MARY, OUR MOTHER

Monday, November 06, 2006

by Murillo

MARY IMMACULATE

HER SANCTITY

3. The Sanctity and the Beauty of Her Soul Consists in Love.

And that is why it is found in a perfect degree in Heaven. Love is unifying, is a sharing with God; and who ever shared with Him more than Mary? The angels, the cherubim and the seraphim are all burning with the fire of charity. How ardent must be their love for God! And consequently, how great must their beauty be! The saints tell us that if we could see an angel, we would believe him to be God and would adore him; that through excess of joy the mere sight of him would cause us to die; that we would be happy for time without end by merely gazing on him, that never would we tire of seeing him. Such is the beauty of an angel. However, in comparison with Mary all that is nothing. Mary Immaculate is nearer to God, has a greater fire love than all the angels together, because, while they after all are just servants of God, Mary is the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven and of angels.

Contemplate Mary as Murillo painted Her, wrapped in clouds. Her hands upon Her breast; her gaze reaching towards Heaven, lost in God as though Her body was not of this world. The moon under Her feet; clad in the snow-white and blue Heavens; the stars pinned to Her mantle; surrounded by angels who rapt in joy, bearing palms and roses in their hands, regard their beauteous Queen. A wonderful portrait. Murillo painted Her so after much prayer and many Communions. However, this is just a portrait. The reality, instead, was executed by God the divine artist. And when God brings all His power and love to bear upon the soul of Mary, what a masterpiece must have sprung from His hands! What must be the beauty of our Immaculate Mother be? Tota pulchra es! Repeat this many times: Thou art most beautiful, Mother of mine; so much so that God Himself has fallen in love with Thy beauty. Oh! Give me a share in it. Let the shining purity of that soul enthrall me and compel me to imitate Thee as far I can. I give Thee my heart, my life, my soul. Never abandon me, Mother dear. And if Thou dost not abandon me, I shall one day in Heaven enjoy Thy immortal beauty and be happy with Thee for ever.

[From 'Marian Meditations']

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Quotes from 'The Glories of Mary':

‘I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head.’

(Gen. 3:15)

“Since the devil is the head of original sin, this head it was that Mary crushed: for sin never had any entry into the soul of this Blessed Virgin, which was consequently free from all stain.”

Saint Augustine

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PSALM 71 SPEAKS TO MY HEART

Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame!
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!

Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
you are he who took me from my mother's womb.
My praise is continually of you.

I have been as a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all the day.
Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
forsake me not when my strength is spent.

For my enemies speak concerning me;
those who watch for my life consult together
and say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue and seize him,
for there is none to deliver him.”

O God, be not far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!
May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
with scorn and disgrace may they be covered
who seek my hurt.

But I will hope continually
and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge.

With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.
Your righteousness, O God,
reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you?

You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up again.
You will increase my greatness
and comfort me again.

I will also praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
My lips will shout for joy,
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have redeemed.

And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,
for they have been put to shame and disappointed
who sought to do me hurt.

Monday, November 06, 2006

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