Mar. 14 - Wk 2 - Day 4 - "to acquire a greater understanding of Mary"

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today, is Saturday, and Catholics for centuries have considered it to be “Mary’s Day”, because on the First Saturday after Jesus’ death on Friday, Mary remained full of Faith in His Resurrection. We can be sure of Mary’s Faith, but as for others even the beloved Disciple John, from whom we hear in his own Gospel of the disciples’ “fears” rather than faith, until Jesus rises from the dead.

St. Louis de Montfort in paragraph # 108 of his treatise, "True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin" wrote:
…true devotion to our Lady is holy, that is, it leads us to avoid sin and to imitate the virtues of Mary. Her ten principal virtues are: deep humility, lively faith, blind obedience, unceasing prayer, constant self-denial, surpassing purity, ardent love, heroic patience, angelic kindness, and heavenly wisdom.
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Yesterday, in remembering Jesus’ words from His Cross to John and to us:
“Behold your Mother”, I could not help but dwell on Mary’s standing at the foot of the Cross and keeping the eyes and ears of her heart open to Jesus – and learning from Him the unfathomable depth of His Humility.

Today, I want to ponder Mary’s faith - alive in her - even in the midst of all her pain on Calvary and in her time of waiting to see Jesus again when He rose from the dead. Please let us continue to pray for one another and for all the world, remembering also Jesus’ words:

“When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Lk 18:8)
Litany of the Holy Spirit: see HERE

Ave Maris Stella: see HERE

5 decades of the Rosary for greater understanding of Mary
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“At another level it is my understanding that “the beloved disciple” by extension is also all of us, meaning that it was used as such so that the reader or hearer of the Gospel stories would place themselves in the place of John and see and experience Christ as he did.”
The writer of John may have been more closely authored by “The Queen of Heaven” Herself.
 
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IOANNES PAULUS PP. II
REDEMPTORIS MATER
On the Blessed Virgin Mary
in the life of the Pilgrim Church

PART I - MARY IN THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST
  1. Full of Grace.
  2. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3). These words of the Letter to the Ephesians reveal the eternal design of God the Father, his plan of man’s salvation in Christ. It is a universal plan, which concerns all men and women created in the image and likeness of God (cf.Gen. 1:26). Just as all are included in the creative work of God “in the beginning,” so all are eternally included in the divine plan of salvation, which is to be completely revealed, in the “fullness of time,” with the final coming of Christ. In fact, the God who is the “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”-these are the next words of the same Letter-“chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:4-7).
    The divine plan of salvation-which was fully revealed to us with the coming of Christ-is eternal.And according to the teaching contained in the Letter just quoted and in other Pauline Letters (cf. Col. 1:12- 14; Rom. 3:24; Gal. 3:13; 2 Cor. 5:18-29), it is also eternally linked to Christ. It includes everyone, but it reserves a special place for the “woman” who is the Mother of him to whom the Father has entrusted the work of salvation.19 As the Second Vatican Council says, “she is already prophetically foreshadowed in that promise made to our first parents after their fall into sin”-according to the Book of Genesis (cf. 3:15). “Likewise she is the Virgin who is to conceive and bear a son, whose name will be called Emmanuel”- according to the words of Isaiah (cf. 7:14).20 In this way the Old Testament prepares that “fullness of time” when God “sent forth his Son, born of woman…so that we might receive adoption as sons.” The coming into the world of the Son of God is an event recorded in the first chapters of the Gospels according to Luke and Matthew.
 
Dear Steven Andrew,

Thanks for your reply. Pope St. John Paul II certainly interpreted chapter 19 in the Gospel of John, verses 26 and 27 as Jesus’ gift of Mary to all of us, and his gift of us to her. It was not merely that Mary would see Jesus now in the person of John but Mary would now as Mother and Model of the Church would see Jesus in every member of His Body, the Church.

What powerful words for us to ponder:
26 When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple there whom He loved, he said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”

27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
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As I already mentioned in another post, Pope St. John Paul II wrote that in the Greek Language in which John wrote his Gospel, translators supplied the work “home” but the Greek literally says John took her into his “own” and the meaning deepens into “his own being, his own life”. The Church by proclaiming Mary “Mother of the Church” acknowledges the gift of Mary to us and us to Mary.

God is the primary Author of Scripture but He has given His grace to the human authors as well. I believe John wrote his Gospel with great love for Mary as did Matthew, Mark and Luke. The Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church into the fullness of God’s Revelation in Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church.

Thanks for your reply. I agree with you that while Mary lived in the home of John she probably shared much with John. What Mother does not give to all her children what she has and what they truly need? 🙂
 
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Dear hazcompat,

Thanks again for continuing to quote from the beautiful Encyclical of Pope St. John Paul II - “Mother of the Redeemer - On the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of the Pilgrim Church”. How appropriate his words are for us as we continue our own 33 Day Journey (pilgrimage) this week especially seeking “to acquire a greater understanding of Mary”!

Pope St. John Paul II read St. Louis de Montfort’s treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, as a young Man and when he wrote the Encyclical from which you are quoting, he had already chosen his Papal Motto: “Totus Tuus” (meaning “All Yours” ) taken directly from St. Louis de Montfort’s writing. Like St. Louis Pope St JPII loved and preached on the Scripture and was given God’s Grace to “see by faith” Mary’s Place in the Mystery of Christ. Both Saints in their writngs are very clear on the Centrality of Christ - and their Marian Devotion is as ours needs to be “Christo-centric.”

St. Louis wrote in “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”:
  1. With the whole Church I acknowledge that Mary, being a mere creature fashioned by the hands of God is, compared to his infinite majesty, less than an atom, or rather is simply nothing, since he alone can say, “I am he who is”. Consequently, this great Lord, who is ever independent and self-sufficient, never had and does not now have any absolute need of the Blessed Virgin for the accomplishment of his will and the manifestation of his glory. To do all things he has only to will them.
  2. However, I declare that, considering things as they are, because God has decided to begin and accomplish His greatest works through the Blessed Virgin ever since He created her, we can safely believe that He will not change His plan in the time to come, for He is God and therefore does not change in His thoughts or His way of acting.
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Yes, we have much to ponder and be grateful to God for, in all He has done, is doing, and will do!
 
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Dear patricius, KBS and Stephie,

Thanks so much for your “faith-full” hearts! Pondering today Mary’s Faith, i remembered this paragraph St. Louis de Montfort wrote, in his treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin:
  1. Mary will share her faith with you. Her faith on earth was stronger than that of all the patriarchs, prophets, apostles and saints. Now that she is reigning in heaven she no longer has this faith, since she sees everything clearly in God by the light of glory. However, with the consent of almighty God she did not lose it when entering heaven. She has preserved it for her faithful servants in the Church militant. Therefore the more you gain the friendship of this noble Queen and faithful Virgin the more you will be inspired by faith in your daily life. It will cause you to depend less upon sensible and extraordinary feelings. For it is a lively faith animated by love enabling you to do everything from no other motive than that of pure love. It is a firm faith, unshakable as a rock, prompting you to remain firm and steadfast in the midst of storms and tempests. It is an active and probing faith which like some mysterious pass-key admits you into the mysteries of Jesus Christ and of man’s final destiny and into the very heart of God himself. It is a courageous faith which inspires you to undertake and carry out without hesitation great things for God and the salvation of souls. Lastly, this faith will be your flaming torch, your very life with God, your secret fund of divine Wisdom, and an all-powerful weapon for you to enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. It inflames those who are lukewarm and need the gold of fervent love. It restores life to those who are dead through sin. It moves and transforms hearts of marble and cedars of Lebanon by gentle and convincing argument. Finally, this faith will strengthen you to resist the devil and the other enemies of salvation.
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Please let us pray for one another, for the Church and for the world as we look to our Mother’s faith and implore her intercession. May she strengthen our faith by her prayers and continue her prayers for persons to receive God’s grace during this trial of the corona virus.
 
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Our diocese has cancelled public Mass, but the 24/7 Adoration Chapel remains open as is the Marian grotto.

Thank you so much for these continuing beautiful prayers and commentary.

God bless.
 
Dear Stephie,

And thank you also for your companionship on this journey which St. Louis de Montfort was inspired to write for the Members of the Body of Christ. By God’s Grace St. Louis helps us to know, love and serve Jesus through Mary, with Mary, in Mary and for Mary.

As we continue “to acquire a greater understanding of Mary” we can see how much we need our Mother in times of trial. Mary like her Son always “listened” to hear God’s Will, in order to reply: “Thy Will Not mine, be done”.

As the world suffers stress over the coronal virus, Jesus and Mary continue interceding for us before the Father in heaven. We on earth, can join in their prayer, believing in the Father’s Love for us and knowing He is our Father Who knows how to give good gifts to His children.

Let us have “childlike faith” in God and give ourselves to Him in love. Let us say with Jesus: “Into Your Hands, Father, I commend my spirit” and saying with Mary: “Be it done to Me…” trusting completely in His Love for us and for every child whom He created.

Come Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of Your faithful, kindle in us the Fire of Your Love!
 
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