blessed virgin | AirMaria.com

Video – Standing Fast – Fr. Angelo Geiger #20: The Holy Grail

apostolate — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:00:43 +0000

+++ Standing Fast #20 – Fr. Angelo on the spiritual meaning of the quest for the Holy Grail (7min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

In this episode of Standing Fast, Fr. Angelo speaks of the different legends associated with the Holy Grail and how some people are still in search for it. Regardless if these are true or simply literary. Listen to how Fr. explains the spiritual meaning behind this quest, which is none other than a deep yearning – a quest – for Christ truly present in the Holy Eucharist. In this journey, our gaze is turned to the Blessed Virgin, the first tabernacle and the exemplar, on our “life long quest.”

Ave Maria!

The post Video – Standing Fast – Fr. Angelo Geiger #20: The Holy Grail first appeared on AirMaria.com.

The Ineffable Joy of Heaven at the Assumption of the Blessed Mother of Christ Jesus

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:00:10 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

August 15th: The Solemnity of the The Assumption

MUNIFICENTISSIMUS DEUS

Pope Pius XII

Excerpts from the Apostolic Constitution defining “ex cathedra” (from the chair of Peter) the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin)

November 1, 1950

40. Hence the revered Mother of God, from all eternity joined in a hidden way with Jesus Christ in one and the same decree of predestination, immaculate in her conception, a most perfect virgin in her divine motherhood, the noble associate of the divine Redeemer who has won a complete triumph over sin and its consequences, finally obtained, as the supreme culmination of her privileges, that she should be preserved free from the corruption of the tomb and that, like her own Son, having overcome death, she might be taken up body and soul to the glory of heaven where, as Queen, she sits in splendor at the right hand of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages.

3. Actually God, who from all eternity regards Mary with a most favorable and unique affection, has “when the fullness of time came” put the plan of his providence into effect in such a way that all the privileges and prerogatives he had granted to her in his sovereign generosity were to shine forth in her in a kind of perfect harmony. And, although the Church has always recognized this supreme generosity and the perfect harmony of graces and has daily studied them more and more throughout the course of the centuries, still it is in our own age that the privilege of the bodily Assumption into heaven of Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, has certainly shone forth more clearly.

4. That privilege has shone forth in new radiance since our predecessor of immortal memory, Pius IX, solemnly proclaimed the dogma of the loving Mother of God’s Immaculate Conception. These two privileges are most closely bound to one another. Christ overcame sin and death by his own death, and one who through Baptism has been born again in a supernatural way has conquered sin and death through the same Christ. Yet, according to the general rule, God does not will to grant to the just the full effect of the victory over death until the end of time has come. And so it is that the bodies of even the just are corrupted after death, and only on the last day will they be joined, each to its own glorious soul.

5. Now God has willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary should be exempted from this general rule. She, by an entirely unique privilege, completely overcame sin by her Immaculate Conception, and as a result she was not subject to the law of remaining in the corruption of the grave, and she did not have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body.

21. Thus St. John Damascene, an outstanding herald of this traditional truth, spoke out with powerful eloquence when he compared the bodily Assumption of the loving Mother of God with her other prerogatives and privileges. “It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles. It was fitting that the spouse, whom the Father had taken to himself, should live in the divine mansions. It was fitting that she, who had seen her Son upon the cross and who had thereby received into her heart the sword of sorrow which she had escaped in the act of giving birth to him, should look upon him as he sits with the Father. It was fitting that God’s Mother should possess what belongs to her Son, and that she should be honored by every creature as the Mother and as the handmaid of God.”

39. We must remember especially that, since the second century, the Virgin Mary has been designated by the holy Fathers as the new Eve, who, although subject to the new Adam, is most intimately associated with him in that struggle against the infernal foe which, as foretold in the protoevangelium,would finally result in that most complete victory over the sin and death which are always mentioned together in the writings of the Apostle of the Gentiles.Consequently, just as the glorious resurrection of Christ was an essential part and the final sign of this victory, so that struggle which was common to the Blessed Virgin and her divine Son should be brought to a close by the glorification of her virginal body, for the same Apostle says: “When this mortal thing hath put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory.”

44. For which reason, after we have poured forth prayers of supplication again and again to God, and have invoked the light of the Spirit of Truth, for the glory of Almighty God who has lavished his special affection upon the Virgin Mary, for the honor of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages and the Victor over sin and death, for the increase of the glory of that same august Mother, and for the joy and exultation of the entire Church; by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma:?

that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.

45. Hence if anyone, which God forbid, should dare willfully to deny or to call into doubt that which we have defined, let him know that he has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith.

Mary’s Assumption shows us the route we must follow in our spiritual ascent : detachment from the earth, flight toward God, and union with God.

Our Lady was assumed body and soul into heaven because she was Immaculate; she was all- pure-free not only from every shadow of sin, but even from the slightest attachment to the things of earth, so that she” never had the form of any creature imprinted in her soul, nor was moved by such, but was invariably guided by the Holy Spirit”

The first requirement for attaining God is this total purity, the fruit of total detachment. The Blessed Virgin, who lived her earthly life in absolute detachment from every created thing, teaches us not to allow ourselves to be captivated by the fascination of creatures, but to live among them, occupying ourselves with them with much charity, but without ever letting our heart become attached to them, without ever seeking our satisfaction in them.

In her Assumption Mary speaks to us of flight toward heaven, toward God. It is not enough to purify our heart from sin and all attachment to creatures, we must at the same time direct it toward God, tending toward Him with all our strength. The Church has us pray in today’s Mass, “0 Lord, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary who was assumed into heaven, may our hearts be enkindled by the fire of Thy love, continually aspire toward Thee” (Secret). Our earthly life has value for eternal life insofar as it is a flight toward God, a continual seeking after Him, a continual adherence to His grace. When this flight fails, the supernatural value of our existence lessens.

Mary has been taken up to heaven because she is the Mother of God. This is the greatest of her privileges and the root of all the others and the reason for them; it speaks to us in a very special way, of intimate union with God, as the fact of her Assumption speaks to us of the beatific union vision of heaven. Mary’s Assumption thus confirms us in this great and beautiful truth: we are created and called to union with God. Mary herself stretches out her maternal hand to guide us to the attainment of this high ideal. If we keep our eyes fixed on her, we shall advance more easily; she will be our guide, our strength, and our consolation in every trial and difficulty.

Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene OCD (Divine Intimacy)

The post The Ineffable Joy of Heaven at the Assumption of the Blessed Mother of Christ Jesus first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Some Thoughts on Our Lady from Bl. Columba Marmion

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:00:02 +0000

Ave Maria Mediations: A Meditation on the Blessed Virgin Mary – October 3rd: Bl. Columba Marmion OSB (1858-1923)

Besides being extremely acceptable to Jesus Christ, this devotion to the Blessed Vir?gin is very profitable for us, and this for three reasons which you will have already fo?reseen. First of all, because, in the?Divine Plan, Mary is inseparable from Jesus and our holiness consists in entering as far as we can into the Divine economy. In God’s? eternal thoughts, Mary belongs indeed to that very essence of the mystery of Christ. As the Mother of Jesus, she is the Mother of Him in whom we find everything. According to the Di?vine plan, life is only given to mankind through Christ the Man-God: “No man cometh to the Father, but by me” (Jn.14:16) but Christ is given to the world only through Mary: for us men and for our salvation, He came down from heaven and was incarnate … of the Virgin Mary. [credo of the Mass.]

This is the Divine order and it is unchanging. Remark that this order was not meant only for the day when the Incarnation took place; it still conti?nues as regards the application of the fruits of the Incarnation to souls. Why is this? Because the source of grace is Christ, the Incarnate Word; but as Christ, as Mediator, He remains inseparable from the human nature which He took from Mary. “God ha?ving once willed to give Jesus Christ to us by the Blessed Virgin, and the gifts of God being without repentance, this order never changes. It is and ever will be true that having received through her charity the universal princi?ple of all grace, it is still through her that we receive the divers applications of grace in all the different states which compose the Christian life. Her maternal love having contributed so much to our salvation in the mystery of the Incarnation, which is the universal principle of grace, she will eternally contribute to it in all the other ope?rations which are only dependent on this mystery”, says Bossuet. Let us li?kewise quote these words of Pope Leo XIII: “Of the magnificent treasure of grace brought to us by Christ, nothing. according to the eternal designs is to be distributed to us except through Mary. Hence, it is through her we must go to Christ, almost in the same way as through Christ we approach our Heavenly Father”.

The second reason, which is very closely related to the preceding, is that no one has more influence than the Mother of God in obtaining grace for us. In consequence of the Incarnation, God is pleased to recognise the credit of those who are united to Jesus, the Head of the Mystical Body (not however in such a manner as to derogate from the power of His Son’s mediation but on the contrary to extend and exalt it) this credit is so much the more powerful according as the union of the saints with Christ is the more intimate. “The nearer a thing approaches to its principle”, says St. Thomas, “the more it expe?riences the effects produced by this principle. The nearer you come tto a furnace, the more you feel the heat which radiates from it”. The holy doctor adds: “Now, Christ is the principle of grace since, as God, He is the Author of it, and, as Man He is the ins?trument of it; and the Blessed Virgin being the nearest of any creature to the Huma?nity of Christ, Christ having taken this human nature from her, she has received from Him higher graces than any creature”.

“But each one receives from God (it is still St. Thomas who is speaking) grace propor?tionate to his providential destination. As Man, Christ was predestined and elected in order that, being the Son of God, He might have power to sanctify all men, therefore He, and He alone, was to possess such plenitude that it might overflow an all souls: of this fulness we all have received. The fulness of grace received by the Blessed Virgin had for its end to bring her nearer than any other creature to the Author of grace; so near, indeed, that she enclosed in her womb the One Who is full of grace, and in giving Him to the world by bringing Him forth, she, so to speak, gave grace itself to the world, because she gave Him who is the source of it”, In giving us Je?sus, Mary has given us the very Author of life. The Church sings this in the prayer after the antiphon to the Blessed Virgin, during Christmastide, when celebrating Christ’s Birth. “By whom we have been made worthy to receive the Author of life”.

If therefore, you wish to draw largely from the fountain of Divine Life, go to Mary; ask her to lead you to this fountain for she it is, more than any other creature, who will bring you near to Jesus. That is why we so justly name her: “Mother of Divine grace”.??Jesus alone is the one Mediator;? but who more surely than Mary will lead us to Him, who will have more power to render Him propitious to us than His Mother? She has, moreover, received from Jesus Himself a special grace of maternity towards His mystical body. That is the last reason why devotion to the Blessed Virgin is so profi?table for souls. Christ, having received human nature from Mary, associated His Mother with all His mysteries from the offering in the Temple to the immolation on Calvary.

Now, what is the end of all Christ’s mysteries? To make of Himself the example of all our supernatural life, the ransom for our sanctification and the source of all our holiness; to create for Himself an eternal and glorious fellowship of brethren like unto Himself That is why Mary, like a new Eve, is associated with the new Adam; but much more truly than Eve, Mary is the?”Mother of all the living”, the Mother of all who live by the grace of her Son. This association was not only outward. Christ, being God, being the omnipotent Word, created in the soul of His Mother the feelings she was to have towards those who being born of her and living by His mysteries, He willed to constitute His brethren. The Blessed Virgin, for her part, enlightened by the grace abounding in her, responded to this call of Jesus by a Fiat of entire submission and in union of spirit with her Divine Son. In giving her consent to the Divine proposition of the Incarna?tion, she accepted to enter into the plan of the Redemption in a unique capacity; she accepted, not only to be the Mother of Jesus, but to be associated in all the mission of the Redeemer. To each of these mysteries of Jesus, she had to renew this Fiat full of love until the moment whenshe was able to say: “All is consummated”, after having offered at Calvary, for the world’s salvation, this Jesus, this Son, this Body she had for?med, this Blood which was her own. At this blessed hour, Mary entered so deeply into the mind of]esus that she may truly be called Co-redemptress.?Like Jesus, she, at this moment, achieved the act of love of bringing us forth to the life of grace.

Mother of our Head, according to the thought of St. Augustine, in bea?ring Him corporally, she became spiritually the Mother of all the members of this Di?vine Head. And because here below she is thus associated in all the mysteries of our Redemption, Jesus has crowned her not only with glory, but with power. He has placed His Mother at His right hand that she may dispose of the treasures of eternal life by a unique title – that of Mother of God: ‘The queen stood on Thy right hand. (Ps. 44:10).

Full of confidence, let us then say to her with the church: “Show thyself a Mother: Mother of Jesus by thy influence with Him; our Mother by mercy towards us. May Christ receive our prayers through thee, this Christ Who, born of thee to bring us life, willed to be thy Son”.

Who, indeed, better than she knows the Heart of her Son? We find in the Gospel a splendid example of her confidence in Jesus. It is at the feast at Cana. She is there with Jesus and she is not so absorbed in contemplation as to know nothing of what is passing around her. The wine begins to fail. Mary notices the confusion ofher hosts; she says to Jesus: “They have no wine”. We here recognise the heart of a mother. What of those “mystics” who would not have wanted to think of the wine! And yet what are they in comparison with the Blessed Virgin? Urged by her kindness, she asks her Son to come to the aid of those whose embarrassment she sees. Our Lord looks upon her and only says: Woman, what is to me and to thee? But she knows her Jesus. She is so sure of Him that she says at once to the servant: “Whatsoever He shalt say to you, do ye”, and indeed, at the word of Christ, the amphorae are found to be filled with excellent wine.

What shall we ask of the Mother ofJesus, if not that, before and above all, she will form Jesus within us by communicating her faith and love to us? All Christian life consists in forming Christ within us and making Him live in us. This is the idea of St. Paul. Now where was Christ first formed? In the Virgin’s bosom, by the operation of the Holy Ghost. But, say the Holy Fathers, Mary first bore Jesus by faith and love, when, by her Fiat, she gave the awaited consent: she conceived in her spirit before conceived in her body. Let us ask of her to obtain for us this faith that will make Jesus dwell in us, for this love which will make us live by the life of Jesus. Let us ask of her that we may become like to her Son; there is no greater favour we can ask her, neither is there any she more wishes to grant us. For she knows, she sees that her Son cannot be separated from His mystical body; she remains so united in heart and soul to her Divine Son that, now in glory, she only desires one thing, and this is that the Church, the kingdom of the elect, bought with the Blood of Jesus, should appear before Him, as a “glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle, but … holy and without blemish”. (Eph 5:27)

Therefore, when we speak to the Blessed Virgin, let us do so united with Jesus and say:? “The Incarnate Word, your Son has said: All that you do to the least of Mi?ne, you do it unto Me. I am one of the least of the members of your Son Jesus; it is in His name I come before you to implore your?help”. In refusing petitions thus made, Mary would be refusing Jesus something.

Let us, then,go to her with full confidence. There are souls who go to her as to a Mother, confiding to her their interests, laying before her their sorrows and difficulties, having recourse to her in all their needs and temmptatiins, for eternal enmity exists between the Virgin and the devil; with her heel, Mary crushes the head of the infernal serpellt. (Gen 3.15) On every occasion, such souls as I have spoken of deal with the Blessed Virgin as children with a Mother; they will go before one of her statues to tell her what they want. But this is childishness, you may say. Perhaps it is, but has. not Christ said: “Unless you become as little children, you shall not enter into thi” kingdom of heaven?” (Mt 18:13), let us, moreover, ask Our Lady that, from the Humanity of her Jesus Who possesses tne fulness of grace, grace may be poured forth abundantly upon us, so that by love may become more and more conformed to this beloved Son of the Father, Who is her Son. It is the best request we can make her. Nothing pleases Mary more than to hear it proclaimed that Jesus is her Son, and to See Him beloved by all creatures.

The Gospel, as you know, has only preserved a very few words of the Blessed Virgin. I have just reminded you of one of these words, that which was said to the servants at the marriage feast at Cana: “Whatsoever my Son shall say to you, do ye”. (Jn. 2:5) This word is like an echo of the word of the Eternal Father: “This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased: hear ye Him”. (Mt 17:5; 2 Pet 1;17) We can apply to ourselves this word of Mary: “Do all that my Son shall say to you”. That will be the best fruit of this conference; it will be, too, the best form our devotion towards the Mother of Jesus can take. The Virgin Mother has no greater wish than to see her Divine Son obeyed, loved, and exalted. Jesus is the Son in whom she, like the Eternal Father, is well pleased.

Blessed Columba Marmion OSB: Christ, the Life of the Soul

The post Some Thoughts on Our Lady from Bl. Columba Marmion first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Our Lady’s Favorite Prayer: The Rosary

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 15:15:58 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

PRAYERS TO THE MOTHER OF JESUS

The Virgin always brings us to her Son.

Jesus was speaking to a crowd of people one day when a woman cried out: Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked! Jesus remembered very well the loving attention of his Mother. These words of praise for Jesus and Mary spring from the simple faith of an unknown woman. Moved to the very depth of her heart by the teachings and gentle figure of Jesus, she could no longer contain her admiration. In her words we recognize a genuine example of the popular piety that has always been alive among Christians throughout the centuries? On that very day the words of the Magnificat came to life: Henceforth all generations will call me blessed. That nknown woman had begun a litany of praise that would continue until the end of time.

Jesus took these words of praise and made them even more profound: Blessed, rather, are those who hear the word of God and keep it! Undoubtedly, Mary is blessed for having borne in her womb the Son of God, for having nursed him and brought him up to manhood. But she is much more blessed for having fulfilled the word of God to perfection. In the course of her Son?s preaching she received the words whereby, in extolling a kingdom beyond the concerns and ties of flesh and blood, he declared blessed those who heard and kept the word of God as she was faith?fully doing (Luke 2:19; 51).

This Gospel reading gives us an excellent prayer with which to honor the Son of God by venerating his Mother. Jesus is delighted to hear praises of Mary. This is why we pray the Holy Rosary with such devotion. In the words of Pope John Paul II: As the woman in the Gospel cried out full of admiration and blessing for Jesus and his Mother, you too usually unite Jesus and Mary in your devo?tion and love. You understand that the Blessed Virgin leads us to her divine Son, and that he always listens to his Mother?s requests.Having recourse to the Blessed Virgin is the shortest road to Jesus, and through him to the Holy Trin?ity: When we honor Mary we act as faithful children. We imitate Christ and in this we become like him. Having entered deeply into the history of salvation, Mary, in a way, unites in her person and re-echoes the most important doc?trines of the faith: and when she is the subject of preaching and worship she prompts the faithful to come to her Son, to his sacrifice and to the love of the Father. If we are with Mary we are certain to be on the sure path.

The Holy Rosary, the Virgin’s favorite prayer.

Let us join our voices to that great chorus of voices of those who have praised Our Lady down through the centu?ries. We too want to learn how to go to Jesus through Mary. In this month we can follow the custom of the Church by putting more effort into the way we pray the Holy Rosary. The Roman Pontiff, John Paul II, ?has strongly encouraged us: I want to recommend to you in a special way the Rosary, ?a source of profound Christian life. Pray it every day, alone or with your family, repeating with great faith those basic prayers of the Christian: the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Glory be to the Father. Meditate on those scenes of the life of Jesus and Mary of which the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries remind us. Thus you will learn in the joy?ful mysteries to think of Jesus who became poor and lowly, a child, for our sake, to serve us; you will feel encouraged to serve your neighbor in his needs. In the sorrowful mysteries you will realize that accepting the sufferings of this life with docility and love, like Christ in his Passion, leads to happi?ness and joy which is expressed in the glorious mysteries of Christ and Mary in the hope of eternal life.

The Rosary is Our Lady’s favorite prayer. It always reaches her motherly heart. As a result, she obtains count?less graces and benefits for us. This devotion has been compared to a ladder that goes up rung by rung. We there?fore come closer and closer to Our Lady, which inevitably means a meeting with Christ her Son. This is one of the characteristics of the Rosary, the most beautiful and impor?tant characteristic of all. ?This Marian devotion brings us to Christ who is the goal of this long and repeated invocation to Mary. We speak to Mary so as to reach Christ himself. What peace the slow repetition of the Hail Mary gives us! We can stop, perhaps, to savor each one of its parts: ?Hail Mary … That salutation which we have prayed so often with filial love: Holy Mary, Mother of God! … pray for us … now! She looks upon us with maternal affection. Just as with people in love, the pious Christian never tires of repeating the same words over and over again, because the fire of charity makes their content always new.

The fruits of devotion to Our Lady.

True devotion to the Blessed Virgin can never consist in sterile or transitory affection, nor in a certain vain credulity. The Second Vatican Council teaches us that true devotion proceeds from a true faith, by which we are led to recognize the excellence of the Mother of God, and we are moved to a filial love towards our Mother and to the imita?tion of her virtues. Our love for the Blessed Virgin inspires us to imitate her in the faithful fulfillment of our ordinary duties. She will move us to reject all sin, including venial sin. She will encourage us to struggle against our defects. To contemplate Mary’s docility to the Holy Spirit is to be inspired to do God’s will no matter what the cost. It is through this kind of love that we will overcome weak?ness and temptations to pride and sensuality.

Whenever we make a pilgrimage or visit a Marian shrine we build up a great reserve of hope. She is Spes nosta, our hope! When we pray the Holy Rosary with attention we will find the strength to seek sanctity. It is not so much a matter of repeating formulas, but rather of speak?ing as living persons with another living person. Even though you do not see this person with the eyes of the body, you are able to see her with the eyes of faith. In fact, Our Lady and her Son Jesus live in heaven a life more alive than our mor?tal life here below on earth.

The Rosary is a confidential conversation with Mary, a way of speaking to her with confidence and abandonment in it we entrust to her our sorrows, reveal our hopes and open our hearts. It is a way of declaring ourselves at her disposition for anything that she asks of us in the name of her Son. A way of promising her fidelity in every circumstance, even the most painful and difficult, sure of her protection, sure that if we ask her, she will always obtain for us from her Son all the graces necessary for our salva?tion.

Let us resolve on this Saturday, Mary’s day of the week, to offer her a crown of roses with greater affection. This is where the name Rosary’ comes from. So let us not offer roses which have wilted or been soiled by neglect. The Holy Rosary: the joys, the sorrows, and the glories of the life of Our Lady weave a crown of praises, repeated ceaselessly by the Angels and the Saints in Heaven – and by those who love our Mother here on earth. Practice this holy devotion every day, and spread it.

Fr. Francis Fernandez (In Conversation with God)

The post Our Lady’s Favorite Prayer: The Rosary first appeared on AirMaria.com.

VIVA CRISTO REY!

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 19:01:20 +0000

Ave Maria Mediations

VIVA CRISTO REY!

November 23: Blessed Miguel Pro

“I am ready to give my life for souls, but I want nothing for myself. All that I want is to lead them to God. If I kept anything for myself, I should be a thief, infamous; I should no longer be a priest.”

I. Blessed Miguel Pro’s Life And Work

Born in Mexico, January 13, 1891, Miguel Pro grew up in a large family with six brothers and sisters. Inspired by two of his sisters who entered the religious life, Miguel at the age of twenty, prayed to God in order to learn what God’s will was for his own life. Because of his great love for God, and his desire to follow His will, Miguel entered the Jesuit order at the Hacienda El Llano so that he may devote his life to the service of God.

Under the terror of the Mexican regime of the time of Calles’ and Obergon’s rule, came years of political and religious persecution. During this period, the Pro family suffered great great financial and personal hardship. Meanwhile Miguel and the other novices of the Jesuit order were also under severe threat of persecution, as Catholic priests and religious were among the targets of the Mexican reign of terror. After a raid of the religious’ house, their superiors ordered Miguel and the other novices to escape from Mexico. Miguel’s travels took him to diverse countries such as the U.S., Grenada, and eventually Belgium where he was ordained a priest on August 21, 1925. Even though his family could not be physically present at his ordination ceremony, Father Pro was spiritually present with them; blessing their individual photographs one by one.

Even though he sought to make his internal and physical turmoil hidden from those around him, Father Pro suffered great emotional pain over the constant worry he felt over his family and the physical pain which was caused by stomach troubles. Those around him even noted that at the times he felt the most pain; physical or emotional, that he would seem the most cheerful. Father Pro’s physical health weakened despite several operations. In hopes of helping Father Pro to regain his health, his superiors granted his wish to return home to mexico to be nearer to his family. Little did his superiors realise the extent of the trouble that the Church in Mexico faced.

In 1926, Father Pro returned to Mexico during the height of political terror; at a time in which the Catholic Church faced great opposition as a result of constitutional amendments and legislation which severely restricted public worship. Any Catholic priest who would dare to continue to serve the sacraments such as communion, baptism, confession, confirmation and marriage risked persecution, torture, arrest and even execution!

And so began Father Pro’s adventure for God, evading police in any way possible in order that he may minister to the physical and spiritual needs of all people which included the poor, the rich, workers, laborers, business and even Socialists and Communists (who were often openly hostile to Catholic Priests and the Church).Traveling via bike, and acquiring disguises such as that of a mechanic, a servant and even that of a cultured man of the world; he was able to carry out his duties for his people such as administering the sacraments and attending to the needs of people. In the spirit of Paul, the apostle, he literally became all things to all people for the sake of Christ. He won souls for Christ through prayer, humor and also through physical and spiritual aid.

While the solders and the police had their guns and rifles, Father Pro had the greatest of all weapons as he had once stated in reference to the crucifix: “Here is my weapon. With it along, I have no fear of anyone.”

[Ann Ball]

II. Father Pro’s Martyrdom

In November 1927, Father Pro, along with his brother Humberto, became the scapegoat for an assassination attempt on the corrupt future president. The government authorities linked the Pro brothers to the crime through an old used car that had belonged to one of the brothers. Even though the authorities were well aware of the fact that the brothers were innocent, they were both guilty for being Catholic Priests. Because Catholic Priests were considered to be enemies of the corrupt regime, the government had an ulterior motive for convicting Miguel and his brother because they were the perfect scapegoat. Without due process or trial, the brothers were condemned to die. They were innocent of any crime. They were only guilty of being Catholic priests.

On the morning of November 23, 1927, Father Pro was led from his cell to the location of his execution. It did not matter to the police and soldiers that beyond the wall, within earshot, a man was shouting that he had in his hands a stay of execution that would free the brothers. The shouts were ignored and Father Pro was lead to his death. As he was led to death, one of the police men responsible for his capture asked for his forgiveness which Father Pro freely gave. Just minutes before he was to be executed, Father Pro asked to be able to pray as a last request. During this short amount of time, he kneeled upon the hard, uncomfortable ground, near the bullet riddled wall where he would soon be executed. In submission to God’s will, he accepted his fate, stood up, stretched his arms out wide in the shape of the cross in preparation for his death. After forgiving his executors, and as the squad raised its weapons, Father Pro shouted in a clear, yet loud voice :Viva Cristo Rey!.” (Which means long live Christ the king in Spanish.) With humility and bravery, Father Pro met his martyrdom.

On September 25, 1988, Father Pro was beatified by Pope John Paul II.

To The Blessed Virgin of Sorrows:

Let me live my life at your side, my Mother, and be the companion of your bitter solitude and your profound pain. Let my soul feel your eyes’ sad weeping and the abandonment of your heart.March 13, 1927
Blessed Miguel Pro, S.J.

On the road of my life I do not wish to savor the happiness of Bethlehem, adoring the Child Jesus in your virginal arms. I do not wish to enjoy the amiable presence of Jesus Christ in the humble little house of Nazareth. I do not care to accompany you on your glorious Assumption to the angels’ choir.

For my life, I covet the jeers and mockery of Calvary; the slow agony of your Son, the contempt, the ignominy, the infamy of His Cross. I wish to stand at your side, most sorrowful Virgin, strengthening my spirit with your tears, consummating my sacrifice with your martyrdom, sustaining my heart with your solitude, loving my God and your God with the immolation of my being.

Less than two weeks before his death, Blessed Miguel offered to share Our Lady’s Sorrow at Calvary. His prayer was granted. Let us pray to share their sorrow in order to share their eternal joy.

A photo taken of Blessed Miguel Augustin Pro moments before his execution.

The post VIVA CRISTO REY! first appeared on AirMaria.com.

St. John Damascene

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

thoughts from: A Little Treatise on Mary

St. John Damascene-Feast Day December 4th

Patristic Father and One of the Thirty-three Doctors of the Church:
Doctor of Christian Art and Doctor of the Assumption
c. 676-749

DEVOTION TO MARY

With regard to Marian devotion, a very practical part of Christian life, it is particularly interesting to revisit the thought of St. John Damascene. He introduces the fine distinction between the cult of adoration, or latria, owed to God alone, and the honor or veneration that ought to be given to the holy Virgin. Later on the terms dulia [and hyperdulia] was introduced for this, but it was unknown to the Saint. Here is a text:

But we, who consider God the object of adoration—–a God not made out of anything, but existing from all eternity, beyond every cause, word, or concept of time and nature—–we honor and venerate the Mother of God. [Homily 2 on the Dormition, 15]

The cult of Mary, even though inferior to that owed to God, is superior to the honor paid to the other Saints and to the Angels in Heaven. Because she is queen and mistress of all things, she merits the veneration suited to her greatness and unique dignity:

If the memory of all the Saints is celebrated with panegyrics, who will refuse to praise the font of justice and the treasury of holiness? This is not done to glorify her but so that God might be glorified with an eternal glory. [Homily 1 on the Dormition, 5]

Such veneration can also be extended to images of Mary. In his discourses in defense of sacred icons, Damascene makes some extremely clear distinctions about this form of veneration. . . . As for icons of the Mother of God, they merit a special veneration because of Mary’s unique personal position in the economy of salvation.

In addition to the theological clarity with which our doctor resolves the objective question of Marian devotion, he is not held back by any inhibition or timidity when he wants to express his personal feelings toward her. Let us choose two texts from among the most expressive:

O daughter of Joachim and Anna, O Lady, receive the word of a sinful servant, who nevertheless burns with love and places in you his only hope of joy; in you he finds the guardian of his life, not only a Mediatrix in your Son’s presence, but also a sure pledge of salvation. [Homily on the Nativity, 12]

St. John Damascene proposed a practice of Marian devotion that seems to come very close to the concept of consecration to the Blessed Virgin as understood and practiced in Marian devotion today. He explains it in a passage from a homily on the Dormition:

We today also remain near you, O Lady. Yes, I repeat, O Lady, Mother of God and Virgin. We bind our souls to your hope, as to a most firm and totally unbreakable anchor, consecrating to you mind, soul, body, and all our being and honoring you, as much as we can, with psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles. [Homily 1 on the Dormition, 14]

If we firmly abstain, then, from past vices and love the virtues with all our heart, taking them as our companions in life, the Virgin will frequently visit her servants, bringing all manner of blessings. She will be accompanied by Christ her Son, the King and Lord of all, Who will dwell in our hearts. [Ibid, 19]

Through her, the long warfare waged with the Creator has been ended. Through her, the reconciliation between us and him was ratified. Grace and peace were granted us, so that men and Angels are united in the same choir, and we, who had been deserving of disdain, have become sons of God. From her we have harvested the grape of life; from her we have cultivated the seed of immortality. For our sake she became Mediatrix of all blessings; in her God became man, and man became God. [Homily 2 on the Dormition, 16]

The post St. John Damascene first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Queen of the Seraphic Order

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:00:07 +0000

An Ave Maria Mediations encore

Our Lady is Queen of the Seraphic (Franciscan) Order

Feast Day is December 15th

Saint Francis’ Greetings to the Blessed Virgin:

Hail, Lady and Queen, holy Mary, Mother of God,
Virgin who became the Church,
chosen by the Father in heaven,
consecrated by His beloved Son
and His Spirit, the Comforter:
in you was and remains,
the whole fullness of grace
and everything that is good.

Hail, His palace,
Hail, His tabernacle,
Hail, His dwelling,
Hail, His robe,
Hail, His handmaid,
Hail, His mother!

O holy Mother,
sweet and fair to see,
for us beseech the King,
your dearest Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
to death for us delivered:
that in His pitying clemency,
and by virtue of His most holy incarnation
and bitter death,
He may pardon our sins.

Holy Virgin Mary,
among all the women of the world,
there is none like you.
You are the daughter and handmaid of the most high King,
Father of heaven.
You are the Mother of our most holy Lord Jesus Christ.
You are the bride of the Holy Spirit.
Pray for us, with St. Michael the archangel,
and all the powers of heaven
and all the saints,
to your most holy and beloved Son,
our Lord and Master, Amen.

Saint Anthony’s Prayer to Our Lady:

We ask you, Our Lady, you who are called the Morning Star,
dispel with your light the thick fog
of allurements to evil which fill our souls.
Like the light of the moon, replenish our emptiness,
and dissipate the darkness of our sins,
so that we may attain the fullness of eternal life
and the light of never diminishing glory.?
?With His help, who made you our light,
and although born from you, gave you life.
To Him be honor and glory from age to age.

Amen.

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun. (Rev. 12:1)

Mary appearing with the lights of the universe is a great sign indeed. How noble did Mary appear in the heaven of the Divine Plan! No more brilliant or splendid figure can be created by the mind of mortal man. Mary was not merely predestined for grace and glory with the holy angels and the elect of God and chosen for the greatest measure of grace and glory after Christ. She was also selected to fill the role of Mother of God, for she indeed is the Godbearer, the truly natural Mother of the Only-Begotten Son of God. She was the predestined Mother of Christ, having been predestined before all creatures,together with Christ, the firstborn of every creature. For Christ had been predestined to be the Son of Mary, just as Mary had been predestined to be the Mother of Christ.

The light of the sun reflects the dignity of motherhood, which God had ordained for her. With a radiance surpassing that of the moon, her position above the moon signifies the excellence of her grace. The crown of stars bespeaks the dignity of her special glory. For to these three things had Mary been predestined: motherhood, grace, and glory. What a truly noble act of predestination, a selection so unique and ineffable that words cannot express it aptly!

Mary was seen clothed with the sun that we may know that she is like the sun which, although one, illumines and warms each man as if it had been created by God for him alone. So the Virgin Mother of God is both the mother of all men and the mother of each individual man. To all she is a common mother; to each his own personal mother. As the one sun can be seen in its entirety by each and every man (for every man at the same time sees a complete outline of the sun), so every one of the faithful, who from his heart devotes himself entirely to the Virgin, may enjoy her complete love as if he were her only son. For this reason Christ spoke to Mary in the singular when He said: Woman, behold thy son.

Mary as the Mother of Christ participates in His glory, hence she is clothed with the sun. Mary also possessed Christ most perfectly as her only and beloved Son. How was it possible for the Virgin not to shine with sunlike splendor when she carried Christ, the Sun of infinite light, in her virginal womb? If God enclosed the sun in an immense crystal vase, would not that vase seem to be clothed with the very sun? In this way the sun clothes and adorns with its brilliant rays the pure substance of heaven, which it surrounds and engulfs. Just as the sun, glowing within the crystal on every side with its light, so the heavenly Virgin is clothed with Christ, the Sun of justice and glory. This divine vision signifies that, as bride and mother, the most holy Virgin shares in the glory of Christ and God to a high degree, so that no greater sharing or participation can be thought of.

St. Lawrence of Brindisi

An Act of Consecration:

Padre Pio prayed this Act of Consecration on the first Saturday of every month.

O Mary, Virgin most powerful and Mother of mercy, Queen of heaven and Refuge of sinners, we consecrate ourselves to your Immaculate Heart. We consecrate to you our very being and our whole life; all that we have, all that we love, all that we are. To you we give our bodies, our hearts and our souls; to you we give our homes, our families, our country. We desire that all that is in us and around us may belong to you, and may share in the benefits of your motherly benediction.

And that this act of consecration may be truly efficacious and lasting, we renew this day at your feet the promises of our Baptism and our first Holy Communion. We pledge ourselves to profess courageously and at all times the truths, of our Holy Faith,and to live as Catholics who are duly submissive to all the directions of the Pope and the Bishops in communion with him. We pledge ourselves to keep the commandments of God and His Church, in particular to keep holy the Lord’s day. We likewise pledge ourselves to make the consoling practices of the Christian religion, and above all, Holy Communion, an integral part of our lives, in so far as we shall be able to do so.

Finally, we promise you, O glorious Mother of God and loving Mother of all, to devote ourselves whole-heartedly to your service, in order to hasten and assure, through the sovereignty of your Immaculate Heart, the coming of the kingdom of the Sacred Heart of your adorable Son, in our own hearts and in the hearts of all, in our country and in all the world, as in heaven, so on earth. Amen.

In a letter St. Pio gave vent to a delicate filial gentleness, writing: “Here we are at last in the month of our beautiful Mother once again…. This dear Mother continues to lavish her maternal care upon me, especially during the present month. She takes care of me to an exceeding degree…. I am all aflame although there is no fire. I feel myself held fast and bound to the Son by means of this Mother…. I’d like to fly off to invite all creatures to love Jesus and Mary.”

Ave Maria!

The post Queen of the Seraphic Order first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Our Lady of Pontmain: “But Pray, My Children…”

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:00:56 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

“But pray, my children. God will hear you in a short time.

My Son allows Himself to be moved by compassion.”

January 17, 1871

She was dressed in a star-studded robe of dark blue with slippers of the same colour. A black veil on which she wore a gold crown decorated with a red band covered her head. It was in a little village of Pontmain, near the northern end of the diocese of Laval, that the miraculous event occurred. From six to nine that evening the Blessed Virgin appeared continuously in the sky over one of the houses in the village.

+++

At the time of the apparition Pontmain was a small village, inhabited by simple and hardworking country folk, who were guided by their parish priest Abbé Michel Guérin. The Barbadette family consisted of father César, his wife, Victoire, with their two sons Joseph and Eùgene, aged ten and twelve, and another older boy who was away in the army. On the evening of 17 January 1871, the two boys were helping their father in the barn when the eldest, Eùgene, walked over towards the door to look out.

As he gazed at the star studded sky he noticed one area practically free of stars above a neighbouring house. Suddenly he saw an apparition of a beautiful woman smiling at him; she was wearing a blue gown covered with golden stars, and a black veil under a golden crown.

His father, brother, and a neighbour came out to look and Joseph immediately said he too could see the apparition although the adults saw nothing. The mother, Victoire, came out but she too could see nothing, although she was puzzled because her boys were usually very truthful. She suggested that it might be the Blessed Virgin, and that they should all say five Our Fathers and five Hail Marys in her honour.

As it was now about a quarter past six, and time for supper, the boys were ordered inside but soon after allowed to go outside again. The Lady was still there and so the local schoolteacher, Sister Vitaline, was sent for. She couldn’t see the Lady, and so she went to fetch three young children from the school to see their reactions.

Immediately they arrived the two older children, two girls aged nine and eleven, expressed their delight at the apparition, describing it as the boys had done, although the youngest child saw nothing.

The adults in the crowd, which had now grown to about sixty people including the priest, could still see nothing and began to say the rosary, as the children exclaimed that something new was happening. A blue oval frame with four candles, two at the level of the shoulders and two at the knees, was being formed around the Lady, and a short red cross had appeared over her heart.

As the rosary progressed the figure and its frame grew larger, until it was twice life size; the stars around her began to multiply and attach themselves to her dress until it was covered with them.

As the Magnificat was being said the four children cried out, “Something else is happening.” A broad streamer on which letters were appearing unrolled beneath the feet of the Lady, so that eventually the phrase, “But pray, my children,” could be read.

Fr. Guérin then ordered that the Litany of Our Lady should be sung, and as this progressed new letters appeared, making the message, “God will soon answer you.” As they continued to sing, another message was formed, one that removed any doubt that it was the Blessed Virgin who was appearing to the children; “My Son allows Himself to be moved.”

The children were beside themselves with joy at the beauty of the Lady and her smile, but her expression then changed to one of extreme sadness, as she now contemplated a large red cross that had suddenly appeared before her, with a figure of Jesus on it in an even darker shade of red.

One of the stars then lit the four candles that surrounded the figure, as the crucifix vanished and the group began night prayers. As these were being recited, the children reported that a white veil was rising from the Lady’s feet and gradually blotting her out, until finally, at about nine o’clock, the apparition was over.

The following March a canonical inquiry into the apparition was held, and in May the local bishop questioned the children, the inquiry being continued later in the year with further questioning by theologians and a medical examination. The bishop was satisfied by these investigations, and in February 1872 declared his belief that it was the Blessed Virgin who had appeared to the children.

Joseph Barbadette became a priest, a member of the Congregation of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, while his brother Eùgene became a secular priest. He was assisted by one of the girls who had seen Mary as his housekeeper, with the other, Jeanne-Marie Lebossé, becoming a nun. A large basilica was built at Pontmain and consecrated in 1900.

Source: Beevers, The Sun her Mantle, Dublin, 1954.

THE APPARITION OF OUR LADY AT PONTMAIN, FRANCE.

January 1871 was one of the darkest times in the history of France. The Empire had fallen before the advance of the Prussian armies, Paris was under siege, and the enemy forces were driving West. On January 17, the Prussian armies were at the outskirts of Laval. That afternoon the Bishop of Saint-Brieuc signed a solemn vow to Our Lady of Hope, which was read, in the cathedral at six o’clock. Mary chose this particular time to show, in a most extraordinary way, that the prayers of the French people would be answered.

It happened on January 17th, 1871. The German army neared the west of France. The mass of its deserters was endless. They would not heed the commands of their officers, and even though two were executed, it did not stop others from running away.

The snowy weather made for miserable discomfort. All day and night wagons passed through Laval from east to west. All bearing wounded whom needed care. The countryside farmers feared the onslaught of needy and hid their possessions of money, food, wine and linens.Typhoid had broken out and Small pox threatened all. Everything seemed doomed.

Just days before, the Aurora Borealis produced fear and awe in many. Some reported the evening lights as tall masts of ships and others claimed them to look like the steeples of a great cathedral.

The worst fear came with an earthquake at about half past twelve the day of January 17th. No one saved hope for anything. Despondency surmounted unbeatable. Shouts of “No use in praying. God doesn’t hear us!” prevailed from even the most optimistic.

In a barn, a family of two young boys and their father crushed thorns to feed the horses. Eugene Barbedettes, twelve and his brother, Joseph, aged ten, were fascinated with the Northern lights and were anxious to see the show that night.

It was in a little village of Pontmain, near the northern end of the diocese of Laval, that the miraculous event occurred. From six to nine that evening the Blessed Virgin appeared continuously in the sky over one of the houses in the village.

The apparition was witnessed by four small children, Eugene and Joseph Barbadette, Francoise Richer, and Jeanne-Marie LeBosse. Joseph, who later became an Oblate of Mary Immaculate, described the Lady as about twenty years of age and very beautiful.

When the children first saw here she stood with her hands extended “like the miraculous medal.” What impressed the children most was her delightful smile, which seemed to be directed at each one of them individually. As news of the strange doings spread quickly throughout the little village, the Curé, the Sisters, and all the inhabitants gathered on the spot. After they had recited the rosary at the pastor’s direction, a large white banner slowly unfolded under the figure of the Lady and on it were written in letters of gold the words:

“But pray, my children. God will soon answer your prayer. My Son is willing to hear you.”

The need for prayer was all around them and through the children’s innocence to see Mary; the hopelessness gave way to prayer for hope. Hope that God would hear their prayers.

Then one of the Sisters led the group in the singing of the hymn, “Mother of Hope”. Our Lady’s reaction was immediate. Her smile broadened until the children cried out, “She is laughing!” and she raised her hands to beat time to the music.

When the hymn ended, however, her expression became grave for the first time and in her hands there appeared a large crucifix. The cross itself was blood red, the corpus a darker shade. At the top was an extra crosspiece, of white, on which was printed in red letters the inscription, “Jesus Christ.” During this part of the apparition, Our Lady’s eyes sadly contemplated the cross, the symbol and the pledge of our salvation. With the singing of the hymn, “Ave Maris Stella,” the cross disappeared, and Our Lady smiled again, though this time not without a touch of sadness. This tender expression remained on her face until, after the recitation of night prayers by the crowd, a white cloud veiled the Lady from view and the apparition was at an end. Before the news of the event at Pontmain had spread beyond the neighbourhood, Our Lady’s promise came true. The very day after the apparition, the Prussians halted their advance and withdrew ten mils. Peace came to the devout clients of Mary in Western France.

The Bishop of Laval lost no time holding a thorough inquiry into the apparition. Careful questioning of the four children and many adult bystanders led him to pronounce that a true apparition of the Blessed Virgin had taken place at Pontmain and to authorize her “cultus” at the scene. Many years later Pope Pius XI, after an exhaustive examination of the evidence, confirmed the decision of the Episcopal court and granted a Mass and Office proper to our Lady of Hope of Pontmain. The barn from which the children had first seen the strange vision in the sky was turned into a chapel and soon became a place of pilgrimage. After the death of the elderly pastor, Father Michael Guerin, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate were placed in charge of the shrine. They erected the great basilica of Our Lady of Hope, which was consecrated in 1900.

During the trying days of German occupation in the last war, devotion to Our Lady of Hope received a new impetus. Since the end of the war, tens of thousands of pilgrims have journeyed to Pontmain to pay their thanks to the Mother of Hope or to seek her further intercession. The Oblate Fathers and Brothers introduced the devotion to America in 1952.

The post Our Lady of Pontmain: “But Pray, My Children…” first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Thoughts on the Co-redemptrix

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 17:01:37 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

Jesus was offered to his Father in the arms of Mary.

Never had such an offering been made in that temple before and never again would there be another like it. The next such Offering would be made by Jesus himself.

Mary, Co-redemptrix with Christ. The meaning of pain.

Old Simeon, having blessed the young couple, turned to Mary and, inspired by the Holy Spirit, opened her eyes to the sufferings her Son would have to undergo and to the sword of sorrow that would pierce her soul. Pointing to Jesus, he said: Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

Commenting on this, St Bernard says: The time will come when Jesus will not be offered in the temple nor in the arms of Simeon, but outside the city walls on the arms of a cross. The time will come when he will nor be ransomed with money but will himself redeem others with his own blood, for God the Father has sent him as a ransom for his people. The suffering of his Mother, the sword that will pierce her soul, will have as their only cause the agony of her Son, his persecution and death, the uncertainty about when these things will happen, and the resistance to the grace of the Redemption, which will be the ruin of many. Mary’s destiny is bound up with that of Jesus, in its operation, and without any other possible reason. The joy of the Redemption and the pain of the Cross are inseparable in the lives of Jesus and Mary, as if God, through his most beloved creatures in the world, wished to show us that happiness is to be found close to the Cross.

Right from the start then, the lives of Our Lord and of his Mother are stamped with the sign of the Cross. To the joy of the first Christmas is soon added privation and anxiety. From these first moments Mary already knows the pain that awaits her. And when her hour comes she will contemplate the Passion and Death of her Son with neither reproach nor complaint. Suffering as no mother could ever suffer, Mary will accept her pain in peace of mind, for she knows its redemptive significance. Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto I the Cross, where she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, endured with her only-begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, associated herself with his sacrifice in her mother’s heart, and lovingly consented to the immolation of this victim which was born of her. Mary’s suffering has an especially suitable meaning and is related to the sins of mankind. It is a coredemptive suffering and that is why the Church gives to the Blessed Virgin the title of Co-redemptrix.

We ourselves learn the value and meaning of the sufferings and troubles which are part of every human life, when we meditate on Mary. With her we learn to sanctify pain, uniting it to that of her Son and offering it to the Father. The Holy Mass is the most suitable moment for offering all that is most painful in our lives. And there we will encounter Our Lady.

Our Lady teaches us to co-redeem. Offering up pain and contradictions. Atonement. Apostolate with those around us.

Simeon, by the will of God, initiated Mary, from the beginning, into the profound mystery of the Redemption, and made plain to her that God had singled her out to play a special role in the Passion of her Son. Thus, a new element entered into the life of Mary through the prophecy of old Simeon, and it remained with her until she stood at the foot of the Cross of Jesus. The apostles, despite the teachings and many indications of Our Lord, did not come to understand everything until after the Resurrection, namely that it was necessary that the Messiah should suffer much at the hands of the scribes and of the chief priests.

Mary had a premonition from the beginning that great suffering was in store for her and that this suffering was in same way bound up with the redemption of the world. She who kept all these things and pondered on them in her heart, must have often reflected on these mysterious words of Simeon. Through a process which we cannot fully understand, she identified her heart with that of her Son. Her redeeming pain is suggested as much in the prophecy of Simeon as in the account of Our Lord’s Passion. ‘This child,‘ said the old man, indicating the infant in her arms, ‘is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken. against, and a sword will pierce through your heart also … ‘ In fact, when Jesus, who belongs to all of us but especially to you, gave up his spirit, the cruel lance did not reach his soul. If without sparing him it opened his side, since he was already dead it did not cause him pain. But your soul it did pierce. At that moment his soul was not there but yours was, and could not be totally separated from him.

God has wished to associate us with all Christians in his work of redemption in the world so that we may co-operate with him in the salvation of all. And we will fulfill this mission by carrying out, with a right intention, even the least of our duties, offering them for the salvation of souls. Likewise, we will patiently and with peace of mind put up with pain, sickness and opposition, so as to do an effective apostolate with those around us. Ordinarily, God asks us to begin with the people who, through ties of family, friendship, work, study or locality, are closest to us. That is how Jesus and also his apostles set about this task.

Today in a special way, we ask our Mother Mary to show us how to sanctify pain and contradiction, that we may know how to unite them to the Cross, that we may make frequent acts of atonement for the sins of the world, and that we may grow each day in the fruits of the Redemption. 0 Mother most holy and merciful, who stood by your sweet Son while he was raised on the altar of the Cross for the redemption of all mankind, you who as our co-redeemer joined your suffering to his, conserve and increase in us the fruits of the Redemption and of your compassion.

Fr. Francis Fernandez (In Conversation with God)

The post Thoughts on the Co-redemptrix first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Our Duties to Our Blessed Mother

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:00:28 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

After having fulfilled our obligations toward the Son of God, we have three duties to his holy Mother:

The first is to prostrate ourselves in heart and in spirit at her feet asking her pardon for the cruel death of her Son, and for the most bitter sufferings of her pure heart which we have caused. In reparation, we must offer her all the honor, glory, and praise which have been, are, and will be forever rendered to her in heaven as well as on earth by the Most Holy Trinity, by the sacred humanity of her Son, by all the angels, and all the saints. We must also give ourselves to our Lady as her slaves, promising that we wish to serve and honor her all our lives in every way possible to us.

The second thing we must do for the Blessed Virgin is to remember that Our Lord Jesus Christ, dying on the cross, gave her to us as our Mother, and gave us to her as her children, when, addressing her, He said: “Behold your son”; and speaking to each of us in the person of Saint John: “Behold your mother:’ We ought to thank Our Lord with our whole heart for having given us His Mother to be our Mother; we ought to give thanks to the most holy Virgin for having received us as her children, and to beg our Savior that inasmuch as He has associated us with Him as the Beloved Son of Mary, He also makes us share His perfect filial devotion to His admirable Mother.

Our third debt to the Mother of Jesus is to acknowledge and salute her as our Mother, declaring that we desire to serve, love, and honor her as our Mother, obey her as a Mother and study to make ourselves like unto her as children should resemble their mother; and, consequently, to imitate her humility, her patience, her obedience, her purity, her mildness and docility, her charity, and all her other virtues. We must beseech our Lady to look upon us, her unworthy children, to protect and to guide us in all things and to be a mother to us both in life and in death.

St. John Eudes

The post Our Duties to Our Blessed Mother first appeared on AirMaria.com.