#blessedvirginmary — Public Fediverse posts

Quote of the day, 8 May: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

“Virgo fidelis”: that is, Faithful Virgin, “who kept all these things in her heart.” [Lk. 2:19] She remained so little, so recollected in God’s presence, in the seclusion of the temple, that she drew down upon herself the delight of the Holy Trinity: “Because He has looked upon the lowliness of His servant, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed!” [Lk. 1:48]

The Father, bending down to this beautiful creature, who was so unaware of her own beauty, willed that she be the Mother in time of Him whose Father He is in eternity.

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity

Heaven in Faith, 39

Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2014, I Have Found God, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity Volume 1: Major spiritual writings, translated from the French by Kane, A, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple (detail), Pierre Mignard (French, 1612–1695), oil on canvas, 1635. Image credit: Private collection / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).

Quote of the day, 8 January: Peter-Thomas Rohrbach, OCD

Peter Thomas was born in a small town in the province of Périgord in Aquitaine about the year 1305. His father was a farm laborer, and the family was wretchedly poor.

Assigned to the monastery in Paris for the purpose of acquiring a higher degree in theology, he encountered a vexing and shameful problem—a growing abuse in the Order, which we will discuss in the following chapter, required that the university student obtain for himself the money to finance his education, either from his preaching, or his tutoring, or, most often, from his own relatives.

Therefore, Carmelites who came from affluent families were easily able to get the required money, while students from poorer backgrounds had to struggle. Peter’s family was impecunious, and with the pressure of his religious duties and his studies, he felt for a time that he would have to discontinue his studies.

He later recounted to Mezières an episode which happened as he paced the cloister corridor late one night, worrying about his problem. The Blessed Virgin appeared to him, saying:

“My son, do not worry about your lack of money, for I will not forsake you. Work hard at your studies and so you will serve my son and me.”

The next morning, he received a large and unexpected donation with which he was able to continue his studies. He obtained his doctorate in theology and was assigned to the important monastery at Avignon, where the papal court was located.

At Avignon, there also occurred the celebrated vision of the Blessed Virgin’s promise concerning the Carmelite Order. Peter had apparently been praying to her—late at night again—in behalf of the Order when he heard these words from her:

“Have confidence, Peter, for the Carmelite Order will last until the end of the world. Elijah, its founder, obtained it a long time ago from my Son.”

Peter-Thomas Rohrbach, O.C.D.

Journey to Carith, Chapter II

Note: Philip de Mezières, a layman and aide to Peter of Lusignan, king of Cyprus, became a close personal friend of Peter Thomas and wrote his biography based on firsthand experience and the saint’s own recollections. Unusual for its time, the work is candid and restrained, largely free of the embellishments typical of medieval hagiography, and is regarded as a notable achievement of medieval literature.

Rohrbach, P 1966, 2015, Journey to Carith: The Sources and Story of the Discalced Carmelites, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Saint Peter Thomas, by Fray Juan del Santísimo Sacramento, 1666 oil on canvas. Image credit: Museo de Bellas Artes de Córdoba (Public Domain).

#anxiety #apparition #BlessedVirginMary #StPeterThomas #study

Quote of the day, 23 July: Blessed Marie-Eugène

The Holy Church has established a feast to praise and thank God for the marvel of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. The Immaculate Conception is, indeed, an exception to this law of misery and privation that strikes all humanity coming into this world since the fall of our first parents.

Through their fault, our first parents lost for themselves and for all their descendants the privileges of preternatural gifts as well as supernatural gifts. God reacts with his mercy. He had already foreseen this fall, this fault: it was directed toward new outpourings of his mercy.

What will these new outpourings be? They are the great mysteries of the Incarnation, of the Redemption, and of the Church, mysteries that will ensure the salvation of humanity, its return to God.

Before accomplishing these mysteries, God wanted to prepare his work. He caused to spring forth a marvel of purity and integrity from this mud in which humanity was plunged (so to speak). This is the Virgin Mary. The sun will rise: it is the Word who becomes incarnate, the God-Man.

We do not see the infinity proper to God in this prodigy, only that which is created in the Virgin. But this creation exists in all its fullness and beauty: it is the integrity of her body, her human nature in which there is no stain or shadow.

We find a fullness of created grace in this resplendent human nature. It is already a marvel for the angels of heaven, and for all those who contemplate her directly with the power of vision of the lumen gloriae [light of glory]. Only this power, which allows them to penetrate the depths of the Holy Trinity, can uncover all the Virgin’s beauty. Also, the angel will come as if in ecstasy, admiring, to greet the Virgin and say to her, “You are full of grace.” She is full of human grace and full of divine grace.

Blessed Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus

Merveille de la Miséricorde

Marie-Eugène de l’Enfant-Jésus, B & Centre Notre-Dame de Vie 1988, La Vierge Marie Toute Mère, Editions du Carmel, Toulouse.

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Detail from Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, The Immaculate Conception, 1767–1769, oil on canvas, Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado. Image credit: © Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado (used by permission).

#BlessedMarieEugeneOfTheChildJesus #BlessedVirginMary #ImmaculateConception #mercy #MotherOfDivineGrace

Marie du jour, 11 May: Brother Lawrence

From the beginning of his novitiate, he applied himself to the exercises of religious life with great fervor. He had singular affection for the Blessed Virgin Mary and was especially devoted to her.

He had a filial trust in her protection. She was his refuge in all the problems of his life, in the troubles and anxieties that disturbed his soul, and therefore, he would call her “his good mother.”

Joseph de Beaufort

Eulogy in Praise of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, No. 17

Lawrence of the Resurrection, B; De Meester, C 1994, Writings and Conversations on the Practice of the Presence of God,  translated from the French by Salvatore Sciurba, OCD, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How can I deepen my trust in Mary as one who lovingly protects and consoles my soul?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#anxiety #BlessedVirginMary #BrotherLawrenceOfTheResurrection #GoodMother #JosephDeBeaufort #novitiate #refuge #trust

Quote of the day, 9 December: Silvio José Báez, ocd

In Mary’s life, the grace of God, which had filled her from the first moment of her being, was not “received in vain” (cf. 2 Cor 6:1). She was always “full of grace,” the “tota pulchra,” as we call her in the Marian antiphon.

What is the secret behind the beauty of Mary’s life? The Virgin Mary was the transparency of God.

Mary used to listen to God and spent much time in dialogue with Him. “The Word of God was her secret: close to her heart, it then became flesh in her womb. By dwelling with God, in dialogue with him in every circumstance, Mary made her life beautiful.” (Pope Francis, Angelus, 8 December 2017).

It is not the outward appearance that makes a person beautiful. What makes a life beautiful is having a heart that is open to God, docile to God, and full of God.

Beauty is like the gleam of harmony. It is essential to the notion of the beautiful that beauty should be united to truth and goodness. The irradiation of that harmony between truth and goodness is beauty.

God is supreme goodness, supreme truth, and supreme beauty, which in Christ has been fully revealed as redeeming love. The famous Russian writer Dostoyevsky said that beauty would save the world. Beauty awakens our spirituality, brings out the best in us, captivates us, makes us transcend the merely material, and makes us enter the world of generosity and contemplation.

Unfortunately, many people are deprived of beauty because where sin breaks down dialogue with God and distances us from love, beauty disappears. For this reason, we must turn our eyes to Mary, whose beautiful, luminous, inspiring existence continues to attract us, the disciples of her Son, who contemplate in her the best realization of the Gospel and the ideal of the Church’s vocation.

The Virgin Mary, the “all beautiful,” the “full of grace,” is the creature in whom the paschal beauty of the new life of the Risen Lord was reflected in the purest way.

Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.

Auxiliary Bishop of Managua

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s majestic image of The Immaculate Conception was part of a cycle of seven altarpieces commissioned in 1767 for the new royal church of San Pascual Bailón at Aranjuez, founded by Charles III in the same year.  The symbols in the altarpiece refer to the virtues and significance of the Virgin. She vindicates the original weakness of Eve by trampling on the serpent. The palm tree symbolizes her victory and exaltation and the mirror symbolizes her freedom from all stain. The crescent moon and twelve stars refer to the Woman of the Apocalypse (Rev 12:1-10), while the crescent itself is an ancient symbol of chastity. At the same time, the moon’s light derives from the sun, just as the special grace of Mary derives from the merits of Christ. The shimmering profile of an obelisk shape in the background is a further reference to traditional symbols associated with the Immaculate Conception—the Tower of David and the Tower of Ivory—with their evocations of impregnability, virginity, and purity. Image credit: Copyright ©Museo Nacional del Prado (Public domain)

#beauty #BishopSilvioJoséBáez #BlessedVirginMary #God #homily #ImmaculateConception #inspiration #spirituality

In our live-stream, we're talking about the Blessed Virgin Mary and how even staunch Protestants can come to praise and even venerate her in their faith.

#Episcopal #Church #Bible #Christianity #BlessedVirginMary

https://www.youtube.com/live/8gGpvyXimcE

The Virgin Mary, with child, in the mystery of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth, is the model for all the baptized who carry the presence of Christ within them. Mary opens to us the paths of interiority as well as mission, as Father Jacques says in this sermon from May 1927 for the faithful during the month of Mary:

“Mary spent many delightful months in divine friendship when she was carrying Jesus. But brothers and sisters, we too carry God within us; we too are certain of possessing the Good God living within us, as long as our souls remain in a state of grace (…)

“Oh brothers and sisters, if only this mystery could be revealed to your eyes. If one day your eyes were to grasp the presence of the Good God in the most intimate part of your hearts, how your life would be changed, what a transformation in your whole being!

“So let us resolve to develop within ourselves the habit of thinking about God’s presence. We are God-bearers; the Good Lord lives in us. Oh, that from time to time, in the course of our days, our souls might recollect themselves for a moment, perhaps just a few seconds, to close our eyes, to descend into ourselves, and there encounter God, the Good Lord, that we might look at Him with a smile, and madly lose ourselves in Him in an affectionate embrace.

“Oh yes, may each hour of our lives bring us greater intimacy with the divine guest who rests in our souls. This will be our joy, our consolation; Mary will help us and be our example.”

This awareness, deeply rooted in Father Jacques’ heart, that every faithful baptized person carries Christ within them, was present even in his seminary days, before he had delved into the teachings of the Carmelite saints.

He wrote:

“We carry within us always and everywhere the Good God, the Holy Trinity, who dwells within us by grace… Ah yes, to live like that within oneself, with the Good God everywhere, always, in a hotel, on a train, on the road, in the countryside, on a street!” (L. 14/01/1924).

Jean-Alexandre de Garidel, o.c.d.

Meditation for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (excerpt)
Carmelite Online Advent Retreat, 21 December 2014

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: This detail of a stained glass window featuring the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located in the historic Church of Saint-Laurent in Paris, specifically in the chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Malades (Our Lady of the Sick). The stained glass artists were Antoine Lusson (fils) and Léon Lefèvre. This window was crafted in 1874 by Lusson and Lefèvre. Image credit: Mbzt / Wikimedia Commons (Some rights reserved)

Interestingly, twenty years earlier, employees of Lusson’s studio in Le Mans, France, had collaborated with the Discalced Carmelite nuns of Le Mans, who operated their own stained glass studio at the monastery. For those interested in learning more about stained glass from the Carmel of Le Mans, the documentary “Vibrant Light” details the history of the Carmelite stained glass in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the University of Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Indiana. The university’s founder, Father Edward Sorin, was once the chaplain of the Discalced Carmelite nuns in Le Mans.

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/30/jacques-visitation/

#BlessedVirginMary #grace #homily #indwelling #intimacy #Jesus #mystery #PèreJacquesDeJésus #presenceOfGod #transformation #Visitation

At the end of the gospel account of the Annunciation of the Lord to the Virgin Mary, we hear that “the angel departed from her” (Lk 1:38). He simply left. Our Lady’s life was spent in the simplest daily routine, like the life of any other young woman of Nazareth.

Mary, “full of grace,” was not spared the fatigue of living, the weariness of daily work, and the difficulties and problems of every human being. Mary knew the arduous path of faith; she was often plunged into the darkness of the night and “a sword pierced her soul” (Lk 2:35) at the foot of the cross.

Nevertheless, in Mary’s life God’s grace, which had filled her from the first moment of her being, was not “received in vain” (2 Cor 6:1). She was always “full of grace,” the “all beautiful” (tota pulchra) as we acclaim her in hymns and antiphons.

What is the secret of the beauty of Mary’s life? The Virgin Mary was the transparency of God. Mary was accustomed to listening to God; she spent much time in dialogue with Him.

Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.

Auxiliary Bishop of Managua
Homily, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, 2022 (excerpts)

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: This majestic image was part of a cycle of seven altarpieces commissioned in 1767 for the new royal church of San Pascual Bailón at Aranjuez, founded by Charles III in the same year.  The symbols in the altarpiece refer to the virtues and significance of the Virgin. She vindicates the original weakness of Eve by trampling on the serpent. The palm tree symbolizes her victory and exaltation and the mirror symbolizes her freedom from all stain. The crescent moon and twelve stars refer to the Woman of the Apocalypse (Rev 12:1-10), while the crescent itself is an ancient symbol of chastity. At the same time, the moon’s light derives from the sun, just as the special grace of Mary derives from the merits of Christ. The shimmering profile of an obelisk shape in the background is a further reference to traditional symbols associated with the Immaculate Conception—the Tower of David and the Tower of Ivory—with their evocations of impregnability, virginity, and purity. Image credit: Copyright ©Museo Nacional del Prado (Public domain)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/10/mdj2024-11/

#Annunciation #beauty #BishopSilvioJoséBáez #BlessedVirginMary #darkness #faith #grace #ImmaculateConception #inspiration #listening

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Although not directly recorded in the Bible, early Christian writers describe her birth. The Protoevangelium of James outlines how Mary's parents, Joachim and Anne, prayed for a child and were blessed with her birth. They then dedicated her to God as a consecrated Virgin. This event is seen as significant and a prelude to the birth of Jesus Christ. #BlessedVirginMary #Christianity 🙏 https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/the-birth-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-357

Today is the fountainhead of our salvation and the manifestation of the mystery which was from eternity. The Son of God becometh the Virgin's Son and Gabriel announceth the good tidings of grace; Therefore, let us cry to the Mother of God with the Angel: Rejoice, O woman, full of grace; the Lord is with thee! #TheAnnunciationOfTheVirginMary #Theotokos #BlessedVirginMary #VirginMary #MotherOfGod #MaterDei