MARY: Do you know what is the real cause of the life and the beauty of a flower? … You see its brilliant shades, smell its delicate fragrance and yet you don’t recognize that all of this buds forth from those humble roots which are hidden in the barren and often muddy earth. It is the humble earth that secures the vital part of a flower and in it that the roots are hidden and these cannot give life to the flower if they are not hidden! Virtue is always born from an intimate and profound hiddenness! Flowers must certainly be seen for Jesus says: “Let your good deeds be seen by others”, but the seeds from which they bud, the life of the heart must remain concealed and hidden.

How many times do you not love to appear virtuous before those who see you and seek the vain praise of others’ Then you remove the root from being hidden, it unhappily dries up and also the flower wilts and dies. The paid gardener cuts the flower and ties it to an artificial stem so that it may be admired … but in doing this he kills it! When you seek human praise, you cut the flower of virtue and you place it on an artificial stem … After empty praise it is nothing more than a mass of withered leaves. Therefore love hiddenness and desire that only God sees you and reads the secret of your heart.

THE SOUL: O Mary, open your humble Heart to me as a refuge so that I may hide myself in it! Human
praise disturbs me, agitates me, makes me so ugly and I recognize that I get worse after praise. I?m full of pride and I can?t free myself of it except by hiding myself in God! O Mary, give me the strength to flee human praise and my vanity!

ASPIRATION: O Mary, give me humility of heart.

LITTLE WORK: When something redounds to your praise, don?t say it for the love of holy humility.

About the Meditations

The daily School of Mary meditations come from the book, A Month with Mary. To obtain a copy of this or other books published by the Academy of the Immaculate, visit our on-line bookstore at http://www.marymediatrix.com/bookstore/academy

Ave Maria!

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2 Pillars #17 ( 06min) Play – The Eucharist as the hidden God and being hidden like Mary.

Meditations read in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament for our Daily Holy Hour at our Bloomington, Indiana friary from the two books: “Real Presence” by St Peter Julian Eymard and “A Month with Mary” by Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo See Text below

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

Day #5: Hiddenness

MARY: Do you know what is the real cause of the life and the beauty of a flower? …  You see its brilliant shades, smell its delicate fragrance and yet you don’t recognize that all of this buds forth from those humble roots which are hidden in the barren and often muddy earth. It is the humble earth that secures the vital part of a flower and in it that the roots are hidden and these cannot give life to the flower if they are not hidden! Virtue is always born from an intimate and profound hiddenness! Flowers must certainly be seen for Jesus says: “Let your good deeds be seen by others”, but the seeds from which they bud, the life of the heart must remain concealed and hidden.

How many times do you not love to appear virtuous before those who see you and seek the vain praise of others’ Then you remove the root from being hidden, it unhappily dries up and also the flower wilts and dies. The paid gardener cuts the flower and ties it to an artificial stem so that it may be admired … but in doing this he kills it! When you seek human praise, you cut the flower of virtue and you place it on an artificial stem … After empty praise it is nothing more than a mass of withered leaves. Therefore love hiddenness and desire that only God sees you and reads the secret of your heart.

THE SOUL: O Mary, open your humble Heart to me as a refuge so that I may hide myself in it! Human
praise disturbs me, agitates me, makes me so ugly and I recognize that I get worse after praise. I?m full of pride and I can?t free myself of it except by hiding myself in God! O Mary, give me the strength to flee human praise and my vanity!

ASPIRATION: O Mary, give me humility of heart.

LITTLE WORK: When something redounds to your praise, don?t say it for the love of holy humility.
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In the homily for Ash Wednesday (Mar 06, 2019) Fr. Maximilian explains how the ashes we receive today remind us of the death that we must one day pass through. The Lenten season is one of repentance, achieved through prayer, fasting, and sacrifice. In turning away from sin and to the light and love of God, we accomplish the necessary preparation for a good death and the passage to eternal life.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Ash Wednesday – Wkdy

Readings: 
1st: Joel 2:12-18
Resp: Ps 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17
2nd: 2 Cor 5:20-6:2
Gsp: Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

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On the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (Mar 25), Fr. Alan gives the homily on the deceptive richness of the Mystery referred to simply as “the Annunciation.” Almost lost in the narrative of the Angel’s message and the Virgin Mary’s response is the climax of the whole episode: the Word Himself inconspicuously takes flesh and becomes man in the Virgin’s womb.

Less than an understatement, the foretold fulfilment of God’s eternal plan is not even acknowledged as having taken place the moment Mary responded: “Be it done unto me according to your word.” Mary’s great humility is outdone only by Our Lord in this lesson of Love Incarnate, come into the world through Mary.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Annunciation of the Lord – Solemnity

Readings: 
1st: Is 7:10-14
Resp: Ps 40:7-8, 8-9, 10, 11
2nd: Heb 10:4-10
Gsp: Lk 1:26-38

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Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN on Jun 23, 2020, on how we should not throw pearls before swine, where pearls are spiritual truths and swine are people who have no appreciation of them. This is especially true of the Eucharist where only those who are worthy should receive.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Wednesday 12th Week of Ordinary Time – Wkdy
Readings:  – http://usccb.org/bible/readings/062320.cfm
1st: 2ki 22:8-13, 23:1-3
Resp: psa 119:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40 0
Gsp: mat 7:15-20

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