No I wasn't aware actually. But Krakow, the St. Faustina shrine, really touched us. We stayed in the humble hotel directly opposite the convent. St. Faustina melted my wife who had not been very Catholic up to that point.
Beautiful indeed, but less than 5 minutes away there is, on the same hill, the Sanctuary de Good Jesus of the Mountain and that, I must say, is astonishingly beautiful. This monument has been recently classified by UNESCO.
This reminds me what Jesus said to St Thomas Aquinas shortly before his death, 'You have written well of me!' Surely then Our Lady could say of these Great Artists, 'You have spoken well of me in your art!'
https://www.ecatholic2000.com/anne/lom9.shtml The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich II. THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION 1. JOACHIM AND ST. ANNE MEET BENEATH THE GOLDEN GATE. It was a warning from on high that had led Joachim into the Holy Place, and it was by a similar inspiration that he was brought into a subterranean passage which belonged to the consecrated part of the Temple and ran under it and under the Golden Gate. I have been told what was the meaning and origin of this passage when the Temple was built, and also what it was used for, but I have no clear recollection of this. Some religious observance relating to the blessing and reconciliation of the unfruitful was, I think, connected with this passage. In certain circumstances people were brought into it for rites of purification, expiation, absolution, and the like. [32] Joachim was led by priests near the slaughtering-place through a little door into this passage. The priests turned back, but Joachim continued along the passage, which gradually sloped downwards. Anna had also come to the Temple with her maidservant, who was carrying the doves for sacrifice in wicker baskets. She had handed over her offering and had revealed to a priest that she had been bidden by an angel to meet her husband under the Golden Gate. I now saw that she was led by priests, accompanied by some venerable women (among whom I think was the prophetess Anna), through an entrance on the other side into the consecrated passage, where her companions left her. I had a very wonderful view of what this passage was like. Joachim went through a little door; the passage sloped downwards, and was at first narrow but became broader afterwards. The walls were of glistening gold and green, and a reddish light shone in from above. I saw beautiful pillars like twisted trees and vines. After passing through about a third of the passage Joachim came to a place in the midst of which stood a pillar in the form of a palm tree with hanging leaves and fruits. Here he was met by Anna, radiant with happiness. They embraced each other with holy joy, and each told the other their good tidings. They were in a state of ecstasy and enveloped in a cloud of light. I saw this light issuing from a great host of angels, who were carrying the appearance of a high shining tower and hovering above the heads of Anna and Joachim. The form of this tower was the same as I see in pictures, from the litany of the Blessed Virgin, of the Tower of David, the Tower of Ivory, and so forth. I saw that this tower seemed to disappear between Anna and Joachim, who were enveloped in a glory of brightness. I understood that, as a result of the grace here given, the conception of Mary was as pure as all conceptions would have been but for the Fall. I had at the same time an indescribable vision. The heavens opened above them, and I saw the joy of the Holy Trinity and of the angels, and their participation in the mysterious blessing here bestowed on Mary's parents. Anna and Joachim returned, praising God, to the exit under the Golden Gate: towards the end the passage sloped upwards. They came into a kind of chapel under a beautiful and high arch, where many lights were burning. Here they were received by priests who led them away. The part of the Temple above which was the hall of the Sanhedrin lay over the middle of the subterranean passage; above this end of it were, I think, dwellings of priests whose duty it was to look after the vestments. Joachim and Anna now came to a kind of bay at the outermost edge of the Temple hill, overlooking the valley of Josaphat, where the path could no longer go straight on but branched to right and left. After they had visited another priest's house, I saw Joachim and Anna and their servants starting on their journey home. On their arrival at Nazareth, Joachim, after a joyful meal, gave food to many poor people and distributed generous alms. I saw how full he and Anna were of joy and fervor and gratitude to God when they thought of His compassion towards them; I often saw them praying together with tears. It was explained to me here that the Blessed Virgin was begotten by her parents in holy obedience and complete purity of heart, and that thereafter they lived together in continence in the greatest devoutness and fear of God. I was at the same time clearly instructed how immeasurably the holiness of children was encouraged by the purity, chastity, and continence of their parents and by their resistance to all unclean temptations; and how continence after conception preserves the fruit of the womb from many sinful impulses. In general, I was given an overflowing abundance of knowledge about the roots of deformity and sin.
I see today if the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto. So many Marian Feasts at this time. I have no difficulty at all believing that the Holy Angels transported the Holy House from Nazareth. Modern people say, 'How is this possible?' Whereas I say, Matthew 19:23-30 With God All Things Are Possible 23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” 28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother a]">[a]or wife or children or b]">[b]lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Every Friday, Fr. Steve puts out a newsletter. He sent this today and thought it good to share. The Immaculate Conception and the Fight Against the Devil By Fr. Steve Ryan, SDB Last Wednesday, December 8, the Church celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Sadly, few Catholics understand how important this feast day is and why it matters. First of all – it’s the honoring of Mary. Jesus’ Mother is our mother who brought salvation to us through her Yes to God’s plan. She was God’s chosen vessel and we ought to be grateful. Without her we’d have no Jesus, no Word made flesh. Secondly, she was sinless. We recognize and honor the fact that Our Lady was without sin – original sin or any sin throughout her earthly life. This was a unique privilege and honor. She certainly is the highest person of the human race! Thirdly, she is the powerful intercessor against the devil. Look around you – the evil one seems clearly to be having his way in the world. Finally, under the title of the Immaculate Conception, Mary is the patroness of our nation. Whether they’ve known it or not, this has been quite a blessing for the United States and for generations of Americans. In 1854 Pope Pius IX formally proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception (i.e., Mary’s sinlessness and uniqueness). This was a formal infallible declaration of what had been taught and proclaimed for centuries. The timing of the proclamation of the dogma then, and a recommitment to Mary under this title today, are desperately needed. Why? Because sin is even more prevalent now in 2021 and people seem to be more selfish and arrogant than ever. Historically, in the mid-1800’s enlightenment philosophy had corrupted people into the belief that society should govern outside the law of God. In 19th century Europe, the first step to implement secularism was to destroy the Church. The French Revolution led to the murder of many faithful Catholics and then also came the exiling of the Pope from Rome in Italy. For decades there was an effort to annihilate faith from life. America held off secularism and anti-Christianity for a long while. We finally caved in the 1970’s and 80’s and have spiraled downward since. How did we hold off for so long? How about… because Mary helped! I believe that an important way we warded off godlessness was through Mary’s intercession. Way back in 1846 the U.S. bishops made Our Lady, under the title of the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of the United States of America. While our country was founded on enlightenment ideals, the bishops had the wisdom to place the success of the American experiment under Mary Immaculate. She protected us and helped us uphold Christian values and a Christian culture. Today in our post-Christian culture, the media, academia and liberals are aggressively antagonistic to God. Mary as the Immaculate Conception still sends a message. She is sinless; we are not. She is Immaculate; the rest of us are very vulnerable to the temptations of the devil. The devil must be rebuked. Mary is a pro at that. She can help us in that area. We are all subject to the corruption of sin (including our reason) and in need of grace through the mercy of Jesus Christ. Mary brings us Jesus. Pray the rosary and do three Hail Mary’s before you go to sleep. And hang on! We can rally against the evil one with her help. She crushes the devil every time. She is a gift to us and so many people have no idea… or do they even care? Do you?
As stated in this stone plaque, the University of Coimbra, the oldest in Portugal, solemnly promised, in 1646, to propagate and defend the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. No one could teach at this university without taking this oath, and this is two centuries before the proclamation of dogma. Things have changed a lot...
I study in Brno, Czech republic and two minutes from my apartment there is a miraculous image of Black Madonna in basilica of Assumption of Virgin Mary, which is a great grace and I love to go to mass there when I am able. (But I am always saddened by the attendance there and in Czech republic in general...). The basilica is gorgeous and the image is in a beautiful silver altar. You can check 360 degree panoramatic photos from the basilica and the monastery here: http://opatstvibrno.pano3d.eu/ The image was used in processions during hard times in history of this city. It helped relieve people from black plague several times and it is probably most famous for the miraculous victory in 1645, when 1500 men defended the city from 28 000 swedish attackers (later supported by another 12000), killing 8000 while loosing only 250. This was part of the 30 year's war. The exhausted swedish army was stopped there and couldn't then continue to Vienna. Here is a snippet from an english website which describes the siege (https://www.raduitdesouches.cz/fr/brno/): This part describes attack on the weakest link of the city defense, St. Thomas's church on the day the Swedes decided for a final attack on 6 places at once. (The day of attack was coincidentally August 15th, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary.) This area was considered the weakest link of defence. St. Thomas's Church used to stand outside the city walls those days, that's why it had its own fortifications. The heaviest fights took place here, nevertheless the Swedes did not manage to get over the fortifications. On 15 August this spot, defended by musketeers, dragoons, as well as Brno burghers, was attacked by lorstenson's deputy colonel de Mortaigne and the elite regiment called "Altblau". The attackers managed to climb the fortifications, but with the help of fifty dragoons from St, Thomas's Church even this attack was successfuly repulsed. The valuable painting of so called "Black Madonna" was inside the St, Thomas's Church during the siege of Brno. This painting is considered to be Palladium of Moravia i.e. protecting picture of Moravia. The painting is made with oil colours on wood, and it is so dark that depicted Mother Mary started to be called "Black Madonna", Legend says that this icon was painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist. During the siege the venerated picture was the object of worship of Brno's citizens. Another legend has it that Brno was saved by Mother Mary, who appeared on 15 August, in the time of the fiercest Swedish attack, with her cloak above the town-and with this gesture she saved the city of Brno. Today this picture serves as an altarpiece in the Basilica of the Assumption of Virgin Mary in Mendel Square, Old Brno. A copy of this painting hangs almost In every church in Brno. Few days ago I discovered that the painting contains a relic from the veil of Virgin Mary (given to the Augustinian order by Charles IV), containing a drop of Jesus's blood! I was amazed by this discovery, here is the information from the official website of Augustinian order: The painting was restored in 1945-1946 by the Brno painter Hedvika Böhmová. After removing all the ornaments, reckless interventions and repaintings created over the centuries were discovered. The painting is made on a board 86 × 50 cm. The painting is painted with oil-resin tempera on a base of one poplar and two linden boards. At the top and on the sides, the painting was additionally slightly trimmed, previously probably only painted monograms were replaced in unknown times by embossed Greek letters, the abbreviation Méthér Theó - Mother of God. The reliquary, originally located at the site of the child's heart, was used as a buckle in Mary's dress. According to the restoration report, there are two pieces of silk in it, one yellowish and the other light red. Beneath these pieces lay a six-millimeter square of hardened, very fine canvas or parchment with a dark teardrop stain. The edging consisted of a fine silver spiral that held a ribbon with Latin text confirming the authenticity of the relic, namely a drop of Christ's blood coming from Mary's veil, sprinkled with Christ's blood, the so-called Sudarium. This most precious relic was originally brought to the Trier monastery by St. Helena. The acquisition of the relic is related to the stay of Charles IV before 1354 in the Trier monastery. The two topazes on the sides of the reliquary are the last of the twenty-four stones that once formed Mary's halo.
I love statues and Icosn and paintings...so Catholic..so imbued by Faith... There is a large statue above our Altar of Our Lady of Fatima in our Old Rite Church.. ..during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception I looked at it and I am sure it inclined smiling towards the priest on the Altar below! Really beautiful. It appeared almost bowing. So sad few people are going to Church, if they don't go now when things are so desperate, when will they ever?
I think the Good Christian is always, always positive. As Billy Graham said, 'I have read the whole Bible to End and it Ends well.' We are always, always smiling and confident. We know the war was won on Calvary, the rest is just a mopping up operation. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 One Body but Many Parts 12 There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. 13 We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink. 14 So the body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts. 15 Suppose the foot says, “I am not a hand. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. 16 And suppose the ear says, “I am not an eye. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? 18 God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. 19 If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? 20 As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body. 21 The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 In fact, it is just the opposite. The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without. 23 The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honor. The private parts aren’t shown. But they are treated with special care. 24 The parts that can be shown don’t need special care. But God has put together all the parts of the body. And he has given more honor to the parts that didn’t have any. 25 In that way, the parts of the body will not take sides. All of them will take care of one another. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part shares in its joy. 27 You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it.
Hopefully after they experience their sins from God’s perspective… But will even that be enough for the state of current society I wonder. Exactly, it has been already won for us . We just have to keep working, individually and together towards heaven, as all of God’s creation reflects and Paul clarifies for us so well
I am and I thank God for all these blessings that I am not worthy of. Next time I visit the basilica I will pray to Madona Svatotomská* for protection of all members of this forum. *Madona Svatotomská means Madonna of St. Thomas, as it was originally placed in St. Thomas's church, also during the siege of the city as you can read in my post
Orthodox and greek catholics celebrate feast of the Conception of the Mother of God The old and deep cult of the Most Holy Mother of God, which is a significant landmark of the Eastern Church, is reflected in the large number of feasts dedicated to the Mother of God in the Church Calendar. The feasts tell about the most important moments of the life of the Mother of God beginning with her miraculous conception and ending with her assumption. Fr. Yulian Katrii of the Order of St. Basil the Great writes in his book "Know Your Rite" that the Gospel does not tell us much about the life of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, therefore, most of the feasts dedicated to her are not based on the events described in the Gospel but rather on the Christian tradition and stories of apocrypha of the first centuries. These feasts include also the Conception of St. Anne, which is celebrated in the Orthodox and Greek Catholic Churches on December 22 (December 8 according to the old style). The conception of Mary is closely connected with Her mission to become the Mother of Christ. She was to bring into the world the Son of God; therefore, God sanctified the Most Holy Virgin from the dawn of her life by giving her the privilege to be free from the original sin. The main theme of the Divine Service of the feast is the miraculous event of the conception of the Most Holy Virgin by St. Anne. The feast of the Conception has different histories in the East and West. In the West, it underwent a big evolution. The East concentrates on the very miraculous fact of conception by old and barren parents whereas the West began to stress the attribute of the conception. Later, the doctrine of the immaculate conception of the Mother of God was developed. According to it, the Most Holy Virgin Mary was preserved from the original sin from the first minute of Her life. The doctrine was most fully developed under Pope Pius IX (1846-1878), who by his bulla of December 8, 1854, declared the Immaculate Conception a dogma of the faith. The Eastern Orthodox Churches do not accept the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. After the proclamation of the dogma, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church began to call the feast of the conception of the Mother of God by St. Anne the Feast of Immaculate Conception of the Most Holy Mother of God. The Lviv Synod of 1891 lists the feast as one of the deiparous ones and envisages celebrating it as one of the great deiparous feasts. https://risu.ua/en/orthodox-and-gre...f-the-conception-of-the-mother-of-god_n124468
