Wk 1 - Day 7 - "seeking true self-knowledge" (Nov. 27 - Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal)

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

What a beautiful Feast-day to conclude this week! Our Lady manifested the Miraculous Medal to St. Catherine Laboure, on Nov. 27, 1830 – you can read more HERE.

St. Catherine is a humble saint whose own mother died when she was very young and she told Our Lady that she (Mary) would be her Mother! How truly this describes every child of God’s Grace! How many have taken Mary as our Mother – even while our own Mothers were still living and whom we still loved, as God by His Grace, spoke a deeper truth into our hearts: “Behold your Mother!”

So as we begin this last day of Wk 1 - “seeking true self- knowledge” let us thank God for ALL His Graces – bringing us this far on our journey, and ask for His continuing graces to finish well! It is told of St. Bernard that when asked what was necessary for holiness, he replied: “Three things - Humility, Humility and Humility!” Truly, it is particularly humility, Jesus Himself told us to learn from Him:

“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.” (Mt 11:28-30).

This is what our Mother Mary did: Mary listened and kept all Jesus said and did, pondering all in her heart. The Gospel tells us:

Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. (Lk 2: 19)
Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. (Lk 2: 51)

St. Louis de Montfort in his treatise on True Devotion to Mary is ultimately helping us to follow God’s Will from the beginning: to receive God’s fullness of Grace coming to us in Jesus through Mary. WE do not sanctify ourselves or perfect ourselves nor are we called to love ourselves to the contempt of God. Just the opposite: “Those who are building the City of God love God to the contempt of self!” - St. Augustine.

We cannot serve two masters, and so, by God’s grace, let us not enthrone “self” but rather serve only Christ Who reigns within the Kingdom of our hearts.

Litany to the Holy Spirit
Ave Maris Stella,
Litany of the Blessed Virgin

 

[Wm777]

I’m a few days ahead of you all, so this may seem a bit out of sync - but it’s a thought that seems worth sharing. The notion contemplates the roles of each member of the Holy Family more than any particular individual within it, although we’ll look at each particular individual in the contemplation.

The Holy Family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

We all know the name “Jesus” means “one who saves”, and we readily acknowledge Jesus as Christ come to redeem us.

To a lesser extent, people may know the name “Joseph” literally means “one who increases”. I wish we knew more about St Joseph. I would like to know how it was that he increased things.

Lastly, we have Mary herself. The name “Maria” has some debate around it, but it usually seems to mean “sea of bitterness and sorrow”. Since Catholicism usually emphasizes “misericordiae”, and St Louis has us saying the “Ave Maris Stella” - it seems we could work along these lines.

But we have a sort of irony when looking at Mary’s name, as opposed to her role as the Mother of God, as the Blessed Mother.

The Magnificat probably defines Mary’s role best. She herself testifies, “My soul magnifies the Lord”, and “my Spirit rejoices in God, my Savior”. Her fiat ratifies she submits to this willingly - giving herself the title of the “Handmaid of the Lord”. In reflection of her name, then, we may wonder - how is it someone who’s name means “Sea of Sorrow” can “rejoice in the Lord”? Yet - that is what she agrees to do.

Her fiat is motivated by faith - more explicitly - the faithful belief is that God is a saviour. It is to this hopeful belief that God will save her that she willingly submits. And, she rejoices in it, perhaps most especially at the Feast of the Annunciation.

Let us return now to consider the Holy Family as a team.

What do we have?

An earthly Father who increases; a Mother who magnifies; and a Son who saves. Each has at some point ratified the other - St Joseph by telling the Angel he would take Mary into his home and espouse her; Mary by her fiat to Gabriel; and, Jesus in submitting to them both, as well as to the redemption of all mankind. The net result was an infinitely exponential growth of spirituality throughout eternity.

Thus, “'Rejoice! And, again, I say - ‘rejoice!’”

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear William,

Thanks for your reply and your reflections on the Holy Family. You obviously like to read and look things up, or you wouldn’t have found meanings for names, and you certainly are seeking to draw closer to the Holy Family in pondering what God has told us in Scripture about Jesus, Mary and Joseph and what their names signify to you in a special way. You are using the gifts God gave you to help others which is why God gives His Gifts as St. Paul points out:

But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore, it says: “He ascended on high and took prisoners captive; He gave gifts to men.” What does “He ascended” mean except that He also descended into the lower [regions] of the earth? The One who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.

And He gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ, so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming. Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into Him who is the head, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love. (Eph 4: 7-16)

As we conclude this week of “seeking true self knowledge”, it is good for us to ask God the Holy Spirit for a better understanding of how we are to do God’s Will, even as Jesus, Mary and Joseph did the Father’s Will in their lives on earth.

Jesus, is God and Head of the Body. The Son of God, The Word of the Father became Flesh in the womb of Mary by the power of The Holy Spirit. The Incarnation is beyond our human understanding and only by the Supernatural Gift of Faith given at Baptism can we even begin to ponder the wonder of it.

Yet if we are to “attain to the full stature of Christ” and be able to say with St. Paul, “I live now not I but Christ lives in me” – we need to keep asking the Holy Spirit to bring us into the Truth Who is Jesus.

There is little in the Scripture about Mary and Joseph, but there is enough to help us learn from them to know, to love, and to serve God more if we ponder prayerfully. Tomorrow, God willing, Wk 2, begins: “seeking a better knowledge of Mary”. I agree with you, her words in the Magnificat say much about the role God gave her. Pope Benedict XVI called the Magnificat “Mary’s 'self-portrait”

I want to ponder Mary with Joseph next week, Michael, and in Wk 3 to ponder Jesus with both of them so thanks again for your reflection. Totus Tuus!

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks, Michael, for your “heart”. It is always encouraging to get some feedback.

However, even when I don’t get any feedback, or even if I get a negative comment, I’m content – for I believe, by His Grace: “Totus Tuus” – I belong to Jesus – through Mary and totally!

“O Jesus living in Mary, come and live in your servants, in the spirit of Your holiness, in the fullness of Your power, in the perfection of Your ways, in the truth of Your virtues, in the communion of Your mysteries. Rule over every adverse power, in Your Spirit, for the glory of the Father. Amen.” (Fr. Olier)