Thursday, August 15, 2013 - Litany Lane Blog:
Hope, Psalms 45, Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10, Luke 1:39-56, Pope Francis Daily Homily - Struggle Resurrection and Hope, Feast of the Assumption of Blessed Mother Mary into Heaven, History of Burial and Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Catholic Catechism Part Three: Life In Christ - Chapter 3: Gods Salvation Law and Grace - Article 2:1 Justification
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, reason 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
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Prayers for Today: Sunday in Ordinary Time
Rosary - Glorious Mysteries
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
Pope Francis August 15 Daily Address :
HOLY MASS ON THE
SOLEMNITY
OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
HOMILY OF HIS
HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
Castel Gandolfo, 15
August 2013
(2013-08-11 Vatican Radio)
Dear Brothers and Sisters! At the end of its Constitution on the Church, the Second Vatican Council left us a very beautiful meditation on Mary Most Holy. Let me just recall the words referring to the mystery we celebrate today: "the immaculate Virgin preserved free from all stain of original sin, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, when her earthly life was over, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things" (no. 59). Then towards the end, there is: "the Mother of Jesus in the glory which she possesses in body and soul in heaven is the image and the beginning of the church as it is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise, she shines forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come" (no. 68). In the light of this most beautiful image of our Mother, we are able to see the message of the biblical readings that we have just heard. We can focus on three key words: struggle, resurrection, hope.
The passage from Revelation presents the vision of the struggle
between the woman and the dragon. The figure of the woman, representing the
Church, is, on the one hand, glorious and triumphant and yet, on the other,
still in travail. And the Church is like that: if in heaven she is already
associated in some way with the glory of her Lord, in history she continually
lives through the trials and challenges which the conflict between God and the
evil one, the perennial enemy, brings. And in the struggle which the disciples
must confront – all of us, all the disciples of Jesus, we must face this
struggle - Mary does not leave them alone: the Mother of Christ and of the
Church is always with us. She walks with us always, she is with us. And in a
way, Mary shares this dual condition. She has of course already entered, once
and for all, into heavenly glory. But this does not mean that she is distant or
detached from us; rather Mary accompanies us, struggles with us, sustains
Christians in their fight against the forces of evil. Prayer with Mary,
especially the rosary – but listen carefully: the Rosary. Do you pray the
Rosary every day? But I'm not sure you do … Really?
Well, prayer with Mary, especially the Rosary, has this "suffering" dimension,
that is of struggle, a sustaining prayer in the battle against the evil one and
his accomplices. The Rosary also sustains us in the battle.
The second reading speaks to us of resurrection. The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, insists that being Christian means believing that Christ is truly risen from the dead. Our whole faith is based upon this fundamental truth which is not an idea but an event. Even the mystery of Mary's Assumption body and soul is fully inscribed in the resurrection of Christ. The Mother's humanity is "attracted" by the Son in his own passage from death to life. Once and for all, Jesus entered into eternal life with all the humanity he had drawn from Mary; and she, the Mother, who followed him faithfully throughout her life, followed him with her heart, and entered with him into eternal life which we also call heaven, paradise, the Father's house.
The second reading speaks to us of resurrection. The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, insists that being Christian means believing that Christ is truly risen from the dead. Our whole faith is based upon this fundamental truth which is not an idea but an event. Even the mystery of Mary's Assumption body and soul is fully inscribed in the resurrection of Christ. The Mother's humanity is "attracted" by the Son in his own passage from death to life. Once and for all, Jesus entered into eternal life with all the humanity he had drawn from Mary; and she, the Mother, who followed him faithfully throughout her life, followed him with her heart, and entered with him into eternal life which we also call heaven, paradise, the Father's house.
Mary also experienced the martyrdom of the Cross: the martyrdom of
her heart, the martyrdom of her soul. She lived her Son's Passion to the depths
of her soul. She was fully united to him in his death, and so she was given the
gift of resurrection. Christ is the first fruits from the dead and Mary is the
first of the redeemed, the first of "those who are in Christ". She is our
Mother, but we can also say that she is our representative, our sister, our
eldest sister, she is the first of the redeemed, who has arrived in heaven.
The Gospel suggests to us the third word: hope. Hope is the virtue of those who, experiencing conflict – the struggle between life and death, good and evil – believe in the resurrection of Christ, in the victory of love. We heard the Song of Mary, the Magnificat: it is the song of hope, it is the song of the People of God walking through history. It is the song many saints, men and women, some famous, and very many others unknown to us but known to God: mums, dads, catechists, missionaries, priests, sisters, young people, even children and grandparents: these have faced the struggle of life while carrying in their heart the hope of the little and the humble. Mary says: "My souls glorifies the Lord" – today, the Church too sings this in every part of the world. This song is particularly strong in places where the Body of Christ is suffering the Passion. For us Christians, wherever the Cross is, there is hope, always. If there is no hope, we are not Christian. That is why I like to say: do not allow yourselves to be robbed of hope. May we not be robbed of hope, because this strength is a grace, a gift from God which carries us forward with our eyes fixed on heaven. And Mary is always there, near those communities, our brothers and sisters, she accompanies them, suffers with them, and sings the Magnificat of hope with them.
The Gospel suggests to us the third word: hope. Hope is the virtue of those who, experiencing conflict – the struggle between life and death, good and evil – believe in the resurrection of Christ, in the victory of love. We heard the Song of Mary, the Magnificat: it is the song of hope, it is the song of the People of God walking through history. It is the song many saints, men and women, some famous, and very many others unknown to us but known to God: mums, dads, catechists, missionaries, priests, sisters, young people, even children and grandparents: these have faced the struggle of life while carrying in their heart the hope of the little and the humble. Mary says: "My souls glorifies the Lord" – today, the Church too sings this in every part of the world. This song is particularly strong in places where the Body of Christ is suffering the Passion. For us Christians, wherever the Cross is, there is hope, always. If there is no hope, we are not Christian. That is why I like to say: do not allow yourselves to be robbed of hope. May we not be robbed of hope, because this strength is a grace, a gift from God which carries us forward with our eyes fixed on heaven. And Mary is always there, near those communities, our brothers and sisters, she accompanies them, suffers with them, and sings the Magnificat of hope with them.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, with all our heart let us too unite
ourselves to this song of patience and victory, of struggle and joy, that unites
the triumphant Church with the pilgrim one, earth with heaven, and that joins
our lives to the eternity towards which we journey. Amen.
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Liturgical Celebrations to be presided over by Pope: Summer
Vatican City, Summer2013 (VIS)
August 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: Dear children; If only you would open your hearts to me with complete trust, you would comprehend everything. You would comprehend with how much love I am calling you; with how much love I desire to change you, to make you happy; with how much love I desire to make you followers of my Son and give you peace in the fullness of my Son. You would comprehend the immeasurable greatness of my motherly love. That is why, my children, pray because through prayer your faith grows and love is born, the love along which even the cross is not unendurable because you do not carry it alone. In union with my Son you glorify the name of the Heavenly Father. Pray, pray for the gift of love, because love is the only truth: it forgives everything, it serves everyone and it sees a brother in everyone. My children, my apostles, great is the trust that the Heavenly Father has given you through me, His handmaid, to help those who do not know Him, that they may reconcile with Him and follow Him. That is why I am teaching you to love, because only if you have love will you be able to respond to Him. Again I am calling you to love your shepherds and to pray that, at this difficult time, the name of my Son may be glorified under their guidance. Thank you.
July 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children, with a motherly love I am imploring you to give me the gift of your hearts, so I can present them to my Son and free you – free you from all the evil enslaving and distancing you all the more from the only Good – my Son – from everything which is leading you on the wrong way and is taking peace away from you. I desire to lead you to the freedom of the promise of my Son, because I desire for God's will to be fulfilled completely here; and that through reconciliation with the Heavenly Father, through fasting and prayer, apostles of God's love may be born – apostles who will freely, and with love, spread the love of God to all my children – apostles who will spread the love of the trust in the Heavenly Father and who will keep opening the gates of Heaven. Dear children, extend the joy of love and support to your shepherds, just as my Son has asked them to extend it to you. Thank you."
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2013 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 08/11/2013.
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August 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: Dear children; If only you would open your hearts to me with complete trust, you would comprehend everything. You would comprehend with how much love I am calling you; with how much love I desire to change you, to make you happy; with how much love I desire to make you followers of my Son and give you peace in the fullness of my Son. You would comprehend the immeasurable greatness of my motherly love. That is why, my children, pray because through prayer your faith grows and love is born, the love along which even the cross is not unendurable because you do not carry it alone. In union with my Son you glorify the name of the Heavenly Father. Pray, pray for the gift of love, because love is the only truth: it forgives everything, it serves everyone and it sees a brother in everyone. My children, my apostles, great is the trust that the Heavenly Father has given you through me, His handmaid, to help those who do not know Him, that they may reconcile with Him and follow Him. That is why I am teaching you to love, because only if you have love will you be able to respond to Him. Again I am calling you to love your shepherds and to pray that, at this difficult time, the name of my Son may be glorified under their guidance. Thank you.
July 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children, with a motherly love I am imploring you to give me the gift of your hearts, so I can present them to my Son and free you – free you from all the evil enslaving and distancing you all the more from the only Good – my Son – from everything which is leading you on the wrong way and is taking peace away from you. I desire to lead you to the freedom of the promise of my Son, because I desire for God's will to be fulfilled completely here; and that through reconciliation with the Heavenly Father, through fasting and prayer, apostles of God's love may be born – apostles who will freely, and with love, spread the love of God to all my children – apostles who will spread the love of the trust in the Heavenly Father and who will keep opening the gates of Heaven. Dear children, extend the joy of love and support to your shepherds, just as my Son has asked them to extend it to you. Thank you."
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Today's Word: hope hope [hohp]
Origin: before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English hopa; cognate with Dutch hoop, German Hoffe; (v.) Middle English hopen, Old English hopian
noun
1. the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best: to give up hope.
2. a particular instance of this feeling: the hope of winning.
3. grounds for this feeling in a particular instance: There is little or no hope of his recovery.
4. a person or thing in which expectations are centered: The medicine was her last hope.
5. something that is hoped for: Her forgiveness is my constant hope.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 45:10, 11, 12, 16
10 Listen, my daughter, attend to my words and hear; forget your own nation and your ancestral home,
11 then the king will fall in love with your beauty; he is your lord, bow down before him.
12 The daughter of Tyre will court your favour with gifts, and the richest of peoples
16 Instead of your ancestors you will have sons; you will make them rulers over the whole world.
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Today's Epistle - Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10
19 Then the sanctuary of God in heaven opened, and the ark of the covenant could be seen inside it. Then came flashes of lightning, peals of thunder and an earthquake and violent hail.
1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a
woman, robed with the sun, standing on the moon, and on her head a
crown of twelve stars.
2 She was pregnant, and in labour, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth.
3 Then a second sign appeared in the
sky: there was a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and
each of the seven heads crowned with a coronet.
4 Its tail swept a third of the stars from the sky and hurled them to the ground, and the dragon stopped in front of the woman as she was at the point of giving birth, so that it could eat the child as soon as it was born.
5 The woman was delivered of a boy, the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron sceptre, and the child was taken straight up to God and to his throne,
6 while the woman escaped into the desert, where God had prepared a place for her to be looked after for twelve hundred and sixty days.
10 Then I heard a voice shout from
heaven, 'Salvation and power and empire for ever have been won by our
God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the accuser, who accused
our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down.
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Today's Gospel Reading - Luke 1:39-56
The visit of Mary to Elizabeth
1. LECTIO
a) Opening Prayer:
Holy Spirit, Spirit of Wisdom, of
Science, of Intelligence, of Counsel, fill us, we pray, with the
knowledge of the Word of God, fill us with every kind of spiritual
wisdom and intelligence, so as to be able to understand it at depth. May
we, under your guidance be able to understand the Gospel of this Marian
solemnity. Holy Spirit, we need you, you, the only one who continually
moulds in us the figure and the form of Jesus. And we turn to you, Mary,
Mother of Jesus and of the Church, you who have lived the inebriating
and totalising Presence of the Holy Spirit, you who have experienced the
power of his force in you, who has seen it operating in your Son Jesus
from the time when he was in the maternal womb, open our heart and our
mind, so that they may be docile to listen to the Word of God.
b) Reading of the Gospel: 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.
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.
c) Moments of prayerful silence:
Silence is a quality of the one who
knows how to listen to God. Try to create in yourself an atmosphere of
peace and of silent adoration. If you are capable to be in silence
before God, you will be able to listen to his breath which is Life.
MEDITATIO
a) Key to the Reading:
Blessed are you among women
In the first part of today’s Gospel,
the words of Elizabeth resound: “Blessed are you among women”, preceded
by a spatial movement. Mary leaves Nazareth, situated in the North of
Palestine, to go to the South, approximately fifty kilometres, to a
place which tradition has identified as the present day Ain Karem, not
too far from Jerusalem. The physical movement shows the interior
sensibility of Mary, who is not closed on herself, to contemplate, in a
private and intimate way, the mystery of the Divine Maternity which is
being accomplished in her, but she is projected to the path of charity.
She moves in order to go and help her elderly cousin. Mary’s going to
Elizabeth has the added connotation ‘in haste’ which Saint Ambrose
interprets as follows: “Mary set out in haste to the hill country, not
because she did not believe the prophecy or because she was uncertain of
the announcement or doubted of the proof, but because she was pleased
with the promise and desirous to devotedly fulfil a service, with the
impulse that she received from her intimate joy… The grace of the Holy
Spirit does not entail slowness”. The reader, though, knows that the
true reason of the trip is not indicated, but can get it through
information deduced from the context. The angel had communicated to Mary
the pregnancy of Elizabeth, already in the sixth month (cfr. v. 37).
Besides the fact that she remained there three months (cfr. v. 56), just
the time so that the child could be born, allows us to understand that
Mary intended to help her cousin. Mary runs, and goes where there is an
urgent need, the need for help, showing, in this way, a clear
sensibility and concrete availability.
Together with Mary, Jesus, in his
mother’s womb, moves with her. From here it is easy to deduce the
Christological value of the episode of the visit of Mary to her cousin:
above all, the attention is for Jesus. At first sight, it could seem to
be a scene concentrated on the two women, in reality, what is important
for the Evangelist is the prodigious fact present in their conceiving.
Mary moving tends, in last instance, to have the encounter between the
two women.
As soon as Mary enters into the house
and greets Elizabeth, the small John leaped in her womb. According to
some this leaping is not comparable to the changing place of the foetus,
which is experienced by every pregnant woman. Luke uses a particular
Greek verb which precisely means “jumping”. Wishing to interpret the
verb a bit literally, it could be indicated with “dancing”, thus
excluding a physical phenomenon only. Someone has thought that this
‘dance’ could be considered as a form of ‘homage’ which John renders to
Jesus, inaugurating, though not yet born, that attitude of respect and
of subjection which will characterize his life: “After me is coming
someone who is more powerful than me, and I am not fit to kneel down and
undo the strap of his sandals” (Mk 1, 7). One day, John himself will
give witness: “it is the bridegroom who has the bride; and yet the
bridegroom’s friend, who stands there and listens to him, is filled with
joy at the bridegroom’s voice. This is the joy that I feel and it is
complete. He must grow greater, I must grow less” (Jn 3, 29-30). Thus
Saint Ambrose comments: “Elizabeth was the first one to hear the voice,
but John is first to perceive the grace”. We find a confirmation of this
interpretation in the words themselves of Elizabeth which, repeating
the same Greek verb in v. 44. which was already employed in v. 41, says:
“The child in my womb leapt for joy”. Luke, with these particular
details, has wished to evoke the prodigies which took place in the
intimacy of Nazareth. It is only now, thanks to the dialogue with an
interlocutor, the mystery of the divine maternity leaves aside its
secrecy and its individual dimension, to become a notable fact, and
object of appreciation and of praise.
The words of Elizabeth, “Blessed are
you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Why should I be
honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?” (vv. 42-43). With a
Semitic expression which is equivalent to a superlative (“among women”),
the Evangelist wishes to attract the attention of the reader on the
function of Mary: to be the “Mother of the Lord”. And, then, a blessing
is reserved for her (“Blessed are you”) and a blessed Beatitude. In what
does this one consist? It expresses Mary’s adherence to the Divine
Will. Mary is not only the receiver of a mysterious design which makes
her blessed, but also a person who knows how to accept and adhere to
God’s will. Mary is a creature who believes, because she trusts in a
plain, simple word and which she has vested with her “yes” of love. And
Elizabeth acknowledges this service of love, identifying her as “blessed
as mother and blessed as believer”.
In the meantime, John perceives the
presence of his Lord and exults, expressing with that interior movement
the joy which springs from that contact of salvation. Mary will be the
interpreter of that event in the hymn of the Magnificat.
b) A song of love:
In this song Mary considers herself
part of the anawim, of the “poor of God”, of those who “fear God”
placing in Him all their trust and hope and who, on the human level, do
not enjoy any right or prestige. The spirituality of the anawim can be
synthesized with the words of Psalm 37, 79: “In silence he is before God
and hopes in him”, because “those who hope in the Lord will possess the
earth”.
In Psalm 86, 6 the one who prays, turning to God says: Give your servant your force”: Here the term ‘servant’ expresses his being subjected, as well as the sentiment of belonging to God, of feeling secure with him. The poor, in the strictly Biblical sense, are those who place their trust unconditionally in God; this is why they are to be considered, qualitatively, the best part, of the People of Israel. The proud, instead, are those who place all their trust in themselves.
Now, according to the Magnificat, the poor have a thousand reasons to rejoice, because God glorifies the anawim (Psalm 149, 4) and humbles the proud. An image taken from the New Testament, which expresses very well the attitude of the poor of the Old Testament, is that of the Publican who with humility beats his breast, while the Pharisee being complacent of his merits is being consumed by his pride (Lk 19, 9-14). Definitively, Mary celebrates all that God has done in her and all that he works in every creature. Joy and gratitude characterize this hymn to salvation which recognizes the greatness of God, but which also makes great the one who sings it.
In Psalm 86, 6 the one who prays, turning to God says: Give your servant your force”: Here the term ‘servant’ expresses his being subjected, as well as the sentiment of belonging to God, of feeling secure with him. The poor, in the strictly Biblical sense, are those who place their trust unconditionally in God; this is why they are to be considered, qualitatively, the best part, of the People of Israel. The proud, instead, are those who place all their trust in themselves.
Now, according to the Magnificat, the poor have a thousand reasons to rejoice, because God glorifies the anawim (Psalm 149, 4) and humbles the proud. An image taken from the New Testament, which expresses very well the attitude of the poor of the Old Testament, is that of the Publican who with humility beats his breast, while the Pharisee being complacent of his merits is being consumed by his pride (Lk 19, 9-14). Definitively, Mary celebrates all that God has done in her and all that he works in every creature. Joy and gratitude characterize this hymn to salvation which recognizes the greatness of God, but which also makes great the one who sings it.
c) Some question for meditation:
- Is my prayer, above all, the expression of a sentiment or celebration and acknowledgement of God’s action?
- Mary is presented as the believer in the Word of the Lord. How much time do I dedicate to listening to the Word of God?
- Is your prayer nourished from the Bible, as was that of Mary? Or rather am I dedicated to devotions which produce a continuous tasteless and dull prayer? Are you convinced that to return to Biblical prayer is the assurance to find a solid nourishment, chosen by Mary herself ?
- Are you in the logics of the Magnificat which exalts the joy of giving, of losing in order to find, of accepting, the happiness of gratuity, of donation?
- Mary is presented as the believer in the Word of the Lord. How much time do I dedicate to listening to the Word of God?
- Is your prayer nourished from the Bible, as was that of Mary? Or rather am I dedicated to devotions which produce a continuous tasteless and dull prayer? Are you convinced that to return to Biblical prayer is the assurance to find a solid nourishment, chosen by Mary herself ?
- Are you in the logics of the Magnificat which exalts the joy of giving, of losing in order to find, of accepting, the happiness of gratuity, of donation?
ORATIO
a) Psalm 44 (45)
The Psalm in this second part,
glorifies the Queen. In today’s Liturgy these verses are applied to Mary
and celebrate her greatness and beauty.
In your retinue are daughters of kings,
the consort at your right hand in gold of Ophir.
the consort at your right hand in gold of Ophir.
Listen, my daughter,
attend to my words and hear;
forget your own nation
and your ancestral home,
then the king will fall in love with your beauty;
he is your lord, bow down before him.
attend to my words and hear;
forget your own nation
and your ancestral home,
then the king will fall in love with your beauty;
he is your lord, bow down before him.
Her companions are brought to her,
they enter the king's palace with joy and rejoicing.
they enter the king's palace with joy and rejoicing.
b) Final Prayer:
The prayer which follows is a brief
meditation on the maternal role of Mary in the life of the believer:
“Mary, woman who knows how to rejoice, who knows how to exult, who
allows herself to be invaded by the full consolation of the Holy Spirit,
teach us to pray so that we may also discover the source of joy. In
Elizabeth’s house, your cousin, feeling accepted and understood in your
most intimate secret, you burst out in a hymn of exultation of the
heart, speaking of God, of you about your relationship with him, and of
the unprecedented adventure already begun of being the Mother of Christ
and of all of us, holy people of God. Teach us to give our prayer a
rhythm of hope and tremors of joy, sometimes worn out by bitter whining
and soaked with melancholy almost as obliged. The Gospel speaks to us
about you, Mary, and of Elizabeth: both of you kept in your heart
something, which you did not dare or you did not wish to manifest to
anyone. But each one of you, felt understood by the other, on that
prophetic day of the Visitation and you pronounced words of prayer and
of feast. Your encounter becomes Liturgy of thanksgiving and of praise
to your ineffable God. You, woman of a profound joy, you sang the
Magnificat, in rapture and amazed at all that the Lord was operating in
his humble servant. Magnificat is the cry, the explosion of joy, which
explodes within each one of us, when one feels accepted and understood”.
CONTEMPLATIO
The Virgin Mary, the temple of the
Holy Spirit, accepted with faith the Word and surrendered herself
completely to the power of Love. Because of this she became the Icon of
interiority, that is all recollected under the look of God and abandoned
to the power of the Most High. Mary keeps silence about herself,
because everything in her can speak about the wonders of the Lord in her
life.
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: The Feast of the Assumption
Feast Day: August 15
Died: 55 AD
Patron Saint of : universal, heavenly mother of all
 In his August 15, 2004, homily given at Lourdes, Pope John Paul II quoted John 14:3 as one of the scriptural bases for understanding the dogma of the Assumption of Mary. In this verse, Jesus tells his disciples at the Last Supper, "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also." According to Catholic theology, Mary is the pledge of the fulfillment of Christ's promise. The feast of the Assumption on August 15 is a public holiday in many countries, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany (Saarland and Bavaria only), Greece, Lebanon, Lithuania, Italy, Malta, Mauritius, Poland, Portugal, Senegal, Slovenia, and Spain . In Eastern Orthodox churches following the Julian Calendar, the feast day of Assumption of Mary falls on August 28. History of the beliefAlthough the Assumption (Latin: assūmptiō, "taken up") was only relatively recently defined as infallible dogma by the Catholic Church, and in spite of a statement by Saint Epiphanius of Salamis in AD 377 that no one knew whether Mary had died or not, apocryphal accounts of the assumption of Mary into heaven have circulated since at least the 4th century. The Catholic Church itself interprets chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation as referring to it. The earliest known narrative is the so-called Liber Requiei Mariae (The Book of Mary's Repose), which survives intact only in an Ethiopic translation. Probably composed by the 4th century, this Christian apocryphal narrative may be as early as the 3rd century. Also quite early are the very different traditions of the "Six Books" Dormition narratives. The earliest versions of this apocryphon are preserved by several Syriac manuscripts of the 5th and 6th centuries, although the text itself probably belongs to the 4th century.An Armenian letter attributed to Dionysus the Areopagite also mentions the event, although this is a much later work, written sometime after the 6th century. John of Damascus, from this period, is the first church authority to advocate the doctrine under his own name. His contemporaries, Gregory of Tours and Modestus of Jerusalem, helped promote the concept to the wider church. In some versions of the story the event is said to have taken place in Ephesus, in the House of the Virgin Mary, although this is a much more recent and localized tradition. The earliest traditions all locate the end of Mary's life in Jerusalem (see "Mary's Tomb"). By the 7th century a variation emerged, according to which one of the apostles, often identified as St Thomas, was not present at the death of Mary, but his late arrival precipitates a reopening of Mary's tomb, which is found to be empty except for her grave clothes. In a later tradition, Mary drops her girdle down to the apostle from heaven as testament to the event. This incident is depicted in many later paintings of the Assumption. Teaching of the Assumption of Mary became widespread across the Christian world, having been celebrated as early as the 5th century and having been established in the East by Emperor Maurice around AD 600. It was celebrated in the West under Pope Sergius I in the 8th century and Pope Leo IV then confirmed the feast as official. Theological debate about the Assumption continued, following the Reformation, climaxing in 1950 when Pope Pius XII defined it as dogma for the Catholic Church. Catholic theologian Ludwig Ott stated, "The idea of the bodily assumption of Mary is first expressed in certain transitus-narratives of the fifth and sixth centuries.... The first Church author to speak of the bodily assumption of Mary, in association with an apocryphal transitus B.M.V., is St. Gregory of Tours." The Catholic writer Eamon Duffy states that "there is, clearly, no historical evidence whatever for it." However, the Catholic Church has never asserted nor denied that its teaching is based on the apocryphal accounts. The Church documents are silent on this matter and instead rely upon other sources and arguments as the basis for the doctrine. Catholic teaching |
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Today's Snippet I: BURIAL AND ASSUMPTION OF MARY
Book 8, Chapter 7
The Mystical City of God, The Divine History and Life of The Virgin Mother of God
BURIAL AND ASSUMPTION OF THE VIRGIN.
In order that the Apostles, the disciples, and many others of
the faithful might not be too deeply oppressed by sorrow, and in order that some
of them may not die of grief caused by the passing away of the blessed Mary, it
was necessary that the divine power, by an especial providence, furnish them
with consolation and dilate their heart for new influences in their incomparable
affliction. For the feeling, that their loss was irretrievable in the present
life, could not be repressed; the privation of such a Treasure could never find
recompense; and as the most sweet, loving and amiable interactions and
conversation of their great Queen had ravished the heart of each one, the
ceasing of her protection and company left them as it were without the breath of
life. But the Lord, who well knew how to estimate the just cause of their
sorrow, secretly upheld them by his encouragements and so they set about the
fitting burial of the sacred body and whatever the occasion demanded.
Accordingly the holy Apostles, on whom this duty specially
devolved, held a conference concerning the burial of the most sacred body of
their Queen and Lady. They selected for that purpose a new sepulchre, which had
been prepared mysteriously by the providence of her divine Son. As they
remembered, that, according to the custom of the Jews at burial, the deified
body of the Master had been anointed with precious ointments and spices and
wrapped in the sacred burial cloths; they thought not of doing otherwise with
the virginal body of His most holy Mother. Accordingly they called the two
maidens, who had assisted the Queen during her life and who had been designated
as the heiresses of her tunics, and instructed them to anoint the body of the
Mother of God with highest reverence and modesty and wrap it in the
winding-sheets before it should be placed in the casket. With great reverence
and fear the two maidens entered the room, where the body of the blessed Lady
lay upon its couch; but the refulgence issuing from it barred and blinded them
in such a manner that they could neither see nor touch the body, nor even
ascertain in what particular place it rested.
In fear and reverence still greater than on their entrance,
the maidens left the room; and in great excitement and wonder they told the
Apostles what had happened. They, not without divine inspiration, came to the
conclusion, that this sacred Ark of the covenant was not to be touched or
handled in the common way. Then saint Peter and saint John entered the oratory
and perceived the effulgence, and at the same time they heard the celestial
music of the angels who were singing: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord
is with thee." Others responded: "A Virgin before childbirth, in
childbirth and after childbirth." From that time on many of the faithful
expressed their devotion toward the most blessed Mary in these words of praise;
and from them they were handed down to be repeated by us with the approbation of
the holy Church. The two holy Apostles, saint Peter and saint John, were for a
time lost in admiration at what they saw and heard of their Queen; and in order
to decide what to do, they sank on their knees, beseeching the Lord to make it
known. Then they heard a voice saying: "Let not the sacred body be either
uncovered or touched."
Having thus been informed of the will of God they brought a
bier, and, the effulgence having diminished somewhat, they approached the couch
and with their own hands reverently took hold of the tunic at the two ends.
Thus, without changing its posture, they raised the sacred and virginal Treasure
and place it on the bier in the same position as it had occupied on the couch.
They could easily do this, because they felt no more weight than that of the
tunic. On this bier the former effulgence of the body moderated still more, and
all of them, by disposition of the Lord and for the consolation of all those
present, could now perceive and study the beauty of that virginal countenance
and of her hands. As for the rest, the omnipotence of God protected this His
heavenly dwelling, so that neither in life nor in death anyone should behold any
other part except what is common in ordinary conversation, her most inspiring
countenance, by which She had been known, and her hands, by which She had
labored.
So great was the care and solicitude for His most blessed
Mother, that in this particular He used not so much precaution in regard to his
own body, as that of the most pure Virgin. In her Immaculate Conception He made
Her like to Himself; likewise at her birth, in as far as it did not take place
in the common and natural manner of other men. He preserved Her also from impure
temptations and thoughts. But, as He was man and the Redeemer of the world
through his Passion and Death, He permitted with his own body, what He would not
allow with Hers, as that of a woman, and therefore He kept her virginal body
entirely concealed; in fact the most pure Lady during her life had herself asked
that no one should be permitted to look upon it in death; which petition He
fulfilled. Then the Apostles consulted further about her burial. Their decision
becoming known among the multitudes of the faithful in Jerusalem, they brought
many candles to be lighted at the bier, and it happened that all the lights
burned through that day and the two following days without any of the candles
being consumed or wasted in any shape or manner.
In order that this and many other miracles wrought by the
power of God on this occasion might become better known to the world, the Lord
himself inspired all the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be present at the burial of
his most blessed Mother, so that there was scarcely any person in Jerusalem,
even of the Jews or the gentiles, who were not attracted by the novelty of this
spectacle. The Apostles took upon their shoulders the sacred body and the
tabernacle of God and, as priests of the evangelical law, bore the Propitiatory
of the divine oracles and blessings in orderly procession from the Cenacle in
the city to the valley of Josaphat. This was the visible accompaniment of the
dwellers of Jerusalem.
In the midst of this celestial and earthly accompaniment,
visible and invisible, the Apostles bore along the sacred body, and on the way
happened great miracles, which would take much time to relate. In particular all
the sick, of which there were many of the different kinds, were entirely cured.
Many of the possessed were freed from the demons; for the evil spirits did not
dare to wait until the sacred body came near the persons thus afflicted. Greater
still were the miracles of conversions wrought among many Jews and gentiles, for
on this occasion were opened up the treasures of divine mercy, so that many
souls came to the knowledge of Christ our Savior and loudly confessed Him as the
true God and Redeemer, demanding Baptism. Many days thereafter the Apostles and
disciples labored hard in catechizing and baptising those, who on that day had
been converted to the holy faith. The Apostles in carrying the sacred body felt
wonderful effects of divine light and consolation, which the disciples shared
according to their measure. All the multitudes of the people were seized with
astonishment at the fragrance diffused about, the sweet music and the other
prodigies. They proclaimed God great and powerful in this Creature and in
testimony of their acknowledgment, they struck their breasts in sorrow and
compunction.
When the procession came to the holy sepulchre in the valley
of Josaphat, the same two Apostles, saint Peter and saint John, who had laid the
celestial Treasure from the couch onto the bier, with joyful reverence placed it
in the sepulchre and covered it with a linen cloth, the hands of the angels
performing more of these last rites than the hands of the Apostles. They closed
up the sepulchre with a large stone, according to custom at other burials. The
celestial courtiers returned to heaven, while the thousand angels of the Queen
continued their watch, guarding the sacred body and keeping up the music as at
her burial. The concourse of the people lessened and the holy Apostles and
disciples, dissolved in tender tears, returned to the Cenacle. During a whole
year the exquisite fragrance exhaled by the body of Queen was noticeable
throughout the Cenacle, and in her oratory, for many years. This sanctuary
remain a place of refuge for all those that were burdened with labor and
difficulties; all found miraculous assistance, as well in sickness as in
hardships and necessities of other kind. After these miracles had continued for
some years in Jerusalem, the sins of Jerusalem and of its inhabitants drew upon
this city, among other punishments, that of being deprived of this inestimable
blessing.
Having again gathered in the Cenacle, the Apostles came to
the conclusion that some of them and of the disciples should watch at the
sepulchre of their Queen as long as they should hear the celestial music, for
all of them were wondering when the end of that miracle should be. Accordingly
some of them attended to the affairs of the Church in catechizing and baptizing
the new converts; and others immediately returned to the sepulchre, while all of
them paid frequent visits to it during the next three days. Saint Peter and
saint John, however, were more zealous in their attendance, coming only a few
times to the Cenacle and immediately returning to where was laid the treasure of
their heart.
If on this account the glory even of the least of the saints
is eneffable, what shall we say of the glory of the most blessed Mary, since
among the saints She is the most holy and She by Herself is more like to her Son
than all the saints together, and since her grace and glory exceed those of all
the rest, as those of an empress or sovereign over her vassals? This truth can
and should be believed; but in mortal life it cannot be understood, or the least
part of it be explained; for the inadequacy and deficiency of our words and
expressions rather tend to obscure than to set forth its greatness. Let us in
this life apply our labor, not in seeking to comprehend it, but in seeking to
merit its manifestation in glory, where we shall experience more or less of this
happiness according to our works.
Our Redeemer Jesus entered heaven conducting the purest soul
of his Mother at his right hand. She alone of all the mortals deserved exemption
from particular judgment; hence for Her there was none; no account was asked or
demanded of Her for what She had received; for such was the promise that had
been given to Her, when She was exempted from the common guilt and chosen as the
Queen privileged above the laws of the children of Adam. For the same reason,
instead of being judged with the rest, She shall be seated at the right hand of
the Judge to judge with Him all the creatures. If in the first instant of her
Conception She was the brightest Aurora, effulgent with the rays of the sun of
the Divinity beyond all the brightness of the most exalted seraphim, and if
afterwards She was still further illumined by the contact of the hypostatic
Word, who derived his humanity from her purest substance, it necessarily follows
that She should be His Companion for all eternity, possessing such a likeness to
Him, that none greater can be possible between a Godman and a creature. In this
light the Redeemer himself presented Her before the throne of the Divinity; and
speaking to the eternal Father in the presence of all the blessed, who were
ravished at this wonder, the most sacred humanity uttered these words:
"Eternal Father, my most beloved Mother, thy beloved Daughter and the
cherished Spouse of the Holy Ghost, now comes to take possession of the crown
and glory, which We have prepared as a reward for her merit. She is the one who
was born as the rose among thorns, untouched, pure and beautiful, worthy of
being embraced by Us and being placed upon a throne to which none of our
creatures can ever attain, and to which those conceived in sin cannot aspire.
This is our chosen and our only One, distinguished above all else, to whom We
communicated our grace and our perfections beyond the measure accorded to other
creatures; in whom We have deposited the treasure of our incomprehensible
Divinity and its gifts; who most faithfully preserved and made fruitful the
talents, which We gave Her; who never swerved from our will, and who found grace
and pleasure in our eyes. My Father, most equitous is the tribunal of our
justice and mercy, and in it the services of our friends are repaid in the most
superabundant manner. It is right that to my Mother be given the reward of a
Mother; and if during her whole life and in all her works She was as like to Me
as is possible for a creature to be, let Her also be as like to Me in glory and
on the throne of our Majesty; so that where holiness is in essence, there it may
also be found in its highest participation.''
This decree of the incarnate Word was approved by the Father
and the Holy Ghost. The most holy soul of Mary was immediately raised to the
right hand of her Son and true God, and placed on the royal throne of the most
holy Trinity, which neither men, nor angels nor the seraphim themselves attain,
and will not attain for all eternity. This is the most exalted and supereminent
privilege of our Queen and Lady, that She is seated on the throne with the three
divine Persons and holds her place as Empress, while all the rest are set as
servants and ministers to the highest King. To the eminence and majesty of that
position, inaccessible to all other creatures, correspond her gifts of glory,
comprehension, vision and fruition; because She enjoys, above all and more than
all, that infinite Object, which the other blessed enjoy in an endless variety
of degrees. She knows, penetrates and understands much deeper the eternal Being
and its infinite attributes; She lovingly delights in its mysteries and most
hidden secrets, more than all the rest of the blessed.
Just as little can be explained the extra joy, which the
blessed experienced on that day in singing the new songs of praise to the
Omnipotent and in celebrating the glory of his Daughter, Mother and Spouse; for
in Her He had exalted all the works of his right hand. Although to the Lord
himself could come no new or essential glory because He possessed and possesses
it immutably infinite through all eternity; yet the exterior manifestations of
His pleasure and satisfaction at the fulfillment of his eternal decrees were
greater on that day.
On the third day after the most pure soul of Mary had taken
possession of this glory never to leave it, the Lord manifested to the saints
His divine will, that She should return to the world, resuscitate her sacred
body and unite Herself with it, so that She might in body and soul be again
raised to the right hand of her divine Son without waiting for the general
resurrection of the dead. The appropriateness of this favor, its accordance with
the others received by the most blessed Queen and with her supereminent dignity,
the saints could not but see; since even to mortals it is so credible, that even
if the Church had not certified it, we would judge those impious and foolish,
who would dare deny it. But the blessed saw it with greater clearness, together
with the determined time and hour as manifested to them in God himself. When the
time for this wonder had arrived, Christ our Savior himself descended from
heaven bringing with Him at His right hand the soul of his most blessed Mother
and accompanied by many legions of the Angels, the Patriarchs and ancient
Prophets. They came to the sepulchre in the valley of Josaphat, and all being
gathered in sight of the virginal temple, the Lord spoke the following words to
the saints.
"My Mother was conceived without stain of sin, in order
that from Her virginal substance I might stainlessly clothe Myself in the
humanity in which I came to the world and redeemed it from sin. My flesh is her
flesh; She co-operated with Me in the works of the Redemption; hence I must
raise Her, just as I rose from the dead, and this shall be at the same time and
hour. For I wish to make Her like Me in all things." All the ancient saints
of the human race then gave thanks for this new favor in songs of praise and
glory to the Lord. Those that especially distinguished themselves in their
thanksgiving were our first parents Adam and Eve, saint Anne, saint Joachim and
saint Joseph, as being the more close partakers in this miracle of his
Omnipotence. Then the purest soul of the Queen, at the command of the Lord,
entered the virginal body, reanimated it and raised it up, giving it a new life
of immortality and glory and communicating to it the four gifts of clearness,
impassibility, agility and subtlety, corresponding to those of the soul and
overflowing from it into the body.
Endowed with these gifts the most blessed Mary issued from
the tomb in body and soul, without raising the stone cover and without
disturbing the position of the tunic and the mantle that had enveloped her
sacred body. Since it is impossible to describe her beauty and refulgent glory,
I will not make the attempt. It is sufficient to say, that just as the heavenly
Mother had given to her divine Son in her womb the form of man, pure, unstained
and sinless, for the Redemption of the world, so in return the Lord, in this
resurrection and new regeneration, gave to Her a glory and beauty similar to his
own. In this mysterious and divine interchange each One did what was possible:
most holy Mary engendered Christ, assimilating Him as much as possible to
Herself, and Christ resuscitated Her, communicating to Her of his glory as far
as She was capable as a creature.
Then from the sepulchre was started a most solemn procession,
moving with celestial music through the regions of the air and toward the
empyrean heaven. This happened in the hour immediately after midnight, which
also the Lord had risen from the grave; and therefore not all of the Apostles
were witness of this prodigy, but only some of them, who were present and
watching at the sepulchre. The saints and angels entered in the order in which
they had started; and in the last place came Christ our Savior and at his right
hand the Queen, clothed in the gold of variety (as David says Ps. 44, 10), and
so beautiful that She was the admiration of the heavenly court. All of them
turned toward Her to look upon Her and bless Her with new jubilee and songs of
praise. Thus were heard those mysterious eulogies recorded by Solomon: Come,
daughters of Sion, to your Queen, who is praised by the morning stars and
celebrated by the sons of the Most High. Who is She that comes from the desert,
like a column of all aromatic perfumes? Who is She, that rises like the aurora,
more beautiful than the moon, elect as the sun, terrible as many serried armies?
Who is She that comes up from the desert resting upon her Beloved and spreading
forth abundant delights? (Cant. 3,6-9; 8,5). Who is She in whom the Deity itself
finds so much pleasure and delight above all other creatures and whom He exalts
above them all in the heavens! O novelty worthy of the infinite Wisdom! O
prodigy of his Omnipotence, which so magnifies and exalts Her!
Amid this glory the most blessed Mary arrived body and soul
at the throne of the most blessed Trinity. And the three divine Persons received
Her on it with an embrace eternally undissoluble. The eternal Father said Her:
"Ascend higher, my Daughter and my Dove." The incarnate Word spoke:
"My Mother, of whom I received human being and full return of my work in
thy perfect imitation, receive now from my hand the reward thou hast
merited." The Holy Ghost said: "My most beloved Spouse, enter into the
eternal joy, which corresponds to the most faithful love; do Thou now enjoy thy
love without solicitude; for past is the winter of suffering for Thou hast
arrived at our eternal embraces." There the most blessed Mary was absorbed
in the contemplation of the three divine Persons and as it were overwhelmed in
the boundless ocean and abyss of the Divinity, while the saints were filled with
wonder and new accidental delight. Since, at the occasion of this work of the
Omnipotent happened other wonders, I shall speak of them as far as possible in
the following chapter.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The
Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain.)
My daughter, lamentable and inexcusable is the ignorance of
men in so knowingly forgetting the eternal glory, which God has prepared for
those who dispose themselves to merit it. I wish that thou bitterly bewail and
deplore this pernicious forgetfulness; for there is no doubt, that whoever
wilfully forgets the eternal glory and happiness is in evident danger of losing
it. No one is free from this guilt, not only because men do not apply much labor
or effort in seeking and retaining the remembrance of this happiness; but they
labor with all their powers in things that make them forget the end for which
they were created. Undoubtedly this forgetfulness arises from their entangling
themselves in the pride of life, the covetousness of the eyes, and the desires
of the flesh (John 2, 16); for employing therein all the forces and faculties of
their soul during the whole time of their life, they have no leisure, care or
attention for the thoughts of eternal felicity. Let men acknowledge and confess,
whether this recollection costs them more labor than to follow their blind
passions, seeking after honors, possessions or the transitory pleasures, all of
which have an end with this life, and which, after much striving and labor, many
men do not, and can never attain.
This is a sorrow beyond all sorrows, and a misfortune without
equal and without remedy. Afflict thyself, lament and grieve without consolation
over this ruin of so many souls bought by the blood of my divine Son. I assure
thee, my dearest, that, if men would not make themselves so unworthy of it, my
charity would urge me, in the celestial glory where thou knowest me to be, to
send forth a voice through the whole world exclaiming: "Mortal and deceived
men, what are you doing? For what purpose are you living? Do you realize what it
is to see God face to face, and to participate in his eternal glory and share
his company? Of what are you thinking? Who has thus disturbed and fascinated
your judgment? What will you seek, if once you have lost this true blessing and
happiness, since there is no other? The labor is short, the reward is infinite
glory, and the punishment is eternal."
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Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part Three: Life in Christ
SECTION ONE: Man's Vocation Life in the Spirit
CHAPTER THREE : GODS SALVATION LAW AND GRACE
Article 2:1 Justification
SECTION ONE
ONE MAN'S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
1699 Life in the Holy Spirit fulfills the vocation of man (chapter one). This life is made up of divine charity and human solidarity (chapter two). It is graciously offered as salvation (chapter three).
1699 Life in the Holy Spirit fulfills the vocation of man (chapter one). This life is made up of divine charity and human solidarity (chapter two). It is graciously offered as salvation (chapter three).
CHAPTER THREE
GOD'S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE
1949
Called to beatitude but wounded by sin, man stands in need of salvation from
God. Divine help comes to him in Christ through the law that guides him and the
grace that sustains him:
Work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work
for his good pleasure.Phil 2:12-13
Article 2
GRACE AND JUSTIFICATION
I. Justification
1987
The grace of the Holy Spirit has the power to justify us, that is, to cleanse
us from our sins and to communicate to us "the righteousness of God
through faith in Jesus Christ" and through Baptism:Rom 3:22; cf. ⇒ 6:3-4
But if we have died with
Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. For we know that Christ
being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion
over him. the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives
he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves as dead to sin and alive
to God in Christ Jesus.Rom 6:8-11
1988
Through the power of the Holy Spirit we take part in Christ's Passion by dying
to sin, and in his Resurrection by being born to a new life; we are members of
his Body which is the Church, branches grafted onto the vine which is
himself:1 Cor 12; ⇒ Jn
15:1 4
(God) gave himself to us
through his Spirit. By the participation of the Spirit, we become communicants
in the divine nature.... For this reason, those in whom the Spirit dwells are
divinized.St.
Athanasius, Ep. Serap. 1, 24: PG 26, 585 and 588
1989
The first work of the grace of the Holy Spirit is conversion, effecting
justification in accordance with Jesus' proclamation at the beginning of the
Gospel: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."Mt 4:17
Moved by grace, man turns toward God and away from sin, thus accepting
forgiveness and righteousness from on high. "Justification is not only the
remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior
man.Council of
Trent (1547): DS 1528
1990
Justification detaches man from sin which contradicts the love of God, and
purifies his heart of sin. Justification follows upon God's merciful initiative
of offering forgiveness. It reconciles man with God. It frees from the
enslavement to sin, and it heals.
1991
Justification is at the same time the acceptance of God's righteousness through
faith in Jesus Christ. Righteousness (or "justice") here means the
rectitude of divine love. With justification, faith, hope, and charity are
poured into our hearts, and obedience to the divine will is granted us.
1992
Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ who offered
himself on the cross as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God, and whose
blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all men.
Justification is conferred in Baptism, the sacrament of faith. It conforms us
to the righteousness of God, who makes us inwardly just by the power of his
mercy. Its purpose is the glory of God and of Christ, and the gift of eternal
life:Council of Trent (1547): DS 1529
But now the righteousness of
God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear
witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all
who believe. For there is no distinction: since all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the
redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by
his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness,
because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins; it was to
prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies
him who has faith in Jesus.Rom 3:21-26
1993
Justification establishes cooperation between God's grace and man's freedom. On
man's part it is expressed by the assent of faith to the Word of God, which
invites him to conversion, and in the cooperation of charity with the prompting
of the Holy Spirit who precedes and preserves his assent:
When God touches man's heart
through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, man himself is not inactive while receiving
that inspiration, since he could reject it; and yet, without God's grace, he
cannot by his own free will move himself toward justice in God's
sight.Council of Trent (1547): DS 1525
1994
Justification is the most excellent work of God's love made manifest in Christ
Jesus and granted by the Holy Spirit. It is the opinion of St. Augustine that
"the justification of the wicked is a greater work than the creation of
heaven and earth," because "heaven and earth will pass away but the
salvation and justification of the elect . . . will not pass
away."St. Augustine, In Jo. ev. 72, 3: PL 35, 1823 He holds also that the justification of sinners surpasses
the creation of the angels in justice, in that it bears witness to a greater
mercy.
1995
The Holy Spirit is the master of the interior life. By giving birth to the
"inner man,"Rom 7:22; ⇒ Eph
3:16 justification entails the sanctification of
his whole being:
Just as you once yielded your
members to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now yield your
members to righteousness for sanctification.... But now that you have been set
free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is
sanctification and its end, eternal life.Rom 6:19, 22
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