Ave Maria!

Watch this video by Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner, FI, STD as he gives a short biography of Mother Mary of Agreda and how her Marian theology, which is so often portrayed as being opposed to Vatican II, is actually very much in line with it, anticipating the Council by 300 years.

Fr. Peter highlights a new book on this subject, Venerable Mother Agreda and the Mariology of Vatican II by Enrique Llamas, OCD, STD of the International Pontifical Marian Academy, which has been published by the Academy of the Immaculate. A heated discussion on this topic is being carried on at Mark Shea’s blog under the post “… skeptical that … ‘Mary suffered no birth pains'”. A comment by Sandra Miesel of Crisis Magazine about halfway down the comment stack started it off.

PDF samples of our new book are available online: the Table of Contents and Foreward (pp i-xii)

English translations of Mother Mary of Agreda’s works can be purchased from Tan Books.

Ave Maria!

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Ave Maria!

Fr. Peter discusses with host John Primeau of NACEPF how Mary is made Mother of all Christians and the Church in John 19:25 where Mary is at the Foot of the Cross.

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Ave Maria!

This week Dr. Miravalle gives us a wonderfully understandable summary of the three Marian titles of Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, & Advocate in terms of family and common experience. In short, Mary is a very good mother to us, a mother in the order of grace. As Coredemptrix she is the Mother Suffering out of compassion for her children, as Mediatrix she is the Mother Nourishing us with graces and as Advocate she is the Mother Pleading on our behalf.? Come nourish yourself with the teaching of Dr Mark Miravalle on Our Lady and Mother.

Ave Maria!

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Marycast #2 ( 10min) Play – In this episode Dr. Mark goes over the many topics that he will cover in this series – Her Role in Redemption, Marian apparitions, the Rosary, the Scapular, Totus Tuus, the Dogmas of the Church, the Traditions of the Church, the Mother of all Peoples, in short, everything about the Mother of God. We encourage you to email us at: marycast@airmaria.com with any questions you may have about Mary, or even any objections to our presentation. But most of all, come and join us.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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Homily #080706 (43min) Play – Fr. Bonaventure explains today’s Gospel reading, focusing on how it is contained in the Apostle’s Creed and then explains the importance and content of this Creed. It highlights the stupendous fact that God has become man and so gives praise to Mary his Mother while giving praise to his Father. To be able to see the importance of this creed we must be truly humble like children and like Our Lady, the Handmaid of the Lord.
Ave Maria! Mass readings
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Saint Anne and Saint Joachim , Parents of Mary
Feast Day: July 26
Patronage of: Anne – of Canada, women in childbirth, Christian mothers, Joachim – of fathers

Patrons for Grandparents

Joachim and Anne were the parents of Mary and the grandparents of Jesus.

The name “Hannah” means grace. In Galilee, where she lived, Mary’s mother was probably called “Hannah” even though we know her as Saint Anne. So, if you are named “Hannah” or “Anne” you are named after the mother of Our Blessed Mother.

It was in the womb of Saint Anne that Mary was immaculately conceived. From the first instant of her life, she was in a state of grace and free from all stain of Original Sin. It was her parents, Anne and Joachim that raised her to be faithful to God’s word and remain free of sin.

Tradition has it that the couple offered their little daughter to God in the Temple. As a young girl, she spent time in service to the Temple. working and learning with other girls. But it was problbly her parents who taught her to read, and certainly Joachim and Anne who taught her to love and follow God’s word and to know and understand the Scriptures.

Anne is the patron of Christian mothers, and Joachim the patron of fathers. They were given the great honour and responsibility of raising Mary to be the Mother of God, and can help mothers and fathers today to raise their children to love and follow God too.

PRAYER TO ST JOACHIM AND ST ANNE

Great and glorious patriarch, St Joachim, and good St Anne, what joy is mine when I consider that you were chosen among all God?s holy ones to assist in the fulfillment of the mysteries of God, and to enrich our earth with the great Mother of God, Mary most holy. By this singular privilege, you have become most powerful with both the Mother and her Son, so as to be able to obtain for us the graces that are needful to us.

With great confidence I have recourse to your mighty protection, and I commend to you all my needs, both spiritual and temporal, and those of my family. Especially do I entrust to your keeping the particular favour that I desire and look for from your intercession.

And since you were a perfect pattern of the interior life, obtain for me the grace to pray earnestly, and never to set m heart on the passing goods of this life. Give me a lively and enduring love for Jesus and Mary. Obtain for me also a sincere devotion and obedience to Holy church and the sovereign pontiff who rules over her, in order that I may live an die in faith and hope and perfect charity. Let me ever invoke the holy Names of Jesus and Mary. And may I thus be saved. Amen.

LITANY IN HONOR OF SAINT ANNE:

Lord, have mercy
Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

St Anne, pray for us.
Offspring of the royal race of David, *
Daughter of the Patriarchs,
Faithful spouse of St Joachim
Mother of Mary, the Virgin Mother of God,
Gentle mother of the Queen of heaven,
Grandmother of Our Saviour,
Beloved of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
Instrument of the Holy Spirit,
Richly endowed with God?s grace,
Example of piety and patience in suffering,
Mirror of obedience,
Ideal of pure womanhood,
Protectress of virgins,
Model of Christian mothers,
Protectress of the married,
Guardian of children,
Support of Christian family life,
Help of the Church,
Mother of mercy,
Mother of confidence,
Friend of the poor,
Example of widows,
Health of the sick,
Cure of those who suffer from disease,
Mother of the infirm,
Light of the blind,
Speech of those who cannot speak,
Hearing of the deaf,
Consolation of the afflicted,
Comforter of the oppressed,
Joy of the Angels and Saints,
Refuge of sinners,
Harbour of salvation,
Patroness of a happy death,
Help of all who have recourse to you,
(* Pray for us is repeated after each invocation)

Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world; spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world; graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world; have mercy on us.

V. Pray for us, good St Anne,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Almighty and eternal God, You were pleased to choose St Anne to be the mother of the Mother of Your loving Son. Grant, we pray, that we who confidently honour her may through her prayers attain to everlasting life. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

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Standing Fast #28 – A Young Knight recites the Four Rules of Knighthood ( 2min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

This was sent to us by someone who attended the last Knights of Lepanto Encampment with his son who is the main actor along with Fr. Angelo. He filmed it himself and his children edited it, pretty good for a first try. We need more Catholics doing this. Bravo!

They cover the four rules of being a knight that were discussed at the encampment. These are:

1. Morning Act of Offering

2. Daily Examination of Conscience

3. Treat your Mother with Respect

4. Treat your Sister(s) with Respect

This sounds really tough for a knight of any age, but for one so young! But, hey, no pain no gain. At least there is no “Clean your Room Every Day.” Or is this included in “Treat your Mother with Respect”?

Ave Maria!

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HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

MARY, you are the Mother of God because you are the Mother of Jesus Christ, the true Son of God. You could not be the Mother of His divine nature, which has existed before all time and from all eternity, but you brought forth Jesus after He had assumed human nature in you.

The Archangel Gabriel recognized this dignity of Divine Motherhood when he said, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; and therefore the Holy One to be born of thee shall be called the Son 01 God” (Luke 1,35). And Elizabeth exclaimed, “And how have I deserved that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1,43)

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Since God was pleased to choose you as His Mother because of your humility, help me to be truly humble of heart, that like you, I may be pleasing to God and may deserve to be exalted in heaven. Banish all pride and vanity from my heart and let me ever seek the glory of God in all things.

MARY, to understand how great you really are as Mother of God, I would have to understand the greatness of God Himself. Your dignity surpasses that of all saints, for they are only God’s ser?vants, while you are His Mother. No. angel or saint could ever say to Jesus, “You are my Son,;’ Your dignity on that account is nearly infinite, since-you are so closely united with the infinite Good. God could not create a greater Mother than His own. Conscious of this dignity, you exclaimed, “Henceforth all gen?erations shall call me blessed” (Luke 1,49).

Sweet Mother of God, I admire your dignity, which was the greatest ever bestowed upon a human being. Each day of my life I wish to thank God for the graces and privileges He has bestowed upon you to make you what you are.

MARY, because you are the Mother of God, I can pray to you with full confidence. Jesus would hardly refuse you any request that was in keeping with God’s will, for if He grants the request of the Saints, who are only His servants, how can He refuse His own Mother whom He loves so tenderly? I am sure Jesus is pleased to have you ask Him for anything, since He wants to be generous to us for your sake. Is not this in some measure a reward for the human nature you have given him?

Mother of God, since God was pleased to choose you as His Mother, and since He was very generous to you in making you worthy of this dignity, I con?fidently hope that He will be generous to me if you pray for me. I entrust my salvation to your care. Never let me fail to invoke your intercession in all my needs, for Jesus will refuse you nothing because we both can call you “Mother.”

Fr. Lawrence Lovasik

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?Such is the ineffable union existing between Jesus and Mary: she is His Mother;? He is her Son. This union is indissoluble and as Jesus is at the same time the Son of God, come to save the world, Mary is intimately associated in this vital mystery of all Christianity. All her greatness is founded on this special privilege of her divine Motherhood.

Blessed Columba Marmion

We recall that Mary’s mediation is essentially defined by her divine motherhood. Recognition of her role as mediatrix is moreover implicit in the expression “our Mother,” which presents the doctrine of Marian mediation by putting the accent on her motherhood…. In proclaiming Christ the one mediator (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5-6), the text of St. Paul’s Letter to Timothy excludes any other parallel mediation, but not subordinate mediation. In fact, before emphasizing the one exclusive mediation of Christ, the author urges “that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all men” (2:1). Are not prayers a form of mediation? Indeed, according to St. Paul, the unique mediation of Christ is meant to encourage other dependent, ministerial forms of mediation…. In truth, what is Mary’s maternal mediation if not the Father’s gift to humanity?…Mary carries out her maternal role in constant dependence on the mediation of Christ and from him receives all that his heart wishes to give mankind.
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Pope John Paul II – Audience Oct 1, 1997

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St. Monica (August 27^th) and St. Augustine (August 28^th)

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The great bishop of Milan, St. Ambrose, knowing of her prayers and tears for her son, told St.Monica that “it is impossible that the son of so many tears should perish.”

Bishop Ambrose of Milan, was right. At the age of 35, Monica’s son, Augustine, became a Christian and was baptized, along with his son, Adeodatus, by Ambrose. A few months later, on the way home to Hippo with Augustine and Adeodatus, Monica fell ill and died.

Monica could not have known that her prayers and devotion would affect not only the life of her son but also the course of history. Her concern was that her son believe “the truth which is in Jesus.”

This devotion to the spiritual welfare of her son is why Monica is regarded as the model for all Christian mothers.

When death was approaching and seeing her son?s grief, St. Monica told him, ?Bury my body wherever you will; let not care of it cause you any concern. ONE THING ONLY I ASK OF YOU: THAT YOU REMEMBER ME AT THE ALTAR OF THE LORD WHEREVER YOU MAY BE.?

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St. Monica (333-387) was born in Tagaste, northern Africa and died in Ostia, near Rome. Monica was a Christian, but her husband Patricius was a pagan and a man of loose morals. Monica’s virtues and prayers, however, converted him, and he was baptized a year before his death. When her son, Augustine, joined the Manichean sect and went astray in faith and morals, Monica’s tears and prayers for her son were incessant. She followed him to Milan, where Augustine went to teach, and there continued to storm heaven with her prayers for her son. Finally, she had the joy of witnessing St. Ambrose baptize Augustine in 387. She died in Ostia, as she and her son gazed at the sea and discoursed about the joys of the blessed.? Augustine would become a priest, bishop and one of hte greatest Doctors and Saints of the Catholic Church.

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Collect: God of mercy, comfort those in sorrow, the tears of Saint Monica moved you to convert her son Saint Augustine to the faith of Christ. By their prayers, help us to turn from our sins and to find your loving forgiveness. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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September 8th: Nativity of Mary,

the CAUSE OF OUR JOY

Causa nostrae laetitiae, ora pro nobis

Cause of Our Joy, may my greatest happiness be to possess the love and grace of God; my greatest glory to be a disciple of Jesus and a child of yours. I rejoice in this happiness and exult in this glory. Let not human pride and worldly desires keep me from perfect devotion to you and your Son.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, Father of mercies and God of all consolation, grant in Your loving kindness that we who joyfully venerate on earth Mary, Your most pure Mother, as our comforter, may deserve to enjoy with her the unending happiness of heaven. Who live and reign forever. Amen.

Fr. Lawrence Lovasik

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