J.M.J.
On Easter Sunday, a very observant Catholic wrote to me, mentioning that she had heard that there is a longstanding custom of invoking Our Lady in the morning by bowing to an image of Her and acclaiming, "Hail Mary, Virgin Most Faithful." Then, in the evening one does similarly, but this time praying, "Hail Mary, Mother of Mercy."
Genuflecting or bowing to Her each morning while saying, for example sixty or a hundred times, "Hail Mary, Virgin Most Faithful," so that, through Her intercession with God, we may faithfully correspond with His graces throughout the day; and, in the evening, saying, "Hail Mary, Mother of Mercy," asking Her to obtain God's pardon for the sins we have committed during the day.
While I am not familiar with this precise practice, I heartily endorse it--and I want to incorporate it immediately into my own spiritual regimen!
In The Virgin Mary (page 44), the Reverend Raymond de Thomas de Saint-Laurent (1879-1949) repeats an oft-quoted story regarding Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (1090-1153):
Saint Bernard habitually greeted a statue of the Madonna in his monastery. Each time he passed by he recited a Hail Mary. A legend says that one day the statue came to life and Our Lady's face lit up with a smile. She graciously inclined Her head to the saint and said, "And I greet you, Bernard."
No comments:
Post a Comment