Aug. 27 - Wk 2 - Day 2 - "to acquire an understnding of the Blessed Virgin."

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we continue asking the the Holy Spirit to bring us into the fullness of Truth, as Jesus promised. Particularly, at this time, we need to keep learning the Truth about Mary, our Mother, given to us to be our Mother and the Mother of the Church by Jesus from His Cross.

There are many today who think Catholics “worship Mary” as if she were God. Those who think or say that, simply do not understand Mary. Mary is God’s creation and He created her Immaculate from her Conception to be the perfect dwelling for His Holy Spirit to conceive The Incarnate Son of God, The Word Made Flesh, within her womb, by the power of the Holy Spirit. What an amazing Truth this is!

God gave St. Louis de Montfort and all baptized souls the Baptismal Gifts of Supernatural Faith, Hope and Divine Charity so that we could be freed from sin and grow in holiness. St. Louis de Montfort grew in holiness and learned from God how we can daily grow closer to God through Mary. He wrote in his Treatise on “True Devotion”:

1. The Mother of fair love will rid your heart of all scruples and inordinate servile fear. She will open and enlarge it to obey the commandments of her Son with alacrity and with the holy freedom of the children of God. She will fill your heart with pure love of which she is the treasury. You will then cease to act as you did before, out of fear of the God who is love, but rather out of pure love. You will look upon Him as a loving Father and endeavor to please Him at all times. You will speak trustfully to Him as a child does to its father. If you should have the misfortune to offend Him you will abase yourself before Him and humbly beg His pardon. You will offer your hand to Him with simplicity and lovingly rise from your sin. Then, peaceful and relaxed and buoyed up with hope you will continue on your way to Him.

Prayers to be offered daily: Litany to the Holy Spirit, Ave Maris Stella, and at least 5 decades of the Rosary.

Today is the Memorial of St. Monica, the Mother os St. Augustine who prayed perseveringly for her son - who became the great St. Augustine! How great was her faith and love, but even greater is Mary’s love for us.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Mark,

Always good to hear from you. Thanks for your heart of love towards Jesus through Mary! What a Gift Jesus gave us in saying from His Cross to John on Calvary – and through John to ALL:

“Behold your Mother”

Yet today, we find even some Catholics who seem to dishonor the Words of Jesus by neglecting Mary. Not so long ago, Churches were full on First Saturdays of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. But even before Covid 19 hit, fewer people attended First Saturday Masses – so I wonder how many have “moved away” from Mary as Pope St. John Paul II said in an address to the Legion of Mary, as far back as October, 1982:

"…Where the Mother is, there too is the Son. When one moves away from the Mother, sooner or later he ends up keeping distant from the Son as well. It is no wonder that today, in various sectors of secularised society, we note a widespread crisis of faith in God, preceded by a drop in devotion to the Virgin Mother.…

The Beloved Disciple did NOT move away from our Mother. In fact, the Greek language in which John wrote his Gospel, is translated “John took her into his own.” Pope St. John Paul II translated that phrase as "into his own life" - which is far more meaningful! People may have pictures of Mary in their homes but what part does Mary really have in our lives? St. Louis de Montfort calls us to the real depth to which we are called by the Light of the Holy Spirit.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your Faithful; kindle in us the Fire of Your Love. Fill us as you filled Mary, with Jesus!

I may be “preaching to the choir” in writing this to you and others here, Mark, who have already taken Mary into their lives, but I write it to all who may read this thread and recognize that they have not! Let us all encourage one another to seek now – more than ever – and every day until the last day of our loves to honor Jesus through Mary by taking her into our lives. Thanks again for your heart. How much God loves all who honor Him in loving His Mother!.