dedicated to the well-being of others, loyal servants of the Gospel, then Jesus will be giving that good impression; but if you should be weak and unspirited, then you will be casting a shadow over his real identity, and you will not be honoring him.
So, you are called to a very lofty task, which turns you into true, complete Christians. Confirmation actually brings you to the Christian’s adulthood. That is, it trusts you and acknowledges a sense of responsibility in you.
The child is not yet master of himself, of his acts, of his life. But the adult has the courage of his own choices; knows how to bear the consequences. He is capable of paying in person, because he has gained such an inner maturity that he can decide on his own, employ his existence as he thinks best, and above all give love, instead of only receiving it.
Ref: cf “Prayers and Devotions from Pope John Paul II”, p219
The Holy Spirit, the Secret Force in Confirmation
No one succeeds in being an authentic disciple of Christ if he wishes to be so alone, on his own initiative, with his own energies. That is impossible. The result would be only a caricature of the true Christian.
Just as one cannot become a human adult unless there be a new and decisive contribution from nature, so it is with the Christian on another level. But with the chrism you receive a pouring out and a particular endowment of the Holy Spirit. He, just like the wind, from which the word “spirit” comes, enlivens, urges, refreshes.
He is our secret strength, the inexhaustible reserve and propellent energy of all our thinking and doing as Christians. He gives you courage, as he did to the Apostles at Pentecost. He makes you understand the truth and beauty of Jesus’ words. He gives you life.
He is actually the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. When he comes to you, he does not come alone but also brings the seal of the Father and his Son Jesus with him. At the same time, he introduces you into the trinitarian mystery. It is not easy to discuss this, but that does not mean it thereby ceases to be the foundation of and unmistakable stamp upon our Christian identity.
Ref: Cf Ibid, p220
Our Lady -- “Imitate the Blessed Virgin. Only by openly admitting that we are nothing can we become precious in the eyes of our Creator.” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Forge”, 588)
Our Lady of La Dorade, France
(http://www.divinewill.org/feastofourlady.htm);
(http://www.starharbor.com/santiago/m feasts.html); and (MaryLinks Calendar.htm)
St Cyril of Alexandria, bishop and Doctor of the Church -- He presided over the General Council of Ephesus, at which Nestorius and his doctrines were condemned. Invincible champion of the oneness of Person in Jesus Christ and divine maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (Fr James Socias, et al [Eds], “Daily Roman Missal”, p1559)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
