Wk 2 - Day 4 - "acquiring a greater understanding of Mary" (First Saturday)

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we continue our 33 day journey to Total Consecration, let us remember today is also First Saturday. Seeking “to acquire a greater understanding of Mary”, let us pray to the Holy Spirit to understand her suffering as revealed to Sister Lucia of Fatima:

On December 10, 1925, the Most Holy Virgin appeared to Sr. Lucia, and by Her side, was the Child Jesus. Mary rested Her hand on Sister’s shoulder, and as She did so, She showed her a heart encircled by thorns, which She was holding in Her other hand.

At the same time, the Child said:

— Have compassion on the Heart of your most holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them.

Then the Most Holy Virgin said:

— Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me …

Holy Spirit open our hearts to Jesus and Mary fully. Help us hear what God reveals through His saints. Let us hear what St. Louis de Montfort wrote in True Devotion:

1. When Mary has taken root in a soul she produces in it wonders of grace which only she can produce; for she alone is the fruitful virgin who never had and never will have her equal in purity and fruitfulness. Together with the Holy Spirit Mary produced the greatest thing that ever was or ever will be: a God-man. She will consequently produce the marvels which will be seen in the latter times. The formation and the education of the great saints who will come at the end of the world are reserved to her, for only this singular and wondrous virgin can produce in union with the Holy Spirit singular and wondrous things.
2. When the Holy Spirit, her spouse, finds Mary in a soul, he hastens there and enters fully into it. He gives himself generously to that soul according to the place it has given to his spouse. One of the main reasons why the Holy Spirit does not work striking wonders in souls is that he fails to find in them a sufficiently close union with his faithful and inseparable spouse. I say “inseparable spouse”, for from the moment the substantial love of the Father and the Son espoused Mary to form Jesus, the head of the elect, and Jesus in the elect, he has never disowned her, for she has always been faithful and fruitful.

By God’s Grace let us pray fervently today:
Litany to the Holy Spirit
Ave Maris Stella,
In addition they will say at least five decades of the Rosary for greater understanding of Mary. ( from True Devotion, paragraph 229)

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks, Francis for clicking on the “heart” and letting us know you stopped by to read this thread. So few today seem to have an urgency in their hearts to see our Mother more loved and appreciated. Let us at least try to console her. St. Teresa of Avila was told by Jesus that He went to His Mother first after His Resurrection because He needed to console her.

When I read that in one of St. Teresa of Avila’s books I was so touched by God’s Love for His Mother – how can we ever thank Him enough for sending Jesus through Mary! How can we ever thank Jesus and Mary enough for ALL they have given us of Themselves! We cannot – of ourselves we can do nothing, but we can pray for God to do great things in us!

May we become like Mary – Mother and Model of the Church, by God’s Grace !

 

[Francis]

@MariaChristi

Thanks be to God and to you, for your constant posting of the same, i have a concern though, i wish that it’s longer than 14 days, so that others would have the opportunity to view them.I never knew that it was a revealed to St. Teresa of Avila, she is also one of my favorite saint whom i pray daily and ask her intercession, i also keep entrusting her few souls,like when ever i see a Nun ,i ask her to take care of them, nice to know ,there is also Venerable Mary of Agreda who knew about it .God Bless

THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD
VOLUME III THE TRANSFIXION Venerable Mary of Agreda

759.(Part I, No. 620). I merely add here, that the Queen, on this occasion, received these divine influences more abundantly and in a more exalted degree; for now the Passion of Christ had gone before and She had acquired the merits of this Passion. Hence the consolations from the hands of her divine Son corresponded to the multitude of her sorrows.

1. The blessed Mary being thus prepared, Christ our Savior, arisen and glorious, in the company of all the Saints and Patriarchs, made his appearance. The ever humble Queen prostrated Herself upon the ground and adored her divine Son; and the Lord raised Her up and drew Her to Himself. In this contact, which was more intimate than the contact with the humanity and the wounds of the Savior sought by Magdalen, the Virgin Mother participated in an extraordinary favor, which She alone, as exempt from sin, could merit. Although it was not the greatest of the favors She attained on this occasion, yet She could not have received it without failing of her faculties, if She had not been previously strengthened by the angels and by the Lord himself. This favor was, that the glorious body of the Son so closely united itself to that of his purest Mother, that He penetrated into it or She into his, as when, for instance, a crystal globe takes up within itself the light of the sun and is saturated with the splendor and beauty of its light. In the same way the body of the most holy Mary entered into that of her divine Son by this heavenly embrace; it was, as it were, the portal of her intimate knowledge concerning the glory of the most holy soul and body of her Lord. As a consequence of these favors, constituting higher and higher degrees of ineffable gifts, the spirit of the Virgin Mother rose to the knowledge of the most hidden sacraments. In the midst of them She heard a voice saying to Her: “My beloved, ascend higher !” (Luke 18, 10). By the power of these words She was entirely transformed and saw the Divinity clearly and intuitively, wherein She found complete, though only temporary, rest and reward for all her sorrows and labors. Silence alone here is proper, since reason and language are entirely inadequate to comprehend or express what passed in the blessed Mary during this beatific vision, the highest She had until then enjoyed. Let us celebrate this day in wonder and praise, with congratulations and loving and humble thanks for what She then merited for us, and for her exaltation and joy.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Francis,

Thanks so very much for your love of Jesus through Mary and your desire to see Them Both loved more by more persons. Thanks for your reply and I agree that 14 days does seem short, but God will always give what we truly need – He is our Father and He knows how to give good gifts to His Children. He always provides!

Thanks also for the excerpt from Ven. Mary of Agreda. I began to read her work sometime ago, but never got to finish all of it. We can learn so much from what God has revealed to His saints! Please let us pray for one another, for the Church and for all those in most need of God’s Mercy.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks so much, CajunJoy,

It was good to hear that Father spoke of Mary in his homily for your Mass on this First Saturday. Our priest at Mass also spoke of Mary today and it is always a joy for me to hear priests speak of her in a loving way. Father also spoke of her at Mass last Sunday, and I thought to myself how sincerely this priest wants to encourage all God’s people to love our Mother more and to trust in her love for us. Let us not forget to pray for priests and all the clergy who are in need of our prayers, especially in these days of confusion and scandal in the Church.

Prayer is so important. As we begin Advent tomorrow let us please pray for one another, for the Church and for all those in most need of God’s Mercy. Blessed Advent to all.