December forum consecration to Jesus through Mary

This is one prayer for the gift of tears but not the one I was thinking of which is in my old Latin missal that I do not have with me - it's ok to pray for such a gift and I have found when answered it makes my prayers more real. I love the Seven Sorrows Mysteries and one of Mary's promises attached to this is a deeper understanding of the mysteries. In this deeper understanding we cannot help but get to know Jesus and Mary better. Your experience sounds much like mine.

Prayer for the Gift of Tears St. Augustine, Bishop and Doctor Translated by M.F. Toale, D.D. (PL 40, Book of Meditations I, Ch. 36, col. 930..)



1. O Lord Christ, Word of the Father, Who came into this world to save sinners, I beseech Thee, by the innermost depths of Thy mercy, cleanse my soul, perfect my actions, put in order my manner of life, take from me what is harmful to me, and what displeases Thee. Grant me what Thou knowest is pleasing to Thee, and profitable to me. Who but Thou alone canst make clean what was conceived of unclean seed? Thou art the Omnipotent God, Infinite in mercy, Who makest sinners just, and givest life to the dead; Who changest sinners, and they are sinners no more?
Take from me therefore whatever is displeasing to Thee; for Thy eyes can see my manifold imperfections. Stretch forth, I beseech Thee, the hand of Thy mercy, and take from me whatever in me offends the eyes of Thy goodness. In Thy hands, O Lord, are my health and my infirmity. Preserve me in the one; heal me in the other. Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed, save me, and I shall be saved: Thou Who dost heal the sick, and preserve those who are healed, Thou Who by Thy nod alone dost renew what is ruined and fallen. For if Thou wilt sow good seed in Thy field, there is need also to pluck from it the thorns of my sins by the hands of Thy mercy.
2. Most sweet, most kind, most loving, most dear, most precious, most desired, most lovable, most beautiful, pour out into my breast, I beg of Thee, the fulness of Thy sweetness and charity, so that I shall not think of or desire what is carnal or earthly, but rather love Thee alone, keep Thee alone within my heart, and upon my lips. Write with Thy finger upon my heart the precious remembrance of Thy sweet name, that no forgetfulness may ever from there erase it. Write Thy will and Thy law upon the tables of my heart, that always and everywhere I may have Thee and Thy holy precepts before my eyes, O Lord of unending sweetness.

Inflame my soul with the fire thou didst cast upon the earth, and willed it be enkindled (Lk. xii. 49), so that with welling tears I may offer Thee daily the sacrifice of an afflicted spirit, and of a contrite heart (Ps. 51). Sweet Jesus, O good Jesus, since I long for it, and implore it of Thee with my whole soul, grant me Thy chaste and holy love, that it may fill me, hold me, possess me, completely. And grant me that visible sign of Thy love, a cleansing ever flowing fountain of tears, that these tears may also bear witness to Thy love in me, that they may show, that they may tell, how much my soul doth love Thee: that in the too great sweetness of Thy love it cannot withhold its tears.

3. I remember, O Lord, that good woman of whom Scripture speaks, who came to Thy House to implore of Thee a son, that after her prayers and tears her face was no longer changed (I Kgs. i. 18). But remembering her great virtue, her great constancy, I am afflicted with grief, overcome with shame: for I behold my miserable self lying prone upon the ground. For if she so wept, and persevered in weeping, this woman who sought a son, how should not that soul lament, and cease not lamenting, which loves and desires God, and desires to come to Him; how it should not weep and mourn, day and night, loving only Christ? (Ps. xli. 4.)

Look upon me, and have pity upon me, for the griefs of my heart are multiplied. Grant me Thy heavenly consolation, and despise not this sinful soul for which also Thou didst die? Grant me, I beseech Thee, in Thy love, the inward tears that can dissolve the chains of my sins, and fill my soul for ever with Thy heavenly delight: so that I may merit to obtain, if not together with Thy true and perfect monks, whose steps I am unable to imitate, then at least with Thy devoted women, some little place within Thy kingdom?

4. There comes also to my mind the wondrous devotion of another woman, who with pious love sought Thee, lying in Thy tomb; who when Thy disciples departed from the tomb did not depart from it, but sad and grieving sat there, and long and sorely wept, and getting up again, in tears, searched with anxious eyes in every corner of the tomb, that somewhere she might see Him Whom she looked for with such fervent longing. Once and again had she entered and seen the tomb, but there is never enough to the soul that loves: for the crown of a good work is perseverance. And because she loved more than the others, and loving wept, and weeping sought, and seeking persevered, so did she merit to be the first of them all to find Thee, to see Thee, to speak with Thee (Jn. xx. 11-17). And not this only, but the first to tell the Disciples themselves of Thy glorious Resurrection; Thou commanding her, and gently instructing her: Go, tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, where they shall see me (Mt. xxviii. 10).

If she then so wept, and continued weeping, the woman who looked for the Living with the dead, who with the hand of faith touched Thee not, how should not that soul mourn, and cease not from mourning, which believes in her heart, and confesses with her lips, that Thou art her Redeemer, ruling from heaven, and reigning everywhere? How ought not such a soul both weep and mourn, which loves Thee with all its heart, and longs with all its being to see Thee!

5. O Sole Refuge and Sole Hope of the unhappy, to Whom we can never pray without hope of mercy, for Thy sake, and for Thy Holy Name’s sake, grant me this grace, that as often as I think of Thee, speak of Thee, write of Thee, read of Thee, preach of Thee, that as often as I remember Thee, stand before Thee, offer Thee sacrifice, prayers and praise, so often may I weep, the tears welling sweetly and abundantly in Thy sight, so that tears may be my bread by day and night. For Thou, King of Glory, and Teacher of all virtue, by word and by example, has taught us to weep and to mourn, saying: Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Thou didst weep for Thy dead friend, and Thou didst weep over the city that was to perish (Jn. xi. 35). I beseech Thee, O Good Jesus, through these most blessed tears, and through all Thy tenderness, by which Thou didst wondrously come to our aid who were lost, grant me this grace of tears my soul so longs for, and now begs of Thee. For without Thy gift of it I cannot possess it.

By Thy Holy Spirit Who softens the hard hearts of sinners, and moves them to tears, grant me the grace of tears, as Thou didst grant it to my fathers, in whose steps I should follow: that I may bewail my whole life, as they bewailed themselves by day and night. By their prayers and merits who have pleased Thee, and most faithfully served Thee, have mercy on me Thy most pitiful and unworthy servant, and grant me the gift of tears. Water me from above, and water me from below, that day and night tears may be my bread. May I become in Thy sight, O my God, a sacrifice, rich and full of marrow, through the fires of Thy compunction. May I be wholly consumed on the altar of my own heart, and may I as a most acceptable holocaust, be received by Thee as an odour of sweetness.

Grant me a strengthening fountain, a clear fountain, in which this defiled holocaust may be continuously washed. For though by the help of lily grace I have offered myself wholly to Thee, yet in many things I daily offend Thee, because of my great weakness. Grant to me, therefore, this gift of tears, O blessed and Lovable God, especially because of the great sweetness of Thy love, and also for a remembrance of Thy mercies.

Prepare this table before the face of Thy servant, and grant me this power with regard to it, that as often as I will I may be filled from it. Grant me, in Thy kindness and Thy goodness, that this Thy chalice (Ps. xxii), so good and so inebriating, may quench my thirst. Let my spirit long for Thee; let my soul burn with Thy love, forgetful of all vanity and of all misery.

Hear me, O My God; hear me, O light of my eyes, hear what I ask of Thee; and grant that I may ask of Thee what Thou wilt hear. Kind and gentle Lord, be not hard to me, because of my sins, but because of Thine own goodness receive the prayers of Thy servant, and grant me the answer to my prayer, the answer to my desire, through the prayers and merits of my Lady, Mary Virgin, and of all the Saints. Amen.

 

The above was meant to be a help someone here who had not felt a real encounter with the Lord but I could not remember where the original post was.

 

True Devotion to Mary

St. Louis de Montfort Consecration - Week 2


Theme for the Week: Knowledge Of The Blessed Virgin

Acts of love, pious affection for the Blessed Virgin, imitation of her virtues, especially her profound humility, her lively faith, her blind obedience, her continual mental prayer, her mortification in all things, her surpassing purity, her ardent charity, her heroic patience, her angelic sweetness, and her divine wisdom: "there being," as St. Louis De Montfort says, "the ten principal virtues of the Blessed Virgin."

We must unite ourselves to Jesus through Mary - this is the characteristic of our devotion; therefore, Saint Louis De Montfort asks that we employ ourselves in acquiring a knowledge of the Blessed Virgin.

Mary is our sovereign and our mediatrix, our Mother and our Mistress. Let us then endeavor to know the effects of this royalty, of this mediation, and of this maternity, as well as the grandeurs and prerogatives which are the foundation or consequences thereof. Our Mother is also a perfect mold wherein we are to be molded in order to make her intentions and dispositions ours. This we cannot achieve without studying the interior life of Mary; namely, her virtues, her sentiments, her actions, her participation in the mysteries of Christ and her union with Him.

 

True Devotion to Mary

First day Week 2 (Day 20)
St. Luke: Chapter 2:16-21, 42-52

16 And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; 18 and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom; 43 and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; 47 and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously." 49 And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" 50 And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

Prayers:
Litany of the Holy Ghost, Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ave Maris Stella, St. Louis de Montfort Prayer to Mary, pray the rosary

Prayers can be found in this sticky:
http://motheofgod.com/threads/praye...s-de-montforts-consecration.9040/#post-128217
Week 2

 

33 Days to Morning Glory

DAY 20: A Consecration Covenant

Yesterday, I said we need to get ready for our consecration to Mary by learning to recognize all the blessings that will start pouring in. Today, we'll be shifting gears a bit. We'll be preparing for Consecration Day by reflecting on how serious a commitment Marian consecration really is. This is an important part of our preparation because the more seriously we take it, the more seriously the Mother of God will take it. Mother Teresa will be particularly helpful to us today; for she took her consecration to Mary very seriously.

Part of the reason Mother Teresa took her consecration so seriously has to do with her roots in Albanian culture. A key word in this culture is "besa." Literally translated, this means "faith," but its more complete meaning is "word of honor" and "to keep one's promise." Mother Teresa explains:

[Besa] means even if you have killed my father and the police are after you, if I have given you my word, then even if the police kill me, still I will not disclose your name.

In other words, to the mind of Mother Teresa, if you give your word to someone, you give yourself. Indeed, besa has a sacred character like a vow, oath, or covenant. Let's reflect on that last word, "covenant." This is how Mother Teresa described her consecration to Mary. It's a word that has rich, biblical meaning: It describes the bond of relationship between God and his people throughout salvation history. Such a bond is more than a contract, as scripture scholar, Scott Hahn, explains:

[A] major difference between contracts and covenants may be discovered in their very distinctive forms of exchange. A contract is an exchange of property in the form of goods and services ("That is mine and this is yours"); whereas a covenant calls for the exchange of persons ("I am yours and you are mine"), creating a shared bond of interpersonal communion.

Another feature of a covenant is that it usually entails certain rights and obligations. For example, in the marital covenant, a husband and wife have the right to enjoy one another in the spousal embrace of self-giving love, but they also have the obligation to care for and support one another "in good times and bad." Mother Teresa also understood her "Covenant of Consecration" with Mary as having certain rights and obligations, and she communicated this Marian spirituality to her religious family, the Missionaries of Charity.


Fr. Joseph Langford, MC, inspired by Mother Teresa's teaching on the Covenant of Consecration, spells out the details of a Missionary of Charity's rights and duties in her relationship with Mary, listing 12 corresponding rights and duties. The list begins, significantly, with Mary having the duty to give "her spirit and heart" and ends with each Missionary of Charity having the "right" to enter into Mary's heart and share her interior life. So, the two bookends of this covenant with Mary are Mother Teresa's two prayers that we learned about earlier: "Lend me your heart" and "keep me in your most pure heart." Everything in between is simply the terms of the relationship.

Let's conclude, then, by pondering the Missionaries of Charity's Consecration Covenant with Mary, beginning with its introductory paragraph:

Moved by an ardent desire to live in the closest union with you possible in this life, so as to more surely and fully arrive at union with your Son; I hereby pledge to live the spirit and terms of the following Covenant of Consecration as faithfully and generously as I am able.

MARY'S DUTIES
1. To give of her spirit and heart.
2. To possess, protect, and transform me
3. To inspire, guide, and enlighten me.
4. To share her experience of prayer and praise.
5. Responsibility for my sanctification.
6. Responsibility for all that befalls me.
7. To share with me her virtues.
8. To provide for my spiritual and material needs.
9. Union with her heart.
10. To purify me and my actions.
11. Right to dispose of me, of my prayers and intercessions and graces.
12. Total freedom in and around me, as she pleases in all things.

MY DUTIES
1. Total gift of all I have and am.
2. Total dependence on her.
3. Responsiveness to her spirit.
4. Faithfulness to prayer.
5. Trust in her intercession.
6. Accept all as coming from her.
7. Imitate her spirit.
8. Constant recourse to her.
9. Remembrance of her presence.
10. Purity of intention; self-denial.
11. Right to avail myself of her and her energies for the sake of the kingdom.
12. Right to enter into her heart, to share her interior life.

Today's Prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary.
Help me to ardently make a Covenant of Consecration with Mary.
http://www.thedivinemercy.org/news/DAY-20-A-Consecration-Covenant-6516

 

Ignatius directs people to spend most of their time reflecting not on sins but on the blessings of the day. It's really an exercise in recognizing the good things God is doing in our lives and how we are or are not responding to his love. It's an imitation of Mary's attitude of heart-pondering prayer.

WOW. This is something I really have to do!

Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary.
Help me to recognize and ponder in my heart all the good you do for me.

 

I have been pondering on the above. Although I have been aware of St Ignatius' daily examen, I have never really gotten around to doing it. In my mind, it was like trying to focus on my sins throughout the day, and I rationalised that I am usually aware of my sin, and feel contrite, immediately after it happens, and in fact, even before it happens (which ends up with me not committing the sin after all).
So after reading the above in the 33 dmg, I was wondering if I have been missing out on recognising God's presence because it was just so subtle.
Then, at mass this morning, lo and behold, the priest, in his homily, says: "What about you? Do you recognise God's presence and many Blessings throughout the day? Even the very smallest things like an unexpected smile from a young child?"
Whoa! God is speaking to me!

 

True Devotion to Mary

Second day Week 2 (day 21)
Secret of Mary: Nos. 23-24

True Devotion to Our Blessed Lady

If we would go up to God, and be united with Him, we must use the same means He used to come down to us to be made Man and to impart His graces to us. This means is a true devotion to our Blessed Lady. There are several true devotions to our Lady: here I do not speak of those which are false. The first consists in fulfilling our Christian duties, avoiding mortal sin, acting more out of love than with fear, praying to our Lady now and then, honoring her as the Mother of God, yet without having any special devotion to her. The second consists in entertaining for our Lady more perfect feelings of esteem and love, of confidence and veneration. It leads us to join the Confraternities of the Holy Rosary and of the Scapular, to recite the five or the fifteen decades of the Holy Rosary, to honor Mary's images and altars, to publish her praises and to enroll ourselves in her modalities. This devotion is good, holy and praiseworthy if we keep ourselves free from sin. But it is not so perfect as the next, nor so efficient in severing our soul from creatures, in detaching ourselves in order to be united with Jesus Christ. The third devotion to our Lady, known and practiced by very few persons, is this I am about to disclose to you, predestinate soul. It consists in giving one's self entirely and as a slave to Mary, and to Jesus through Mary, and after that, to do all that we do, through Mary, with Mary in Mary and for Mary We should choose a special feast day on which we give, consecrate and sacrifice to Mary voluntarily lovingly and without constraint, entirely and without reserve: our body and soul, our exterior property such as house, family and income, and also our interior and spiritual possessions: namely, our merits, graces, virtues, and satisfactions.

Prayers:
Litany of the Holy Ghost, Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ave Maris Stella, St. Louis de Montfort Prayer to Mary, pray the rosary

Prayers can be found in this sticky:
http://motheofgod.com/threads/praye...s-de-montforts-consecration.9040/#post-128986
Week 2

 

33 Days to Morning Glory

DAY 21: 'Be the One' (with Mary)

In case the list of 12 duties that we covered yesterday has got some of us feeling overwhelmed, today we'll focus on a simpler way of remembering the essence of Mother Teresa's consecration to Mary: "Be the one." Or, more specifically, "Be the one, with Mary." What does this mean? The main clue comes from the Offertory verse (Ps 68:21) for the Mass of the Feast of the Sacred Heart:

My heart had expected reproach and misery. And I looked for one that would grieve together with me, and there was none: and I sought one that would console me, and I found none.

Mother Teresa responds, "Be the one." Be the one to console Jesus by satiating his burning thirst for love. She writes:

Tell Jesus, "I will be the one." I will comfort, encourage and love Him. ... Be with Jesus. He prayed and prayed, and then He went to look for consolation, but there was none. ... I always write that sentence, "I looked for one to comfort Me, but I found no one." Then I write, "Be the one." So now you be that one. Try to be the one to share with Him, to comfort Him, to console Him. So let us ask Our Lady to help us understand.

That last sentence is key. We need Our Lady to help us understand the thirst of Jesus. She's the one who consoles him best. She's the spouse of the Consoler, the Holy Spirit. Through Mary, the Holy Spirit can help us understand what it means to be a consoler of the Heart of Jesus:

[Let] us try in a special way to come as close as the human heart can come to the Heart of Jesus and try to understand as much as possible Jesus' terrible pain caused to him by our sins and His Thirst for our love. ... Thank God our Lady was there to understand fully the thirst of Jesus for love. She must have straight away said, "I satiate Your thirst with my love and the suffering of my heart."

Yes, we can thank God for Our Lady. She teaches us to "be the one" with her, consoling Jesus on Calvary. She helps us to "straight away" say, "Jesus, I satiate Your thirst." But what exactly does this mean? What does it mean to satiate the thirst of Jesus? Two things: to console Jesus the Head of his Mystical Body and to console him in the members of his Body.

How do we console Jesus, the Head of the Body? By being apostles of joy, which means "to console the Sacred Heart of Jesus through joy," and we do this especially with Mary's joy. For Mother Teresa continues, "Please ask our Lady to give me her heart." Mary is the one who, despite her own trial of darkness, praises and thanks God in all things, smiles at him, and consoles him with her love. It's simple and beautiful. Mother summarizes it by her trademark three virtues: total surrender to God, loving trust, and perfect cheerfulness. Basically, it's to be as a child, with Mary, smiling at Jesus and loving him from the foot of the Cross.

Now, how do we console Jesus in the members of his Body? By recognizing their thirst. Everyone thirsts: rich and poor, young and old, believer and unbeliever. Everyone has a restless heart for God, for man is a restless thirst. To console Jesus in others is to respond to their suffering, especially to that deepest, most universal suffering: the thirst for love. We should respond to this thirst in others not with indifference but with a gentle smile that says, "I delight that you exist, and I, too, understand the pain of the thirst." Mother explains:

The greatest evil is the lack of love and charity, the terrible indifference towards one's neighbor... .People today are hungry for love, for understanding love which is much greater and which is the only answer to loneliness and great poverty."

By accepting her own thirst (with Mary's help) and not running away from it, Mother Teresa could understand the thirst of others — both Jesus on the Cross and Jesus in her neighbor — and she became a true apostle of mercy and joy: a true missionary of charity.

Today's Prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary.
Help me to "be the one" to console Jesus with Mary.
http://www.thedivinemercy.org/news/DAY-21-Be-the-One-with-Mary-6517

 

I didn't know where to put this little poem. I hope you all don't mind me putting it here.


Do you Love me?....... He asked
And she said Yes.


Amidst her pain,
He beckoned her to look close
Beyond the thorns that pierced her heart.



She spies a tiny red rose of joy.
Nestled so close to the flesh,
It is hidden from view
Under entangled thorns
It cannot be seen at a glance!


Do you Love me?......He asked
And she said Yes.


Thorns piercing on all sides
Accompany her every move.
Nowhere to lay her head but on a bed of thorns.
She sorrows for the tiny rose cannot be seen.


Do you Love me?.... He asked
And she said Yes.





The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary;
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit!

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.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord;
Let it be done unto me according to Thy word!

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.

And the Word was made Flesh;
And dwelt amongst us!

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.


Mary Mother of Mercy, Pray for us. Amen

 

I have finished my retreat, PotatoSack, and thought to share my reflection on the 15th day, since St. Elizabeth focuses her reflection on Mary, using Malachi 3 and Psalm 122 as launchpads:

Mal 3:20 But for you who fear my name, the sun of justice shall arise with healing in its wings...(NAB)

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity now speaks of the place of Our Lady in one's life of prayer, for Mary is the Praise of God's Glory par excellence.

Mary is blessed because the Almighty has done great things for her. She is the lowly one chosen by God; she is the handmaiden of the Lord. With the Annunciation, Mary reflects on Jesus within her womb, and enters into the solitude of the Father, undisturbed within her Immaculate Heart! For each of us then, Mary serves as an unclouded Mirror of the Sun of Justice. Almost imperceptibly, when we go to her she directs our gaze to Jesus, for she wants each of us to cleave to Him who has healing in [his] wings. For we must bear in mind that while she reflects, it is Jesus who shines! Still, the Immaculata mirrors with no distortion, just as her participation in the Passion at the foot of the Cross was a pure immolation. So, by inviting Mary to draw us into prayer, Jesus will respond with healing, accompanying our Consecration to her with the courage to reject sin, living for God's glory by living for others.

This is why Our Lady hastens to the hill country of Judea; she glorifies God through her concern for Elizabeth. For three months, Mary serves Elizabeth's needs until John the Baptist is born.

Similarly, Our Lady serves us during the times we feel nailed to the Cross like Jesus. Through our Consecration, she stands by each of us as she stood by Jesus, suffering an interior sacrifice for us, even until our last breath. Then with great joy Mary will lead us unto the heavenly court:

Ps 122:1-2 I rejoiced when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord." And now our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem!

 

Dear PotatoSack and Mario,

Yesterday I felt compelled to write a little poem, I started the poem with....... 'just wait a little longer' but as I continued to write the poem it became an examination of what God was asking of me and how I was responding! So I never used the above inspiration in the poem even though I believe the Lord was and is saying this to me.


At the moment I am crushed under many crosses, and I can't see a way out. I don't know what else to do but pray, trust and cry as all seems hopeless. These particular crosses started on the 31st October, when I invited and took my mum to pilgrimage with me to the Holy Doors at our diocese Cathedral which is about a two hour drive from mums home and 2.5 hours from my home, this was my birthday gift to my mum who turned 81 on the 26th October, we had a most beautiful and blessed day and I believe recieved many spiritual gifts ourselves. However the attacks and crosses that have ensued after this pilgrimage have been mind blowingly unbelievable, maybe I will go into them at a later stage but I think many people here would find it hard to believe so much could happen to one person in such a small amount of time.


Anyway as I fine tuned the poem I thought its such a beautiful sentiment from Jesus, that it could not be for me, it must be for the Most Blessed Virgin His Mother so I changed the poem so it was about Mary and dedicated it to Jesus, I believe I was inspired to place it here on this thread.


This morning as I read this thread and the thread of St Elizabeth in which Mario gives many beautiful insights, the Lord is speaking to my soul. Thank you for this beautiful thread. Your post that consists of the [Imitation: Book 3, Chapter 47] really speaks to me and is giving me comfort especially as it is reflecting the original word Our Lord gave me before I wrote the poem.......... 'just wait a little longer'


Imitation: Book 3, Chapter 47

That All Grievous Things Are to Be Endured For the Sake of Eternal Life

My son, be not wearied out by the labors which thou hast undertaken for My sake, nor let tribulation cast thee down ever at all; but let My promise strengthen and comfort thee under every circumstance. I am well able to reward thee, above all measure and degree. Thou shalt not long toil here, nor always be oppressed with griefs. Wait a little while, and thou shalt see a speedy end of thine evils.


And from Marios words and meditations in the St. Elizabeth thread

St. Elizabeth teaches that we must be so captivated by Christ that we must be willing to be crucified with him. Personally, this reminds me of Mary at the foot of the Cross. She who was Immaculate and without blemish fully participated in the Passion, suffering in an interior silence, loving Jesus in the depths of her heart.This good work by God in my soul moves beyond any technique I may use to help bring myself into the solitude of the Father. When the brick wall of darkness tempts us to believe that we have failed and the Lord has left us abandoned, then we have truly been conformed to Jesus who cried out, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned Me?"


and another

Similarly, Our Lady serves us during the times we feel nailed to the Cross like Jesus! Through our Consecration, she stands by each of us as she stood by Jesus, suffering an interior sacrifice for us, even until our last breath. Then with great joy Mary will lead us unto the heavenly court:

Thank you both and God Bless you!

Please pray for me.

 

Josephite,

It is hidden from view
Under entangled thorns
It cannot be seen at a glance!

Though you cannot see it as of now, I know the red rose of joy will blossom forth in your life. My prayers are with you- I shall pray everyday for you during Advent.

May Our Lady faithfully join you at the foot of your Cross.

Safe in the Refuge of the Immaculate Heart!

 

so true Sam. Maybe we should do an examination of blessings as well as examination of conscience nightly! Mother Angelica was always great at recognizing God's blessings...whether it is a healing or getting a good parking spot when you need it...there is no such thing as luck!

 

How beautiful Mario! It sounds like it was a great retreat with lots of spiritual gems in the reflections

 

I am praying for you Josephite!! It is when we are in the deepest of valleys that we need to be looking for Our Lady and Jesus who are right there with us even though we can't see them or feel them at the moment. I will continue to pray for you...please Jesus, lighten the crosses for our Josephite please...

 

True Devotion to Mary

Third day week 2 (day 22)
From True Devotion to Mary: Nos. 106-110

2. Marks of authentic devotion to our Lady.

106. First, true devotion to our Lady is interior, that is, it comes from within the mind and the heart and follows from the esteem in which we hold her, the high regard we have for her greatness, and the love we bear her.

107. Second, it is trustful, that is to say, it fills us with confidence in the Blessed Virgin, the confidence that a child has for its loving Mother. It prompts us to go to her in every need of body and soul with great simplicity, trust and affection.

108. Third, true devotion to our Lady is holy, that is, it leads us to avoid sin and to imitate the virtues of Mary. Her ten principal virtues are: deep humility, lively faith, blind obedience, unceasing prayer, constant self-denial, surpassing purity, ardent love, heroic patience, angelic kindness, and heavenly wisdom.

109. Fourth, true devotion to our Lady is constant. It strengthens us in our desire to do good and prevents us from giving up our devotional practices too easily. It gives us the courage to oppose the fashions and maxims of the world, the vexations and unruly inclinations of the flesh and the temptations of the devil. Thus a person truly devoted to our Blessed Lady is not changeable, fretful, scrupulous or timid.

110. Fifth, true devotion to Mary is disinterested. It inspires us to seek God alone in his Blessed Mother and not ourselves. The true subject of Mary does not serve his illustrious Queen for selfish gain. He does not serve her for temporal or eternal well-being but simply and solely because she has the right to be served and God alone in her.

Prayers:
Litany of the Holy Ghost, Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ave Maris Stella, St. Louis de Montfort Prayer to Mary, pray the rosary

Prayers can be found in this sticky:
http://motheofgod.com/threads/praye...s-de-montforts-consecration.9040/#post-128986
Week 2

 

33 Days to Morning Glory

DAY 22: Mary's Gift of Mercy

During this fourth and final full week, we'll be focusing on the example and words of another great teacher of Marian consecration: St. Pope John Paul II. "The most Marian Pope," as he's been called, profoundly deepened the Church's understanding of Marian consecration. Building on the work of the Second Vatican Council, he provides us with a thoroughly biblical treatment of Marian consecration — which he also calls "entrustment" — and homes in on the idea that it's Mary's role to lead us into the mystery of Christ's redeeming love and self-consecration to the Father.

In 1917, while World War I raged, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. She told them that the war would end but if people didn't convert, a worse war would follow and Russia would spread its errors throughout the world, causing more wars, martyrs, and persecutions of the Church. To prevent this, Mary asked that the Holy Father consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart and for people to make five consecutive "First Saturday" communions of reparation. In the end, she said, her Immaculate Heart would triumph.

It's interesting that Mary mentioned Russia. At the time, this was cause for confusion: Russia? Holy Russia? What errors would this devoutly Christian country spread throughout the world? And how could such a poor Russia exercise so much influence? (At this point in history, the Soviet revolution was in its infancy; the communist, atheist, totalitarian regime had not yet been established.)

After Mary gave her prophesy about Russia, the children saw a vision involving a "bishop dressed in white," who they understood to be the Pope. With great distress, they saw that he would suffer much and then be shot and killed. The children described what they saw only to Church authorities, who decided not to disclose it to the public. This became known as the last "secret" of Fatima.

Now, the very first apparition of Our Lady of Fatima happened on May 13, 1917, at 5 p.m. Exactly 64 years later, May 13, 1981, at 5 p.m., a small, open-air jeep rode out into St. Peter's Square, carrying Pope John Paul II, who warmly greeted pilgrims gathered in the square. At one point, the jeep stopped so the Pope could take a little girl into his arms. After he gave her back to her jubilant parents, the jeep continued on its way through the sea of waving, cheering pilgrims. Suddenly, a gunman fired two shots at the Pope from close range. The first bullet grazed his elbow. The second struck him in the abdomen and ricocheted inside him, shredding intestines and piercing his colon. Miraculously, the bullet missed the main abdominal artery by one tenth of an inch. Had it been struck or even grazed, John Paul would have bled to death on the way to the hospital. Realizing this blessing, the Pope stated that "One hand fired, and another guided the bullet."

What hand guided the bullet? John Paul believes it was the hand of Our Lady of Fatima (the May 13th anniversary was not lost on him). In fact, after the shooting, he asked for the envelope containing the last secret of Fatima, the one about the "bishop dressed in white." Then, with Fatima much on his mind, he thought to consecrate the world to Mary's Immaculate Heart as soon as possible, and he began composing an act of entrustment, which he solemnly prayed less than a month later. Even before this, within a week of the shooting, he repeated his own personal consecration to Mary in a recorded address to the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square: "To you, Mary, I repeat: Totus tuus ego sum."

On March 25, 1984, in St. Peter's Square, before the official statue of Our Lady of Fatima that had been flown in for the occasion, John Paul made a more solemn entrustment of the world to Mary's Immaculate Heart. He concluded the prayer with the following words:

Let there be revealed, once more, in the history of the world the infinite saving power of the redemption: the power of merciful Love! May it put a stop to evil! May it transform consciences! May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of Hope!

After learning of the Pope's solemn entrustment, Sr. Lucia, the lone survivor of the three Fatima seers, declared that it fully satisfied Our Lady's original request. Five years later, the horrific, Soviet, totalitarian regime that had terrorized millions of people suddenly came to an end.

That victory won, the Pope didn't rest. What he once called the "century of tears" was far from over. To confront the ongoing evil and injustice in the world, he forcefully proclaimed, with growing frequency, the saving power of God's "merciful Love." His efforts to promote this message culminated in the establishment of the universal Feast of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2000 and a solemn Act of Entrustment of the world to Divine Mercy in 2002. Three years after this entrustment, the great Marian Pope, the great Mercy Pope, died on a first Saturday and the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday. Mary had saved his life at the dawn of his pontificate so that, through him, her divine Son could lead the Church to the victory of Mercy and the triumph of her Immaculate Heart.

Today's Prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary.
Have mercy on us and on the whole world!
http://www.thedivinemercy.org/news/DAY-22-Marys-Gift-of-Mercy-6518

 

True Devotion to Mary

Fourth day Week 2 (Day 23)
True Devotion: Nos. 120-121

Nature of perfect devotion to the Blessed Virgin or perfect consecration to Jesus Christ.

120. As all perfection consists in our being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus it naturally follows that the most perfect of all devotions is that which conforms, unites, and consecrates us most completely to Jesus. Now of all God's creatures Mary is the most conformed to Jesus. It therefore follows that, of all devotions, devotion to her makes for the most effective consecration and conformity to him. The more one is consecrated to Mary, the more one is consecrated to Jesus. That is why perfect consecration to Jesus is but a perfect and complete consecration of oneself to the Blessed Virgin, which is the devotion I teach; or in other words, it is the perfect renewal of the vows and promises of holy baptism.

121. This devotion consists in giving oneself entirely to Mary in order to belong entirely to Jesus through her. It requires us to give: (1) Our body with its senses and members; (2) Our soul with its faculties; (3) Our present material possessions and all we shall acquire in the future; (4) Our interior and spiritual possessions, that is, our merits, virtues and good actions of the past, the present and the future. In other words, we give her all that we possess both in our natural life and in our spiritual life as well as everything we shall acquire in the future in the order of nature, of grace, and of glory in heaven. This we do without any reservation, not even of a penny, a hair, or the smallest good deed. And we give for all eternity without claiming or expecting, in return for our offering and our service, any other reward than the honour of belonging to our Lord through Mary and in Mary, even though our Mother were not - as in fact she always is - the most generous and appreciative of all God's creatures.

Prayers:
Litany of the Holy Ghost, Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ave Maris Stella, St. Louis de Montfort Prayer to Mary, pray the rosary

Prayers can be found in this sticky:
http://motheofgod.com/threads/praye...s-de-montforts-consecration.9040/#post-128986
Week 2

 

33 Days to Morning Glory

DAY 23: Maternal Mediation

As one of our guides to Consecration Day, St. John Paul II is a triple gift. Not only is he a Marian saint, like our other three guides; not only is he brilliant and thoroughly trained in theology, like de Montfort and Kolbe; but he is also a Pope. Therefore, his words carry the teaching authority of the successor of St. Peter ... and the authoritative weight of an Ecumenical Council! Well, this is true in the sense that his teachings on the Mother of God are deeply rooted in the authoritative Mariology of the Second Vatican Council. Because of this dependence on the Council, before we look to John Paul's teaching on Marian consecration, let's see what the Council has to say about Mary. (Tomorrow, we'll begin to ponder how John Paul builds on Vatican II's teaching.)

One can find the main Marian teachings of Vatican II in the last chapter of the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church, known by its Latin title, Lumen Gentium. The heart of these teachings has to do with what's usually called Mary's "maternal mediation." Maternal mediation basically means that Mary is our spiritual mother (hence "maternal") who assists us from heaven with her prayers and motherly care to help bring us to God (hence "mediation"). While the term "maternal" should be familiar, "mediation" may need some explaining.

A mediator is someone who stands between two people for the sake of bringing them into unity. Thus, Jesus Christ is a mediator. He is the one who, after the Fall, stands between God and fallen humanity to bring us back into communion with God. And there's only one, as St. Paul makes clear, "[T]here is one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ" (1 Tim 2:5).

If there's only one mediator between God and man, and if that one mediator is Jesus Christ, then why does the Second Vatican Council describe Mary as a mediator? Because God is generous. In other words, Jesus doesn't keep his role as mediator to himself. He wants Mary — and not just Mary, but all Christians — to share in his one mediation, though in subordinate ways. For instance, each of us shares in Christ's one mediation when we pray for one another "in Christ." I mentioned a similar point in the introduction when I wrote that God wants all of us to participate in his work of salvation. I also mentioned there that Mary has a uniquely important role in this work. Again, according to Vatican II, this special role is captured by the phrase "maternal mediation."

Among creatures, Mary's role in the ongoing work of salvation is by far the most important. She was given such an important role "not from some inner necessity" on God's part but "from the divine pleasure." Again, we see God's generosity in including us in the work of redemption, we the very same creatures he came to redeem. The following passage from Lumen Gentium summarizes Mary's cooperation in this work both when she was on earth and now as she is in heaven:

[T]he Blessed Virgin was on this earth the virgin Mother of the Redeemer, and above all others and in a singular way the generous associate and humble handmaid of the Lord. She conceived, brought forth, and nourished Christ. She presented him to the Father in the temple, and was united with him by compassion as he died on the cross. In this singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the work of our Savior in giving back supernatural life to souls. Wherefore she is our mother in the order of grace.

This maternity of Mary in the order of grace began with the consent which she gave in faith at the annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, and lasts until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this salvific duty, but by her constant intercession continued to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation. By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties, until they are led to the happiness of their true home. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix. This, however, is to be so understood that it neither takes away from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficaciousness of Christ the one Mediator.

So, while on earth, Mary cooperated with God's plan of salvation "above all others," particularly by giving birth to and caring for Jesus. Now in heaven, Mary still cooperates in a special way in God's plan of salvation. Through her "constant intercession" and "maternal charity," she brings us grace, mercy, and the "gifts of eternal salvation." Tomorrow, we'll begin to see how John Paul develops this teaching on Mary's motherhood in the order of grace. For now, we can reflect on this great gift of God: Mary is our spiritual mother whose Godgiven task is to nurture us with tender care and the gifts and graces that come to us through her loving prayers.

Today's Prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary.
Fill my heart with praise to God for giving me Mary as my spiritual mother.
http://www.thedivinemercy.org/news/DAY-23-Maternal-Mediation-6519