#motherofgod — Public Fediverse posts

Quote of the day, 15 September: Blessed Marie-Eugène

You are dead, O Jesus, but your divinity remains alive. It followed your soul and remains in your body. O Jesus, fastened to the cross and dead, we adore you. […]

Who will receive him, if not the Virgin Mary, standing at the foot of the cross, who has sat down for a moment to receive his body upon her knees? As only a mother can, she examines this body that belongs to her. She does not count the wounds, but measures their depth; she searches out their places. How painful each one must have been! Those wounds of the face and head, that lance which pierced the heart… O Virgin Mary, what a painful examination!

And your feelings have remained unchanged. The word he spoke—“Behold your mother”—expanded and enlarged your heart. It placed within it a grace, a painful grace, for every birth comes through suffering. But it also placed within your soul and your heart a new love, extraordinarily enlarged, a love with no apparent object, reaching out to the whole world.

And this love urges you, O Virgin Mary, to accept, so to speak, in exchange for Jesus who has died—for the life of Jesus—the souls who are given to you: all souls, the whole Mystical Body. Henceforth, the life of the Mystical Body will spring from Jesus, but through you.

O Virgin Mary, I thank you for accepting. I congratulate you on the new maternal grace you have received. You are my mother; you are our mother. We almost forget the body of Jesus as we look upon you, share in your suffering, and above all share in your maternal triumph.

How great you are, O Virgin Mary, almost as great, humanly speaking, as your Son Jesus. The executioners and Satan, blundering and unaware, intoxicated by their triumph, forget you. They have killed the Son and leave the Mother: the fruitful Mother, the mother of our souls, the Mother of the Church.

We hail you, O Virgin Mary, in your triumph. We hail you, Mother of Life, Our Lady of Life. Grant that we may truly be your children, living as your Son lives, living as you live.

Blessed Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus

Meditations for the Way of the Cross
XIII, Jesus is taken down from the cross
Secular Institute Our Lady of Life, 27 March 1964

Marie-Eugène de l’Enfant-Jésus 1986, Jésus, Contemplation du Mystère Pascal, 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: Ivan Meštrović’s Descent from the Cross, sculpted between 1942 and 1946, captures the moment when Christ’s body is gently lowered into the arms of His Mother. The sculpture is located in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, where it continues to invite silent meditation on the mystery of Good Friday. Image credit: By Nheyob / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Immaculate Conception

This is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was/is free from original sin from the moment of her conception. It’s 1 of the 4 Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. The feast day of the Immaculate Conception is December 8.

It wasn’t defined as a dogma until 1854, by Pope Pius IX in the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus. While the Immaculate Conception asserts Mary’s freedom from original sin, the Council of Trent (1545-1563) had previously affirmed her freedom from personal sin non-dogmatically.

Many Protestant churches reject this doctrine as unscriptural. Some Anglicans accept this as a pious devotion. The teaching of the Immaculate Conception among Oriental Orthodoxy varies. The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church & the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church accept it.

Anne (who eventually becomes a saint), the mom of the Virgin Mary & Jesus’ maternal grandma, shows up for the 1st time in the 2nd-century apocryphal Gospel of James. Anne & her husband Joachim (who also became a saint) were infertile. But God heard their prayers. Mary was then conceived.

Within the Gospel of James, Mary’s conception happens without physical sexual intercourse between Anne & Joachim. This is to demonstrate Mary’s purity. The Eastern Orthodox Church believes that Mary was conceived by her parents like we all were.

Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, & Cyrus of Jerusalem came up with the idea of Mary as the new Eve. While yet immaculate & incorrupt, she wasn’t subject to original sin. Ephraim the Syrian said she was as innocent as Eve before the Fall.

Ambrose asserted Mary’s incorruptibility, attributing her virginity to grace & immunity from sin. Severus, the Bishop of Antioch, agreed to affirm Mary’s purity & immaculateness. John of Damascus extended the supernatural influence of God to Mary’s parents. This suggests they were purified by the Holy Spirit during her generation. According to John of Damascus, even the material of Mary’s origin was deemed pure & holy.

By the 4th century, the idea of Mary being free from sin was more widespread. But her being free from original sin, passed down from the OGs Adam & Eve, raised questions. The question became more acute when the feast of Mary’s conception brought the objection that, as adult spicy time is sinful, & to celebrate Mary’s conception was to celebrate a sinful act. (Let’s get 1 thing straight: God doesn’t make married adult spicy time between 2 consenting MARRIED adults a sin! He (God) in fact encourages a healthy marital sex life. “Be fruitful & multiply,” ring any bells! And how exactly do we multiply? This is the conclusion of our TED talk.)

The feast of Mary’s conception came from the Eastern Church in the 7th century. It reached England in the 11th century. From there, it spread out to Europe. It was given official approval in 1477 & extended to the whole church in 1693. The word “immaculate” wasn’t used until 1854.

This doctrine caused a “civil war” between the Franciscans & the Dominicans during the Middle Ages. The Franciscan “Scotists” were in favor & the Dominican “Thomists” against it.

The English ecclesiastic & scholar Eadmer (circa 1060-circa 1126) reasoned that Mary might have been conceived without original sin because of God’s omnipotence. It was also appropriate for her role as Mother of God. Potuit, decuit, fecit: “it was possible, it was fitting, therefore it was done.”

Others, like St. Bernard of Clairvaux (of the St. Bernard dog breed fame, 1090-1153) & Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) objected because if Mary were free of original sin at her superfluous conception. Then she would have no need of redemption. Thus making Christ’s saving redemption unneeded.

In 1439, the Council of Basel, in schism with Pope Eugene IV (who lived at the Council of Florence), declared the Immaculate Conception a “pious opinion” consistent with faith & Scripture. The Council of Trent made no explicit declaration on the topic. But did exempt her from the universality of original sin.

They also affirmed that she remained free from all stains of sin during her life, even the venial ones. By 1571, the revised Roman Breviary set out an elaborate celebration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.

Some devotees go so far as to hold that Anne had conceived Mary just by kissing her husband. They also believe that (St.) Anne’s dad & grandma had likewise been conceived without spicy adult time. However, (St.) Bridget of Sweden (circa 1303-1373) told how Mary herself had revealed to her that Anne & Joachim conceived their daughter through a spicy adult time, which was sinless because it was pure & free of sexual lust.

In the 16th & 17th centuries, Spain exploded with Immaculatist devotion. This led the Habsburg monarchs to demand the Holy See elevate this belief to the status of dogma.

In France in 1830, Catherine Laboure (May 2, 1806-December 31, 1876) saw a vision of Mary standing on a globe while a voice commanded her to have a medal made in imitation of what she saw. The medal said, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee,” which was a confirmation from Mary herself that she was conceived without sin. Laboure’s vision marked the beginning of a great 19th-century Marian revival.

In 1849, Pope Pius IX issued the encyclical Ubi primum, soliciting the bishops of the church for their views on whether the doctrine should be defined as dogma. 90% of those who responded were supportive. Although the Archbishop of Paris, Marie-Dominique-Auguste Sibour, warned that the Immaculate Conception “could be proved neither from the Scriptures nor from tradition.”

In 1854, the Immaculate Conception dogma was proclaimed with the bull Ineffabilis Deus. Ineffabilis Deus found the Immaculate Conception in the Ark of Salvation (Noah’s Ark), Jacob’s Ladder, the Burning Bush at Sinai, the Enclosed Garden from the Song of Song/Song of Solomon, & many more passages.

The pope’s advisors singled out 2 Bible passages: Genesis 3:15 – “I’ll put enmity between you & the woman.” This is a prophecy which reached fulfillment in the figure of the Woman in Revelation, crowned with stars & trampling the Dragon underfoot. Luke 1:28 – Specifically the phrase “full of grace” by which Gabriel greeted Mary was another reference to her Immaculate Conception: “she was never subject to the curse & was, together with her Son, the only partaker of perpetual benediction.”

Four years after the proclamation of the dogma, in 1858, the young Bernadette Soubirous (of the Lourdes grotto fame) said that Mary appeared to her at Lourdes in southern France, to announce that she was the Immaculate Conception. The Catholic Church later endorsed the apparition as authentic. There are other “approved” Marian apparitions in which Mary identified herself as the Immaculate Conception. For example, Our Lady of Gietrzwald in 1877, Poland.

The feast day of the Immaculate Conception is December 8. The Roman Missal (which contains texts & rubrics (a set of rules)) & the Roman Rite Liturgy of the Hours (a set of Catholic prayers) include references to Mary’s Immaculate Conception in the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Its celebration seems to have begun in the Eastern church in the 7th century & may have spread to Ireland by the 8th century. The earliest well-attested record in the Western Church is from England early in the 11th century. It was suppressed there after the Norman Conquest (1066). The 1st thorough exposition of the doctrine was a response to this suppression. It continued to spread through the 15th century despite accusations of heresy from the Thomists & strong objections from several prominent theologians.

Beginning around 1140, St. Bernard of Clairvaux (Yes, like the dog breed. That’s where the dog breed got its name.), a Cistercian monk (This is a religious order of monks & nuns that branched off from the Benedictines.), wrote to Lyons Cathedral to express his surprise & dissatisfaction that it had recently begun to be observed there.

But in 1477, Pope Lixtus IV, who was a devoted Immaculist, put it on the Roman calendar via the papal bull called Cum praexcelsa. In 1481 & 1483, Pope Sixtus IV published 2 more bulls which prohibited anyone from preaching or teaching against the Immaculate Conception, or for either side to accuse the other of heresy, under threats of excommunication.

Pope Pius V kept the Feast on the Tridentine calendar. But suppressed the word “Immaculate.” Pope Gregory XV, in 1622, prohibited any public or private assertion that Mary was conceived in sin. In 1624, Pope Urban VIII allowed the Franciscans to establish a military order dedicated to the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo & Eritrean Orthodox Tewahed Churches believe in the Immaculate Conception of the Theotokos. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on August 13 (Nehasie 7).

Eastern Orthodoxy does not exempt Mary from original sin. But they do affirm Mary’s purity & preservation from personal sin.

In the mid-1800s, some Catholics who were unable to accept the doctrine of papal infallibility left the Roman Church & formed the Old Catholic Church. They reject the Immaculate Conception.

Protestants overwhelmingly condemned the announcement of Ineffabilis Deus. Protestants teach that Mary was a sinner, saved through grace, like everyone else.

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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).

Live Broadcast with the #Spirit of #John the #Theologian – "I Am Here, I Am Incarnated" #channeling #esoterics #spirituality #apostle , #Gospel , #Jesus , #Vladikavkaz , #aliens , #Apocalypse , #chakras , #MotherofGod , #Luke,
https://omdaruliterature.blogspot.com/2026/03/live-broadcast-with-spirit-of-john.html

Mariology

This is the Christian theological study of Mary, mother of Jesus. Mariology looks to relate doctrine/dogma about Mary to other doctrines of faith, for example, concerning Jesus & ideas about redemption, intercession, & grace. Christian Marisolgy seeks to place the role of the historical Mary in the context of scripture, tradition, & the teachings of the Church of Mary.

In social history terms, Mariology may be broadly defined as the study of devotion to & thinking about Mary throughout the history of Christianity. There exists a range of Christian and non-Christian views from the veneration of Mary in Roman Catholicism to accusations of idolatry. The idolatry “accusation” includes certain Protestant objections to Marian devotion.

As a field of theology, the most significant developments in Mariology (& the founding of specific centers devoted to its study) in the more recent centuries have taken place within the Catholic Church.

Eastern Orthodox concepts & versions of Mary are integral to the rite as a whole, & are mostly expressed in liturgy. The veneration of Mary is said to permeate, in a way, the entire life of the Church as a dimension of dogma as well as piety, of Christology as well as of Ecclesiology.

While similar to the Roman Catholic view, barring some minor differences, the Orthodox don’t see a need for a separate academic discipline of Mariology. As the Mother of God is seen as the self-evident peak of God’s human creation.

Eastern Orthodoxy calls Mary “The Theotokos,” “God-bearer.” The virginal motherhood of Mary is at the center of Orthodox Mariology. The title Ever Virgin is often used. Virginal motherhood is also known as the perpetual virginity of Mary. The Orthodox approach of Mariology underscores the sublime holiness of Mary, her share in redemption, & her role as a mediator of grace.

Eastern Orthodox mariological thought goes back as far as St. John Damascene (a.k.a. our boy, John of Damascus). In the 8th century, John of Damascus wrote on the meditative role of Mary & on the Dormition of the Mother of God. In the 14th century, Orthodox Mariology began to flourish among Byzantine theologians.

They believed in a cosmic view of Mariology, putting Mary & Jesus together at the center of the cosmos & see them as the goal of world history. More recently, Eastern Orthodox Mariology achieved a renewal among 20th-century theologians in Russia, for whom Mary is the heart of the Church & the center of creation. Eastern Orthodox Mariology doesn’t hold to the belief of the Immaculate Conception of…Mary.

Protestant views on Mary vary significantly from 1 denomination to another. Generally, they focus on various interpretations of Mary in the Bible, the Apostles’ Creed (which professes the Virgin Birth), & the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431, which called Mary, the Mother of God.

Most Protestants don’t venerate Mary like Catholics or Eastern Orthodox do. Martin Luther’s, John Calvin’s, & Karl Barth’s views on Mary have contributed to modern Protestant views.

Anglican Marian theology varies. The Anglican Church formally celebrates 6 Marian feasts: Annunciation (Mar. 25), Visitation (May 31), Day of St. Mary (Assumption or Dormition, Aug. 15), Nativity of Mary (Sept. 8), Our Lady of Walsingham (Oct. 15), & Mary’s Conception (Dec. 8).

The Oriental Orthodox Churches regard Mary as the highest of saints & the Theotokos. It celebrates various Marian feast days.

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https://www.europesays.com/2671892/ Leo XIV: The world is saved by welcoming all without fear #CatholicChurch #CatholicNews #MotherOfGod #SolemnityOfMary #StatoDellaCittàDelVaticano #StatusCivitatisVaticanae #Vatican #VaticanCity #VaticanCityState #Vaticano #WorldDayOfPeace

https://www.europesays.com/2671029/ Pope Leo XIV urges prayers for peace in bloodied nations and wounded families #CatholicChurch #CatholicNews #MotherOfGod #SolemnityOfMary #StatoDellaCittàDelVaticano #StatusCivitatisVaticanae #Vatican #VaticanCity #VaticanCityState #Vaticano #WorldDayOfPeace

Quote of the day, 31 December: St. Titus Brandsma

In his Explanation of “The Living Flame of Love”, St. John of the Cross draws the Holy Mother of God as clearly as possible into the circle of his metaphor clarifying the mystical life.

Speaking of the shining of the Lamps of God in us and our intake of the divine Light, which means as much as participating in God’s characteristics and works, he says that this bears still another name, i.e. “to overshadow”.

And in connection to this, he reminds (us) that also the Archangel Gabriel called the exquisite privilege of Mary to conceive God’s Son, an overshadowing of the Holy Spirit [Cf. Lk 1:35]. 

If one wants to understand, the Saint thus follows, what is meant by that spreading of God’s shadow or that overshadowing or that shining, for all these expressions have an equal meaning, then one should remember that every creature evokes a shadow according to its own nature and capacity. A dark opaque object gives an obscure shadow: a bright translucent object a clear and transparent shadow.

Thus, the shadow of something dark will call forth a different darkness, darker to the extent that its cause is also darker, while the shadow of something bright will be light according to the nature of the original light.

Therefore, the shadow brought forth by the lamp of God’s beauty will be a different beauty, the shadow by the lamp of strength a different strength, etc. or better said, all these shadows will be the beauty itself, the strength itself of God, but in shadow, because the soul here on earth cannot perfectly understand or take God into itself.

Over Mary, the Holy Spirit came in all his fullness, and the power of the Most High overshadowed her in the most perfect way [Cf. The Living Flame of Love, III, 12].

Saint Titus Brandsma

Mary’s motherhood of God, leading idea in the mystical life (excerpt), Carmelrozen 20 (May 1931), pp. 11–15

Brandsma, T. 1931, Mary’s motherhood of God, leading idea in the mystical life (excerpt), Carmelrozen, vol. 20, May, pp. 11–15. English translation by the Titus Brandsma Instituut, Nijmegen, available at: https://www.titusbrandsmateksten.nl/marys-motherhood-of-god/

Featured image: The Virgin and Child (detail), after Raphael (1483–1520), oil on canvas. Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery (public domain).

#BlessedVirginMary #MotherOfGod #overshadow #StJohnOfTheCross #StTitusBrandsma

https://www.europesays.com/2621698/ Mariologists publish scathing critique of Vatican note on Mary’s titles #BlessedVirginMary #CatholicChurch #CatholicNews #mary #MotherOfGod #StatoDellaCittàDelVaticano #StatusCivitatisVaticanae #US #Vatican #VaticanCity #VaticanCityState #Vaticano

Quote of the day, 19 November: St. Raphael Kalinowski

Just as there is nothing greater than God, says Saint Thomas, so none can attain a higher dignity than the Mother of God. Mary, with her Maternity, is like a book in which the world can read the Eternal Word, Jesus, the Lord.

What can one say of the fullness of grace God bestowed on the Most Holy Virgin, to the limits of his power, giving her a dignity surpassing our capacity to understand? When a wise man was asked, “Who is God?” he answered, “If I could define who God is, either God would not exist or I myself would be God.”

Likewise, to the question “What is it to be the Mother of God?” one can only give a similar answer. “If anyone could comprehend this dignity, either Mary would not be the Mother of God, or the one claiming to understand such greatness would be superior to her whose dignity is immeasurable.”

Saint Raphael Kalinowski

Mother of God, Hope of the World, 6

Praskiewicz OCD, S 2016, Saint Raphael Kalinowski: An Introduction to his Life and Spirituality, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Virgin and Child is an oil on wood painting by Anthony Van Dyck (Flemish, 1599–1641) executed around 1620. It comes from the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Public domain).

#blessedVirginMary #jesusChrist #motherOfGod #stRaphaelKalinowski #understanding

Quote of the day, 7 November: Blessed Francis Palau

That same night, when I withdrew to my cave, I saw a shadow at my side; and the shadow had a form, and it represented a reality. The form was all illuminated like the light of the moon. And the shadow spoke to me, and said:

[The shadow:] “Am I the one you seek and call?”

[Francis:] “Ah, I cannot be content with forms and shadows.”

[The shadow:] “Yes, it is true,” she replied, “but reality comes to you represented through shadows, enigmas, images and forms; without them, it cannot come to you, nor can you see it while your eyes are of mortal flesh.”

[Francis:] “What a miserable condition!”

[The shadow:] “Yes, accept it.”

[Francis:] “Who are you?”

[The shadow:] “I am your Beloved.”

[Francis:] “A shadow! A form?”

[The shadow:] “Yes, the form of your Beloved.”

[Francis:] “Without reality?”

[The shadow:] “Do you believe in me?”

[Francis:] “Yes, I believe in you.”

[The shadow:] “If you believe in me, behind the shadow you will always see the reality; in the form, the thing represented; in the idea, the being; in the image and likeness, the immense beauty that has stolen all the affections of your heart. Faith in me is a light that, radiating upon your understanding, will reveal to you more and more, behind the shadows, ideas, forms and images of a woman ever-virgin, who I am, and my love for you.”

[Francis:] “Are you a woman?”

[The shadow:] “Yes, I am a woman appearing as a shadow, formed in your understanding. In your understanding I exist as the idea of woman; in your imagination, as a form; in heaven, as a reality.”

[Francis:] “You are a young woman, beautiful, without blemish or wrinkle, always chaste, always pure, always virgin. And are you in heaven?”

[The shadow:] “Yes, in body and soul, in glorified flesh.”

[Francis:] “What is your name?”

[The shadow:] “I am Mary, the Mother of God.”

Blessed Francis Palau y Quer

Mis relaciones con la Iglesia
Autograph manuscript, 14 April 1864

Note: Blessed Francis Palau y Quer was born to José Palau y Antonia Quer on 29 December 1811 in Aytona (Lerida) Spain. Founder of the “School of Virtue”—which was a model of catechetical teaching—at Barcelona, he suffered much during his life and ministry. While in exile at Ibiza in the Balearic Islands, often Blessed Palau would row to the rugged island of Es Vedra and pray in the solitude of a cave. He began to write his autobiographical journal, Mis relaciones con la Iglesia (My relations with the Church) in that solitude.

Palau y Quer, F 1977, Mis relaciones con la Iglesia, Carmelitas Misioneras, Rome, viewed 5 November 2025, https://www.carmelitasmisioneras.org/download/mis-relaciones-con-la-iglesia/#.

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

Featured image: Sister Vanesa Guerrero of the Purity of Mary Sisters looks out over the Balearic Sea at Valldemosa, Mallorca. Image credit: Vanesa Guerrero, rpm / Cathopic

#BlessedFrancisPalauYQuer #BlessedVirginMary #journal #MotherOfGod #mysticalExperience

Marie du jour, 27 May: Holy Martyrs of Compiègne

Before mental prayer

My God, I offer unto Thee the prayer which I am now about to make, and I unite it to that which my Saviour ceaseth not to offer Thee for me in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. I beseech Thee to grant me the grace to make it in a manner worthy of Thee.

After mental prayer

My God, I give Thee thanks for the grace which Thou hast deigned to bestow upon me, in permitting me to abide in Thy holy presence. I implore Thy pardon, O my God, for all the distractions into which I have suffered myself to fall during this time of prayer. I offer unto Thee the resolutions which, by Thy mercy, Thou hast inspired within me. I entreat Thee to grant me the graces needful for their fulfillment, through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the intercession of the Most Holy Virgin, of Thy holy angels, and of all the saints.

Saint Teresa of St. Augustine and Companions

Prayers written on the inside cover of the Psalter of the Virgin

Note: These prayers appear to have been handwritten on the inside cover of a printed Psalter of the Virgin, possibly used by the Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne. These devotional books, often attributed to St. Bonaventure and widely printed in the 17th–18th centuries, offered a Marian framework for mental prayer and spiritual offering. According to Father Stéphane-Marie, o.c.d., the volume is preserved today in the Archives of the Carmelite Monastery of Le Havre (Archives du Monastère des Carmélites du Havre), where these prayers were found on the pages de garde.

Morgain, S 2023, Les Carmélites Martyres De Compiègne : Pour La Paix De L’église Et De L’état, Nouvelle édition revue et augmentée, Éditions du Carmel, Toulouse.

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

Featured image: Christ in dialogue with the Virgin Mary, illumination from the Chartres Bible, Chartres, 1146–1155. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Latin 116, fol. 12r. (Public domain). You can learn more from the British Library’s Medieval Manuscripts Blog.

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Which prayers do I habitually offer before and after my time of mental prayer? Or, what prayers might help me to begin practicing Carmelite mental prayer?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#MartyrsOfCompiègne #mentalPrayer #MotherOfGod #offering #StTeresaOfStAugustine #thanksgiving #vocalPrayer

Marie du jour, 23 May: St. Edith Stein

The image of the Mother of God demonstrates the basic spiritual attitude which corresponds to woman’s natural vocation; her relation to her husband is one of obedience, trust, and participation in his life as she furthers his objective tasks and personality development; to the child she gives true care, encouragement, and formation of his God-given talents; she offers both selfless surrender and a quiet withdrawal when unneeded.

All is based on the concept of marriage and motherhood as a vocation from God; it is carried out for God’s sake and under His guidance.

Saint Edith Stein

The Ethos of Women’s Professions
Lecture to the Association of Catholic Academics, Salzburg, 1 September 1930

Stein, E 2017, Essays On Woman, The Collected Works of Edith Stein, Book 2, translated from the German by Oben, F, ICS Publications, Washington D.C.

Featured image: The Rest on the Flight into Egypt (1615–1620), oil on canvas by Orazio Gentileschi (1563–1639). Birmingham Museums Trust (Public domain).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Do I see my relationships and responsibilities as a vocation entrusted to me by God?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#BlessedVirginMary #marriage #MotherOfGod #motherhood #StEdithStein #vocation #women

Marie du jour, 18 May: St. John Paul II

At the end of the daily Liturgy of the Hours, among the invocations addressed to Mary by the Church is the following:

“Loving Mother of the Redeemer, gate of heaven, star of the sea,
assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator!”

At the center of this mystery, in the midst of this wonderment of faith, stands Mary. As the loving Mother of the Redeemer, she was the first to experience it: “To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator”!

This is the invocation addressed to Mary, the “loving Mother of the Redeemer,” the invocation addressed to Christ, who through Mary entered human history. Year after year, the antiphon rises to Mary, evoking that moment which saw the accomplishment of this essential historical transformation, which irreversibly continues: the transformation from “falling” to “rising.”

The Church sees the Blessed Mother of God in the saving mystery of Christ and in her own mystery. She sees Mary deeply rooted in humanity’s history, in man’s eternal vocation according to the providential plan which God has made for him from eternity.

She sees Mary maternally present and sharing in the many complicated problems which today beset the lives of individuals, families, and nations; she sees her helping the Christian people in the constant struggle between good and evil, to ensure that it “does not fall,” or, if it has fallen, that it “rises again.”

Saint John Paul II

Papal Encyclical Redemptoris Mater, Conclusion
25 March 1987

John Paul II, St. 1987, Redemptoris Mater: On the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of the Pilgrim Church, Vatican, Rome. Available at: https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031987_redemptoris-mater.html.

Featured image: Madonna and Child, created by the workshop of Sassoferrato (Italian, 1609–1685), executed in oil on canvas (date unknown). Image credit: Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields (Public domain).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How do I let Mary accompany me in the struggle between falling and rising?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#AlmaRedemptorisMater #BlessedVirginMary #encyclical #inspiration #MotherOfGod #MotherOfTheRedeemer #StJohnPaulII

Quote of the day, 18 May: St. John Paul II

Contemplation of the Virgin presents her to us as a loving Mother who sees her Son growing up in Nazareth (cf. Lk 2:40, 52), follows him on the roads of Palestine, helps him at the wedding at Cana (cf. Jn 2:5) and, at the foot of the Cross, becomes the Mother associated with his offering and given to all people when Jesus himself entrusts her to his beloved disciple (cf. Jn 19:26).

As Mother of the Church, the Blessed Virgin is one with the disciples in “constant prayer” (Acts 1:14); as the new Woman who anticipates in herself what will one day come to pass for us all in the full enjoyment of Trinitarian life, she is taken up into heaven from where she spreads the protective mantle of her mercy over her children on their pilgrimage to the holy mountain of glory.

Such a contemplative attitude of mind and heart prompts admiration for the Virgin’s experience of faith and love; she already lives in herself all that every believer desires and hopes to attain in the mystery of Christ and the Church (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 103; Lumen gentium, n. 53).

Therefore, Carmelites have chosen Mary as their Patroness and spiritual Mother and always keep before the eyes of their heart the Most Pure Virgin, who guides everyone to the perfect knowledge and imitation of Christ.

Thus, an intimacy of spiritual relations has blossomed, leading to an ever-increasing communion with Christ and Mary. For the members of the Carmelite Family, Mary, the Virgin Mother of God and mankind, is not only a model to imitate but also the sweet presence of a Mother and Sister in whom to confide.

St Teresa of Jesus rightly urged her sisters:  “Imitate Our Lady and consider how great she must be and what a good thing it is that we have her for our Patroness” (Interior Castle, III, 1, 3).

Saint John Paul II

Message of John Paul II to the Carmelite Family (excerpt)
25 March 2001

Note: Today, 18 May, marks the birthday of Saint John Paul II (1920–2005), whose love for the Blessed Virgin Mary shaped his entire papacy. In this excerpt from his 2001 message to the Carmelite Family, he reflects on Mary’s contemplative presence and her role as Patroness, Mother, and Sister to all who seek to follow Christ in the spirit of Carmel.

John Paul II 2001, Message to the Carmelite Family, Vatican.va, 25 March, https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/messages/pont_messages/2001/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_20010326_ordine-carmelo.html

Featured image: St. John Paul II is seen here during his pastoral visit to Cali, Colombia on 4–5 July 1986. Image credit: Hernan Valencia / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How does Mary accompany me as both Mother and Sister on my journey toward Christ?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#ChristAndTheChurch #contemplation #faith #love #mercy #MotherOfGod #StJohnPaulII #VirginOfCarmel

Marie du jour, 17 May: St. Thérèse

O beloved Mother, despite my littleness,
Like you, I possess The All-Powerful within me.
But I don’t tremble in seeing my weakness:
The treasures of a mother belong to her child,
And I am your child, O my dearest Mother.
Aren’t your virtues and your love mine too?
So when the white Host comes into my heart,
Jesus, your Sweet Lamb, thinks he is resting in you!…

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Why I Love You, O Mary!, PN 54, Stanza 5

Note: We rejoice together with the entire Carmelite family to mark the 100th anniversary of the canonization of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. In his Apostolic Letter Divini Amoris Scientia, which decreed that St. Thérèse is a Doctor of the Church, St. John Paul II wrote:

Pius XI, who considered Thérèse of Lisieux the “Star of his pontificate”, did not hesitate to assert in his homily on the day of her canonization, 17 May 1925: “The Spirit of truth opened and made known to her what he usually hides from the wise and prudent and reveals to little ones; thus she enjoyed such knowledge of the things above—as Our immediate Predecessor attests—that she shows everyone else the sure way of salvation” (AAS 17 [1925], p. 213).

Thérèse of Lisieux, S & Kinney, D 1995, The Poetry of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Copyright Natalie Ewert (All rights reserved), used by permission.

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Do I live as a true child of Mary, confident that her love and virtues are offered to me too?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#BlessedVirginMary #canonization #Centenary #DiscalcedCarmelite #Eucharist #MotherOfGod #StJohnPaulII #StThérèseOfLisieux

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit

We unworthy ones will never be silent, O Theotokos, telling of Your miracles, for if You had not come before us praying, who would have delivered us from so many troubles? Who would have kept us free until now? We will not depart from You, O Lady, for You always save Your servants from all dangers.

Both now and ever and unto the ages of ages

Amen

#OrthodoxChristian #Prayer #VirginMary #MotherOfGod #Theotokos

Marie du jour, 14 May: St. Teresa of St. Augustine

O loving Queen, Mother of might most holy,
O deign to place us all within thy breast!
For in thy power, thy children all, though lowly,
Do set their hope, trusting in thy behest.

Saint Teresa of St. Augustine

Excerpt from a Christmas carol

Note: Saint Teresa of St. Augustine, the prioress of the martyred Discalced Carmelite nuns of Compiègne, was born Marie Madeleine Claudine Lidoine in Paris on 22 September 1752. When she presented herself as a candidate for formation in the Carmel of Compiègne, she lacked the necessary dowry that postulants were expected to provide to support the community’s needs.

At that time, the prioress of the Carmel of Saint-Denis was Venerable Mother Teresa of St. Augustine—lovingly remembered by her baptismal name, Madame Louise—the daughter of King Louis XV. Upon learning of the young candidate’s financial difficulty, Madame Louise generously supplied the remaining funds needed for Madame Lidoine’s admission.

In gratitude for her benefactor’s generosity, the novice took the same religious name: Teresa of St. Augustine. That generosity would be repaid in sanctity. As prioress of Compiègne, Mother Teresa of St. Augustine led her sisters joyfully and courageously to the scaffold in revolutionary Paris on 17 July 1794. On 18 December 2024, the Church declared them Saints by equipollent canonization.

Bush, W. 1999, To quell the terror: the mystery of the vocation of the sixteen Carmelites of Compiègne guillotined July 17, 1794, ICS Publications, Washington, D.C.

Featured image: Virgin and Child by Anthony van Dyck (Flemish, 1599–1641), oil on wood, ca. 1620. Image credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (Public domain)

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How can I entrust my hopes to Mary, asking her to hold me close within her heart?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#dowry #hope #MadameLouise #MartyrsOfCompiègne #MotherOfGod #QueenAndBeautyOfCarmel #StTeresaOfStAugustine #trust

Marie du jour, 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, 49

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: An AI-generated image of the Virgin Mary as a young child in the Temple of Jerusalem, surrounded by older women engaged in prayer and sacred tasks. Inspired by ancient tradition and Exodus 26:31, the scene reflects Mary’s hidden life of consecration and interior grace. Image generated by ChatGPT (DALL·E), May 2025.

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How can I cultivate the humility and recollection that drew God’s gaze to Mary?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#BlessedTrinity #BlessedVirginMary #creature #littleness #MotherOfGod #prayer #StElizabethOfTheTrinity #temple #VirgoFidelis

Marie du jour, 3 May: St. Teresa of Avila

On the eve of the feast of St. Sebastian, the first year in which I was prioress at the Incarnation, at the beginning of the Salve Regina, I saw the Mother of God descend with a great multitude of angels and sit in the prioress’s choir stall where there was a statue of our Lady.

In my opinion, I didn’t then see the statue but our Lady herself. It seemed to me she looked something like she does in the painting the countess gave me;1 although the power to discern this was quickly taken away, for my faculties were soon held in great suspension.

It seemed to me there were angels above the canopies of the stalls in the back and above the front stalls; although they were not in corporeal form, for this was an intellectual vision.

She remained for the whole of the Salve, and she told me: “You were indeed right in placing me here;2 I shall be present in the praises they give my Son, and I shall offer these praises to Him.”

After this, I remained in the kind of prayer I now have, that of keeping my soul present with the Blessed Trinity. And it seemed to me that the Person of the Father drew me to Himself and spoke very pleasant words. Among them, while showing me what He wanted, He told me: “I gave you My Son, and the Holy Spirit, and this Blessed Virgin. What can you give Me?”

Saint Teresa of Avila

Spiritual Testimonies 21, Her vision of our Lady in the choir of the Incarnation

https://www.flickr.com/photos/avilas/7210946374/

1. She is speaking of a painting given her by the Countess of Osorno, Doña María de Velasco, a friend of hers who lived in Valladolid. The painting is still preserved at St. Joseph’s of Avila. ↩︎
2. When she took possession of her office as prioress of the Incarnation, October 14, 1571, she placed a statue of Our Lady of Clemency in the prioress’s stall with the keys to the monastery in its hands. ↩︎

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Statue of Saint Teresa by Fernando Cruz Solís (20th c.), at the Monastery of the Incarnation, Ávila. Photo: Raquel / Adobe Stock.

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How might I enter prayer more consciously aware that Mary and the saints are present with me?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#angels #BlessedTrinity #choirStalls #MotherOfGod #OurLady #prioress #SalveRegina #StTeresaOfAvila #statue #vision

What shall we call you, O Lady full of grace? Heaven? For you gave rise to the Sun of righteousness. Paradise? For you blossomed the flower of incorruption. Virgin? For you remained incorrupt. Pure Mother? For you held in your holy embrace a Son who is the God of all. Entreat Him to save our souls.

#Theotokion #ChristianHymn #Christianity #VirginMary #VirginMother #MotherOfGod

Quote of the day, 30 January: St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi

God refuses to unite Himself to that soul which refuses to acknowledge its own nothingness, because, being in Himself and of Himself glorious, and not being in need of anyone, if he united Himself to a soul so unjust and blind, He would seem to be in need of this soul rather than to be what He is in Himself, happy.

As in the creation of the universe, nothingness preceded (if that which is not can be said to precede) all that the Creator made in this world, and the union He made of Himself, giving the being and the participation of Himself to all creatures, according to the capacity and the nature of each, whereby every creature becomes united with and dependent on God; so, in order to accomplish this other union with the soul and receive a world of graces, this annihilation must be found in the soul.

As in the creation (by grace) of the microcosm which is the reasonable creature, and in the union of the Word with the humanity, He wanted an anterior annihilation in her who was to be His Mother. Ecce ancilla Domini — “Behold the handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:38); that by this act she might become more worthy and capable of a glory and greatness so wonderful that neither she nor any blessed spirit or mere creature can fully comprehend it (the dignity of such a Mother being an infinite grace); so, in order that the Divine Word may unite with the soul, this annihilation must precede, and, by means of it or this being done, God comes to do wonderful things in that soul, and of it can be said: Fecit mihi magna qui potens est; quia respexit humilitatem ancillae (Lk 1:49, 48).

But even this annihilation the soul does not know in itself; but, by annihilating itself, it attains to the greatness of God, Who unites Himself to the soul possessed of such annihilation. This soul then acknowledges God as glorious in Himself, attributing to Him all honor and glory, and not to itself.

Hence God Himself takes such pleasure in this soul that He remains continually united to it. By means of this union, this soul partakes as far as is possible (remaining in its being as to the nature) of the divine perfections.

Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi

Chapter 38 (excerpt)

Note: St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi entered the Carmel of St. Mary of the Angels and on 30 January 1583 she received the Carmelite habit and the name of Sister Mary Magdalene.

Fabrini, P. & De’ Pazzi, M.M. 1900, The life of St. Mary Magdalen De-Pazzi: Florentine noble, sacred Carmelite virgin, translated from the Italian by Isoleri A., [publisher not identified] Philadelphia.

Featured image: The Ecstasy of St Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi is an oil on canvas painting attributed to the Italian painter Alessandro Rosi (1627–1697). Its creation date is ca. 1650–1660 and it is part of the collection of the Musée des Beaux Arts in Chambéry, France. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

#CarmeliteHabit #Clothing #DivineWord #God #grace #MotherOfGod #nothingness #StMaryMagdaleneDePazzi

Quote of the day, 1 January: St. Edith Stein

The Mother of God is among all women the most intimately bound to Christ, she is the heart of the Church of which Christ is the head. Her singular support gladdens all women who want to be mothers in this supernatural sense.

For just as Mary begot total humanity in Christ through her offspring—“Be it done unto me according to Thy will” [Lk 1:38]—just so does she help those who strive to unveil Christ in the heart of another.

Thus, woman’s mission is to imitate Mary. She must further the life of faith by providing a secure and enduring foundation. As teacher, she must be the maternal, loving educator for Christ. She must nourish a rich life of faith in young persons through their intellectuality and voluntariness.

By so consecrating herself to supernatural maternity, the Catholic woman becomes an organ of the Church. And, in this way, she will fulfill this function in the religious life as in a life united to God in the world.

Saint Edith Stein

The Woman as Guide in the Church
Katholisches Sonntagsblatt für die Diözese Augsburg, 1932

Stein, E 2017, Essays On Woman, The Collected Works of Edith Stein, Book 2, translated from the German by Oben, F, ICS Publications, Washington D.C.

Featured image: This detail comes from Madonna of the Rose, an oil on canvas painting by French artist Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret (1852–1929), executed in 1885. Image credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art / Wikimedia Commons

#BlessedVirginMary #catechesis #church #imitation #mission #MotherOfGod #motherhood #StEdithStein #woman

Quote of the day, 12 December: Camilo Maccise, ocd

Carmel looks upon Mary as Mother, Patroness, Sister and Model, the last being particularly associated with the understanding of Mary as the Most Pure Virgin. These are not just titles or devotional themes. In some way they reflect the experience of the Carmelite Orders over many centuries. We invite all Carmelites to look again at the testimony of those who have gone before us and ponder how these riches might be shared among ourselves and with the wider community.

Carmelite saints have all taken up this theme of Mary as mother. St. Thérèse of Lisieux memorably stated: “She is more Mother than Queen.” For many centuries the Carmelite liturgy has shown special affection for the Gospel scene at the foot of the Cross (Jn 19:25-27) where Mary, “became the Mother of all, associated with the offering of her Son and given to all people when Jesus Himself gave Her to the beloved disciple”.

Seeing Mary as Mother we are encouraged to reflect on our relationship with her: she cares for us as Mother; we love and respect her as sons and daughters. Moreover, in viewing Mary as our Mother, we are pointed towards her Divine Son in whose allegiance we live. From early times the Fathers of the Church have seen that a correct Mariology serves to guarantee a correct Christology.

Our vision of Mary as Mother and Beauty of Carmel can be an important offering to the whole Church. Over a quarter of a century ago, Pope Paul VI invited theologians to look at the way of beauty as an authentic approach to Mary. In a world with so much distress and ugliness, we are invited to look upwards and to relax in the contemplation of Mary’s beauty, for she is God’s “sign of favour to the Church at its beginning, and the promise of its perfection as the bride of Christ, radiant in beauty” [Speech to the Mariological and Marian Congresses, 16 May 1975].

Camilo Maccise, O.C.D.
Joseph Chalmers, O.Carm.

Letter on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the Carmelite scapular

#BlessedVirginMary #CamiloMaccise #Carmelite #JosephChalmers #Mariology #MotherOfGod #StThereseOfLisieux #VirgenDeGuadalupe

Quote of the day, 8 December: St. Edith Stein

As Christ himself descended to earth from heaven, so too his Bride, the holy church, originated in heaven. She is born of the grace of God, indeed descended with the Son of God himself; she is inextricably bound to him. She is built of living stones; her cornerstone was laid when the Word of God assumed our human nature in the womb of the Virgin.

At that time there was woven between the soul of the divine Child and the soul of the Virgin Mother the bond of the most intimate unity, which we call betrothal.

Hidden from the entire world, the heavenly Jerusalem had descended to earth. From this first joining in betrothal, there had to be born all the living building blocks to be used for the mighty structure: each individual soul awakened to life through grace. The Bridal Mother was to become the mother of all the redeemed. Like a spore from which new cells stream continually, she was to build up the living city of God.

This hidden mystery was revealed to St. John as he stood beneath the cross with the Virgin Mother and was given over to her as her son. It was then that the church came into existence visibly; her hour had come, but not yet her perfection. She lives, she is wedded to the Lamb, but the hour of the solemn marriage supper will only arrive when the dragon has been completely conquered and the last of the redeemed have fought their battle to the end.

Saint Edith Stein

The Marriage of the Lamb: For September 14, 1940 (excerpt)

Stein, E. 2014, The Hidden Life: hagiographic essays, meditations, spiritual texts, translated from the German by Stein, W, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: This is a detailed view of The Annunciation, an oil on copper painting by Flemish artist Frans Francken II (1581–1642). The painting dates to 1615–1625 and comes from the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago. Image credit: Art Institute of Chicago (Public domain)

#BlessedVirginMary #heaven #JesusChrist #MotherOfGod #mystery #NewJerusalem #StEdithStein #StJohnTheApostle

“They have no wine” (Jn 2:3)

We can therefore say that in this passage of John’s Gospel [Jn 2:1-11] we find as it were a first manifestation of the truth concerning Mary’s maternal care. This truth has also found expression in the teaching of the Second Vatican Council. It is important to note how the Council illustrates Mary’s maternal role as it relates to the mediation of Christ.

Thus we read: “Mary’s maternal function towards mankind in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its efficacy,” because “there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5).

This maternal role of Mary flows, according to God’s good pleasure, “from the superabundance of the merits of Christ; it is founded on his mediation, absolutely depends on it, and draws all its efficacy from it” (Lumen Gentium, 60).

It is precisely in this sense that the episode at Cana in Galilee offers us a sort of first announcement of Mary’s mediation, wholly oriented towards Christ and tending to the revelation of his salvific power.

From the text of John, it is evident that it is a mediation which is maternal. As the Council proclaims: Mary became “a mother to us in the order of grace.”

This motherhood in the order of grace flows from her divine motherhood. Because she was, by the design of divine Providence, the mother who nourished the divine Redeemer, Mary became “an associate of unique nobility, and the Lord’s humble handmaid,” who “cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity in the Savior’s work of restoring supernatural life to souls” (Lumen Gentium, 61).

And “this maternity of Mary in the order of grace… will last without interruption until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect” (Lumen Gentium, 62).

Saint John Paul II

Redemptoris Mater, 22
25 March 1987

St. John Paul II highlights that Mary’s role as Mediatrix does not lessen or obstruct her Son’s unique role as the one mediator between God and us. Instead, it demonstrates His unique mediation.

As Mediatrix, Mary’s role flows from Christ’s merits. Her prayers are powerful and obtain miracles from the Lord because Jesus is our mediator, and she appeals to Him alone.

For example, at the wedding feast in Cana (Jn 2:1-11), Mary obtained the miracle of turning water into wine by leaning in and encouraging Jesus to reveal His power as Savior.

St. John Paul II further elaborates on Mary’s unique role and its ongoing significance, emphasizing her continuous role in our spiritual lives.

Her cooperation in Jesus’ mission through her obedience and love makes her our mother in the order of grace. The “order of grace” refers to the supernatural order, in which God’s grace is active and transformative, guiding us toward holiness and eternal salvation.

Mary’s maternal role in this order means she intercedes for us and assists us in receiving and living out God’s grace. By “heavenly fulfillment,” St. John Paul II means the ultimate completion of our spiritual journey, where we are united with God, fully partaking in His eternal joy and peace.

God of eternal wisdom,
in your providence, you willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary
should bring forth the Author of Grace,
and take part with him
in the mystery of man’s redemption.
May she obtain for us grace in abundance
and bring us to the haven of everlasting salvation.

Featured image: The Virgin Mother’s intercession and Christ’s first miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee are wonderfully portrayed in this majestic stained glass window at St. Aloysius Church on the campus of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. The church, which was dedicated in 1911, features stained glass windows crafted and installed by the studio of Franz Mayer of Munich. Image credit: Fr. James Bradley / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/07/22/ep13-materdivgra/

#CanaOfGalilee #encyclical #LumenGentium #maternityOfMary #mediation #MotherOfDivineGrace #MotherOfGod #RedemptorisMater #StJohnPaulII #supernatural #wedding

Tomorrow, 16 July is the Commemoration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The piety of the faithful, in several centuries, wanted to honor the illustrious Mother of God with several titles and acts of sincerest homage.

Let us remember that it was Pope John XXII in the XIV century who promoted devotion to Mary under this title: it is precisely the story that we must remember when, each time, the form of prayer and homage becomes clearer and clearer.

Saint John XXIII

Audience, Saturday 15 July 1961

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

Featured image: This official photograph of Saint John XXIII comes from Italian publisher De Agostini Editore. The photographer is unknown. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/07/14/j23-15jul61/

#devotion #faithful #inspiration #MotherOfGod #OurLadyOfMountCarmel #piety #PopeJohnXXII #StJohnXXIII

SEQUENCE HYMN

Mater mitis
sed viri nescia
Carmelitis
da privilegia
Stella Maris.†

Mother so tender,
Who no man didst know,
On Carmel’s children
Thy favours bestow,
Star of the sea.

SCRIPTURE

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1–2

READING

On the eve of the feast of St. Sebastian, the first year in which I was prioress at the Incarnation, at the beginning of the Salve Regina, I saw the Mother of God descend with a great multitude of angels and sit in the prioress’s choir stall where there was a statue of our Lady.

In my opinion I didn’t then see the statue but our Lady herself. It seemed to me she looked something like she does in the painting the countess gave me; although the power to discern this was quickly taken away, for my faculties were soon held in great suspension.

It seemed to me there were angels above the canopies of the stalls in the back and above the front stalls; although they were not in corporeal form, for this was an intellectual vision.

She remained for the whole of the Salve, and she told me: “You were indeed right in placing me here; I shall be present in the praises they give my Son, and I shall offer these praises to Him.”

After this I remained in the kind of prayer I now have, that of keeping my soul present with the Blessed Trinity. And it seemed to me that the Person of the Father drew me to Himself and spoke very pleasant words. Among them, while showing me what He wanted, He told me: “I gave you My Son, and the Holy Spirit, and this Blessed Virgin. What can you give Me?”

Saint Teresa of Avila

Spiritual Testimonies, 21

PRAYER

O Most beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel,
Fruitful Vine, Splendor of heaven,
Blessed Mother of the Son of God,
Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity.
O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein
that you are my Mother.

O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of heaven and earth,
I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart
to succor me in this necessity.
There are none that can withstand your power!
O help me and show me herein that you are my Mother.

(Here mention your requests)

Our Lady, Queen & Beauty of Carmel,
pray for me and obtain my requests!
Sweet Mother, I place this cause
in your hands!

Our Father…

Hail Mary…

Glory be…

Queen, Beauty of Carmel, pray for us.

† There are two versions of this verse of the Latin hymn. The version above, “da privilegia”, means “grant privileges.” Another text, “esto propitia”, means “be favourable.” The second text appears in the Carmelite Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours (1993).

Catholic Church 1993, Proper of the Liturgy of the Hours of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and the Order of Discalced Carmelites (Rev. and augm.), Institutum Carmelitanum, Rome.

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

All scripture references are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America as accessed from the Bible Gateway website.

Don’t become discouraged and give up prayer, says St. John of the Cross. We offer varying novenas to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as well as novenas to St. Joseph, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Edith Stein.

Let us unite in prayer

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/07/12/olmcnovena24-7/

#angels #BlessedTrinity #choirStalls #FlosCarmeli #HeavenlyFather #intercession #MotherOfGod #novena #offering #OurLadyOfMountCarmel #prayer #SalveRegina #StTeresaOfAvila #vision

The image of the Mother of God demonstrates the basic spiritual attitude which corresponds to woman’s natural vocation; her relation to her husband is one of obedience, trust, and participation in his life as she furthers his objective tasks and personality development; to the child she gives true care, encouragement, and formation of his God-given talents; she offers both selfless surrender and a quiet withdrawal when unneeded.

All is based on the concept of marriage and motherhood as a vocation from God; it is carried out for God’s sake and under His guidance.

Saint Edith Stein

“The Ethos of Women’s Professions
1 September 1930

Stein, E 2017, Essays On Woman, The Collected Works of Edith Stein, Book 2, translated from the German by Oben, F, ICS Publications, Washington D.C.

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/22/mdj2024-ep23/

#familyLife #formation #God #inspiration #marriage #MotherOfGod #motherhood #StEdithStein #surrender #trust #vocation #woman

It is so awesome that it makes us weep with admiration and thanksgiving to think that a poor little human creature, our sister human being, had the tremendous honor of forming a body and bringing God into the world.

She received him, she guarded him, she enclosed him in the humble, narrow limits of her own body. What a privilege! The creator of the world called her “Mama.” She held him in her arms and cradled him at her breast.

You know very well that creation was not a passing gesture, as if God had withdrawn, leaving his work to continue according to determined laws. Creation is actually continuing while I speak to you. If God discontinued his creating action, all beings would instantly return to nothingness.

Creation is a work that continues unceasingly. This is a consoling thought, which puts us in the presence of God and into contact with the being of God.

Thus the little one who was there under Mary’s eyes was continuing the act of creating the world; he was creating and maintaining his mother in existence.

Servant of God Père Jacques de Jesus

Conference 5, “The Divine Preparation in Mary and in Us”
Retreat for the Carmel of Pontoise
Wednesday morning, 8 September 1943

Jacques, P 2005, Listen to the silence: A retreat with Père Jacques, translated from the French and edited by Murphy F, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/21/mdj2024-ep22/

#admiration #BlessedVirginMary #creator #creature #humanity #IncarnationOfChrist #MotherOfGod #motherhood #PèreJacquesOfJesus #ServantOfGod

My life is but an instant, a passing hour.
My life is but a day that escapes and flies away.
O my God! You know that to love you on earth
I only have today!…

If I think about tomorrow, I fear my fickleness.
I feel sadness and worry rising up in my heart.
But I’m willing, my God, to accept trial and suffering
Just for today.

O Immaculate Virgin! You are my Sweet Star
Giving Jesus to me and uniting me to Him.
O Mother! Let me rest under your veil
Just for today.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

PN 5, My Song for Today, stanzas 1, 4, 11

Thérèse of Lisieux, S 1995, The Poetry of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, translated from the French by Kinney, D, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/16/mdj2024-ep17/

#God #ImmaculateVirgin #inspiration #Jesus #love #MarieMartin #MotherOfGod #prayer #StThérèseOfLisieux #today #trust #worry

On the eve of the feast of St. Sebastian, the first year in which I was prioress at the Incarnation, at the beginning of the Salve Regina, I saw the Mother of God descend with a great multitude of angels and sit in the prioress’s choir stall where there was a statue of our Lady. In my opinion, I didn’t then see the statue but our Lady herself. It seemed to me she looked something like she does in the painting the countess gave me; 1 although the power to discern this was quickly taken away, for my faculties were soon held in great suspension. It seemed to me there were angels above the canopies of the stalls in the back and above the front stalls; although they were not in corporeal form, for this was an intellectual vision.

She remained for the whole of the Salve, and she told me: “You were indeed right in placing me here; 2 I shall be present in the praises they give my Son, and I shall offer these praises to Him.”

After this, I remained in the kind of prayer I now have, that of keeping my soul present with the Blessed Trinity. And it seemed to me that the Person of the Father drew me to Himself and spoke very pleasant words. Among them, while showing me what He wanted, He told me: “I gave you My Son, and the Holy Spirit, and this Blessed Virgin. What can you give Me?”

Saint Teresa of Avila

Spiritual Testimonies, 21
19 January 1572

Notes:
1 Teresa is speaking of a painting given to her by the Countess of Osorno, Doña María de Velasco, a friend of hers who lived in Valladolid. The painting is still preserved at St. Joseph’s of Avila.

2 When Teresa took possession of her office as the appointed prioress of her former Monastery of the Incarnation on October 14, 1571, she placed a statue of Our Lady of Clemency in the prioress’ stall with the keys to the monastery in the Virgin’s hands.

Teresa of Avila, St. 1985, The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K; Rodriguez, O, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: This engraving shows the nuns’ choir in the Carmelite Monastery of Incarnation in Avila. It was produced for a pilgrim’s guidebook for the third centenary of the death of St. Teresa in 1882. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/05/02/mdj2024-ep003/

#BlessedTrinity #Carmelite #choirStalls #inspiration #intellectualVision #MonasteryOfTheIncarnation #monasticLife #MotherOfGod #praise #SalveRegina #StTeresaOfAvila

O Virgin, thou hast borne the fire of the Godhead and yet remained unconsumed. Burn up the passions of our souls, for in faith we call upon thee with the salutation of the Angel, O thou who alone dost bring us joy. #Theotokion #MotherOfGod

I need thy help, O Theotokos, disregard me not, for my soul trusts in thee: have mercy upon me. #Theotokion #MotherOfGod

Objectification of practicality. 3 of 3

#Opalescence #Iridescence #MotherOfPearl #MotherOfGod #MakeItStop #WeirdArt #PsychologicalLandscape #ImSureItMustMeanSomething

#DarkArts #DigitalArt #AIAssistedArt #AIArt #WomboDream #StableDiffusion

Objectification of practicality. 2 of 3

#Opalescence #Iridescence #MotherOfPearl #MotherOfGod #MakeItStop #WeirdArt #PsychologicalLandscape #ImSureItMustMeanSomething

#DarkArts #DigitalArt #AIAssistedArt #AIArt #WomboDream #StableDiffusion

Objectification of practicality. 1 of 3

#Opalescence #Iridescence #MotherOfPearl #MotherOfGod #MakeItStop #WeirdArt #PsychologicalLandscape #ImSureItMustMeanSomething

#DarkArts #DigitalArt #AIAssistedArt #AIArt #WomboDream #StableDiffusion

Pointless objectification. 3 of 3

#Opalescence #Iridescence #MotherOfPearl #MotherOfGod #MakeItStop #WeirdArt #PsychologicalLandscape #ImSureItMustMeanSomething

#DarkArts #DigitalArt #AIAssistedArt #AIArt #WomboDream #StableDiffusion

Pointless objectification. 2 of 3

#Opalescence #Iridescence #MotherOfPearl #MotherOfGod #MakeItStop #WeirdArt #PsychologicalLandscape #ImSureItMustMeanSomething

#DarkArts #DigitalArt #AIAssistedArt #AIArt #WomboDream #StableDiffusion

Pointless objectification. 1 of 3

#Opalescence #Iridescence #MotherOfPearl #MotherOfGod #MakeItStop #WeirdArt #PsychologicalLandscape #ImSureItMustMeanSomething

#DarkArts #DigitalArt #AIAssistedArt #AIArt #WomboDream #StableDiffusion

(2)all of you;challenging&all,it's worth thinking about;so over all this"sickness",criticism,badness... social media need to have respect!I 💕 social media,but I don't like what us,we have made from it #sillycyberneticoffspring #swaddleanytighter #stupidmombrain #motherofgod #greyharredballs #Finhealth #goodgravelpit #borderingonstalking #roughpatch #shouldershrugemoji #dogsdonthunt #applesaucy #bobforcinnamon #camelsback #doesnotringabell #somuchdairyinit #greatstrides #breadandbutter #textbody

#Apolytikion
Fourth Mode
O Fervent intercessor, Mother of the Lord Most High, thou prayest for all to thy Son, Christ our God, and thou causest all to be saved who have recourse to thy powerful protection. O Sovereign Lady and Queen, help and defend all of us who in troubles and trials, in pain and burdened with many sins, stand before thy most pure icon in thy presence, and pray to thee with compunction of soul, contrition of heart, and with tears, and who have unflagging hope in thee. Grant to all what is good for us, deliverance from all evil, and save us all, O Virgin Theotokos, for thou art a divine protection to thy servants.
#Kontakion
Plagal Fourth Mode
Let us run, O ye peoples, to that quiet and good haven, to the speedy helper, to the ready and warm salvation, to the Virgin's protection. Let us hurry to prayer and hasten to repentance; for the most pure Theotokos poureth out of us unfailing mercy, anticipateth our needs with her help, and delivereth from great disasters and evils her upright and God-fearing servants.
#Theotokos #MotherOfGod #VirginMotherQueen #Christianity #OrthodoxChristianity #ChristianOrthodoxy #DailyPrayers

O Lady graced by God, you reward me by letting gush forth, beyond reason, the ever-flowing waters of your grace from your perpetual Spring. I entreat you, who bore the Logos, in a manner beyond comprehension, to refresh me in your grace that I may cry out, "Hail redemptive waters."

#RenewalFriday #Pascha #Theotokos #ChristianPrayer #Christianity #VirginMary #MotherOfGod #MaterDei #OrthodoxChristian #ChristianOrthodoxy #Kontakion

O Theotokos, your church is like the Garden of Paradise, since it pours out healings and cures like ever-living rivers. We come to it with faith, and we draw strength and eternal life from its water, through you who are the Spring that received Life himself. For you intercede with Christ our Savior, who was born from you, and you entreat Him to save our souls.

#RenewalFriday #Pascha #Theotokos #Apolytikion #ChristianPrayer #Christianity #VirginMary #MotherOfGod #MaterDei #OrthodoxChristian #ChristianOrthodoxy

Well this is cool #medieval news! As one of the researchers, Artur Obluski, says on Twitter, 'Seems that gods of excavations favoured us in the very last season of ERC_Research #Umma grant . We found not only the stone blocks from walls and floor of a #Napatan temple of #Amun of #GemAton #Kawa but also enigmatic complex of chambers covered with wall paintings and inscriptions dated probably to around 1276 CE One of the paintings presents king David of Makuria in intimate and dynamic scene with #archangel Michael and #Christ kissing the hand of the latter and probably begging for protection of the city of #Tungul (Old Dongola) against the wrath of #Mamluks unique for #Christian art The other painting shows #MotherOfGod in a unique, uncommon way and as far as I'm concerned unknown in #Christian #iconography holding a book in one and a cross in other hand and dressed in kind of monochromatic greyish robe".

https://pcma.uw.edu.pl/en/2023/04/05/new-discoveries-in-old-dongola-protection-for-tungul-new-unique-wall-paintings-discovered-in-old-dongola-sudan/

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

REMEMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary! that never was it known that anyone that fled to thy protection, implored thy help and sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother! To thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
#MemorareToTheBlessedVirginMary #VirginMary #MotherOfGod #CatholicPrayer #Catholic #Catholicism #Prayer #Memorare

The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, and she conceived of the Holy Ghost.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the lord is with you blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, holy Mary mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the lord is with you blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, holy Mary mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the lord is with you blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus, holy Mary mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

V. Pray for us, holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Amen.

#Angelus #Prayer #ChristianPrayer #Catholic #Catholicisim #CatholicPrayer #MaterDei #MotherOfGod

“The Virgin Mary kept all these things in her heart, meditating on them in silence. She had so well absorbed God’s message that even St Joseph was unaware of it and an angel had to come to him in the silence of the night...”
🤫Père Jacques de Jésus

Read more on our blog
http://carmelitequotes.blog/2022/12/31/jacques-josdream/

#motherofgod #virginmary #stjoseph #dream #silence #inspiration

Père Jacques de Jésus reflections on the #Annunciation “When the angel Gabriel came to ask Mary's consent to the unique honor & extravagant joy of being the Mother of God, the Lord did not issue an order.”

Read his reflection👇🏾
💜 https://carmelitequotes.blog

📸 Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
#Catholic #Carmelite #quotes #VirginMary #angel #Gabriel #honor #joy #MotherOfGod #PereJacquesDeJesus #AuRevoirLesEnfants #ServantOfGod #inspiration #spirituality #theology

St. Raphael Kalinowski received the Discalced Carmelite habit on 26 November 1877 and made his religious vows on the same date in 1878. Visit our #blog to read an excerpt from his conference for the Carmelite friars in Wadowice: “Mother of God, Hope of the World.”
❤ https://carmelitequotes.blog

#StRaphaelKalinowski #OnThisDay #BrownScapular #DiscalcedCarmelites #friars #VirginMary #MotherOfGod #novice #religious #vocation #vows #Catholic #spirituality #Carmelite #Poland