Saturday, December 8, 2012 - Litany Lane Blog:
Divine, Genesis 3:9-15, Psalms 98:1-4, Luke 1: 26-28, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Mystical City of God The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God Book 1 Chapters 5 & 6.
Good Day Bloggers! Happy Advent!Wishing everyone a Blessed Week!
Year of Faith - October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. The "Armageddon" is a pagan belief inspired by the evil one to create chaos and doubt in God. Trust in God, for He creates, He does not destroy and only God knows the hour of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ's second Coming, another chance at eternal salvation. Think about how merciful God truly is as he keeps offering us second chances. He even gives the evil one a multitude of chances to atone. Simply be prepared by living everyday as a gift: Trust in God; Honor Jesus Mercy through the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist; and Utilize the Gifts of the Holy Spirit: We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift knowledge and free will as well,
make the most of it. Life on earth is a stepping to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Purgatory and/or Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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December 2, 2012 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
Dear
children, with motherly love and motherly patience anew I call you to
live according to my Son, to spread His peace and His love, so that, as
my apostles, you may accept God's truth with all your heart and pray for
the Holy Spirit to guide you. Then you will be able to faithfully serve
my Son, and show His love to others with your life. According to the
love of my Son and my love, as a mother, I strive to bring all of my
strayed children into my motherly embrace and to show them the way of
faith. My children, help me in my motherly battle and pray with me that
sinners may become aware of their sins and repent sincerely. Pray also
for those whom my Son has chosen and consecrated in His name. Thank
you."
November 25, 2012 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
“Dear children! In this time of grace, I call all of you to renew
prayer. Open yourselves to Holy Confession so that each of you may
accept my call with the whole heart. I am with you and I protect you
from the ruin of sin, but you must open yourselves to the way of
conversion and holiness, that your heart may burn out of love for God.
Give Him time and He will give Himself to you and thus, in the will of
God you will discover the love and the joy of living. Thank you for
having responded to my call.” ~ Blessed
Virgin Mary
November 02, 2012 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
"Dear children, as a mother I implore you to persevere as my apostles. I am praying to my Son to give you Divine wisdom and strength. I am praying that you may discern everything around you according to God’s truth and to strongly resist everything that wants to distance you from my Son. I am praying that you may witness the love of the Heavenly Father according to my Son. My children, great grace has been given to you to be witnesses of God’s love. Do not take the given responsibility lightly. Do not sadden my motherly heart. As a mother I desire to rely on my children, on my apostles. Through fasting and prayer you are opening the way for me to pray to my Son for Him to be beside you and for His name to be holy through you. Pray for the shepherds because none of this would be possible without them. Thank you." ~ Blessed Virgin Mary
"Dear children, as a mother I implore you to persevere as my apostles. I am praying to my Son to give you Divine wisdom and strength. I am praying that you may discern everything around you according to God’s truth and to strongly resist everything that wants to distance you from my Son. I am praying that you may witness the love of the Heavenly Father according to my Son. My children, great grace has been given to you to be witnesses of God’s love. Do not take the given responsibility lightly. Do not sadden my motherly heart. As a mother I desire to rely on my children, on my apostles. Through fasting and prayer you are opening the way for me to pray to my Son for Him to be beside you and for His name to be holy through you. Pray for the shepherds because none of this would be possible without them. Thank you." ~ Blessed Virgin Mary
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Today's Word: divine di·vine [dih-vahyn]
Origin: 1275–1325; Middle English < Latin dīvīnus, equivalent to dīv ( us ) god + -īnus -ine1 ; replacing Middle English devin ( e ) < Old French devin < Latin, as above
adjective
1. of or pertaining to a god, especially the Supreme Being.
2. addressed, appropriated, or devoted to God or a god; religious; sacred: divine worship.
3. proceeding from God or a god: divine laws.
4. godlike; characteristic of or befitting a deity: divine magnanimity.
5. heavenly; celestial: the divine kingdom.
noun
10. a theologian; scholar in religion.
11. a priest or member of the clergy.
12. the Divine.
a.God.
b. ( sometimes lowercase ) the spiritual aspect of humans; the group of attributes and qualities of humankind regarded as godly or godlike.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 98:1-4
1 [Psalm] Sing a new song to Yahweh, for he has performed wonders, his saving power is in his right hand and his holy arm.2 Yahweh has made known his saving power, revealed his saving justice for the nations to see,
3 mindful of his faithful love and his constancy to the House of Israel. The whole wide world has seen the saving power of our God.
4 Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth, burst into shouts of joy!
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Today's Epistle - Genesis 3:9-15, 20
9 But Yahweh God called to the man. 'Where are you?' he asked.10 'I heard the sound of you in the garden,' he replied. 'I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.'
11 'Who told you that you were naked?' he asked. 'Have you been eating from the tree I forbade you to eat?'
12 The man replied, 'It was the woman you put with me; she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.'
13 Then Yahweh God said to the woman, 'Why did you do that?' The woman replied, 'The snake tempted me and I ate.'
14 Then Yahweh God said to the snake, 'Because you have done this, Accursed be you of all animals wild and tame! On your belly you will go and on dust you will feed as long as you live.
15 I shall put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; it will bruise your head and you will strike its heel.'
20 The man named his wife 'Eve' because she was the mother of all those who live.
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Today's Gospel Reading - Luke 1: 26-38
In the sixth month the
angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a
virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the
virgin's name was Mary. He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who
enjoy God's favour! The Lord is with you.' She was deeply disturbed by
these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the
angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour.
Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name
him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High.
The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will
rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.'
Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no
knowledge of man?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And
so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. And I tell you
this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a
son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for
nothing is impossible to God.' Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's
servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel left her.
~A moment of silence:
so that the Word of God may enter into our hearts and enlighten our lives.
so that the Word of God may enter into our hearts and enlighten our lives.
MEDITATIO
~A key to the reading:
Though we take again the
themes of Matthew and Mark, the Gospel of Luke is an original
composition under many aspects. The Evangelist inserts into his
narrative new material in regard to the other Gospel narratives. In the
first two chapters which deal with the infancy of Jesus, Luke follows
the Jewish tradition, with many direct and indirect references to the
Old Testament. The Theology, the symbolism and the whole of the account
of the infancy of Jesus have and find their roots in the Semitic world,
different in many verses from the world and the Greek thought. The
Evangelist places the beginning of his narrative in the milieu of the
‘anawim, the poor of the Lord, that is, those who are submitted with
altruism to God’s Will, firm in faith that the Lord will send them
salvation in the opportune time. To the ‘anawim the Lord promises to
send the Messiah, sent to bring the news to the afflicted, to soothe the
broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, release to those in
prison, to proclaim a year of favour from Yahweh and a day of vengeance
for our God, to comfort all who mourn, to give to Zion’s mourners...”
(is 61, 1 ff).This promise of God is fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth who
entering “into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did” (Lk
4, 16) proclaims that the promise of God pronounced by Isaiah “has been
fulfilled today” (Lk 4, 21) in him. Only the ‘anawim can accept from the
Son of Joseph, the carpenter and of Mary (Lk 4, 22; Mt 13, 53-58; Mk 6,
1-5; Jn 1, 45) the Good News of salvation, the others unfortunately are
scandalized because of him. The Messiah is humble and sweet, “his
mouth” pronounces “words of grace” (Lk 4, 22), and this is why in order
to accept him it is necessary to prepare oneself, enter into oneself to
accept the promised One of Israel. This is why the Lord admonishes by
means of the Prophet: “Seek Yahweh, all you humble of the earth, who
obey the commands. Seek uprightness, seek humility: you may perhaps find
shelter, on the Day of Yahweh’s anger” (Zp 1, 3).
In this context, “In the
sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee
called Nazareth, to a Virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the
House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary” (Lk 1, 26-27). This
Virgin is one of the ‘anawim to whom the Lord reveals his salvation.
With her are found two other ‘anawim “ who were advanced in years” (Lk
1, 7), “a priest called “Zechariah” and “Elizabeth who was childless”
and therefore had no children (Lk 1, 5-7). Also to these two dishonoured
(Gen 30, 33; I Sam 1, 5-8); 2 Sam 6, 23; Ho 9, 11) the salvation of the
Lord is announced. Unfortunately in Jerusalem, in the temple, during
the liturgy, place of the revelation, of the power and of the glory of
God, this Good News was not accepted by the priest (Lk 1, 8-23). But the
Word of God is not bound and it cannot be limited. In fact, the Holy
One of Israel says: “For as the rain and the snow come down from the sky
and do not return before watering the earth, fertilizing it and making
it germinate to provide seed for the sower and food to eat, so it is
with the word that goes from my mouth: it will not return to me
unfulfilled or before having carried out my good pleasure and having
achieved what it was sent to do”. (Is 55, 10-11). This is why Elizabeth
“in her old age has conceived a son and, she whom people called barren
is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God”. (Lk 1,
36-37). This will be the event offered to Mary as a sign of the “power
of the Most High”. (Lk 1, 35) which will come down upon her like a
shadow to conceive the Son of God through the Holy Spirit who will
“descend” upon her (Lk 1, 34-35). The Son will be named Jesus, “He will
be great and will be called Son of the Most High; the Lord God will give
him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of
Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end” (Lk 1, 31-33). These
words of the angel echo or evoke the same addressed to Acaz: “The Lord
himself will give you a sign. Behold: the virgin will conceive and give
birth to a son, whom she will call Immanuel” (Is 7, 14).
That is why after John was
conceived, that is “in the sixth month” (Lk 1, 26) the Good News was
received “in a city of Galilee, called Nazareth” (Lk 1, 26) by a young
girl, a “virgin promised spouse” (Lk 1, 27). “Nazareth” and “Mary” are
in contrast with “Jerusalem” and “priest”; just as the phrase: “he went
in” with the word “temple”. the Lord reveals himself in humble places
and is accepted by humble people from whom, in the judgment of men,
“nothing good can come” (Jn 1, 45). Mary is invited to rejoice:
“Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Lk 1, 28). The presence
of the Lord in the midst of his people is the occasion of joy because
the presence of the Lord bears salvation and blessing. The invitation of
the angel is addressed to the whole People of God in the person of
Mary. That is why, the whole People of God is called to rejoice, to be
glad in the Lord, their Saviour. It is the Messianic joy which is
announced to all: “Cry out and shout for joy, you who live in Zion, for
the Holy One of Israel is among you in his greatness”(Is 12, 6);
“Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! Yahweh has
repealed your sentence; he has turned your enemy away. Yahweh is king
among you, Israel, you have nothing more to fear...” (Zp 3, 14-15 ff);
“Rejoice, exult daughter of Zion, because, behold, I come to live among
you” (Zc 2, 14).
The conception of Jesus is
a new event, the primacy of the future new creation brought about by
the generating power of God who comes to encounter the impossibility of
conceiving of Mary because she knows no man (Lk 1, 34). The shadow which
the Most High extends on Mary recalls the cloud which accompanied the
people in the desert during the day (Ex 13, 22), which overshadowed the
Mount Sinai revealing the Glory of the Lord during six days (Ex 19, 16;
24, 17). And also a sign of the protection of God, extended to the just
who invokes the name of the Lord and places himself in the hands of God
during the trial (Ps 17, 8; 57, 2; 140, 8). In creation, the Spirit of
God blew over the water, the sign of the creating power of the word of
God (Gen 1, 2).
God exceeds every human
capacity, nothing is impossible for him (Lk 1, 477; Gen 18, 14; Jer 32,
27). Before the Lord of joy, of life and of salvation, Mary accepts his
generating and creative word: “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord, may it
be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1, 38).
~Questions to orientate the meditation and make it relevant:
● The Lord reveals himself to the ‘anawim of his people. According to you who are the contemporary ‘anawim among us?
● Many times we feel that we are in a world hostile to God’s revelation. It also seems that he has become silent, that he no longer reveals his word which gives life. Is this true? If he still speaks to us, where can I find his living word? How can I accept it?
● The power of evil seems to envelop our restless world. The diverse modalities of oppression seem precisely to oppress also the God of joy, of freedom, of mercy. Which is your attitude before this reality? Do you feel that today’s text inspires you a just attitude before an impossible situation?
● Which do you think is the characteristic of Mary’s attitude? Does this reveal something of your own life?
● Many times we feel that we are in a world hostile to God’s revelation. It also seems that he has become silent, that he no longer reveals his word which gives life. Is this true? If he still speaks to us, where can I find his living word? How can I accept it?
● The power of evil seems to envelop our restless world. The diverse modalities of oppression seem precisely to oppress also the God of joy, of freedom, of mercy. Which is your attitude before this reality? Do you feel that today’s text inspires you a just attitude before an impossible situation?
● Which do you think is the characteristic of Mary’s attitude? Does this reveal something of your own life?
ORATIO
~Canticle of Mary:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant.
Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his faithful love extends age after age
to those who fear him.
He has used the power of his arm,
he has routed the arrogant of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones
and raised high the lowly.
He has filled the starving with good things,
sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant,
mindful of his faithful love
- according to the promise he made to our ancestors -
of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant.
Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed,
for the Almighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name,
and his faithful love extends age after age
to those who fear him.
He has used the power of his arm,
he has routed the arrogant of heart.
He has pulled down princes from their thrones
and raised high the lowly.
He has filled the starving with good things,
sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the help of Israel his servant,
mindful of his faithful love
- according to the promise he made to our ancestors -
of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.
~ Moments for a prayerful silence
CONTEMPLATIO
[In the contemplation], in
fact, to strong men it is granted to recollect themselves when they
desire to remain with themselves, to assiduously cultivate the sprouts
of virtue and nourish themselves, happily, from the fruits of Paradise.
Here the eye of the serene gaze, is acquired, which wounds the Spouse
with love, and through its transparency and purity God is seen. Here is
practiced a laborious leisure time and the rest in a quiet action. Here,
because of the tiredness of the struggle, God gives to his athletes the
desired reward, that is, the peace which the world ignores, and the joy
in the Holy Spirit.
This is that Rachel who is coming, of a beautiful aspect, which Jacob, even though less fertile of children, loved more than Lia, certainly more fecund but of bleary eyes. In fact, the sons of contemplation are less numerous in regard to those of the action; nevertheless, Joseph and Benjamin, more than the other brothers, are loved by the father.
This is that best part which Mary has chosen and which will not be taken from her.
This is that Rachel who is coming, of a beautiful aspect, which Jacob, even though less fertile of children, loved more than Lia, certainly more fecund but of bleary eyes. In fact, the sons of contemplation are less numerous in regard to those of the action; nevertheless, Joseph and Benjamin, more than the other brothers, are loved by the father.
This is that best part which Mary has chosen and which will not be taken from her.
(From the Letter of Saint Bruno to Rudolph il Verde).
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Feast Day: December 8
Patron Saint:
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| The Immaculate Conception, 1600 |
The Immaculate Conception should not be confused with the perpetual virginity of Mary or the virgin birth of Jesus; it refers to the conception of Mary by her mother, Saint Anne. Although the belief was widely held since at least Late Antiquity, the doctrine was not formally proclaimed until December 8, 1854, by Pope Pius IX in his papal bull Ineffabilis Deus. It is not formal doctrine except in the Roman Catholic Church. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is observed on December 8 in many Catholic countries as a holy day of obligation or patronal feast, and in some as a national public holiday.
Distinctions
Original sin and actual (personal) sin
The defined dogma of the Immaculate Conception regards original sin only, saying that Mary was preserved from any stain (in Latin, macula or labes, the second of these two synonymous words being the one used in the formal definition). The proclaimed Roman Catholic dogma states "that 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 Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin." Therefore, being always free from original sin, the doctrine teaches that from her conception Mary received the sanctifying grace that would normally come with baptism after birth.The definition makes no declaration about the Church's belief that the Blessed Virgin was sinless, in the sense of actual or personal sin. However, the Church also holds that Mary was also sinless personally, that she was "free from all sin, original or personal". The Council of Trent decreed: "If anyone shall say that a man once justified can sin no more, nor lose grace, and that therefore he who falls and sins was never truly justified; or, on the contrary, that throughout his whole life he can avoid all sins even venial sins, except by a special privilege of God, as the Church holds in regard to the Blessed Virgin: let him be anathema."
Virginal conception
The doctrine of the immaculate conception (Mary being conceived free from original sin) is not to be confused with her virginal conception of her son Jesus. This misunderstanding of the term immaculate conception is frequently met in the mass media. Catholics believe that Mary was not the product of a virginal conception herself but was the daughter of a human father and mother, traditionally known by the names of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. In 1677, the Holy See condemned the belief that Mary was virginally conceived, which had been a belief surfacing occasionally since the 4th century. The Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (when Mary was conceived free from original sin) on 8 December, exactly nine months before celebrating the Nativity of Mary. The feast of the Annunciation (which commemorates the virginal conception and the Incarnation of Jesus) is celebrated on 25 March, nine months before Christmas Day.Redemption
Another misunderstanding is that, by her immaculate conception, Mary did not need a saviour. When defining the dogma in Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX explicitly affirmed that Mary was redeemed in a manner more sublime. He stated that Mary, rather than being cleansed after sin, was completely prevented from contracting Original Sin in view of the foreseen merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race. In Luke 1:47, Mary proclaims: "My spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour." This is referred to as Mary's pre-redemption by Christ. Since the Council of Orange II against semi-pelagianism, the Catholic Church has taught that even had man never sinned in the Garden of Eden and was sinless, he would still require God's grace to remain sinless.History
A feast of the Conception of the Most Holy and All Pure Mother of God was celebrated in Syria on 8 December perhaps as early as the 5th century. Note that the title of achrantos (spotless, immaculate, all-pure) refers to the holiness of Mary, not specifically to the holiness of her conception.By the 7th century the feast of her conception was widely celebrated in the East, under the name of the Conception (active) of Saint Anne. In the West it was known as the feast of the Conception (passive) of Mary, and was associated particularly with the Normans, whether these introduced it directly from the East or took it from English usage. The spread of the feast, by now with the adjective "Immaculate" attached to its title, met opposition on the part of some, on the grounds that sanctification was possible only after conception. Critics included Saints Bernard of Clairvaux, Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas. Other theologians defended the expression "Immaculate Conception", pointing out that sanctification could be conferred at the first moment of conception in view of the foreseen merits of Christ, a view held especially by Franciscans Writers such as Mark Miravalle and Sarah Jane Boss interpret the existence of the feast as a strong indication of the Church's traditional belief in the Immaculate Conception.
On 28 February 1476, Pope Sixtus IV, a Franciscan after whom the Sistine Chapel is named, authorized those dioceses that wished to introduce the feast to do so, and introduced it to his own diocese of Rome in 1477, with a specially composed Mass and Office of the feast. With his bull Cum praeexcelsa of 28 February 1477, in which he referred to the feast as that of the Conception of Mary, without using the word "Immaculate", he granted indulgences to those who would participate in the specially composed Mass or Office on the feast itself or during its octave, and he used the word "immaculate" of Mary, but applied instead the adjective "miraculous" to her conception. On 4 September 1483, referring to the feast as that of "the Conception of Immaculate Mary ever Virgin", he condemned both those who called it mortally sinful and heretical to hold that the "glorious and immaculate mother of God was conceived without the stain of original sin" and those who called it mortally sinful and heretical to hold that "the glorious Virgin Mary was conceived with original sin", since, he said, "up to this time there has been no decision made by the Roman Church and the Apostolic See." This decree was reaffirmed by the Council of Trent.
One of the chief proponents of the doctrine was the Hungarian Franciscan Pelbartus Ladislaus of Temesvár. Under Pope Pius V, the Pope who in 1570 established the Tridentine Mass, included the feast (but without the adjective "Immaculate") in the Tridentine Calendar, but suppressed the existing special Mass for the feast, directing that the Mass for the Nativity of Mary (with the word "Nativity" replaced by "Conception") be used instead. Part of that earlier Mass was revived in the Mass that Pope Pius IX ordered to be used on the feast and that is still in use.
On 6 December 1708, Pope Clement XI made the feast of the Conception of Mary, at that time still with the Nativity of Mary formula for the Mass, a Holy Day of Obligation. Until Pope Pius X reduced in 1911 the number of Holy Days of Obligation to 8, there were in the course of the year 36 such days, apart from Sundays.
Definition of the dogma
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| Altar of the Immaculata, Lusenberg, 1876. . |
It was not until 1854 that Pope Pius IX, with the support of the overwhelming majority of Roman Catholic bishops, whom he had consulted between 1851–1853, promulgated the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus (Latin for "Ineffable God"), which defined ex cathedra the dogma of the Immaculate Conception:
The dogma was defined in accordance with the conditions of papal infallibility, which would be defined in 1870 by the First Vatican Council. The papal definition of the dogma declares with absolute certainty and authority that Mary possessed sanctifying grace from the first instant of her existence and was free from the lack of grace caused by the original sin at the beginning of human history. Mary's salvation was won by her son Jesus Christ through his passion, death, and resurrection and was not due to her own merits.We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the first instant of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace of the Omnipotent God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind, was preserved immaculate from all stain of original sin, has been revealed by God, and therefore should firmly and constantly be believed by all the faithful.—Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, December 8, 1854
Later developments
For the Roman Catholic Church the dogma of the Immaculate Conception gained additional significance from the reputed apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1858. At Lourdes a 14-year-old girl, Bernadette Soubirous, claimed that a beautiful woman appeared to her and said, "I am the Immaculate Conception". Many believe the woman to have been the Blessed Virgin Mary and pray to her as such.In this sense the dogma of the Immaculate Conception defined by Pope Pius IX is also viewed as a key example of the use of sensus fidelium shared by believers and the Magisterium rather than pure reliance on Scripture and Tradition. The Vatican quotes in this context Fulgens Corona, where Pius XII supported such a faith:
The Roman Catholic tradition has a well-established philosophy for the study of the Immaculate Conception and the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the field of Mariology, with Pontifical schools such as the Marianum specifically devoted to this.If the popular praises of the Blessed Virgin Mary be given the careful consideration they deserve, who will dare to doubt that she, who was purer than the angels and at all times pure, was at any moment, even for the briefest instant, not free from every stain of sin?
References
- "Immaculate Conception." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 12 Dec. 2012 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07674d.htm>.
- Raymond Burke, 2008, Mariology: A Guide for Priests, Deacons,seminarians, and Consecrated Persons Queenship Publishing ISBN 1-57918-355-7
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Today's Snippet I:
Book 1, Chapter 5,
The Mystical City of God,
The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
PROPAGATION OF MANKIND. EXPECTATION OF A REDEEMER.
SAINT
JOACHIM AND ANNE
The posterity and race of Adam spread out in great numbers,
for the just and the unjust were multiplied; likewise did increase the clamors
of the just for the Redeemer, and the transgressions of the wicked in demerit of
that benefit. The people of the Most High and the plans for the triumph of the
Lord in assuming human nature, were already in the last stages of preparation
for the advent of the Messias. The kingdom of sin in the generation of the
wicked had now spread its dominion to the utmost limits and the opportune time
for the remedy had arrived.
When the ancient serpent had infected the whole earth with
its poisonous breath and apparently enjoyed peaceful control over mortals who
had become blind to the light of reason (Rom. 1, 20) and to the precepts
contained in the ancient written law, when, instead of seeking the true
Divinity, men set up for themselves many false laws and each one created a god
for himself according to his liking, without considering, that the confusion of
so many gods was repugnant to all goodness, order, and peace, when by these
errors malice, ignorance and forgetfulness of the true God had become
naturalized; when ignorant of its mortal disease and lethargy, the world had
grown mute in its prayer for deliverance; when pride reigned supreme and fools
had become innumerable (Eccles. 9, 15); when Lucifer in his arrogance was about
to swallow the pure waters of the Jordan (Job 40, 18): when through these
injuries God was more and more deeply offended and less and less beholden to
man; when his justice had such an excellent cause for annihilating all creation
and reducing it to its original nothingness:
At this juncture (according to our way of understanding), the
Most High directed his attention to the attribute of his mercy, counterbalanced
the weight of his incomprehensible justice with the law of clemency, and chose
to yield more to his own goodness, to the clamors and faithful services of the
just and the prophets of his people, than to his indignation at the wickedness
and sins of all the rest of mankind. In this dark night of the ancient law, He
resolved to give most certain pledges of the day of grace, sending into the
world two most bright luminaries to announce the approaching dawn of the sun of
Justice, Christ our Salvation. These were saint Joachim and Anne, prepared and
created by especial decree according to his own heart. St. Joachim had his home,
his family and relations in Nazareth, a town of Galilee. He, always a just and
holy man and illumined by especial grace and light from on high, had a knowledge
of many mysteries of the holy Scriptures and of the olden Prophets. In continual
and fervent prayer he asked of God the fulfillment of his promises, and his
faith and charity penetrated the heavens. He was a man most humble and pure,
leading a most holy and sincere life, yet he was most grave and earnest, and
incomparably modest and honest.
The most fortunate Anne had a house in Bethlehem and was a
most chaste, humble and beautiful maiden. From her childhood she led a most
virtuous, holy and retired life, enjoying great and continual enlightenment in
exalted contemplation. Withal she was most diligent and industrious, thus
attaining perfection in both the active and contemplative life. She had an
infused knowledge of the divine Scriptures and a profound understanding of its
hidden mysteries and sacraments. In the infused virtues of faith, hope and love
she was unexcelled. Equipped with all these gifts, she continued to pray for the
coming of the Messias. Her prayers were so acceptable to the Lord, that to her
He could but answer with the words of the Spouse: "Thou hast wounded my
heart with one of the hairs of thy neck" (Cant. 4, 9). Therefore, without
doubt, saint Anne holds a high position among the saints of the old Testament,
who by their merits hastened the coming of the Redeemer.
This woman also prayed most fervently, that the Almighty
deign to procure for her in matrimony a husband, who should help her to observe
the ancient law and testament, and to be perfect in the fulfillment of all its
precepts. At the moment in which saint Anne thus prayed to the Lord, his
Providence ordained, that Saint Joachim made the same petition: both prayers
were made at the same time before the tribunal of the holy Trinity, where they
were heard and fulfilled, it being then and there divinely disposed, that
Joachim and Anne unite in marriage and become the parents of Her, who was to be
the Mother of the incarnate God. In furtherance of this divine decree the
archangel Gabriel was sent to announce it to them both. To saint Anne he
appeared in visible form, while she was engaged in fervent prayer for the coming
of the Savior and the Redeemer of men. When she saw the holy prince, most
beautiful and refulgent, she was disturbed and frightened and yet at the same
time interiorly rejoiced and enlightened. The holy maiden prostrated herself in
profound humility to reverence the messenger of heaven; but he prevented and
encouraged her, as being destined to be the ark of the true manna, Mary most
holy, Mother of the Word. For this holy angel had been informed of this
sacramental mystery on being sent with this message. The other angels did not
yet know of it, as this revelation or illumination had been directly given from
God only to Gabriel. Nevertheless the angel did not then manifest this great
sacrament to St. Anne; but he asked her to attend and said to her: "The
Most High give thee his blessing, servant of God, and be thy salvation. His
Majesty has heard thy petitions and He wishes thee to persevere therein and that
thou continue to clamor for the coming of the Redeemer. It is his will, that
thou accept Joachim as the spouse, for he is a man of upright heart and
acceptable to the Lord: in his company thou wilt be able to persevere in the
observance of his law and in his service. Continue thy prayers and thy
supplications and be not solicitous for anything else, for the Lord will see
them fulfilled. Walk in the straight paths of justice and let thy soul’s
converse be in heaven. Continuing to pray for the Messiah, be thou joyful in the
Lord, who is thy salvation." With these words the angel disappeared,
leaving her enlightened in many mysteries of holy Scriptures, and comforted and
renewed in spirit.
To saint Joachim the archangel did not appear in a corporeal
manner, but he spoke to the man of God in sleep as follows: "Joachim, be
thou blessed by the right hand of the Most High! Persevere in thy desires and
live according to rectitude and perfection. It is the will of the Almighty, that
thou receive saint Anne as thy spouse, for her the Lord has visited with his
blessing. Take care of her and esteem her as a pledge of the Most High and give
thanks to his Majesty, because he has given her in thy charge." In
consequence of this divine message saint Joachim immediately asked for the hand
of the most chaste Anne and, in joint obedience to the divine ordainment, they
espoused each other. But neither of the manifested to each other the secret of
what had happened until several years afterwards, as I will relate in its place.
The two holy spouses lived in Nazareth, continuing to walk in the justification
of the Lord. In rectitude and sincerity they practiced all virtue in their
works, making themselves very acceptable and pleasing to the Most High and
avoiding all blemish in all their doings. The rents and incomes of their estate
they divided each year into three parts. The first one they offered to the
temple of Jerusalem for the worship of the Lord; the second they distributed to
the poor, and the third they retained for decent sustenance of themselves and
family. God augmented their temporal goods on account of their generosity and
charity.
They themselves lived with each other in undisturbed peace
and union of heart, without quarrel or shadow of a grudge. The most humble Anne
subjected herself and conformed herself in all things to the will of Joachim:
and that man of God, with equal emulation of humility, sought to know the
desires of holy Anne, confiding in her with his whole heart (Prov. 31, 11), and
he was not deceived. Thus they lived together in such perfect charity, that
during their whole life they never experienced a time, during which one ceased
to seek the same thing as the other (Matth. 27, 20). But rather as being united
in the Lord, they enjoyed his presence in holy fear. Saint Joachim, solicitous
to obey the command of the angel, honored his spouse and lavished his attention
upon her.
This fortunate couple passed twenty years of their married
life without issue. In those times and among the people of the Jews this was
held to be the greatest misfortune and disgrace. On this account they had to
bear much reproach and insult from their neighbors and acquaintances, for all
those that were childless, were considered as excluded from the benefits of the
Messias. But the Most High wished to afflict them and dispose them for the grace
which awaited them, in order that in patience and submission they might
tearfully sow the glorious Fruit, which they were afterwards to bring forth.
They continued in most fervent prayers from the bottom of their hearts, mindful
of the command from on high. They made an express vow to the Lord, that if He
should give them issue, they would consecrate It to his service in the temple of
Jerusalem.
Having, at the command of the Lord, persevered a whole year
in fervent petitions, it happened by divine inspiration and ordainment, that
Joachim was in the temple of Jerusalem offering prayers and sacrifices for the
coming of the Messias, and for the fruit, which he desired. Arriving with others
of his town to offer the common gifts and contributions in the presence of the
high priest, Isachar, an inferior priest, harshly reprehended the old and
venerable Joachim, for presuming to come with the other people to make offerings
in spite of his being childless. Among other things he said to him: "Why
dost thou, Joachim, come with thy offerings and sacrifices, which are not
pleasing in the eyes of God, since thou art a useless man? Leave this company
and depart; do not annoy God with thy offerings and sacrifices, which are not
acceptable to Him." The holy man, full of shame and confusion, in humble
love thus addressed the Lord: "Most high Lord and God, at thy command and
desire I came to the temple; he that takes thy place, despises me; my sins merit
this disgrace; but since I accept it according to thy will, do not cast away the
creature of thy hands" (Ps. 275, 10). Joachim hastened away from the temple
full of sorrow, though peaceful and contented, to a farm or storehouse, which he
possessed, and there in solitude he called upon the Lord for some days, praying
as follows:
"Most high and eternal God, on whom depends the whole
existence and the reparation of the human race, prostrate in thy living
presence, I supplicate thy infinite goodness to look upon the affliction of my
soul and to hear my prayers and those of thy servant Anne. To thine eyes are
manifest all our desires (Ps. 37, 10) and if I am not worthy to be heard, do not
despise my humble spouse. Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our first
forefathers, do not hide thy kindness from us, nor permit, since Thou art a
Father, that I be numbered among the reprobate and the outcasts in my offerings,
because Thou givest me no issue. Remember, O Lord, the sacrifices (Deut. 11, 27)
and oblations of thy servants and prophets, my ancestors, and look upon their
works, which were pleasing to thy divine eyes. Since Thou commandest me, my Lord
to pray to Thee in confidence, grant me, according to the greatness of thy mercy
and power, that which at thy wish I pray for. In beseeching Thee I fulfill thy
will and render the obedience, in which Thou hast promised to grant my petition.
If my sins hinder the exercise of thy mercies, take away what displeases and
hinders Thee. Thou art mighty, Lord God of Israel, and all that Thou wishest,
Thou canst accomplish without hindrance. Let my prayers reach thy ears, and if I
am poor and insignificant, Thou art infinite and always ready to exercise mercy
with the downcast. Whither shall I flee from Thee, who art the King of kings and
the Lord of lords? Thou hast filled thy sons and servants with benedictions in
their generations and Thou hast instructed to expect and desire from thy bounty
what Thou hast wrought in my brethren. If it is Thy pleasure to yield to my
petition, and grant me issue I will offer it and consecrate it to thy holy
temple in perpetual service. I have riveted my eyes and my will on thy holy Will
and have always desired to keep them free from the vanishing things of this
world. Fulfill in regard to me, what is according to thy pleasure, and rejoice
our spirit with the accomplishment of our hopes. Look down from thy throne upon
this vile dust, and raise it up, in order that it may magnify Thee and adore
Thee, and let in all things be fulfilled thy will, and not mine."
While Joachim was making these petitions in his retirement,
the holy angel manifested to holy Anne, that her prayer for an issue,
accompanied by such holy desires and intentions, was pleasing to the Almighty.
Having thus recognized the will of God and of her husband Joachim, she prayed
with humble subjection and confidence, that it be fulfilled. "Most high
God, my Lord, Creator and Preserver of the universe, whom my soul reserves as
the true God, infinite, holy and eternal! Prostrate in thy real presence I will
speak, though but I am but dust and ashes (Esther 13, 9) proclaiming my need and
my affliction. Lord God uncreated, make us worthy of thy benediction, and give
us holy fruit of the womb, in order that we may offer it to thy service in the
temple (Gen. 18, 27). Remember, O Lord, that Anne, thy servant, the mother of
Samuel, was sterile and that by thy generous mercy she received the fulfillment
of her desires. I feel within me a courage which incites and animates me to ask
Thee to show me the same mercy. Hear then, O sweetest Lord and Master, my humble
petition: remember the sacrifices, offerings and services of my ancestors and
the favors, which thy almighty arm wrought in them. I wish to offer to Thee, O
Lord, an oblation pleasing and acceptable in thy eyes: but the greatest in my
power, is my soul, my faculties and inclinations given to Thee, and my whole
being. If Thou look upon me from thy throne giving me issue, I will from this
moment sanctify and offer it for thy service in the temple. Lord God of Israel,
if it should be thy pleasure and good will to look upon this lowly and
impoverished creature, and to console thy servant Joachim, grant me my prayer
and may in all things be fulfilled thy holy and eternal will."
These were the prayers, which saint Joachim and Anne offered.
On account of my great shortcoming and insufficiency I cannot fully describe
what I was made to understand concerning the holiness of these prayers and of
these saintly parents. It is impossible to tell all; nor is it necessary, since
what I have said is sufficient for my purpose. In order to obtain a befitting
idea of these saints, it is necessary to estimate and judge them in connection
with the most high end and ministry, for which they were chosen by God; for they
were the immediate grandparents of Christ our Lord, and parents of his most holy
Mother.
The petitions of the most holy Joachim and Anne reached the
throne of the holy Trinity, where they were accepted and the will of God was
made known to the holy angels. The three divine Persons, according to our way of
expressing such things, spoke to them as follows: "We have in our
condescension resolved, that the person of the Word shall assume human flesh and
that through Him all the race of mortals shall find a remedy. We have already
manifested and promised this to our servants, the Prophets, in order that they
might announce it to the whole world. The sins of the living, and their malice
are so great, that We are much constrained by the rigor of justice. But our
goodness and mercy is greater than all their evil-doing, nor can it extinguish
our love toward men. We will look with mercy upon the works of our hands, which
We have created according to our image and likeness, so as to enable them to
become inheritors and participators of our eternal glory (I Pet. 3, 22). We will
consider the services and pleasure derived from our servants and friends and
regard the multitude of those, who shall distinguish themselves in our praise
and friendship. And above all have We before our eyes Her, who is to be the
chosen One, who is to be acceptable above all creatures and singled out for our
delight and pleasure; because She is to conceive the person of the Word in her
womb and clothe Him with human flesh. Since there must be a beginning of this
work, by which we shall manifest to the world the treasures of the Divinity,
this shall be the acceptable and opportune time for its execution. Joachim and
Anne have found grace in our eyes; We look upon them with pleasure and shall
enrich them with choicest gifts and graces. They have been faithful and constant
in their trials and in simplicity and uprightness their souls have become
acceptable and pleasing before Us. Let Gabriel as our ambassador bring tidings
of joy for them and for the whole human race; let him announce to them, that in
our condescension We have looked upon them and chosen them."
Thus the celestial spirits were instructed in regard to the
will and the decree of the Almighty. The holy archangel Gabriel humbled himself
before the throne of the most blessed Trinity, adoring and revering the divine
Majesty in the manner which befits these most pure and spiritual substances.
From the throne an intellectual voice proceeded saying: "Gabriel,
enlighten, vivify and console Joachim and Anne, our servants, and tell them,
that their prayers have come to our presence and their petitions are heard in
clemency. Promise them, that by the favor of our right hand they will receive
the Fruit of benediction, and that Anne shall conceive a Daughter, to whom We
give the name of MARY."
Together with this mandate of the Most High many mysteries
and sacraments pertaining to this message were revealed to saint Gabriel. With
it he descended from the vault of the empyrean heaven and appeared to holy
Joachim, while he was in prayer, saying to him: "Just and upright man, the
Almighty from his sovereign throne has taken notice of thy desires and has heard
thy sighs and prayers, and has made thee fortunate on earth. Thy spouse Anne
shall conceive and bear a Daughter, who shall be blessed among women (Luc. 42,
48). The nations shall know Her as the Blessed. He who is the eternal God,
increate, and the Creator of all, most upright in his judgments, powerful and
strong, sends me to thee, because thy works and alms have been acceptable. Love
has softened the heart of the Almighty, and has hastened his mercies, and in his
liberality He wishes to enrich thy house and thy family with a Daughter, whom
Anne shall conceive; the Lord himself has chosen for Her the name of MARY. From
her childhood let Her be consecrated to the temple, and in it to God, as thou
hast promised. She shall be elected, exalted, powerful and full of the Holy
Ghost; on account of the sterility of Anne her conception shall be miraculous;
She shall be a Daughter wonderful in all her doings and in all her life. Praise
the Lord, Joachim, for this benefit and magnify Him, for in no other nation has
He wrought the like. Thou shalt go to give thanks in the temple of Jerusalem and
in testimony of the truth of this joyful message, thou shalt meet, in the Golden
Gate, thy sister Anne, who is coming to the temple for the same purpose.
Remember that marvelous is this message, for the Conception of this Child shall
rejoice heaven and earth."
In the meanwhile the thrice blessed Anne was exalted in
prayer and divine contemplation and totally wrapped up in the mystery of the
Incarnation, which, after having been previously filled with a most high
understanding and a specially infused light, she solicited from the eternal
Word. With the profoundest humility and lively faith she was praying for the
hastening of the coming of the Redeemer of the human race in the following
words: "Most high King and Lord of all creation, I, a most vile and
despicable creature, and yet the work of thy hands, desire at the price of the
life which Thou hast given me, to urge Thee to hasten in thy mercy the time of
our salvation. O may thy infinite kindness incline toward our need! O that our
eyes might look upon the Restorer and the Redeemer of men! Remember, O Lord, the
mercies of old shown to thy people, wherein Thou hast promised thy Onlybegotten,
and may this promise of infinite kindness unbend Thee! May it come now, that day
so much longed for! Is it possible, that the Most High should descend from his
holy heaven? Is it possible, that He is to have a terrestrial Mother? What woman
shall She be, that is so fortunate and blessed? O who shall be so favored as to
look upon Her? Who shall be worthy to be the servant of her servants? Blessed
the race, that shall be able to see Her and prostrate themselves at her feet to
reverence Her! How sweet shall be the sight of Her and her company! Blessed the
eyes, that shall see Her and the ears, that shall listen to her words, and the
family, from whom the Most High shall select his Mother! Execute, O Lord, this
decree: fulfill thy divine benevolence!"
"The humility, faith and the alms of Joachim and of
thyself have come before the throne of the Most High and now He sends me, his
angel, in order to give thee news full of joy for thy heart: His Majesty wishes,
that thou be most fortunate and blessed. He chooses thee to be the mother of Her
who is to conceive and bring forth the Onlybegotten of the Father. Thou shalt
bring forth a Daughter, who by divine disposition shall be called MARY. She
shall be blessed among women and full of the Holy Ghost. She shall be the cloud
that shall drop the dew of heaven for the refreshment of mortals (III Kings 18,
44): and in Her shall be fulfilled the prophecies of thy ancestors. She shall be
the portal of life and salvation for the sons of Adam. Know also that I have
announced to Joachim, that he shall have a Daughter who shall be blessed and
fortunate: but the full knowledge of the mystery is not given him by the Lord,
for he does not know, that She is to be the Mother of the Messias. Therefore
thou must guard this secret; and go now to the temple to give thanks to the Most
High for having been so highly favored by his powerful right hand. In the Golden
Gate thou shalt meet Joachim, where thou wilt confer with him about this tiding.
Thou art the one, who art especially blessed of the Lord and whom He wishes to
visit and enrich with more singular blessings. In solitude He will speak to thy
heart and there give a beginning to the law of grace, since in thy womb He will
give being to Her, who is to vest the Immortal with mortal flesh and human form.
In this humanity, united with the Word, will be written, as with his own blood,
the true law of Mercy."
In order that the humble heart of the holy Anne might not
faint away with admiration and joy at these tidings of the holy angel, she was
strengthened by the holy Spirit and thus she heard it and received it with
magnanimity and incomparable joy. Immediately arising she hastened to the temple
of Jerusalem, and there found saint Joachim, as the angel had foretold to them
both. Together they gave thanks to the Almighty for this wonderful blessing and
offered special gifts and sacrifices. They were enlightened anew by the grace of
the Holy Spirit, and, full of divine consolation, they returned to their home.
Joyfully they conversed about the favors, which they had received from the
Almighty, especially concerning each one’s message of the archangel Gabriel,
whereby, on behalf of the Lord, they had been promised a Daughter who should be
most blessed and fortunate. On this occasion they also told each other, how the
same angel, before their espousal, had commanded each to accept the other, in
order that together they might serve God according to his divine will. This
secret they had kept from each other for twenty years, without communicating it,
until the same angel had promised them the issue of such a Daughter. Anew the
made the vow to offer Her to the temple and that each year on this day they
would come to the temple to offer special gifts, spend the day in praise and
thanksgiving, and give many alms. This vow they fulfilled to the end of their
lives, spending this day in great praise and exaltation of the Most High.
The prudent matron Anne never disclosed the secret, that her
Daughter was to be the Mother of the Messias, either to Joachim or to any other
creature. Nor did that holy parent in the course of his life know any more than
that She was to be a grand and mysterious woman. However, in the last moments of
his life the Almighty made the secret known to him, as I will relate in its
place.
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Today's Snippet II:
Book 1, Chapter 6,
The Mystical City of God,
The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
In the tribunal of the divine will, as the inevitable source
and universal cause of the whole creation, all things with their conditions and
circumstances, are decreed and determined, so that nothing is forgotten and no
created power can in the least impede the fulfillment of the decree. All the
spheres and the inhabitants contained in them are dependent on this ineffable
government that rules them and cooperates with the natural causes unfailingly
and unerringly in all that must be done. God works in all and sustains all by
his sole will; in Him lies the preservation of all things or their annihilation,
for without Him they would return to the non-existence, from which they were
drawn. But since He has created the universe for his glory and for the glory of
the incarnate Word, therefore He has from the beginning opened the paths and
prearranged the ways by which the same Word should lower Himself to assume human
flesh and to live among men, and by which they might ascend toward God, know
Him, fear Him, seek Him, serve Him, love Him, praise Him and enjoy Him
eternally. As the opportune and preordained time had arrived, the three divine
Persons conferred with each other saying: "Now is the time to begin the
work of our pleasure and to call into existence that pure Creature and that
soul, which is to find grace in our eyes above all the rest. Let Us furnish Her
with richest gifts and let Us deposit in Her the great treasures of our grace.
Since all others, whom We called into existence, have turned out ungrateful and
rebellious to our wishes, frustrating our intention and impeding by their own
fault our purpose, namely, that they conserve themselves in the happy state of
their first parents, and since it is not proper, that our will should be
entirely frustrated, let Us therefore create this being in entire sanctity and
perfection, so that the disorder of the first sin shall have no part in Her.
Let
Us create a soul according to our pleasure, a fruit of our attributes, a marvel
of our infinite power, without touch or blemish of the sin of Adam. Let Us
perfect a work which is the object of our Omnipotence and a pattern of the
perfection intended for our children, and the finishing crown of creation. All
have sinned in the free will and resolve of the first man (Rom. 5, 12); let Her
be the sole creature in whom We restore and execute that which they in their
aberration have lost. Let Her be a most special image and likeness of our
Divinity and let Her be in our presence for all eternity the culmination of our
goodwill and pleasure. In Her We deposit all the prerogatives and graces which
in our first and conditional resolve We had destined for the angels and men, if
they had remained in their first estate. What they have lost We renew in that
Creature and We will add to these gifts many others. Thus our first decree shall
not be frustrated, but it shall be fulfilled in a higher manner through this our
first and chosen One (Cant. 6, 8). And since We assigned and prepared the most
perfect and estimable of our gifts for the creatures who have lost them, We will
divert the stream of our bounty to our Well-beloved. We will set Her apart from
the ordinary law, by which the rest of the mortals are brought into existence,
for in Her the seed of the serpent shall have no part. I will descend from
heaven into her womb and in it vest Myself from her substance with human
nature."
"It is befitting and due to the infinite goodness of our
Divinity, that It be founded and enclosed in the most pure matter, untouched and
unstained by fault. Nor is it proper that our equity and providence overlook
what is most apt, perfect and holy, and choose that which is inferior, since
nothing can resist our will (Esther 13, 9). The Word, which is to become man,
being the Redeemer and Teacher of men, must lay the foundation of the most
perfect law of grace, and must teach through it, that the father and mother are
to be obeyed and honored as the secondary causes of the natural existence of
man. The law is first to be fulfilled by the divine Word by honoring Her as his
chosen Mother, by exalting Her with a powerful arm, and lavishing upon Her the
most admirable, most holy and most excellent of all graces and gifts. Among
these shall be that most singular honor and blessing of not subjecting Her to
our enemy, nor to his malice; and therefore She shall be free from the death of
sin."
"On earth the Word shall have a Mother without a father,
as in heaven He has a Father without a mother. And in order that there may be
the proper correspondence, proportion and consonance in calling God his Father
and this Woman his Mother, We desire that the highest correspondence and
approach possible between a creature and its God be established. Therefore at no
time shall the dragon boast of being superior to the Woman, whom God will obey
as his true Mother. This dignity of being free from sin is due and corresponds
to that of being Mother of the Word, and it is in itself even more estimable and
useful. It is a greater good to be holy than to be only mother; but all sanctity
and perfection is nevertheless due to the motherhood of God. The human flesh,
from which He is to assume form, must be free from sin. Since He is to redeem in
it the sinners, He must not be under the necessity of redeeming his own flesh,
like that of sinners. Being united to the Divinity his humanity is to be the
price of Redemption, wherefore it before all be preserved from sin, and We have
already foreseen and accepted the merits of the Word in this very flesh and
human nature. We wish that for all eternities the Word should be glorified
through this tabernacle and habitation of the human nature."
"She is to be the daughter of the first man; but in the
order of grace She is to be singularly free and exempt from fault; and in the
order of nature She is to be most perfect, and to be formed according to a
special providence. And since the incarnate Word is to be the Teacher of
humility and holiness and for this end is to endure labors, confounding the
vanity and deceitful fallacies of mortals by choosing for Himself sufferings as
the treasure most estimable in our eyes. We wish that She, who is to be his
Mother, experience the same labors and difficulties, that She be singularly
distinguished in patience, admirable in sufferings, and that She, in union with
the Onlybegotten, offer the acceptable sacrifices of sorrow to Us for her
greater glory."
"Now the time has arrived," added his Majesty,
"which was resolved upon by our Providence for bringing to light the
Creature most pleasing and acceptable to our eyes. That Creature, in whom the
human nature is freed from its first sin, who is to crush the head of the
dragon, who was typified by that singular sign, the Woman that appeared in the
heavens in our presence, and who is to clothe the eternal Word with human flesh.
The hour is at hand, so blessed for mortals, in which the treasures of our
Divinity are to be opened and the gates of heaven to be unlocked. Let the rigor
of our justice be softened by the chastisements, which we have until now
executed upon the mortals; let the attribute of our mercy become manifest; let
the creatures be enriched, and let the divine Word merit for them the treasures
of grace and of eternal glory."
"Now let the human race receive the Repairer, the
Teacher, the Brother and Friend, to be life for mortals, a medicine for the
sick, a consoler for the sorrowful, a balsam for the wounded, a guide and
companion for those in difficulties. Let now the prophecies of our servants and
the promises made to them that We would send a Savior to redeem them, be
fulfilled. And in order that all may be executed according to our good pleasure,
and that We may give a beginning to the mystery hidden since the constitution of
the world, We select for the formation of our beloved Mary the womb of our
servant Anne; in her be She conceived and in her let that most blessed Soul be
created. Although her generation and formation shall proceed according to the
usual order of natural propagation, it shall be different in the order of grace,
according to the ordainment of our Almighty power."
"You do already know how the ancient serpent, since he
saw the sign of this marvelous Woman, attempts to circumvent all women, and how,
from the first one created, he persecutes all those, whom he sees excelling in
the perfection of their works and life, expecting to find among them the One,
who is to crush his head (Gen. 3, 15). When he shall encounter this most pure
and spotless Creature, he shall find Her so holy that he will exert all his
powers to persecute Her in pursuance of the concept which he forms of Her. But
the arrogance of this dragon shall be greater than his powers (Is. 12, 7); and
it is our will that you have particular charge of this our holy City and
tabernacle of the incarnate Word, protecting, guarding, assisting and defending
Her against our enemies, and that you enlighten, strengthen and console Her with
all due solicitude and reverence as long as She shall be a wayfarer among the
mortals."
At this proposal of the Most High all the holy angels,
prostrate before the royal throne of the most holy Trinity, avowed their
promptitude and eagerness to obey the divine mandate. Each one desired in holy
emulation to be appointed, and offered himself for such a happy service; all of
them gave to the Almighty praise and thanksgiving in new songs, because the hour
had arrived for the fulfillment of that for which they had, with the most ardent
desires, prayed through many ages. I perceived on this occasion that from the
time of that great battle of saint Michael with the dragon and his allies, in
which they were hurled into everlasting darkness while the hosts of Michael
remained victorious and confirmed in grace and glory, these holy spirits
commenced immediately to pray for the fulfillment of the mysteries of the
Incarnation of the Word, of which they became cognizant at that time. And they
persevered in these oft repeated prayers up to the hour in which God manifested
to them the fulfillment of their desires and petitions.
On this account the celestial spirits at this new revelation
conceived an additional joy and obtained new accidental glory, and they spoke to
the Lord: "Most High and incomprehensible God and Lord, Thou art worthy of
all reverence, praise and eternal glory; and we are thy creatures and made
according to thy divine will. Send us, most powerful Lord, to execute thy most
wonderful works and mysteries, in order that in all things thy most just
pleasure may be fulfilled." In such terms of affection the heavenly princes
acknowledged themselves as subjects; and if it had been possible, they desired
to increase in purity and perfection in order to be more worthy guardians and
servants of Mary.
Then the Most High chose and appointed those who were to be
occupied in this exalted service (the guardianship of Mary) from each of the
nine choirs of angels. He selected one hundred, being nine hundred in all.
Moreover he assigned twelve others who should in a special manner assist Mary in
corporeal and visible forms; and they were to bear the emblems or escutcheons of
the Redemption. These are the twelve which are mentioned in the twenty-first
chapter of the Apocalypse as guarding the portals of the city; of them I will
speak in the explanation of that chapter later on. Besides these the Lord
assigned eighteen other angels, selected from the highest ranks, who were to
ascend and descend by that mystical stairs of Jacob with the message of the
Queen to his Majesty and those of the Lord to Her.
In addition to all these holy angels the Almighty assigned
and appointed seventy seraphim, choosing them from the highest ranks and from
those nearest to the Divinity, in order that they might communicate and converse
with this Princess of heaven in the same way as they themselves interact
with each other, and as the higher communicate with the lower ones.
In order that this invincible warrior-troop might be well
appointed, saint Michael, the prince of the heavenly militia was placed at their
head, and although not always in the company of the Queen, he was nevertheless
often near Her and often showed himself to Her. The Almighty destined him as a
special ambassador of Christ our Lord and to act in some of the mysteries as the
defender of his most holy Mother. In a like manner the holy prince Gabriel was
appointed to act as legate and minister of the eternal Father in the affairs of
the Princess of heaven. Thus did the most holy Trinity provide for the custody
and the defense of the Mother of God.
The divine wisdom had now prepared all things for drawing
forth the spotless image of the Mother of grace from the corruption of nature.
The number and congregation of ancient Patriarchs and Prophets had been
completed and gathered, and the mountains had been raised, on which this
mystical City of God was to be built (Ps. 86, 2). By the power of his right hand
He had already selected incomparable treasures of the Divinity to enrich and
endow Her. A thousand angels were equipped for her guard and custody, that they
might serve as most faithful vassals of their Queen and Lady. He had provided a
noble and kingly ancestry from whom She should descend and had selected for Her
most holy and perfect parents, than whom none holier or more perfect could be
found in the world. For there is no doubt that if better and more apt parents
existed, the Almighty would have selected them for Her, who was to be chosen by
God as his Mother.
In the formation of the body of the most holy Mary the wisdom
and power of the Almighty proceeded so cautiously that the quantities of the
four natural elements of the human body, the sanguine, melancholic, phlegmatic
and choleric, were compounded in exact proportion and measure; in order that by
this most perfect proportion in its mixture and composition it might assist the
operations of that holy Soul with which it was to be endowed and animated. This
wonderfully composed temperament was afterwards the source and the cause, which
in its own way made possible the serenity and peace that reigned in the powers
and faculties of the Queen of heaven during all her life. Never did any of these
elements oppose or contradict nor seek to predominate over the others, but each
one of them supplemented and served the others, continuing in this well ordered
fabric without corruption or decay. Never did the body of the most Holy Mary
suffer from the taint of corruption, nor was there anything wanting or anything
excessive found in it; but all the conditions and proportions of the different
elements were continuously adjusted, without any want or excess in what was
necessary for her perfect existence and without excess or default in dryness or
moisture. Neither was there more warmth than was necessary for maintenance of
life or digestion; nor more cold than was necessary for the right temperature
and for the maintenance of the bodily humors.
On the Saturday next following, the Almighty created the soul
of his Mother and infused it into the body; and thus entered into the world that
pure Creature, more holy, perfect and agreeable to His eyes than all those He
had created, or will create to the end of the world, or through the eternities.
God maintained a mysterious correspondence in the execution of this work with
that of creating all the rest of the world in seven days, as is related in the
book of Genesis. Then no doubt He rested in truth, according to the figurative
language of Scripture, since He has now created the most perfect Creature of
all, giving through it a beginning to the work of the divine Word and to the
Redemption of the human race. Thus was this day a paschal feast for God and also
for all creatures.
By the force of this divine pronouncement and through the
love with which it issued from the mouth of the Almighty, was created and
infused into the body of most holy Mary her most blessed Soul. At the same time
She was filled with grace and gifts above those of the highest seraphim of
heaven, and there was not a single instant in which She was found wanting or
deprived of the light, the friendship and love of the Creator, or in which She
was touched by the stain or darkness of original sin. On the contrary She was
possessed of the most perfect justice, superior to that of Adam and Eve in their
first formation. To Her was also concealed the most perfect use of the light of
reason, corresponding to the gifts of grace, which She had received. Not for one
instant was She to remain idle, but to engage in works most admirable and
pleasing to her Maker.
Although She was adorned as the Bride, descending from
heaven, endowed with all perfections and with the whole range of infused
virtues, it was not necessary that She should exercise all of them at once, it
being sufficient that She exercise those, which were befitting her state in the
womb of her mother. Among the first thus exercised were the three theological
virtues, faith, hope and charity, which relate immediately to God. These she at
once practiced in the most exalted manner recognizing by a most sublime faith
the Divinity with all its perfections and its infinite attributes, and the
Trinity with its distinction of Persons. This knowledge by faith was not impeded
by the higher knowledge which God gave her, as I will soon demonstrate. She
exercised also the virtue of hope, seeing in God the object of her happiness and
her ultimate end. Toward this her sanctified Soul at once hastened and aspired
with the most intense desires of uniting Herself with God and without having for
one moment turned to any other object or tarried one moment in her upward
flight. At the same instant also She put into action the virtue of charity,
seeing in God the infinite and highest Good, and conceiving such an intense
appreciation of the Divinity, that not all the seraphim could ever reach such an
eminent degree of fervor and virtue.
The other virtues which adorn and perfect the rational part
of the creature, She possessed in a proportion corresponding to the theological
virtues. The moral and natural virtues were hers in a miraculous and
supernatural measure, and in a still more exalted manner was She possessed of
the gifts and fruits of the Holy Ghost in the order of grace. She had an infused
knowledge and habit of all these virtues and of all the natural arts, so that
She knew and was conversant with the whole natural and supernatural order of
things, in accordance with the grandeur of God. Hence from her first instant in
the womb of her mother, She was wiser, more prudent, more enlightened, and more
capable of comprehending God and all his works, than all the creatures have been
or ever will be in eternity, excepting of course her most holy Son.
In correspondence with this wonderful knowledge of her most
holy soul at the instant of its union with the body, Mary exerted Herself by
eliciting heroic acts of virtue, of incomparable admiration, praise,
glorification, adoration, humility, love of God and sorrow for the sins
committed against Him whom She recognized as the Author and end of these
admirable works. She hastened to offer Herself as an acceptable sacrifice to the
Most High, beginning from that instant with fervent desire to bless Him, love
Him and honor Him, because She perceived that the bad angels and men failed to
know and love Him. She requested the holy angels whose Queen She already was, to
help Her to glorify the Creator and Lord of all, and to pray also for Her.
The Lord in this instant showed Her also her guardian angels,
whom she recognized and accepted with joyful submission, inviting them to sing
canticles of praise to the Most High alternatively with Her. She announced to
them beforehand that this was to be the service which they were to render Her
during the whole time of Her mortal life, in which they were to act as her
assistants and guards. She was informed moreover of her whole genealogy of all
the rest of the holy people chosen by God, the Patriarchs and Prophets, and how
admirable his Majesty was in the gifts, graces and favors wrought in them. It is
worthy of admiration, that, although the exterior faculties of her body at the
creation of her most holy Soul were hardly large enough to be distinguished,
nevertheless, in order that none of the miraculous excellence with which God
could endow his Mother might be wanting, He ordained by the power of right hand,
that in perceiving the fall of man She shed tears of sorrow in the womb of her
mother at the gravity of the offense against the highest Good.
In this wonderful sorrow at the instant of her coming into
existence, She began to seek a remedy for mankind and commenced the work of
mediation, intercession and reparation. She offered to God the clamors of her
ancestors and of the just of the earth, that his mercy might not delay the
salvation of mortals, whom she even looked upon as her brethren. Before She ever
conversed with them with the most ardent charity and with the very beginning of
her existence She assumed the office of Benefactress of men and exercised the
divine and fraternal love enkindled in her heart. These petitions the Most High
accepted with greater pleasure than the prayers of all the saints and angels and
this pleasure of God was also made known to Her, who was created to be the
Mother of God. She perceived the love of God and his desire to descend from
heaven in order to redeem men, though She knew not how it should be consummated.
It was befitting that God should feel Himself impelled to hasten his coming on
account of the prayers and petitions of this Creature; since it was principally
for the love of Her that He came, and since in Her body He was to assume human
flesh, accomplish the most admirable of all his works, and fulfill the end of
all other creatures.
In writing of these sacraments of the King, howsoever
honorable it is to reveal his works, I confess my inaptitude and incapacity,
being only a woman, and I am afflicted, because I am speaking in such common and
vague terms, which fall entirely short of that, which I perceive in the light
given to my soul for the understanding of these mysteries. In order to do
justice to such sublimity, there were need of other words, more particular and
especially adapted terms and expressions, which are beyond my ignorance. And
even if they were at my service, they would be weighed down and made insipid by
human weakness. Let therefore this human imbecility acknowledge itself unequal
and incapable of fixing its eyes on this heavenly sun, with which the rays of
the Divinity break upon the world, although yet beclouded in the maternal womb
of holy Anne. If we seek permission to approach this wonderful sight, let us
come near free and unshackled. Let us not allow ourselves to be detained,
neither by our natural cowardice nor by a base fear and hesitation, even though
it be under the cloak of humility. Let us all approach with the greatest
devotion and piety, free from the spirit of contention (Rom. 13, 12); then we
will be permitted to examine with our own eyes the fire of the Divinity burning
in the bush without consuming it (Exodus 2, 2).
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The
Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain.)
It is an act of justice due to the eternal God that the
creature coming to the use of reason, direct its very first movement toward God.
By knowing, it should begin to love Him, reverence Him and adore Him as its
Creator and only true Lord. The parents are naturally bound to instruct their
children from their infancy in this knowledge of God and to direct them with
solicitous care, so that they may at once see their ultimate end and seek it in
their first acts of the intellect and will. They should with great watchfulness
withdraw them from the childishness and puerile trickishness to which depraved
nature will incline them if left without direction. If the fathers and mothers
would be solicitous to prevent these vanities and perverted habits of their
children and would instruct them from their infancy in the knowledge of their
God and Creator, then they would afterwards easily accustom them to know and
adore Him. My holy mother, who knew not of my wisdom and real condition, was
most solicitously beforehand in this matter, for when She bore me in her womb,
she adored in my name the Creator and offered worship and thanks for his having
created me, beseeching Him to defend me and bring me forth to the light of day
from the condition in which I then was. So also parents should pray with fervor
to God, that the souls of their children, through his Providence, may obtain
Baptism and be freed from the servitude of original sin.
And if the rational creature has not known and adored the
Creator from the first dawn of reason, it should do this as soon as it obtains
knowledge of the essential God by the light of faith. From that very moment the
soul must exert itself never to lose Him from her sight, always fearing Him,
loving Him, and reverencing Him.
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