24 January 2011: Our Lady of Peace

(Patroness of the Prelatic Church, ‘Prelature of Opus Dei’, Rome)
Ref: “Blessed Josemaria Escrivá, Founder of Opus Dei”, pp110-11

Memorial: St Francis de Sales, bishop and Doctor of the Church

Bishop of Geneva. With St Frances Fremyot de Chantal, he founded the ‘Order of the Visitation’. He wrote “Introduction to the Devout Life”, a classic of spiritual direction. Patron Saint of Journalists and Other Writers. (Fr James Socias, et al [Eds], “Daily Roman Missal”, 1989, p1459)

The virtue of friendliness and cordiality

St Francis de Sales was an outstanding model of the Good Shepherd to his priests and faithful. His indefatigable preaching and writing gave good doctrine. The virtues of ‘cordiality’ and ‘meekness of heart’ characterized his life. He remained firm in the truth but remained friendly with people who had different beliefs.

These virtues make life in society tolerable. According to St Francis, ... “meekness, temperance, integrity and humility are virtues that must mark all our actions in life ... We must always have on hand a good supply of these general virtues since we must use them almost constantly.” (cf St Francis de Sales, “Introduction to the Devout Life”, 3, 1)

Everyday we meet all kinds of people at work, on the street, through friends and relatives. That we strive to be friends with everyone is very pleasing to Our Lord. We must exert a special effort to “give proper attention to human relationships, in word as well as in deed”. (St Thomas Aquinas, “Summa Theologiae”, 2-2, q114, a1)

As St Francis warns us, “Those who appear in public as angels but are devils in their own homes greatly fail in this regard” (“Introduction to the Devout Life”, 3, 8).

Cordiality aids friendship and apostolate.

Humility is indispensable in human relations. “Humility is not only charity. It is also sweetness. Charity is humility which appears on the outside. Humility is the charity which is on the inside.” (cf St Francis de Sales, “Spiritual considerations”, 11, 2) If we struggle to be humble, we will know how to venerate “the image of God which is in each and every man”. (St Josemaria Escrivá, “Friends of God”, 230)

“In persons we are not naturally attracted to, we must see souls that have been saved by the Blood of Christ, that belong to the Mystical Body of Christ, ... might even be closer to his Sacred Heart than our own. ...” (cf R Garrigou-Lagrange, “The Three Ages of the Interior Life”, II, 734)

Ref: Cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 6:63-6

The Holy Family returns from Egypt

Joseph dwelt in Egypt with the Child Jesus and Mary until he received the order to return three years later. This long sojourn in a strange country would have been extremely painful to Joseph and Mary; but they persevered. The single thought, ‘We are where God wishes us to be’, made the sojourn endurable, even pleasant.

An angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying -- “Take the Child and His Mother, and go into the land of Israel” (Mt 2:20). Feeling comfortably settled, Joseph probably regretted having to go on a long journey without exactly knowing where to live; but he immediately left again remaining tranquil.

“But hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea after Herod his father, he was afraid to go there.” (Mt 2:22) He perceived the Child Jesus would not be safe where Herod’s son who was like him in cruelty, ruled. On the other hand, Israel, which the angel named, had various provinces governed by different princes.

A prudent decision; but into which of these territories would he go? Joseph wanted light. He prayed. “... being warned in sleep, he went to Galilee and dwelt in a city called Nazareth”. (Mt 2:22-3)

Joseph’s conduct teaches us to be deliberate. In all our doubts and confusions, we should resort to prayer -- humbly, fervently before acting. Troubles of conscience and useless regrets will thus be avoided.

Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp56-8

Being good children of the Church

The Church does not cease to be holy because of the faults of her children which are always strictly personal. Thus, a good son of the Church will not allow people to insult his Mother, treat her badly or blame her for imagined defects.

The Church has the mission of “bringing forth children, educating, directing them; guiding with motherly care the lives of individuals and of whole peoples” (cf John XXIII, Encyclical, “Mater et Magistra”, Introduction). Holy and mother of all (cf St Cyril of Jerusalem, “Catechesis”, 18, 26), she provides the means to reach sanctity.

Nobody can become a good child of God without lovingly and piously living these means of sanctification, because “he cannot have God for his Father who does not have the Church for his Mother” (St Cyprian, “On the Unity of the Catholic Church”, 6). Thus, we cannot imagine anyone having a great love for God and not greatly love His Church.

Our love for the Church must flow from our gratitude for the means God offers us, through her, to be holy. We look at her with eyes of love and faith. By the will of Jesus Christ, the Church is our Mother. Our attitude must then be as good children.

We invoke Mary, Mother of the Church, so that she can teach us to daily love the Church more and more.

Ref: Cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 3:62-4

Becoming children in God’s love

The mystery of Mary helps us see that in order to approach God we must become little. As Christ said to his disciples: “... unless you become like little children again, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 18:3)

To become children we must renounce our pride and self-sufficiency, recognizing that we can do nothing by ourselves. We must realize that we need grace, and the help of God our Father to find our way and keep to it. To be little, you have to abandon yourself as children do, believe as children believe, beg as children beg.

And we learn all this through contact with Mary. Devotion to our Lady is not something soft and sentimental. It fills the soul with consolation and joy to precisely the extent that it means a deep act of faith making us go outside ourselves and put our hope in the Lord. ...

Because Mary is our mother, devotion to her teaches us to be authentic sons: to love truly, without limit, to be simple, without selfishly thinking only about ourselves; to be happy, knowing that nothing can destroy our hope. ...

Ref: Cf St Josemaria Escrivá, “Christ is passing by”, 143

Our Lady of Damascus. From this picture, which is painted on wood, there is said to exude a miraculous oil which restored sight, in the year 1203, to the Sultan of Damascus, and Mahommedan as he was, in acknowledgment, of this benefit, he founded a lamp to burn perpetually before this picture. (Bethlehem Observer Historical Calendar)

Our Lady of Damascus. Syria. 1203. Icon was brought to Malta by Knights of St John, 1530, along with other icons, after the knights were driven out of Rhodes, 1523. Currently stored in a Greek Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II visited in 2001. Numerous accounts of an oily substance oozing from image. (Icon history is detailed in Papas Vito Borgia's 11-page treatise ‘Veneration for a Historic Icon’, 1992). Icon went on a Pilgrim Journey to Syria, 1999. ["From this picture, painted on wood, there is said to exude a miraculous oil which restored sight, in 1203, to Sultan of Damascus, and Mahommedan as he was, in acknowledgement of this benefit, founded a lamp to perpetually burn before this picture. (Spondanaus, Annals, year 1203.)"]; (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm)

Our Lady of Damascus, (1203). (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.html)

Our Lady of Damascus (Syria). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html)

Our Lady of Peace (Toledo, Spain). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html)

Our Lady of Tears. “Madonna del Pianto”. (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html)