Wednesday, August 15, 2007
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Cf. The Apoc. of St. John 11:19, 12:1-6,10
Today we celebrate Mary's sacred body being lifted into the celestial paradise. Because of her sinless nature, God did not permit her body to corrupt, instead, he commanded His angels to carry her- body and soul united- into Heaven. The Blessed Virgin was met by her Son, Jesus as well as the entire court of Heaven; in their song of triumph.
Because Mary is associated in all the mysteries of our Redemption, she has been placed at the right hand of her son where she may dispose of the treasures of eternal life by a unique title- Mother of God.
Dear brothers and sisters, no amount of exterior work that we do can be as pleasing to God or as useful to the Church and souls as that of loving contemplation, in which we allow God to work in and and through us as He pleases. Mary is the perfect example of this. It was for this very reason that God created her; "Mary has chosen the better part which shall not be taken away from her". Have we learnt this important principal from our Lady?
Mary had the ability to see the Divinity of Jesus in His humanity. No one else had known the inner life of Jesus than she did. If we stay devoted to her, she WILL obtain for us this grace of the knowledge of God and of Jesus.
We must remember that the heart of our Mother is a marvel of mercy. When we fear to go to God beacuse of our sins and unworthiness, we can always go to Mary, because God has entrusted to her the realm of mercy.
Let us continue to ask our Blessed Mother to increase in us a tender and filial love towards God, a love filled with adoration for God and zeal for evangelization. Amen.
Labels: Assumption, Catholic Belief, Mary, Saints
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Chastity, Purity and Our Lady
Extracted version. For full post, click here. Emphasis completely mine.
......this is the time of grace, this is the time for our souls. It is true, this is a time that we must rise to prayer and pray for our nation. For the first time in a long time I realized how much prayer we must do for our friends and for those who we don't even know. In every Marian Apparition, our Lady has asked for a conversion of heart, for increase in prayer and sacrifice for souls, and this is the time my dear friends.
Teenagers today are having pre-marital sex, using contraceptives and committing other serious sins. Chastity is something that is frowned upon and something that people don't think is attainable in life any more. Our world has been immoralized, because my dear friends, it is true, Chastity is attainable, people are living Chastity; people realize that male and female relationships are meant for procreation not to be against conception. Yes, it is possible to live without viewing pornography and committing sins of the flesh, but yet many people don't live in Chastity, they do commit these sins that are both mortal and serious sins. With prayer and perseverance though one can live a pure lifestyle; it is not impossible.
Let us recall the words of Our Lady of Fatima who said, "More souls go to hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason."
These sins are real and people commit them and they do not know what they are doing can endanger their souls, their future happiness with God in Heaven. These are the words of Our Lady at Fatima who appeared in the early 1900's. Today we live in a culture of death, a culture in which sins of the flesh are a lifestyle. Thus we must realize that this is a time for prayer, for prayer for society that they can return back to God.
The Blessed Mother has also appeared here in the United States to a religious sister named Sister Mary Ephrem, and the very first words of Our Lady of America on September 26, 1956 was I am Our Lady of America. I desire that my children honor me, especially by the purity of their lives. Sister Mary Ephrem also said that she was suffering a great deal for she was inconsolable at the thought of her own ingratitude and of the crimes which sinners commit against God.
Our Lady of America encourages us to live lives of purity and in doing so we honor her (the Blessed Mother.) This is the time, more than ever, that we need to pray for our brothers and sisters in society, who do not know God, who do not know the truth or maybe know God but yet choose to sin, we must pray for them daily, that they can know God and to turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.
We must constantly recall the words of Our Blessed Mother that more souls go to Hell because of sins of the flesh. We must be reconciled to God and be ready for the worst, to die tomorrow. We may not accept death easily but we must have peace within our souls, a total conversion, so that we may be with God one day. We do not know the time or the hour in which we leave this earth, likewise then we should always be in God's saving grace.
It is necessary that if we do sin, commit serious sin, that we turn our lives around. Go to confession and ask God to keep you from that sin. Life is tough, we are faced with many temptations, and the devil wants our souls, but we must overcome these sins to be faithful to the Church's teaching which brings us closer to Christ and His mother. We should strive to be like St. Maria Goretti who would rather die than commit a mortal sin.
"Faith begets miracles, the small and the great. Through faith, love and prayer, we can achieve anything.Those people who say that it is impossible to live wholesome, chaste lives cheat themselves and others out of too much." Beez, Commenter on Edward's post.
Also Read:
Labels: Catholic Belief, Confession, Fatima, Mary, Saints, Sex, Sin
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Oueen of May
There is something about this great Mother of ours pulls at the heartstrings, and, more importantly, the deepest parts of the souls of her children. She is always calling us to new conversion, greater love of her Son, more sincere charity towards our neighbor.
Thank you Mother!
Heavenly Father, we thank you with all our heart for giving us Mary, to be our Mother. She is so loving, so thoughtful, so understanding and so kind. We thank you for her. Amen.
Do pen you testimonial(s), if any, in the comment box.
Labels: Mary, Thanksgiving, Thoughts
Monday, April 23, 2007
Our Lady of Fatima on Hell
This is a sermon by Monsignor Charles T. Moss during a Traditional Latin Mass at St.Roch's Church in West Bangor, PA.
"70% may go to Church but how many have the faith?" Msgr. Charles Moss.
Labels: Evil/Devil, Fatima, Hell, Homily, Homosexuality, Mary, Pornography
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Totus Tuus
The Rosary mystically transports us to Mary’s side as she is busy watching over the human growth of Christ in the home of Nazareth. This enables her to train us and to mold us with the same care, until Christ is fully formed in us (cf. Gal 4:19). This role of Mary, totally grounded in that of Christ and radically subordinated to it, in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. This is the luminous principle expressed by the Second Vatican Council which I have so powerfully experienced in my own life and have made the basis of my episcopal motto: Totus Tuus. The motto is of course inspired by the teaching of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, who explained in the following words Mary’s role in the process of our configuration to Christ: Our entire perfection consists in being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus Christ. Hence the most perfect of all devotions is undoubtedly that which conforms, unites and consecrates us most perfectly to Jesus Christ. Now, since Mary is of all creatures the one most conformed to Jesus Christ, it follows that among all devotions that which most consecrates and conforms a soul to our Lord is devotion to Mary, his Holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to her the more will it be consecrated to Jesus Christ. Never as in the Rosary do the life of Jesus and that of Mary appear so deeply joined. Mary lives only in Christ and for Christ!
Labels: Holy Father, Mary
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
MARIAN CONSECRATION
In the presence of all the heavenly court, I choose you this day for my Mother and Queen. I deliver and consecrate to you, as your slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present, and future; leaving to you the entire and full right of disposing of me, and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to your good pleasure, for the greater glory of God, in time and eternity. Amen.
– St. Louis Marie de Montfort
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Proclamation of the Fifth Marian Dogma
His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI
The Roman Catholic Church
Apostolic Palace
Proclamation of the Fifth Marian Dogma
Your Holiness:
In a spirit of filial love and obedience, we, as members of the People of God, wish to humbly bring before you our petition and prayer for the solemn papal definition of the revealed role of Mary most holy as the Spiritual Mother of all peoples under its three principal aspects as Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix of all graces, and Advocate.
We firmly believe, Holy Father, that the solemn papal declaration of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Spiritual Mother of all humanity in her roles which God has given her as Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix of all graces, and Advocate will bring great graces to the Church and the world by an explicit solemn recognition of her maternal role on the part of the Church, and thus allowing her to exercise fully the motherly gift which Jesus Christ gave to humanity from the cross: “Woman, behold, your son!… Behold, your mother!" (Saint John. 19:26-27). We believe that this dogmatic proclamation will also further the authentic ecumenical mission of the Church by proclaiming the revealed truth about Mary, who collaborated in an altogether unique way in the work of our redemption in a manner that was completely subordinate to and dependent upon Jesus Christ, the one divine Redeemer of the human race.
In view of the many serious crises presently facing the entire human family, including war, terrorism, moral decline, and natural disaster, we humbly request that you solemnly declare the dogma of Mary as the Spiritual Mother all peoples, specifying that she is the Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix of all graces, and Advocate, and thus to provide for the full actuality of her motherly roles of intercession for humanity, which we believe will effect a profound historic and continuing grace for the Church and for the world.
Your Holiness, we now make a solemn declaration of fidelity to you; we firmly believe that you are the Vicar of Christ. Please be assured of our constant prayers for your intentions.
Labels: Holy Father, Mary
Monday, January 1, 2007
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, our Lady's greatest title. This feast is the octave of Christmas. In the modern Roman Calendar only Christmas and Easter enjoy the privilege of an octave. Before the Calendar was reformed this was the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord.
"Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense the Church's Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary. Mary is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the "Seat of Wisdom." — Catechism of the Catholic Church 721.
Pope John Paul 11, Redemptoris Mater 21:
"a new kind of motherhood according to the spirit and not just according to the flesh, that is to say Mary's solicitude for human beings, her coming to them in the wide variety of their wants and needs. At Cana in Galilee there is shown only one concrete aspect of human need, apparently a small one and of little importance ("They have no wine"). But it has a symbolic value, this coming to the aid of human beings means, at the same time, bringing those needs within the radius of Christ's messianic mission and salvific power."
In traditional circles, today is the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord. The old liturgy celebrated three feasts in one. The first was that which the old Roman sacramentaries called "the octave of the Lord", and indeed the greater part of the Mass was of the octave of Christmas with many extracts from the Masses of Christmas. Various portions of the Mass and Office celebrated the divine maternity of Mary. The third feast was that of the Circumcision which has been celebrated since the sixth century. Eight days after His birth Christ underwent, like all the Jews, this rite enjoined on Abraham by God as a pledge of his faith, and He received the name of Jesus.
When Our Lord submitted to the cut in His flesh at the Circumcision he began His work as Redeemer. He commenced that shedding of Blood which would reach its highest point of generosity in the Passion and Death.
In giving to Abraham the law of circumcision God bestowed on him his new name — Abraham. With the Jews henceforward the giving of a name had a spiritual significance; like circumcision it meant that the person belonged to the people of God. The bestowal of the name of Jesus has an even loftier significance: it is an assertion of His mission as Savior of the world.
Labels: Catholic Belief, Liturgy, Mary
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Immaculate Conception
This is the reason, my dear Protestant visitors, that she was able to bear the sinless Christ, Son of the Living God.
Thursday, December 7, 2006
The Hour of Grace
The Hour of Grace Service & Mass will be held at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Queen Street. The service begins at 1145hr.
Tomorrow, December 8, 2006 from 1200 to 1300hr is the Hour of Grace prescribed by Our Lady. Many spiritual graces and physical blessings will be received by those who pray UNDISTURBED during this hour.
During the period of November 24, 1946 to December 8, 1947, the Blessed Mother appeared to Sr. Pierina in a little church in Montichiari, Italy, eleven times.
It was November 16, 1947 when Sr. Pierina was finishing her thanksgiving after Holy Communion, when she saw a great light. She then saw a vision of the Blessed Mother as the "Mystical Rose", the title the Blessed Mother wanted to be known as when she appeared the first time.
The words the Blessed Mother spoke to Sr Pierina,
"My son is so greatly offended by the sins of impurity. He is already planning
to send a deluge upon the people, for their destruction, but I have asked Him to
show mercy and not send destruction. So that is why I have appeared, to ask for
penance and atonement for the sins of impurity."
"This shall be a reminder to the people that I have appeared here, and do not
have the people step on those stones."
Again, Our Lady asked for penance. She said:
"Penance is nothing more than accepting all our crosses daily willingly. No
matter how small, accept them with love."
"With prayers and penance. Pray the 51st Psalm with outstretched arms three
times. During the Hour of Grace, many spiritual graces will be granted. THE MOST
HARD-HEARTED SINNERS WILL BE TOUCHED BY THE GRACE OF GOD."
It was December 7th when Sr. Pierina felt the urge to go to church. This time she was accompanied by the priest and the Mother Superior. The Blessed Mother appeared with a young boy and girl dressed in beautiful white clothing. Sister was sure these little ones were angels because they were so beautiful.
The Blessed Mother said:
"Tomorrow I will show you My Immaculate Heart which is so little known among the
people." She asked people to pray for Russia."
On the morning of December 8th, people began arriving at the little church at 8:00 a.m. from neighboring towns. By noon, some 10,000 people had gathered to see the Blessed Mother, many of whom had to stand outside because the church did not have enough room for the large crowd.
Sr. Pierina was accompanied to church by her mother and brothers, the Mother Superior, and the Chief of Police from Montichiari. Sister was reciting the Rosary with the crowd in the middle of the Church. Suddenly, a brilliant white light appeared from the ceiling. Stairs were coming from the light down to the floor of the church, about fifteen feet in length. The staircase was beautifully decorated with red, white and yellow roses. The Blessed Virgin appeared so radiant, dressed in white, with her hands folded. She was standing on a splendid carpet at the top of the stairs, made of the red, white and yellow roses.
In the most gentle and loving voice, our Lady smiled and began to speak,
"I am the Immaculate Conception, the Mother of all graces, and the Mother of my
Beloved Son, JESUS. I want to be known as the Mystical Rose. My wish is that
every year on the 8th of December, at noon, an "Hour of Grace" will be
installed. Many spiritual graces and physical blessings will be received by
those who pray UNDISTURBED during this hour."
Sr. Pierina asked for many of the sinners to be forgiven. The Blessed Mother replied:
"My Divine Son will show His greatest Mercies as much as the people will pray
for them. I want this to be known and told to Pope Pius XII. Tell him I want him
to install the "Hour of Grace" throughout the whole world, and even those who
are not able to go to church during this hour will receive the same graces by
praying during this time in their homes at noon time."
Our Lady prayed for the sick, some were cured, others not. Many men, women and children were cured at that very instant. A 26 year old woman who could not say a word for nine months, suddenly began shouting "I see Her, I see the Blessed Virgin." An 18 year old girl with ulcers was instantly cured. A 5 year old boy who had been paralized was told by the Blessed Mother, "Come to Me, you will be walking now." He was placed on the blessed stones and was able to walk.
There were three others who were very sick and were immediately cured. But of course, the greatest miracles taking place were those of the spiritual blessings shed upon the people gathered in the church.
The Blessed Mother said,
"This is the last time I will appear here. Pray, weep and do penance on these
stones, and you will receive the care of my "Motherly Heart".
Labels: Mary
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Meditation for the Feast for the Immaculate Conception
In the sixth month, the archangel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, forever, and his kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
Introductory Prayer: Lord you asked that we pray for laborers to be sent to the harvest. Let this prayer begin with me, be it done unto me according to your will.
Petition: Grant that my heart be docile like that of Mary to the action of the Holy Spirit. Augment in me the generosity that I will need to embrace your will in my life despite the fact that it may not always be clear at first.
1. "Hail Favored One! Hail, Mary, Full of Grace!"
Every vocation is a personal initiative of God's love for humanity. Our Lord knows well our human frailty, such that when Christ left this world he promised not to leave us as orphans. He promised that his emissary, the Holy Spirit, would remain with us. And so through the ages, the Holy Spirit has continued to move the hearts of many young and generous souls with an ardent desire to consecrate themselves exclusively to Christ and the establishment of his Church here on earth. These souls are bridges of intercessory prayer and acceptable sacrifice on behalf of humanity, the pilgrim Church. To be called is a beautiful gift. The world cannot even begin to offer a comparable alternative. This divine initiative is, as the Holy Father wrote upon retrospection of his own vocation, both a gift and a mystery. Mary understood this very well; that the angel Gabriel who gazes upon the face of God should proclaim her, a mortal, highly favored of God. What is it that God sees in certain souls to make them unique subjects of his love? The only suitable answer is that those souls are assumed into the very mystery of Gods love for humanity. The omnipotent Creator of all that is seen and unseen permits the plan of salvation to be contingent upon human collaboration. God has need of our generosity!
2. "Do Not Be Afraid."
Being a favored soul sets one apart from the humanity from which one comes. Vocations come from normal people, from ordinary families, from what seems to be nothing extraordinary. Sometimes, a soul who is being called may feel unsettled, anxious or even scared about the reality going on in their soul- as something unique. Why me? Why cant I be like everyone else? How I am going to reconcile this with the dreams I share together with my peers? God is possibly calling for a greater measure of generosity; to re-dimension the horizon of my life. Gabriel assures Mary, not to fret because what God proposes He will be able to bring to fruition. All that is necessary is trust. When we begin to let go of our anxieties and place our trust in God, we discover the true inner peace of providence unfolding in the immediate circumstances around us. The one, who gives the gift of a vocation, is the guarantor of the graces necessary to bring this call to fulfillment. Take heart to the words of the Holy Father at the beginning of his pontificate; Do not be afraid to open the doors of your heart to Christ. If Christ is moving your heart towards his, let go of your fears like Mary and you will see how the Holy Spirit will overshadow your weakness.
3. "Behold I Am the Handmaid [servant, slave] of the Lord."
The exercise of the theological virtue of faith leads us to trust and to hope. Mary took heart to the promise of Gabriel that the Holy Spirit would accompany her. Hence, we see a complete openness in her disposition towards her vocation. She is not going to rationalize how and when things are to happen. In fact, this is no longer her concern but that of the Holy Spirit. Mary understands now, in her heart and in her mind, that God has prepared her for this mission and that everything will fall into its place with her collaboration. Hope is this, the certitude of things to come anticipated here and now already in fulfillment. Although the circumstances were never explained to Mary how her vocation would unfold, she knew it would happen and surrendered everything to God: her intellect, her will, her imagination, her sentiments in brief, her enthusiastic consent. This is what it means to be the handmaid of the Lord. A servants will is in the masters hands; Mary chooses a similar obedience of her own free will. With Christ, our surrendered liberty now becomes one with his divine liberty. United to Christ we have the confidence to say like St Paul, in him I know I can do all things.
Questionnaire: This optional questionnaire is intended to help you to examine your life in the light of the inspirations God just gave you in these moments you shared with him in prayer.
1. Through Baptism Christ has called me out of darkness into the light. What does the dignity of my Christian vocation mean to me? In what way do I think Christ is calling me to bring others to the light?
2. What is my attitude towards God's will in my life? How often and how honestly do I ask our Lord to open my heart to know his will, or am I afraid to do so? If I am afraid - why?
3. Every day has its worries. In which situations do I exercise the gift of hope by placing the circumstances of my life within the context of Divine Providence? What am I doing to grow in my generosity daily so as to embrace God's will?
Labels: Mary, Meditation
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
She's got a way about her
We are fortunate to belong to the Catholic Church, a Church which gives due recognition to Mary the Mother of Jesus, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, and the Chosen One of God. Among all Christian Father, we are the only Church who Dare claim and proclaim that Mary is the Mother of God and the Mother of Jesus and by the same fact our Mother too.
Everything the Holy Catholic Faith teaches about Mary is intended to draw us nearer to Jesus. He is the Son of God who has become our Brother. She is His mother; no created person is closer to Him. God surrounded her life with a variety of graces and privileges. But every special gift God gave to her, centered on this essential grace; that she, though but a creature and "handmaid of the Lord" (Luke 1:38), was to be the mother of the eternal Son.
Pope Paul VI in his book or document entitled Marialis Cultus defines the role of Mary in the Church today and in the life of the people of God. He says that any devotion to Mary which does not lead to Jesus is false. For Mary is the best means to go to Jesus.
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