"God shelters us in Himself...He bears us in Himself

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we continue listening to the words of Cardinal Ratzinger now Pope Emeritus, written in the book, “Mary - The Church at the Source”, on p.78, we find these precious words:

The Hebrew text of the Old Testament does not draw on psychology to speak about God’s compassionate suffering with man. Rather, in accordance with the concreteness of Semitic thought, it designates it with a word whose basic meaning refers to a bodily organ…taken in the singular it means the mother’s womb. Just as “heart” stands for feeling, and “loins” and “kidneys” stand for desire and pain, the womb becomes the term for being with another; it becomes the deepest reference for man’s capacity to stand for another, to take the other into himself, to suffer him, and in this long-suffering to give him life. The Old Testament, with a word taken from the language of the body; tells us how God shelters us in Himself, how He bears us in Himself with compassionate love.

The languages into which the Gospel entered when it came to the pagan world did not have such modes of expression. But the image of the Pieta, the Mother grieving for her Son, became the vivid translation of the word. In her, God’s maternal affliction is open to view. In her we can behold it and touch it. She is the compassio of God, displayed in a human being who has let herself be drawn wholly into God’s mystery…

God willing, tomorrow, I’ll continue – but today, please by God’s Grace, may we take some time with these words, pondering the wisdom God gave to his prayerful son Pope Emeritus (Benedict XVI). Let us fervently ask the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with the fire of His Love. Jesus, we trust in You. Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us. St. Joseph, Protector of Holy Church, protect us as you protected Mary and the Child Jesus in her Womb.

 

[hazcompat]

Acts 17: 27 so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us. 28 For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’….

Peace

 

[patricius79]

. In her, God’s maternal affliction is open to view. In her we can behold it and touch it. She is the compassio of God, displayed in a human being who has let herself be drawn wholly into God’s mystery…

Amen to that! That is how I feel and think about Mary. What madness it would be to ignore her!

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear hazcompat,

Thanks for your reply. Always good to hear from you.

Acts 27 so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us. 28 For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’… .

Your quote above, led me to Acts 27 - 28, but then I realized perhaps it was another chapter in Acts since I did not find the quote in Chapter 27 or 28, I found your quote in Acts chapter 17 in the context of Paul’s address to the Athenians beginning in Acts 17:22 ; the verses 27 and 28 as you quoted them are there.

God surely wants us to hear the words you quoted for His Word is Truth and He sent His disciples to preach the Truth revealed by Jesus and to continue to listen to the Holy Spirit sent to the Church at Pentecost to bring us into ALL Truth (cf Jn 16:13).

There was a certain sadness for me in reading the ending verses in Acts 17: 32-34, because there were “some” who scoffed and others said in effect “maybe later” – it seems so similar today:

32
When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, “We should like to hear you on this some other time.”
33
And so Paul left them.
34
But some did join him, and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Court of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

The Good News, of course is that some did join Paul and became believers. Only one man and one woman are named but we need to remember “Wherever two or more are gathered in My name there am I in the midst of them.” (Mt 18:20)

Jesus wept over Jerusalem, and our Mother also wept appearing at La Sallette. Let us learn from The compassionate love of God and from Mary’s Immaculate Heart pierced with her Son’s Heart on Calvary. Let us pray.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear patricius,

Thanks again dear brother for your “faithful heart” and for your reply today. How many of us are willing today, as Mary was to “be drawn wholly into God’s mystery…” as Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI) wrote so beautifully.

How can we not heed the words of Jesus from His Cross?

Behold your Mother

How can we not “see by Faith” as we are called to do in these words concerning Mary?

In her, God’s maternal affliction is open to view. In her we can behold it and touch it. She is the compassio of God, displayed in a human being who has let herself be drawn wholly into God’s mystery…

It is a Mystery of grace, it seems to me God. As we ponder St. Paul’s words in Acts 17: 22-34 and perhaps especially these verses:

26 He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and He fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,

27 so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for Him and find Him, though indeed He is not far from any one of us.

28 For ‘In Him we live and move and have our being,’ as even some of your poets have said, ‘For we too are His offspring.’

29 Since therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.

30 God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now He demands that all people everywhere repent

31because He has established a day on which He will ‘judge the world with justice’ through a man He has appointed, and He has provided confirmation for all by raising Him from the dead.

Let us continue to pray as Mary taught the children at Fatima: "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins and save us from the fires of hell. Draw all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Your Mercy.

 

[patricius79]

In her, God’s maternal affliction is open to view.

I just love that.

 

[MariaChristi]

me too!

 

[patricius79]

There is so much hunger for tenderness in the world. And here we have the utterly tender Mother of God with us at all times. We just need to know this and embrace her, and we’ll find the Merciful Jesus within her!

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear patricius,

Yes, there is a hunger for love; there is a hunger for God Who is love. But the world has become more interested in seeking “self” than in seeking God Who is Love. Love crucified on the Cross saw Mary standing beneath the Cross with His Beloved Disciple John and told us:

Behold Your Mother

In the book “Mary the Church at the Source”, we hear Pope Emeritus telling us:

…the Mother grieving for her Son, became the vivid translation of the word. In her, God’s maternal affliction is open to view. In her we can behold it and touch it. She is the compassio of God, displayed in a human being who has let herself be drawn wholly into God’s mystery…

I am reminded also of St. Louis de Montfort’s treatise on “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”, writing in his Introduction:

1. My heart has dictated with special joy all that I have written to show that Mary has been unknown up till now, and that that is one of the reasons why Jesus Christ is not known as He should be.

If then, as is certain, the knowledge and the kingdom of Jesus Christ must come into the world, it can only be as a necessary consequence of the knowledge and reign of Mary. She who first gave Him to the world will establish His kingdom in the world.

The professor’s video which you shared recently seems to show us how God continues to come to us through Mary. The professor’s experience wtih Mary showed him the Way, the Truth and the Life is Jesus!