How Mary LIVED ... (6th installment)

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This is the conclusion of the Presentation I gave on "How Mary LIVED the ‘Our Father’ ". I have a picture which I was able to project on to a “Smart Board” from our computer. It seemed to me that sometimes one look is worth a thousand words. My husband made a print of the picture and I keep it on my desk. I’m looking at it as I type this. I hope you will be blessed by the picture as I am. Here is the final installment:

… “Hallowed be Thy Name” - the Catechism tells us (2815)— “This petition embodies all the others”. I believe this petition, most surely describes Mary’s life. Mary was continually giving herself to God, as a child gives itself to be formed and nurtured; and having received she gave again and again in loving return. Created by love for love, she lived in God Who is Love. He hallowed His Name in her, and through her, increasingly. Because she was ever sinless, Mary lived always in His Holiness, and gave herself to the coming of the Kingdom in Jesus and the doing of His Will with Jesus. Mary’s life is seen, it seems to me, especially in these first three petitions.

In the remaining petitions we see Mary interceding for us. Mary received her daily Bread, and received the Eucharist always to share with us. Mary forgave with Jesus for she had no sin of her own, still she continues to ask the Father to forgive us. Mary knows God’s power exceeds the power of evil, and so she intercedes that we not succumb to the temptations of evil. God delivered her from evil, and she continues to intercede for our deliverance now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Finally, I want to show an artist’s rendition of a vision Mother Teresa of Calcutta experienced soon after hearing her “call” from Jesus to serve the poor. She described the vision to Fr. Langford not long before her death, and told him, there may come a time when you need to share this. He waited until after her death, and wrote about the vision in his book entitled Mother Teresa, in the Shadow of Our Lady, In this vision, Mother saw herself as a child and behind her was Mary with her hand on the child’s shoulder and the other hand raising the child’s right arm toward the cross.

This is an image for all of us called to holiness: to become humble as children before the Love of God, keeping our eyes on Jesus, praying all the petitions of the prayer Jesus gave us. Mother Teresa said she could not have gone through her darkness without Mary. With Mary’s hand on us too, Iet us LIVE the “Our Father” grace upon grace.

http://www.mcpriests.com/03spirituality/images/christ_mother.jpg

 

[Murmurs]

I do not think I have ever said, MariaChristi, how much I appreciate your posts. They are always thoughtful, and inspiring, and uplifting. I’ve particularly appreciated this series and it’s really given a lot to think about, or presented things in ways many of us (or myself anyway!) have not thought about in that way before. And that really is a beautiful picture.

Many, many thanks, and God bless you, and your husband.

 

[MariaChristi]

I do not think I have ever said, MariaChristi, how much I appreciate your posts. They are always thoughtful, and inspiring, and uplifting. I’ve particularly appreciated this series and it’s really given a lot to think about, or presented things in ways many of us (or myself anyway!) have not thought about in that way before. And that really is a beautiful picture.

Many, many thanks, and God bless you, and your husband.

Dear Murmurs,

Thanks for your reply and especially for your prayers for my husband and for me. When the Knights of Columbus at our parish invited us to speak at their monthly meeting, the invitation came through one of the Knights who attends our Sunday Bible Study at our parish. I was happy my husband chose to speak on “The Our Father” since he has written a book on this prayer, * The Interior Liturgy of the Our Father*, and also given several presentations to different groups on this prayer which I have found to be beautiful and different each time he speaks. This prayer Jesus taught us is fathomless – we never exhaust the depths of it, in this life.

It was not until the evening he gave his presentation that I thought of how I would follow it with something about our Mother Mary. When our friend told the Knights and their guests that I would be speaking at the following meeting, I’m sure it was the Holy Spirit who put the title into my mind and heart: "How Mary LIVED the ‘Our Father’ ". It was something I had not thought about before that night. It was important for me to pray and ponder this because Mary is our Mother and Model in everything. I hope what I have posted will help you and others to pray the Our Father, by His Grace, with greater devotion and attention, so that we may live as Mary did in this world.

So glad you liked the picture of Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s “vision” of herself as a child with Mary standing behind her. Sometimes, I like to think of Mary’s hand on my shoulder, – as she spoke to Mother Teresa – Mary also can “speak” to us through the words of Scripture and surely she points us to Jesus always.

Again, thanks for your reply and please let us pray for one another, for the Church and all those in most need of God’s Mercy.