Ave Maria!

We apologize for the delay in getting this episode of “No Apologies” on the air. The Airmaria production team was on a field trip last week to Steubenville, Ohio, and Bloomington, Indiana, and with limited internet access during this time, we were unable to post this episode.

Fra Joseph is also recovering from a bout of Lyme’s disease and is in St Raphael’s Hospital in New Haven for the next week, so we will be unable to post the next episode of “No Apologies” for another two weeks – one thing for sure, these episodes are worth waiting for and in this episode Fra Joseph again skillfully explains the Perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary using Sacred Scripture, Church Tradition, and the writings of the Early Church Fathers.

Ave Maria!

The post Video – Fra Joseph – No Apologies #12: The Perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Marycast #4 ( 11min) Play – To have a “balanced” love for the Mother of Jesus true devotion must be supported by true doctrine. Dr Mark Miravalle explains the sources of divine revelation: Tradition & Scripture as the authentic Word of God.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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Marycast #5 ( 10min) Play – One must look to both Scripture and Tradition to understand the Revelation given by Our Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to Dr Mark Miravalle explain how every Marian truth is contained implicitly in the Bible, confirmed by Tradition and guarded by the Magisterium.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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Homily #080329 ( 07min) Play – Tradition holds, and the Church teaches, that Our Lord first appeared to His Mother after His Resurrection. So when the Gospel writers say that our Lord first appeared to Mary Magdalen, this does not exclude the possibility that he appeared to His Mother before this.
Ave Maria! Mass readings
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November 21st: The Presentation of Mary in the Temple

Ven. Mary of Agreda “The Mystical City of God’ (abridged) on HER PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE

The three years’ time decreed by the Lord having been completed, Joachim and Anne set out from Nazareth, accompanied by a few of their kindred and bringing with them the true living Ark of the covenant, the most holy Mary, borne on the arms of her mother in order to be deposited in the holy temple of Jerusalem. The beautiful child, by her fervent and loving aspirations, hastened after the ointments of her Beloved, seeking in the temple Him, whom she bore in her heart.

This humble procession was scarcely noticed by earthly creatures, but it was invisibly accompanied by the angelic spirits, who, in order to celebrate this event, had hastened from heaven in greater numbers than ordinary as her bodyguard, and were singing in heavenly strains the glory and praise of the Most High. The Princess of heaven heard and saw them as she hastened her beautiful steps along in the sight of the highest and true Solomon. Thus they pursued their journey from Nazareth to the holy city of Jerusalem, and also the parents of the holy child Mary felt in their hearts great joy and consolation of spirit.

They arrived at the holy temple, and the blessed Anne on entering took her daughter and mistress by the hand, accompanied and assisted by Saint Joachim. All three offered a devout and fervent prayer to the Lord; the parents offering to God their daughter, and the most holy child, in profound humility, adoration and worship, offering up herself. She alone perceived that the Most High received and accepted her, and, amid divine splendor which filled the temple, she heard a voice saying to her: “Come, my beloved, my spouse, come to my temple, where I wish to hear thy voice of praise and worship.”

Having offered their prayers, they rose and betook themselves to the priest. The parents consigned their child into his hands and he gave them his blessing. Together conducted her to the portion of the temple build­ing where many young girls lived to be brought up in retirement and in virtuous habits, until old enough to assume the state of matrimony, It was a place of retirement especially selected for the first-born daughters of the royal tribe of Juda and the sacerdotal tribe of Levi.
Fifteen stairs led up to the entrance of these apartments. Other priests came down these stairs in order to welcome the blessed child Mary. The one that had received them, being according to the law one of a minor order, placed her on the first step. Mary, with his permission, turned and kneeling down before Joachim and Anne, asked their blessing and kissed their hands, recommending herself to their prayers before God. The holy parents in tenderest tears gave her their blessing; whereupon she ascended the fifteen stairs without any assistance. She hastened upward with incomparable fervor and joy, neither turning back, nor shedding tears, nor showing any childish regret at parting from her parents.  To see her, in so tender an age, so full of strange majesty and firmness of mind, excited the admiration of all those present.

The priests received her among the rest of the maidens, and Saint Simeon consigned her to the teachers, one of whom was the prophetess Anna. This holy matron had been prepared by the Lord by especial grace and enlightenment, so that she joyfully took charge of this Child of Joachim and Anne. She considered the charge a special favor and of divine Providence and merited by her holiness and virtue to have her as a disciple, who was to be the Mother of God and Mistress of all the creatures.

Sorrowfully her parents Joachim and Anne retraced their journey to Nazareth, now poor as deprived of the rich treasure of their house. But the Most High consoled and comforted them in their affliction. The holy priest Simeon, although he did not at this time know of the mystery enshrined in the child Mary, obtained great light as to her sanctity and her special selection by the Lord; also the other priests looked upon her with great reverence and esteem. In ascending the stairs the child brought to fulfillment, that, which Jacob saw happening in sleep; for here too were angels ascending and descending: the ones accompanying, the others meeting their Queen as she hastened up; whereas at the top God was waiting in order to welcome her as His daughter and spouse. She also felt by the effects of the overflowing love, that this truly was the house of God and the portal of heaven.

Mary’s presentation was celebrated in Jerusalem in the sixth century. A church was built there in honor of this mystery. The Eastern Church was more interested in the feast, but it does appear in the West in the 11th century. Although the feast at times disappeared from the calendar, in the 16th century it became a feast of the universal Church.

As with Mary’s birth, we read of Mary’s presentation in the temple only in apocryphal literature. In what is recognized as an unhistorical account, the Protoevangelium of James tells us that Anna and Joachim offered Mary to God in the Temple when she was three years old. This was to carry out a promise made to God when Anna was still childless.

Though it cannot be proven historically, Mary’s presentation has an important theological purpose. It continues the impact of the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the birth of Mary. It emphasizes that the holiness conferred on Mary from the beginning of her life on earth continued through her early childhood and beyond.

Comment:

It is sometimes difficult for modern Westerners to appreciate a feast like this. The Eastern Church, however, was quite open to this feast and even somewhat insistent about celebrating it. Even though the feast has no basis in history, it stresses an important truth about Mary: From the beginning of her life, she was dedicated to God. She herself became a greater temple than any made by hands. God came to dwell in her in a marvelous manner and sanctified her for her unique role in God’s saving work. At the same time, the magnificence of Mary redounds upon her children. They, too, are temples of God and sanctified in order that they might enjoy and share in God’s saving work.

THE PRESENTATION OF MARY:  Commemorated November 21

It stands to reason that Almighty God’s selection of the Virgin Mary to be the Mother of God was not a random selection.

In his wisdom, God selected not from the nobility but from the humble, thoroughly devout, daughter of equally devout parents whose names were Joachim and Anna. Tradition has it that Anna, childless for many years, reached a point in her life when just short of despair she prayed in earnest that God grant her a child with a promise that should her wish be fulfilled she would pledge the child to his holy Temple. It did not matter to Anna that the child granted her by God was a girl and, faithful to her word, she presented her daughter, given the name of Mary, to the holy Temple at the age of three, on the 21st of November.

She remained in the house of God for twelve years, emerging at the age of fifteen with a purity and wholesomeness found in no other creature of God. By the time she had been released to her parents, the saintly Mary was not only a flawless maiden but in her twelve years had acquired the lore and religion of the deepest scholars, something usually denied a female child of those days.

So much has been written of the Lord’s mother that the concern here is for a glimpse into her life as a human being. The Virgin Mary is looked upon by Orthodoxy as “Panagia,” which translates into the all-encompassing saint. Greek Orthodox Christians need but one name and that name is “Panagia,” carrying the full impact on the Christian faith as no other name can regardless of the language. The beginnings of Christianity were not the scattered remnants that somehow merged into a smattering, of ideologies. By divine intent the great religion of Christ stemmed from a tight circle which spread itself out as the greatest of human experiences.
To begin with, the high priest entrusted with the care of Mary was Zacharias, who in turn was the father of St. John the Baptist, referred to as the prefiguration of the Messiah and the man who was to baptise Jesus Christ…

Our Lady’s parents, Sts. Anne & Joachim, presented her in the temple when she was a small child. From her earliest years Mary led a life of prayer. She said “yes” to God’s will. “We wish to love the Lord Jesus with the heart of the Immaculate, receiving Him and thanking Him with her acts; thus, even if we should neither feel nor understand it, in fact we will honor the Lord Jesus with her heart, with her acts; or to speak more exactly, it will be she who through us loves and praises Jesus. We are but her instruments”

(St. Maximilian Kolbe).

The Presentation of Mary in the Temple

To understand what she was like then,
you have to imagine yourself in a place
in which columns affect you;
where you can retrace stairs
where arches full of danger
bridge the chasm of a space
that remained within you,
because it had been made, towering,
of such pieces that you can no longer
remove them from yourself lest you demolished yourself.
If you have reached that state, if everything within you
is stone, wall, ramp, view, curve, then try
to remove the big curtain in front of you
with both hands:
it sparkles of very noble things
and surpasses your breath and touch.
Up, down, palace built upon palace,
Railings stream wider from within railings,
and surface above surface on such edges
that vertigo, as you can see, grasps you.
Clouds of incense diffuse what is close,
but still the most distant aims right
inside of you with its straight rays –
and now, when the glow from clear bowls
of flame plays on slowly approaching robes:
how can you bear it?

She, however, came and raised her eyes
to view all this.
(A child, a little girl among women)
Then she ascended silently, filled with confidence,
towards the spoiled luxury which made way for her:
For that is how much everything that men built had
already been exceeded by the praise within her heart;
by the desire to give herself to the signs within her:
The parents wanted to lift her up,
the looming figure with the bejeweled chest
seemed to receive her:
But she passed through everyone,
small as she ways, slipped from every hand
into her destiny, which, higher than the hall,
was ready, and heavier than the temple.

Composed by Rainer Maria Rilke (translated by Gerald Augustinus)

Ave Maria Meditations

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“so that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven,

on earth and under the earth”(Phil. 2:8)

Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim,
Till all the world adore His sacred Name.

VENERATION OF THE HOLY NAME:

The veneration of the Holy Name was encouraged by the example of St. Bernard of Clairvaux but the greatest promoters of this devotion were St. Bernardine of Siena and his follower St. John Capistrano. “They carried with them on their missions in the turbulent cities of Italy a copy of the monogram of the Holy Name, surrounded by rays, painted on a wooden tablet, wherewith they blessed the sick and wrought great miracles. At the close of their sermons they exhibited this emblem to the faithful and asked them to prostrate themselves, to adore the Redeemer of mankind.” ( Catholic Encyclopedia )

The practice of showing the monogram of Jesus over gates and above doors largely begins with their exhortations.? In the sixteenth century the Holy Name was introduced as a liturgical feast. In the year 1530 Pope Clement VII first per?mitted the Order of Friars Minor to celebrate the Name of Jesus with its own proper Office.

Jesus in the soul’s abyss
Is sweeter far than earthly bliss;
A tower strong is that Name mild
Ne’er disturbed by tempest wild.
Far lovelier than a diamond bright,
That Name adorns the soul with light.
The Name of Jesus sweetly rings
Like rarest zither’s silver strings.

Ah, Jesus, for Thy Name’s blest sake
Forgive my sins, exceeding great.
Grant, dear Lord, that Thy fair name,
May wound my heart with holy pain.
Jesus, choicest Lover mine,
May my heart’s love be ever Thine.
Bless me Jesus, God of power,
Now and in death’s departing hour.

(Blessed Henry Suso)

St. Bernard would hold up for veneration the monogram of Christ’s Name — the letters “IHS” — surrounded by rays. This ancient monogram is a Latinization of the Greek monograms for Iesous Christos, “IH XP” and “IC XC”.

IHS represents the name of Jesus. Originally the letters came from a contraction of his name in Greek. Later, they became linked to the special devotion to his holy name. Over time, IHS has taken on different meanings. For example, it is also associated with the first letters of the Latin phrase “Iesus Hominum Salvator” (Jesus, Savior of Men).

The heart of every Christian should respond to this invitation and exalt the most Holy Name of Our Savior, that is, His very Person, for the Name of Jesus expresses what He is: Savior, Redeemer. This sacred Name, announced by the Angel to both Mary and Joseph, was given to Our Lord by God Himself. “Thou shalt call His Name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins” (Mt1:21).

This Name expresses and synthesizes the great myteries of the Incarnation and the Redemption; it is at the center of the universe like a point of contact, like a bridge between God and all mankind. Man can reach God only by means of Jesus and in the Name of Jesus : “for there is other Name under heaven whereby we must be saved”.

“0 glorious Name! Gracious Name! Name full of love and virtue!Through You, sins are forgiven, enemies overcome, the sick healed, and sufferers strengthened in adversity! You are the honor of believers, the Master of preachers, the comfort of those who toil, the support of the weak. Holy desires are nourished by the ardor of Your fire; and by it, necessary suffrages are obtained, contemplative souls are inebriated, and the triumphant are glorified in heavenly glory! By Your most Holy Name, 0 sweet Jesus, You make us reign with the Blessed, You, their glory, You who triumph gloriously with the Father and the Holy Spirit, in perfect Unity and Trinity, forever and ever.

0 Name of Jesus, exalted above every other Name! O triumphant Name! 0 joy of Angels! 0 terror of hell! All hope of pardon, of grace and of glory is found in You! O sweetest Name, You pardon the guilty, You reform evil habits, You fill the timid with divine sweetness and drive away terrifying visions! 0 glorious Name! By You, the mysteries of eternal life are revealed, souls are inflamed with divine love, strengthened in time of struggle, and freed from all dangers. 0 desirable Name! Delightful Name! Admirable Name! Venerable Name! Little by little You raise the souls of the faithful by Your gifts and graces to the heights of heaven. All to whom You communicate Your ineffable grandeur, by Your power attain to salvation and glory!”

(St. Bernardine of Siena).

How good is Your Name, 0 Lord! Grant that its goodness may make me, unworthy creature that I am, capable of loving and praising You with all my heart. I want to begin and end all my works by invoking Your Name, and to mark all my affections, desires, under?takings, joys, and sorrows with this sacred seal. But 0 Lord, I beg You, above all, imprint Your Name on my heart and mind, so that I may always love You and think of You.

(Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene OCD)

From the Holy Name Society:

Holy Mother Church reveals to us the greatness of His Name. The month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. Since the 16th century Catholic piety has associated entire months to special devotions. Holy Mother Church reveals to us the greatness of His name. ?It was on the occasion of the rite of Circumcision that a name was given to children among Jews. So the Church uses the same Gospel as that of the Feast of the Circumcision, and dwells on the second part, which tells us that “the Child was called Jesus”, “as God had bid that He should be called”. This name means Savior, for “there is no other name given to men whereby we must be saved”.

Devotion to the Holy Name is deeply rooted in the Sacred Scriptures, especially in the Acts of the Apostles. Although it is not difficult to find devotion to the Holy Name in some ancient Christian liturgy, the official origin of this feast is traced to the sixteenth century, when it was celebrated by the Franciscan Order. It was promoted in a special manner by St. Bernard, St. Bernardine of Siena, St. John Capistran and by the Franciscan Order. This special feast was extended to the whole Church in 1727 during the Pontificate of Innocent XIII.

The feast is meant to impress on all Christians the dignity of the Holy Name. Before the reform of the Roman Calendar this feast was celebrated on January 2. In the liturgical revisions of Vatican II, the feast was deleted, though a votive Mass to the Holy Name of Jesus had been retained for devotional use by the Dominican and Franciscan Orders. With the release of the revised Roman Missal in March 2002, the feast was restored as an optional memorial for the whole Church and set on January 3.

Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus

V. Lord, have mercy on us.
R. Christ, have mercy on us.
V. Lord, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear us.
R. Jesus, graciously hear us.
V. God the Father of Heaven
R. Have mercy on us.
V. God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
R. Have mercy on us.
V. God the Holy Spirit,
R. Have mercy on us.
V. Holy Trinity, one God,
R. Have mercy on us.
V. Jesus, Son of the living God, R. Have mercy on us.
Jesus, splendor of the Father, [ etc. ] Jesus, brightness of eternal light.
Jesus, King of glory.
Jesus, sun of justice.
Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary.
Jesus, most amiable.
Jesus, most admirable.
Jesus, the mighty God.
Jesus, Father of the world to come.
Jesus, angel of great counsel.
Jesus, most powerful.
Jesus, most patient.
Jesus, most obedient.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
Jesus, lover of chastity.
Jesus, lover of us.
Jesus, God of peace.
Jesus, author of life.
Jesus, example of virtues.
Jesus, zealous lover of souls.
Jesus, our God.
Jesus, our refuge.
Jesus, father of the poor.
Jesus, treasure of the faithful.
Jesus, good Shepherd.
Jesus, true light.
Jesus, eternal wisdom.
Jesus, infinite goodness.
Jesus, our way and our life.
Jesus, joy of Angels.
Jesus, King of the Patriarchs.
Jesus, Master of the Apostles.
Jesus, teacher of the Evangelists.
Jesus, strength of Martyrs.
Jesus, light of Confessors.
Jesus, purity of Virgins.
Jesus, crown of Saints.

V. Be merciful, R. spare us, O Jesus.
V. Be merciful, R. graciously hear us, O Jesus.

V. From all evil, R. deliver us, O Jesus.
From all sin, deliver us, O Jesus.
From Your wrath, [ etc. ] From the snares of the devil.
From the spirit of fornication.
From everlasting death.
From the neglect of Your inspirations.
By the mystery of Your holy Incarnation.
By Your Nativity.
By Your Infancy.
By Your most divine Life.
By Your labors.
By Your agony and passion.
By Your cross and dereliction.
By Your sufferings.
By Your death and burial.
By Your Resurrection.
By Your Ascension.
By Your institution of the most Holy Eucharist.
By Your joys.
By Your glory.

V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
R. spare us, O Jesus.
V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
R. graciously hear us, O Jesus.
V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world,
R. have mercy on us, O Jesus.

V. Jesus, hear us.
R. Jesus, graciously hear us.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, You have said, “Ask and you shall receive, seek, and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened to you.” Grant, we beg of You, to us who ask it, the gift of Your most divine love, that we may ever love You with our whole heart, in word and deed, and never cease praising You.

Give us, O Lord, as much a lasting fear as a lasting love of Your Holy Name, for You, who live and are King for ever and ever, never fail to govern those whom You have solidly established in Your love. R. Amen.

Some Scripture Passages Featuring the Sacred Name of Jesus:

And when eight days were fulfilled for His circumcision, His Name was called Jesus, the Name given Him by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
(Luke 2:21)

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Mt.1:20)

But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His Name. (Jn.20:30)

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2: 37)

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In theName of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. (Acts 3:5)

Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:12)

That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.(Phil.2:9)

Colossians 3:17
All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.

And this is his commandment, that we should believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. (1 Jn.3:22)

Apocalypse 22:4
And there shall be no curse any more; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. And they shall see His face: and His Name shall be on their foreheads.

The post NAME Above All Names first appeared on AirMaria.com.

A little history of the apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes

“ I cannot promise you happiness in this life; only in the next”, said Our Lady to the little girl named Bernadette. The young girl lives out her life quietly, going to a convent and never seeking attention for herself. She gave all of herself to God and became a great saint. Her body is incorrupt and it looks so beautiful as if she is only sleeping. It is a marvel!

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Homily #100114 ( 06min) Play – St. Hilary of Poitiers fought the heresy of Arianism in his time. He did this by being true to the Magisterium. As the Catechism says:

Par 85 “The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ.” This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

This simple policy guarantees that we won’t fall into error of personal interpretation whether of scripture as the Protestants do or of Tradition as the ultra Traditionalists do.

Ave Maria! St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church – Mass: EF, In Medio Ecclesiae – Readings: 1st: 2ti 4:1-8 – Gsp: mat 5:13-19

Audio (MP3)

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No Apologies #119 – Type the Caption here ( 04min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Sabellianism taught that the 3 Persons in the Trinity were not distinct persons but rather 3 different modes or offices that the 1 God appeared in. Knowledge of their error is helpful in dealing with those who believe that the Bible is the sole transmitter of the Deposit of Faith. Sabellius broke from Sacred Tradition and it was this that orthodox opponents used to combat him.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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Homily #111121 ( 06min) Play – The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is found nowhere in Scripture – it is a Tradition – that’s tradition with a capital T!
Ave Maria!
Mass: Ordinary Form – Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Feast 
Readings:
1st Reading: Zechariah 2:14-17
Responsorial: Luke 1:46-55
Gospel: Matthew 12:46-50

Audio (MP3)

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