Luke 7 Then Jesus turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss of greeting, but she has been kissing my feet since I came in. You did not put oil on my head, but she poured perfume on my feet. I tell you that her many sins are forgiven, so she showed great love. But the person who is forgiven only a little will love only a little.”
Utube keeps banning videos, I see they have banned Life Site News again for spreading, 'Hate Speech'. Now let me see... I think this was it. I must watch it again a few times. Totally wonderful. Press the watch on utube link.
Aren't they marvelous? I saw them too. People of those times understood the meaning of "Virgin most Powerful"
The Feast of the Annunciation rolls round once again, a great source of Joy. In the old days before each great feast people fasted for two or three days before these as a Spiritual Preparation. Thus the veil between this World and the next rolled back a little and we see a little better. But since this is Lent we should be seeing a little more clearly anyway and perhaps this is why I am very fond of the Annuciation. This time reminds of the Eastern Easter Liturgies when they ring the Bells loudly to proclaim the Risen Lord. Now we can hear, far below the shouts of Joy in Heaven at the coming of this Great Feast!..and in return our hearts too shout with Joy! Luke 1:26-28 The Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus 26 In the sixth month, Gabriel the angel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man called Joseph, from the family of David. The virgin was called Mary. 28 ‘Greetings, favoured one!’ said the angel when he arrived. ‘May the Lord be with you!’ Let us be guided by the words of Gabriel, citizen of heaven, and say: Hail, O full of grace, the Lord is with you! We say again with him: Hail, O our such longed for joy! Hail, O rapture of the Church! Hail, O name so full of fragrance! Hail, O countenance illuminated by the light of God from which such beauty flows! Hail, O bright mother of the dawning light! Hail, O stainless mother of saintliness! Hail, O gushing fount of living water! Hail, new mother and moulder of the new-born One! Hail, O inexplicable and mystery-filled mother! Hail, you who give honor to virginity! Hail, O humble space, which welcomed to itself, Him whom the world cannot contain. Theodotus of Ankara (early 5th c.) https://opusdei.org/en-uk/article/the-annunciation-magisterium-saints-poets/
Imagine if Mary had said, 'No!' to the Arcangel Gabriel instead of saying a great big, 'Yes!' . Her yes made all things possible. Her yes was the doorway to our Salvation. May God grant that we too may always say a great big, 'Yes!' to God. For our yes will be the doorway of our own Salvation and that of many, many others. Second Vatican Council, Dogm const. Lumen gentium, no. 56 39. And, indeed, if the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary is God, assuredly she who bore him is rightly and deservedly to be called the Mother of God. If there is only one person in Christ, and this is Divine, without any doubt Mary ought to be called, by all, not the mother of Christ the man only, but Theotokos, or God-bearer. Let us all, therefore, venerate the tender Mother of God, whom her cousin Elizabeth saluted as "the Mother of my Lord" (Luke i. 43), who, in the words of Ignatius Martyr, brought forth God (Ad Ephes. vii. 18-20); and from whom, as Tertullian professes, God was born; whom the Eternal Godhead has gifted with the fulness of grace and endowed with such great dignity.... 42. From this dogma of the divine maternity, as from the outpouring of a hidden spring, flow forth the singular grace of Mary and her dignity, which is the highest after God. Nay more, as Aquinas says admirably: "The Blessed Virgin, from this that she is the Mother of God, has a certain infinite dignity, from the infinite good which is God." (Summ. Theo., III. a.6.) Cornelius a Lapide unfolds this and explains it more fully, in these words: "The Blessed Virgin is the Mother of God; therefore she is far more excellent than all the Angels, even the Seraphim and Cherubim. She is the Mother of God; therefore she is most pure and most holy, so that under God no greater purity can be imagined. She is the Mother of God; therefore whatever privilege (in the order of sanctifing grace) has been granted to any one of the Saints, she obtains it more than all" (In Matt. i. 6).
Today, was a beautiful day for me as I honored our Blessed Mother on her Feast day! I prayed the Joyful Mysteries and really entered into each Mystery especially the First Mystery. As I silently prayed, I was especially moved ….to tears. I renewed my Consecration to Jesus through Mary (St Louis De Montfort) Went to 5:00 Mass. after Mass I asked my Pastor to pray (over me) the Blessing and Investiture of the Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel. Ive been wearing one for years having a devotion. I have been wanting to formally enroll. Once again, I felt so solemn and moved. ☺️
That sounds wonderful Rosalia! I have also been wearing the Brown Scapular for many years and have been wanting to be formally enrolled. Can you tell me where I can find the prayer that the Priest needs to say so that I can get it done? Thanks!
Shae, here is the prayer: Blessing & Investiture of the Scapular of Our Lady of Carmel PRIEST: Show us, O Lord Thy Mercy. RESPONDENT: And grant us Thy salvation. PRIEST: Lord, hear my prayer. RESPONDENT: And let my cry come unto Thee. PRIEST: The Lord be with you. RESPONDENT: And with your spirit. PRIEST: Lord, Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, sanctify by Thy Power this scapular, which for love of Thee and for love of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Thy servants will wear devoutly, that through the intercession of the same Virgin Mary Mother of God, and protected against the evil spirit, they persevere until death in Thy Grace. Thou who lives and reigns world without end. THE PRIEST SPRINKLES HOLY WATER ON SCAPULAR AND PERSON. PRIEST: Receive this blessed scapular and beseech the Blessed Virgin that through Her merits, that you wear it without stain. May it defend you against all adversity and accompany you to eternal life. I, by the power invested in me, admit you to participate in all the spiritual benefits obtained through the Mercy of Jesus Christ by the religious order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. May God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, Bless you, He who has deigned to join you to the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin of Our Lady of Mount Carmel; we beseech Her to crush the head of the ancient serpent so that you may enter into your eternal heritage, through Christ our Lord. RESPONDENT: Amen
Yesterday at Mass, The Feast of the Annunciation the priest who was doing the singing did not do a single Marian hymn. The priest who gave the homily said it should not by called the Feast of the Annunciation but the Feast of the Incarnation the emphasis being on Jesus rather than Mary. I think this is a Protestant take on things. The idea that Our Blessed Lady somehow gets in the road of following her Son, Jesus Christ. This is not a Catholic way of looking at things, nor is it in the Catholic Tradition. It is an insult to the Church in that it presupposes that Our Holy Mother the Church has got things wrong, whereas they (the modern up to date priests) have gotten it right. I don't mind for my own sake for it is all water of a duck's back to me but I am saddened that others might be led astray. But what can you do? Sad times. Sad times indeed. Mary,never ever gets in the way. Never,ever.
The last time I did my lois de montfort consecration to Mary was in 2020. I started on the feast of saint lois de montfort and finished I think ,on the feast of the ascension (correct me if I'm wrong). As I was making the final consecration I heard the angelus bells ringing. I had no idea of the time but it was during the angelus that I happened to make it so perhaps it was a sign from Mary. I have a devotion to Our Lady so perhaps she permitted all the darkness and suffering I have been going through since
So very, very sad! But many years ago in my 20s, I also used to think Our Lady was a distraction from the Lord, so I had to bite my tongue and not rant just now. If the Archangel, Gabriel, upon his arrival in Nazareth, first honors Mary's pure and Immaculate Conception (Hail, full of grace!), than we too should honor God's most pure and holy creature as well! Any honoring of God's Work should necessarily pass onto Him.
I was thinking and praying about this. I do like that the Father reminded me of the Incarnation. That Jesus was obedient unto death and that His Incarnation was the first steps of this human obedience. So that was good. I was fine about this. But above Our Lady is the Church. Our Lady is a daughter of the Church, the Church being the Bride of Christ. So Our Lady is not superior but inferior to Our Holy Mother the Church. It is Our Holy Mother the Church who has placed Mary as Theotokos so in rejecting Mary's place it is the Church herself who is insulted. They are saying that the Church was mistaken in the position she has placed her. This is very,very grave indeed. It is very ,very insulting indeed to our Holy Mother the Church. This beyond the insult to the Mother of God, the Theotokos, herself. So a double insult.
I was praying last night and thinking about St Father Charles of Mount Argos. https://www.mountargusparish.ie/saint-charles-of-mount-argus/ Whilst St Charles was alive there was a certain priest in his community who gave poor St Charles the most terrible, terrible time. He was on a one man mission to make the saints life hard. He was always giving of to him in public. The other priests thought he had been asked to do so by the Superior in order to try St Charles. But not so. He did it our of pure evil and spite. In either case I was shown this priest in hell last night and some of the events that landed him in hell and why he was so angry with Father Charles. He lived a life totally under the radar. He had convinced himself that he was due an easier life than the rest because of the work he did. So , for instance he took money from the collections and has a succession of women, mistresses of sort and a full double life. But the worst thing about this was that he had convinced himself that what he was doing was right. That it was only his due. The money from off the collection plates, the very large amount of money he stole, the women, the drink, the good food, the high life. He had it all coming to him. His due. Not theft or grave, grave sin, simply his due. He kept right on believing this up until his Judgement. He hated St Charles so much because the saints lifestyle was a continuous rebuke and because the demons who ran him prompted him to do so. I was thinking about this at Mass this morning and wondering why I had been shown this priest in hell. Then at once I understood. It is because so many clergy today live as the Damned Priest lived. They thing they are entitled to live homosexual life styles. They think they are entitled to live comfortable lives from stolen money and so on. They think they are owed all this. But they are mistaken. Still they are utterly convinced they are owed all this and are doing nothing at all wrong.
