Mary Vitamin for August 2nd
Topic: The Portiuncula Indulgence
Quote:
St. Bonaventure
[St. Francis] embraced the Mother of Our Lord Jesus with indescribable love because, as he said, it was she who made the Lord of majesty our brother, and through her we found mercy. After Christ, he put all his trust in her and took her as his patroness for himself and his friars.
This is where St. Francis began his Order. This tiny chapel is enclosed in the Patriarchal Basilica & Papal Chapel.
Meditation:
The Portiuncula Indulgence refers to the plenary indulgence originally granted by Pope Honorious III at the request of St. Francis to those who visit the chapel of Our Lady of the Angels in Assisi on August 2nd. This chapel was dear to the heart of Holy Father Saint Francis. (The original small chapel is now enshrined in a large basilica.) The indulgence has been extended to Franciscan churches the world over.
(See the Catholic Encyclopedia for further reading.)
Father Marion Habig, OFM, explains the history of the Portiuncula indulgence:
A special impulse led St. Francis on a certain night to go to the chapel. There he saw our Lord and His holy Mother surrounded by a great host of angels. Filled with astonishment and reverence, the saint prostrated himself upon the ground and adored the Divine majesty. Then he heard the voice of our Lord urging him with ineffable tenderness to ask some special favor. Nothing was so near to the heart of Francis as the salvation of souls, and so, after a few moments of reflection, he asked for the grace of a full pardon for all who, being contrite and having confessed their sins, would visit this little sanctuary. Mary cast herself upon her knees before her Divine Son, and repeated the petition of her faithful servant.
The Franciscan Book of Saints (Franciscan Herald Press:1979), 570.
Resolution:
What can be my resolution if I cannot visit a Franciscan church today?
I will imitate Holy Father St. Francis who took the Blessed Virgin as his special patroness and I will pray in a special way for the salvation of souls.
Marian Vow:
On Marian anniversaries (solemnities, feasts and memorials) let [the Tertiaries] make every effort not to miss Holy Mass and Communion in honor of the divine Mother and Queen of the Seraphic Order.
Marian Seraphic Pathways, Constitutions, 29b.
I give this resolution to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Thanks be to God for graces received.
Related sites: Castle of the Immaculate & AirMaria
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