How Mary LIVED the "Our Father"

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Last month, I gave a presentation to a small group of the Knights of Columbus and their guests in our parish on: "How Mary LIVED the ‘Our Father’ ". Having asked for your prayers, and been blessed by you all, it occurred to me this morning that you might be interested in what that presentation included. My thought was to share it, in parts, on this Forum, over a few days.

This written copy does not contain some things that I added (hopefully inspired by the Holy Spirit) and so I cannot reproduce this exactly as it was presented. However, I’m offering it here in the hope it may be helpful. Please feel free to ask questions or comment on any part (or on the whole of it.) For anyone who does not know, my husband Thomas gave his presentation before mine, on the prayer Jesus taught us to say, “Our Father”. My presentation was at the Knights’ meeting, a month later.

How our Mother Mary LIVED the “Our Father”

As Thomas mentioned last time we met, we are very grateful to the Knights … for inviting us to speak to you. We are grateful for each person who came last time as well as this evening, trusting God wants to teach us all, through His Holy Spirit. This is “Part 2” in learning more about prayer and specifically the perfect prayer Jesus taught us.

— Tonight I want to share with you, the perfect example of our Mother Mary, who lived the perfect prayer and I would like to begin with a quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

CCC - 2764 The Sermon on the Mount is teaching for life, The Our Father is a prayer but in both one and the other the Spirit gives new form to our desires, those inner movements that animate our lives. Jesus teaches us to ask for it by our prayer. The rightness of our life in Him will depend on the rightness of our prayer.

In the “Our Father”, Jesus taught his disciples and the crowd who came to hear Him, not only the right words to pray but He also taught how to live those words. In perfect love from His Cross, Jesus gave His Church a perfect human model, one who listened attentively, and lived His words perfectly. I believe Mary was there with the other disciples listening to the Sermon on the Mount which we hear in chapters 5 - 7 of Matthew’s Gospel. Mary heard Jesus teach the words of the Our Father within that sermon, however, in a deeper, purer way than anyone.

Before His death on the Cross Jesus spoke solemn words to His Mother and to all of us in speaking to John. To Mary first, Jesus said: “Woman, behold your son.” Then to his beloved disciple John, Jesus said: “Son, behold your Mother”. John, writing these words in his Gospel adds, “And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.”

The translators have added the word “home”, but the original Greek in which the Gospel was written, says, “took her into his own”. Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have both written their interpretation as : “the disciple took her into his life”.

It is very important for us too, in this hour, tonight, to “behold our Mother”, and by God’s grace take her into our lives, as the Holy Spirit reveals her more and more to us. Mary is never an end in herself; she always points us to her Son who reveals the Father. In beholding Mary we learn to “see” by faith, how God can work marvels, in a humble human person— even in each one of us! We “see” in her example and hear in her words one who loves with a supernatural love, she received and shared. Mary’s last recorded words in the Gospel are given by John who heard Mary say lovingly to the servants at Cana: “Do whatever He tells you”.

…to be continued, God willing, tomorrow and in days to follow.

 

[Memaw]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Last month, I gave a presentation to a small group of the Knights of Columbus and their guests in our parish on: "How Mary LIVED the ‘Our Father’ ". Having asked for your prayers, and been blessed by you all, it occurred to me this morning that you might be interested in what that presentation included. My thought was to share it, in parts, on this Forum, over a few days.

This written copy does not contain some things that I added (hopefully inspired by the Holy Spirit) and so I cannot reproduce this exactly as it was presented. However, I’m offering it here in the hope it may be helpful. Please feel free to ask questions or comment on any part (or on the whole of it.) For anyone who does not know, my husband Thomas gave his presentation before mine, on the prayer Jesus taught us to say, “Our Father”. My presentation was at the Knights’ meeting, a month later.

…to be continued, God willing, tomorrow and in days to follow.

Thank you, looking forward to reading it. God Bless, Memaw

 

[liturgy96]

Mother most admirable, pray for us! Health of the sick, pray for us! Looking forward to the other reflections; may it bring health of mind and body to all of us! I am adding the bit about health since lately, I’ve not been in perfect health Rest assured I am taking care of myself; I simply need more time to heal

 

[Jeannie52]

Thank you for sharing your presentation with us on CAF. I love reading about Mary, just getting more of an insight on her passion to love God and prayer sortof makes me feel closer to God.

I look forward to when you share more about Mary.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thank you, looking forward to reading it. God Bless, Memaw

Dear Memaw,

Thanks for your reply and your encouragement. God willing, I will post more each day, until you have the whole of it.

It is interesting to me that I can’t remember the things I added spontaneously in giving the presentation. I trust the Holy Spirit inclined me to say some things the people there might needed to hear.

If anything does come back to me as I’m posting the excerpts from my written copy, I’ll add those comments at the bottom of the post outside of the “Quote” box… It may be something someone on the internet needs to hear as well. God knows.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thank you for sharing your presentation with us on CAF. I love reading about Mary, just getting more of an insight on her passion to love God and prayer sortof makes me feel closer to God.

I look forward to when you share more about Mary.

Dear Jeannie,

Thanks for your reply. I too love to read about Mary. Have you read St. John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter “On the Most Holy Rosary”? It can be read online HERE How about St. Louis de Montfort’s classic little treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary? It can be read online HERE.

St. John Paul II wrote that reading De Montfort’s “True Devotion” was a turning point in his young life. We can now see what beautiful fruits it bore in his life. The saints lived the Truth they heard.

Reading about Mary especially in Scripture and in the writings of the saints can help us open ourselves to God’s work in our own lives so that by His Grace, we may learn to live as Mary lived in this world. In my presentation, I tried to stay close to Scripture and the examples of the saints. I also used the Catechism to be sure I was hearing Scripture and other writings according to the teachings of the Church. We need to be careful in choosing what we read. If you have any questions on any part of what I post, please don’t hesitate to ask about it.

 

[MariaChristi]

Mother most admirable, pray for us! Health of the sick, pray for us! Looking forward to the other reflections; may it bring health of mind and body to all of us! I am adding the bit about health since lately, I’ve not been in perfect health Rest assured I am taking care of myself; I simply need more time to heal

Dear liturgy96,

Yes, health of mind and body is gained by God’s graces. We can fill our minds with things good for us or not. We can treat our body as God intends or we can ignore Him. I hope my presentation will help us begin to “Behold our Mother” in ever deeper ways, and to do as the apostle John did by taking her into our lives.

Mary is the Refuge of the Sick, so we can go to her and be safe from the evil one who tempts us to make poor choices. She is Health of the sick, so Mary can help us to find in Jesus the remedy for whatever causes upset to our minds and bodies.

Sometimes God permits us to suffer with health problems so that we can unite ourselves with Jesus and Mary who suffered for us. We can offer our sufferings in union with the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary and in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass being offered somewhere in the world. It is important, it seems to me, not to “waste” any suffering, but to see ALL that God allows as something He can work for good in our lives and in the lives of others.

May our Blessed Mother hold you and all of us in the crossing of her arms, close to Jesus.