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Devotion To The Holy Infant Mary
Mystical Rose Catholic Page ^ | 00/00/00 | Mystiscal Rose Catholic Page

Posted on 09/08/2003 6:44:41 PM PDT by Lady In Blue

DEVOTION TO THE HOLY INFANT MARY


"The Child Mary with Saint Anne"

Most Catholics are familiar with devotion to the Christ Child; at Christmas they venerate an image of Baby Jesus in the manger at Church, and perhaps they have said novenas to the Infant of Prague. But fewer Catholics know about devotion to the holy Virgin Mary in her infancy and childhood.

In fact, it is quite possible that many Catholics hardly give a thought to Mary's girlhood, except perhaps when viewing an image of Saint Anne with the child Mary by her side.

The Child Mary with Saint Anne, by Murillo

Yet devotion to "little Mary" is strong in Milan, Italy and Mexico City, Mexico, and it has a history rooted in Catholic hagiography and liturgy.

Early Sources

The New Testament is silent on Mary's birth and childhood; we first see her in the Gospel of Luke as a thirteen-year old girl betrothed to Joseph. But early Christians soon began to write extrabiblical accounts of Mary's early life.

The first of these is called the Protoevangelium of James. It was written around 120 AD, and discusses the events surrounding Mary's birth, childhood and betrothal, as well as embellishing on the biblical account of Jesus' birth.

From this book we learn that Mary's parents were named Joachim and Anne (Y'hoyakhin and Hannah in Hebrew). It also claims that Mary spent her childhood serving in the Temple of Jerusalem. Many of the stories contained in this and similar apocryphal writings influenced Catholic iconography and "mystical" accounts of Mary's life, such as Blessed Mary of Agreda's Mystical City of God and the revelations of Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich.

Two later works of this nature, the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and the Nativity of Mary, draw heavily from the Pro

toevangelium (see links below for online versions of each of these works).

Feasts of Mary's Girlhood "The Child Mary at Prayer"

The feast of the Nativity (Birth) of Mary (8 September) was first celebrated in the East by the Church of Jerusalem. In the fifth century a Byzantine church was erected there, on the spot where a tradition says the house of Sts. Anne and Joachim once stood. Many believe this to be the very place where the future Mother of the Messiah was conceived and born, and that church became a focal point for her birthday celebration. (The Western Church adopted this joyful feast by the seventh century).

Unfortunately, the original church was decimated during the Crusades. A new church was later built on that spot; this one still stands today and is a center of pilgrimage. Many people still go there to honor the child Mary.

If the Church celebrated Mary's birth on the eighth of September, then it only seemed natural that her conception would have occured nine months earlier, on the eighth day of December. Thus Western Christians soon began to celebrate the Feast of Immaculate Conception on that very day. The Eastern Orthodox, who mostly reject the Immaculate Conception of Mary, celebrate 8 December as the "Conception of St. Anne", that is, the day on which Our Lady's mother conceived her.

The Feast of the Presentation of Mary (21 November) is very ancient, going back to the sixth century in the East. The West, however, did not adopt it until the fourteenth century. Since it celebrates Mary's alleged childhood service in the Temple (a concept derived from apocryphal literature, not Sacred Scripture), many popes were uncomfortable with it, and St. Pius V even suppressed it for the duration of his pontificate! It was reinstated by Sixtus V and remains on the Western liturgical calendar to this day. Among Eastern Christians it is one of the thirteen Great Feasts of the Church, often depicted in icons (see link below).

Maria Bambina in Italy

Milan boasts a beautiful little image of the Infant Mary, often referred to as "Maria Bambina".

"Maria Bambina"

A Franciscan nun made this statue of the little Virgin out of wax sometime before 1730. She later gave it to others, and after passing as a gift through various hands it was finally given to the Sisters of Charity in Lovere, Italy. In 1876 they brought it to their motherhouse in Milan (where it has stayed ever since). By this time, the statue had become worn and gray.

One of the nuns, Sister Josephine Woinovich, suffered from paralysis in her feet and arms. She could not get out of bed and was confined to the infirmary in great pain. In 1884, on the Feast of Mary's Nativity, Sister Josephine convinced the Mother General to leave the statue of Maria Bambina in her room overnight. The next morning Mother decided to take the little statue on a "tour" of the infirmary, to visit all the ill sisters there.

It so happened that a very devout novice named Guilia Macaro was in the infirmary, suffering from a serious condition which restricted her movement. When the image of Maria Bambina was brought to her bed, Guilia took it in her arms and fervently pleaded with Mary to ask God to heal her. Miraculously, Guilia was healed immediately!

The image was also suddenly transformed; it lost its old gray color and took on the color of living flesh, which it still has to this day! Sister Josephine was also ultimately cured through her devotion to Maria Bambina.

Because of these and many other miracles God has worked for those who venerate the statue, the Sisters of Charity in Milan are commmonly called the "Sisters of Maria Bambina".

Immaculate Little Mary in Mexico

As Providence would have it, an almost identical devotion developed separately in Mexico during the next century!

On 6 January 1840, the Feast of the Three Kings, Sister Magdalena knelt before a nativity scene in her convent in Mexico City, contemplating the Christ Child in the manger. She then had a thought: if we honor Jesus' infancy, why not that of His dear Mother? (She was not familiar with the "Maria Bambina" devotion across the sea in Italy).

Suddenly, a lovely little girl appeared before her, dressed like a tiny princess and reclining in thin air! Sister Magdalena immediately knew that this beautiful child was the Virgin Mary, appearing to her in the form of a baby.

The Infant Mary seemed to be telling her "I will grant great graces to whoever honors me in my infancy".

The astonished nun went to the abbess and told her of her vision and her desire to promote devotion to little Mary. The abbess did not quite share Sister Magdelena's excitement, so the devotion was not promoted right away. But Magdelena kept praying for God to bring it about.

Eventually, Sister Magedlena did receive permission to ask a local sculptor to fashion a statue of the Infant Mary. Once she received the image she began to spread the devotion. Many people experienced miracles through the intercession of little Mary, but others questioned the suitability of such a devotion (this often happens with new devotions; the Sacred Heart devotion had its critics as well).

The case was eventually brought before Pope Gregory XVI, who approved the devotion and even granted indulgences to those who practiced it! Thus the question of suitability was solved.

Over the decades God performed numerous miracles of healing for those who venerated this statue. Soon an order of nuns called the Slaves of the Immaculate Child was founded, as well as a priestly order, the Missionaries of the Nativity of Mary. Both are dedicated to the Immaculate Little Mary, and continue to work for the Church in Mexico and Puerto Rico.

"Little Mary at Prayer" Conclusion

Devotion to "little Mary" has great potential. Along with devotion to the Infant Jesus, it proclaims the beauty of innocence and childhood to a world which seems intent on destroying both! The devotion seems to appeal to little girls, who can see in Mary an example of consecrated girlhood. It can stand as a witness against female infanticide, still practiced in many parts of the world, and some have already begun to look upon the Infant Mary as a patroness of the Pro-Life cause!

The Catholic world is only beginning to tap the potential of this old-yet-new devotion. Perhaps one day all Catholics, and the whole world as well, will experience and benefit from the graces which fall from the tiny hands of Maria Bambina.


RELATED LINKS

When I first created these pages on the Holy Infant Mary many years ago, I could find nothing at all about this devotion on the Net. I am happy to say that numerous sites discussing Maria Bambina have since appeared! Blessed be God for promoting this precious devotion on the World Wide Web!


| Back: Virtual Shrine | Next: Prayers to Infant Mary | Marian Index | Site Index | Home Page |



TOPICS: Catholic; History; Prayer
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Happy Birthday,Blessed Mother!
1 posted on 09/08/2003 6:44:43 PM PDT by Lady In Blue
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To: *Catholic_list; father_elijah; nickcarraway; Siobhan; Maeve; NYer; JMJ333; Salvation
ping
2 posted on 09/08/2003 6:55:11 PM PDT by Lady In Blue
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To: BlackElk
BlackElk, I almost forgot to ping you! Sorry about that!
3 posted on 09/08/2003 8:39:13 PM PDT by Lady In Blue
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To: Lady In Blue
BUMP
4 posted on 09/09/2003 4:14:49 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: Lady In Blue
While we celibrate many of our birthdays with great importance, let us look at the B.V.M.'s birthday with even greater importance. It was through her that our Redemer was born. Without her, we do not have Him.
5 posted on 09/09/2003 4:15:55 PM PDT by sspxsteph (Pope Saint Silverius, Ora Pro Nobis)
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To: Lady In Blue; Cap'n Crunch
Ping!
6 posted on 09/09/2003 4:35:42 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: All
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GREAT MOTHER OF GOD, MARY MOST HOLY!
7 posted on 09/09/2003 4:37:45 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Lady In Blue

BTTT on 09-08-04, Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.


8 posted on 09/08/2004 9:08:56 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Lady In Blue

BTTT on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, September 8, 2005!


9 posted on 09/08/2005 9:16:48 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: nickcarraway; sandyeggo; Siobhan; Lady In Blue; NYer; american colleen; Pyro7480; livius; ...
Saint of the Day Ping!

Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Saint of the Day Ping List.

10 posted on 09/08/2005 9:26:27 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Salvation
The Catholic Bashers were all over this earlier thread: Sept. 8th(16 B.C.) The Birthday of Mary,the Mother of Jesus. Hoping this one will be bash-free!
11 posted on 09/08/2005 9:55:07 AM PDT by COBOL2Java (Many Democrats are not weak Americans. But nearly all weak Americans are Democrats.)
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To: Lady In Blue
Mary was chosen from all eternity to give us the Savior; hence she was eternally in God's plan of redemption. In time she was immaculately conceived, and her birth brought salvation to mankind. Thank God for having created this most beautiful of creatures and for having given her to you as a Mother. Thank Him for all the mercies He has shown to mankind through Mary. Let your birthday gift to your Heavenly Mother be the wholehearted consecration of yourself to her.
With gladness let us celebrate the birthday of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, that she may intercede for us with our Lord Jesus Christ!
Glory be to the Father...
Let us call to mind the most noble birth of the glorious Virgin Mary, whose lowliness delighted the gaze of the Lord, and who, at the message of an angel, conceived the Savior of the world.
Hail Mary...
This day the Blessed Virgin Mary was born of the royal family of David. Through her the Salvation of the world appeared for all who believe. This is she whose life gave light to the world.
Hail Mary...
Virgin Mother of God, your birthday announced joy to the whole world, for from you arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, Who, having taken away the curse, bestowed blessing, and having triumphed over death, gave us life everlasting.
Hail Mary...
Bestow on Your servants, we beg of You, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace, that we, for whom the Blessed Virgin's motherhood was the beginning of salvation, may be blessed with peace on the sacred feast day of her Nativity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

from "Mary My Hope" --- a cherished book of prayers and devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary

12 posted on 09/08/2005 10:46:36 AM PDT by Graymatter
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To: Lady In Blue

Amen! Thanks for posting this!!!


13 posted on 09/08/2005 11:46:25 AM PDT by Convert from ECUSA (tired of all the shucking and jiving)
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To: Lady In Blue; Salvation

bttt


14 posted on 09/11/2005 8:16:46 PM PDT by Coleus (Roe v. Wade and Endangered Species Act both passed in 1973, Murder Babies/save trees, birds, algae)
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To: COBOL2Java

While I'm not completely new to Freerepublic, I am kinda new to posting ideas, I wish to ask a question....
Are posted stories only to be responded to by people who agree 100%?

I personally like to be challenged about my spiritual, political, or other beliefs. Defending what I believe helps me to have a better understanding of what it is that I believe.

One of the reasons I like Freerepublic is the ( generally ) well educated positions that get posted. Since my spiritual beliefs are what I find to be most important, I like to peruse the RELIGION topics. Since I am a non catholic, and have problems with catholic doctrine vs. scripture, I like to debate to learn more.

However...I have noticed, as of late, that some catholic posters don't want outside comments. Unless, this RELIGION section is just for Catholic posters, then I think that opposing views should be welcomed.

Maybe there could be a tag line added to posts that say something like, "for Catholic discussion only", or "Open for disscussion". Well, that's my two cents.


15 posted on 09/11/2005 9:43:33 PM PDT by ScubieNuc
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To: ScubieNuc; Salvation; NYer; Pyro7480; ArrogantBustard; StAthanasiustheGreat; Rutles4Ever; Rosary; ..
While I'm not completely new to Freerepublic, I am kinda new to posting ideas, I wish to ask a question.... Are posted stories only to be responded to by people who agree 100%?

I personally like to be challenged about my spiritual, political, or other beliefs. Defending what I believe helps me to have a better understanding of what it is that I believe.

One of the reasons I like Freerepublic is the ( generally ) well educated positions that get posted. Since my spiritual beliefs are what I find to be most important, I like to peruse the RELIGION topics. Since I am a non catholic, and have problems with catholic doctrine vs. scripture, I like to debate to learn more.

However...I have noticed, as of late, that some catholic posters don't want outside comments. Unless, this RELIGION section is just for Catholic posters, then I think that opposing views should be welcomed.

Maybe there could be a tag line added to posts that say something like, "for Catholic discussion only", or "Open for disscussion". Well, that's my two cents.


Sincere questions and invitations to dialog are always welcome. However, there are on this forum a few people who, for whatever reason, prefer instead to exploit Catholic threads for the purpose of spewing anti-Catholic propaganda. Some of the more popular notions are refuted on Catholic Answer's Anti-Catholicsm web page. A few of them are: These are the kinds of themes to which I refer. If they are posted in innocence by people seeking the truth, then we try to help out. Often it comes down to sincere and respectful differences of opinion, and we can agree to disagree. Sometimes, though, it is nothing more than bashing of our faith, and that gets rigorously defended. Notwithstanding, one grows weary of this third group, and it is to them that I was referring.
16 posted on 09/12/2005 5:26:00 AM PDT by COBOL2Java (Many Democrats are not weak Americans. But nearly all weak Americans are Democrats.)
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To: Lady In Blue

BTTT on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, September 8, 2006!


17 posted on 09/08/2006 8:27:45 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Lady In Blue
Women-Faith and Family

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Feast Day
September 8th

The Birth of the Virgin Mary - Esteban Murillo (Louvre, Paris)

 

Thy birth, O Virgin Mother of God,
heralded joy to all the world.
For from thou hast risen the Sun of justice,
Christ our God.

Destroying the curse, He gave blessing;
and damning death, He bestowed on us
life everlasting.

Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
For from thou hast risen of Sun of justice,
Christ our God.

­ from The Divine Office - Matins (Morning Prayer)

The Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been celebrated in the Church at least since the 8th Century. The Church's calendar observes the birthdays of only two saints: Saint John the Baptist (June 24), and Mary, Mother of Jesus.

John the Baptist is considered especially sanctified even before his birth. His birth to Elizabeth and Zachariah is foretold in the first chapter of Luke, and it is also recorded (Lk 1:41) that Elizabeth felt the infant John "leap in her womb" when Mary approached her soon after the Annunciation.

The birth of Mary was also miraculous. She was conceived without sin as a special grace because God had selected her to become the mother of His Son (the feast of her Immaculate Conception is celebrated on December 8). The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, though generally believed throughout the Church for many centuries, was formally declared by Pope Pius IX in 1854.

There is nothing contained in Scripture about the birth of Mary or her parentage, though Joseph's lineage is given in the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. The names of Mary's parents, Joachim and Anna, appear in the apocryphal "Gospel of James", a book dating from the 2nd Century AD, not part of the authentic canon of Scripture. According to this account, Joachim and Anna were also beyond the years of child-bearing, but prayed and fasted that God would grant their desire for a child.

According to one tradition, the house in which Mary was born in Nazareth is the same one in which the Annunciation took place. By another tradition, the Annunciation site is beneath the Crusader church of Saint Anna in Jerusalem, under a 3rd Century oratory known as the "Gate of Mary".

In celebrating the nativity of Mary, Christians anticipate the Incarnation and birth of her Divine Son, and give honor to the mother of Our Lord and Savior.

Family Observance of the Feast of the Birth of Mary

Mary's Birthday Cake
All children love birthday cakes -- so today, let's make a birthday cake for the Blessed Virgin Mary. A white layer cake or angel food cake would be appropriate, with white icing and blue icing for trim (white is a symbol of purity; blue symbolizes fidelity, and is a color especially used for Mary). We suggest letting the children help with the decorations, if possible. If you have a small statue of Mary, it could be placed in the center of the cake, which can be surrounded by 10 candles -- one for each "Hail Mary" prayer in a decade of the Rosary. (If you don't have a little statue, you can write Mary's name on the cake in blue icing.)

At the end of the evening meal, each child could take turns lighting the 10 candles as the whole family prays together a "Hail Mary" for each candle, ending with the Lord's Prayer.

If the children are too young to light candles, mother could light the candles, then the adults could pray one Hail Mary at the end, just before the cake is cut. After eating the birthday cake, the prayer below could be said (this prayer, the concluding prayer from "Matins" of the Divine Office, could also be said with the children at bedtime).

Lord God,
the day of our salvation dawned
when the Blessed Virgin gave birth to your Son.
As we celebrate her nativity
grant us your grace and your peace.
Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

 

The ANGELUS and the LITANY of the Blessed Virgin Mary

If your family doesn't say the Angelus regularly before the evening meal, this would be a good day to introduce it. (Then say it on all Feasts of Mary and every day during the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent.) Click here to see the Angelus that you may print out for your family.

School-aged children could begin to learn the traditional Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A good time to say the litany together might be after homework is finished in the evening, just before bedtime. A litany is an ancient form of prayer read or chanted by a group, with a leader saying the versicles, and the rest of the group saying the responses.

Birthday Books
This would be a good time to get out the children's "baby books", which usually need updating. Go through the birthday book with your child, and do some reminiscing. Each child could make a drawing of their idea of baby Mary and her family, which could be pasted in their own birthday book as a memento. (Don't forget to have them put their name and age on the pictures!)

Other ideas...
If you have a nice statue of Mary, or a "Mary shrine" in your home, it would be appropriate to decorate it with flowers and candles today, in celebration of Mary's birthday. The family can gather around it during the reciting of the litany or other prayers -- and conclude by singing the lovely hymn, Mary the Dawn. (Click on the title here to see both the words and music to this hymn.)

 

Your birth, O Virgin Mother of God, heralded joy to all the world.

 

 


18 posted on 09/08/2007 10:09:34 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Lady In Blue
Vultus Christi

Maria Bambina

20060908%20Maria%20Bambina.jpg

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Romans 8:28-30
Psalm 12:5, 6 (R. Is 61:10a)
Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

Maria Bambina

Unto us a little girl is born; unto us a daughter is given. “The Holy Spirit will come upon her, and the power of the Most High will overshadow her” (Cf. Lk 1:35). The Word will take flesh in her virginal womb and suckle at her breast. And her name shall be called Full of Grace, Glory of Jerusalem, Joy of Israel, and Mother of God. In Italy she has another name, one that the people love to give her; she is their Maria Bambina, the little Infant Mary.

The Story of an Image

It was in Rome, many years ago, that I encountered the image of Maria Bambina for the first time. I didn’t know quite what to make of it. She looked rather like a doll, all dressed up in lace and satin, resting on her pillow. I knew only that all sorts of people, and especially children, came to pray before her. I saw that that Maria Bambina had stolen their hearts. She attracted the most extraordinary outpouring of tender devotion, and does to this day.

The image of Maria Bambina originated in Milan where the cathedral is dedicated to the Infant Mary. A Poor Clare nun fashioned the image out of wax in 1735. Maria Bambina suffered the vicissitudes of the times under Napoleon. The convent that kept the image was suppressed. Maria Bambina was passed from one “foster home” to another until, in 1885, she found a permanent home in the motherhouse of Milan’s Sisters of Charity. Beginning in 1884 various miracles were attributed to the image of the Infant Mary. She was dressed in new clothes and placed in a new crib in the chapel of the Sisters. Devotion to Maria Bambina spread throughout Italy and then elsewhere in the world.

A Child for Children

The learned and the clever, the theologically sophisticated and those who think that holiness has no need of warmth and no time for tenderness, are baffled by Maria Bambina. But children understand her. Raïssa Maritain understood the Child Mary perfectly; “The Blessed Virgin is the spoiled child of the Blessed Trinity,” she wrote. “She knows no law. Everything yields to her in heaven and on earth. The whole of heaven gazes on her with delight. She plays before the ravished eyes of God himself.”

God With Us

The birth to Joachim and Anna of a little girl “full of grace” (Lk 1:28) set in motion great rolling waves of grace that reach even to us, for she was born to be the Mother of Christ. “And from His fulness have we all received, grace upon grace” (Jn 1:16). All the joy of today’s festival is summed up in the last three words of the Gospel: “God with us” (Mt 1:23).

In the birth of the Child Mary, “those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Lk 1:79) see the first glimmers of the long-awaited Dayspring from on high (cf. Lk 1:78). Joachim and Anna rejoice! Abraham and Sarah rejoice! The ancestors of Jesus Christ rejoice!

Rejoicing Ahead of Time

Today, with good reason, Mother Church gives us the Genealogy of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew. The long list of patriarchs and of prophets, of kings and of warriors, of saints and of sinners is transformed by the birth of Mary. We see all the ancestors of Christ standing on tiptoe to see the joy that comes to them from afar. With the birth of Mary they begin to rejoice ahead of time.

A Virgin Shall Conceive

This is the little girl who will give her consent to the Angel -- “Be it done unto me according to thy word” (Lk 1:38) -- “therefore the child to be born of her will be called holy, the Son of God” (Lk 1:35). The Mother of the Messiah has arrived. Isaiah’s prophecy is about to be fulfilled: “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and His name shall be called Emmanuel” (Is 7:14).

Her Voice and Her Face

The cries of little Mary announce the arrival of the Bridegroom in the night of history. “I hear my Beloved! Behold He comes, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills (Ct 2:8). In the daughter of Joachim and Anna we can already see the human features of the Word made flesh. Her face announces His. Speaking at the Sanctuary of the Holy Face in Manoppello two years ago on September 1st, Pope Benedict XVI called her, “Our Lady in whose face -- more than in any other creature -- we can recognize the features of the Incarnate Word.” The face of Maria Bambina already reveals the Human Face of God.

The Voice of the Word

The sound of little Mary’s voice is jubilation to our ears because it means that the voice of the Word is very close! Soon the Beloved will lift up His voice: at Bethlehem in the cries of an infant; at Nazareth as a little boy learning His Hebrew alphabet and beginning to read the Scriptures in the synagogue; at Jerusalem in dialogue with the elders in the Temple; on the Mount of the Beatitudes; in Galilee and in Judea; in the Cenacle and in Gethsemane; on the Cross, saying: “Behold your mother” (Jn 19:27); “I thirst” (Jn 19:28); “Father forgive them” (Lk 23:34); “Father, into thy hands” (Lk 23:46); “It is finished” (Jn 19:30). In the splendour of His resurrection, He will call another Mary by name, and He will ask Peter, “Do you love me?” (Jn 21:17).

The inarticulate cries of the newborn baby Myriam, daughter of Joachim and of Anna, announce all of this. And so we bend over the cradle of Maria Bambina, the Mother of God, and say to her in the words of the Canticle: “O my dove, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely (Ct 2:14).

The Heart of the Mother and the Heart of the Son

In your face, O little Mary, we already see that of Jesus; in your voice, we already hear His. Your voice, O little Mary, is sweet to our ears; your face is lovely to our eyes, for He whom the whole universe cannot contain will be enclosed in your womb. He will grow for nine months beneath your Immaculate Heart. Out of your flesh and blood the Holy Spirit will form a human Heart for the Son of God, the very Heart that, together with yours, will be pierced on Calvary.

Cause of Our Joy

You, O little Mary, Maria Bambina, are the Cause of our Joy! Your appearance in the arms of your mother announces that the Word of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, will soon appear in your arms. And you have but one desire, one joy: to give us your Son, to draw us to Him, that your joy might be ours and that our joy might be fulfilled.

As we celebrate this Holy Sacrifice, we ask Maria Bambina, the little Child Mary, to chase all sadness, all coldness, and all fear from our hearts, that we, like little children, may worthily welcome her Son, her very Flesh and Blood in the holy and life-giving Mysteries.


19 posted on 09/08/2008 10:20:13 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Lady In Blue

Bttt


20 posted on 09/07/2009 6:39:16 PM PDT by diamond6 (Is SIDS preventable? www.Stopsidsnow.com)
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