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
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
Jesus is nailed to the cross
Jesus is in Calvary, the appointed place and hour from all eternity for consummation of his sacrifice. Let us go there in spirit. What do we see? The Roman soldiers dispersing the crowd. Jesus standing by the wooden cross, the executioners each holding a nail and hammer.
Our Lord is commanded to place himself upon his cruel ‘couch’. He silently obeys and stretches himself on it. An executioner asks for his right hand. He gives it; seized, and fastened to the cross by an enormous nail with double blows which re-echo around. But Jesus utters neither a cry of pain nor a murmur of complaint.
He was crucified for us; for me, my sins and for the love of me. Jesus endured these fearful torments, the very thought of which makes nature shudder.
The evangelist merely wrote, “They crucified him” (Mk 15:25). Can I contemplete him nailed to this cross without emotion, without being touched to the heart and affected to tears of love and compassion?
What a terrible punishment! But it did not suffice the love of Jesus. He suffered tenfold, a hundredfold more. The cross upon which he was nailed was raised, dropped into the hole and firmly fixed in the rock.
He remained hanging by the whole weight of his body, supported only by the nails, dying by inches. We can hardly bear to think of such suffering. Jesus bore this suffering for three hours; and this for me and for love of me!
O Christian, whoever you are, pause and ask yourself -- 1) What are, and what can, my sufferings ever be compared to the sufferings of my King and Saviour? 2) What have I done till now for this Saviour who has loved me to such an excess? What can I do now to love him?
Jesus, the King of Martyrs, willed his sufferings and humiliations to be incomparably great. He to whom is due all glory in heaven and earth made himself like the worst of criminals. Even the good called him an impostor. The heights of infamy and suffering joined.
Let us kneel in spirit before Jesus suspended in ignominy on the cross, reconciling heaven and earth, between which he hangs; blotting out by his blood the handwriting of the decree that was against us.
In the words the Church prays at each Station in the Way of the Cross, let us say --
V. “We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee.”
R. “Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.”
[Prayers for the Stations in “Goffine’s Devout Instructions on the Epistles and Gospels”, 1896, Benziger Brothers, New York, pp587-609]
Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp162-4
• 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)
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