With our Mother Mary, during His Passion

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we continue in this Holy Week, I’m mindful of the ancient hymn “Stabat Mater” and quote some stanzas now:

…O thou Mother! fount of love!
Touch my spirit from above,
make my heart with thine accord:

Make me feel as thou hast felt;
make my soul to glow and melt
with the love of Christ my Lord.

Holy Mother! pierce me through,
in my heart each wound renew
of my Savior crucified:

Let me share with thee His pain,
who for all my sins was slain,
who for me in torments died.

Let me mingle tears with thee,
mourning Him who mourned for me,
all the days that I may live:

By the Cross with thee to stay,
there with thee to weep and pray,
is all I ask of thee to give.

Virgin of all virgins blest!,
Listen to my fond request:
let me share thy grief divine;

Let me, to my latest breath,
in my body bear the death
of that dying Son of thine…

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your Faithful, kindle in us the Fire of Your Love.
Mary, Mother of Sorrows, pray for us.
Jesus, we trust in You! We adore Thee O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

 

[adgloriam]

Thanks @MariaChristi I didn’t know about this hymn and enjoyed it

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear adgloriam,

Thanks for your reply.

From about 4th through 8th Grade in our Catholic elementary school, during Lent, the Nuns who taught every grade but one, as I recall, took us to Church (right next to the school) and we would pray the Stations of the Cross every Friday. One stanza of the Hymn, “Stabat Mater” was sung before and after each station.

It is a beautiful hymn, and one of the many things I learned as a child that has remained – “ingrained upon my heart and mind”. How sad for children who grow into adulthood with very little knowledge of God and His Mother! May God help us to pray and do more to bring Jesus through Mary to others!

 

[adgloriam]

I went through secular school, and today looking around me children have no catechesis. Things are going from bad to worst, I really don’t know what will become…

 

[otrrl]

There were a lot of pains going to Catholic schools for twelve years but looking back it was greatest to have a constant focus on Jesus. There was a lot I missed by not going to public school but I value what I did receive in Catholic school. The priest who taught the junior and senior classes (when we had extra priests to do such a thing) turns out he was outed many years later as a sexual predator. There were signs back then in high school, but I didn’t dream of such a thing happening to us.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear adgloriam,

Thanks again for your reply, We have a Catholic School in our parish – very small enrollment Grades Pre-k through 5th. Since a new Catholic High School was recently opened in the diocese, the original middle grades (6th through 8th) were transferred to the new high school. I’ve taught in both Cstholic and public schools and sadly seen the “dumbing-down” of America in both situations.

Not only have the teachers in Catholic School been drawn into this but public schools have been drawing Catholic families into their “orbit” because of govenrment funding. Catholic parents often can’t keep up with tuition now required in Catholic schools – it’s a mess!

The “bright light of hope” however still shines in the Catholic Families which still practice their faith with sincere hearts and the courage God gives them to persevere in home-schooling or helping small Catholic schools to catechize well. What is sorely needed in every parish and Diocese at this time however is a strong ADULT Formation programs to help those young adults and even some older ones who missed the strong Catechetical Formation they needed in their youth. It is never too late.

An excellent article on this can be read HERE

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear otrri,

Thanks for your reply. I’m a product of Catholic Education from First Grade through Graduate School. No school is perfect, but I never felt I missed anything by not attending public schools – on the contrary, I attended Catholic schools at a time when they were more “Catholic” than today, and so I was blessed and am very grateful.

It is sad to look back as you have done on what happened to the Church and to see today so much confusion after Vatican II. When one reads the Documents, we see the truth the Holy Spirit was giving to the Church but the aftermath of the Council and the lack of sound catechesis was a tragedy.

It reminds me of the parable of Jesus, in which He speaks about the owner of the vineyard who planted wheat but an enemy sowed weeds in his field during the night. My husband and I pray for clergy in particular every day. I often think that had they been encouraged to stay close to Mary, they would not have been such “easy prey” for the evil one.

In a Mysterious way, Mary remains our Lady of Sorrows — seeing her sons and daughters wounded by sin. Her appearances at Fatima to the shepherd children: Lucia, Jacinta and Francesco are hopeful signs for us – in the end her Immaculate Heart, will triumph by the Will of God. The gates of hell will not prevail against the Church.

Come Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth.
Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us.
Jesus, we trust in You!