MM6 – A Marian Moment – Reflections on the Blessed Virgin Mary

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From the writings of Blessed John Henry Newman

Mary is called golden because her graces, her virtues, her innocence, her purity, are of that transcendent brilliancy and dazzling perfection, so costly, so exquisite, that the angels cannot, so to say, keep their eyes off her any more than we could help gazing upon any great work of gold. But observe further: She is a golden house, or I will rather say, a golden palace.

She is the house and the palace of the great King, of God himself. Our Lord, the coequal Son of God, once dwelt in her. He was her Guest; no, more than a guest, for a guest comes into a house as well as leaves it. But our Lord was actually born in this holy house. He took his flesh and his blood from this house, from the flesh, from the veins of Mary.

MM5 – A Marian Moment – Reflections on the Blessed Virgin Mary

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From the writings of St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Blessed Lady, you found grace;
you brought forth Life;
you became the mother of salvation.
Gain for us the grace to turn to your Son through you.
And let your humility, so pleasing to God,
gain forgiveness for our vanity.
Let your abundant charity cover the multitude of our sins,
and let your glorious fruitfulness conceive in us a fruitfulness of merits.
Reconcile us to your Son, entrust us to him, and present us to him.
Blessed Virgin, by the grace you found with God,
by the favor you merited, by the mercy he has granted you, gain for us this favor:
Let the One who, through you, came down to share our weakness and affliction,
make us share, through you,
his glory and blessedness—
Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who is above all,
God forever blessed!

 

 

 

MM4 – A Marian Moment – Reflections on the Blessed Virgin Mary

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From the writings of St. John of Damascus

She opened to us the unspeakable abyss of God’s love for us. Through her the old enmity against the Creator is destroyed. Through her our reconciliation with him is strengthened, peace and grace are given to us, men are made the companions of angels, and we, who lived in dishonor, are made the children of God. From her we’ve plucked the fruit of life. From her we’ve received the seed of immortality. She’s the channel of all our goods. In her, God was Man, and Man was God. What could be more marvelous or more blessed than that?

Prayer of St. Athanasius:

O Virgin, Ark of the Covenant, clothed with purity instead of gold! You are the Ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna, that is, the Flesh in which God resides.

MM3 – A Marian Moment – Reflections on the Blessed Virgin Mary

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From the writings of St. Louis de Montfort

If we’re establishing sound devotion to our Blessed Lady, it’s only in order to establish devotion to our Lord more perfectly, by providing a smooth but certain way of reaching Jesus Christ. If devotion to Our Lady distracted us from our Lord, we’d have to reject it as an illusion of the Devil. But this is far from being the case. This devotion is necessary, simply and solely because it’s a way of reaching Jesus perfectly, loving him tenderly, and serving him faithfully.

Lord Jesus, thank you for giving us your Blessed Mother to be our mother. Holy Mary, thank you for always leading us to your divine Son

 

MM2 – A Marian Moment – Reflections on the Blessed Virgin Mary

Sassoferrato_Madonna_And_ChFrom the writings of St. Louis de Montfort

 

Every day from one end of the earth to the other, in the highest heights of the heavens and in the profoundest depths of the abysses, everything preaches, everything publishes, the admirable Mary! The nine choirs of angels, men of all ages, sexes, conditions and religions, the good and the bad—even the demons themselves, willingly or unwillingly—are compelled by the force of truth to call her “blessed.”

Prayer of St. Alphonsus Liguori:

I love you, Mary, my Mother, and I wish I could speak with a thousand tongues, so that all might know your greatness, your holiness, your mercy, and the love with which you love all those who love you.

 

MM1 – A Marian Moment – Reflections on the Blessed Virgin Mary

Sassoferrato_Madonna_And_ChFrom the writings of St. Peter Julian Eymard:

All Mary’s life—taken as a whole—may be summed up in this one word—adoration; for adoration is the perfect service of God, and it embraces all the duties of the creature toward the Creator. It was Mary who first adored the incarnate Word. He was in her womb, and no one on earth knew of it. Oh! How well was our Lord served in Mary’s virginal womb! Never has he found a ciborium, a golden vase more precious or purer than was Mary’s womb! . . .

Prayer: O Mary! Teach us the life of adoration. Teach us to see, as you did, all the mysteries and all the graces in the Eucharist.