Through the Holy Spirit In this prayer, St. Ildephonsus of Spain recognizes the essential role of the Holy Spirit, both in Mary’s life and in ours. Virgin Mary, hear my prayer! Through the Holy Spirit, you became the mother of Jesus. From the Holy Spirit, let Jesus become mine as well. Through the Holy Spirit, your flesh conceived Jesus. Through the same Spirit, let my soul receive Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, you were able to know Jesus, to have... Read more
Devotions to Mary should be joined with holiness Even lavish devotions to Mary, says St. Alphonsus, are useless if they aren’t joined to personal holiness. “The Queen of Heaven is so gracious and generous,” says St. Andrew of Crete, “that she rewards her servants with the greatest lavishness for the small- est devotions.” But there are conditions to this generosity. When we offer her our devotions, our souls should be free from sin. Otherwise, she might say to us what... Read more
Mary knew herself truly Mary was humble because she had true self-knowledge, St. Alphonsus observes, and she knew her utter dependence on God’s grace. The first effect of humility of heart is a modest opinion of ourselves. Mary always had so humble an opinion of herself that, as it was revealed to St. Matilda, even though she saw herself enriched with greater graces than all other creatures, she never preferred herself to anyone else. This is not to say, of... Read more
This week Carmel Communications, marketing firm for Ignatius Press, sponsors the giveaway. One lucky winner will receive one copy of The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped Me to Discover the Beauty of the Cross (you can read my review here). I use Rafflecopter to run my giveaways which makes it simple for you and me! Enter below. The contest starts at midnight tonight EST and will end 12 AM EST 10/23 with a winner being announced later... Read more
God was drawn to Mary’s humility Humility is essential to all the other virtues, St. Alphonsus teaches, and Mary had humility in perfection. Humility is the foundation of all the virtues, as the holy Fathers of the Church have taught. Let’s consider, then, how great was the humility of the Mother of God. “Humility,” says St. Bernard, “is not only the foundation, but also the guard- ian of virtues.” He says this with good reason, for without it no other... Read more
Earlier this year I had the pleasure of bringing author Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle to my home parish for a day long retreat. Her stay lasted most of the weekend which afforded my wife and I some time to spend with Donna-Marie and her husband. Over dinner Donna-Marie dropped a few hints about her memoir that she was finishing work on. The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped Me to Discover the Beauty of the Cross has finally... Read more
What do we owe Mary? We often focus on the help we can receive from Mary. But have we carefully considered what we owe her as our mother? St. Ignatius of Loyola explains. We owe to our mother love, confidence, imitation, and zeal to spread devotion to her. First, we owe love to her who is the beloved of our Lord; gratitude toward her who has loaded us with benefits; the affection of a child for our mother. Second, we... Read more
This week Saint Joseph Communications is back to sponsor another media giveaway. One lucky winner will receive one copy of the 3 CD set, Mary’s Role in the Third Millenium by Dr. Scott Hahn and Dr. Mark Miravalle (you can read my review here). I use Rafflecopter to run my giveaways which makes it simple for you and me! Enter below. The contest starts at midnight tonight EST and will end 12 AM EST 10/21 with a winner being announced later that day. a Rafflecopter giveaway Read more
Mary invites us to give Jesus our hearts Mary calls us to give ourselves completely to her Son, and St. Alphonsus urges us to accept that invitation. Let’s cease to torment this afflicted mother. And if until now we’ve grieved her by our sins, let’s now do all that she desires. She says, “Return, you transgressors, to the heart” (see Is 46:8). Sinners, return to the wounded heart of my Jesus. Return as penitents, and he will welcome you. “Flee... Read more
If you are curious about what role Mary plays in your life and greater society as a whole than you will want to check out Mary’s Role in the Third Millenium. This three CD set from Saint Joseph Communications is presented by Dr. Scott Hahn and Dr. Mark Miravalle. The two present the talks in a discussion type forum that was interesting to say the least. In these three CDs you will first and foremost learn about the four dogmas... Read more
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