It was fitting that you receive into your holy womb the One who contained all graces. JANUARY (click on the month to view in full detail) Whoever abides in this Church will bring forth much salutary fruit; whereas they who willingly separate themselves from it must wither away spiritually. Rather, your sorrows were ordained by God from all eternity as part of the penalty to be paid for sin and were to mingle with the sufferings of your Son in that great sacrifice which was to redeem the world. 1. The degree of childlike humility I have attained in life will be the degree of my greatness in heaven. Like you let me realize my own nothingness. I can easily picture Saint John, the Apostle of love, saying Mass each day in his own home and daily giving you the consecrated bread and wine of the Eucharist. February 07, 2021. It is to you, after God, that we are indebted for our spiritual life, the life of the children of God. Above all, I beg of you to secure for me in the our of death the grace of final perseverance: that triumphant grace which crowns the measure of God's rifts here below and which is followed by the possession of God in heaven. All these souls were given to you by Jesus on the crossthey are your children. In consecrating your virginity to God, you had given up all hope of becoming the Mother of the Messias because you considered yourself unworthy of the highest honor of the divine maternity. All good things come to us through your hands. Ask Him to favor me with a ray of His brightness to enlighten the darkness of sin and ignorance in which I was born. From Anne you heard the touching story of the chosen people. One of your greatest delights is to lavish these treasures upon your faithful children. You see me, smile on me, listen to me, stretch your arms out to me, because you hear my prayer and, like a mother, you are anxious to help your child. Never did you yield to the least imperfection, let alone sin. Feast, Saturday before the before the last Sunday in August (Triduum, Wednesday last Sunday in August). You know all our needsneeds of body and needs of soulinfinitely better than a mother. When God decreed the incarnation of the Word, His very own Son, through you alone, you had a place in the same plan as Jesus. The early writers of the Church already speak of you as a second Eve, who fulfilled in the restoration of mankind a role closely corresponding to that of Eve in the ruin of our race. Mary, Mother of God, your death was entirely free from whatever might make death bitter: attachment to the world, remorse for sins and the uncertainty of salvation. Mary, by your humility, you became the Mother of your Creator. You are indeed our Mother, and a mother can never forget her children. Mary, My Mother, I realize that I have not always corresponded faithfully with these graces. No other saint exerts such universal influence in the affair of our salvation as you do. We take a look at the story behind the indigenous peasant who came across the Patron of the Americas, and how he fought for her message to be heard. In that instant the Word of God became forever united to humanity; the human soul of Jesus Christ, produced from nothing, began to enjoy God and to know all things past, present, and to come. You consented to be the Mother of the Redeemer at the Annunciation, and thus you were willing to share in the sufferings of the Redeemer. The angels saw a soul which had never been touched by original sin. Mary, My Mother, How perfectly you have followed the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and acted on divine wisdom! Since the conception of the Son of God is all holy, all pure, infinitely removed from every appearance of sin, it was supremely fitting that your conception should be equally far from sin. And when the days of my earthly pilgrimage are over, according to God's holy will, grant that my soul may obtain the glory of heaven, through the merits of Christ and through your intercession. Monday, September 15, 2014. God prepared you for this exalted dignity by an extraordinary abundance of His graces, when He chose you to be the instrument of His mercy by making you the Mother of His divine Son. This country and every country in North and South America, is born "under God," and under the mantle of Holy Mary, every nation and every person under her . Mary, Mother of God, I turn to you in all my pressing needs and difficulties as to a most sure refuge. The beloved disciple told you what he had seen in the houses of Annas and Caiphas: how Jesus had been accused as a blasphemer for stating that He was the Son of God. You are the channel by which all the favors of Jesus descend upon us, even as it was through you and in union with you that during His mortal life He won for us whatever title we have to His gifts and graces. You were the only one who was exempt from the universal curse that had fallen on the whole human race. 55. . Also, watch over all those who suffer in body or soul. He overshadowed you at the Annunciation and on Pentecost He made your heart a furnace of divine love. There you stood bravely, your eyes fastened on your Divine Son. With your foot you crushed the head of the serpent and conquered evil with goodness. Your heart beat in unison with His Heart. SEE AS WELL: Of course, you never thought of yourself as a sinner for humility is truth, and you knew that you had never offended God. Mary, Mother of God, help me to understand as clearly as God wishes to let me do so, the value of suffering and sickness. If to live of the Eucharist and by the Eucharist was the very special spirit of the early Church"And they continued steadfastly in the communion of the breaking of the bread" (Acts 2, 42)it must have been the summary of your last years on earth. Pilgrims approach the grounds of the basilica, in distant view, on the day before the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. You are the immaculate Virgin whom the Son Himself chose to make His Mother. Mary, My Mother, you showed your humility by striving to conceal from others the gifts you received from God. It was fitting that you should be adorned with the greatest purity ever possible to a creature. It also means unlimited confidence in your motherly intercession if I should have the misfortune of straying from Jesus by sin. 3. You fulfill the duties and enjoy the rights of a true mother. With Christ you have contributed to our redemption; hence you may be called Co-Redemptrix. Elizabeth proclaimed that you were the Mother of Christ and declared you blessed among women because you were the most holy dwelling of the Eternal God. Mother Teresa once laid out a simple path for everyone, leading from silence to peace. 1. As I gaze upon youthe ideal of perfection and sanctity, may a similar longing for God and complete dedication of myself to Him awaken in my soul. But the same spirit of humility which had induced Jesus to obey the law of circumcision, made you also submit to the law of purification. This is why you were greeted by the angel in the words, "Hail, full of grace." This privilege separated you from all the rest of the children of Adam. You share so entirely in His Passion that, if it had been possible, you would gladly have borne all the torments your Son bore. Through your prayers and the prayers of your holy parents may I learn to know and love you more and ever remain your faithful child. You embrace the universe in the realm of your love and enrich it through your unfailing intercession. Make me strong in the midst of the temptations and bitterness which so often trouble my soul. Jesus did this in union with you. We do not find you in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, when your divine Son was received with so much honor by the people. Feast, October 7 (Novena, Sept. 28-Oct. 6). Do not forsake me sweet Mother of Sorrows, because you are my spiritual Mother. You nourished Him, clothed Him, educated Him. 2. The name Our Lady of Mercy is very dear to Mercy Home for Boys & Girls. . He took to Himself our human flesh and became man in order that He might give Himself up for us to the death of the cross. (1) The seven founders of the Servite Order, in 1239, five years after they established themselves on Monte Senario, took up the sorrows of Mary, standing under the Cross, as the principal devotion of their order. More than ever before, we have need of your help today. Through your powerful intercession promote the propagation of the faith. Wherefore the Church applies to you the words Jesus spoke of that other Mary who sat at His sacred feet, drinking in the words of divine wisdom flowing from His blessed lips: "Mary has chosen the best part, and it will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10, 42). When He changed the water to wine, He did your bidding as God, since as man He could not perform miracles. Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD. May God dwell in me and may I live to Him alone through frequent Holy Communion and still more frequent prayer so that God may direct my whole lifemy thoughts, words and actionsto His greater honor and glory. 3. Shrine Pilgrimage. In this I see God's plan that in the Kingdom of Jesus all graces should go through your hands and Heart. 2. This event has passed. Though worn with sorrow, you at once took your place at the foot of the cross. You experienced a sea of bitterness in your life so that you might be an example to us in our sufferings and so that we might learn from your own sorrow to sympathize with others in theirs. God enriched your soul with such a love above all other creatures that in you alone He found His fullest delights. You permit Him to draw the hearts of men toward Himself and to be the object of our love and confidence. Saints Stories for All Ages Our Lady of Guadalupe Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day December 12 Printer Friendly On December 9, 1531, a 57-year-old Aztec, Juan Diego, saw the Blessed Mother on a hill in Mexico City. 2. Many parishes, in addition to having a special feast day Mass, also host a reception or party in honor of the day. For that reason you were conceived by your mother, Saint Anne, without even the shadow of sin. Your loving submission to the Divine Will could not dry your tears, but it quieted the agony of your mother-heart. It was the great vital act that completed the work of God in the world. Mary, Mother of God, you are Mother of Grace, because you are begotten of you to the life of grace, and are indebted to you after Jesus, for our supernatural life. By His almighty power He would form the body of the Savior of the world, and the Divine Son would unite it to Himself forever. But Gabriel comforted you, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God." I entrust my cause to you who are the Mother of Mercy, and I wish to offer you day by day my most reverent love. I am afflicted with many sorrows in body and soul, and I take refuge, like a child, in the embrace of your motherly protection. 2. Through your prayers may they and their children honor God by a virtuous life so as to be worthy of a heavenly reward. Your fullness of grace brought you to a most intimate union with the Author of grace. Mary, Mother of God, you are Our Lady of Good Counsel because of the divine wisdom and prudence which you received from the Holy Spirit. How can I ever understand the great love that bound your hearts together! Your heart was visited with seven swords of sorrow before you became the Comforter of the Afflicted and the Cause of our Joy. 1. 16, 24). You saw clearly the agony you would feel at the crucifixion. I am happy at the thought that you, a human creature, have escaped completely from the clutches of Satan, that born of a race universally tainted, you are more pure and more brilliant than the most sublime of the angels; and that you are my Mother. 3. Obtain for me from Jesus the heavenly gifts of humility, chastity and meekness, which were the fairest adornments of your immaculate soul. Mary, Mother of God, Our Lady of Good Counsel, I appeal to you for advice and guidance. You conceived Him as victim, you prepared Him for this sacrifice beneath the cross you offered Him to the Father for our salvation. You were fully enlightened as to the greatness of the dignity of a Mother of God. You are the holiest of God's creatures because you are the Mother of God. You are a Mediatrix in union with Christ from whom your mediation draws all its power. O powerful answer which rejoiced Heaven and brought an immense sea of graces and blessings into the world! You were united with Him as closely as a Mother is united with her child, and your thoughts and desires were those of your Divine Son. She heard the voices of Archangel Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret - they are on the banner over her left shoulder! Mary, Mother of God, the joyful mysteries of your Holy Rosary remind me of the mysteries in which the Word was made flesh and you, the inviolate Virgin and Mother, performed your maternal duties with holy joy. 2. When you became the Mother of Jesus according to the flesh, you became the Mother of men according to the spirit.