J.M.J. Mary is the Most Holy One . . . Our Blessed Mother who is closest to Jesus.
The Pure and Loving Heart of Mary: Friday, January 15, 2016
J.M.J. Mother Teresa of Calcutta ,
the twentieth century’s version of Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660), founded
the Missionaries of Charity, one of the fastest-growing Religious Institutes of
women in the world.
Several times each day those 4,000+ Sisters, while assembled in the Chapels of
their various convents, sing a brief hymn to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It
goes like this: “O most pure and loving Heart of my Mother and my Queen, Grant
that I may love thee, love thee daily more and more. Grant that I may love
thee, love thee daily more and more.”
This simple yet profound hymn takes about twenty-five seconds to sing. But
length must not deceive. The genuine sentiments expressed and the theological
truths outlined in this musical composition provide a welcome key not only to
the Missionaries of Charity and their apostolate in serving “the poorest of the
poor” but also to the very essence of the Christian life.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary, who is our Mother and Queen, is the focus of this
melodious prayer. Two important characteristics of Our Blessed Lady’s Heart are
recognized and hailed: purity and love.
The purity of Mary is seen in her complete dedication to her Creator. She never
wavered from following Him and adhering to His Will. Her chastity and virginity
also manifest that deep purity of heart for which Our Blessed Mother is well
known. She cheerfully embraced the unique vocation that God had bestowed on
her.
The love of Mary is observed in her loyal service of God and neighbor. She
spent herself in promptly obeying the Almighty’s commands and responding to the
spiritual and bodily needs of others. Whether doing something
extraordinary—like miraculously conceiving through the power of the Holy Spirit
and bringing Christ forth while retaining her Perpetual Virginity—or something
routine—like taking care of Jesus and Saint Joseph by attending to common
household chores—Mary was a servant par excellence. Nothing was too grandiose
or too small for her to accomplish if God in fact directed her to do so.
Now that we acknowledge Our Lady’s purity and love, what is our response? To
love her “daily more and more.” This is nothing other than the desire of
Christ: that each day we learn to love His Mother more. Our happy task is
straightforward: to love Mary as Jesus does.
We cannot fully imagine the love the Son has for the Mother. Jesus treasures
Mary and would do anything for her. How He must delight in answering her
requests! And her requests are those that come from her children. When our
petitions are in accord with the unfathomable plan of God, then Mary makes them
her own and raises them to her beloved Son.
We are grateful that God has given us that pure and loving Immaculate Heart. We
honor her. We ask her help. We imitate her. And we strive, like the spiritual
daughters of Mother Teresa, to love her daily more and daily.
O most pure and loving Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
Our Lady, The Throne of the King: Thursday, January 14, 2016
J.M.J. "Where is the tongue that can utter what should be said about You, O Virgin Mother of the Father – Word? You have become the throne of the King, borne by the Cherubim. Let us call You 'Blessed,' and proclaim Your name to all generations."
--Ethiopian "Book of the Praise of Mary"
Mary, Our Stable Guide: Wednesday, January 13, 2016
J.M.J. Three decades ago, the Archbishop of New York, John Cardinal O’Connor, remarked that
an entire generation of Catholics in the United States had been reared
practically devoid of any knowledge of Mary, the Mother of God. He lamented the
fact that Marian devotion had seemingly hit a record low.
Now, just
several years later, we hear and read of a renewed interest in Mary. Books,
audio and videotapes, movies and articles on Our Blessed Lady are being
produced for an ever-growing audience.
It is not
surprising that many Catholics have begun again to implore Mary’s intercession.
People need mothers. Mothers provide stability and steadiness. In our
constantly changing world, stability is at a premium. Holy Mary acts as a
steady rudder in an age of moral chaos.
For
centuries, Mary has been invoked under a myriad of titles: Our Lady of Grace,
Queen of Peace, Our Lady Conceived Without Original Sin, Our Lady of Fatima,
etc. Perhaps a new salutation – appropriate for our tumultuous times – might be
added: Our Lady, Bearer of Stability.
From Bethlehem to Calvary , from Cana to
the Upper Room, Mary was a woman of steadiness: rockhard in joy and sorrow.
Mary was
also endowed with emotions. Inexpressible sadness occupied her Immaculate Heart
as she witnessed the cruel persecution of Christ. Nevertheless, her eyes never
withdrew from their constant focus: Jesus, her Son and the Son of the Immortal
One.
One of the
earliest lessons of a child is that the path of life is sometimes bumpy. There
will always be hurdles or obstacles that cannot be ignored. Mary’s example
gives believers hope that life’s challenges can be successfully met. Our Lady’s
faith in her divine Son was her reliable anchor.
But Mary
offers her children more than just an example of stability. Her intercession
allows us to persevere in our daily duties. By Mary’s prayers and proximity to
Jesus, we are sustained and nourished as we carry out our appointed tasks.
The
stability that Mary enjoyed in good and bad times is possible for the modern
disciple to possess. However, Mary’s life of union with God is not easily
attained. There are many pitfalls to be overcome. But because of Mary’s
reliance upon the Lord, she received the grace necessary to combat turmoil and
temptation. Today, she invites us to accept with a joyful and receptive heart
what God wants to do for us.
Many
contemporary commentators have suggested that a primary problem for people
today is the lack of identity, often called an “identity crisis.” We do not
know who we are. We are confused about our personal self-worth, values and goals.
We do not know where we are coming from or where we’re going.
Mary’s
clarity of mission is in stark contrast to society’s confusion. Mary knew her
role because she kept listening to God. The direction in her life came from her
willingness—inspired by grace—to respond to God’s initiative.
The lack of
stability in modern life is certainly evident. But there is a remedy for this
illness. The salve that works wonders can be simply stated: receptivity to
God’s will.
Mary, a
human being like us, is positive proof of the tranquility that results from
being faithful to the divine call. If, like her, we place our wills at the
service of the Lord, we, too, can aspire to the kind of steadiness that she
embodied.
Let us ask
Our Lady, Bearer of Stability, to pray for us!
Mary, the Chaste Spouse of the Holy Spirit: Tuesday, January 12, 2016
J.M.J. Our Blessed
Mother Mary is the Immaculate Mediatrix who is the Chosen Spouse of the Holy
Spirit. Our Lady is so intimately linked to the Holy Spirit—the Third Person of
the Most Blessed Trinity—through her profound love and obedience that we can
attest without a trace of exaggeration that she is the Spouse of the Paraclete.
Surrendering
with alacrity to the abundant and alluring grace of the Holy Spirit, Mary has
pledged herself to Him in the spirit of fidelity, thereby becoming His Chaste
Spouse. She has rejected everything that is contrary to the Holy Spirit. She
has only one Eternal Spouse: the Beloved Counselor.
And this
spousal relationship between the Holy Spirit and Holy Mary is so firm and
abiding that it is irrevocable; it cannot be broken or even lessened. The
sincere consent given by both parties may not be retracted, so forceful,
informed and conscious it was.
Mary is
united to the Holy Spirit in an unspeakable closeness. Our Blessed Mother
freely yielded her will to His. As a result, although she retained her
God-given freedom, in a real sense her will has been “caught up” into the Will
of the Holy Spirit. Mary’s conformity to the Consoler is so complete that His
desires, sentiments and plan of action have become hers.
As always,
we look to Mary for much needed inspiration. She, in imitation of her Divine
Son Jesus Christ, so entirely submitted herself to the Holy Spirit that we have
in her the veritable model and pattern for our lives.
Christian
perfection is, simply put, to conform one’s will to God’s will. No one can
enter Heaven who exalts his will over that of the Creator. Those who wish to go
to Paradise must bow to the Lord, accepting
and fulfilling what He wants for them.
Our wills
are to be united to the Holy Spirit’s will as is Mary’s. True, we have not been
conceived without Original Sin. The haughty transgression of our first parents
Adam and Eve meant that when we were conceived in our mothers’ wombs, we were
estranged from God. That was never the case with Mary.
Yet, we
have been redeemed in Christ Jesus. Thanks to His agonizing Death on Calvary and His glorious Resurrection, He has set us
apart, making us His new creatures. He has clothed us in the white garment of
Baptism so that we can be His authentic disciples who cling to Him and His
saving words.
And the
Descent of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost Sunday ushered Mary and the
Apostles into a new creation, which we, too, enjoy as loyal members of the
Mystical Body of Christ. Now we have been marked by the seal of the Holy Spirit
and can act accordingly.
Although
Original Sin once held sway over us, Actual Sin need not. By daily using our
free wills as Mary used hers in becoming the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, we
reject Satan, all his empty works and all his empty promises. And we become
connected to the Paraclete in fresh and lasting ways.
We glorify
the Eternal Father by our oneness with the Holy Spirit. Our Blessed Mother has
already shown us the way to union with Christ: submission to the Lord in
everything! Such a gesture, rooted in grace, on our part signals our commitment
to live as sons and daughters of God the Father, brothers and sisters of Jesus
the Son of God, temples and—in analogous fashion—spouses of the Holy Spirit,
and sons and daughters of the Ever-Virgin Mary, who has paved the road for our
rightful surrender to the Lord.
Mary and Faith: Monday, January 11, 2016
J.M.J.
"Our Blessed Lady's Living Faith"
Our Blessed
Mother possessed a “living faith”, meaning that she believed actively all the
truths revealed by God on the basis of His authority. If He revealed them, then
that was enough for Our Lady.
Mary’s was
a dynamic faith. The profundity and fervor of that faith intensified with each
passing day.
In his very
helpful treatise entitled La Madonna (Padova: Gregoriana, 1966), Passionist
Father Giacomo Pesce hailed the Ever-Virgin Mother of God as a “model of
faith.” Mary possessed a faith that was heroic, prudent and fruitful. But that
is not all. Mary’s faith was proven. Just as silver is tried in the fire and
gold in the furnace, and the Lord tests hearts (see Proverbs 17:3), so the
faith of Our Lady was tried and shown to be splendid!
Mary
believed in her Pure Immaculate Heart that her Son Jesus was the Creator of the
world even when He was weak and suffering in Bethlehem ’s rustic cave. She knew Him to be
the King of Kings while she and her chaste husband Saint Joseph fled with the Child to Egypt in order
to escape the treacherous grasp of the evil King Herod. She was convinced that
He was the Omnipotent One despite His neediness and subjection to others. She
acknowledged Him to be the “Joy of Paradise” notwithstanding His infant tears.
She admitted that He was the wisdom and the strength of God although He grew in
age, wisdom and grace before God and men. She confessed that He had descended
from Heaven in order to conquer Satan and redeem humanity never mind His exhausting
work as a carpenter at the side of His Foster-father.
Why did
Jesus, who miraculously multiplied the bread and fish, not provide the Holy
Family of Nazareth with a plethora of money? Why did Jesus, the true Messiah,
stir up hatred and aversion against Himself? Why was Jesus the target of more
spying than any murderer or thief? Why did the Father allow His Divine Son to
be so mistreated? Why did the Father not permit the Sacred Divinity of His Son
to be recognized? Why did the Father allow His Divine Son to take on the
likeness of sinners even to His ignoble death on the Cross?
Father
Pesce marveled at the incredible faith of Mary. “All these questions Our Lady
heroically overcame. In all these terrible trials, the Virgin Mary repeated:
‘Behold the handmaiden of the Lord!’” (page 303)
In
capturing his own wonderment, Father Pesce names ours, too. “We admire the
Madonna who did not vacillate during the most difficult hours; on the contrary,
she became a very brilliant beacon for all Christians.” (ibid.)
As sons and
daughters of God the Father, brothers and sisters of God the Son and temples of
God the Holy Spirit, we have inherited the magnificent faith of Mary our
Spiritual Mother. With the abundant grace provided by the Lord, Our Blessed
Lady went forward in faith. We treasure her example and seek to imitate it.
We rightly
conclude with a prayer offered by Father Pesce: “Virgin Mary, we believe all
that God commands us to believe. Reinvigorate our faith. Increase it in such a
way that we believe with all our hearts.” (page 304)
Mary, model
of faith, pray for us!
(Published
in Missio Immaculatae in the August/September 2006 issue on pages 14-15. Used
with permission.)
Mary's Union with Jesus as the Pattern for Ours: The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Sunday, January 10, 2016
J.M.J. The greatest
title given by the Church to Our Blessed Mother and recognized by the Faithful
everywhere is Mater Dei—The Mother of God. This extraordinary privilege of
Mary’s Divine Maternity is the foundation for all the other unparalleled honors
that the Lord granted the Maiden of Nazareth.
The
Almighty chose Mary among all women to be the Mother of Jesus Christ, Who is
true God. She who is the Immaculate Mediatrix conceived Jesus by the power of
the Holy Spirit and brought Him forth while remaining a virgin.
When we
reflect on this incredible mystery, we note that had Mary rejected God’s
generous invitation to be the Mother of the Savior, then any hope for our
reconciliation with the benevolent Lord would have had to be realized in some
other way. Therefore, Mary’s reply was very significant.
But thanks
be to God, Holy Mary said “yes.” Her unforgettable fiat helped to effect our
long-anticipated Redemption. Jesus Christ came to the world through Our Blessed
Lady’s affirmative response. Her receptivity in becoming the Mother of Christ
paved the way for our reunion with God.
Our union
with Jesus Christ is foreshadowed by Mary’s own union with Her Divine Son. Her
surrender to Him is the pattern for our submission to Christ. The fully human
Mary demonstrates that it is possible for us to live united to Jesus.
Despite our
multi-faceted human weakness which we experience daily, we who have been
baptized were endowed with Sanctifying Grace. This amazing gift makes us
friends of God.
Our Blessed
Mother, too, received Sanctifying Grace at the precise moment of Her Immaculate
Conception. She was preserved from Original Sin—that audacious disobedience
shown by Adam and Eve to the Creator Himself. Being steeped in Sanctifying
Grace, Our Lady is truly the Lord’s friend.
Although we
cannot boast of having been preserved like Mary from the awful Sin of our first
parents, the terrible situation of our bitter estrangement with God was
rectified when we received the fruits of Christ’s salvific Death on Calvary . When? At the instant the cleansing water was
poured on us during the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism.
Baptism
effected our reunion with the Lord. It manifested in our souls the fruits won
by the selfless Death of the Savior on the Cross. We left the church after our
Baptism that day as friends of God. This treasured friendship is strengthened
when we worthily receive the Sacraments, pray and perform acts of charity and
mortification; however, this cherished friendship is notably wounded when we,
sadly, commit venial sin; it is completely broken if we—God forbid—commit
mortal sin.
The Second
Vatican Ecumenical Council stated in its November 21, 1964 Dogmatic Constitution
on the Church (Lumen Gentium): “Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in Her
pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully preserved in Her union with Her Son unto
the Cross, where She stood, in keeping with the Divine Plan, enduring with Her
only-begotten Son the intensity of His suffering, associated Herself with His
Sacrifice in Her Mother’s Heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of
this Victim which was born of Her.” (#58) Thus, the Woman who always did the
sublime Will of God, thereby remaining in intimate friendship with Him,
actually helped us to enjoy that same friendship by Her singular cooperation with
Jesus on Calvary . Now, thanks to Jesus and
Mary, we have the opportunity to be—and remain—authentic friends of the Living
God!
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