Saturday of the Third Week of Easter
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
SATURDAY, May 7th Jn 6: 60-69 Jesus said: “It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.”
We honor Mary in the month of May! Today is Part One of a Two Part Meditation honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary—the Mother of Jesus and our own dear Mother in God’s Plan of Salvation: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” (Lk 1:35)
MARIAN DEVOTION—LIVING IT TO THE FULL! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV (Part One —1 thru 10)
In his spiritual masterpiece, True Devotion to Mary, Saint Louis de Montfort expresses the exalted, sublime, and glorious role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the plan of Redemption and in the presence of God Himself. Meditate deeply upon these words as we enter into a topic of the greatest importance for our salvation, as well as the salvation of the entire world:
“Mary is the supreme masterpiece of Almighty God and He has reserved the knowledge and possession of her to Himself. She is the glorious Mother of God the Son who chose to humble and conceal her during her lifetime in order to foster humility. He called her “Woman” as if she were a stranger, although in His heart He esteemed and loved her above all men and angels. Mary is the sealed fountain and the faithful spouse of the Holy Spirit. She is the sanctuary and resting place of the Blessed Trinity, where God dwells in greater and more divine splendor than anywhere else in the universe, not excluding His dwelling above the cherubim and the seraphim. No creature may enter there without being specially privileged.” (True Devotion to Mary, Saint Louis de Montfort, #5)
In this essay we would like to offer various practical suggestions on how we can cultivate and live out true devotion to Mary and as a consequence, learn to love more fully and completely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Indeed, Our Lady is the shortcut to the very heart of God Himself.
FIRST, CONSECRATION TO MARY. At the very start of every day, upon hearing the alarm clock in the morning, let your first thoughts and words be those of your consecration to Jesus through Mary. The Cure of Ars, Saint John Marie Vianney, points out that in the spiritual life if we start the day well, there is a good chance that we will end it well. Start off the day offering yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Great start on the highway to heaven! Saint John Damascene, a Father of the Eastern Church states: “To serve Mary and to be her courtier is the greatest honor we can possibly possess. For to serve the Queen of Heaven is already to reign on high, and to live under her command is a greater thing than to reign.”
SECOND, BROWN SCAPULAR OF CARMEL. The exterior sign of our consecration to Mary is our faithful wearing of the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It is worn over our shoulders and actually rests very close to our heart—symbolic of being in the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Church endows the faithful with special blessings and indulgences simply upon wearing the Scapular. Of course kissing the Scapular most clearly manifests our great love for Mary, our Mother, and her maternal and constant love for us at all times and in all places. Saint Claude de la Colombiere, the renowned Jesuit and spiritual director of Saint Margaret Mary, gives a point which is enlightening. He said, “Because all the forms of our love for the Blessed Virgin and all its various modes of expression cannot be equally pleasing to her, and therefore do not assist us in the same degree to reach Heaven, I say, without a moment’s hesitation, that the Brown Scapular is the Most Favored of all!” (Excerpt from Garment of Grace, pages 4-5) We strongly encourage you to purchase and read the small pamphlet Garment of Grace so as to understand better the origin and purpose of the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as see the countless miracles that have been attributed to its faithful use!
THIRD, PRAY THE ANGELUS! One of the most pleasing prayers that causes Our Lady to rejoice is that of The Angelus. Past Popes have traditionally prayed The Angelus on Sundays at noon. This beautiful prayer that begins with three short biblical passages and three Hail Marys is a short summary of the two pillars of our Catholic-Christian faith—the Incarnation and the Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus, as well as the role of Mary in the work of our Redemption. If possible, you might get in the habit of praying The Angelus three times a day: 9 in the morning, 12 noon, and 6 p.m. It takes less than 5 minutes! This could prove to be an excellent way to sanctify the morning hours, afternoon hours, and evening hours with the sweet fragrance of the presence of the Mystical Rose—the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pray humbly over the words of the great Franciscan Doctor of the Church, Saint Bonaventure and his great love for Mary: “Entrust your cause to her who is the Mother of mercy, and zealously offer her day by day most special marks of reverence. Endeavor to maintain within both body and soul the spotlessness of her purity, and walk in her footsteps humbly and gently like her.”
FOURTH, TALK OFTEN TO MARY YOUR MOTHER. Friends are constantly thinking about each other, calling each other, texting each other, sending e-mails; friends always find blocks of time to go out and enjoy each other’s presence. Moreover, if we truly love another person, our greatest desire is to share our life and all we have and all we are with that person. The first and greatest of all the commandments is to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. After our love for God should come our great love for Mary, the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and our own dear Mother in the order of grace. In Spanish and Italian there is a well-known song to Mary: Santa Maria del Camino. Its meaning? On the highway of life, in our traveling towards our eternal homeland which is heaven, we earnestly desire Mary to be with us in all moments. Indeed this was one of the favorite Marian titles that Saint Ignatius treasured—in Italian: “La Madonna de la Strada”—Our Lady of the Way. May Our Lady accompany us in the midst of so many perils of body, mind and soul to our heavenly homeland! The Founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary expressed this succinctly in Latin: Maria cogito, Maria invoca—Think of Mary, Invoke Mary.”
FIFTH, IMITATE MARY. Saint Ignatius of Loyola, in the context of the Spiritual Exercises, directs us to the very center, core or heart of the Spiritual Exercises: THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST. Upon undertaking the all-important task of contemplating the life of Christ, Ignatius insists on begging for this specific grace: Intimate knowledge of Jesus that we love Him more ardently and follow Him more closely. There was never anyone in the world who came to know, love and follow Jesus better than Mary. So much so, that the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, Chapter 8 highlights that Our Lady was the first disciple of Jesus! Furthermore, no one lived a more virtuous life, aside from Jesus Himself, than Mary most holy. In the classic True Devotion to Mary, Saint Louis de Montfort lists the sublime virtues of Mary that we should be encouraged to imitate and emulate in our daily struggle for perfection. “True devotion to Our Lady is holy, that is, it leads us to avoid sin and to imitate the virtues of Mary. Her ten principal virtues are: deep humility, lively faith, blind obedience, unceasing prayer, constant self-denial, surpassing purity, ardent love, heroic patience, angelic kindness, and heavenly wisdom.” (True Devotion to Mary, by Saint Louis de Montfort, #108) We imitate those with whom we associate; if we are constantly walking with Jesus and Mary, we are on a sure path to holiness of life!
SIXTH, LEARN MORE ABOUT MARY. There is a maxim worthy of belief: “You cannot love someone you do not know.” This is common sense! Therefore, the more we get to know Our Lady, the more we will love her, follow her, imitate her, and even bring others to her. Books, articles, magazines, pamphlets, documents, periodicals written on Our Lady are limitless! For the sake of brevity, we should like to suggest one literary classic, most likely the most well-known and published work ever on Our Lady: The Glories of Mary written by one of the greatest saints and lovers of Mary in the history of the world, Doctor of the Church and Founder of the Redemptorist Order, Saint Alphonsus Maria Liguori. This spiritual gem is a sublime but simple commentary on the Marian prayer we say at the end of the most Holy Rosary—the Hail Holy Queen! Saint Alphonsus insists that we should never fear to approach Our Lady for she is pure Mercy, as we pray: “Hail Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.” Having talked to people who have read prayerfully this beautiful Marian masterpiece, the common reaction is an overflowing heart of love and devotion for Mary. Saint Alphonsus was enamored with love for Mary and it overflows to those who prayerfully read this masterpiece! Order it and start reading; you will never regret it!
SEVENTH, TEMPTATIONS? TURN TO MARY. Our life on earth is a constant battle until we die. We all must encounter, confront and battle against three major enemies: the devil, the flesh, and the world. The devil has a mortal hatred for Mary. The Book of Genesis prophesied the devil’s crushing defeat through the woman, the second Eve, who is Mary: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers. He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” (Gen 3:15) When the devil is on the prowl tempting us, trying to seduce us, trying to allure us into his net or trap, then we must invoke the holy name of Mary. Indeed, very potent in the battle against Satan and his minions is praying the Hail Mary in time of temptation with great fervor, devotion, and trust. Another potent Marian prayer: “Never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided…” from the Memorare. One of the greatest preachers in the history of the Church, and a Doctor of the Church, is Saint Anthony. Let his words inspire you to turn to Mary in your temptations and struggles: “Seek refuge in Mary because she is the city of refuge. We know that Moses set up three cities of refuge for anyone who inadvertently killed his neighbor. Now the Lord has established a refuge of mercy, Mary, even for those who deliberately commit evil. Mary provides refuge and strength for the sinner.”
EIGHTH, PROBLEMS? RUN TO MARY! Little children are not afraid to run to their Mother when they have any sort of problem. Likewise, we should never fear running to Mary, our Heavenly Mother, when problems knock at our door. Crosses, contradictions, sufferings, and problems are part and parcel of the life of all, but especially those who decide firmly to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and Mary. A superb example for us is the person of Saint Juan Diego. This poor, simple, humble, and childlike man was afflicted with a very serious problem—the seeming imminent death of his elderly uncle, Juan Bernardino. Early in the morning, while rushing to the city of Mexico to find a priest to give his uncle the Last Rites, Juan Diego encountered of Lady of Guadalupe. With the most consoling and encouraging words, she resolved his problem and restored health to his apparently dying uncle: “Do not be afraid. I have you in the crossing of my arms, in my shadow, in the folds of my mantle…” Interpretation: Mary wants Juan Diego (as well as you and me) to find refuge in her heart, her shadow, and her very womb—so that she can form us into Other Christs!!! Therefore, when we are loaded down with problems and crosses—run and seek refuge in the arms and Immaculate Heart of Mary! She is a loving Mother who will never neglect or forsake you!
NINTH, IMAGES OF MARY. When we love somebody who might not be physically present, we carry a photo of that person in our wallet, or have their picture in our home, or keep photos of them on our cell-phone. Therefore, we can look at them at will and this brings the person we love present to us—if not actually in person, at least artistically or by means of photos. Thanks be to God, in the past 2000 years there have been many artistic masterpieces done of the “Masterpiece of Creation”—Mary most holy. All of us in our home, wallet, car, and especially in our heart should have an image or images of Our Lady. Paintings and pictures are countless. Beyond doubt, the most depicted person after Jesus is Mary! Choose one or more that inspire you most: Our Lady of Guadalupe, Fatima, Lourdes, Perpetual Help, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady Help of Christians, the Holy Family—just to mention a few. Highly recommended is enthroning the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in your home. This practice produces abundant blessings upon the family, as well as those who come to visit the family. The saying is so true: “A picture is worth more than a thousand words.” An attractive picture, painting or statue of Mary is worth more than a billion words! May the great lover of the Immaculate inspire us by his words, Saint Maximilian Kolbe: “When we dedicate ourselves to Mary, we become an instrument in her hands. Let us then be guided by her, for she will provide for the needs of body and soul and overcome all difficulties and anxieties.”
TENTH, DEFEND MARY. Imagine a mean person with bad will was attacking the good name of your Mother—what an affront, offense, and insult! Beyond a shadow of a doubt, you would try to defend the good name of the person who helped bring you into existence. Mary is our spiritual Mother and we should love her holy name and her heavenly privileges immensely. Therefore, we should strive to defend her to the max! Our Lady of Fatima revealed that her Immaculate Heart was deeply wounded by those who attack her privileges: 1) Her Immaculate Conception, Divine Maternity, and Perpetual Virginity, as well as her holy images, and the scandalizing of innocent children whom Our Lady loves so much! It is incumbent upon all lovers of Mary to defend her by our words, example, and lifestyle. Indeed, sometimes we can sin by our silence! The well-known political statesman, Edmund Burke, asserted: “So that evil triumph, it is sufficient that good men do nothing.” This is called the sin of omission! Let us allow the words of the great Saint Alphonsus spur us on to love and defend Mary: “Many will not let devotion to the Blessed Virgin take root in their hearts. But blessed is the person who accepts this grace and keeps it. Such a devotion is in all who are the Lord’s heritage—in all who will praise Him eternally in heaven.”
Editor’s Note: To be continued tomorrow, Part Two —11 thru 20.
Copyright 2022 Oblates of the Virgin Mary / St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA
