Humility, Ezekiel 33:7-9, Psalms 138:1-8, Romans:13-:8-10, Matthew 18:15-20; Pope Francis's Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Feast of Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary; History of Crusades - Third Crusade ; 54 Day Novena; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Mystical City of God - Book 1 Chapter 5 The Propagation of Mankind. Expectation of a Redeemer. Saints Anne and Joachim; Chapter 6 The Immaculate Conception; Chapter 7 - Birth of Mary; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life, Chapter 1 The Revelation of Prayer Article 2 Prayer in The Fullness of Time; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults
JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy). "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds" ~ Zarya Parx 2016
JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy). "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds" ~ Zarya Parx 2016
"Where There is a Will, With God, There is a Way", "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014
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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Liturgical Cycle: A - Gospel of Matthew - 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daily Rosary
(MON, SAT) - Joyful Mysteries
(TUES, FRI) - Sorrowful Mysteries
(WED,SUN) - Glorious Mysteries
(THURS) - Luminous Mysteries
(MON, SAT) - Joyful Mysteries
(TUES, FRI) - Sorrowful Mysteries
(WED,SUN) - Glorious Mysteries
(THURS) - Luminous Mysteries
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Inspirational Hymns
Illumination: Peaceful Gregorian Chants
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Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages
September 2, 2017 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:
Dear children,
Who could speak to you about the love and the pain of my Son better than I? I lived with Him; I suffered with Him. Living the earthly life I felt pain because I was a mother. My Son loved the thoughts and the works of the Heavenly Father, the true God. And, as He said to me, He came to redeem you. I hid my pain through love, but you, my children, you have numerous questions. You do not comprehend pain. You do not comprehend that through the love of God you need to accept pain and endure it. Every human being will experience it to a lesser or greater measure. But with peace in the soul and in a state of grace, hope exists; this is my Son, God, born of God. His words are the seed of eternal life. Sown in good souls it brings numerous fruits. My Son bore the pain because He took your sins upon Himself. Therefore, you, my children, apostles of my love, you who suffer, know that your pain will become light and glory. My children, while you are enduring pain, while you are suffering, Heaven enters in you and you give a piece of Heaven and much hope to all those around you. Thank you. ~ Blessed Mother Mary
August 25, 2017 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:
"Dear children! Today I am calling you to be people of prayer. Pray until prayer becomes a joy for you and a meeting with the Most High. He will transform your hearts and you will become people of love and peace. Do not forget, little children, that Satan is strong and wants to draw you away from prayer. You, do not forget that prayer is the secret key of meeting with God. That is why I am with you to lead you. Do not give up on prayer. Thank you for having responded to my call." ~ Blessed Mother Mary
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
Pope Francis Angelus
(Vatican Radio) “Mary is the first light who announces night’s end, and above all, the impending day”, Pope Francis said during Mass on Friday to celebrate the Nativity of Mary and the beatification of two martyred Colombian clerics in Villavicencio.
Keeping to the theme of his visit to Colombia, that of ‘Reconciliation and Peace,’ the Holy Father reflected on how Mary transmitted God’s light.
She reflected the rays of that light in her home which she shared with Joseph and Jesus, reflecting it also in her people, her country and that home which is common to all mankind: creation, he said.
Referring to the genealogy of Jesus from the day's Gospel, he made a comparison with that of the people of Colombia whose genealogy also can be traced. He said Colombia's is a genealogy full of stories, many of love and light; others of disagreement, insults, even of death.
Speaking about the two Colombian martyrs whom he beatified during Mass, the Pope called Monsignor Jesús Emilio Jaramillo Monsalve, Bishop of Arauca, and the priest of Armero, Pedro María Ramírez Ramos, "a sign of an expression of a people who wish to rise up out of the swamp of violence and bitterness".
Please find below the official English translation of the Pope's prepared Homily:
“To be reconciled in God, with Colombians and with Creation”
Villavicencio
Friday, 8 September 2017
“Your birth, O Virgin Mother of God, is the new dawn that proclaims joy to the whole world, for from you has been born the sun of justice, Christ our God” (cf. Antiphon for the Benedictus). The feast of the birth of Mary shines its light over us, just as the gentle light of dawn radiates above the vast Colombian plain, this beautiful landscape whose gateway is Villavicencio, and shines its light too upon the rich diversity of its indigenous peoples.
Mary is the first light who announces night’s end, and above all, the impending day. Her birth helps us to understand the loving, tender, compassionate plan of love in which God reaches down and calls us to a wonderful covenant with him, that nothing and no one will be able to break.
Mary knew how to transmit God’s light, and she reflected the rays of that light in her home which she shared with Joseph and Jesus, reflecting it also in her people, her country and that home which is common to all mankind: creation.
In the Gospel, we have heard the genealogy of Jesus (Mt 1:1-17), which is not a “simple list of names”, but rather a “living history”, the history of the people that God journeyed with; by making himself one of us, God wanted to announce that the history of the just and of sinners runs through his blood, that our salvation is not a sterile entity found in a laboratory, but rather something concrete, a life that moves forward. This long list tells us that we are a small part of a vast history, and it helps us not to claim excessive importance for ourselves; it helps us elude the temptation of over-spiritualizing things; it helps us not withdraw from the concrete historical realities in which we live. It also integrates in our history of salvation those pages which are the darkest and saddest, moments of desolation and abandonment comparable to exile.
The mention of women – though none of those referred to in the genealogy has the category of the great women of the Old Testament – allows us a particular rapprochement: it is they, in the genealogy, who tell us that pagan blood runs through the veins of Jesus, and who recall the stories of scorn and subjugation. In communities where we are still weighed down with patriarchal and chauvinistic customs, it is good to note that the Gospel begins by highlighting women who were influential and made history.
And within all this we see Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Mary with her generous yes permitted God to take charge of that history. Joseph, the just man, did not allow his pride, passions or zeal to expel him from this light. The narration lets us know, before Joseph is even aware, what has happened to Mary. His decision, made before the angel helped him to understand what was happening around him, shows his human qualities. The nobility of Joseph’s heart is such that what he learned from the law he made dependent on charity; and today, in this world where psychological, verbal and physical violence towards women is so evident, Joseph is presented as a figure of the respectful and sensitive man. Even though he does not understand the wider picture, he makes a decision favouring Mary’s good name, her dignity and her life. In his hesitation as how best to act, God helped him by enlightening his judgment.
The people of Colombia are God’s people; here too we can write genealogies full of stories, many of love and light; others of disagreement, insults, even of death… How many of you can tell of exile and grief! How many women, in silence, have persevered alone, and how many good men have tried to put aside spite and resentment, hoping to bring together justice and kindness! How can we best allow the light in? What are the true paths of reconciliation? Like Mary, by saying yes to the whole of history, not just to a part of it. Like Joseph, by putting aside our passions and pride. Like Jesus Christ, by taking hold of that history, assuming it, embracing it. That is who you are, that is who Colombians are, that is where you find your identity. God can do all this if we say yes to truth, to goodness, to reconciliation, if we fill our history of sin, violence and rejection with the light of the Gospel.
Reconciliation is not an abstract word; if it were, then it would only bring sterility and greater distance. Reconciliation means opening a door to every person who has experienced the tragic reality of conflict. When victims overcome the understandable temptation to vengeance, they become the most credible protagonists for the process of building peace. What is needed is for some to courageously take the first step in that direction, without waiting for others to do so. We need only one good person to have hope! And each of us can be that person! This does not mean ignoring or hiding differences and conflicts. This is not to legitimize personal and structural injustices. Recourse to reconciliation cannot merely serve to accommodate unjust situations. Instead, as Saint John Paul II taught: “[Reconciliation] is rather a meeting between brothers who are disposed to overcome the temptation to egoism and to renounce the attempts of pseudo-justice. It is the fruit of sentiments that are strong, noble and generous that lead to establishing a coexistence based on respect for each individual and on the values that are proper to each civil society” (Letter to the Bishops of El Salvador, 6 August 1982). Reconciliation, therefore, becomes substantive and is consolidated by the contribution of all; it enables us to build the future, and makes hope grow. Every effort at peace without a sincere commitment to reconciliation is destined to fail.
The Gospel text we have heard culminates in Jesus being called Emmanuel, God-with-us. That is how the Gospel of Mathew both begins and ends: “I will be with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20). This promise is fulfilled also in Colombia: Monsignor Jesús Emilio Jaramillo Monsalve, Bishop of Arauca, and the martyred priest of Armero, Pedro María Ramírez Ramos, are a sign of this, an expression of a people who wish to rise up out of the swamp of violence and bitterness.
In these beautiful surroundings, it is up to us to say yes to reconciliation; may our yes also include the natural environment. It is not by chance that even on nature we have unleashed our desire to possess and to subjugate. One of your countrymen sings this in a beautiful way: “The trees are weeping, they are witnesses to so many years of violence. The sea is brown, a mixture of blood and earth” (Juanes, Minas Piedras). “The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life” (Laudato Si’, 2). We need to say yes with Mary, and sing with her “the wonders of the Lord”, for as he has promised to our fathers, he helps all nations and peoples, he helps Colombia which today wishes to be reconciled; it is a promise made also to its descendants forever.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2017 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 09/08/2017
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Today's Word - humility [hyoo-mil-i-tee]
Origin: 1275-1325; Middle English humilite < Latin humilitās. See humble, -ty2
noun
1. the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Ezekiel 33:7-9
7 'Son of man I have appointed you as watchman for the House of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, warn them from me.8 If I say to someone wicked, "Evil- doer, you are to die," and you do not speak to warn the wicked person to renounce such ways, the wicked person will die for this guilt, but I shall hold you responsible for the death.
9 If, however, you do warn someone wicked to renounce such ways and repent, and that person does not repent, then the culprit will die for this guilt, but you yourself will have saved your life.
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Today's Psalms - Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
1 Come, let us cry out with joy to Yahweh, acclaim the rock of our salvation.2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving, acclaim him with music.
6 Come, let us bow low and do reverence; kneel before Yahweh who made us!
7 For he is our God, and we the people of his sheepfold, the flock of his hand. If only you would listen to him today!
8 Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as at the time of Massah in the desert,
9 when your ancestors challenged me, put me to the test, and saw what I could do!
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Today's New Testament Reading - Romans 13:8-10
8 The only thing you should owe to anyone is love for one another, for to love the other person is to fulfil the law.9 All these: You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and all the other commandments that there are, are summed up in this single phrase: You must love your neighbour as yourself.
10 Love can cause no harm to your neighbour, and so love is the fulfilment of the Law.
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Today's Gospel Reading - Matthew 18: 15-20
Fraternal correction in the community
Care of those who leave the community
Matthew 18:15-20
- On this 23rd Sunday of ordinary time we shall read and meditate on the second part of the Sermon on the Community and we shall see closely two aspects: fraternal correction, that is how to proceed in case of conflict among the members of the community (18:15-18), and prayer in common: how to take care of those who have left the community (18:19-20).
Matthew writes his Gospel in around the 80’s or 90’s, almost at the end of the first century, for the community of converted Jews coming from Galilee and Syria. If he recalls so insistently these words of Jesus, it is because, in fact, in those communities there were great divisions concerning the acceptance of Jesus Messiah. Many families were divided and persecuted by their own parents who did not accept Jesus as Messiah (Mt 10:21.35-36).
Care of those who leave the community
Matthew 18:15-20
1. Opening prayer
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us
to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the
disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in
the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the
disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that
seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and
of resurrection.
Create in us silence so that we may
listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and
in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us
so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the
force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in
our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of
you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your
Spirit. Amen.
2. Reading
a) A division of the text to help with the reading:
Matthew 18:15-16: Correcting the brother or sister and re-establishing unity
Matthew 18:17: Those who do not listen to the community cut themselves off
Matthew 18:18: Decisions made on earth are accepted in heaven
Matthew 18:19: Prayer in common for those who leave the community
Matthew 18:20: Jesus’ presence within the community
Matthew 18:17: Those who do not listen to the community cut themselves off
Matthew 18:18: Decisions made on earth are accepted in heaven
Matthew 18:19: Prayer in common for those who leave the community
Matthew 18:20: Jesus’ presence within the community
b) A key to the reading
- Matthew’s Gospel organises the words
of Jesus into five great Sermons or Discourses. This shows that at the
end of the first century, the time of the final edition of Matthew’s
Gospel, the Christian communities had already taken on concrete forms
of catechesis. The five Discourses were five great markers showing the
way on the journey. They offered concrete criteria to teach people and
help them solve problems. The Sermon on the Community (Mt 18:1-35), for
instance, gives instructions as to how the members of the community
should live together so that the community may be a revelation of the
Kingdom of God.
- On this 23rd Sunday of ordinary time we shall read and meditate on the second part of the Sermon on the Community and we shall see closely two aspects: fraternal correction, that is how to proceed in case of conflict among the members of the community (18:15-18), and prayer in common: how to take care of those who have left the community (18:19-20).
c) The text:
15 'If your brother does something
wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If
he listens to you, you have won back your brother. 16 If he does not
listen, take one or two others along with you: whatever the
misdemeanour, the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to
sustain the charge. 17 But if he refuses to listen to these, report it
to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat
him like a gentile or a tax collector. 18 'In truth I tell you,
whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose
on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 'In truth I tell you once again,
if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted
to you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three meet in my
name, I am there among them.'
3. A moment of prayerful silence
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
4. Some questions to help us in our personal reflection.
a) Which part of the text struck you most? Why?
b) What advice does Jesus give us to help people solve the problems of the community and reconcile the members among themselves?
c) What is the basic requirement that comes out of Jesus’ advice?
d) In Mt 16:19, the power to forgive is given to Peter; in Jn 20:23, this same power is given to the apostles. Here, the power to forgive is given to the community. How does our community use this power to forgive given to us by Jesus?
e) Jesus said: "Where two or three meet in my name, I am there among them". What does this mean for us today?
b) What advice does Jesus give us to help people solve the problems of the community and reconcile the members among themselves?
c) What is the basic requirement that comes out of Jesus’ advice?
d) In Mt 16:19, the power to forgive is given to Peter; in Jn 20:23, this same power is given to the apostles. Here, the power to forgive is given to the community. How does our community use this power to forgive given to us by Jesus?
e) Jesus said: "Where two or three meet in my name, I am there among them". What does this mean for us today?
5. For those who wish to go deeper into the text
a) The context of our text in Matthew’s Gospel:
In organising the words of Jesus into
five great sermons or discourses, Matthew’s Gospel imitates the five
books of the Pentateuch and presents the Good News of the Kingdom as a New Law. This
Sunday’s liturgy challenges us with the New Law that teaches fraternal
correction within the community and our attitude towards those who
exclude themselves from the community.
b) A commentary on the text:
Matthew 18:15-16: Correcting the brother and sister and rebuilding unity.
Jesus gives simple and concrete norms to tell us how to proceed in case of conflict in the community. If a brother or sister sins, that is, behaves contrary to the life of the community, you must not denounce him/her publicly before the community. First you must speak to him/her alone. Try to find out why he/she acted in that way. If you get no result, then call two or three members of the community to see whether you can get some result.
Jesus gives simple and concrete norms to tell us how to proceed in case of conflict in the community. If a brother or sister sins, that is, behaves contrary to the life of the community, you must not denounce him/her publicly before the community. First you must speak to him/her alone. Try to find out why he/she acted in that way. If you get no result, then call two or three members of the community to see whether you can get some result.
Matthew writes his Gospel in around the 80’s or 90’s, almost at the end of the first century, for the community of converted Jews coming from Galilee and Syria. If he recalls so insistently these words of Jesus, it is because, in fact, in those communities there were great divisions concerning the acceptance of Jesus Messiah. Many families were divided and persecuted by their own parents who did not accept Jesus as Messiah (Mt 10:21.35-36).
Matthew 18:17: Anyone who does not listen to the community cuts him/herself off
In extreme cases and after trying everything possible, the reticent brother or sister has to be brought before the community. And if that person will not listen to the advice of the community, then he or she has to be considered “as a publican or pagan”, that is as a person not belonging to the community and who much less wishes to be part of the community. Thus you are not excluding anyone, but the person him/herself is excluding him/herself from the common life of the community.
In extreme cases and after trying everything possible, the reticent brother or sister has to be brought before the community. And if that person will not listen to the advice of the community, then he or she has to be considered “as a publican or pagan”, that is as a person not belonging to the community and who much less wishes to be part of the community. Thus you are not excluding anyone, but the person him/herself is excluding him/herself from the common life of the community.
Matthew 18:18: Decisions made on earth are accepted in heaven
In Mt 16:19, the power to forgive is given to Peter, in Jn 20:23, this same power is given to the apostles. Now, in this text, the power to forgive is given to the community: “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”. Here we see the importance of reconciliation and the enormous responsibility of the community in dealing with its members. The community does not excommunicate the person, but simply ratifies the exclusion that the person had already assumed publicly by leaving the community.
In Mt 16:19, the power to forgive is given to Peter, in Jn 20:23, this same power is given to the apostles. Now, in this text, the power to forgive is given to the community: “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”. Here we see the importance of reconciliation and the enormous responsibility of the community in dealing with its members. The community does not excommunicate the person, but simply ratifies the exclusion that the person had already assumed publicly by leaving the community.
Matthew 18:19: Prayer in common for the brother or sister who has left the community
This exclusion does not mean that the person is abandoned to his or her fate. Rather, he or she may be separated from the community, but will not be separated from God. Thus, if talking to the community has not borne results and if the person no longer wishes to be part of the life of the community, we still have the obligation to pray together to the Father to achieve reconciliation. And Jesus guarantees that the Father will listen.
This exclusion does not mean that the person is abandoned to his or her fate. Rather, he or she may be separated from the community, but will not be separated from God. Thus, if talking to the community has not borne results and if the person no longer wishes to be part of the life of the community, we still have the obligation to pray together to the Father to achieve reconciliation. And Jesus guarantees that the Father will listen.
Matthew 18:20: Jesus’ presence within the community
The reason for the certainty of being heard is Jesus’ promise: “Where two or three meet in my name, I am there among them!” Jesus says that he is the centre, the axle of the community and, as such, prays to the Father together with the community that he may grant the gift of the return of the brother or sister who has left.
The reason for the certainty of being heard is Jesus’ promise: “Where two or three meet in my name, I am there among them!” Jesus says that he is the centre, the axle of the community and, as such, prays to the Father together with the community that he may grant the gift of the return of the brother or sister who has left.
c) A deepening:
- The community as alternative space of solidarity and fraternity:
Today’s neo-liberal society, marked by
consumerism, is hard and heartless. It does not welcome the poor, the
little ones, strangers and refugees. Money has no place for mercy. The
society of the Roman Empire also was hard and heartless, with no room
for the little ones. They sought a refuge for their hearts but found
none. The synagogues too were demanding and did not offer them a place
of rest. In the Christian communities, there were those who wished to
introduce the rigour of the Pharisees in the observance of the Law. They
brought into the fraternity the same unjust criteria of society and
the synagogue. Thus within the communities there arose the same
divisions as those in society and the synagogue between Jew and non
Jew, rich and poor, rulers and ruled, word and silence, man and woman,
race and religion. And instead of making the community a place of
welcome, it became a place of judgement. Recalling the words of Jesus
in the Discourse on the Community, Matthew wants to shed light on the
journey of the Christian so that the community may be an alternative
space of solidarity and fraternity. It must be Good News for the poor.
- Excommunication and exclusion from fraternal life:
Jesus does not wish to add to the
exclusion. Rather, he wishes to promote inclusion. He did this all his
life: He welcomed and reintegrated people who, in the name of a false
idea of God, were excluded from the community. But he could not prevent
that a person who disagreed with the Good News of the Kingdom would
refuse to belong to the community and exclude him/herself from the
community. This is what some Pharisees and doctors of the law did. Even
then, the community must behave like the Father in the parable of the
Prodigal Son. It must hold the brother or sister in its heart and pray
for him/her so that he/she may change his/her mind and come back to the
community.
6. Prayer: Psalm 32
Free admission of sin
How blessed are those whose offence is forgiven,
whose sin blotted out.
How blessed are those to whom Yahweh imputes no guilt,
whose spirit harbours no deceit.
whose sin blotted out.
How blessed are those to whom Yahweh imputes no guilt,
whose spirit harbours no deceit.
I said not a word, but my bones wasted away
from groaning all the day;
day and night your hand lay heavy upon me;
my heart grew parched as stubble in summer drought.
from groaning all the day;
day and night your hand lay heavy upon me;
my heart grew parched as stubble in summer drought.
I made my sin known to you,
did not conceal my guilt.
I said, 'I shall confess my offence to Yahweh.'
And you, for your part, took away my guilt,
forgave my sin.
did not conceal my guilt.
I said, 'I shall confess my offence to Yahweh.'
And you, for your part, took away my guilt,
forgave my sin.
That is why each of your faithful ones
prays to you in time of distress.
Even if great floods overflow,
they will never reach your faithful.
You are a refuge for me,
you guard me in trouble,
with songs of deliverance you surround me.
prays to you in time of distress.
Even if great floods overflow,
they will never reach your faithful.
You are a refuge for me,
you guard me in trouble,
with songs of deliverance you surround me.
I shall instruct you and teach you the way to go;
I shall not take my eyes off you.
Be not like a horse or a mule;
that does not understand bridle or bit;
if you advance to master them,
there is no means of bringing them near.
I shall not take my eyes off you.
Be not like a horse or a mule;
that does not understand bridle or bit;
if you advance to master them,
there is no means of bringing them near.
Countless troubles are in store for the wicked,
but one who trusts in Yahweh is enfolded in his faithful love.
Rejoice in Yahweh, exult all you upright,
shout for joy, you honest of heart.
but one who trusts in Yahweh is enfolded in his faithful love.
Rejoice in Yahweh, exult all you upright,
shout for joy, you honest of heart.
7. Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that
has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your
Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that
which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother,
not only listen to but also practise the Word. You who live and reign
with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item from Litany Lane
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Feast Day : Feast Day of Birth of Mary
Feast Day: September 8
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| Nativity of Mary, 1509 Borgona |
Tradition celebrates the event as a liturgical feast in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints and in most Anglican liturgical calendars on 8 September, nine months after the solemnity of her Immaculate Conception, celebrated on 8 December. The Eastern Orthodox equivalent, the Nativity of the Theotokos pertains to the birth of the Virgin Mary in the Orthodox perspective.
This feast, like that of the Assumption of Mary, originated in Jerusalem. It began in the fifth century as the feast of the Basilica Sanctae Mariae ubi nata est, now called the Basilica of Saint Anne. In the seventh century, the feast was celebrated by the Byzantines and at Rome as the feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The feast is also celebrated by Syrian Christians on 8 September and by Coptic Christians on 9 May (1 Bashans). The feast is also included in the Tridentine Calendar for 8 September.
The scene was frequently depicted in art, as part of cycles of the Life of the Virgin. Late medieval depictions are often valuable records of domestic interiors and their fittings - at this period the setting was often in a wealthy household.
Apostolic tradition places Mary's birthplace either in the Church of Saint Anne in Jerusalem, or in Tzippori, Israel, where Saint Anne once lived
Feast day
Tradition celebrates the event as a liturgical feast in the General Roman Calendar and in most Anglican liturgical calendars on 8 September, nine months after the solemnity of her Immaculate Conception, celebrated on 8 December. The Eastern Orthodox likewise celebrate the Nativity of the Theotokos on 8 September.This feast, like that of the Assumption of Mary, originated in Jerusalem. It began in the fifth century as the feast of the Basilica Sanctae Mariae ubi nata est, now called the Basilica of Saint Anne. The original church built, in the fifth century, was a Marian basilica erected on the spot known as the shepherd's pool and thought to have been the home of Mary's parents. In the seventh century, the feast was celebrated by the Byzantines as the feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The feast is also celebrated by Syrian Christians on 8 September and by Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians on 9 May (1 Bashans, EC 1 Ginbot). At Rome the Feast began to be kept toward the end of the 7th century, brought there by Eastern monks. The feast is also included in the Tridentine Calendar for 8 September.
The winegrowers in France called this feast "Our Lady of the Grape Harvest". The best grapes are brought to the local church to be blessed and then some bunches are attached to hands of the statue of Mary. A festive meal which includes the new grapes is part of this day.
The scene was frequently depicted in art, as part of cycles of the Life of the Virgin. Late medieval depictions are often valuable records of domestic interiors and their fittings - at this period the setting was often in a wealthy household.
Reference
- Roten S.M., Johann G., The History of the Liturgical Celebration of Mary's Birth
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Today's Snippet I:
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Today's Snippet II: The Third Crusade (1189-1192)
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| Third Crusade |
The Third Crusade (1189–1192), also known as the Kings' Crusade,
was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from
Saladin (Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb). It was largely successful, but
fell short of its ultimate goal—the reconquest of Jerusalem.
After
the failure of the Second Crusade, the Zengid dynasty controlled a
unified Syria and engaged in a conflict with the Fatimid rulers of
Egypt,
which ultimately resulted in the unification of Egyptian and Syrian
forces under the command of Saladin, who employed them to reduce the
Christian states and to recapture Jerusalem in 1187. Spurred by
religious zeal, Henry II of England and Philip II of France
ended their conflict with each other to lead a new crusade (although
Henry's death in 1189 put the English contingent under the command of
Richard Lionheart instead). The elderly Holy Roman Emperor Frederick
Barbarossa responded to the call to arms, and led a massive army across
Anatolia, but drowned in a river in Asia Minor on June 10, 1190, before
reaching the Holy Land. His death caused the greatest grief among the
German Crusaders. Most of his discouraged troops left to go home.
After
driving the Muslims from Acre, Frederick's successor Leopold V of
Austria
and Philip left the Holy Land in August 1191. Saladin failed to defeat
Richard in any military engagements, and Richard secured several more
key coastal cities. Nevertheless, on September 2, 1192, Richard
finalized a treaty with Saladin by which Jerusalem would remain under
Muslim control, but which also allowed unarmed Christian pilgrims and
merchants to visit the city.
Richard departed the Holy Land on October 9. The successes of the Third
Crusade would allow the Crusaders to maintain a considerable kingdom
based in Cyprus and the Syrian coast. However, its failure to recapture
Jerusalem would lead to the call for a Fourth Crusade six years later.
Background
Muslim unification
After the failure of the Second Crusade, Nur ad-Din Zangi had control of Damascus and a unified Syria.
Eager
to expand his power, Nur ad-Din set his sights on the Fatimid dynasty
of Egypt. In 1163, Nur ad-Din's most trusted general, Shirkuh set out on
a military expedition to the Nile. Accompanying the general was his
young nephew, Saladin.
With
Shirkuh's troops camped outside of Cairo, Egypt's sultan, Shawar called
on King Amalric I of Jerusalem for assistance. In response, Amalric
sent an army into Egypt and attacked Shirkuh's troops at Bilbeis in
1164.
In
an attempt to divert Crusader attention from Egypt, Nur ad-Din attacked
Antioch, resulting in a massacre of Christian soldiers and the capture
of several Crusader leaders, including Bohemond III,
Prince of Antioch. Nur ad-Din sent the scalps of the Christian
defenders to Egypt for Shirkuh to proudly display at Bilbeis for
Amalric's soldiers to see. This action prompted both Amalric and Shirkuh
to lead their armies out of Egypt.
In 1167, Nur ad-Din once again sent Shirkuh to conquer the Fatimids
in Egypt. Shawar also opted to once again call upon Amalric for the
defence of his territory. The combined Egyptian-Christian forces pursued
Shirkuh until he retreated to Alexandria.
Amalric then breached his alliance with Shawar by turning his forces
on Egypt and besieging the city of Bilbeis. Shawar pleaded with his
former enemy, Nur ad-Din to save him from Amalric's treachery. Lacking
the resources to maintain a prolonged siege of Cairo against the
combined forces of Nur ad-Din and Shawar, Amalric retreated. This new
alliance gave Nur ad-Din rule over virtually all of Syria and Egypt.
Saladin's conquests
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| Saladin's battles in Egypt |
Shawar
was executed for his alliances with the Christian forces, and Shirkuh
succeeded him as vizier
of Egypt. In 1169, Shirkuh died unexpectedly after only weeks of rule.
Shirkuh's successor was his nephew, Salah ad-Din Yusuf, commonly known
as Saladin. Nur ad-Din died in 1174, leaving the new empire to his
11-year old son, As-Salih. It was decided that the only man competent
enough to uphold the jihad against the Franks was Saladin, who became
sultan of both Egypt and Syria, and the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty.
Amalric
also died in 1174, leaving Jerusalem to his 13-year old son, Baldwin
IV. Although Baldwin suffered from leprosy, he was an effective and
active military commander, defeating Saladin at the battle of Montgisard
in 1177, with support from Raynald of Châtillon,
who had been released from prison in 1176. Later, he forged an
agreement with Saladin to allow free trade between Muslim and Christian
territories. Raynald also raided caravans throughout the region. He
expanded his piracy to the Red Sea by sending galleys not only to raid
ships, but to assault the city of Mecca itself. These acts enraged the
Muslim world, giving Raynald a reputation as the most hated man in the
Middle East.
Baldwin
IV died in 1185 and the kingdom was left to his nephew Baldwin V, whom
he had crowned as co-king in 1183. Raymond III of Tripoli again served
as regent. The following year, Baldwin V died before his ninth birthday,
and his mother Princess Sybilla, sister of Baldwin IV, crowned herself
queen and her husband, Guy of Lusignan, king. It was at this time that
Raynald, once again, raided a rich caravan
and had its travelers thrown in prison. Saladin demanded that the
prisoners and their cargo be released. The newly crowned King Guy
appealed to Raynald to give in to Saladin's demands, but Raynald refused
to follow the king's orders.
Siege of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
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| The Near East, c. 1190, at the outset of the Third Crusade. |
It
was this final act of outrage by Raynald which gave Saladin the
opportunity he needed to take the offensive against the kingdom. He laid
siege to the city of Tiberias in 1187. Raymond advised patience, but
King Guy, acting on advice from Raynald, marched his army to the Horns
of Hattin outside of Tiberias.
The Frankish army, thirsty and demoralized, was destroyed in the
ensuing battle. King Guy and Raynald were brought to Saladin's tent,
where Guy was offered a goblet of water because of his great thirst .
Guy took a drink and then passed the goblet to Raynald. Saladin would
not be forced to protect the treacherous Raynald by allowing him to
drink, as it was custom that if you were offered a drink, your life was
safe. When Raynald accepted the drink, Saladin told his interpreter,
"say to the King: 'it is you who have given him to drink'".[3]
Afterwards, Saladin beheaded Raynald for past betrayals. Saladin
honored tradition with King Guy; Guy was sent to Damascus and eventually
ransomed to his people, one of the few captive crusaders to avoid
execution.
By
the end of the year, Saladin had taken Acre and Jerusalem. Pope Urban
III is said to have collapsed and died upon hearing the news.[4]
However, at the time of his death, the news of the fall of Jerusalem
could not yet have reached him, although he knew of the battle of Hattin
and the fall of Acre.
Preparations
The
new pope, Gregory VIII
proclaimed that the capture of Jerusalem was punishment for the sins of
Christians across Europe. The cry went up for a new crusade to the Holy
Land. Henry II of England and Philip II of France ended their war with
each other, and both imposed a "Saladin tithe" on their citizens to
finance the venture. In Britain, Baldwin of Exeter, the archbishop of
Canterbury, made a tour through Wales, convincing 3,000 men-at-arms to
take up the cross, recorded in the Itinerary of Giraldus Cambrensis.
Barbarossa's crusade
The elderly Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa responded to the call immediately. He took up the Cross at Mainz Cathedral
on March 27, 1188 and was the first to set out for the Holy Land in May
1189 with an army of about 100,000 men, including 20,000 knights.[2]
An army of 2,000 men from the Hungarian prince Géza, the younger
brother of the king Béla III of Hungary also went with Barbarossa to the
Holy Land.[5]
The
Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelus
made a secret alliance with Saladin to impede Frederick's progress in
exchange for his empire's safety. Meanwhile, the Sultanate of Rum
promised Frederick safety through Anatolia, but after much raiding
Frederick lost patience and on May 18, 1190, the German army sacked
Iconium, the capital of the Sultanate of Rüm. Nevertheless Frederick's
horse slipped on June 10, 1190, while crossing the Saleph River
throwing him against the rocks. He then drowned in the river. After
this, much of his army returned to Germany, in anticipation of the
upcoming Imperial election. His son Frederick of Swabia led the
remaining 5,000 men to Antioch.
There, the emperor's body was boiled to remove the flesh, which was
interred in the Church of St. Peter; his bones were put in a bag to
continue the crusade. In Antioch, however, the German army was further
reduced by fever. Young Frederick had to ask the assistance of his
kinsman Conrad of Montferrat to lead him safely to Acre, by way of Tyre,
where his father's bones were buried.
Richard and Philip's departure
Henry
II of England died on July 6, 1189 following a defeat by his son
Richard I (Lionheart) and Philip II. Richard inherited the crown and
immediately began raising funds for the crusade. In July 1190, Richard
and Philip set out jointly from Marseille, France for Sicily.
Philip II had hired a Genoese fleet to transport his army which
consisted of 650 knights, 1,300 horses, and 1,300 squires to the Holy
Land.[2]
William
II of Sicily had died the previous year, and was replaced by Tancred,
who placed Joan of England—William's wife and Richard's sister—in
prison. Richard captured the capital city of Messina
on October 4, 1190 and Joan was released. Richard and Philip fell out
over the issue of Richard's marriage, as Richard had decided to marry
Berengaria of Navarre, breaking off his long-standing betrothal to
Philip's half-sister Alys.
Philip left Sicily directly for the Middle East on March 30, 1191, and
arrived in Tyre in mid-May. He joined the siege of Acre on May 20.
Richard did not set off from Sicily until April 10.
Shortly
after setting sail from Sicily, Richard's armada of 100 ships
(carrying 8,000 men) was struck by a violent storm. Several ships ran
aground, including one holding Joan, his new fiancée Berengaria, and a
large amount of treasure that had been amassed for the crusade. It was
soon discovered that Isaac Dukas Comnenus of Cyprus had seized the
treasure. The young women were unharmed. Richard entered Limassol
on May 6, and met with Isaac, who agreed to return Richard's belongings
and send 500 of his soldiers to the Holy Land. Once back at his
fortress of Famagusta,
Isaac broke his oath of hospitality and began issuing orders for
Richard to leave the island. Isaac's arrogance prompted Richard to
conquer the island within days.
Siege of Acre
King
Guy was released from prison by Saladin in 1189. He attempted to take
command of the Christian forces at Tyre, but Conrad of Montferrat
held power there after his successful defence of the city from Muslim
attacks. Guy turned his attention to the wealthy port of Acre. He
amassed an army to besiege the city and received aid from Philip's newly
arrived French army. However, it was still not enough to counter
Saladin's force, which besieged the besiegers. In summer 1190, in one of
the numerous outbreaks of disease in the camp, Queen Sibylla and her
young daughters died. Guy, although only king by right of marriage,
endeavoured to retain his crown, although the rightful heir was
Sibylla's half-sister Isabella. After a hastily arranged divorce from
Humphrey IV of Toron, Isabella was married to Conrad of Montferrat, who
claimed the kingship in her name.
During
the winter of 1190–91, there were further outbreaks of dysentery and
fever, which claimed the lives of Frederick of Swabia, Patriarch
Heraclius of Jerusalem, and Theobald V of Blois. When the sailing season
began again in spring 1191, Leopold V of Austria arrived and took
command of what remained of the imperial forces. Philip of France
arrived with his troops from Sicily in May.
Richard arrived at Acre on June 8, 1191 and immediately began
supervising the construction of siege weapons to assault the city. The
city was captured on July 12.
Richard, Philip, and Leopold quarreled over the spoils of their
victory. Richard cast down the German standard from the city, slighting
Leopold. Also, in the struggle for the kingship of Jerusalem, Richard
supported Guy, while Philip and Leopold supported Conrad, who was
related to them both. It was decided that Guy would continue to rule,
but that Conrad would receive the crown upon his death.
Frustrated with Richard (and in Philip's case, in poor health),
Philip and Leopold took their armies and left the Holy Land in August.
Philip left 10,000 French crusaders in the Holy Land and 5,000 silver
marks to pay them.
Despite the treaty at Acre, Richard had the garrison (including women
and children) massacred in full view of Saladin's camp. Not one
prisoner could be saved in the subsequent effort Saladin made to rescue
them by military force.[6]
Battle of Arsuf
After
the capture of Acre, Richard decided to march to the city of Jaffa,
where he could launch the attack on Jerusalem but on September 7, 1191,
at Arsuf, 30 miles (50 km) north of Jaffa, Saladin attacked Richard's
army. Saladin attempted to lure Richard's forces out to be easily picked
off, but Richard maintained his formation until the Hospitallers rushed
in to take Saladin's right flank, while the Templars took the left.
Richard then won the battle.
Regicide and negotiations
Following
his victory, Richard took Jaffa and established his new headquarters
there. He offered to begin negotiations with Saladin, who sent his
brother, Al-Adil
to meet with Richard. Negotiations (which had included an attempt to
marry Richard's sister Joan to Al-Adil) failed, and Richard marched to
Ascalon. Richard's forces were halted nearly 12 times by the forces of
Saladin commanded by Ayaz al-Tawil a powerful Mamluk leader, who died in
combat.[7]
Richard
called on Conrad to join him on campaign, but he refused,
citing Richard's alliance with King Guy. He too had been negotiating
with Saladin,
as a defence against any attempt by Richard to wrest Tyre from him for
Guy. However, in April, Richard was forced to accept Conrad as king of
Jerusalem after an election by the nobles of the kingdom. Guy had
received no votes at all, but Richard sold him Cyprus as compensation.
Before he could be crowned, Conrad was stabbed to death by two
Hashshashin in the streets of Tyre. Eight days later, Richard's nephew
Henry II of Champagne
married Queen Isabella, who was pregnant with Conrad's child. It was
strongly suspected that the king's killers had acted on instructions
from Richard.
In
July 1192, Saladin's army suddenly attacked and captured Jaffa
with thousands of men, but Saladin had lost control of his army because
of their anger for the massacre at Acre. It was believed that Saladin
even told the Crusaders to shield themselves in the Citadel until he had
regained control of his army.
On
September 2, 1192, Richard and Saladin finalized a treaty by which
Jerusalem would remain under Muslim control, but which also allowed
unarmed Christian pilgrims and traders to visit the city. Richard
departed the Holy Land on October 9.
Aftermath
.jpg) |
| The Levant after the Third Crusade in 1200. |
Neither side was entirely discontent nor satisfied with the results
of the war. Though Richard had deprived the Muslims of important coastal
territories as a result of his consistent victories over Saladin, many
Christians in the Latin West felt disappointed that he had elected not
to pursue Jerusalem.[8]
Likewise, many in the Islamic world felt disturbed that Saladin had
failed to drive the Christians out of Syria and Palestine. Trade,
however, flourished throughout the Middle East and in port cities along the Mediterranean coastline.[9]
Saladin's servant and biographer Baha al-Din recounted Saladin's distress at the successes of the Crusaders:
'I fear to make peace, not knowing what may become of me. Our enemy will grow strong, now that they have retained these lands. They will come forth to recover the rest of their lands and you will see every one of them ensconced on his hill-top,' meaning in his castle, 'having announced, “I shall stay put” and the Muslims will be ruined.' These were his words and it came about as he said.[10]
Richard
was arrested and imprisoned in December 1192 by Duke Leopold,
who suspected him of murdering his cousin Conrad of Montferrat, and had
been offended by Richard casting down his standard from the walls of
Acre. He was later transferred to the custody of Henry VI, Holy Roman
Emperor, and it took a ransom of one hundred and fifty thousand marks to
obtain his release. Richard returned to England in 1194 and died of a
crossbow bolt wound in 1199 at the age of 41.
In 1193, Saladin died of yellow fever. His heirs would quarrel over the succession and ultimately fragment his conquests.
Henry
of Champagne was killed in an accidental fall in 1197. Queen Isabella
then married for a fourth time, to Amalric of Lusignan, who had
succeeded his brother Guy, positioned as King of Cyprus. After their
deaths in 1205, her eldest daughter Maria of Montferrat (born after her
father's murder) succeeded to the throne of Jerusalem.
Richard's decision not to attack Jerusalem would lead to the call for a Fourth Crusade
six years after the third ended in 1192. However, Richard's victories
facilitated the survival of a wealthy Crusader kingdom centered on Acre.
Historian Thomas Madden summarizes the achievements of the Third
Crusade:
...the Third Crusade was by almost any measure a highly successful expedition. Most of Saladin's victories in the wake of Hattin were wiped away. The Crusader kingdom was healed of its divisions, restored to its coastal cities, and secured in a peace with its greatest enemy. Although he had failed to reclaim Jerusalem, Richard had put the Christians of the Levant back on their feet again.[11]
Accounts of events surrounding the Third Crusade were written by the anonymous authors of the Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi (a.k.a. the Itinerarium Regis Ricardi), the Old French Continuation of William of Tyre (parts of which are attributed to Ernoul), and by Ambroise, Roger of Howden, Ralph of Diceto, and Giraldus Cambrensis.
References
- ^ H. Chisholm, The Encyclopædia Britannica : A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information, 294
- ^ J. Phillips, The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, 66
- ^ Lyons, Malcom Cameron and D. E. P. Jackson, Saladin: The Politics of the Holy War, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982), 264.
- ^ Hans E. Mayer, The Crusades. Oxford University Press, 1965 (trans. John Gillingham, 1972), pg. 139.
- ^ A. Konstam, Historical Atlas of The Crusades, 124
- ^ Marshall Hodgson, The Venture of Islam Conscience and History in a World Civilization Vol 2. The University of Chicago, 1958, pg. 267.
- ^ "The Life of Saladin Behaudin Tekstualno". Scribd.com. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ^ Procter, George (1854). History of the crusades: their rise, progress, and results. R. Griffin and Co.. pp. 112–116.
- ^ Crompton, Samuel Willard (2003). The Third Crusade: Richard the Lionhearted vs. Saladin. Great battles through the ages. Infobase Publishing. p. 64. ISBN 0-7910-7437-4.
- ^ al-Din, Baha; D.S. Richards (2002). The Rare and Excellent History of Saladin. Crusade Texts in Translation. 7 (1 ed.). Burlington, VT; Hampshire, England: Ashgate. p. 232. ISBN 0-7546-3381-0.
- ^ Madden, Thomas (2006). The New Concise History of the Crusades. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-7425-3823-8.
- Bibliography
- Beha-ed-Din, The Life of Saladin.
- De Expugnatione Terrae Sanctae per Saladinum, translated by James A. Brundage, in The Crusades: A Documentary Survey. Marquette University Press, 1962.
- La Continuation de Guillaume de Tyr (1184–1192), edited by Margaret Ruth Morgan. L'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, 1982.
- Ambroise, The History of the Holy War, translated by Marianne Ailes. Boydell Press, 2003.
- Chronicle of the Third Crusade, a Translation of Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi, translated by Helen J. Nicholson. Ashgate, 1997.
- Peter W. Edbury, The Conquest of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade: Sources in Translation. Ashgate, 1996.
- Francesco Gabrieli, (ed.) Arab Historians of the Crusades, English translation 1969, ISBN 0-520-05224-2
- Steven Runciman, A History of the Crusades, vol. II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem, and vol. III: The Kingdom of Acre. Cambridge University Press, 1952–55.
- Lucas Villegas Aristizabal, "Revisión de las crónicas de Ralph de Diceto y de la Gesta regis Ricardi sobre la participación de la flota angevina durante la Tercera Cruzada en Portugal", Studia Historica- Historia Medieval 27 (2009), pp. 153–170.
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Today's Snippet III: The 54 Day Novena
Start: Monday August 15, 2016 - Feast of the Assumption
Finish: Friday, October 7, 2016 - the Feast of our Lady of the Rosary
Duration: 54 consectuvite days of 3 novenas of petition (27 days) followed by 3 novenas of thanksgiving (27 days). Only Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious Mysteries are recited in order, daily as taught in original novena of 1884. NOTE: The Luminous mysteris are NOT included in this novena.
Intentions: Worldwide Conversion, Our Nation, and World Peace
Intentions: Worldwide Conversion, Our Nation, and World Peace
How to Recite the 54-Day Rosary Novena
Traditionally a novena is nine days. Thus, Our Lady’s words to young Fortuna, “make three novenas of the prayers of the Rosary in petition, and three novenas in thanksgiving.”
The novena consists of five decades of the Rosary (one set of mysteries) each day for twenty-seven days in petition; then immediately five decades each day for an additional twenty-seven days in thanksgiving, regardless of whether or not the request has been granted yet.
So began six novenas of Rosaries, which became known as the 54-day Rosary Novena.
To do the novena properly one must pray the Rosary for 54 consecutive days, without missing a day, and must pray the particular Mystery indicated for that day following the correct sequence.
That is, the first day of the novena always begins with the Joyful Mysteries (regardless of what day of the week the novena is started); the second day, the Sorrowful Mysteries are prayed; and the third day of the novena, the Glorious Mysteries are prayed. The fourth day of the novena begins again with the Joyful Mysteries and continues on in that sequence throughout the 54 days of the novena.
The 54 day novena starts on Monday, August 15, 2015 on the Feast of the Assumption with the Joyful Mysteries. Below are included the opening petition and thanksgiving prayers for each Mystery.
Opening prayer s for Joyful Mysteries
In petition:
Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I humbly kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses snow white buds to remind thee of thy joys each bud recalling to thee a holy mystery; each ten bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, dispenser of God's graces, and Mother of all who invoke thee! thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my petition; from thy bounty thou wilt give me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly seek. I despair of nothing that I ask of thee. Show thyself my Mother!
In thanksgiving:
Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I gratefully kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses snow white buds to remind thee of thy joys each bud recalling to thee a holy mystery; each ten bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, Dispenser of God's graces. and Mother of all who invoke thee! thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my thanksgiving; from thy bounty thou hast given me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly sought. I despaired not of what I asked of thee, and thou hast truly shown thyself my Mother.
Opening Prayers for Sorrowful Mysteries
In petition:Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I humbly kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses blood red roses to remind thee of the passion of thy divine Son, with Whom thou didst so fully partake of its bitterness each rose recalling to thee a holy mystery; each ten bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, dispenser of God's graces, and Mother of all who invoke thee! Thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my petition; from thy bounty thou wilt give me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly seek. I despair of nothing that I ask of thee. Show thyself my Mother!
In thanksgiving:
Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I gratefully kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses blood red roses to remind thee of the passion of thy divine Son, with Whom thou didst so fully partake of its bitterness each rose recalling to thee a holy mystery; each ten bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, dispenser of God's graces, and Mother of all who invoke thee! Thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my thanksgiving; from thy bounty thou hast given me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly sought. I despaired not of what I asked of thee, and thou hast truly shown thyself my Mother.
Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I gratefully kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses blood red roses to remind thee of the passion of thy divine Son, with Whom thou didst so fully partake of its bitterness each rose recalling to thee a holy mystery; each ten bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, dispenser of God's graces, and Mother of all who invoke thee! Thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my thanksgiving; from thy bounty thou hast given me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly sought. I despaired not of what I asked of thee, and thou hast truly shown thyself my Mother.
Opening Prayers for Glorious Mysteries
In petition:
Hail, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I humbly kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses full blown white roses, tinged with the red of the passion, to remind thee of thy glories, fruits of the sufferings of thy Son and thee each rose recalling to thee a holy mystery; each ten bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, dispenser of God's graces, and Mother of all who invoke thee! Thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my petition; from thy bounty thou wilt give me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly seek. I despair of nothing that I ask of thee. Show thyself my Mother!
In thanksgiving:
Hail!, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, my Mother Mary, hail! At thy feet I gratefully kneel to offer thee a Crown of Roses full blown white roses, tinged with the red of the passion, to remind thee of thy glories, fruits of the sufferings of thy Son and thee each rose recalling to thee a holy mystery; each ten bound together with my petition for a particular grace. O Holy Queen, dispenser of God s graces, and Mother of all who invoke thee! thou canst not look upon my gift and fail to see its binding. As thou receivest my gift, so wilt thou receive my thanksgiving; from thy bounty thou bast given me the favor I so earnestly and trustingly sought. I despaired not of what I asked of thee, and thou hast truly shown thyself my Mother.
Indulgencies
Made by the Blessed Virgin to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan.
1. To all those who will recite my Rosary devoutly, I promise my special protection and very great
graces.
2. Those who will persevere in the recitation of my Rosary shall receive some signal grace.
3. The Rosary shall be a very powerful armor against hell; it shall destroy vice, deliver from sin, and shall dispel heresy.
4. The Rosary shall make virtue and good works flourish, and shall obtain for souls the most abundant divine mercies; it shall substitute in hearts love of God for love of the world, elevate them to desire heavenly and eternal goods. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means!
5. Those who trust themselves to me through the Rosary, shall not perish.
6. Those who will recite my Rosary piously, considering its Mysteries, shall not be overwhelmed
by misfortune nor die a bad death. The sinner shall be converted; the just shall grow in grace and
become worthy of eternal life.
7. Those truly devoted to my Rosary shall not die without the consolations of the Church, or without
grace.
8. Those who will recite my Rosary shall find during their life and at their death the light of God, the fullness of His grace, and shall share in the merits of the blessed.
9. I will deliver very promptly from purgatory the souls devoted to my Rosary.
10. The true children of my Rosary shall enjoy great glory in heaven.
11. What you ask through my Rosary, you shall obtain.
12. Those who propagate my Rosary shall obtain through me aid in all their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Son that all the confrères of the Rosary shall have for their brethren in life and death the saints of heaven.
14. Those who recite my Rosary faithfully are all my beloved children, the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion to my Rosary is a special sign of predestination.
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Snippet IV: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
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| Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular |
The Sacred Heart (also known as Most Sacred Heart of Jesus) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.
This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.
In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor, Pope Pius XI stated: "the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus". The Golden Arrow Prayer directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.
The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.
History of Devotion
Early devotion
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| Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 |
From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the Vitis mystica (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).
From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.
In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.
The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.
Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.
Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
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| St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765 |
The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:
- On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work.
- In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour.
- During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.
A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.
Papal Approvals
The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.
After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter Annum Sacrum (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.
Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter Miserentissimus Redemptor (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "manifested Himself" to Saint Margaret and had "promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times[2] and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter Haurietis aquas (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical Haurietis Aquas, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Worship and Devotion
The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull Auctorem Fidei, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical Annum Sacrum (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since c. 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.
Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.
The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."
Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.
In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.
Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.
The Miraculous Medal
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| The Miraculous Medal |
The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.
On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.
Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer "O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee" is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her Immaculate Heart, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.
The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.
In Eastern Catholicism
Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.
Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:
- I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
- I will give peace in their families.
- I will console them in all their troubles.
- I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.
- I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.
- Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
- Tepid souls shall become fervent.
- Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.
- I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.
- I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
- Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.
- In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.
The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.
Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.
"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.'
Scapular of the Sacred Heart
The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed badges similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.
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Snippet V: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
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| Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular |
The Immaculate Heart of Mary (also known as The Sacred Heart of Mary) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the Mass of the Most Pure Heart formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.
Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae which builds on the total Marian devotion pioneered by Louis de Montfort.
Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart
Veneration and devotion
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| Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors |
Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.
A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.
The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.
Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:
- Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)
- Receive Holy Communion
- Recite five decades of the Rosary
- Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary
She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.
History of devotion
The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".
Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.
Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.
It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (De duodecim stellis), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the Offices of the Compassion and of the Seven Dolours. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the Ave Maria and the Salve Regina, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."
During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the Coeur Admirable (Admirable Heart), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.
Alliance with the Sacred Heart
The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.
In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.
Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.
Feast days
Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...
In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the Most Pure Heart of Mary for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.
During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, Sacro Vergente consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.
On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.
Roman Catholic feast days
Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.
At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.
Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.
References:
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.
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FEATURED BOOK
THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD
Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.
THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD
Venerable Mary of Agreda
Translated from the Spanish by Reverend George J. Blatter
1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..
IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne
Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.
This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.
Book 1, Chapter 5
PROPAGATION OF MANKIND.
EXPECTATION OF A REDEEMER. SAINT JOACHIM AND ANNE
The posterity and race of Adam spread
out in great numbers, for the just and the unjust were multiplied;
likewise did increase the clamors of the just for the Redeemer, and
the transgressions of the wicked in demerit of that benefit. The
people of the Most High and the plans for the triumph of the Lord in
assuming human nature, were already in the last stages of preparation
for the advent of the Messias. The kingdom of sin in the generation
of the wicked had now spread its dominion to the utmost limits and
the opportune time for the remedy had arrived.
When the ancient serpent had infected
the whole earth with its poisonous breath and apparently enjoyed
peaceful control over mortals who had become blind to the light of
reason (Rom. 1, 20) and to the precepts contained in the ancient
written law, when, instead of seeking the true Divinity, men set up
for themselves many false laws and each one created a god for himself
according to his liking, without considering, that the confusion of
so many gods was repugnant to all goodness, order, and peace, when by
these errors malice, ignorance and forgetfulness of the true God had
become naturalized; when ignorant of its mortal disease and lethargy,
the world had grown mute in its prayer for deliverance; when pride
reigned supreme and fools had become innumerable (Eccles. 9, 15);
when Lucifer in his arrogance was about to swallow the pure waters of
the Jordan (Job 40, 18): when through these injuries God was more and
more deeply offended and less and less beholden to man; when his
justice had such an excellent cause for annihilating all creation and
reducing it to its original nothingness:
At this juncture (according to our
way of understanding), the Most High directed his attention to the
attribute of his mercy, counterbalanced the weight of his
incomprehensible justice with the law of clemency, and chose to yield
more to his own goodness, to the clamors and faithful services of the
just and the prophets of his people, than to his indignation at the
wickedness and sins of all the rest of mankind. In this dark night of
the ancient law, He resolved to give most certain pledges of the day
of grace, sending into the world two most bright luminaries to
announce the approaching dawn of the sun of Justice, Christ our
Salvation. These were saint Joachim and Anne, prepared and created by
especial decree according to his own heart. St. Joachim had his home,
his family and relations in Nazareth, a town of Galilee. He, always a
just and holy man and illumined by especial grace and light from on
high, had a knowledge of many mysteries of the holy Scriptures and of
the olden Prophets. In continual and fervent prayer he asked of God
the fulfillment of his promises, and his faith and charity penetrated
the heavens. He was a man most humble and pure, leading a most holy
and sincere life, yet he was most grave and earnest, and incomparably
modest and honest.
The most fortunate Anne had a house in Bethlehem
and was a most chaste, humble and beautiful maiden. From her
childhood she led a most virtuous, holy and retired life, enjoying
great and continual enlightenment in exalted contemplation. Withal
she was most diligent and industrious, thus attaining perfection in
both the active and contemplative life. She had an infused knowledge
of the divine Scriptures and a profound understanding of its hidden
mysteries and sacraments. In the infused virtues of faith, hope and
love she was unexcelled. Equipped with all these gifts, she continued
to pray for the coming of the Messias. Her prayers were so acceptable
to the Lord, that to her He could but answer with the words of the
Spouse: “Thou hast wounded my heart with one of the hairs of
thy neck” (Cant. 4, 9). Therefore, without doubt, saint Anne
holds a high position among the saints of the old Testament, who by
their merits hastened the coming of the Redeemer.
This woman also prayed most fervently, that the
Almighty deign to procure for her in matrimony a husband, who should
help her to observe the ancient law and testament, and to be perfect
in the fulfillment of all its precepts. At the moment in which saint
Anne thus prayed to the Lord, his Providence ordained, that saint
Joachim made the same petition: both prayers were made at the same
time before the tribunal of the holy Trinity, where they were heard
and fulfilled, it being then and there divinely disposed, that
Joachim and Anne unite in marriage and become the parents of Her, who
was to be the Mother of the incarnate God. In furtherance of this
divine decree the archangel Gabriel was sent to announce it to them
both. To saint Anne he appeared in visible form, while she was
engaged in fervent prayer for the coming of the Savior and the
Redeemer of men. When she saw the holy prince, most beautiful and
refulgent, she was disturbed and frightened and yet at the same time
interiorly rejoiced and enlightened. The holy maiden prostrated
herself in profound humility to reverence the messenger of heaven;
but he prevented and encouraged her, as being destined to be the ark
of the true manna, Mary most holy, Mother of the Word. For this holy
angel had been informed of this sacramental mystery on being sent
with this message. The other angels did not yet know of it, as this
revelation or illumination had been directly given from God only to
Gabriel. Nevertheless the angel did not then manifest this great
sacrament to St. Anne; but he asked her to attend and said to her:
“The Most High give thee his blessing, servant of God, and be
thy salvation. His Majesty has heard thy petitions and He wishes thee
to persevere therein and that thou continue to clamor for the coming
of the Redeemer. It is his will, that thou accept Joachim as the
spouse, for he is a man of upright heart and acceptable to the Lord:
in his company thou wilt be able to persevere in the observance of
his law and in his service. Continue thy prayers and thy
supplications and be not solicitous for anything else, for the Lord
will see them fulfilled. Walk in the straight paths of justice and
let thy soul’s converse be in heaven. Continuing to pray for
the Messias, be thou joyful in the Lord, who is thy salvation.”
With these words the angel disappeared, leaving her enlightened in
many mysteries of holy Scriptures, and comforted and renewed in
spirit.
To saint Joachim the archangel did not appear in a
corporeal manner, but he spoke to the man of God in sleep as follows:
“Joachim, be thou blessed by the right hand of the Most High!
Persevere in thy desires and live according to rectitude and
perfection. It is the will of the Almighty, that thou receive saint
Anne as thy spouse, for her the Lord has visited with his blessing.
Take care of her and esteem her as a pledge of the Most High and give
thanks to his Majesty, because he has given her in thy charge.”
In consequence of this divine message saint Joachim immediately asked
for the hand of the most chaste Anne and, in joint obedience to the
divine ordainment, they espoused each other. But neither of the
manifested to each other the secret of what had happened until
several years afterwards, as I will relate in its place. The two holy
spouses lived in Nazareth, continuing to walk in the justification of
the Lord. In rectitude and sincerity they practiced all virtue in
their works, making themselves very acceptable and pleasing to the
Most High and avoiding all blemish in all their doings. The rents and
incomes of their estate they divided each year into three parts. The
first one they offered to the temple of Jerusalem for the worship of
the Lord; the second they distributed to the poor, and the third they
retained for decent sustenance of themselves and family. God
augmented their temporal goods on account of their generosity and
charity.
They themselves lived with each other
in undisturbed peace and union of heart, without quarrel or shadow of
a grudge. The most humble Anne subjected herself and conformed
herself in all things to the will of Joachim: and that man of God,
with equal emulation of humility, sought to know the desires of holy
Anne, confiding in her with his whole heart (Prov. 31, 11), and he
was not deceived. Thus they lived together in such perfect charity,
that during their whole life they never experienced a time, during
which one ceased to seek the same thing as the other (Matth. 27, 20).
But rather as being united in the Lord, they enjoyed his presence in
holy fear. Saint Joachim, solicitous to obey the command of the
angel, honored his spouse and lavished his attention upon her.
This fortunate couple passed twenty
years of their married life without issue. In those times and among
the people of the Jews this was held to be the greatest misfortune
and disgrace. On this account they had to bear much reproach and
insult from their neighbors and acquaintances, for all those that
were childless, were considered as excluded from the benefits of the
Messias. But the Most High wished to afflict them and dispose them
for the grace which awaited them, in order that in patience and
submission they might tearfully sow the glorious Fruit, which they
were afterwards to bring forth. They continued in most fervent
prayers from the bottom of their hearts, mindful of the command from
on high. They made an express vow to the Lord, that if He should give
them issue, they would consecrate It to his service in the temple of
Jerusalem.
Having, at the command of the Lord, persevered a
whole year in fervent petitions, it happened by divine inspiration
and ordainment, that Joachim was in the temple of Jerusalem offering
prayers and sacrifices for the coming of the Messias, and for the
fruit, which he desired. Arriving with others of his town to offer
the common gifts and contributions in the presence of the high
priest, Isachar, an inferior priest, harshly reprehended the old and
venerable Joachim, for presuming to come with the other people to
make offerings in spite of his being childless. Among other things he
said to him: “Why dost thou, Joachim, come with thy offerings
and sacrifices, which are not pleasing in the eyes of God, since thou
art a useless man? Leave this company and depart; do not annoy God
with thy offerings and sacrifices, which are not acceptable to Him.”
The holy man, full of shame and confusion, in humble love thus
addressed the Lord: “Most high Lord and God, at thy command and
desire I came to the temple; he that takes thy place, despises me; my
sins merit this disgrace; but since I accept it according to thy
will, do not cast away the creature of thy hands” (Ps. 275,
10). Joachim hastened away from the temple full of sorrow, though
peaceful and contented, to a farm or storehouse, which he possessed,
and there in solitude he called upon the Lord for some days, praying
as follows:
“Most high
and eternal God, on whom depends the whole existence and the
reparation of the human race, prostrate in thy living presence, I
supplicate thy infinite goodness to look upon the affliction of my
soul and to hear my prayers and those of thy servant Anne. To thine
eyes are manifest all our desires (Ps. 37, 10) and if I am not worthy
to be heard, do not despise my humble spouse. Lord God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, our first forefathers, do not hide thy kindness from
us, nor permit, since Thou art a Father, that I be numbered among the
reprobate and the outcasts in my offerings, because Thou givest me no
issue. Remember, O Lord, the sacrifices (Deut. 11, 27) and oblations
of thy servants and prophets, my ancestors, and look upon their
works, which were pleasing to thy divine eyes. Since Thou commandest
me, my Lord to pray to Thee in confidence, grant me, according to the
greatness of thy mercy and power, that which at thy wish I pray for.
In beseeching Thee I fulfill thy will and render the obedience, in
which Thou hast promised to grant my petition. If my sins hinder the
exercise of thy mercies, take away what displeases and hinders Thee.
Thou art mighty, Lord God of Israel, and all that Thou wishest, Thou
canst accomplish without hindrance. Let my prayers reach thy ears,
and if I am poor and insignificant, Thou art infinite and always
ready to exercise mercy with the downcast. Whither shall I flee from
Thee, who art the King of kings and the Lord of lords? Thou hast
filled thy sons and servants with benedictions in their generations
and Thou hast instructed to expect and desire from thy bounty what
Thou hast wrought in my brethren. If it is Thy pleasure to yield to
my petition, and grant me issue I will offer it and consecrate it to
thy holy temple in perpetual service. I have riveted my eyes and my
will on thy holy Will and have always desired to keep them free from
the vanishing things of this world. Fulfill in regard to me, what is
according to thy pleasure, and rejoice our spirit with the
accomplishment of our hopes. Look down from thy throne upon this vile
dust, and raise it up, in order that it may magnify Thee and adore
Thee, and let in all things be fulfilled thy will, and not mine.”
While Joachim was making these petitions in his
retirement, the holy angel manifested to holy Anne, that her prayer
for an issue, accompanied by such holy desires and intentions, was
pleasing to the Almighty. Having thus recognized the will of God and
of her husband Joachim, she prayed with humble subjection and
confidence, that it be fulfilled. “Most high God, my Lord,
Creator and Preserver of the universe, whom my soul reserves as the
true God, infinite, holy and eternal! Prostrate in thy real presence
I will speak, though but I am but dust and ashes (Esther 13, 9)
proclaiming my need and my affliction. Lord God uncreated, make us
worthy of thy benediction, and give us holy fruit of the womb, in
order that we may offer it to thy service in the temple (Gen. 18,
27). Remember, O Lord, that Anne, thy servant, the mother of Samuel,
was sterile and that by thy generous mercy she received the
fulfillment of her desires. I feel within me a courage which incites
and animates me to ask Thee to show me the same mercy. Hear then, O
sweetest Lord and Master, my humble petition: remember the
sacrifices, offerings and services of my ancestors and the favors,
which thy almighty arm wrought in them. I wish to offer to Thee, O
Lord, an oblation pleasing and acceptable in thy eyes: but the
greatest in my power, is my soul, my faculties and inclinations given
to Thee, and my whole being. If Thou look upon me from thy throne
giving me issue, I will from this moment sanctify and offer it for
thy service in the temple. Lord God of Israel, if it should be thy
pleasure and good will to look upon this lowly and impoverished
creature, and to console thy servant Joachim, grant me my prayer and
may in all things be fulfilled thy holy and eternal will.”
These were the prayers, which saint
Joachim and Anne offered. On account of my great shortcoming and
insufficiency I cannot fully describe what I was made to understand
concerning the holiness of these prayers and of these saintly
parents. It is impossible to tell all; nor is it necessary, since
what I have said is sufficient for my purpose. In order to obtain a
befitting idea of these saints, it is necessary to estimate and judge
them in connection with the most high end and ministry, for which
they were chosen by God; for they were the immediate grandparents of
Christ our Lord, and parents of his most holy Mother.
The petitions of the most holy Joachim and Anne
reached the throne of the holy Trinity, where they were accepted and
the will of God was made known to the holy angels. The three divine
Persons, according to our way of expressing such things, spoke to
them as follows: “We have in our condescension resolved, that
the person of the Word shall assume human flesh and that through Him
all the race of mortals shall find a remedy. We have already
manifested and promised this to our servants, the Prophets, in order
that they might announce it to the whole world. The sins of the
living, and their malice are so great, that We are much constrained
by the rigor of justice. But our goodness and mercy is greater than
all their evil–doing, nor can it extinguish our love toward
men. We will look with mercy upon the works of our hands, which We
have created according to our image and likeness, so as to enable
them to become inheritors and participators of our eternal glory (I
Pet. 3, 22). We will consider the services and pleasure derived from
our servants and friends and regard the multitude of those, who shall
distinguish themselves in our praise and friendship. And above all
have We before our eyes Her, who is to be the chosen One, who is to
be acceptable above all creatures and singled out for our delight and
pleasure; because She is to conceive the person of the Word in her
womb and clothe Him with human flesh. Since there must be a beginning
of this work, by which we shall manifest to the world the treasures
of the Divinity, this shall be the acceptable and opportune time for
its execution. Joachim and Anne have found grace in our eyes; We look
upon them with pleasure and shall enrich them with choicest gifts and
graces. They have been faithful and constant in their trials and in
simplicity and uprightness their souls have become acceptable and
pleasing before Us. Let Gabriel as our ambassador bring tidings of
joy for them and for the whole human race; let him announce to them,
that in our condescension We have looked upon them and chosen them.”
Thus the celestial spirits were instructed in
regard to the will and the decree of the Almighty. The holy archangel
Gabriel humbled himself before the throne of the most blessed
Trinity, adoring and revering the divine Majesty in the manner which
befits these most pure and spiritual substances. From the throne an
intellectual voice proceeded saying: “Gabriel, enlighten,
vivify and console Joachim and Anne, our servants, and tell them,
that their prayers have come to our presence and their petitions are
heard in clemency. Promise them, that by the favor of our right hand
they will receive the Fruit of benediction, and that Anne shall
conceive a Daughter, to whom We give the name of MARY.”
Together with this mandate of the Most High many
mysteries and sacraments pertaining to this message were revealed to
saint Gabriel. With it he descended from the vault of the empyrean
heaven and appeared to holy Joachim, while he was in prayer, saying
to him: “Just and upright man, the Almighty from his sovereign
throne has taken notice of thy desires and has heard thy sighs and
prayers, and has made thee fortunate on earth. Thy spouse Anne shall
conceive and bear a Daughter, who shall be blessed among women (Luc.
42, 48). The nations shall know Her as the Blessed. He who is the
eternal God, increate, and the Creator of all, most upright in his
judgments, powerful and strong, sends me to thee, because thy works
and alms have been acceptable. Love has softened the heart of the
Almighty, and has hastened his mercies, and in his liberality He
wishes to enrich thy house and thy family with a Daughter, whom Anne
shall conceive; the Lord himself has chosen for Her the name of MARY.
From her childhood let Her be consecrated to the temple, and in it to
God, as thou hast promised. She shall be elected, exalted, powerful
and full of the Holy Ghost; on account of the sterility of Anne her
conception shall be miraculous; She shall be a Daughter wonderful in
all her doings and in all her life. Praise the Lord, Joachim, for
this benefit and magnify Him, for in no other nation has He wrought
the like. Thou shalt go to give thanks in the temple of Jerusalem and
in testimony of the truth of this joyful message, thou shalt meet, in
the Golden Gate, thy sister Anne, who is coming to the temple for the
same purpose. Remember that marvelous is this message, for the
Conception of this Child shall rejoice heaven and earth.”
In the meanwhile the thrice blessed Anne was
exalted in prayer and divine contemplation and totally wrapped up in
the mystery of the Incarnation, which, after having been previously
filled with a most high understanding and a specially infused light,
she solicited from the eternal Word. With the profoundest humility
and lively faith she was praying for the hastening of the coming of
the Redeemer of the human race in the following words: “Most
high King and Lord of all creation, I, a most vile and despicable
creature, and yet the work of thy hands, desire at the price of the
life which Thou hast given me, to urge Thee to hasten in thy mercy
the time of our salvation. O may thy infinite kindness incline toward
our need! O that our eyes might look upon the Restorer and the
Redeemer of men! Remember, O Lord, the mercies of old shown to thy
people, wherein Thou hast promised thy Onlybegotten, and may this
promise of infinite kindness unbend Thee! May it come now, that day
so much longed for! Is it possible, that the Most High should descend
from his holy heaven? Is it possible, that He is to have a
terrestrial Mother? What woman shall She be, that is so fortunate and
blessed? O who shall be so favored as to look upon Her? Who shall be
worthy to be the servant of her servants? Blessed the race, that
shall be able to see Her and prostrate themselves at her feet to
reverence Her! How sweet shall be the sight of Her and her company!
Blessed the eyes, that shall see Her and the ears, that shall listen
to her words, and the family, from whom the Most High shall select
his Mother! Execute, O Lord, this decree: fulfill thy divine
benevolence!”
“The
humility, faith and the alms of Joachim and of thyself have come
before the throne of the Most High and now He sends me, his angel, in
order to give thee news full of joy for thy heart: His Majesty
wishes, that thou be most fortunate and blessed. He chooses thee to
be the mother of Her who is to conceive and bring forth the
Onlybegotten of the Father. Thou shalt bring forth a Daughter, who by
divine disposition shall be called MARY. She shall be blessed among
women and full of the Holy Ghost. She shall be the cloud that shall
drop the dew of heaven for the refreshment of mortals (III Kings 18,
44): and in Her shall be fulfilled the prophecies of thy ancestors.
She shall be the portal of life and salvation for the sons of Adam.
Know also that I have announced to Joachim, that he shall have a
Daughter who shall be blessed and fortunate: but the full knowledge
of the mystery is not given him by the Lord, for he does not know,
that She is to be the Mother of the Messias. Therefore thou must
guard this secret; and go now to the temple to give thanks to the
Most High for having been so highly favored by his powerful right
hand. In the Golden Gate thou shalt meet Joachim, where thou wilt
confer with him about this tiding. Thou art the one, who art
especially blessed of the Lord and whom He wishes to visit and enrich
with more singular blessings. In solitude He will speak to thy heart
and there give a beginning to the law of grace, since in thy womb He
will give being to Her, who is to vest the Immortal with mortal flesh
and human form. In this humanity, united with the Word, will be
written, as with his own blood, the true law of Mercy.”
In order that the humble heart of the
holy Anne might not faint away with admiration and joy at these
tidings of the holy angel, she was strengthened by the holy Spirit
and thus she heard it and received it with magnanimity and
incomparable joy. Immediately arising she hastened to the temple of
Jerusalem, and there found saint Joachim, as the angel had foretold
to them both. Together they gave thanks to the Almighty for this
wonderful blessing and offered special gifts and sacrifices. They
were enlightened anew by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and, full of
divine consolation, they returned to their home. Joyfully they
conversed about the favors, which they had received from the
Almighty, especially concerning each one’s message of the
archangel Gabriel, whereby, on behalf of the Lord, they had been
promised a Daughter who should be most blessed and fortunate. On this
occasion they also told each other, how the same angel, before their
espousal, had commanded each to accept the other, in order that
together they might serve God according to his divine will. This
secret they had kept from each other for twenty years, without
communicating it, until the same angel had promised them the issue of
such a Daughter. Anew the made the vow to offer Her to the temple and
that each year on this day they would come to the temple to offer
special gifts, spend the day in praise and thanksgiving, and give
many alms. This vow they fulfilled to the end of their lives,
spending this day in great praise and exaltation of the Most High.
The prudent matron Anne never
disclosed the secret, that her Daughter was to be the Mother of the
Messias, either to Joachim or to any other creature. Nor did that
holy parent in the course of his life know any more than that She was
to be a grand and mysterious woman. However, in the last moments of
his life the Almighty made the secret known to him, as I will relate
in its place.
Book 1, Chapter 6
THE
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
In the tribunal of the divine will,
as the inevitable source and universal cause of the whole creation,
all things with their conditions and circumstances, are decreed and
determined, so that nothing is forgotten and no created power can in
the least impede the fulfillment of the decree. All the spheres and
the inhabitants contained in them are dependent on this ineffable
government that rules them and cooperates with the natural causes
unfailingly and unerringly in all that must be done. God works in all
and sustains all by his sole will; in Him lies the preservation of
all things or their annihilation, for without Him they would return
to the non–existence, from which they were drawn. But since He
has created the universe for his glory and for the glory of the
incarnate Word, therefore He has from the beginning opened the paths
and prearranged the ways by which the same Word should lower Himself
to assume human flesh and to live among men, and by which they might
ascend toward God, know Him, fear Him, seek Him, serve Him, love Him,
praise Him and enjoy Him eternally. As the opportune and preordained
time had arrived, the three divine Persons conferred with each other
saying: “Now is the time to begin the work of our pleasure and
to call into existence that pure Creature and that soul, which is to
find grace in our eyes above all the rest. Let Us furnish Her with
richest gifts and let Us deposit in Her the great treasures of our
grace. Since all others, whom We called into existence, have turned
out ungrateful and rebellious to our wishes, frustrating our
intention and impeding by their own fault our purpose, namely, that
they conserve themselves in the happy state of their first parents,
and since it is not proper, that our will should be entirely
frustrated, let Us therefore create this being in entire sanctity and
perfection, so that the disorder of the first sin shall have no part
in Her. Let Us create a soul according to our pleasure, a fruit of
our attributes, a marvel of our infinite power, without touch or
blemish of the sin of Adam. Let Us perfect a work which is the object
of our Omnipotence and a pattern of the perfection intended for our
children, and the finishing crown of creation. All have sinned in the
free will and resolve of the first man (Rom. 5, 12); let Her be the
sole creature in whom We restore and execute that which they in their
aberration have lost. Let Her be a most special image and likeness of
our Divinity and let Her be in our presence for all eternity the
culmination of our goodwill and pleasure. In Her We deposit all the
prerogatives and graces which in our first and conditional resolve We
had destined for the angels and men, if they had remained in their
first estate. What they have lost We renew in that Creature and We
will add to these gifts many others. Thus our first decree shall not
be frustrated, but it shall be fulfilled in a higher manner through
this our first and chosen One (Cant. 6, 8). And since We assigned and
prepared the most perfect and estimable of our gifts for the
creatures who have lost them, We will divert the stream of our bounty
to our Well–beloved. We will set Her apart from the ordinary
law, by which the rest of the mortals are brought into existence, for
in Her the seed of the serpent shall have no part. I will descend
from heaven into her womb and in it vest Myself from her substance
with human nature.”
“It is
befitting and due to the infinite goodness of our Divinity, that It
be founded and enclosed in the most pure matter, untouched and
unstained by fault. Nor is it proper that our equity and providence
overlook what is most apt, perfect and holy, and choose that which is
inferior, since nothing can resist our will (Esther 13, 9). The Word,
which is to become man, being the Redeemer and Teacher of men, must
lay the foundation of the most perfect law of grace, and must teach
through it, that the father and mother are to be obeyed and honored
as the secondary causes of the natural existence of man. The law is
first to be fulfilled by the divine Word by honoring Her as his
chosen Mother, by exalting Her with a powerful arm, and lavishing
upon Her the most admirable, most holy and most excellent of all
graces and gifts. Among these shall be that most singular honor and
blessing of not subjecting Her to our enemy, nor to his malice; and
therefore She shall be free from the death of sin.”
“On earth
the Word shall have a Mother without a father, as in heaven He has a
Father without a mother. And in order that there may be the proper
correspondence, proportion and consonance in calling God his Father
and this Woman his Mother, We desire that the highest correspondence
and approach possible between a creature and its God be established.
Therefore at no time shall the dragon boast of being superior to the
Woman, whom God will obey as his true Mother. This dignity of being
free from sin is due and corresponds to that of being Mother of the
Word, and it is in itself even more estimable and useful. It is a
greater good to be holy than to be only mother; but all sanctity and
perfection is nevertheless due to the motherhood of God. The human
flesh, from which He is to assume form, must be free from sin. Since
He is to redeem in it the sinners, He must not be under the necessity
of redeeming his own flesh, like that of sinners. Being united to the
Divinity his humanity is to be the price of Redemption, wherefore it
before all be preserved from sin, and We have already foreseen and
accepted the merits of the Word in this very flesh and human nature.
We wish that for all eternities the Word should be glorified through
this tabernacle and habitation of the human nature.”
“She is to
be the daughter of the first man; but in the order of grace She is to
be singularly free and exempt from fault; and in the order of nature
She is to be most perfect, and to be formed according to a special
providence. And since the incarnate Word is to be the Teacher of
humility and holiness and for this end is to endure labors,
confounding the vanity and deceitful fallacies of mortals by choosing
for Himself sufferings as the treasure most estimable in our eyes. We
wish that She, who is to be his Mother, experience the same labors
and difficulties, that She be singularly distinguished in patience,
admirable in sufferings, and that She, in union with the
Onlybegotten, offer the acceptable sacrifices of sorrow to Us for her
greater glory.”
“Now the
time has arrived,” added his Majesty, “which was resolved
upon by our Providence for bringing to light the Creature most
pleasing and acceptable to our eyes. That Creature, in whom the human
nature is freed from its first sin, who is to crush the head of the
dragon, who was typified by that singular sign, the Woman that
appeared in the heavens in our presence, and who is to clothe the
eternal Word with human flesh. The hour is at hand, so blessed for
mortals, in which the treasures of our Divinity are to be opened and
the gates of heaven to be unlocked. Let the rigor of our justice be
softened by the chastisements, which we have until now executed upon
the mortals; let the attribute of our mercy become manifest; let the
creatures be enriched, and let the divine Word merit for them the
treasures of grace and of eternal glory.”
“Now let the
human race receive the Repairer, the Teacher, the Brother and Friend,
to be life for mortals, a medicine for the sick, a consoler for the
sorrowful, a balsam for the wounded, a guide and companion for those
in difficulties. Let now the prophecies of our servants and the
promises made to them that We would send a Savior to redeem them, be
fulfilled. And in order that all may be executed according to our
good pleasure, and that We may give a beginning to the mystery hidden
since the constitution of the world, We select for the formation of
our beloved Mary the womb of our servant Anne; in her be She
conceived and in her let that most blessed Soul be created. Although
her generation and formation shall proceed according to the usual
order of natural propagation, it shall be different in the order of
grace, according to the ordainment of our Almighty power.”
“You do
already know how the ancient serpent, since he saw the sign of this
marvelous Woman, attempts to circumvent all women, and how, from the
first one created, he persecutes all those, whom he sees excelling in
the perfection of their works and life, expecting to find among them
the One, who is to crush his head (Gen. 3, 15). When he shall
encounter this most pure and spotless Creature, he shall find Her so
holy that he will exert all his powers to persecute Her in pursuance
of the concept which he forms of Her. But the arrogance of this
dragon shall be greater than his powers (Is. 12, 7); and it is our
will that you have particular charge of this our holy City and
tabernacle of the incarnate Word, protecting, guarding, assisting and
defending Her against our enemies, and that you enlighten, strengthen
and console Her with all due solicitude and reverence as long as She
shall be a wayfarer among the mortals.”
At this proposal of the Most High all
the holy angels, prostrate before the royal throne of the most holy
Trinity, avowed their promptitude and eagerness to obey the divine
mandate. Each one desired in holy emulation to be appointed, and
offered himself for such a happy service; all of them gave to the
Almighty praise and thanksgiving in new songs, because the hour had
arrived for the fulfillment of that for which they had, with the most
ardent desires, prayed through many ages. I perceived on this
occasion that from the time of that great battle of saint Michael
with the dragon and his allies, in which they were hurled into
everlasting darkness while the hosts of Michael remained victorious
and confirmed in grace and glory, these holy spirits commenced
immediately to pray for the fulfillment of the mysteries of the
Incarnation of the Word, of which they became cognizant at that time.
And they persevered in these oft repeated prayers up to the hour in
which God manifested to them the fulfillment of their desires and
petitions.
On this account the celestial spirits at this new
revelation conceived an additional joy and obtained new accidental
glory, and they spoke to the Lord: “Most High and
incomprehensible God and Lord, Thou art worthy of all reverence,
praise and eternal glory; and we are thy creatures and made according
to thy divine will. Send us, most powerful Lord, to execute thy most
wonderful works and mysteries, in order that in all things thy most
just pleasure may be fulfilled.” In such terms of affection the
heavenly princes acknowledged themselves as subjects; and if it had
been possible, they desired to increase in purity and perfection in
order to be more worthy guardians and servants of Mary.
Then the Most High chose and
appointed those who were to be occupied in this exalted service (the
guardianship of Mary) from each of the nine choirs of angels. He
selected one hundred, being nine hundred in all. Moreover he assigned
twelve others who should in a special manner assist Mary in corporeal
and visible forms; and they were to bear the emblems or escutcheons
of the Redemption. These are the twelve which are mentioned in the
twenty–first chapter of the Apocalypse as guarding the portals
of the city; of them I will speak in the explanation of that chapter
later on. Besides these the Lord assigned eighteen other angels,
selected from the highest ranks, who were to ascend and descend by
that mystical stairs of Jacob with the message of the Queen to his
Majesty and those of the Lord to Her.
In addition to all these holy angels
the Almighty assigned and appointed seventy seraphim, choosing them
from the highest ranks and from those nearest to the Divinity, in
order that they might communicate and converse with this Princess of
heaven in the same way as they themselves interact with each other,
and as the higher communicate with the lower ones.
In order that this invincible
warrior–troop might be well appointed, saint Michael, the
prince of the heavenly militia was placed at their head, and although
not always in the company of the Queen, he was nevertheless often
near Her and often showed himself to Her. The Almighty destined him
as a special ambassador of Christ our Lord and to act in some of the
mysteries as the defender of his most holy Mother. In a like manner
the holy prince Gabriel was appointed to act as legate and minister
of the eternal Father in the affairs of the Princess of heaven. Thus
did the most holy Trinity provide for the custody and the defense of
the Mother of God.
The divine wisdom had now prepared
all things for drawing forth the spotless image of the Mother of
grace from the corruption of nature. The number and congregation of
ancient Patriarchs and Prophets had been completed and gathered, and
the mountains had been raised, on which this mystical City of God was
to be built (Ps. 86, 2). By the power of his right hand He had
already selected incomparable treasures of the Divinity to enrich and
endow Her. A thousand angels were equipped for her guard and custody,
that they might serve as most faithful vassals of their Queen and
Lady. He had provided a noble and kingly ancestry from whom She
should descend and had selected for Her most holy and perfect
parents, than whom none holier or more perfect could be found in the
world. For there is no doubt that if better and more apt parents
existed, the Almighty would have selected them for Her, who was to be
chosen by God as his Mother.
In the formation of the body of the
most holy Mary the wisdom and power of the Almighty proceeded so
cautiously that the quantities of the four natural elements of the
human body, the sanguine, melancholic, phlegmatic and choleric, were
compounded in exact proportion and measure; in order that by this
most perfect proportion in its mixture and composition it might
assist the operations of that holy Soul with which it was to be
endowed and animated. This wonderfully composed temperament was
afterwards the source and the cause, which in its own way made
possible the serenity and peace that reigned in the powers and
faculties of the Queen of heaven during all her life. Never did any
of these elements oppose or contradict nor seek to predominate over
the others, but each one of them supplemented and served the others,
continuing in this well ordered fabric without corruption or decay.
Never did the body of the most Holy Mary suffer from the taint of
corruption, nor was there anything wanting or anything excessive
found in it; but all the conditions and proportions of the different
elements were continuously adjusted, without any want or excess in
what was necessary for her perfect existence and without excess or
default in dryness or moisture. Neither was there more warmth than
was necessary for maintenance of life or digestion; nor more cold
than was necessary for the right temperature and for the maintenance
of the bodily humors.
On the Saturday next following, the
Almighty created the soul of his Mother and infused it into the body;
and thus entered into the world that pure Creature, more holy,
perfect and agreeable to His eyes than all those He had created, or
will create to the end of the world, or through the eternities. God
maintained a mysterious correspondence in the execution of this work
with that of creating all the rest of the world in seven days, as is
related in the book of Genesis. Then no doubt He rested in truth,
according to the figurative language of Scripture, since He has now
created the most perfect Creature of all, giving through it a
beginning to the work of the divine Word and to the Redemption of the
human race. Thus was this day a paschal feast for God and also for
all creatures.
By the force of this divine
pronouncement and through the love with which it issued from the
mouth of the Almighty, was created and infused into the body of most
holy Mary her most blessed Soul. At the same time She was filled with
grace and gifts above those of the highest seraphim of heaven, and
there was not a single instant in which She was found wanting or
deprived of the light, the friendship and love of the Creator, or in
which She was touched by the stain or darkness of original sin. On
the contrary She was possessed of the most perfect justice, superior
to that of Adam and Eve in their first formation. To Her was also
concealed the most perfect use of the light of reason, corresponding
to the gifts of grace, which She had received. Not for one instant
was She to remain idle, but to engage in works most admirable and
pleasing to her Maker.
Although She was adorned as the
Bride, descending from heaven, endowed with all perfections and with
the whole range of infused virtues, it was not necessary that She
should exercise all of them at once, it being sufficient that She
exercise those, which were befitting her state in the womb of her
mother. Among the first thus exercised were the three theological
virtues, faith, hope and charity, which relate immediately to God.
These she at once practiced in the most exalted manner recognizing by
a most sublime faith the Divinity with all its perfections and its
infinite attributes, and the Trinity with its distinction of Persons.
This knowledge by faith was not impeded by the higher knowledge which
God gave her, as I will soon demonstrate. She exercised also the
virtue of hope, seeing in God the object of her happiness and her
ultimate end. Toward this her sanctified Soul at once hastened and
aspired with the most intense desires of uniting Herself with God and
without having for one moment turned to any other object or tarried
one moment in her upward flight. At the same instant also She put
into action the virtue of charity, seeing in God the infinite and
highest Good, and conceiving such an intense appreciation of the
Divinity, that not all the seraphim could ever reach such an eminent
degree of fervor and virtue.
The other virtues which adorn and
perfect the rational part of the creature, She possessed in a
proportion corresponding to the theological virtues. The moral and
natural virtues were hers in a miraculous and supernatural measure,
and in a still more exalted manner was She possessed of the gifts and
fruits of the Holy Ghost in the order of grace. She had an infused
knowledge and habit of all these virtues and of all the natural arts,
so that She knew and was conversant with the whole natural and
supernatural order of things, in accordance with the grandeur of God.
Hence from her first instant in the womb of her mother, She was
wiser, more prudent, more enlightened, and more capable of
comprehending God and all his works, than all the creatures have been
or ever will be in eternity, excepting of course her most holy Son.
In correspondence with this wonderful
knowledge of her most holy soul at the instant of its union with the
body, Mary exerted Herself by eliciting heroic acts of virtue, of
incomparable admiration, praise, glorification, adoration, humility,
love of God and sorrow for the sins committed against Him whom She
recognized as the Author and end of these admirable works. She
hastened to offer Herself as an acceptable sacrifice to the Most
High, beginning from that instant with fervent desire to bless Him,
love Him and honor Him, because She perceived that the bad angels and
men failed to know and love Him. She requested the holy angels whose
Queen She already was, to help Her to glorify the Creator and Lord of
all, and to pray also for Her.
The Lord in this instant showed Her
also her guardian angels, whom she recognized and accepted with
joyful submission, inviting them to sing canticles of praise to the
Most High alternatively with Her. She announced to them beforehand
that this was to be the service which they were to render Her during
the whole time of Her mortal life, in which they were to act as her
assistants and guards. She was informed moreover of her whole
genealogy of all the rest of the holy people chosen by God, the
Patriarchs and Prophets, and how admirable his Majesty was in the
gifts, graces and favors wrought in them. It is worthy of admiration,
that, although the exterior faculties of her body at the creation of
her most holy Soul were hardly large enough to be distinguished,
nevertheless, in order that none of the miraculous excellence with
which God could endow his Mother might be wanting, He ordained by the
power of right hand, that in perceiving the fall of man She shed
tears of sorrow in the womb of her mother at the gravity of the
offense against the highest Good.
In this wonderful sorrow at the
instant of her coming into existence, She began to seek a remedy for
mankind and commenced the work of mediation, intercession and
reparation. She offered to God the clamors of her ancestors and of
the just of the earth, that his mercy might not delay the salvation
of mortals, whom she even looked upon as her brethren. Before She
ever conversed with them with the most ardent charity and with the
very beginning of her existence She assumed the office of
Benefactress of men and exercised the divine and fraternal love
enkindled in her heart. These petitions the Most High accepted with
greater pleasure than the prayers of all the saints and angels and
this pleasure of God was also made known to Her, who was created to
be the Mother of God. She perceived the love of God and his desire to
descend from heaven in order to redeem men, though She knew not how
it should be consummated. It was befitting that God should feel
Himself impelled to hasten his coming on account of the prayers and
petitions of this Creature; since it was principally for the love of
Her that He came, and since in Her body He was to assume human flesh,
accomplish the most admirable of all his works, and fulfill the end
of all other creatures.
In writing of these sacraments of the
King, howsoever honorable it is to reveal his works, I confess my
inaptitude and incapacity, being only a woman, and I am afflicted,
because I am speaking in such common and vague terms, which fall
entirely short of that, which I perceive in the light given to my
soul for the understanding of these mysteries. In order to do justice
to such sublimity, there were need of other words, more particular
and especially adapted terms and expressions, which are beyond my
ignorance. And even if they were at my service, they would be weighed
down and made insipid by human weakness. Let therefore this human
imbecility acknowledge itself unequal and incapable of fixing its
eyes on this heavenly sun, with which the rays of the Divinity break
upon the world, although yet beclouded in the maternal womb of holy
Anne. If we seek permission to approach this wonderful sight, let us
come near free and unshackled. Let us not allow ourselves to be
detained, neither by our natural cowardice nor by a base fear and
hesitation, even though it be under the cloak of humility. Let us all
approach with the greatest devotion and piety, free from the spirit
of contention (Rom. 13, 12); then we will be permitted to examine
with our own eyes the fire of the Divinity burning in the bush
without consuming it (Exodus 2, 2).
WORDS OF THE QUEEN
The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain
It is an act of justice due to the
eternal God that the creature coming to the use of reason, direct its
very first movement toward God. By knowing, it should begin to love
Him, reverence Him and adore Him as its Creator and only true Lord.
The parents are naturally bound to instruct their children from their
infancy in this knowledge of God and to direct them with solicitous
care, so that they may at once see their ultimate end and seek it in
their first acts of the intellect and will. They should with great
watchfulness withdraw them from the childishness and puerile
trickishness to which depraved nature will incline them if left
without direction. If the fathers and mothers would be solicitous to
prevent these vanities and perverted habits of their children and
would instruct them from their infancy in the knowledge of their God
and Creator, then they would afterwards easily accustom them to know
and adore Him. My holy mother, who knew not of my wisdom and real
condition, was most solicitously beforehand in this matter, for when
She bore me in her womb, she adored in my name the Creator and
offered worship and thanks for his having created me, beseeching Him
to defend me and bring me forth to the light of day from the
condition in which I then was. So also parents should pray with
fervor to God, that the souls of their children, through his
Providence, may obtain Baptism and be freed from the servitude of
original sin.
And if the rational creature has not
known and adored the Creator from the first dawn of reason, it should
do this as soon as it obtains knowledge of the essential God by the
light of faith. From that very moment the soul must exert itself
never to lose Him from her sight, always fearing Him, loving Him, and
reverencing Him.
Book 1, Chapter 7
THE
BLESSED BIRTH OF MARY IMMACULATE
The most holy Mary, being conceived
without sin as described above, was entirely absorbed in spirit and
entranced by her first vision of the Divinity. At the first instant,
and in the narrow dwelling of the maternal womb, began the love of
God in her most blessed soul, never to be interrupted, but to
continue through all the eternities of that high glory, which She now
enjoys at the right hand of her divine Son.
The most happy mother, holy Anne
passed the days of her pregnancy altogether spiritualized by the
divine operations and by the sweet workings of the Holy Ghost in all
her faculties. Divine Providence, however, in order to direct her
course to greater merit and reward, ordained, that the ballast of
trouble be not wanting, for without it the cargo of grace and love is
scarcely ever secure. In order to understand better, what happened to
this holy woman, it must be remembered, that satan, after he was
hurled with the other bad angels from heaven into the infernal
torments, never ceased, during the reign of the old Law, to search
through the earth hovering with lurking vigilance above the women of
distinguished holiness, in order to find Her, whose sign he had seen
(Gen. 3, 15) and whose heel was to bruise and crush his head.
Lucifer’s wrath against men was so fierce, that he would not
trust this investigation to his inferiors alone; but leaving them to
operate against the virtuous women in general, he himself attended to
this matter and assiduously hovered around those, who signalized
themselves more particularly in the exercise of virtue and in the
grace of the Most High.
Filled with malice and astuteness, he
observed closely the exceeding great holiness of the excellent matron
Anne and all the events of her life; and although he could not
estimate the richness of the Treasure, which was enclosed in her
blessed womb (since the Lord has concealed this as well as many
mysteries from him), yet he felt a powerful influence proceeding from
saint Anne. The fact that he could not penetrate into the source of
this activity, threw him at times into greater fury and rage. At
other times he quieted himself with the thought, that this pregnancy
arose from the same causes as others in the course of nature and that
there was no special cause for alarm; for the Lord left him to his
own hallucinations and to the vagaries of his own fury. Nevertheless
the whole event was a source of great misgiving to this perverse
spirit, when he saw how quietly her pregnancy took its course and
especially, when he saw, that many angels stood in attendance. Above
all he was enraged at his weakness in resisting the force, which
proceeded from the blessed Anne and he suspected that it was not she
alone, who was the cause of it.
Filled with this mistrust, the dragon
determined, if possible, to take the life of the most felicitous
Anne; or, if that was impossible, to see that she should obtain
little satisfaction from her pregnancy. For the pride of Lucifer was
so boundless as to persuade him of his ability to overcome or take
away the life of Her, who was to be the Mother of the incarnate Word,
or even the life of the Messias and Redeemer of the world, if only he
could obtain knowledge of their whereabouts. His arrogance was
founded upon the superiority of his angelic nature to the condition
and power of mere human nature; as if both were not subject to grace
and entirely dependent upon the will of their Creator. Audaciously
therefore he set himself to tempt holy Anne, with many suggestions,
misgivings, doubts and diffidences about the truth of her pregnancy,
alleging her protracted years. All this the demon attempted in order
to test the virtue of the saint, and to see, whether these
temptations would not afford some opening for the perversion of her
will.
But the invincible matron resisted
these onslaughts with humble fortitude, patience, continued prayer
and vivid faith in the Lord. She brought to naught the perplexing
lies of the dragon and on account of them gained only additional
grace and protection from on high. For besides the protection
abundantly merited by her past life She was defended and freed from
the demons by the great princes, who were guarding her most holy
Daughter. Nevertheless in his insatiable malice the enemy did not
desist on that account; and since his arrogance and pride far exceeds
his powers, he sought human aid; for with such help he always
promises himself greater ease of victory. Having at first tried to
overthrow the dwelling of saint Joachim and Anne, in order that she
might be frightened and excited by the shock of its fall, but not
being able to succeed on account of the resistance of the holy
angels, he incited against saint Anne one of the foolish women of her
acquaintance to quarrel with her. This the woman did with great fury,
insolently attacking saint Anne with reproach and scorn; she did not
hesitate to make mockery of her pregnancy, saying, that she was the
sport of the demon in being thus found pregnant at the end of so many
years and at so great an age.
The blessed Anne did not permit
herself to be disturbed by this attack, but in all meekness and
humility bore the injuries and treated her assailants with kindness.
From that time on she looked with greater love upon these women and
lavished upon them so much the greater benefits. But their wrath was
not immediately pacified, for the demon had taken possession of them,
filling them with hate against the saint; and, as any concession to
this cruel tyrant always increases his power over his victims, he
incited these miserable dupes to plot even against the person and
life of saint Anne. But they could not put their plots into
execution, because divine power interfered to foil their natural
womanly weakness. They were not only powerless against the saint, but
they were overcome by her admonitions and brought to the knowledge
and amendment of their evil course by her prayers.
The dragon was repulsed, but not
vanquished; for he immediately availed himself of a servant, who
lived in the house with Joachim and Anne, and exasperated her against
the holy matron. Through her he created even a greater annoyance than
through the other women, for she was a domestic enemy and more
stubborn and dangerous than the others. I will not stay to describe,
what the enemy attempted through this servant, since it was similar
to that of the other woman, only more annoying and malicious. But
with the help of God saint Anne won a more glorious victory than
before; for the watcher of Israel slumbered not, but guarded his holy
City (Ps. 120, 4) and furnished it so well with sentinels, chosen
from the strongest of his hosts, that they put to ignominious flight
Lucifer and his followers. No more were they allowed to molest the
fortunate mother, who was already expecting the birth of the most
blessed Princess of heaven, and who, enriched by heroic acts of
virtue and many merits in these conflicts, had now arrived at the
fulfillment of all her highest wishes.
The day destined for the parturition
of saint Anne and for the birth of Her, who was consecrated and
sanctified to be the Mother of God, had arrived: a day most fortunate
for the world. This birth happened on the eighth day of September,
fully nine months having elapsed since the Conception of the soul of
our most holy Queen and Lady. Saint Anne was prepared by an interior
voice of the Lord, informing Her, that the hour of her parturition
had come. Full of the joy of the Holy Spirit at this information, she
prostrated herself before the Lord and besought the assistance of his
grace and his protection for a happy deliverance. The most blessed
child Mary was at the same time by divine providence and power
ravished into a most high ecstasy. Hence Mary was born into the world
without perceiving it by her senses, for their operations and
faculties were held in suspense.
She was born pure and stainless,
beautiful and full of grace, thereby demonstrating, that She was free
from the law and the tribute of sin. Although She was born
substantially like other daughters of Adam, yet her birth was
accompanied by such circumstances and conditions of grace, that it
was the most wonderful and miraculous birth in all creation and will
eternally redound to the praise of her Maker. At twelve o’clock
in the night this divine Luminary issued forth, dividing the night of
the ancient Law and its pristine darknesses from the new day of
grace, which now was about to break into dawn. She was clothed,
handled and dressed like other infants, though her soul dwelt in the
Divinity; and She was treated as an infant, though She excelled all
mortals and even all the angels in wisdom. Her mother did not allow
Her to be touched by other hands than her own, but she herself
wrapped Her in swaddling clothes: and in this Saint Anne was not
hindered by her present state of childbirth; for she was free from
the toils and labors, which other mothers usually endure in such
circumstances.
So then saint Anne received in her arms Her, who
was her Daughter, but at the same time the most exquisite Treasure of
all the universe, inferior only to God and superior to all other
creatures. With fervent tears of joy she offered this Treasure to his
Majesty, saying interiorly “Lord of infinite wisdom and power,
Creator of all that exists, this Fruit of my womb, which I have
received of thy bounty, I offer to Thee with eternal thanks, for
without any merit of mine Thou hast vouchsafed it to me. Dispose Thou
of the mother and Child according to thy most holy will and look
propitiously down upon our lowliness from thy exalted throne. Be Thou
eternally blessed, because Thou hast enriched the world with a
Creature so pleasing to thy bounty and because in Her Thou hast
prepared a dwelling–place and a tabernacle for the eternal Word
(Sap. 9, 8). I tender my congratulations to my holy forefathers and
to the holy Prophets, and in them to the whole human race, for this
sure pledge of Redemption, which Thou hast given them. But how shall
I be able to worthily to treat Her, whom Thou hast given me as a
Daughter? I that am not worthy to be her servant? How shall I handle
the true ark of the Testament? Give me, O my Lord and King, the
necessary enlightenment to know thy will and to execute it according
to thy pleasure in the service of my Daughter.”
The Lord answered the holy matron
interiorly, that she was to treat her heavenly Child outwardly as
mothers treat their daughters, without any demonstration of
reverence; but to retain this reverence inwardly, fulfilling the laws
of a true mother toward Her, and rearing Her up with all motherly
love and solicitude. All this the happy mother complied with; making
use of this permission and her mother’s rights without losing
her reverence, she regaled herself with her most holy Daughter,
embracing and caressing Her in the same way as other mothers do with
their daughters. But it was always done with a proper reverence and
consciousness of the hidden and divine sacrament known only to the
mother and Daughter. The guardian angels of the sweet Child with
others in great multitudes showed their veneration and worship to
Mary as She rested in the arms of her mother; they joined in heavenly
music, some of which was audible to blessed Anne. The thousand angels
appointed as guardians of the great Queen offered themselves to her
service. This was also the first time, in which the heavenly Mistress
saw them in a corporeal form with their devises and habiliments, as I
shall describe in another chapter and the Child asked them to join
with Her in the praise of the Most High and to exalt Him in her name.
At the moment of the birth of our
Princess Mary the Most High sent the archangel Gabriel as an envoy to
bring this joyful news to the holy Fathers in limbo. Immediately the
heavenly ambassador descended, illumining that deep cavern and
rejoicing the just who were detained therein. He told them that
already the dawn of eternal felicity had commenced and that the
reparation of man, which was so earnestly desired and expected by the
holy Patriarchs and foretold by the Prophets, had been begun, since
She, who was to be the Mother of the Messias, had now been born; soon
they would now see the salvation and glory of the Most High. The holy
prince gave them an understanding of the excellence of the most holy
Mary and of what the Omnipotent had begun to work in Her, in order
that they might better comprehend the happy beginning of the mystery,
which was to end their prolonged imprisonment. Then all the holy
Patriarchs and Prophets and the rest of the just in limbo rejoiced in
spirit and in new canticles praised the Lord for this benefit.
All these happenings at the birth of
our Queen succeeded each other in a short space of time. The first
exercise of her senses in the light of the material sun, was to
recognize her parents and other creatures. The arms of the Most High
began to work new wonders in Her far above all conceptions of men,
and the first and most stupendous one was to send innumerable angels
to bring the Mother of the eternal Word body and soul into the
empyrean heaven for the fulfilling of his further intentions
regarding Her. The holy princes obeyed the divine mandate and
receiving the child Mary from the arms of her holy Mother Anne, they
arranged a new and solemn procession bearing heavenward with
incomparable songs of joy the true Ark of the covenant, in order that
for a short time it might rest, not in the house of Obededon, but in
the temple of the King of kings and of the Lord of lords, where later
on it was to be placed for all eternity. This was the second step,
which most holy Mary made in her life, namely, from this earth to the
highest heaven.
Who can worthily extol this wonderful
prodigy of the right hand of the Almighty? Who can describe the joy
and the admiration of the celestial spirits, when they beheld this
new and wonderful work of the Most High, and when they gathered to
celebrate it in their songs? In these songs they acknowledged and
reverenced as their Queen and Mistress, Her, who was to be the Mother
of their Lord, and the source of the grace and glory, which they
possessed; for it was through his foreseen merits, that they had been
made the recipients of the divine bounty. But above all, what human
tongue, or what mortal could ever describe or comprehend the
heart–secrets of that tender Child during these events? I leave
the imagination of all this to Catholic piety, and still more to
those who in the Lord are favored with an understanding of it, but
most of all to those who, by divine bounty shall have arrived at the
beatific vision face to face.
Borne by the hands of the angels the
child Mary entered the empyrean heaven where She prostrated Herself
full of love before the royal throne in the presence of the Most
High. Then (according to our way of understanding), was verified what
long before had happened in figure, when Bethsabee entered into the
presence of her son Solomon, who, while presiding over his people of
Israel, arose from his throne, received her with honor and reverence,
and seated her at his side as queen. Similarly, but in a more
glorious and admirable manner, the person of the divine Word now
received the child Mary, whom He had chosen as Mother, as Queen of
the universe. Although her real dignity and the purpose of these
ineffable mysteries were unknown to Mary, yet her infant faculties
were strengthened by divine power for the reception of these favors.
New graces and gifts were bestowed upon Her, by which her faculties
were correspondingly elevated. Her powers of mind, besides being
illumined and prepared by new grace and light, were raised and
proportioned to the divine manifestation, and the Divinity displayed
Itself in the new light vouchsafed, revealing Itself to Her
intuitively and clearly in a most exalted manner. This was the first
time in which the most holy soul of Mary saw the blessed Trinity in
unveiled beatific vision.
The sole witnesses of the glory of
Mary in this beatific vision, of the sacraments then again revealed
to Her, of the divine effect that overflowed into her most pure soul,
was God the Author of this unheard of wonder, and the astounded
angels, who in some measure perceived these mysteries in God Himself.
The Queen seated at the side of the Lord, who was to be her Son, and
seeing Him face to face, was more successful in her prayer than
Bethsabee (III Kings 2, 21). For She prayed that He bestow the
untouched Sunamite Abisag, his inaccessible Divinity, upon his
sister, human nature by the hypostatic union be fulfilled in the
person of the Word. Many times He had pledged Himself to it among men
through the ancient Patriarchs and Prophets and now Mary besought Him
to accelerate the reparation of the human race, expected for so many
ages amid the multiplied iniquity and the ruin of souls. The Most
High heard this most pleasing petition of his Mother, and acting more
graciously than Solomon of old toward his mother, He assured Her that
soon his promises should be fulfilled, and that He should descend to
the world in order to assume and redeem human nature.
In this divine consistory and tribunal of the most
holy Trinity it was determined to give a name to the Child Queen. As
there is no proper and legitimate name, except it be found in the
immutable being of God himself (for from it are participated and
determined according to their right weight and measure all things in
infinite wisdom) his Majesty wished himself to give and impose that
name in heaven. He thereby made known to the angelic spirits, that
the three divine Persons, had decreed and formed the sweet names of
Jesus and Mary for the Son and Mother from the beginning before the
ages, and that they had been delighted with them and had engraved
them on their eternal memories to be as it were the Objects for whose
service They should create all things. Being informed of these and
many other mysteries, the holy angels heard a voice from the throne
speaking in the person of the Father: “Our chosen One shall be
called MARY, and this name is to be powerful and magnificent. Those
that shall invoke it with devout affection shall receive most
abundant graces; those that shall honor it and pronounce it with
reverence shall be consoled and vivified, and will find in it the
remedy of their evils, the treasures for their enrichment, the light
which shall guide them to heaven. It shall be terrible against the
power of hell, it shall crush the head of the serpent and it shall
win glorious victories over the princes of hell.” The Lord
commanded the angelic spirits to announce this glorious name to saint
Anne, so that what was decreed in heaven might be executed on earth.
The heavenly Child, lovingly prostrate before the throne, rendered
most acceptable and human thanks to the eternal Being; and She
received the name with most admirable and sweet jubilation. If the
prerogatives and graces, which She then was favored with, were to be
described, it would necessitate an extra book of many volumes. The
holy angels honored and acknowledged most holy Mary as the future
Mother of the Word and as their Queen and Mistress enthroned at the
right hand of her Son; they showed their veneration of her holy name,
prostrating themselves as it proceeded from the throne in the voice
of the eternal Father, especially those, who had it written on the
devises over their breast. All of them gave forth canticles of praise
for these great and hidden mysteries. In the meanwhile the infant
Queen remained ignorant of the real cause of all that She thus
experienced, for her dignity of Mother of the incarnate Word was not
revealed to Her till the time of the Incarnation. With the same
reverential jubilee did the angels return in order to replace Her
into the arms of holy Anne, to whom this event remained a secret, as
was also the absence of her Daughter; for a guardian angel, assuming
an aerial body, supplied her place for this very purpose. More than
that, during a great part of the time in which the heavenly Child
remained in the empyrean heaven, her mother was wrapped in ecstasy of
highest contemplation, and in it, although she did not know what was
happening to the Child, exalted mysteries concerning the dignity of
the Mother of God, to which She was to be chosen, were revealed to
her. The prudent matron kept them enshrined within her breast,
conferring them in her thoughts with the duties she owed to her
Child.
On the eighth day after the birth of
the great Queen multitudes of most beautiful angels in splendid array
descended from on high bearing an escutcheon on which the name of
MARY was engraved and shone forth in great brilliancy. Appearing to
the blessed mother Anne, they told her, that the name of her daughter
was to be MARY, which name they had brought from heaven, and which
divine Providence had selected and now ordained to be given to their
child by Joachim and herself. The saint called for her husband and
they conferred with each other about this disposition of God in
regard to the name of their Daughter. The more than happy father
accepted the name with joy and devout affection. They decided to call
their relatives and a priest and then, with much solemnity and
festivity, they imposed the name of MARY on their Child. The angels
also celebrated this event with most sweet and ravishing music,
which, however, was heard only by the mother and her most holy
Daughter.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN
The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain
My admonition to thee, whom in spite
of thy weakness and poverty I have chosen with such generous kindness
as my disciple and companion, is this: that thou strive with all thy
powers to imitate me in an exercise, in which I persevered during my
whole life from the very first moment of my birth, omitting it on not
a single day, however full of cares and labors it might have been.
This exercise was the following: every day at the beginning of dawn,
I prostrated myself in the presence of the Most High, and gave Him
thanks and praise for his immutable Being, his infinite perfections,
and for having created me out of nothing; acknowledging myself as his
creature and the work of his hands, I blessed Him and adored Him,
giving Him honor, magnificence and Divinity, as the supreme Lord and
Creator of myself and of all that exists. I raised up my spirit to
place it into his hands, offering myself with profound humility and
resignation to Him and asking Him to dispose of me according to his
will during that day and during all the days of my life, and to teach
me to fulfill whatever would be to his greater pleasure. This I
repeated many times during the external works of the day, and in the
internal ones I first consulted his Majesty, asking his advice,
permission and benediction for all my actions.
Be very devout toward my most sweet
name. I wish that thou be convinced of the great prerogatives and
privileges, which the Almighty concedes to it, so that I myself, when
I saw them in the Divinity, felt most deeply obliged and solicitous
to make a proper return; and whenever the name MARY occurred to my
mind (which happened often) and whenever I heard myself called by
that name, I was aroused to thankfulness and urged to new fervor in
the service of the Lord, who gave it to me. Thou hast the same name
and I wish, that in proportion it should cause the same effects in
thee and that thou imitate me faithfully by following the lesson
given thee in this chapter, without failing in the least point from
this day onward. And if in thy weakness thou shouldst fail, rouse
thyself immediately, and in the presence of thy Lord and mine,
acknowledge thy fault, confessing it in sorrow. Repeating these holy
exercises over and again with solicitous care, thou shalt find
forgiveness for imperfections and grow accustomed to strive after
what is highest in all virtues and most pleasing and agreeable to thy
own tastes and mine, thou shalt not be denied the grace of employing
thyself entirely in listening, attending to and obeying in all things
thy Spouse and Lord, who seeks in thee only what is most pure, most
holy and perfect, and a will prompt and eager to put the same into
practice.
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Catholic Catechism
PART FOUR - CHRISTIAN PRAYER
SECTION ONE - PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
CHAPTER ONE - THE REVELATION OF PRAYER
THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO PRAYER
ARTICLE 2 - IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME
2598 The drama of prayer is fully revealed to us in the Word who became flesh and dwells among us. To seek to understand his prayer through what his witnesses proclaim to us in the Gospel is to approach the holy Lord Jesus as Moses approached the burning bush: first to contemplate him in prayer, then to hear how he teaches us to pray, in order to know how he hears our prayer.
Jesus prays
2599 The Son of God who became Son of the Virgin also learned to pray according to his human heart. He learns the formulas of prayer from his mother, who kept in her heart and meditated upon all the "great things" done by the Almighty.41 He learns to pray in the words and rhythms of the prayer of his people, in the synagogue at Nazareth and the Temple at Jerusalem. But his prayer springs from an otherwise secret source, as he intimates at the age of twelve: "I must be in my Father's house."42 Here the newness of prayer in the fullness of time begins to be revealed: his filial prayer, which the Father awaits from his children, is finally going to be lived out by the only Son in his humanity, with and for men.
2600 The Gospel according to St. Luke emphasizes the action of the Holy Spirit and the meaning of prayer in Christ's ministry. Jesus prays before the decisive moments of his mission: before his Father's witness to him during his baptism and Transfiguration, and before his own fulfillment of the Father's plan of love by his Passion.43 He also prays before the decisive moments involving the mission of his apostles: at his election and call of the Twelve, before Peter's confession of him as "the Christ of God," and again that the faith of the chief of the Apostles may not fail when tempted.44 Jesus' prayer before the events of salvation that the Father has asked him to fulfill is a humble and trusting commitment of his human will to the loving will of the Father.
2601 "He was praying in a certain place and when he had ceased, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray."'45 In seeing the Master at prayer the disciple of Christ also wants to pray. By contemplating and hearing the Son, the master of prayer, the children learn to pray to the Father.
2602 Jesus often draws apart to pray in solitude, on a mountain, preferably at night.46 He includes all men in his prayer, for he has taken on humanity in his incarnation, and he offers them to the Father when he offers himself. Jesus, the Word who has become flesh, shares by his human prayer in all that "his brethren" experience; he sympathizes with their weaknesses in order to free them.47 It was for this that the Father sent him. His words and works are the visible manifestation of his prayer in secret.
2603 The evangelists have preserved two more explicit prayers offered by Christ during his public ministry. Each begins with thanksgiving. In the first, Jesus confesses the Father, acknowledges, and blesses him because he has hidden the mysteries of the Kingdom from those who think themselves learned and has revealed them to infants, the poor of the Beatitudes.48 His exclamation, "Yes, Father!" expresses the depth of his heart, his adherence to the Father's "good pleasure," echoing his mother's Fiat at the time of his conception and prefiguring what he will say to the Father in his agony. The whole prayer of Jesus is contained in this loving adherence of his human heart to the mystery of the will of the Father.49
2604 The second prayer, before the raising of Lazarus, is recorded by St. John.50 Thanksgiving precedes the event: "Father, I thank you for having heard me," which implies that the Father always hears his petitions. Jesus immediately adds: "I know that you always hear me," which implies that Jesus, on his part, constantly made such petitions. Jesus' prayer, characterized by thanksgiving, reveals to us how to ask: before the gift is given, Jesus commits himself to the One who in giving gives himself. The Giver is more precious than the gift; he is the "treasure"; in him abides his Son's heart; the gift is given "as well."51
- The priestly prayer of Jesus holds a unique place in the economy of salvation.52 A meditation on it will conclude Section One. It reveals the ever present prayer of our High Priest and, at the same time, contains what he teaches us about our prayer to our Father, which will be developed in Section Two.
2606 All the troubles, for all time, of humanity enslaved by sin and death, all the petitions and intercessions of salvation history are summed up in this cry of the incarnate Word. Here the Father accepts them and, beyond all hope, answers them by raising his Son. Thus is fulfilled and brought to completion the drama of prayer in the economy of creation and salvation. The Psalter gives us the key to prayer in Christ. In the "today" of the Resurrection the Father says: "You are my Son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession."62
- The Letter to the Hebrews expresses in dramatic terms how the prayer of Jesus accomplished the victory of salvation: "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered, and being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him."63
2607 When Jesus prays he is already teaching us how to pray. His prayer to his Father is the theological path (the path of faith, hope, and charity) of our prayer to God. But the Gospel also gives us Jesus' explicit teaching on prayer. Like a wise teacher he takes hold of us where we are and leads us progressively toward the Father. Addressing the crowds following him, Jesus builds on what they already know of prayer from the Old Covenant and opens to them the newness of the coming Kingdom. Then he reveals this newness to them in parables. Finally, he will speak openly of the Father and the Holy Spirit to his disciples who will be the teachers of prayer in his Church.
2608 From the Sermon on the Mount onwards, Jesus insists on conversion of heart: reconciliation with one's brother before presenting an offering on the altar, love of enemies, and prayer for persecutors, prayer to the Father in secret, not heaping up empty phrases, prayerful forgiveness from the depths of the heart, purity of heart, and seeking the Kingdom before all else.64 This filial conversion is entirely directed to the Father.
2609 Once committed to conversion, the heart learns to pray in faith. Faith is a filial adherence to God beyond what we feel and understand. It is possible because the beloved Son gives us access to the Father. He can ask us to "seek" and to "knock," since he himself is the door and the way.65
2610 Just as Jesus prays to the Father and gives thanks before receiving his gifts, so he teaches us filial boldness: "Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and you will."66 Such is the power of prayer and of faith that does not doubt: "all things are possible to him who believes."67 Jesus is as saddened by the "lack of faith" of his own neighbors and the "little faith" of his own disciples68 as he is struck with admiration at the great faith of the Roman centurion and the Canaanite woman.69
2611 The prayer of faith consists not only in saying "Lord, Lord," but in disposing the heart to do the will of the Father.70 Jesus calls his disciples to bring into their prayer this concern for cooperating with the divine plan.71
2612 In Jesus "the Kingdom of God is at hand."72 He calls his hearers to conversion and faith, but also to watchfulness. In prayer the disciple keeps watch, attentive to Him Who Is and Him Who Comes, in memory of his first coming in the lowliness of the flesh, and in the hope of his second coming in glory.73 In communion with their Master, the disciples' prayer is a battle; only by keeping watch in prayer can one avoid falling into temptation.74
2613 Three principal parables on prayer are transmitted to us by St. Luke:
- The first, "the importunate friend,"75 invites us to urgent prayer: "Knock, and it will be opened to you." To the one who prays like this, the heavenly Father will "give whatever he needs," and above all the Holy Spirit who contains all gifts.
- The second, "the importunate widow,"76 is centered on one of the qualities of prayer: it is necessary to pray always without ceasing and with the patience of faith. "And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
- The third parable, "the Pharisee and the tax collector,"77 concerns the humility of the heart that prays. "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" The Church continues to make this prayer its own: Kyrie eleison!
2614 When Jesus openly entrusts to his disciples the mystery of prayer to the Father, he reveals to them what their prayer and ours must be, once he has returned to the Father in his glorified humanity. What is new is to "ask in his name."78 Faith in the Son introduces the disciples into the knowledge of the Father, because Jesus is "the way, and the truth, and the life."79 Faith bears its fruit in love: it means keeping the word and the commandments of Jesus, it means abiding with him in the Father who, in him, so loves us that he abides with us. In this new covenant the certitude that our petitions will be heard is founded on the prayer of Jesus.80
2615 Even more, what the Father gives us when our prayer is united with that of Jesus is "another Counselor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth."81 This new dimension of prayer and of its circumstances is displayed throughout the farewell discourse.82 In the Holy Spirit, Christian prayer is a communion of love with the Father, not only through Christ but also in him: "Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."83
Jesus hears our prayer
2616 Prayer to Jesus is answered by him already during his ministry, through signs that anticipate the power of his death and Resurrection: Jesus hears the prayer of faith, expressed in words (the leper, Jairus, the Canaanite woman, the good thief)84 or in silence (the bearers of the paralytic, the woman with a hemorrhage who touches his clothes, the tears and ointment of the sinful woman).85 The urgent request of the blind men, "Have mercy on us, Son of David" or "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" has-been renewed in the traditional prayer to Jesus known as the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!"86 Healing infirmities or forgiving sins, Jesus always responds to a prayer offered in faith: "Your faith has made you well; go in peace."
- St. Augustine wonderfully summarizes the three dimensions of Jesus' prayer: "He prays for us as our priest, prays in us as our Head, and is prayed to by us as our God. Therefore let us acknowledge our voice in him and his in us."87
2617 Mary's prayer is revealed to us at the dawning of the fullness of time. Before the incarnation of the Son of God, and before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, her prayer cooperates in a unique way with the Father's plan of loving kindness: at the Annunciation, for Christ's conception; at Pentecost, for the formation of the Church, his Body.88 In the faith of his humble handmaid, the Gift of God found the acceptance he had awaited from the beginning of time. She whom the Almighty made "full of grace" responds by offering her whole being: "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word." "Fiat": this is Christian prayer: to be wholly God's, because he is wholly ours.
2618 The Gospel reveals to us how Mary prays and intercedes in faith. At Cana,89 the mother of Jesus asks her son for the needs of a wedding feast; this is the sign of another feast - that of the wedding of the Lamb where he gives his body and blood at the request of the Church, his Bride. It is at the hour of the New Covenant, at the foot of the cross,90 that Mary is heard as the Woman, the new Eve, the true "Mother of all the living."
2619 That is why the Canticle of Mary,91 the Magnificat (Latin) or Megalynei (Byzantine) is the song both of the Mother of God and of the Church; the song of the Daughter of Zion and of the new People of God; the song of thanksgiving for the fullness of graces poured out in the economy of salvation and the song of the "poor" whose hope is met by the fulfillment of the promises made to our ancestors, "to Abraham and to his posterity for ever."
IN BRIEF
2620 Jesus' filial prayer is the perfect model of prayer in the New Testament. Often done in solitude and in secret, the prayer of Jesus involves a loving adherence to the will of the Father even to the Cross and an absolute confidence in being heard.
2621 In his teaching, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray with a purified heart, with lively and persevering faith, with filial boldness. He calls them to vigilance and invites them to present their petitions to God in his name. Jesus Christ himself answers prayers addressed to him.
2622 The prayers of the Virgin Mary, in her Fiat and Magnificat, are characterized by the generous offering of her whole being in faith.
41 Cf. Lk 1:49; 2:19; 2:51.
42 Lk 2:49.
43 Cf. Lk 3:21; 9:28; 22:41-44.
44 Cf. Lk 6:12; 9:18-20; 22:32.
45 Lk 11:1.
46 Cf. Mk 1:35; 6:46; Lk 5:16.
47 Cf. Heb 2:12, 15; 4:15.
48 Cf. Mt 11:25-27 and Lk 10:21-23.
49 Cf. Eph 1:9.
50 Cf. Jn 11:41-42.
51 Mt 6:21, 33.
52 Cf. Jn 17.
53 Lk 22:42.
54 Lk 23:34.
55 Lk 23:43.
56 Jn 19:26-27.
57 Jn 19:28.
58 Mk 15:34; cf. Ps 22:2.
59 Jn 19:30.
60 Lk 23:46.
61 Cf. Mk 15:37; Jn 19:30b.
62 Ps 2:7-8; cf. Acts 13:33.
63 Heb 5:7-9.
64 Cf. Mt 5:23-24, 44-45; 6:7,14-15,21,25,33.
65 Cf. Mt 7:7-11,13-14.
66 Mk 11:24.
67 Mk 9:23; cf. Mt 21:22.
68 Cf. Mk 6:6; Mt 8:26.
69 Cf. Mt 8:10; 15:28.
70 Cf. Mt 7:21.
71 Cf. Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2; Jn 4:34.
72 Mk 1:15.
73 Cf. Mk 13; Lk 21:34-36.
74 Cf. Lk 22:40,46.
75 Cf. Lk 11:5-13.
76 Cf. Lk 18:1-8.
77 Cf. Lk 18:9-14.
78 Jn 14:13.
79 Jn 14:6.
80 Cf. Jn 14:13-14.
81 Jn 14:16-17.
82 Cf. Jn 14:23-26; 15:7,16; 16:13-15; 16:23-27.
83 Jn 16:24.
84 Cf. Mk 1:40-41; 5:36; 7:29; Cf. Lk 23:39-43.
85 Cf. Mk 25; 5:28; Lk 7:37-38.
86 Mt 9:27, Mk 10:48.
87 St. Augustine, En. in Ps. 85,1:PL 37,1081; cf. GILH 7.
88 Cf. Lk 1:38; Acts 1:14.
89 Cf. Jn 2:1-12.
90 Cf. Jn 19:25-27.
91 Cf. Lk 1:46-55.
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RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults
To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assistance of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay It Forward...
Reference
- Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.
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