Sept. 30 - Mary, Mother of the Incarnate Word!

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On this Memorial of St. Jerome who translated the Holy Scripture into Latin, let us be mindful of Mary who held Jesus, the Word Incarnate, in her mind and heart, even before she conceived Him by the power of the Holy Spirit in her womb. In Luke’s Gospel, we hear God, speaking of Mary:

Mary sings her Magnificat:

“He has helped Israel His servant, remembering His mercy, according to His promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” – Lk 1: 54 - 55

“And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart”. - Lk 2:19

“He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and His mother kept all these things in her heart.” Lk 2:51

Continuing to hear God speaking through “True Devotion”, Chap. 1 - NECESSITY OF DEVOTION TO OUR LADY:

1. Secondly, we must conclude that, being necessary to God by a necessity which is called “hypothetical”, (that is, because God so willed it), the Blessed Virgin is all the more necessary for men to attain their final end. Consequently we must not place devotion to her on the same level as devotion to the other saints as if it were merely something optional.
2. The pious and learned Jesuit, Suarez, Justus Lipsius, a devout and erudite theologian of Louvain, and many others have proved incontestably that devotion to our Blessed Lady is necessary to attain salvation. This they show from the teaching of the Fathers, notably St. Augustine, St. Ephrem, deacon of Edessa, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Germanus of Constantinople, St. John Demascene, St. Anselm, St. Bernard, St. Bernardine, St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure. Even according to Oecolampadius and other heretics, lack of esteem and love for the Virgin Mary is an infallible sign of God’s disapproval. On the other hand, to be entirely and genuinely devoted to her is a sure sign of God’s approval.
3. The types and texts of the Old and New Testaments prove the truth of this, the opinions and examples of the saints confirm it, and reason and experience teach and demonstrate it. Even the devil and his followers, forced by the evidence of the truth, were frequently obliged against their will to admit it. For brevity’s sake, I shall quote one only of the many passages which I have collected from the Fathers and Doctors of the Church to support this truth. “Devotion to you, O Blessed Virgin, is a means of salvation which God gives to those whom He wishes to save” (St. John Damascene).

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen

 

[hazcompat]

Mary is the Virgin of Virgins​

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“Virginity is a profound silence from all cares of this earth, not only from useless cares but from all cares… It is said: Each one naturally loves his native land, and since the native land of Jesus is the Virgin of Virgins and since Jesus was born by His will of a Lily, He loves to find Himself in virgin hearts.” (Letter 122, October 14, 1890)

“C eline, why this extraordinary privilege, why? . . . Ah! what a grace to be a virgin, to be the bride of Jesus! It must indeed be beautiful, sublime, since the purest and most intelligent of all creatures thought it better to remain a virgin than to become the Mother of a God . . . And this is the grace that Jesus grants us, He wants us to be His brides, indeed He even promises us that we may be His mother and His sisters for He says so in His gospel: For whosoever shall do the will of my Father, He is my mother, my brother and my sister. Yes, one who loves Jesus is all His family. In that unique Heart which has no other like it , He finds all that He desires, in it He finds His Heaven!”

• Saint Therese of Lisieux

Taken from letters written to her sister Celine (1890-1891).

Read more on mariedenazareth.com:​

Saint Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church, (1873-1897)

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear brother hazcompat,

Thanks so much for your post and beautiful picture, on today’s Memorial of St. Therese, which significantly also is the First Day of Mary’s Month of the Rosary. What a gift, little St. Thresee Vigin and Doctor of the Church is for all of us. Each day, I pray her prayer for priests and am blessed by her child-like spiirituality which is unique in its appeal throughout the Church.

As a youngster I read her Autobiography, and was much impressed by her. As an adult I was even more impressed in reading the book “St. Therese of Lisieux : Her Last Conversations” which contains the notes written by her siblings who attended her in her final days in Carmel. A book of her Poetry which includes her last Poem - “Why I Love You, O Mary!” is another treasure which I return to often, and will post a few lines from today on my next post.