Friday, May 31, 2013 - Litany Lane Blog:
Humble, Isaiah 12:2-6, Zephaniah 3:14-20, Luke 1:39-56, Pope Francis Daily Homily - Recital of the Rosary for the End of the Marian Month, Feast of the Visitation, Book 3 Chapter 3 The Mystical City of God -Most Holy Mary Visits Elizabeth, Catholic Catechism Part Two: THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH - Chapter 3 Sacraments of Service at Communion Article 7:4 The Sacrament of Matrimony - The Effects
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. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. The Seven Gifts of
the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the
Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun
the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and
gluttony...Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and 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 the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...~ Zarya Parx 2013
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Prayers for Today: Friday in Easter
Rosary - Sorrowful Mysteries
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
Pope Francis May 31 General Audience Address :
RECITAL OF THE HOLY ROSARY
FOR THE CONCLUSION OF THE MARIAN MONTH OF MAY
FOR THE CONCLUSION OF THE MARIAN MONTH OF MAY
ADDRESS OF HOLY
FATHER FRANCIS
St. Peter's Square
Friday, 31 May 2013
Friday, 31 May 2013
(2013-05-31 Vatican Radio)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This evening we have prayed together with the Holy Rosary; we have retraced several events of Jesus' journey, of our salvation, and we have done so with the One who is our Mother, Mary, the One who guides us with a sure hand to her Son Jesus. Mary always guides us to Jesus.
Today we are celebrating the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her kinswoman Elizabeth. I would like to meditate with you on this mystery which shows how Mary faced her life's journey with great realism, humanity and practicality.
Three words sum up Mary's attitude: listening, decision, action. They are words that point out a way for us too as we face what the Lord asks of us in life. Listening, decision, action.
1. Listening. What gave rise to Mary's act of going to visit her relative Elizabeth? A word of God's Angel. "Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son…" (Lk 1:36). Mary knew how to listen to God. Be careful: it was not merely "hearing", a superficial word, but it was "listening", that consists of attention, acceptance and availability to God. It was not in the distracted way with which we sometimes face the Lord or others: we hear their words, but we do not really listen. Mary is attentive to God. She listens to God.
However Mary also listens to the events, that is, she interprets the events of her life, she is attentive to reality itself and does not stop on the surface but goes to the depths to grasp its meaning. Her kinswoman Elizabeth, who is already elderly, is expecting a child: this is the event. But Mary is attentive to the meaning. She can understand it: "with God nothing will be impossible" (Lk 1:37).
This is also true in our life: listening to God who speaks to us, and listening also to daily reality, paying attention to people, to events, because the Lord is at the door of our life and knocks in many ways, he puts signs on our path; he gives us the ability to see them. Mary is the mother of listening, of attentive listening to God and of equally attentive listening to the events of life.
2. The second word: decision. Mary did not live "with haste", with breathlessness, but, as St Luke emphasizes, she "kept all these things, pondering them in her heart" (cf. Lk 2:19, 51). Moreover, at the crucial moment of the Angel's Annunciation, she also asks: "how shall this be?" (Lk 1:34). Yet she does not stop at the moment of reflection either. She goes a step further: she decides. She does not live in haste but "goes with haste" only when necessary. Mary does not let herself be dragged along by events; she does not avoid the effort of taking a decision. And this happens both in the fundamental decision that was to change her life: "I am the handmaid of the Lord…" (cf. Lk 1:38), and in her daily decisions, routine but also full of meaning. The episode of the wedding of Cana springs to my mind (cf. Jn 2:1-11): here too one sees the realism, humanity and practicality of Mary who is attentive to events, to problems.
She sees and understands the difficulty of the young married couple at whose wedding feast the wine runs out; she thinks about it, she knows that Jesus can do something and decides to address her Son so that he may intervene: "they have no more wine" (cf. v. 3). She decides.
It is difficult in life to take decisions. We often tend to put them off, to let others decide instead, we frequently prefer to let ourselves be dragged along by events, to follow the current fashion; at times we know what we ought to do, but we do not have the courage to do it or it seems to us too difficult because it means swimming against the tide. In the Annunciation, in the Visitation and at the wedding of Cana Mary goes against the tide. Mary goes against the tide; she listens to God, she reflects and seeks to understand reality and decides to entrust herself totally to God. Although she is with child, she decides to visit her elderly relative and she decides to entrust herself to her Son with insistence so as to preserve the joy of the wedding feast.
3. The third word: action. Mary set out on a journey and "went with haste" (cf. Lk 1:39). Last Sunday I underlined Mary's way of acting: in spite of the difficulties, the criticism she would have met with because of her decision to go, nothing could stop her. And here she leaves "with haste". In prayer, before God who speaks, in thinking and meditating on the facts of her life, Mary is not in a hurry, she does not let herself be swept away by the moment, she does not let herself be dragged along by events. However, when she has clearly understood what God is asking of her, what she has to do, she does not loiter, she does not delay, but goes "with haste". St Ambrose commented: "There is nothing slow about the Holy Spirit" (Expos. Evang. sec. Lucam, II, 19: PL 15,1560). Mary's action was a consequence of her obedience to the Angel's words but was combined with charity: she went to Elizabeth to make herself useful; and in going out of her home, of herself, for love, she takes with her the most precious thing she has: Jesus. She takes her Son.
We likewise sometimes stop at listening, at thinking about what we must do, we may even be clear about the decision we have to make, but we do not move on to action. And above all we do not put ourselves at stake by moving towards others "with haste" so as to bring them our help, our understanding, our love; to bring them, like Mary, the most precious thing we have received, Jesus and his Gospel, with words and above all with the tangible witness of what we do.
Mary, the woman of listening, of decision, of action.
Mary, woman of listening, open our ears; grant us to know how to listen to the word of your Son Jesus among the thousands of words of this world; grant that we may listen to the reality in which we live, to every person we encounter, especially those who are poor, in need, in hardship.
Mary, woman of decision, illuminate our mind and our heart, so that we may obey, unhesitating, the word of your Son Jesus; give us the courage to decide, not to let ourselves be dragged along, letting others direct our life. Mary, woman of action, obtain that our hands and feet move "with haste" toward others, to bring them the charity and love of your Son Jesus, to bring the light of the Gospel to the world, as you did. Amen.
I thank you for this Rosary together, for this communion round the Mother. May she bless us all and make us brothers and sisters who are closer to each other. Good night, and have a good rest!
************************************************
Liturgical Celebrations to be presided over by Pope: Summer
Vatican City, Summer 2013 (VIS)
Following is the calendar of celebrations scheduled to be presided over by the Holy Father for the Summer of 2013:
JUNE
2 June, 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time: 6:00pm, Worldwide Eucharistic adoration from Vatican Basilica.
16 June, 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time: 10:30am, Mass for “Evangelium Vitae” Day in St. Peter's Square.
29 Saturday, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul: 9:30am, Mass and imposition of the pallium upon new metropolitans in the papal chapel.
JULY
May 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World:“Dear children! Today I call you to be strong and resolute in faith and prayer, until your prayers are so strong so as to open the Heart of my beloved Son Jesus. Pray little children, pray without ceasing until your heart opens to God’s love. I am with you and I intercede for all of you and I pray for your conversion. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
May 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children; Anew, I am calling you to love and not to judge. My Son, according to the will of the Heavenly Father, was among you to show you the way of salvation, to save you and not to judge you. If you desire to follow my Son, you will not judge but love like your Heavenly Father loves you. And when it is the most difficult for you, when you are falling under the weight of the cross do not despair, do not judge, instead remember that you are loved and praise the Heavenly Father because of His love. My children, do not deviate from the way on which I am leading you. Do not recklessly walk into perdition. May prayer and fasting strengthen you so that you can live as the Heavenly Father would desire; that you may be my apostles of faith and love; that your life may bless those whom you meet; that you may be one with the Heavenly Father and my Son. My children, that is the only truth, the truth that leads to your conversion, and then to the conversion of all those whom you meet - those who have not come to know my Son - all those who do not know what it means to love. My children, my Son gave you a gift of the shepherds. Take good care of them. Pray for them. Thank you."
April 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World:: "Dear children! Pray, pray, keep praying until your heart opens in faith as a flower opens to the warm rays of the sun. This is a time of grace which God gives you through my presence but you are far from my heart, therefore, I call you to personal conversion and to family prayer. May Sacred Scripture always be an incentive for you. I bless you all with my motherly blessing. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Following is the calendar of celebrations scheduled to be presided over by the Holy Father for the Summer of 2013:
JUNE
2 June, 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time: 6:00pm, Worldwide Eucharistic adoration from Vatican Basilica.
16 June, 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time: 10:30am, Mass for “Evangelium Vitae” Day in St. Peter's Square.
29 Saturday, Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul: 9:30am, Mass and imposition of the pallium upon new metropolitans in the papal chapel.
JULY
The Prefecture of the Papal Household has released Pope Francis' agenda
for the summer period, from July through to the end of August. Briefing
journalists, Holy See Press Office director, Fr. Federico Lombardi
confirmed that the Pope will remain 'based ' at the Casa Santa Marta
residence in Vatican City State for the duration of the summer.
As per tradition, all private and special audiences are suspended for the duration of the summer. The Holy Father's private Masses with employees will end July 7 and resume in September. The Wednesday general audiences are suspended for the month of July to resume August 7 at the Vatican.
7 July, 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time: 9:30am, Mass with seminarians and novices in the Vatican Basilica.
14 July Sunday , Pope Francis will lead the Angelus prayer from the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo.
Pope Francis will travel to Brazil for the 28th World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro from Monday July 22 to Monday July 29.
As per tradition, all private and special audiences are suspended for the duration of the summer. The Holy Father's private Masses with employees will end July 7 and resume in September. The Wednesday general audiences are suspended for the month of July to resume August 7 at the Vatican.
7 July, 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time: 9:30am, Mass with seminarians and novices in the Vatican Basilica.
14 July Sunday , Pope Francis will lead the Angelus prayer from the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo.
Pope Francis will travel to Brazil for the 28th World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro from Monday July 22 to Monday July 29.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2013 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 05/31/2013.
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
May 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World:“Dear children! Today I call you to be strong and resolute in faith and prayer, until your prayers are so strong so as to open the Heart of my beloved Son Jesus. Pray little children, pray without ceasing until your heart opens to God’s love. I am with you and I intercede for all of you and I pray for your conversion. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
May 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children; Anew, I am calling you to love and not to judge. My Son, according to the will of the Heavenly Father, was among you to show you the way of salvation, to save you and not to judge you. If you desire to follow my Son, you will not judge but love like your Heavenly Father loves you. And when it is the most difficult for you, when you are falling under the weight of the cross do not despair, do not judge, instead remember that you are loved and praise the Heavenly Father because of His love. My children, do not deviate from the way on which I am leading you. Do not recklessly walk into perdition. May prayer and fasting strengthen you so that you can live as the Heavenly Father would desire; that you may be my apostles of faith and love; that your life may bless those whom you meet; that you may be one with the Heavenly Father and my Son. My children, that is the only truth, the truth that leads to your conversion, and then to the conversion of all those whom you meet - those who have not come to know my Son - all those who do not know what it means to love. My children, my Son gave you a gift of the shepherds. Take good care of them. Pray for them. Thank you."
April 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World:: "Dear children! Pray, pray, keep praying until your heart opens in faith as a flower opens to the warm rays of the sun. This is a time of grace which God gives you through my presence but you are far from my heart, therefore, I call you to personal conversion and to family prayer. May Sacred Scripture always be an incentive for you. I bless you all with my motherly blessing. Thank you for having responded to my call."
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Today's Word: humble hum·ble [huhm-buh
l]
Origin: 1200–50; Middle English ( h ) umble < Old French < Latin humilis lowly, insignificant, on the ground. See humus, -ile
adjective
1. not proud or arrogant; modest: to be humble although successful.
2. having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience, etc.: In the presence of so many world-famous writers I felt very humble.
3. low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; lowly: of humble origin; a humble home.
4. courteously respectful: In my humble opinion you are wrong.
5. low in height, level, etc.; small in size: a humble member of the galaxy.
verb (used with object)
6. to lower in condition, importance, or dignity; abase.
7. to destroy the independence, power, or will of.
8. to make meek: to humble one's heart.
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Today's Old Testament Reading - Isaiah 12:2-6
2 Look, he is the God of my salvation: I shall have faith and not be afraid, for Yahweh is my strength and my song, he has been my salvation.'
4
and, that day, you will say, 'Praise Yahweh, invoke his name. Proclaim his deeds to the people, declare his name sublime.
6
Cry and shout for joy, you who live in Zion, For the Holy One of Israel is among you in his greatness.'
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Today's Epistle - Zephaniah 3:14-20
14 Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud! Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!
15
Yahweh has repealed your sentence; he has turned your enemy away. Yahweh is king among you, Israel, you have nothing more to fear.
16
When that Day comes, the message for Jerusalem will be: Zion, have no fear, do not let your hands fall limp.
17
Yahweh your God is there with you, the warrior-Saviour. He will rejoice over you with happy song, he will renew you by his love, he will dance with shouts of joy for you,
18
as on a day of festival. I have taken away your misfortune, no longer need you bear the disgrace of it.
19
I am taking action here and now against your oppressors. When that time comes I will rescue the lame, and gather the strays, and I will win them praise and renown when I restore their fortunes.
20
At that time I shall be your guide, at the time
when I gather you in, I shall give you praise and renown among all the
peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes under your own eyes,
declares Yahweh.
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Today's Gospel Reading - Luke 1:39-56
Mary
set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into
the hill country to a town in Judah. She went into Zechariah's
house and greeted Elizabeth Now it happened that as soon
as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb
and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry
and said, 'Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed
is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a
visit from the mother of my Lord? Look, the moment your
greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes,
blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord
would be fulfilled.' And Mary said: 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. Mary stayed with her some three months and then went home.
Reflection
• Today is the Feast of
the Visitation of the Virgin, and the Gospel narrates the
visit of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. When Luke speaks of
Mary, he thinks of the communities of his time which lived
dispersed in the cities of the Roman Empire and offers to them, Mary as a
model of how they should relate to the Word of God. Once,
hearing Jesus speak about God, a woman in the crowd exclaimed:
“Blessed the womb that bore you and the breasts that fed
you”, praising the mother of Jesus. Immediately Jesus
answered: “More blessed still are those who hear the word of God and
keep it!” (Lk 11, 27-28). Mary is the model of the faithful
community which knows how to live and practice the Word of
God. In describing the visit of Mary to Elizabeth, he teaches
how the communities should act in order to transform the visit of God
into service of the brother and sisters.
• The episode of the visit of Mary to Elizabeth also shows another typical aspect of Luke. All the words and the attitudes, especially the Canticle of Mary, form a great celebration of praise. It seems to be a description of a solemn Liturgy. Thus, Luke evokes the liturgical and celebrative environment, in which Jesus was formed and in which the communities should live their own faith.
• Luke 1, 39-40: Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Luke stresses the haste with which Mary responds to the demands of the Word of God. The Angel spoke to her about the pregnancy of Elizabeth and Mary, immediately, rises in order to verify what the Angel had announced, she goes out of the house to help a person in need. From Nazareth to the mountain of Judah there are about 100 kilometres! There were no buses or trains!
• Luke 1, 41-44: The greeting of Elizabeth. Elizabeth represents the Old Testament which ends. Mary, the New One which is beginning. The Old Testament welcomes, accepts the New One with gratitude and trust, recognizing in it the gratuitous gift of God which comes to realize and to complete whatever expectation people had. In the encounter of the two women, is manifested the gift of the Spirit which makes the child jump with joy in Elizabeth’s womb. The Good News of God reveals his presence in one of the most common things of human life: two housewives who exchange the visit to help one another. A visit, joy, pregnancy, children, reciprocal help, house, family: Luke wants to make the communities (and all of us) understand and discover the presence of the Kingdom. The words of Elizabeth, up until now, form part of the best known and most recited Psalm in the world, which is the Hail Mary.
• Luke 1, 45: The praise which Elizabeth makes of Mary. “Blessed is she who believed that the promise made by the Lord would be fulfilled”. This is Luke’s advice to the communities: to believe in the Word of God, because it has the force to realize what it says. It is a creative Word. It generates a new life in the womb of a virgin, in the womb of the poor and abandoned people who accept it with faith.
• Luke 1, 46-56: The canticle of Mary. Most probably, this canticle was already known and sung in the Communities. It teaches how it should be prayed and sung. Luke 1, 46-56: Mary begins proclaiming the change which has come about in her life under the loving look of God, full of mercy. This is why she sings joyfully: “My spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour”. Luke 1, 51-53: she sings the fidelity of God toward his people and proclaims the change which the arm of Yahweh is bringing about in behalf of the poor and the hungry. The expression “arm of God” recalls the liberation of the Exodus. It is this saving force of God which gives life to the change: he has routed the arrogant of heart (1, 51), he has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly (1, 52), he has sent the rich away empty, and has filled the starving with good things (1, 53). Luke 1, 54-55: at the end, she recalls that all that is the expression of God’s mercy toward his people and an expression of his fidelity to the promises made to Abraham. The Good News is not a response to the observance of the Law, but the expression of the goodness and the fidelity of God to the promises made. That is what Paul taught in the letters to the Galatians and to the Romans.
The second Book of Samuel tells the story of the Ark of the Covenant. David wants to put in his own house, but he is frightened and says: “How can the Ark of Yahweh come to be with me?” (2 S 6, 9). Then David ordered that the Ark be placed in the house of Obed-Edom. And the Ark of Yahweh remained three months in the house of Obed-Edom, and the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and his whole family” (2 S 6, 11). Mary, waiting for Jesus, is like the Ark of the Covenant which, in the Old Testament, visited the houses of the persons granting benefits. She goes to Elizabeth’s house and remained there three months. And while she is in Elizabeth’s house, the whole family is blessed by God. The community should be like the New Ark of the Covenant. Visiting the house of the persons, it should take benefits and the grace of God to the people.
Personal questions
• What prevents us from discovering and living the joy of God’s presence in our life?
• Where and how does the joy of the presence of God take place today in my life and in that of the community?
• Where and how does the joy of the presence of God take place today in my life and in that of the community?
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Saint of the Day: Feast of the Visitation
Feast Day: May 31
Patron Saint: a/a
Attributes: n.a
The Visitation is the visit of Mary with Elizabeth as recorded in the Gospel of Luke, Luke 1:39–56. It is also the name of a Christian feast day commemorating this visit, celebrated on 31 May in the West (2 July in calendars of the 1263–1969 period and in the modern regional calendar of Germany) and 30 March in the East.
Eastern Christianity fresco of the Visitation in St. George Church in Kurbinovo, Macedonia
This feast is of medieval origin. It was kept by the Franciscan Order before 1263 when Saint Bonaventure recommended it and the Franciscan chapter adopted it. The Franciscan Breviary spread it to many churches. In 1389 Pope Urban VI, hoping thereby to obtain an end to the Great Western Schism, inserted it in the Roman Calendar, for celebration on 2 July.[2] In the Tridentine Calendar, it was a Double. When that Missal of Pope Pius V was replaced by that of Pope Clement VIII in 1604, the Visitation became a Double of the Second Class. It remained so until Pope John XXIII reclassified it as a Second-Class Feast in 1962.[3] It continued to be assigned to 2 July, the day after the end of the octave following the feast of the birth of John the Baptist, who was still in his mother's womb at the time of the Visitation. In 1969, however, Pope Paul VI moved it to 31 May, "between the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (25 March) and that of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (24 June), so that it would harmonize better with the Gospel story."[4]
Roman Catholics who use a pre-1969 calendar and Anglicans who use the 1662 Book of Common Prayer celebrate the feast on 2 July (in some Anglican traditions it is merely a commemoration rather than a feast day[5] ). So does the entire Catholic (and Lutheran) Church of Germany, using the post-1969 calendar of Pope Paul VI (but with the variations permitted in the German Regional Calendar).
 |
| The Visitation |
Event
Mary visits her relative Elizabeth; they are both pregnant. Mary is pregnant with Jesus and Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary left Nazareth immediately after the Annunciation and went to Hebron, south of Jerusalem, to attend her cousin Elizabeth. The journey was about 100 miles and Elizabeth was in the sixth month before Mary came (Luke 1:36), Mary stayed three months. Most scholars hold she stayed for the birth of John. Catholics believe that the purpose of this visit was to bring divine grace to both Elizabeth and her unborn child. Even though he was still in his mother's womb, John became aware of the presence of his Divine Saviour; he leapt for joy as he was cleansed from original sin and filled with divine grace. Elizabeth also responded and recognised the presence of Jesus. Thus Mary, now for the first time, exercised her function as mediatrix between God and man. [1] "And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb. And whence [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed [is] she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord (Luke 1:42–45)." It is also at this point, in response to Elizabeth's remark, that Mary proclaims the Magnificat (My soul doth magnify the Lord), Luke 1:46–55, for which reason this canticle had traditionally been reserved for this feast day. In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, the Visitation is the second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary.Feasting
Western Christianity
Roman Catholics who use a pre-1969 calendar and Anglicans who use the 1662 Book of Common Prayer celebrate the feast on 2 July (in some Anglican traditions it is merely a commemoration rather than a feast day[5] ). So does the entire Catholic (and Lutheran) Church of Germany, using the post-1969 calendar of Pope Paul VI (but with the variations permitted in the German Regional Calendar).
Eastern Christianity
The celebration of a feast day commemorating this event in the Eastern Orthodox Church is of relatively recent origin, dating only to the 19th century. The impetus to establish a feast day in the Liturgical calendar of the Orthodox Church, and the composition of a service to be included in the Menaion, were the work of Archimandrite Antonin Kapustin (†1894), head of the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem. The Gorneye Convent in Jerusalem, which was built on the traditional site of the Meeting of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) and St. Elizabeth, celebrates this Feast on 30 March. (Julian Calendar 30 March corresponds, until 2099, to Gregorian Calendar 12 April.) If 30 March falls between Lazarus Saturday and Pascha (Easter), the Visitation Feast is transferred to Bright Friday. Celebration of the Feast of the Visitation has not yet been accepted by all Orthodox jurisdictions.References
- ^ http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15480a.htm
- ^ Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 93
- ^ General Roman Calendar of 1962
- ^ Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 128
- ^ http://prayerbook.ca/the-prayer-book-online/57-the-calendar-ix
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Today's Snippet I: Book 3, Chapter 3
The Mystical City of God,The Divine History and Life of The Virgin Mother of God
MOST HOLY MARY VISITS ELISABETH.
"And Mary rising up in those days," says the sacred text, "went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Jude" (Luke 1, 39). This rising up of our heavenly Queen signified not only her exterior preparations and setting out from Nazareth on her journey, but it referred to the movement of her spirit and to the divine impulse and command which directed Her to arise interiorly from the humble retirement, which She had chosen in her humility. She arose as it were from the feet of the Most High, whose will and pleasure She eagerly sought to fulfill, like the lowliest handmaid, who according to the word of David (Ps. 122, 2) keeps her eyes fixed upon the hands of her Mistress, awaiting her commands. Arising at the bidding of the Lord She lovingly hastened to accomplish his most holy will, In procuring without delay the sanctification of the Precursor of the incarnate Word, who was yet held prisoner in the womb of Elisabeth by the bonds of original sin. This was the purpose and object of this journey. Therefore the Princess of heaven arose and proceeded in diligent haste, as mentioned by the Evangelist saint Luke.
Leaving behind then the house of her father and forgetting
her people (Ps. 44, 11), the most chaste spouses, Mary and Joseph, pursued their
way to the house of Zacharias in mountainous Judea. It was twenty six leagues
distant from Nazareth, and the greater part of the way was very rough and
broken, unfit for such a delicate and tender Maiden. All the convenience at
their disposal for the arduous undertaking was an humble beast, on which She
began and pursued her journey. Although it was intended solely for her comfort
and service, yet Mary, the most humble and unpretentious of all creatures, many
times dismounted and asked her spouse saint Joseph to share with Her this
commodity and to lighten the difficulties of the way by making use of the beast.
Her discreet spouse never accepted this offer; and in order to yield somewhat to
the solicitations of the heavenly Lady, he permitted her now and then to walk
with him part of the way, whenever it seemed to him that her delicate strength
could sustain the exertion without too great fatigue. But soon he would again
ask Her, with great modesty and reverence, to accept of this slight alleviation
and the celestial Queen would they obey and again proceed on her way seated in
the saddle.
Thus alleviating their fatigue by humble and courteous
contentions, the most holy Mary and saint Joseph continued on their journey,
making good use of each single moment. They proceeded alone, without
accompaniment of any human creatures; but all the thousand angels, which were
set to guard the couch of Solomon, the most holy Mary, attended upon them (Cant.
3, 7). Although the angels accompanied them in corporeal form, serving their
great Queen and her most holy Son in her womb, they were visible only to Mary.
In the company of the angels and of saint Joseph, the Mother of grace journeyed
along, filling the fields and the mountains with the sweetest fragrance of her
presence and with the divine praises, in which She unceasingly occupied herself.
Sometimes She conversed with the angels and, alternately with them, sang divine
canticles concerning the different mysteries of the Divinity and the works of
Creation and of the Incarnation. Thus ever anew the pure heart of the immaculate
Lady was inflamed by the ardors of divine love. In all this her spouse saint
Joseph contributed his share by maintaining a discreet silence, and by allowing
his beloved Spouse to pursue the flights of her spirit; for, lost in highest
contemplation, he was favored with some understanding what was passing within
her soul.
At other times the two would converse with each other and
speak about the salvation of souls and the mercies of the Lord, of the coming of
the Redeemer, of the prophecies given to the ancient Fathers concerning Him, and
of other mysteries and sacraments of the Most High. Something happened on the
way, which caused great wonder in her holy spouse Joseph: he loved his Spouse
most tenderly with a chaste and holy love, such as had been ordained in Him by
the special grace and dispensation of the divine love itself (Cant. 2, 4); in
addition to this privilege (which was certainly not a small one) the saint was
naturally of a most noble and courteous disposition, and his manners were most
pleasing and charming; all this produced in him a most discreet and loving
solicitude, which was yet increased by the great holiness, which he had seen
from the beginning in his Spouse and which was ordained by heaven as the
immediate object of all his privileges. Therefore the saint anxiously attended
upon most holy Mary and asked her many times, whether She was tired or fatigued,
and in what He could serve Her on the journey. But as the Queen of heaven
already carried within the virginal chamber the divine fire of the incarnate
Word, holy Joseph, without fathoming the real cause, experienced in his soul new
reactions, proceeding from the words and conversations of his beloved Spouse. He
felt himself so inflamed by divine love and imbued with such exalted knowledge
of the mysteries touched upon in their conversations, that he was entirely
renewed and spiritualized by this burning interior light. The farther they
proceeded and the more they conversed about these heavenly things, so much the
stronger these affections grew, and he became aware, that it was the words of
his Spouse, which thus filled his heart with love and inflamed his will with
divine ardor.
Having pursued their journey four days, the most holy Mary
and her spouse arrived at the town of Juda, where Zachary and Elisabeth then
lived. This was the special and proper name of the place, where the parents of
saint John lived for a while, and therefore the Evangelist saint Luke specifies
it, calling it Juda, although the commentators have commonly believed that this
was not the name of the town in which Elisabeth and Zacharias lived, but simply
the name of the province, which was called Juda or Judea; just as for the same
reason the mountains south of Jerusalem were called the mountains of Judea. But
it was expressly revealed to me that the town was called Juda and that the
Evangelist calls it by its proper name; although the learned expositors have
understood by this name of Juda the province, in which that town was situated.
This confusion arose from the fact that some years after the death of Christ the
town Juda was destroyed, and, as the commentators found no trace of such a town,
they inferred that saint Luke meant the province and not a town; thus the great
differences of opinion in regard to the place, where most holy Mary visited
Elisabeth, are easily explained.
It was at this city of Juda and at the house of Zacharias
that most holy Mary and Joseph arrived. In order to announce their visit, saint
Joseph hastened ahead of Mary and calling out saluted the inmate the house,
saying: "The Lord be with you and fill souls with divine grace."
Elisabeth was already forewarned, for the Lord himself had informed her in a
vision that Mary of Nazareth had departed to visit her. She had also in this
vision been made aware that the heavenly Lady was most pleasing in the eyes of
the Most High; while the mystery of her being the Mother God was not revealed to
her until the moment, when they both saluted each other in private. But saint
Elisabeth immediately issued forth with a few of her family, in order to welcome
most holy Mary, who, as the more humble and younger in years, hastened to salute
her cousin, saying: "The Lord be with you, my dearest cousin, and Elisabeth
answered : "The same Lord reward you for having come in order to afford me
this pleasure.'' With these words they entered the house of Zacharias and what
happened I will relate in the following chapter.
After the first salutation of Elisabeth by the most holy
Mary, the two cousins retired, as I have said at the end of the preceding
chapter. And immediately the Mother of grace saluted anew her cousin saying:
"May God save thee, my dearest cousin, and may his divine light communicate
to thee grace and life'' (Luke 1, 40). At the sound of most holy Mary's voice,
saint Elisabeth was filled by the Holy Ghost and so enlightened interiorly, that
in one instant she perceived most exalted mysteries and sacraments. These
emotions, and those that at the same time were felt by the child John in the
womb of his mother, were caused by the presence of the Word made flesh in the
bridal chamber of Mary's womb, for, making use of the voice of Mary as his
instrument, He, as Redeemer, began from that place to use the power given to Him
by the eternal Father for the salvation and justification of the souls. And
since He now operated as man, though as yet of the diminutive size of one
conceived eight days before, He assumed, in admirable humility, the form and
posture of one praying and beseeching the Father. He asked in earnest prayer for
the justification of his future Precursor and obtained it at the hands of the
blessed Trinity.
This happened before the most holy Mary had put her
salutation into words. At the pronunciation of the words mentioned above, God
looked upon the child in the womb of saint Elisabeth, and gave it perfect use of
reason, enlightening it with his divine light, in order that he might prepare
himself by foreknowledge for the blessings which he was to receive. Together
with this preparation he was sanctified from original sin, made an adopted son
of God, and filled with the most abundant graces of the Holy Ghost and with the
plenitude of all his gifts; his faculties were sanctified, subjected and
subordinated to reason, thus verifying in himself what the archangel Gabriel had
said to Zacharias; that His son would be filled with the Holy Ghost from the
womb of his mother (Luke 1, 17). At the same time the fortunate child, looking
through the walls of the maternal womb as through clear glass upon the incarnate
Word, and assuming a kneeling posture, adored his Redeemer and Creator, whom he
beheld in most holy Mary as if enclosed in a chamber made of the purest crystal.
This was the movement of jubilation, which was felt by his mother Elisabeth as
coming from the infant in her womb (Luke 1, 44). Many other acts of virtue the
child John performed during this interview, exercising faith, hope, charity,
worship, gratitude, humility, devotion and all the other virtues possible to him
there. From that moment he began to merit and grow in sanctity, without ever
losing it and without ever ceasing to exercise it with all the vigor of grace.
Saint Elisabeth was instructed at the same time in the
mystery of the Incarnation, the sanctification of her own son and the
sacramental purpose of this new wonder. She also became aware of the virginal
purity and of the dignity of the most holy Mary. On this occasion, the heavenly
Queen, being absorbed in the vision of the Divinity and of the mysteries
operated by it through her most holy Son, became entirely godlike, filled with
the clear light of the divine gifts which She participated; and thus filled with
majesty saint Elisabeth saw Her.
Filled with admiration at what She saw and heard in regard to
these divine mysteries, saint Elisabeth was wrapt in the joy of the Holy Ghost;
and, looking upon the Queen of the world and what was contained in Her, she
burst forth in loud voice of praise, pronouncing the words reported to us, by
saint Luke: "Blessed are Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy
womb. And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?
For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant
in my womb leaped for joy, and blessed art Thou, that has believed, because
those things shall be accomplished, that were spoken to Thee by the Lord."
In these prophetic words saint Elisabeth rehearsed the noble privileges of most
holy Mary, perceiving by the divine light what the power of the Lord had done in
Her, what He now performed, and what He was to accomplish through Her in time to
come. All this also the child John perceived and understood, while listening to
the words of his mother; for she was enlightened for the purpose of his
sanctification, and since he could not from his place in the womb bless and
thank her by word of mouth, She, both for herself and for her son, extolled the
most holy Mary as being the instrument of their good fortune.
These words of praise, pronounced by saint Elisabeth were
referred by the Mother of wisdom and humility to the Creator; and in the
sweetest and softest voice She intoned the Magnificat as recorded by saint Luke
(Ch. 1, 46-55)
46. My soul doth magnify the Lord;
47. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48. Because He hath regarded the humility of his handmaid;
for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49. Because he that is mighty hath done great things to me
and holy is his name.
50. And his mercy is from generation unto generation to
them that fear him.
51. He hath showed might in his arm; He hath scattered the
proud in the conceit of their heart.
52. He hath put down the mighty from their seat and hath
exalted the humble.
53. He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich
He hath sent empty away.
54. He hath received Israel, his servant, being mindful of
his mercy;
55. As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed
forever."
Just as saint Elisabeth was the first one who heard this
sweet canticle from the mouth of most holy Mary, so she was also the first one
who understood it and, by means of her infused knowledge, commented upon it. She
penetrated some of the great mysteries. which its Authoress expressed therein in
so few sentences. The soul of most holy Mary magnified the Lord for the
excellence of his infinite Essence; to Him She referred and yielded all glory
and praise (I Tim. 1, 17), both for the beginning and the accomplishment of her
works. She knew and confessed that in God alone every creature should glory and
rejoice, since He alone is their entire happiness and salvation (11 Cor. 10 17).
She confessed also the equity and magnificence of the Most high in attending to
the humble and in conferencing upon them his abundant spirit of divine love (Ps.
137, 6). She saw how worthy of mortals it is to perceive, understand and ponder
the gifts that were conferred on the humility of Her, whom all nations were to
call blessed, and how all the humble ones, each according to his degree, could
share the same good fortune. By one word also She expressed all the mercies,
benefits and blessings, which the Almighty showered upon Her in his holy and
wonderful name; for She calls them altogether "great things" since
there was nothing small about anything that referred to this great Queen and
Lady.
And as the mercies of the Most High overflowed from Mary's
plenitude to the whole human race, and as She was the portal of heaven, through
which they issued and continue to issue, and through which we are to enter into
the participation of the Divinity; therefore She confessed, that the mercy of
the Lord in regard Her is spread out over all the generations, communicating
itself to them that fear Him. And just as the infinite mercies raise up the
humble and seek out those that fear God; so also the powerful arm of divine
justice scatters and destroys those who are proud in the mind of their heart,
and hurls them from their thrones in order to set in their place the poor and
lowly. This justice of the Lord was exercised in wonderful splendor and glory
upon the chief of all the proud, Lucifer and his followers, when the almighty
arm of God scattered and hurled them (because they themselves precipitated
themselves) from their exalted seats which befitted their angelic natures and
their graces, and which they occupied according to the original (Isaias 14;
Apoc. 12) decree of the divine love. For by it He intended that all should be
blessed (I Tim. 2, 4) while they, in trying to ascend in their vain pride to
positions, which they neither could attain nor should aspire to, on the contrary
cast themselves from those which they occupied (Isaias 14,13).
When it was time to come forth from their retirement, saint
Elisabeth offered herself and her whole family and all her house for the service
of the Queen of heaven. She asked Her to accept, as a quiet retreat, the room
which she herself was accustomed to use for her prayers, and which was much
retired and accommodated to that purpose. The heavenly Princess accepted the
chamber with humble thanks, and made use of it for recollecting Herself and
sleeping therein, and no one ever entered it, except the two cousins. As for the
rest She offered to serve and assist Elisabeth as a handmaid, for She said, that
this was the purpose of visiting her and consoling her. O what friendship
is so true, so sweet and inseparable, as that which is formed by the great bond
of the divine love! How admirable is the Lord in manifesting this great
sacrament of the Incarnation to three women before He would make it known to any
one else in the human race! For the first was saint Anne, as I have said in its
place; the second one was her Daughter and the Mother of the Word, most holy
Mary; the third one was saint Elisabeth, and conjointly with Her, her son, for
he being yet in the womb of his mother, cannot be considered as distinct from
her. Thus "the foolishness of God is wiser than men," as saint Paul
says.
The most holy Mary and Elisabeth came forth from their
retirement at nightfall, having passed a long time together; and the Queen saw
Zacharias standing before her in his muteness, and She asked him for his
blessing as from a priest of the Lord, which the saint also gave to Her. Yet,
although She tenderly pitied him for his affliction, She did not exert her power
to cure him, because She knew the mysterious occasion of his dumbness; yet She
offered a prayer for him. Saint Elisabeth, who already knew the good fortune of
the most chaste spouse Joseph, although he himself as yet was not aware of it,
entertained and served him with great reverence and highest esteem. After
staying three days in the house of Zacharias, however, he asked permission of
his heavenly Spouse Mary to return to Nazareth and leave Her in the company of
saint Elisabeth in order to assist her in her pregnancy. The holy husband left
them with the understanding that he was to return in order to accompany the
Queen home as soon as they should give him notice; saint Elisabeth offered him
some presents to take home with him; but he would take only a small part of
them, yielding only to their earnest solicitations, for this man of God was not
only a lover of poverty, but was possessed of a magnanimous and noble heart.
Therewith he pursued his way back to Nazareth, taking along with him the little
beast of burden, which they had brought with them. At home, in the absence of
his Spouse, he was served by a neighboring woman and cousin of his, who, also
when most holy Mary was at home, was wont to come and go on necessary errands
outside of the house.
In conformity with this instruction and new mandate of the
Most High, the Princess of heaven ordered all her occupations in the house of
her cousin Elisabeth. She rose up at midnight in accordance with her former
custom, spending the hours in the continued contemplation of the divine
mysteries and giving to waking and sleep the time, which most perfectly and
exactly agreed with the natural state and conditions of her body. In labor and
repose She continued to receive new favors, illuminations, exaltation and
caresses of the Lord. During these three months She had many visions of the
Divinity, mostly abstractive in kind. More frequent still were the visions of
the most holy humanity of the Word in its hypostatic union; for her virginal
womb, in which She bore Him, served Her as her continual altar and sanctuary.
She beheld the daily growth of that sacred body. By this experience and by the
sacraments, which every day were made manifest to Her in the boundless fields of
the divine power and essence, the spirit of this exalted Lady expanded to vast
proportions. Many times would She have been consumed and have died by the
violence of her affections, if She had not been strengthened by the power of the
Lord. To these occupations, which were concealed from all, She added those,
which the service and consolation of her cousin Elisabeth demanded, although She
did not apply one moment more to them, than charity required. These fulfilled,
She turned immediately to her solitude and recollection, where she could pour
out the more freely her spirit before the Lord.
Not less solicitous was She to occupy Herself interiorly,
while She was engaged for many hours in manual occupations. And in all this the
Precursor was so fortunate that the great Queen, with her own hands, sewed and
prepared the swaddling clothes and coverlets in which he was to be wrapped and
reared; for his mother Elisabeth, in her maternal solicitude and attention, had
secured for saint John this good fortune humbly asking this favor of the
heavenly Queen. Mary with incredible love and subjection complied with her
request in order to exercise Herself in obedience to her cousin, whom She wished
to serve as the lowest handmaid; for in humility and obedience most holy Mary
always surpassed all men. Although saint Elisabeth sought to anticipate Her in
much that belonged to her service, yet, in her rare prudence and wisdom, Mary
knew flow to forestall her cousin, always gaining the triumph of humility.
In this way most holy Mary put into practice the doctrine of
the eternal Word who humiliated himself so far, that, being the form of the
eternal Father, the figure of his substance, true God of the true God, He
nevertheless assumed the form and condition of a servant (Heb. 1, 3, Philip 2,
6, 7). This Lady was the Mother of God, Queen of all creation, superior in
excellence and dignity to all creatures, and yet She remained the humble servant
of the least of them; and never would She accept homage and service as if due to
Her, nor did She ever exalt Herself, or fail to judge of Herself in the most
humble manner. What shall we now say of our most execrable presumption and
pride? Since, full of the abomination of sin, we are so senseless as to claim
for ourselves with dreadful insanity the homage and veneration of all the world?
And if this is denied us, we quickly lose the little sense which our passions
have left us. This whole heavenly history bears the stamp of humility, and is a
condemnation of our pride. And since it is not my office to teach or correct,
but to be taught and to be corrected, I beseech and pray all the faithful
children of light to place this example before their eyes for our humiliation.
It would not have been difficult for the Lord to preserve his
most holy Mother from such extreme lowliness and from the occasions in which She
embraced it He could have exalted Her before creatures, ordaining that She be
renowned, honored and respected by all; just as He knew how to procure homage
and renown for others as Assuerus did for Mardocheus. Perhaps, if this had been
left to the judgment of men, they would have so managed that a Woman more holy
than all the hierarchies of heaven, and who bore in her womb the Creator of the
angels and of the heavens, should be surrounded by a continual guard of honor,
withdrawn from the gaze of men and receiving the homage of all the world; it
would have seemed to them unworthy of Her to engage in humble and servile
occupations, or not to have all things done only at her command, or to refuse
homage, or not to exercise fullest authority. So narrow is human wisdom, if that
can be called wisdom, which is so limited. But such fallacy cannot creep into
the true science of the saints, which is communicated to them by the infinite
wisdom of the Creator, and which esteems at their just weight and price these
honors without confounding the values of the creatures. The Most High would have
denied his beloved Mother much and benefited Her little, if He had deprived and
withdrawn from Her the occasion of exercising the profoundest humility and had
instead exposed Her to the exterior applause of men. It would also be a great
loss to the world to be without this school of humility and this example for the
humiliation and confusion of its pride.
The hour for the rising of the morning star, which was to
precede the clear Sun of justice and announce the wished-for day of the law of
grace, had arrived (John 5, 35). The time was suitable to the Most High for the
appearance of his Prophet in the world; and greater than a prophet was John, who
pointing out with his finger the Lamb (John 1, 29), was to prepare mankind for
the salvation and sanctification of the world. Before issuing from the maternal
womb the Lord revealed to the blessed child the hour in which he was to commence
his mortal career among men. The child had the perfect use of his reason, and of
the divine science infused by the presence of the incarnate Word. He therefore
knew that he was to arrive at the port of a cursed and dangerous land, and to
walk upon a world full of evils and snares, where many are overtaken by ruin and
perdition.
At the request of his mother the Queen received in her arms
the newborn child and offered him as a new oblation to the eternal Father, and
his Majesty, well pleased, accepted it as the first-fruits of the Incarnation
and of the divine decrees. The most blessed child, full of the Holy Ghost,
acknowledged his sovereign Queen, showing Her not only interior, but outward
reverence by a secret inclination of his head, and again he adored the divine
Word, which was manifested to him in her womb by an especial light. And as he
also was aware, that he was privileged before all men, the grateful child
performed acts of fervent thanksgiving, humility, love and reverence of God and
of his Virgin Mother. The heavenly Queen, in offering him to the eternal Father,
pronounced this prayer for him: "Highest Lord and Father, all holy and
powerful, accept in thy honor this offering and seasonable fruit of thy most
holy Son and my Lord. He is sanctified by the Onlybegotten and rescued from the
effects of sin and from the power of thy ancient enemies. Receive this morning's
sacrifice, and infuse into this child the blessings of thy holy Spirit, in order
that he may be a faithful minister to Thee and to thy Onlybegotten." This
prayer of our Queen was efficacious in all respects, and She perceived how the
Lord enriched this child, chosen as his Precursor; and She also felt within
Herself the effects of these admirable blessings.
Then they bespoke the arrangements for the circumcision of
the child, for the time appointed by the law was approaching. Complying with the
custom observed among the Jews, especially among the more distinguished, many
relatives and other acquaintances of the house of Zacharias began to gather, in
order to resolve upon the name to be given to the child; for, in addition to the
ordinary preparations and consultations concerning the name to be given to a
son, the high position of Zacharias and Elisabeth and the news of the miraculous
fecundity of the mother naturally suggested the existence of some great mystery
to the minds of all their relations. Zacharias was still dumb, and therefore it
was necessary that saint Elisabeth should preside at this meeting. Over and
above the high esteem which she inspired, she now exhibited such evident signs
of the exalted renewal and sanctification of her soul, which resulted from the
knowledge of the mysteries and from her interactions with the Queen of heaven,
that all her relatives and friends noticed the change. For even in her
countenance she exhibited a kind of effulgence which made her mysteriously
attractive and was the reflection of the Divinity, in whose presence she lived.
The relatives then appealed by signs to Zacharias, who, being
unable to speak, asked for a pen and declared his will by writing upon the
tablet: "Johannes est nomen ejus." ''John is his name.'' At the same
time most holy Mary, making use of her power over all nature, commanded the
dumbness to leave him, his tongue to be loosened, as the moment had arrived when
it should bless the Lord. At this heavenly command he found himself freed from
his affliction, and, to the astonishment and fear of all present, he began to
speak as narrated by the Evangelist. What I say here is not adverse to the
Gospel narrative; for, although it is there related, that the angel foretold
Zacharias that he should remain mute until his message should be fulfilled, yet
God, when He reveals any decree of his will, absolutely unfailing as they are,
does not always reveal the means or the manner of their fulfillment, foreseen by
Him in his infinite foreknowledge. Thus the archangel announced to Zacharias the
punishment of his unbelief, but he did not tell him that he should he freed from
it by the intercession of most holy Mary, although this also had been foreseen
and decreed.
Therefore, just as the voice of our Lady Mary was the
instrument for the sanctification of the child John and his mother, so her
secret mandate and her intercession had the effect of loosening the tongue of
Zacharias, filling him with the holy Spirit and the gift of prophecy. Hence he
broke forth in the words (Luke 1, 68-79):
1. "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because He hath visited and
wrought the redemption of his people:
69. And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the
house of David his servant:
70. And he hath spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets,
who are from the beginning;
71. Salvation from our enemies, and from the hands of all
that hate us:
72. To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember
his holy testament,
73. The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father, that he
would grant to us,
74. That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we
may serve him without fear,
75. In holiness and justice before him, all our days.
76. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the
Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways:
77. To give knowledge of salvation to his people:
unto the remission of their sins:
78. Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which
the Orient from on high hath visited us
79. To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the
shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of peace.
In the divine canticle of the Benedictus Zacharias embodied
all of the highest mysteries, which the ancient prophets had foretold in a more
profuse manner concerning the Divinity, Humanity and the Redemption of Christ,
and in these few words he embraces many great sacraments. He also understood
them by the grace and light, which filled his spirit, and which raised him up in
the sight of all that had come to attend the circumcision of his son; for all of
them were witnesses to the solving of his tongue and to his divine prophecies. I
will hardly be able to give an explanation of the deep meaning of these
prophecies, such as they had in the mind of that holy priest.
At the call of Elisabeth, the most fortunate of husbands,
saint Joseph, had come in order to attend most holy Mary on her return to her
home in Nazareth. On arriving at the house of Zacharias he had been welcomed
with indescribable reverence and devotion by saint Elisabeth and Zacharias; for
now also the holy priest knew that he was the guardian of the sacramental
treasures of heaven, though this was yet unknown to the great patriarch saint
Joseph himself. His heavenly Spouse received him in modest and discreet
jubilation. and, kneeling before him, She, as usual, besought his blessing, and
also his pardon, for having failed to serve him for nearly three months during
her attendance upon her cousin Elisabeth. Though She had been guilty of no
fault, nor even of an imperfection in thus devotedly fulfilling the will of God
in conformity with the wishes of her spouse, yet, by this courteous and
endearing act of humility, She wanted to repay her husband for the want of her
consoling companionship. The holy Joseph answered that as he now again saw Her,
and again enjoyed her delightful presence, he was relieved of the pain caused by
her absence. In the course of a few days they announced the day of their
departure. Thereupon the princess Mary took leave of the priest Zacharias. As he
had already been enlightened by the Lord concerning the dignity of the Virgin
Mother, he addressed Her with the greatest reverence as the living sanctuary of
the Divinity and humanity of the eternal Word. "My Mistress," he said,
"praise and bless eternally thy Maker, who in his infinite mercy has chosen
Thee among all his creatures as his Mother, as the sole Keeper of all his great
blessings and sacraments. Be mindful of me, thy servant, before thy Lord and
God, that He may lead me in peace through this exile to the security of the
eternal peace which we hope for, and that through thee I may merit the vision of
his Divinity, which is the glory of the saints. Remember also, O Lady, my house
and family, and especially my Son John, and pray to the Most High for thy
people."
The whole household of Zacharias had been sanctified by the
presence of most holy Mary and of the incarnate Word in her womb; all its
inmates had been edified by her example, instructed by her conversations and
teachings, and sweetly affected by her intercourse and modest behavior. While
She had drawn toward Herself all the hearts of that happy family, She also
merited and obtained for them from her most holy Son the plenitude of celestial
gifts. Holy Joseph was held in high veneration by Zacharias, Elisabeth and John;
for they had come to know his high dignity before he himself was yet aware of
it, The blessed Patriarch, happy in his Treasure, the full value of which as yet
he did not know, took leave of all and departed for Nazareth: what happened on
the way I will narrate in the following chapter. But before they began their
journey most holy Mary, on bended knees, besought saint Joseph to bless Her, as
She was accustomed to do on such occasions, and after She had received his
blessing, they betook themselves on their journey.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN.
(The
Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain.)
For two reasons, my daughter, the divine effects wrought
through me by my Son in saint John and Elisabeth were concealed, while those in
Zacharias were manifest. First, because Elisabeth spoke out clearly in praise of
the incarnate Word and of me; yet at the time it was not proper that either this
mystery or my dignity should be openly known; the coming of the Messias was to
be manifested by other more appropriate means. Secondly, not all hearts were so
well prepared as that of Elisabeth for receiving such precious and unprecedented
seed of divine knowledge, nor would they have welcomed such sacramental
revelation with due reverence. On the other hand it was more becoming that
Zacharias in his priestly dignity should proclaim what was then to be made
known; for the beginnings of the heavenly light would be accepted more readily
from him than from saint Elisabeth, especially while he was present. That which
she said, was reserved to bring forth its effects in due time. Although the
words of God have their own inherent force; yet the more sweet and acceptable
manner of communicating with the ignorant and the unskilled in divine mysteries
is by means of the priest.
Likewise it was proper that the dignity and honor of the
priesthood should receive its due; for the Most High holds the priests in such
esteem, that if He finds them in the right disposition, He exalts them and fills
them with his Spirit in order that the world may venerate them as his chosen and
anointed ones. Moreover the wonders of the Lord run less risk in priests. even
when they are more openly revealed to them, If they live up to their dignity,
their works in comparison with those of the other creatures, are like those of
the angels and of the seraphim. Their countenance should be resplendent, like
that of Moses, when he came forth from converse with the Lord (Exod. 34, 29).
At least they should deal with the rest of men in such a manner that
they be honored and revered as next to God. I desire that thou understand, my
dearest, that the Most High is greatly incensed against the world in this
matter: as well against the priests as against laymen. Against the priests
because, forgetting their exalted dignity, they debase themselves by a
contemptible, degraded and scandalous life, giving bad example to the world by
mixing up with it to the neglect of their sanctification. And against the
laymen, because they act with a foolhardy presumption toward the anointed of the
Lord, whom, though imperfect and blameless in their lives, they ought to honor
and revere as taking the place of Christ, my most holy Son, on earth.
On account of this reverence due to the priesthood my
behavior toward saint Zacharias was different from that toward Elisabeth. For,
although the Lord wished, that I should be the instrument, by which the gifts of
the holy Spirit should be communicated to both; yet I saluted Elisabeth in such
a manner, that I at the same time showed a certain authority, exerting my power
over the original sin of her son; for at my words this sin was forgiven him, and
both mother and son were filled with the Holy Ghost. As I had not contracted
original sin and was exempt from it, I possessed dominion over it on this
occasion: I commanded as the Mistress, who had triumphed over it by the help of
the Lord (Gen. 3, 5), and who was no slave of it, as all the sons of Adam, who
sinned in him (Rom. 5, 12). Therefore the Lord desires that, in order to free
John from the slavery and chains of sin, I should command over it as one who
never was subject to its bondage. I did not salute Zacharias in this
authoritative way, but I prayed for him, observing the reverence and decorum due
to his dignity and my modesty. I would not have commanded the tongue of the
priest to be loosened, not even mentally and secretly, if the Most High had not
enjoined it upon me, intimating at the same time, that the defect of speech
hardly suited his office, for a priest should stand ready to serve and praise
the Almighty with all his powers. In regard to the respect due to priests I will
tell thee more on another occasion; let this suffice at present for the solution
of thy doubt.
But from my instruction today learn especially to seek
direction in the way of virtue and of eternal life in all thy interactions with
men, be they above or below thee in dignity. Imitate therein me and my cousin
Elisabeth, with due discretion asking all to direct thee and guide thee; for in
return for such humility the Lord will provide thee with secure counsel and
divine light for exercising thy discreet and sincere love of virtue. Drive away,
or do not allow thyself to be influenced by even the least breath of flattery
and avoid the conversations which expose thee to it; for such deceitful pleasure
darkens the light and perverts the unsuspecting mind. The Lord is so jealous of
the souls especially beloved by Him, that He will immediately turn away from
them if they find pleasure in the praises of men and seek to recompense
themselves by their flatteries; since by this levity they become unworthy of his
favors. It is not possible to unite in a soul the adulations of the world and
the caresses of the Most High. For these latter are sincere, holy, pure, and
lasting: they humiliate, cleanse, pacify and illumine the heart; while on the
other hand the flatteries of creatures are vain, fleeting, deceitful, impure and
false, issuing from the mouths of those who are all liars (Ps. 115, 11); and
whatever is deceitful is a work of the enemy.
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery,
Section Two: The Seven Sacraments of the Church
CHAPTER THREE : THE SACRAMENTS AT SERVICE OF COMMUNION
Article 7:4 THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY
SECTION TWO
THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
CHAPTER THREE
THE SACRAMENTS AT THE SERVICE OF
COMMUNION
1533
Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist are sacraments of Christian initiation.
They ground the common vocation of all Christ's disciples, a vocation to
holiness and to the mission of evangelizing the world. They confer the graces
needed for the life according to the Spirit during this life as pilgrims on the
march towards the homeland.
1534
Two other sacraments, Holy Orders and Matrimony, are directed towards the salvation
of others; if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through
service to others that they do so. They confer a particular mission in the
Church and serve to build up the People of God.
1535
Through these sacraments those already consecrated by Baptism and
Confirmation LG 10 for the common priesthood of all the faithful can receive
particular consecrations. Those who receive the sacrament of Holy Orders are
consecrated in Christ's name "to feed the Church by the word and grace of
God."LG 11 # 2 On their part, "Christian spouses are fortified and,
as it were, consecrated for the duties and dignity of their state by a special
sacrament."GS 48 # 2
Article 7
THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY
1601
"The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between
themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward
the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this
covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the
dignity of a sacrament."CIC, can. 1055 # 1; cf. GS 48 # 1
IV. The Effects of the
Sacrament of Matrimony
1638
"From a valid marriage arises a bond between the spouses which by its very
nature is perpetual and exclusive; furthermore, in a Christian marriage the
spouses are strengthened and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and the
dignity of their state by a special sacrament."CIC,
can. 1134
The
marriage bond
1639
The consent by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another is
sealed by God himself.Mk 10:9 From their covenant arises "an
institution, confirmed by the divine law, . . . even in the eyes of
society."GS 48 # 1 The covenant between the spouses is integrated into
God's covenant with man: "Authentic married love is caught up into divine
love."GS 48 # 2
1640
Thus the marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a
marriage concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be
dissolved. This bond, which results from the free human act of the spouses and
their consummation of the marriage, is a reality, henceforth irrevocable, and
gives rise to a covenant guaranteed by God's fidelity. the Church does not have
the power to contravene this disposition of divine wisdom.CIC, can. 1141
The grace
of the sacrament of Matrimony
1641
"By reason of their state in life and of their order, [Christian spouses]
have their own special gifts in the People of God."LG 11 # 2 This grace
proper to the sacrament of Matrimony is intended to perfect the couple's love
and to strengthen their indissoluble unity. By this grace they "help one
another to attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating
their children."LG 11 # 2; cf. LG 41
1642
Christ is the source of this grace. "Just as of old God encountered his
people with a covenant of love and fidelity, so our Savior, the spouse of the
Church, now encounters Christian spouses through the sacrament of
Matrimony."GS 48 # 2 Christ dwells with them, gives them the strength to
take up their crosses and so follow him, to rise again after they have fallen,
to forgive one another, to bear one another's burdens, to "be subject to
one another out of reverence for Christ,"Eph 5:21; cf. ⇒ Gal
6:2 and to love one
another with supernatural, tender, and fruitful love. In the joys of their love
and family life he gives them here on earth a foretaste of the wedding feast of
the Lamb:
How can I ever express the happiness of a marriage joined by the Church,
strengthened by an offering, sealed by a blessing, announced by angels, and
ratified by the Father? . . . How wonderful the bond between two believers, now
one in hope, one in desire, one in discipline, one in the same service! They
are both children of one Father and servants of the same Master, undivided in
spirit and flesh, truly two in one flesh. Where the flesh is one, one also is
the spirit.Tertullian, Ad uxorem. 2, 8, 6-7: PL 1, 1412-1413; cf. FC 13
●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬♥▬●▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬♥▬●▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬●
