"... the magnificence of the Almighty where He hid His only Son

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today, liturgically speaking, is an optional “memorial” of Our Lady. This feast commemorates the miracle of the snowfall that occurred during the night of August 4-5 in the year 358 on the site where the basilica (St. Mary Major) now stands. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to two faithful Roman Christians, the patrician John and his wife, as well as to Pope Liberius (352-366), asking that a church be built in her honor on the site where snow would fall on the night of August 4-5. Pope Liberius traced the outlines of the church in the snow and the first basilica was built on that site. It was completed about a century later by Pope Sixtus III (432-440), after the Council of Ephesus in 431 during which Mary was declared to be the Mother of God.

This is a good day to ponder more from St. Louis de Montfort’s treatise on “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”.. So often Catholics are accused; and even our saints are accused of “excess” in honoring Mary. Yet, God Himself honored her beyond our full comprehension by “hiding His Son in her womb” as St. Louis wrote:

1. I declare with the saints: Mary is the earthly paradise of Jesus Christ the new Adam, where He became man by the power of the Holy Spirit, in order to accomplish in her wonders beyond our understanding. She is the vast and divine world of God where unutterable marvels and beauties are to be found. She is the magnificence of the Almighty where He hid His only Son, as in His own bosom, and with Him everything that is most excellent and precious. What great and hidden things the all-powerful God has done for this wonderful creature, as she herself had to confess in spite of her great humility, “The Almighty has done great things for me.” The world does not know these things because it is incapable and unworthy of knowing them.
2. The saints have said wonderful things of Mary, the holy City of God, and, as they themselves admit, they were never more eloquent and more pleased than when they spoke of her. And yet they maintain that the height of her merits rising up to the throne of the Godhead cannot be perceived; the breadth of her love which is wider than the earth cannot be measured; the greatness of the power which she wields over one who is God cannot be conceived; and the depths of her profound humility and all her virtues and graces cannot be sounded. What incomprehensible height! What indescribable breadth! What immeasurable greatness! What an impenetrable abyss!

Come Holy Spirit, kindle in us the Fire of Your Love. Bring us into all Truth, Who is Jesus, given to us through Mary.

 

[patricius79]

So often Catholics are accused; and even our saints are accused of “excess” in honoring Mary. Yet, God Himself honored her beyond our full comprehension by “hiding His Son in her womb”

That is right, MariaChristi. We can’t grasp the extent to which God has exalted Mary by making her the worthy Mother of God. St. Alphonsus Liguori, in his masterpiece, “the Glories of Mary” agrees with other doctors of the Church that it’s not possible for God to exalt a creature more than by making her the Mother of God.

So the real problem is that we don’t give our humble Mother enough honor. Yet she is so merciful to those who have even the least spark of devotion to her, as well as those that don’t have any. She’s each person’s supernatural mother, after all; and each human person is called to a unique and unrepeatable relationship with her.

Blessed Pope Pius IX, in the Encyclical “Ineffabilis Deus” wrote:

Therefore, far above all the angels and all the saints so wondrously did God endow her with the abundance of all heavenly gifts poured from the treasury of his divinity that this mother, ever absolutely free of all stain of sin, all fair and perfect, would possess that fullness of holy innocence and sanctity than which, under God, one cannot even imagine anything greater, and which, outside of God, no mind can succeed in comprehending fully.
…
he is an unspeakable miracle of God — indeed, the crown of all miracles and truly the Mother of God; that she approaches as near to God himself as is possible for a created being…"
Ineffabilis Deus - Papal Encyclicals

 

[MariaChristi]

Yes, dear patricius,

Saints and Popes and even simple persons like us, by God’s Grace, can grow in our love for God by pondering the wonders He has done in Mary. Like Mary herself we need to keep our focus on Him as Mary did during her life on this earth.

St. Louis de Montfort continues to offer us the wisdom God gave him concerning Jesus and Mary and how in focusing on them we can grow in our call to holiness. paragraph # 2 in his Introduction to the treatise onTrue Devotion continues to remain in my heart:

1. Because Mary remained hidden during her life she is called by the Holy Spirit and the Church “Alma Mater”, Mother hidden and unknown. So great was her humility that she desired nothing more upon earth than to remain unknown to herself and to others, and to be known only to God.

The spirit of the world seeks to honor “self” but the Holy Spirit teaches us to honor God, to do His Will, as Jesus and Mary did. Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your Faithful. Jesus, we trust in You! Mary our Mother and Model, pray for us. Thanks for your reply and the beautiful quote from Bl. Pope Pius IX

 

[patricius79]

So great was her humility that she desired nothing more upon earth than to remain unknown to herself and to others, and to be known only to God.

It’s no wonder that Our Lady–whose heart was set on God alone-- had perfect peace, while the world is so agitated, and cannot bear suffering.

St. John Eudes wrote:

[T]he most profound humility of Mary’s Heart endowed her with a passionate love of
suffering and humiliation, and enabled her to endure them in peacefulness.
Full text of "The Admirable Heart Of Mary by St John Eudes"

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks for your reply, patricius,

It seems to me, Our Lady’s whole-hearted willingness to accept whatever suffering the Lord permitted, stemmed from her love for God, rather than a love for suffering in itself. As St. John Eudes pointed out in the quote you posted: It was the profound humility, with which God endowed Mary’s heart that enabled her to love and endure sufferings. God gives Grace to the humble but resists the proud.

Jesus told His disciples (and Mary was listening to, and obeying, His every word):

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy, and My burden light.”

The world is so busy trying to solve its problems without God in our day. As you said, the world is so agitated! We were created for eternal happiness but we cannot live in this world without suffering because of sin – our own sins as well as the sins of others, since the sin of our first patents. We can, however, open the ears of our hearts to hear God’s Truth and in doing His Truth find all we need.

Mary our Mother and Model listened to all Jesus said and did, pondering all in her heart. Jesus dying on the Cross gave Mary to us that we might be like her, in her likeness to Him. Mary knew the peace Jesus gives is not as the world gives.

Come Holy Spirit, fill us with Your Love. O Jesus living in Mary, come and live in us! Mary, refuge of sinners, help us to take up our crosses and follow Jesus, lovingly. Pray for us that we may become meek and humble of heart, as Jesus has invited us to “Come to Him”! Come with us, Mother, as we are your children!

 

[patricius79]

Yes, MariaChristi. St. John Eudes said that Mary knew that nothing can give more honor and glory to God than suffering out of love for Him.

St. Faustina said:

If the angels were capable of envy, they would envy us for two things: one is the receiving of Holy Communion, and the other is suffering ( Diary , 1804).

St. Louis said similarly in "the Love of Eternal Wisdom, where he even said that the Cross is the food of love and is the source of every delight and consolation.

 

[MariaChristi]

Ah, then, by God’s Grace, let us follow Jesus as Mary and all the saints have done! When the evil one comes to tempt us let us not listen to him but focus on Jesus and Mary – knowing they will give us strength to suffer and become more and more pleasing to God, for we will do all with Love.

 

[patricius79]

The evil one has tempted me especially to think of suffering as a punishment.

But now I know that it is a gift, as Mother St. Teresa and the other saints --including St. Louis-- tell us.

We don’t seek to create suffering for ourselves, out of self will. But with Mary’s help, we gladly embrace all the crosses which God “sends us”. I like that quotation a lot from St. Louis in “The Love of Eternal Wisdom”:

All those to whom Eternal Wisdom gave himself have desired the Cross, sought after it, welcomed
it. Whatever sufferings came their way, they exclaimed from the depths of their heart with St. Andrew, “O wonderful Cross, so long have I yearned for you!”
http://www.montfort.org/content/uploads/pdf/PDF_EN_25_1.pdf

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear patricius,

God knows the heart of each child He has created. He sent Jesus through Mary that He might reveal the great depth of His Love in becoming Incarnate in Mary’s womb. He suffered for love, assuming a human nature like ours, in all except sin.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was given the grace to “see” suffering as a gift, and share that wisdom with us, as were other saints like St. Louis de Montfort and St. Catherine of Siena and others who wrote of their experiences of suffering that we might learn how they followed Jesus to the Cross. Some suffering is seen by others while some suffering is hidden from others but God sees all.

In His Love for us, God permits suffering as a gift, that we may learn to love one another as Jesus has loved us. Describing Mary in paragraph #7 St. Louis wrote:

the breadth of her love which is wider than the earth cannot be measured;

Mary’s love for God and her love for us is unsurpassed – except by God, of course! God gave us the perfect Mother to help us find our Way our Truth and our Life (Who is Jesus). Coming to know and love Jesus we find ourselves not only following Him but experience His taking us home to our Father. Thanks again for your reply and for your love of Jesus through Mary.

Please let us continue to pray for one another and for all our brothers and sisters .

 

[John10]

Agreed Mary is the shortest, easiest and most secure path directly to Jesus.

 

[patricius79]

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was given the grace to “see” suffering as a gift, and share that wisdom with us, as were other saints like St. Louis de Montfort and St. Catherine of Siena and others who wrote of their experiences of suffering that we might learn how they followed Jesus to the Cross. Some suffering is seen by others while some suffering is hidden from others but God sees all.

Right.

And Mary helps all, but she’s able to make suffering especially sweet to those who cling to her.

St. Louis says:

It is true that on our way we have hard battles to fight and serious obstacles to overcome, but Mary,
our Mother and Queen, stays close to her faithful servants. She is always at hand to brighten their darkness,
clear away their doubts, strengthen them in their fears, sustain them in their combats and trials. Truly, in
comparison with other ways, this virgin road to Jesus is a path of roses and sweet delights.
http://www.montfort.org/content/uploads/pdf/PDF_EN_26_1.pdf

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks John, for your reply. Truly, I know Mary continues to help me love Jesus more and more. How I thank Him for giving her to us!