MARY MOTHER OF GOD

                                                              MARY CROWNED QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

INTRODUCTION

 Centuries before the birth of Christ, Isaiah foretold the coming of the Messiah-King: “A child is born to us [he said], a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace”… This Messiah would be in the royal line of David, and his reign would have no end Isaiah. 9:6-7.

Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of David who came to fulfill the Davidic Kingdom. The whole point of the genealogy in the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel is to show Jesus is royalty; he is the heir to David’s throne. Matthew 1:1

When the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, he explicitly links the birth of the child to the fulfillment of God’s promise to King David:

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. Luke 1:26-33

 First century Jews would have known, under the reign of David’s royal family, the kingdom was ruled by both a King and a Queen. Unlike in modern-day kingdoms, however, the queen of Israel was not the king’s wife but his mother. She was known as the “Queen Mother.”

The pre-eminence of the king’s mother may seem odd from our modern Western perspective, In the Near East, however, most ancient Near-Eastern kings practiced polygamy. King Solomon had seven hundred wives 1 Kings.11:3

Imagine the chaos in the royal court if all seven hundred were awarded the Queen-ship! But since each king had only one mother, one can see the practical wisdom in bestowing the Queen-ship upon her. In the historical books of the Old Testament, the Queen mother holds a position of great honor.

According to the Old Testament, the Queen mother was also a powerful intercessor with her son, the king.  In Hebrew tradition, Mary is Queen Mother. Mary’s royal office is made even more explicit in Luke’s account of the Visitation. Elizabeth greets Mary with the title “the mother of my Lord” Luke 1:43. Elizabeth is recognizing the great dignity of Mary’s role as the royal mother of the king, Jesus

In the royal court language of the ancient Near East, the title “Mother of my Lord” was used to address the Queen mother of the reigning king (who himself was addressed as “my Lord”  2 Sam. 24:21.

In the last book of the Bible, Book of Revelation, we have the confirmation of what prophets and evangelists have been writing for centuries. a woman clothed with the sun and wearing a crown of stars is standing above the moon and the stars “in heaven.” Revelation 12:1

 Just as Jesus is a heavenly King who reigns over a heavenly kingdom, so Mary, Jesus’ mother, can rightly be described as Queen of the kingdom of heaven.

REFLECTION

 What God has accomplished in Mother Mary, He also wants to accomplish in us. From Heaven, Mary encourages each of us to say Yes to God’s plan for our lives just as she did so long ago.

Understanding Mary as Queen mother sheds light on her important intercessory role with Jesus, her Son. Just like the queen mother of the Davidic kingdom, Mary serves as advocate for the people in the Kingdom of God today.

Mary helps us to share in the Lord’s victory over sin. Rising above those sins, we begin to acquire self-mastery, true purity of heart, and a newfound ability to give ourselves to others in love and in service. All of this is who Mary is and why she reigns in Heaven.  There is no better intercessor than the Queen Mother! Mary awaits us! Bring us safely home, Mary! Amen!

Regina Caeli – Queen of Heaven

Queen of heaven, rejoice. Alleluia.  Pray to God for us, Alleluia.

O God, it was by the Resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that you brought joy to the world.

Grant through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, his Mother, we may attain the joy of eternal life.

Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

 

DORMITION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

BACKGROUND

 The Feast of the Assumption is the oldest Marian feast of the Catholic Church, celebrated universally by the sixth century. The feast was originally celebrated in the East, where it was known as the Feast of the Dormition, a word which means “the falling asleep.”

For two centuries after the death of Christ, under pagan rule, every memory of Jesus was obliterated from the city of Jerusalem. The sites made holy by His life, death and Resurrection became pagan temples. It wasn’t until the time of Roman Emperor Constantine (c. 285-337) that Jerusalem began to be restored as a sacred city.

One of the memories about his Mother Mary centered around the “Tomb of Mary,” where she was buried, close to Mount Zion, the highest point in ancient Jerusalem.

Also on the Mount was the “Place of Dormition,” the spot of Mary’s “falling asleep,” (where she had “died.) These two sites do suggest in tradition that Mary apparently died and was buried,

At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, Emperor Marcian asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to bring the relics of Mary to Constantinople to be enshrined in the capitol. The patriarch explained to the emperor that there were no relics of Mary in Jerusalem that “Mary had died in the presence of the apostles; but her tomb, when opened later, was found empty and so the apostles concluded that the body was taken up into heaven.” Did Mary actually die or was she assumed into heaven alive?  We don’t have a definitive answer to that question but as Catholics we are free to believe either. What we must believe according to the teaching authority of the Church (Magisterium) is: Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven, without seeing corruption.  CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which we celebrate on August 15, is a defined Church dogma. In 1950, Pope Pius XII defined the dogma of the Assumption ex cathedra—that is, an authoritative teaching “from the chair” of Peter. Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary a dogma in these words, “The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven, without seeing corruption. REFLECTION

Mary did not ascend into heaven like her Son did under His own power, but was taken up to heaven by God.  The Assumption completes God’s work in Mary since it was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God himself should ever undergo corruption.

On this feast of Assumption, we celebrate Mary’s entrance into heaven, body and soul. Though our bodies are corrupted in death unlike Mary, one day our bodies will be restored. Our bodies, created by God, are sacred and are essential to our human nature. “….

In The Feast of the Assumption, we look to eternity.  This life on earth is temporal and for the most part filled with suffering and grief. We look forward to life after death. Thank God that this is not all there is! This feast gives us hope that we, too will follow Our Lady when our life here on earth ends.

Wherever there is an out-stretched hand in labor for others we are participating in the grace and mystery of Mary’s Assumption.  As God lifted Mary up, God awaits those we lift in our labors. and we, the lifters as well.  Our heavenly home awaits!

 At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. I Corinthians 13:9-13 We have made it home!

Mary’s assumption is proof of how we will be rewarded for the sacrifices we make here on earth- By giving up now on earth what we like but what is sinful, and enduring what is painful to us but pleasing to God, we shall enjoy Heaven with Jesus and Mary – body and soul – in the world to come.

PRAYER

“All-powerful and ever-living God:

You raised the sinless Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul, to the glory of heaven.

May we see heaven as our final goal and come to share her glory.”

In Jesus’ name we pray.

The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary,

 having completed the course of her earthly life,

was assumed body and soul into heaven,

without seeing corruption.

POPE PIUS XII

 

 

 

OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

PRAY FOR US!

 What does Mary, the Mother of God have to do with Carmel and why a feast day?  Good question.  When Jesus saw his mother^* and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son, Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” John 19:17 From all eternity God chose Mary as the means to bring Christ into the world. Through the maternal care of Mary, her children grow in love and the zeal for the salvation of souls. Love is the “heart” of Carmel. 

Eve, through her disobedience, brought sin into the world. Mary, through her obedience brought salvation.  On July 16, 1251, Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock, Prior of the Carmelite order. St. Simon Stock had prayed fervently to the Blessed Mother for assistance as the Order of Carmel was enduring difficulties.  Our Lady appeared to him, holding the Brown Scapular in her hands, saying to him,, “This will be the sign of the privilege that I have obtained for thee and for the children of Carmel; whoever dies clothed with this habit will be preserved from the eternal flames”

  BACKGROUND

 Mt. Carmel is located in Palestine between Tyre and Caesarea about 20 miles from Nazareth, home of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  The prophet Elijah witnessed God’s triumph over the pagan gods of Ba’aal.  In the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, it was the Prophet Elijah and the lawmaker, Moses who appeared with Jesus who is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.  Carmel is the place where not only prophets, Elijah and Elisha, lived and prayed but many hermits after them lived lives of prayer and sacrifice.

 

MOUNT CARMEL

ELIJAH

In the Old Testament Elijah is first mentioned in 1 Kings 17:1 and is last seen in 2 Kings 2:13 when he is taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot. Elijah was the prophet and instrument of God to preserve the true religion of Israel.  Elijah preached conversion and repentance and turning away from pagan gods.

The people of Israel had apparently become comfortable worshiping both the pagan god Baal and the Lord, perhaps assigning mutually exclusive spheres of influence to each. By claiming authority over the rain 1 Kings 17:1; 18:1, the Lord was challenging Baal’s power in Baal’s own domain. The entire drought story becomes explicit in 18:21–40 This is a struggle between the Lord and Baal for the loyalties of the people of Israel.

Ahab summoned all the Israelites and had the prophets 0f Baal together at Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. So Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal.

Elijah prayed to the Lord

 Answer me, LORD! that this people may know that you, LORD, are God and that you have turned their hearts back to you.”The LORD’s fire came down and devoured the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust, and lapped up the water in the trench. Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said, “The LORD is God! The LORD is God! Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Let none of them escape!

SEIZE PROPHETS OF BAAL

1 KINGS 18-20

 

Elijah is the founder patriarch of the Order of Carmel. His charism reveals a singular devotion and love for Our Lord, zeal for the salvation of souls and a deep life of prayer.  St. John the Baptist bridged the Old to the New Testament, as he lived the spirit of Carmel in the desert as a hermit.

In silence and solitude, John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord. The Spirit of Carmel allows the love of God to increase in us, so that like St. John the Baptist, we too can say, “He must increase, I must decrease” John 3:30

 CARMELITE SPIRITUALITY

 Humility and dependence on God is central to Carmelite Spirituality. The first rule of the Carmelites was written by St. Albert Avogadro between the years 1206 – 1214. In the 16th century, St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila) and St. John of the Cross (both from Spain) inaugurated a reform of the Carmelite Order, aimed at returning to the original observance of the primitive Carmelite rule established by St. Albert.

. “Then the LORD said to Elijah: Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD;^* the LORD will pass by. There was a strong and violent wind rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD—but the LORD was not in the wind; after the wind, an earthquake—but the LORD was not in the earthquake; after the earthquake, fire—but the LORD was not in the fire; after the fire, a light silent sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.”

I Kings:19: 11-13

Both Sts. Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross teach us that God, the Blessed Trinity, dwells within the human person. Hence, one need not go out of self in search for God but enter progressively ever deeper within oneself to be with God who dwells at the very center of our being.  Carmelite spirituality proposes silence and solitude as necessary pre-requisites for prayer and contemplation. Silence refers not only to external noise but also to the stilling of one’s internal noises. Silence is the condition for listening attentively to the still small voice of God

 REFLECTIONS

In order to approach God more intimately, we must humbly approach Him, detached from other attachments that act as a barrier to God filling us with Himself.

What barriers do we have standing in the way of God?

Silence and special places can assist us in our prayer time to deepen our relationship with Jesus and His Father.

Do we have that silent place reserved for God and me?

Carmelite Spirituality also focuses on austerity as a means of freeing one-self from the tyranny of self-will, simplifying one’s life, and preserving all of one’s energy for journeying to God. Not my will but thy will be done! Luke 22:42

How am I imitating Jesus with his father at Gethsemane?

Carmelite spirituality is not just about self-salvation but the salvation of others as their prayers include all of us that all may be one in the Spirit and homeward bound.

I am called to evangelize.  How am I doing?

God must increase and I must decrease.

How is that happening?

Listen to that small quiet voice of the Spirit and pray for discernment.

What is that voice really telling me?   It may not be what I wanted to hear or expected.  Sometimes it even says wait awhile.

Mary is our maternal mother. Mary gave us the brown scapular that we might be clothed with Jesus as we were at our Baptisms.

Have I looked into obtaining a brown scapular?

 

 

 

 

OUR LADY APPEARS TO

FRANCISCO, JACINTA, AND LUCIA

May 13 is the anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady to three shepherd children in the small village of Fatima, Portugal in 1917.

BACKGROUND

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children, Francisco and Jacinta Marto and their cousin Lucia dos Santos received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria near the city of Fatima. Mary had instructed the children after the first apparition May 13 to meet here the following 5 months on the 13^th.

Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, pray for sinners, and for the conversion of Russia. Mary gave the children three secrets.

                  LUCIA and FRANCISCO and JACINTA

FATIMA SECRETS

The First Secret: the Vision of Hell

As the Lady was finishing the prayer, she opened her hands again. It seemed to open the earth! It revealed a very terrifying scene as the children were shown a vision of hell! It was only for a brief moment that they saw the fires of hell, the ugliest demons, and the poor charred and transparent burning souls of people suffering tremendously.

The Second Secret:

 WORLD WAR 1 is going to end.  But if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, (KRISTALLNACHT) know this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father.  

 To prevent this, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart, and the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart.  If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.

The Third Secret is revealed but Kept Secret at instructions of Blessed Mother.

 When Lucia grew up, she wrote down the secret

 THIRD SECRET:

 “a bishop dressed in white…the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him….,

Pope John Paul II directed the Holy See’s Secretary of State to reveal the third secret in 2000; it spoke of a “bishop in white.” Many people linked this vision to the assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981. 

FATIMA WARNINGS

 In the apparition of July 13, 1917 Our Lady warned the three children that if people did not stop offending God, He would punish the world “by means of war, hunger and persecution of the Church and of the Holy Father.

 Russia will spread its errors throughout the world, raising up wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer and various nations will be annihilated.”

 In a 1957 interview, Sr. Lucia, elaborated more on Persecution of the Church by adding the diminishment of the shepherding of the Church.  The devil found the easiest way to seize souls was to undermine those consecrated to God, especially priests and bishops leaving the souls of the faithful abandoned by their leaders. ie. pedophile priest scandals

 MIRACLE OF THE SUN

 On October 13, 1917, Our Lady of Fatima made her last public appearance with a great miracle, the miracle of the sun.  A great throng of 70,000 spectators witnessed the miracle of the sun. It had rained all during the apparition.

CROWD VIEW THE MIRACLE OF THE SUN OCTOBER 13, 1917

The sun spun rapidly like a gigantic circle of fire. Its rim became scarlet; whirling, it scattered red flames across the sky. Its light was reflected on the ground, on the trees, on the bushes, and on the faces and clothing of the people, which took on brilliant hues and changing colors.

After performing this bizarre pattern three times, the globe of fire seemed to tremble, shake, and then plunge in a zigzag toward the terrified crowd. All this lasted about ten minutes.  Finally, the sun zigzagged back to its original place and once again became still and brilliant, shining with its normal brightness.

REFLECTION

One of God’s harshest chastisements is when he permits his people to fall into the hands of clergy who are priests in name only.  God cries out through his prophet Jerimiah, “Return, rebellious children and I will appoint for you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently!” Jeremiah 3:14-15

Today, where are our shepherds???….a staggering number of Catholic Church leaders who occupy places of responsibility in the Church have fallen victim to the error of Modernism, the belief that some aspects of Catholic doctrine can change over time. It can’t!

Customs and Church discipline may change over time but not doctrine. It is hard enough to live in this secular world without an undermining of the Faith given to us by Jesus Christ by those He left behind to shepherd us.

 Pray that our priests and bishops will be Good Shepherds in imitation of Christ that they may lead us faithfully to the Way, the Truth, and Life, of Jesus Christ.  Stop watering down Church teaching… Jesus was unique; He didn’t go along to get along. And neither should we!

Satan, the Father of Lies, will say anything and do anything to entice us to separate from God just as he did with our first parents, Adam and Eve, …God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know^* good and evil. Genesis 3:5

 How did that work out for Adam and Eve???? Things we seek to fill us up apart from God will not do the trick.  St. Augustine says it best, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”

 REPENT AND BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL!

MARY MOTHER OF GOD

Solemnities are the highest rank of liturgical celebration. By celebrating a solemnity dedicated to Mary’s motherhood, the Church highlights the significance of her part in the life of Jesus.

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel, God with us.

Isaiah 7:14

It is fitting to honor Mary, as Mother of God, following the birth of Jesus. We are not only honoring Mary, who was chosen among all women throughout history to bear God incarnate, but we are also honoring our Lord, Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully human.

Just as Christmas honors Jesus as the “Prince of Peace,” the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God honors Mary as the “Queen of Peace” Every year on January 1 the Holy Father marks the World Day of Peace, inviting all people to reflect on the important work of building peace.

Some may wonder why we refer to Mary as Queen. From the moment Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive and bear a great son, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,,, Luke 1:26, Mary becomes future Queen..

In the Hebrew tradition, Mary is Queen Mother. Unlike modern-day kingdoms, the Queen of Israel was not the king’s wife but his mother. The king often had many wives but only one Mother.

From antiquity, Mary has been called “Theotokos, “God-Bearer.” The term was used as part of the popular piety of the early first millennium church. It lies at the heart of the Latin Rite’s deep Marian piety and devotion.

This is seen dramatically in Mary’s visitation to her cousin, Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. LUKE 1:41-42

BLESSED ART THOU AMONG WOMEN
LUKE 1:42-43

Although Mary is the Mother of God, she is not the source of her Son’s divinity. Women give birth to persons. Mary carried and gave birth to the person, Jesus Christ, and the person she gave birth to is God. Jesus is one Divine Person, consubstantial with the Father and the Spirit.

Mary is the Mother of God because she carried Jesus in her womb and contributed the genetic material for His human nature. Jesus is God; Mary is the Mother of God.

In the 4th and 5th centuries there was much debate about Jesus’ human nature and divine nature. The debate was about Christ’ divine nature. At the center of this debate was the particular title of Mary Mother of God.

Referring to Mary this way was popular in Christian devotion, but the patriarch of Constantinople from 428-431, Nestorius, objected on theological grounds.

Nestorius suggested that Mary was only the mother of Jesus’ human nature, but not his divine nature. Nestorius’ ideas were condemned at the Council of Ephesus in AD 431, and again at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451.

The Council’s insistence on the use of the title Mary Mother of God reflected an effort to preserve the teaching of the Church that Jesus was both Divine and human, that the two natures were united in His One Person.

This wonderful title, Mary, the Mother of God, “Theotokos”, reveals a profound truth not only about Mary, but about each one of us. We too are invited to become “God-bearers,

THEOTOKOS–GOD-BEARER

WHAT A GREAT INTERCESSOR WE HAVE IN MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD!
WHO CAN REFUSE A MOTHER’S REQUEST???

JESUS CERTAINLY COULDN’T AT CANA!

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE DECEMBER 12

PATRONESS OF THE AMERICAS

O Mary, dawn of the new world,

Mother of the living, to you do we entrust the cause of life. 

Look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers of babies

not allowed to be born.

 Grant that all who believe in your Son

may proclaim the Gospel of life

to the praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life.

BACKGROUND

 In 1910, St. Pius X named Our Lady of Guadalupe Patroness of Latin America, and in 1945, at the urging of bishops from the U.S. and Canada, Pius XII bestowed on her the title Empress of the Americas. 

In 1999, St. John Paul II formalized the invocation of Our Lady of Guadalupe as Patroness of the Americas and Star of the New Evangelization and declared that her feast day of Dec. 12 be celebrated in churches throughout the Americas.

The story begins in the early morning hours of December 9, 1531, when a 57-year-old Indian Peasant, convert to Christianity, named Juan Diego was walking along the path of Tepayec Hill on the outskirts of Mexico City on his way to Mass. .

 As he walked along Tepeyac Hill, he began to hear beautiful strains of music, and he saw a beautiful lady, who called his name: “Juanito, He approached, and she said, “Know for certain, least of my sons, that I am the perfect and perpetual Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, the true God, through whom everything lives.

This “beautiful lady” asked Juan Diego to go to the Bishop and have a church built on this site in her honor. The Bishop demanded a sign before he would approve construction of a church.

Mary then appeared a second time to Juan Diego December 12 and ordered him to collect roses and take them to the Bishop. In a second audience with the Bishop, Juan Diego opened his cloak, letting dozens of roses fall to the floor and revealing the image of Mary imprinted on the inside of the cloak. The image is now venerated in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

JUAN DIEGO OPENS HIS CLOAK BEFORE THE BISHOP

 COMMENTARY

At the time of Mary’s appearance to Juan Diego (1531), the Aztec nation was heavily into human sacrifice where blood of infants were offered up to appease the pagan gods. We are horrified to hear stories of the Aztecs, who cut out the hearts of their victims to appease their pagan gods. When Mary appeared, she brought a message of compassion,

“I am the merciful Mother, the Mother of all of you who live united in this land, and of all mankind, of all those who love me, of those who cry to me, of those who seek me, of those who have confidence in me. Here, I will hear their weeping, their sorrow, and will remedy and alleviate their suffering, necessities, and misfortunes.”

Mary wore a black maternity band around her waist.  The girdle or bow around her waist demonstrates plenitude and fecundity to the native Indians. The high position of the bow and the slight swelling of the abdomen show that the Lady is “with child.”

Our Lady, by appearing as an expectant mother, showed the Aztecs that human life is sacred. Our Lady of Guadalupe’s message of conversion brought new dignity to the Aztec people. No longer did they worship the pagan gods of sacrifice. Within just a few years, 11 million Native Americans were converted, and the practice of human sacrifice stopped, along with Culture of Death practices.

No more did the people need to cower in abject terror before the bloodthirsty gods who demanded the death of their children. They found refuge beneath the gracious protection of a gentle Mother. In 2002 Pope John Paul II canonized St. Juan Diego. (feast day December 9).

CALL TO ACTION

Why aren’t we just as horrified today at the slaughter of millions of innocent unborn children through the practice of abortion to appease the gods of convenience? The sin of abortion has claimed more than 1.6 billion innocent lives worldwide since 1973.

Politicians and legislatures as servants of the “common good” are duty bound to defend the fundamental right to life, the fruit of God’s love.”  Pope Benedict XVI, Emeritus

 We must shift our debate from pro-abortion vs anti- abortion to how do we address both the needs of the unborn and already born.  We must make abortion unthinkable as we address the needs of the mother to be. The baby and mother both have life needs.

We must shout it from the rooftop “that all life is Sacred!” Trusting in God, we must fearlessly go forward in our quest to support a culture of Life. We need Mary’s intercession today!

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE BE OUR INTERCESSOR!

 

 

 

 

 

 

FEAST OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION DECEMBER 8

 

Immaculate Mary,

Your praises we sing,

You reign now in heaven,

With Jesus our king

Ave, Ave, Ave Maria,

Ave, Ave, Maria.

BACKGROUND

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, in its oldest form, goes back to the seventh century, when churches in the East began celebrating the Feast of Saint Anne, the mother of Mary. The feast celebrated the conception of Mary and maternity of St. Ann.

The feast arrived in the West probably no earlier than the 11th century with a developing theological controversy between the West and East.

The feast of Immaculate Conception is not celebrated even today in the East because they believe every human being is born with original sin including Mary.

Both the Eastern and the Western Church have maintained that Mary was free from sin throughout her life, but there were different understandings of what this meant.

The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was officially defined as dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854. Dogma means that a definitive article of faith has been solemnly promulgated and is necessary for the belief of all Catholic faithful.

 Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854 promulgated,

“We declare,… the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.”

 It is ironic that only four years after the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was promulgated Mary appeared to a young woman in Lourdes, France, Bernadette Soubirous, and announced who she is, “I am the Immaculate Conception”

I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

LOURDES 1858

 COMMENTARY

 According to St. Thomas Aquinas, God had sanctified Mary at the moment of her conception in His foreknowledge that the Blessed Virgin would consent to bear Christ. In other words, she too had been redeemed—her redemption had simply been accomplished at the moment of her conception in anticipation of her Redeemer rather than as with all other Christians, in Baptism.

Mary’s soul was neither stained by Original Sin, nor by consequences of that sin…clouded intellect and weakened will but created in a state of original sanctity, innocence, and justice.

It’s important to understand what the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is and what it is not. Some people think the term refers to Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb without the intervention of a human father; but that is called the Virgin Birth.

Others think the Immaculate Conception means Mary was conceived “by the power of the Holy Spirit,” in the way Jesus was, but that, too, is incorrect. Mary did have a human father.  The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin.

At the Annunciation, The angel Gabriel greeted Mary, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” Luke 1:28. This greeting “full of grace was not a result of the angel’s visit but rather an acknowledgement of Mary’s already sanctification.

REFLECTION

 The Immaculate Conception is the concrete expression of God’s love for Mary, who gave herself fully, completely, and without hesitation to His service. 

 The Feast of Immaculate Conception tells us something very important about humanity as well and that is: Mary is exactly the human being that God meant each of us to be from the very beginning of creation. It was man’s fall that about sin and death.

 God isn’t finished with us yet, thanks be to God. He remains patient and merciful as He calls each one of us to be the person He had in mind when He created us in our mother’s womb.

Our country is dedicated to its patroness the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Immaculate Conception and is honored this day in Washington D.C. in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. How blessed we are to have Jesus’ church and Mary our Mother to guide us on our journey home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHY, WHY.  WHY. SUFFERING????

 FIRST REFLECTION

I suggest to you that it is because God loves that He gives us the gift of suffering.  Pain is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world, You see, we are like blocks of stone out of which the Sculptor carves the form of man.  The blows of his chisel which hurts us so much are what makes us perfect.

C. S, Lewis

OUR LADY OF SORROWS PRAY FOR US

The month of September is dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of Mary. September is a month when we reflect on suffering as a way to salvation and intimacy with Jesus.  This devotion dates back to the 12th century, when it made its appearance in monastic circles under the influence of St. Anselm and St. Bernard.

The feast day is celebrated on September 15, the day following the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.  The title, Our Lady of Sorrows, given to our Blessed Mother, focuses on her intense suffering and grief during the passion and death of our Lord.  Traditionally, this suffering was not limited to the passion and death event; but it comprised the seven sorrows (Dolors) of Mary, foretold by the Priest, Simeon in the temple Luke 2:34-35

“This child [Jesus] is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed and you yourself shall be pierced with a sword so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare.” Luke 2:34-35 

MEDITATIONS

SEVEN SORROWS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

PROPHECY OF SIMEON

Mary, when I hear bad news, help me to trust in Jesus

Luke 2:34

FLIGHT INTO EGYPT

 

Mary, when things are unsettled and I am unsure of the future

help me trust in Jesus

Matthew 2:14

LOSS OF THE CHILD JESUS

IN THE TEMPLE

 

Mary, when I suffer losses, help me to trust in Jesus

Luke 2:46

MARY MEETS JESUS

ON THE WAY TO CALVARY

Mary, I know it broke your heart to see your Son suffering. 

When someone I love is suffering, help me trust in Jesus

Luke 23:27-28

JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

  

With Mother Mary, We adore you O Christ

By your holy cross you have redeemed the world

John 19:24-27 

MARY RECEIVES JESUS

 

Mary, you received Jesus into your loving arms,

Help us to say yes to Jesus and receive Him with love into our hearts

Mark 15 43-46

JESUS IS PLACED IN THE TOMB

 

The tomb will not hold Jesus. Mary, help us to persevere to the end

that we might join you and your resurrected Son in heaven for ever and ever!

John 19:38-42

LAST REFLECTION

“I’m not sure God wants us to be happy. I think he wants us to love, and be loved. But we are like children, thinking our toys will make us happy and the whole world is our nursery. Something must drive us out of that nursery and into the lives of others, and that something is suffering.”

C. S. Lewis

 

 

ANGEL OF PEACE

BACKGROUND

Some months before the Blessed Mother appeared to the children, an Angel of Peace appeared to them with this plea to the playing children: ‘What are you doing? Pray! Pray much!…Constantly offer prayers and in every way you can, offer a sacrifice to the Lord as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended and for the conversion of sinners…As the Angel of Peace gave them Holy Communion she taught them the prayer: ‘My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee.

FATIMA CHILDREN LUCIA, JACINTA AND FRANCISCO

Beginning May 13, 1917, the Blessed Mother appeared, six different times, to these three children in Fatima Portugal. The message of Fatima may be lost sometimes in the mysterious and the spectacular: The simple message is the Blessed Mother asks for prayer, reparation, and sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world…..an abandonment of sin.

These entreaties of Our Blessed Virgin Mary concern our day to day activities as we make our way to our eternal home.  They are as valid today as they were in Fatima 105 years ago.

APPARITION AT FATIMA

The everlasting consequence of un-repented mortal sin is Hell; knowing this, we should live our lives according to the laws of God, not according to latest trends in secular society.  This world is temporary and transitional, very small compared to the eternal spiritual world that awaits us all.  The central message of Fatima was an urgent plea to stay on the narrow path to Heaven.

In each of the six apparitions, Mary instructed the children to pray the Rosary every day, especially for peace in the world and an end to war. During the apparition on July 13, Mary encouraged the children to make sacrifices for sinners and requested that the children add a simple phrase after each mystery of the rosary: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need.”

To this day we add that phrase while saying the rosary keeping in mind our salvation and the salvation of others especially those most in need of forgiveness and mercy.  We must never forget pursuit of salvation is NOT a game of solitaire but a communal activity, a mystical body of Christ.  No one gets to heaven alone.

THE MIRACLE OF THE SUN

 What occurred on Oct. 13, 1917, the final public apparition, validated the apparitions in the eyes of many. At the designated time, Mary revealed herself as Our Lady of the Rosary. Afterward, as she began to ascend back to heaven, St. Joseph appeared with the Christ Child and Mary. Then Jesus appeared with Our Lady of Sorrows and lastly Our Lady of Mount Carmel. And then the great solar miracle happened,

Nearly 70,000 people witnessed this miracle, when it seemed the sun was plunging toward the earth, only to return to the sky. Not everyone reported the same thing; some present claimed they saw the sun dance around the heavens; others said the sun zoomed toward Earth  For the onlookers, this confirmed what the Fatima children claimed. The whole event took about 10 minutes.

REFLECTION

 In one of her apparitions, Mary confirmed the existence of hell.  She gave the children a very brief glance but it was enough. The children saw the suffering of those detained there. Today so many want to deny sin, the devil, and the existence of hell.  With those consequences swept away why are we surprised at the evil in this world?  So many say what difference does it make what I do.  They ignore the evil consequences of their sinning on others…no one is an island to themselves.  Our acts have consequences.

Fatima calls us to conversion, and a daily turning away from sin.  Mary told the children that our prayers can help save souls, “Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and to pray for them.”  Are we doing our part?

 As faithful disciples, we are called to be holy, and to be intercessors for each other.  Fatima is a wake-up call.  In the midst of a passing world, we need to get right with eternal things: penance, Confession, the Eucharist, prayer, especially the Rosary for Mary’s intercession.

 Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.

MATTHEW 7:13-14

Jesus, lead the way!

EPILOGUE

Francisco and Jacinta Marto were canonized by Pope Francis.  The brother and sister died of pneumonia two years after the apparitions at the ages of 9 and 11. Lucy, their cousin, died in 2005 is awaiting Beatification

The children say the Virgin Mary appeared to them six times above an olive tree in 1917 and told them three secrets.

The first secret was a vision of hell confirming its existence. “It revealed a very terrifying scene as the children were shown a vision of hell! It was only for a brief moment that they saw the fires of hell, the ugliest demons, and the poor charred and transparent burning souls of people suffering tremendously.

Lucy said later she was thankful the Blessed Mother had promised in her first visit the children would be going to Heaven or we would have died of fright.

The second secret was request of devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart in prayer in reparation for sins, peace in the world, and conversion of Russia.  Our Blessed Lady said to the children, “You have seen hell where souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.”

The third secret was to remain a secret at the Blessed Mother’s instructions, and it did for decades until Saint John Paul II revealed it after the assassination attempt on his life in 1981. Lucy who later became a Carmelite nun wrote the secret in her diary and described a vision of many threats and attacks on Church figures including the Holy Father. 

 OUR LADY OF FATIMA

“I am the Lady of the Rosary.

I desire that people continue to recite the Rosary every day.”

 

 

I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

PROLOGUE

Today, February 11, we celebrate another Marian Feast Day, Our Lady of Lourdes. In 1858, Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous. 14 years old, in Lourdes, France.  Bernadette was doing her family chore of collecting fire wood near a cave.

Near the opening of the grotto, Bernadette glanced and noticed the cave was suddenly filled with golden light. Lifting up her eyes, she saw a lady of great beauty, dressed in a pure white robe with a blue sash, a veil over her head, a rosary clasped in her hands and yellow roses at her feet.  Bernadette rubbed her eyes.   What a beautiful lady!  But where did she come from?  And what was she doing here?  The Lady looked at Bernadette and immediately smiled and signaled her to advance, in a way that a mother motions her child to come near.

Bernadette took out her rosary and knelt before the Lady, who also had a rosary on her right arm. As Bernadette prayed the rosary, the Lady passed the beads of her rosary between her fingers.  When the recitation of the rosary was finished, the Lady returned to the interior of the rock and the golden cloud disappeared with her.

BERNADETTE SOUBIROUS

Our Blessed Mother appeared eighteen times to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. Her messages to Bernadette are ageless and apply to all of us today…. A call to conversion, praying for sinners, acts of reparations for our sins and the sins of others.  Penance, Penance, Penance, pray, pray, pray for sinners

The third time Bernadette went to the grotto, the lady spoke to her.  The beautiful lady asked Bernadette to come here every day for fifteen days.  The Lady instructed Bernadette to scrape the mud of the Grotto until a stream appeared.  She said that she wanted Bernadette to tell the priests to build a chapel here.

Bernadette’s parish priest asked her to ask the Lady’s name. On March 25, 1858, the day of the sixteenth Apparition, Bernadette went to the Grotto, and asked the Lady for her name.  Three times Bernadette asked the question. On the fourth request, the Lady responds, “I Am the Immaculate Conception.”

Pretty amazing that only four years after Pius IX (1854) declared the Immaculate Conception of Mary a dogma of the Church, Mary herself confirmed the dogma to Bernadette at Lourdes. The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin.

From the first instant of her existence Mary was in the state of sanctifying grace and free from the corrupt nature original sin brings.  Mary was redeemed by the grace of Christ, but in a special way—by anticipation.  Mary received grace merited by her Son’s death and resurrection applied to her before she was able to become mired in original sin and its stain.

Mary is our model of faith and commitment.  The Blessed Virgin Mary is also our greatest intercessor with God.  At Cana, the Queen Mother asked her Son, Jesus, the King of Kings, to perform His first public miracle.  Who can say no to their Mother?  Go to Mary, ask her to intercede with her Son, but be patient, God is in a different time zone (eternity)

EPILOGUE

Bernadette, at the age of 22, entered the convent of the Sisters of Notre Dame in Nevers, France, serving our Lord with dignity, grace, and love, praying for the conversion of sinners and to the service of God.  She passed away from tuberculosis on April 16, 1879 at 34 years of age and was canonized as a saint in 1933.

Bernadette was buried on the convent grounds.  Her body was exhumed thirty years later on September 22, 1909, in the presence of two doctors, several appointed officials, and nuns from the local convent. When Bernadette’s coffin was opened, there was no odor, and her body was completely untouched by the laws of nature.

To this day her body remains incorruptible (that is to say, it shows no signs of decomposition or decay), another sign of the miracles associated with her.  The sacred relic (Bernadette’s body) was placed in a coffin of gold and glass and can be viewed to this very day in the Chapel of Saint Bernadette at the motherhouse in Nevers, France.

Lourdes has become a place of pilgrimage and healing, but even more of faith. Church authorities have recognized over 60 miraculous cures, although there have probably been many more. To people of faith this is  a continuation of Jesus’ healing miracles—now performed at the intercession of his mother. Lourdes water is brought home by pilgrims and shared with thousands in need. Would you believe this spring still provides 27,000 gallons of water every day!

Many of the sick and afflicted who go to Lourdes and are not healed but leave there stronger spiritually. They know that their various ailments still have a redemptive character, much like our Lord’s did at Calvary in His Passion and, as long as they do not lose faith in Him, their sufferings will not be in vain!

MARIAN PRAYER

MEMORARE

REMEMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary,

 that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection,

implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided.

Inspired with this confidence, I fly to thee,

O Virgin of virgins, my Mother;

to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions,

 but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.