When we stop in prayer and turn our gaze to look at Mary, Mother of God, our Mother; when we kneel in our great need to beseech her to help us; when we find our prayer-lives in darkness or our dear ones in deep distress: what do we see in her features as she returns our gaze?
We see the reflected love of the Son Whom she carried in her womb. We see a Woman-made-prayer, the one ordained to be our Mother, the one whose faith is loving, pure, hidden, obedient, sacrificial, humble, filled with self-emptiness, the spotless Window without stain through whom the Son shines.
SACRIFICIAL LOVE; HIDDEN PRAYER; A GIANT OF FAITH; OBEDIENT; HUMBLE; EMPTY OF SELF
MARYAM : MARY.
In his Meditations, St. Thomas of Aquinas teaches us that the virginal body of Mary, as well as her soul, overflowed with grace. "The soul of the Blessed Virgin was so full of grace that it overflowed into her flesh, thus fitting it for the conception of God's Son."
Her immaculate heart, her feelings, mind and will were all involved in the conception and care of her Son, just as it is in helping each of us conceive and bring forth Christ in our soul.
"... she belonged to Christ, sharing in the salvific and sanctifying grace and in that love which has its beginning in the ‘Beloved’, the Son of the Eternal Father, who through the Incarnation became her own Son. Consequently, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the order of grace, which is a participation in the divine nature, Mary receives life from him to whom she herself, in the order of earthly generation, gave life as a mother. The liturgy does not hesitate to call her "mother of her Creator" and to hail her with the words ‘… daughter of your Son. 'And since Mary receives this ‘new life’ with a fullness corresponding to the Son's love for the Mother, and thus corresponding to the dignity of the divine motherhood, the angel at the Annunciation calls her ‘full of grace.’" (Pope St. John Paul II)
... Mary will live her obedience of faith in suffering, at the side of the suffering Savior, and that her motherhood will be mysterious and sorrowful. Our beloved Mom said Yes to a share in the shocking mystery of the self- emptying of her Son, and endured perhaps the deepest "kenosis" of faith in human history (excerpts from Redemptoris Mater, Pope St. John Paul II).
This Mother's eyes will be filled with a Love that understands our suffering, a Mother of our sorrows, a Mother who is full of Grace, a Mother who will make present to us the mystery of Christ in our pain.
SACRIFICIAL LOVE; HIDDEN PRAYER; A GIANT OF FAITH; OBEDIENT; HUMBLE; EMPTY OF SELF
MARYAM : MARY.
In his Meditations, St. Thomas of Aquinas teaches us that the virginal body of Mary, as well as her soul, overflowed with grace. "The soul of the Blessed Virgin was so full of grace that it overflowed into her flesh, thus fitting it for the conception of God's Son."
Her immaculate heart, her feelings, mind and will were all involved in the conception and care of her Son, just as it is in helping each of us conceive and bring forth Christ in our soul.
MARY NOT ONLY BRINGS CHRIST TO US :
SHE ALSO BRINGS US TO CHRIST.
SHE ALSO BRINGS US TO CHRIST.
"... the Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35)
When Spirit Lord came upon Mary, overshadowed her, He became "... present in all the pores of her soul, in all the molecules of her body, penetrating her entire being with his light and his love..." (Pere Marie Eugene OCD)
When Spirit Lord came upon Mary, overshadowed her, He became "... present in all the pores of her soul, in all the molecules of her body, penetrating her entire being with his light and his love..." (Pere Marie Eugene OCD)
"... she belonged to Christ, sharing in the salvific and sanctifying grace and in that love which has its beginning in the ‘Beloved’, the Son of the Eternal Father, who through the Incarnation became her own Son. Consequently, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the order of grace, which is a participation in the divine nature, Mary receives life from him to whom she herself, in the order of earthly generation, gave life as a mother. The liturgy does not hesitate to call her "mother of her Creator" and to hail her with the words ‘… daughter of your Son. 'And since Mary receives this ‘new life’ with a fullness corresponding to the Son's love for the Mother, and thus corresponding to the dignity of the divine motherhood, the angel at the Annunciation calls her ‘full of grace.’" (Pope St. John Paul II)
... Mary will live her obedience of faith in suffering, at the side of the suffering Savior, and that her motherhood will be mysterious and sorrowful. Our beloved Mom said Yes to a share in the shocking mystery of the self- emptying of her Son, and endured perhaps the deepest "kenosis" of faith in human history (excerpts from Redemptoris Mater, Pope St. John Paul II).
This Mother's eyes will be filled with a Love that understands our suffering, a Mother of our sorrows, a Mother who is full of Grace, a Mother who will make present to us the mystery of Christ in our pain.
When we read these reflections from St. John Paul II, the Holy Spirit, our Mother's Sacred Spouse, deepens our understanding of ...
MARY NOT ONLY BRINGS CHRIST TO US :
SHE ALSO BRINGS US TO CHRIST.
SHE ALSO BRINGS US TO CHRIST.
WHY I LOVE YOU, O MARY
Oh! I would like to sing, Mary, why I love you,
Why your sweet name thrills my heart,
And why the thought of your supreme greatness
Could not bring fear to my soul.
If I gazed upon you in your sublime glory,
Surpassing the splendour of all blessed,
I could not believe that I am your child
O Mary, before you I would lower my eyes!
If a child is to cherish his mother,
She has to cry with him and share his sorrows,
O my dearest Mother, on this foreign shore
How many tears you shed to draw me to you!
In pondering your life in the holy Gospels,
I dare look at you and come near you.
It’s not difficult for me to believe I’m your child,
For I see you human and suffering like me…
When an angel from Heaven bids you be the Mother
Of God who is to reign for all eternity,
I see you prefer, O Mary, what a mystery!
the ineffable treasure of virginity.
O Immaculate Virgin, I understand how your soul
Is dearer to the Lord than his heavenly dwelling.
I understand how your soul, Humble and Sweet Valley,
Can contain Jesus, the Ocean of Love!
Oh! I love you, Mary, saying you are the servant
Of God whom you charm by humility.
This hidden virtue makes you all powerful,
It attracts the Holy Trinity into your heart.
Then the Spirit of Love covering you with his shadow,
The Son equal to the Father became incarnate in you,
There will be a great many of His sinner brothers,
Since He will be called: Jesus, your first-born
At least you find Him and you are overcome with joy,
You say to the fair Child captivating the doctors;
“O my Son, why have you done this?
Your father and I have been searching for you in tears.”
And the Child God replies (O what a deep mystery!)
To his dearest Mother holding out her arms to him:
“Why were you searching for me? I must be about
My Father’s business. Didn’t you know?”
The Gospel tells me that, growing in wisdom,
Jesus remains subject to Joseph and Mary,
And my heart reveals to me with what tenderness
He always obeys his dear parents.
Now I understand the mystery of the temple,
The hidden words of my Lovable King.
Mother, your sweet Child wants you to be the example
Of the soul searching for Him in the night of faith.
Since the King of Heaven wanted his Mother
To be plunged into the night, in anguish of heart,
Mary, is it thus a blessing to suffer on earth?
Yes, to suffer while loving is the purest happiness!
All that He has given me, Jesus can take back.
Tell Him not to bother with me….
He can indeed hide from me, I’m willing to wait for Him
Till the day without sunset when my faith will fade away…
Mother full of grace, I know that in Nazareth
You live in poverty, wanting nothing more.
No rapture, miracle, or ecstasy
Embellish your life, O Queen of the Elect!
The number of little ones on earth is truly great.
They can raise their eyes to you without trembling.
It’s by the ordinary way, incomparable Mother,
That you like to walk to guide them in Heaven.
While waiting for Heaven, O my dear Mother
I want to live with you, to follow you each day.
Mother, contemplating you, I joyfully immerse myself,
Discovering in your heart abysses of love.
You motherly gaze banishes all my fears.
It teaches me to cry, it teaches me to rejoice.
Instead of scorning pure and simple joys,
You want to share in them, you deign to bless them.
At Cana, seeing the married couple’s anxiety
Which they cannot hide, for they have run out of wine,
In your concern you tell the Saviour,
Hoping for the help of his divine power,
Jesus seems at first to reject your prayer:
“Woman, what does this matter,” he answers, ”to you and to me?”
But in the depths of his heart, He calls you his Mother,
And works his first miracle for you…
One day when sinners are listening to the doctrine
Of Him who would like to welcome them in Heaven,
Mary, I find you with them on the hill.
Someone says to Jesus that you wish to see him.
Then, before the whole multitude, your Divine Son
Shows us the immensity of his love for us.
He says: “Who is my brother and my sister and my Mother,
If not the one who does my will?”
O Immaculate Virgin, most tender of Mothers,
In listening to Jesus, you are not saddened.
But you rejoice that He makes us understand
How our souls become his family here below.
Yes, you rejoice that He gives us his life,
The infinite treasures of his divinity!
How can we not love you, O my dear Mother,
On seeing so much love and so much humility?
You love us, Mary, as Jesus loves us,
And for us you accept being separated from Him.
To love is to give everything. It’s to give oneself.
You wanted to prove this by remaining our support.
The Saviour knew your immense tenderness.
He knew the secrets of your maternal heart.
Refuge of sinners, He leaves us to you
When He leaves the Cross to wait for us in Heaven.
Mary, at the top of Calvary standing beside the Cross
To me you seem like a priest at the altar,
Offering your beloved Jesus, the sweet Emmanuel,
To appease the Father’s justice…
A prophet said, O afflicted Mother,
“There is no sorrow like your sorrow!”
O Queen of Martyrs, while remaining in exile
You lavish on us all the blood of your heart!
Saint John’s home becomes your only refuge.
Zebedee’s son is to replace Jesus…
That is the last detail the Gospel gives.
It tells me nothing more of the Queen of Heaven.
But, O my dear Mother, doesn’t its profound silence
Reveal that The Eternal Word Himself
Wants to sing the secrets of your life
To charm your children, all the Elect of Heaven ?
Soon I’ll hear that sweet harmony.
Soon I’ll go to beautiful Heaven to see you.
You who came to smile at me in the morning of my life,
Come smile at me again … Mother… It’s evening now!…
I no longer fear the splendour of your supreme glory.
With you I’ve suffered and now I want
To sing on your lap, Mary, why I love you,
And to go on saying that I am your child!
(St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, May 1897)