Coronation of Mary
Meister des Marienlebens
15c.
Posted on 08/14/2013 8:51:34 PM PDT by Salvation
Like a gentle rain to soften every heart
Thursday, 15 August 2013 11:58
On the occasion of the consecration of Ireland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that will take place today, August 15th at the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock, readers of Vultus Christi may want to pray the following very ancient litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This particular litany is a fine example of the forms of prayer peculiar to the early Irish Church, and a strong proof of the veneration in which our forefathers held the Holy Mother of God. Dating from at least the middle of the 8th century, the litany consists of sixty invocations. The prayer at the conclusion of the litany is a consecration of Ireland to the Immaculate Heart of the Mother of God.
O GREAT MARY,
pray for Ireland.
Mary, greatest of Marys,
pray for Ireland.
Most great of women,
pray for Ireland.
Queen of the angels,
pray for Ireland.
Mistress of the heavens,
pray for Ireland.
Woman full and replete with the grace of the Holy Spirit,
pray for Ireland.
Blessed and most blessed,
pray for Ireland.
Mother of eternal glory,
pray for Ireland.
Mother of the heavenly and earthly Church,
pray for Ireland.
Mother of love and indulgence,
pray for Ireland.
Mother of the golden light,
pray for Ireland.
Honor of the sky,
pray for Ireland.
Harbinger of peace.
pray for Ireland.
Gate of heaven,
pray for Ireland.
Golden altar,
pray for Ireland.
Couch of love and mercy,
pray for Ireland.
Temple of the Divinity,
pray for Ireland.
Beauty of virgins,
pray for Ireland.
Mistress of the tribes,
pray for Ireland.
Fountain of the gardens,
pray for Ireland.
Cleansing of sins,
pray for Ireland.
Washing of souls,
pray for Ireland.
Mother of orphans,
pray for Ireland.
Breast of the infants,
pray for Ireland.
Refuge of the wretched,
pray for Ireland.
Star of the sea,
pray for Ireland.
Handmaid of God,
pray for Ireland.
Mother of Christ,
pray for Ireland.
Abode of the Godhead,
pray for Ireland.
Graceful as the dove,
pray for Ireland.
Serene like the moon,
pray for Ireland.
Resplendent like the sun,
pray for Ireland.
Undoing of Eve’s disgrace,
pray for Ireland.
Regeneration of life,
pray for Ireland.
Perfection of women,
pray for Ireland.
Chief of the virgins,
pray for Ireland.
Garden enclosed,
pray for Ireland.
Fountain sealed,
pray for Ireland.
Mother of God,
pray for Ireland.
Perpetual Virgin,
pray for Ireland.
Holy Virgin,
pray for Ireland.
Prudent Virgin,
pray for Ireland.
Serene Virgin,
pray for Ireland.
Chaste Virgin,
pray for Ireland.
Temple of the Living God,
pray for Ireland.
Throne of the Eternal King,
pray for Ireland.
Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit,
pray for Ireland.
Virgin of the root of Jesse,
pray for Ireland.
Cedar of Mount Lebanon,
pray for Ireland.
Cypress of Mount Sion,
pray for Ireland.
Crimson rose in the land of Jacob,
pray for Ireland.
Fruitful like the olive,
pray for Ireland.
Blooming like the palm,
pray for Ireland.
Glorious Son-bearer,
pray for Ireland.
Light of Nazareth,
pray for Ireland.
Glory of Jerusalem,
pray for Ireland.
Beauty of the world,
pray for Ireland.
Noblest born of the Christian people,
pray for Ireland.
Queen of life,
pray for Ireland.
Ladder of Heaven,
pray for Ireland.
V. Hear the petition of the poor.
R. Spurn not the wounds and the groans of the miserable.
V. Let our devotion and our sighs be carried through thee to the presence of the Creator,
R. For we are not ourselves worthy of being heard because of our evil deserts.
V. O powerful Mistress of heaven and earth,
R. Wipe out our trespasses and our sins.
V. Destroy our wickedness and depravity.
R. Raise the fallen, the debilitated, and the fettered.
V. Loose the condemned.
R. Repair through thyself the transgressions of our immorality and our vices.
V. Bestow upon us through thyself the blossoms and ornaments of good actions and virtues.
R. Appease for us the Judge by thy prayers and thy supplications.
V. Allow us not, for mercy’s sake, to be carried off from thee among the spoils of our enemies.
V. Allow not our souls to be condemned,but take us to thyself for ever under thy protection.
We, moreover, beseech and pray thee, holy Mary, to accept today the total and irrevocable consecration of Ireland to thy maternal and immaculate Heart. Let the power of thy intercession envelop this island on all sides; let thy protecting mantle cover it from east to west and from north to south. Open thou thy grace–dispensing hands over Ireland: let mercy fall upon us like a gentle rain to soften every heart hardened against thy Son and against His bride, the Church. By thy all-powerful supplication obtain for Ireland the sanctification of our bishops and priests, a new flowering of consecrated life, and the opening of every home to the healing love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the blessed fruit of thy womb.
O thou who, in the mystery of thy glorious Assumption, comest forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array, deliver Ireland from the pernicious encroachments of the culture of death, from the deceptions of materialism, and from all of Satan’s temptations and empty promises.
Immaculate Queen of Ireland, who at Knock didst deign to manifest thy unfailing intercession in a mysterious silence, visit us again in these dark days of a great hunger not for bread, but for the Word of God, and draw all who dwell in this island to the altars of the Lamb who was slain, there to be nourished with the living Bread come down from heaven, in the brightness of the one true faith that confesses, now as always, the glory of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Envelop this island on all sides
Thursday, 15 August 2013 12:12
We beseech and pray thee, holy Mary, to accept today the total and irrevocable consecration of Ireland to thy maternal and immaculate Heart. Let the power of thy intercession envelop this island on all sides; let thy protecting mantle cover it from east to west and from north to south. Open thou thy grace–dispensing hands over Ireland: let mercy fall upon us like a gentle rain to soften every heart hardened against thy Son and against His bride, the Church. By thy all-powerful supplication obtain for Ireland the sanctification of our bishops and priests, a new flowering of consecrated life, and the opening of every home to the healing love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the blessed fruit of thy womb.
O thou who, in the mystery of thy glorious Assumption, comest forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array, deliver Ireland from the pernicious encroachments of the culture of death, from the deceptions of materialism, and from all of Satan’s temptations and empty promises.
Immaculate Queen of Ireland, who at Knock didst deign to manifest thy unfailing intercession in a mysterious silence, visit us again in these dark days of a great hunger not for bread, but for the Word of God, and draw all who dwell in this island to the altars of the Lamb who was slain, there to be nourished with the living Bread come down from heaven, in the brightness of the one true faith that confesses, now as always, the glory of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Thursday, 15 August 2013 12:20
I preached this homily several years ago. Allow me to share it with you again. Is this not a lovely icon for Marymass or Lady-Day-in-Harvest?
The Pascha of Summer
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Pascha of summer, signals the beginning of the final phase of the liturgical year. The Church enters into the splendours of her harvest time. With the feasts of late summer and autumn, the Church turns the shimmering pages of the book of the Apocalypse and draws us into their mystery. “Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, writes the Apostle, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near” (Ap 1:3).
The Transfiguration and the Cross
On August 6th, precisely forty days before the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we celebrated the Transfiguration of the Lord, a mystery of heavenly glory, a foretaste of the apocalyptic brightness of the Kingdom. “I saw one like a son of man, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength (Ap 1:16). Having contemplated the glory of the Father shining on the face of the transfigured Christ (2 Cor 4:6), in another month we will celebrate His Glorious Cross, the Tree of Life with leaves “for the healing of the nations” (Ap 22:2).
All Saints
On November 1st, the immense mosaic of all the saints will be unveiled before our wondering eyes in a liturgy scintillating with images from the book of the Apocalypse and echoing with “the voice of a great multitude like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying, ‘Alleluia’” (Ap 19:6).
Saint John Lateran
On November 9th, the liturgy of the feast of the Dedication of Saint John Lateran will point to “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband” (Ap 21:2). As Mother Church approaches holy Advent, the end of her yearly cycle, the sacred liturgy seems to increase its momentum. Soon the last cry of the book of the Apocalypse will be ceaselessly in our hearts and on our lips, “‘Surely. I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Ap 22:20).
Those Who Belong to Christ
Today, on this solemnity of the Assumption of the All-Holy Mother of God and Blessed Virgin Mary, we enter into the phase described by Saint Paul in the second reading, “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ” (1 Cor 15:22).
Into the Holy Place
Today, she who “belongs to Christ” by a unique, abiding, and unrepeatable privilege, the most holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, follows where he has gone, “through the greater and more perfect tent not made by human hands, that is, not of this creation . . . into the Holy Place” (Heb 9:11).
The Fragrance of Her Holiness
An antiphon of today’s Office makes us sing: “Draw us in your footsteps, O Mary, hidden with Christ in God! Your paths are sown with delights; exquisite the fragrance of your perfumes.” True devotion to the Mother of God consists in allowing oneself to be drawn after her. He who walks in the footprints of Mary inhales the mysterious fragrance of her holiness, a fragrance known to all the saints.
The Blessing of Herbs and Flowers
An old custom would have us bless fragrant herbs and flowers on the festival of the Assumption; according to legend the tomb of the Mother of God was found to be full of fragrant herbs and flowers after her body had been taken up into glory. Assumed body and soul into heaven, Mary leaves behind a lingering fragrance. It is subtle, not overpowering, but unmistakable. It is the fragrance of purity, of humility, and of adoration. Inhale it, and you will be drawn in her footsteps, even to the feet of the risen and ascended Christ, hidden in glory.
The Best Part
The ancient gospel for the Assumption, Luke 10:38-42 is that of another Mary — Mary of Bethany — seated in sweet repose at the feet of Jesus, listening to his word (Lk 10:39). “Mary has chosen the best part, which shall not be taken from her” (Lk 10:42). With eyes illumined by the Holy Spirit, the Church discerned in the familiar figure of Mary of Bethany an icon of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, assumed into heaven. There, in the presence of her Son, she enjoys the rest promised by God, the Sabbath that will have no end (cf. Heb 4:1-10).
The Chambers of the King
“Draw me after you, let us make haste” (Ct 1:4), was the longing and desire of her heart. Now, to us, she says, “The king has brought me into his chambers” (Ct 1:4). The Assumption of the Mother of God is a signal to the entire cosmos that the divine economy is indeed entering into its final and glorious phase. “Then, says Saint Paul, comes the end, when He (Christ) delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For He must reign until he has put all his enemies beneath his feet” (1 Cor 15:24-25).
A Woman Clothed with the Sun
In the lesson from the Apocalypse, “God’s temple in heaven was opened” (Ap 11:19). The Church, like Saint Stephen her proto-martyr, “full of the Holy Spirit, gazes into heaven and sees the glory of God” (Ac 7:55). The whole array of theophanic signs seen once on Sinai’s heights is deployed again: “flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder” (Ap 11:19). And then, in the heavens appears the great portent: “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Ap 12:1).
The Woman is the bride of the Lamb adorned for her spouse (Ap 21:2); the Woman is the Church presented “in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing . . . holy and without blemish” (Eph 5:27); the Woman is the Virgin Mother of Nazareth, Bethlehem, Cana, Calvary, and the Mount of Olives. “Mary is assumed into heaven; the angels rejoice, and praising, bless the Lord” (Antiphon of Vespers). Behold the Woman of the psalm, the queen whose beauty the king desires, standing at his right, arrayed in gold (Ps 45: 9b-15).
Magnificat
The liturgy is not content with exalting the great apocalyptic icon before our eyes; the liturgy would have us hear the woman’s song for her heart overflows with a goodly theme (Ps 45:1). This, of course, is the reason for today’s jubilant gospel. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour” (Lk 1:46). This is the song of the Bride of the Lamb; this is the song of the Church in every age; this is the song of the Holy Mother of God in the midst of the angels.
Praise and Adoration
If the apocalyptic phase of the liturgical year teaches us anything, it is that, in the end, the praise of God, and adoration, will have the final word. The glorious Assumption of the Mother of God points to the immense and ceaseless liturgy of heaven, to the fullness of that doxological and eucharistic life that begins for us here and now. Those who go in search of the Lamb will find Him in the company of Mary His Mother. “We have seen his star in the east, and are come to adore him” (Mt 2:2).
Mary Is That Star
For us, Mary is that star. “Look to the star,” says Saint Bernard, “and call upon Mary.” Already, the “voice of the great multitude, like the sound of many waters” (Ap 19:6) begins to swell. It is the voice of those who look to the star, and follow her to the marriage supper of the Lamb. A new song rises in the heart of a Church that is alive and young: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come’” (Ap 22:17). Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Assumption Homily
Thursday, 15 August 2013 12:23
Assumpta Est Maria
Assumpta est Maria in caelum, gaudent angeli, laudantes benedicunt Dominum! Mary has been taken up into heaven; the angels rejoice and, praising, bless the Lord! The Virgin in whose womb reposed the Author of Life is preserved from the corruption of the tomb. The Mother of God is assumed body and soul into the splendour of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Escorted by myriads of angels in jubilation, the Queen of Heaven advances toward her Son, who sits enthroned amid the stars.
Even Within the Veil
In a sense, the Assumption of the Mother of God is the liturgy of her Great Entrance; the feast of her oblation in the heavenly sanctuary, “the tabernacle, which the Lord hath pitched, and not man” (Heb 8:2). She is the Mother of Holy Hope. She is given to us to be our strongest comfort, to be the anchor of our souls, “sure and firm, and which entereth in even within the veil” (Heb 6:18-19).
Our Lady’s Pascha
Today heaven and earth keep the summer festival of Marymas, Ladyday-in-the-Harvest, the Pascha of the all-holy Mother of God. She has passed into the great summer that, stretching from the springtime of the Resurrection until the return of the Lord in glory, presages the shining harvest of all the saints. The song of the angels soars, stretching, swelling, and cresting from choir to choir. The soul of the Virgin magnifies the Lord and her God-bearing flesh rejoices (Lk 1:46).
The Temple and the Ark
“And the temple of God was opened in heaven: and the ark of His testament was seen in His temple” (Apoc 11:19). In the First Book of Chronicles, we see the Ark of the Covenant solemnly transported to the tent made ready by David to receive it. David is the figure of Christ of whom he sings in the psalm, “He hath set his tabernacle in the sun” (Ps 18:6).
That Where I Am, You Also May Be
The Virgin Mary is the Ark of the Covenant, carried aloft by heavenly levites into the tent prepared for her by the King of Kings, the glorious Son of David, our Lord Jesus Christ. As she advances, angels raise sounds of joy on harps and lyres and cymbals and, in accord with the command of David, the appointed singers sing (1 Chr 15:16). Behold the wondrous fulfillment of what the Lord had promised: “In my Father’s house there are many mansions. If not, I would have told you: because I go to prepare a place for you. And if I shall go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you to myself; that where I am, you also may be” (Jn 14:2-3).
Arise, Make Haste
But listen! “The voice of my beloved, behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills” (Ct 2:8). In speaking to His Mother, Christ speaks to His Bride, the Church, and in speaking to His Bride the Church, He speaks to every soul washed in Baptism, sealed in Chrismation with the kiss of the Holy Ghost, and nourished at the banquet of His Body and Blood. “Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come” (Ct 2:10); for lo, the winter of our separation is past, the rain of so many tears is over and gone.
When I Appear Before His Sight
“I slept,” says the Virgin of the Dormition, “I slept, but my heart kept watch.” Ct 5:2). The heart of the Virgin is quickened and her flesh is suffused with fire. “Oh, how I rejoiced when I heard my Son say to me, ‘Let us go up to the house of the Lord’” (cf. Ps 121:1). “One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after; that I may dwell in His Father’s house all the days of my life, that I may see the delight of the Lord” (Ps 26:4), and “when I appear before His sight, I shall be satisfied with the appearing of His glory” (Ps 16:15).
Thy Voice is Sweet and Thy Face Comely
Listen to the words of the Son. “Arise my love, my fair one, and come away (Ct 2:13) for I desire that thou, my mother, first among those whom the Father hath given me, shouldst be with me where I am, to behold my glory, the glory given me by my Father in his love for me before the foundation of the world (cf. Jn 17:24). All of heaven longeth to see thy face, Mother, and the angels yearneth to hear thy voice, “for thy voice is sweet, and thy face is comely” (Ct 2:14).
The Woman Clothed with the Sun
We see the Queen of Heaven “coming up from the wilderness, like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense” (Ct 3:6). The prophet Isaiah sees her coming from afar, recognizes the Virgin of the Sign (Is 7:14), the Mother of Emmanuel, and stands to greet her. “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you . . . The Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you” (Is 60:1-2). She is the woman “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Apoc 12:1).
Hidden with Christ in God
The Mother of God has put on the imperishable; she is clothed in immortality (1 Cor 15:54). The Apostle lifts his voice in praise of the God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:57). Mary, first of all, knows the fullness of Christ’s glorious triumph in her flesh. Mary is the first-fruits of the harvest sown by Jesus in his blessed Passion and Death. Mary is the first to follow Him into the glory of his Resurrection and Ascension. Her life now is hidden with the life of Christ in God (Col 3:3), and when He who is our life appears, then she also will appear with him in glory (Col 3:4). Mary waits for her children to join her, the small and the great, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his Bride has made herself ready (Apoc 19:7).
Mary Hath Chosen the Better Part
And so, led by kings and levites, by angels, prophets and apostles, we make our way to the Gospel of the Assumption so cherished by the ancient liturgical traditions of both East and West for the Dormition of the Virgin, for “Mary hath chosen the better part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Lk 10:42).
The Virgin of Nazareth who surrendered her heart, her soul, and her flesh to the Word and the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost;
the Virgin of Bethlehem, joyful in her poverty;
the Virgin of Egypt, trusting in her exile;
the Virgin of Jerusalem, anguished and amazed by her child;
the Virgin of Cana, strong in her intercession;
the Virgin of Calvary, faithful in her compassion;
the Virgin of Holy Saturday, silent and indomitable in her hope;
the Virgin of the Cenacle, persevering in prayer;
the Virgin of the Mount of Olives, ardent in her desire,
has, at last, come to rest at the feet of her Son.
The One Thing Necessary
“And she had a sister called Mary who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching” (Lk 10:39). Behold our sister, Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin, seated at the feet of our Lord! Behold our Mother, Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin, in repose at the feet of her Son! She is seated at His feet in glory, higher than the seraphim and cherubim, exalted above all the angelic choirs, for to her is given the One Thing Necessary (Lk 10:42) in heaven and on earth. “Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides thee” (Ps 73:25).
A Mother Close to Her Children
Think not for a moment that the Assumption places a distance between us and the all-holy Mother of God. Quite the contrary. Her exaltation has made her closer to us than we can dream or imagine. The all-holy Virgin is mother, completely mother, and the desire of every mother is to be close to her children.
From her place of glory in heaven, she stoops down to us, attentive to our sufferings. Her compassion illumines this valley of tears. Her Assumption has not separated her from us. The Assumption is not a mystery of distance and separation but a mystery of nearness and of communion. Now set free from the limitations of space and of time, the holy Mother of God is capable of being present to all her children, to the little ones especially, to the broken-hearted, the weak, and the poor.
Mother of Mercy
Glorious in her Assumption, the Virgin Mother has but one desire: to do for each one of us what a loving mother would do for her child. Her weakness is for the poorest among us. Her predilection goes to those who stumble and fall rather than to those who walk straight and tall, to those who, bearing within themselves deep and secret wounds, are most in need of her attentions and care.
Let us lift up our eyes to the All-Holy Mother of God and Blessed Virgin Mary, praising and confessing the wonderful mystery of her Assumption. Today, dear brothers, she will hear all your requests, answering them according to the wisdom and love of her Immaculate Heart.
The Joys of Heaven
Today, she pierces all our darknesses with a ray of heavenly light. Her desire is to share with us the joys of heaven, the very joys that flood her body and her soul in the glory of her Son.
And for all of that, we need not wait. Already, here and now, we are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Apoc 19:9). Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory (Apoc 19:7) who with the Father lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Ghost, and who will come again, as he promised, to take us to Himself (Jn 14:3). “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Apoc 22:20).
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Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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Father Steven Reilly, LC Luke 1: 39-56 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary´s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord." And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in your wondrous, shining glory, although this is hidden from my eyes. I hope in the peace and everlasting joy of the world to come, for this world is a valley of tears. I love you, even though I am not always able to discern the love in your intentions when you permit me to suffer. You are my God and my all. Petition: Lord, help me to be humble! 1. All Generations Will Call Me Blessed: When Pius XII defined the dogma of the Assumption, it was a cause of great joy throughout the Catholic world. Believed for centuries, it entered the realm of official Catholic dogma. Our Lady is brought to heaven to share in the glory and joy of her Son and our Lord. We have always looked to Mary as our mother, and so the feast of the Assumption continues to fill us with happiness. She is with Christ, and she is our mother more than ever. We entrust ourselves to her in the same way that Pope John Paul the Great did, “Totus Tuus.” 2. Scattering the Proud: Proud people are generally very focused on whatever serves their best interests. So “scattering” is a very good verb to use to indicate what happens to the proud when God goes into action. Mary rejoices in that “scattering,” but who are the proud? Maybe we don’t have to look any further than ourselves. How much we fight with that root sin of pride! Mary is happy when pride gets scattered and the perspective we have widens. Instead of just seeing things from our own myopic point of view, this scattering opens up the “thoughts of our hearts” to see others and their needs. Nothing is more Mary-like than that. 3. Lifting Up the Lowly: This feast of the Assumption is proof that God literally lifts up the lowly. Like her Son and his Ascension, Mary is lifted up by God into the realm of eternal life. Sometimes we cling to our pride out of a sort of instinct of self-preservation—“If I don’t look out for number one, who will?” But Mary’s humility is a lesson for us. Our true self-fulfillment lies in becoming everyday more filled with God; we can only do that if we are not filled with ourselves. Let’s ask Mary to help us to live more like her and experience the true joy—the lifting up—that there is in humility. Conversation with Christ: Lord, I thank you for giving us such a wonderful mother. She helps me to stay on the path of fulfilling your will. Help me to be able to sing a Magnificat in my own soul, “The Almighty has done great things for me!” Resolution: I will be generous and joyful when I am asked to help out |
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All Issues > Volume 29, Issue 5
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Spiritual Adoption Prayer for the Unborn
Jesus, Mary, Joseph I love you very much.
I beg you to spare the life of the unborn child that I have spiritually adopted.
Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.
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