When he was at table with them, he took the bread. He blessed the bread, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him!(Luke 24:13-35)

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Happy Birthday to a VERY SPECIAL LADY!

Prayer for the Day

O Virgin Mary, grant that the recitation of thy Rosary may be for me each day, in the midst of my manifold duties, a bond of unity in my actions, a tribute of filial piety, a sweet refreshment, an encouragement to walk joyfully along the path of duty. Grant, above all, O Virgin Mary, that the study of thy twenty mysteries may form in my soul, little by little, a luminous atmosphere, pure, strengthening, and fragrant, which may penetrate my understanding, my will, my heart, my memory, my imagination, my whole being. So shall I acquire the habit of praying while I work, without the aid of formal prayers, by interior acts of admiration and of supplication, or by aspirations of love. I ask this of thee, O Queen of the Holy Rosary, through Saint Dominic, thy son of predilection, the renowned preacher of thy mysteries, and the faithful imitator of thy virtues. Amen



Reflection

Happy Birthday, Mary!

The Birth of Mary is a simple fact of her life. Turning our thoughts to it, we are able to recall the Immaculate Conception, Mary conceived without sin.

For the past few days, knowing that this feast day was coming up, I’ve been trying to picture Mary as a little girl about my granddaughter Lily’s age.
For instance, Lily has been showing a pretty strong (contrary) will of her own lately; testing the boundaries of her Mommy’s and Mar Mar’s patience.  I wonder if Mary ever tried the patience of St. Joachim and St. Anne.  I doubt it.  My sense of humor being what it is, I just this second thought of the ditty, “Mary, Mary, quite contrary!"  While I’m sure it was not written with Mother Mary in mind, I still think it was funny that I thought of it.  I digress.

God's plan for Mary is on our minds today. But, at her birth, this was all in the shadows. For many people the meaning of the Blessed Virgin Mary is still in the shadows.

I was listening to “The Best of Mother Angelica Live” this morning on the radio, and a (then) 6-year-old child called in to ask her, “How come God chose Mary to be the Mother of God?” Mother Angelica explained it quite well (better than I could have, that’s for sure!) and the kid apparently was satisfied, because there was no follow-up.  What she explained was that God did not “choose” Mary; rather, He created her for the sole purpose of bearing Jesus and He loved her so much He even gave her the free will to say “no”!  Of course, since she was “full of grace”, and quite well instructed in Scripture, she knew in her heart that her “yes” would be the greatest way to thank Him for His wonderful gift of life to her, and for His gift of salvation to all of mankind, and so—in her love for Him—she assented to become the bride of the Holy Spirit.

We have to reflect on what is God's work, her vocation, and the consequence of her "fiat." Then, led by faith the Blessed Virgin Mary is a glory and splendor of God at work.

The Church's prayer on her birthday, "The birth of the Virgin Mary's Son was the dawn of our salvation," leads us to Jesus, the fruit of the womb of the Holy Mother.

Micah speaks of this dawn of salvation and the instrument of God's will by prophesying, "Until the time when she who is to give birth has borne." This fulfills the place of Bethlehem in salvation history. It is a sign that restoration of the Kingdom will occur and the Shepherd will care for the flock. "He shall be their peace."

On this birthday feast of Our Blessed Mother, may the peace of her Son, Jesus Christ be with you all.

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