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Mary  is model, teacher, guide, inspiration, life, sweetness and hope to all to raise their eyes to her with love.  In the beautiful prayer of St. Bernard,  the Memorare, we pray with confidence: “Never was it known that anyone who had recourse to Mary was left unaided…”

May is the month of Mary and it concludes with one of the most beautiful Marian Feast days— the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin St. Elizabeth.  Many superb spiritual lessons can be learned from this Marian gem, which also is the 2^nd Joyful Mystery. Let us descend into the “Spiritual mine” and grab on to the excellent treasures.

 The last part of the prior mystery— the Annunciation/Incarnation— ends with Mary’s “Fiat”— that is to say Mary’s “Yes” to God.  The exact words are: “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word.”   In that moment, one of the most sublime moments in the history of the world took place: the Incarnation of the Son of God.   That is to say, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, descended from His heavenly throne, and became Incarnate (man) in the most pure womb of the Virgin Mary!     In rapt awe, we humbly adore this sublime mystery!

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Father Ed Broom, OMV, is Associate Pastor of St. Peter Chanel Church in Hawaiian Gardens, California. He is a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary and was ordained by Saint John Paul II on May 25, 1986. Fr. Ed teaches Catholic Ignatian Marian Spirituality through articles, podcasts, a radio show, retreats and spiritual direction.

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It is couched in between two Minor Prophets, Obadiah and Micah. It is composed of only 4 chapters, with only 48 verses in total; a small book, a minor prophet but with an extremely explosive message—it is the book and the person of Jonah. God summoned Jonah to go to a place he did not want to go, to visit a people he did not particularly like, and to give a message he literally detested—all this to the pagan city of Nineveh!

Jonah’s response to God’s call?  A flat and unequivocal “No!” I will not go! To prove it, Jonah jumped into a pagan ship going in the exact opposite direction. Jonah reasoned that this would solve the problem. God had other plans.  When God wants to carry out a mission, he finds the wherewithal to accomplish it! God sent two unexpected surprises to Jonah: a powerful storm and a huge fish.  Neither of these ever crossed the mind of Jonah.

The storm compelled the sailors to question who provoked it. Jonah pleads guilty.  Then Jonah, cast into the depths of the sea, surmising his life would be snuffed out, finds himself swallowed up by a huge fish in whose belly he remains for three long days and three long nights!

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In the context of the Spiritual Exercises, St Ignatius invites his retreatants to meditate upon the Last things; however these last things should be among the most important things in our spiritual life.

In Spiritual Theology the technical word is “Eschatology” which means the study of the “Last Things.” Some authors write about the “four” last things; but we would like to add a fifth.

What then are these “five” last things? Here they are for your reflection and meditation:  Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell and, yes, Purgatory. There we have the big four! Let us give a brief reflection in these last things which are indeed very important things!

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God is love, but God desires to be loved in return. To love demands freedom; freedom, however, always demands a risk of abusing it!  In other words with respect to freedom Adam and Eve could have either used the freedom to glorify and praise God or to abuse their freedom and allow sin to enter into the world.

The only prohibition that God imposed on Adam and Eve was to avoid eating the fruit in the middle of the Garden, the fruit from the tree of knowledge; if done, they would die! The life of man and woman on earth is a constant testing ground to either obey God or reject God’s command. This goes back to the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.