07-08-2010
Mary in the Liturgy
Virgin Mary is constantly present each time the liturgy is celebrated. First of all because as a human being just like us, she worships God as the one and true God. Secondly because she has a particular and unique place in the achievement of the two ...
06-28-2010
Personal Entrustment to the Virgin Mary
Personal entrustment to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a regular practice in the Church, for private individuals as well as for groups, communities and entire nations. Popes have, on several occasions, in key moments of Church history, shown themsel ...
03-09-2010
Fourth Sunday in Advent: Hail Mary Full of Grace
At the time of Saint Gregory the Great (d. 604), the “Antiphonale Missarum sextuplex” offered truly Marian antiphons such as the antiphon for the offertory of the 4th Sunday in Advent, “Ave Maria gratia plena.”
Ave Maria, gratia plena. D ...
02-18-2010
September 14: Feast of the Triumph of the Cross
For this feast, the Church invites us to receive divine wisdom: the suffering of the world, madness and scandal, all become, in the Blood of Christ, a cry of love and the seed of glory for all of us.
The prayer of the day:
“You wanted, Lord, ...
02-18-2010
The solemnity of the Holy Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Solemnity of the Holy Sacrament emphasizes the presence of Christ among us in the Eucharist. His presence shall last until the end of time. His presence transforms the world. It is not only the memory of Christ, on the contrary, we actually worsh ...
02-17-2010
Christmas, the Arian Crisis and the Council of Nicea
The Arian Crisis
The crisis concerned the faith in the divinity of Jesus. It came to a head in A.D. 318, with the writings of Arius of Alexandria: according to Arius, the Son was begotten of the Father, came from divine substance, came into existenc ...
02-17-2010
Prayers of the Ravenna Scroll
The Ravenna Scroll dates back to the fifth century and contains 40 collect type liturgical prayers, the use of which remains unknown to this day. Only one copy exists dating from the seventh century.
Throughout Christendom the faith of the two g ...
02-16-2010
Mary in the Liturgy of the Hours
The celebration of the Lord isn't limited to the Mass. Since the origins of the Church, in imitation of Christ and his apostles, Christians like to consecrate time to God, through the different community offices of the day.
The great publi ...
12-21-2009
Hail Mary
The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (Latin) is a traditional Christian prayer asking for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Hail Mary is used within Roman Catholicism, and it forms the basis of the Rosary. Most of the te ...
09-11-2009
Marian Devotion is Associated to the Seasons of the Year or Liturgical Times
...
04-30-2009
Votive Entrustment of Nations
Entrustment to Jesus through Our Lady has worked miracles in the lives of many, but has never been limited to individuals: it has been known to do wonders in the history of nations. It is easy to grasp the benefits of personal entrustment or group ...
04-30-2009
Entrustment to the Virgin Mary
...
04-30-2009
Entrustment to Our Lady
True Marian Devotion Stems from True Faith
Vatican II made this important statement:
"Let the faithful remember that true devotion consists neither in sterile or transitory affection, nor in a certain vain credulity, but proceeds from true fai ...
03-05-2009
How to Pray the Rosary
"Meditation on the mysteries of Christ is proposed in the Rosary by means of a method designed to assist in their assimilation. It is a method based on repetition. [...] The Rosary helps us to be conformed ever more closely to Christ until we at ...
10-14-2008
The Titles of Mary
The following excerpt from the Litanies of the Blessed Virgin Mary gives an idea of the number and majestic beauty of titles and other names with which generations of faithful have praised, venerated and prayed Mary over the centuries. As m ...
10-09-2008
Mary, Refuge of Sinners, Regardless of Their Sins
Mary, the All-Holy One, does not keep herself away from us as if she feared being sullied by our sins.
Her purity is not that of a white dress, which the least spot is likely to damage, but that of a spring constantly renewing itself and whose ori ...
09-25-2008
Intervene, O Mary and Speak
Enormously threatening clouds are accumulating on the horizon of all mankind, and darkness is falling upon human souls.
Intervene, O Mary, and speak, with the persuasiveness of your motherly voice,
to the hearts of those who decide the destinies o ...
07-23-2008
The Marian Face of the Church
The development of Mariological thought and devotion to the Blessed Virgin down the centuries has contributed to revealing ever better the Church's Marian aspect. Of course, the Blessed Virgin is totally related to Christ, the foundation of faith and ...
07-10-2008
Why be afraid?
My children, whatever befalls you, remember that I am with you always. Whether I’m seen or unseen, whether I seem active or sleeping, remember that I am always keeping watch. I am everywhere; I am all-powerful.
Never harbour any fear or anxiety: ...
07-05-2008
Forty-six Votive Masses in Honor of Mary
Liturgy was renewed in the wake of the "Sacrosanctum Concilium" constitution of the Second Vatican Council. Among many other new additions, the Roman Missal was enriched with many votive Masses in honor of the Virgin Mary. On August 15, 198 ...
07-05-2008
Calling to God With All One’s Heart
O Lord, help me!
You can shout to God all you like, if your prayer does not come from the heart and is only a vocal exercise, you are undoubtedly wasting your time.
If your prayer comes from the heart, even if your voice is silent, it can remain ...
06-12-2008
Prayer in the Night Storm
O my God,
Have pity on me.
I always abandon you,
But you, my God,
Do not abandon me!
Although my body flinches,
And my mind wavers,
Although my heart is overwhelmed,
And my spirit troubled,
Although my voice falters,
And I have no ...
06-05-2008
Mary at the Heart of Catholic Liturgy
To understand the place Mary occupies in Catholic sensibilities, one must start with liturgy.
Mary is at the heart of Mass
There isn’t a mass where you won’t hear the name of Mary, either simply mentioned or called upon. She is often evoke ...
05-21-2008
God Builds His Temple in the Praying Soul
We are in the house of our prayers; the house of God is ourselves.
If we are God’s house, we have been built in this world, to be consecrated at the end of the world. The building, or rather its construction, is a painful process, but the dedic ...
05-05-2008
What is Prayer?
For someone who believes in God, prayer is an essential part of daily activity. Jesus said, “When you pray, go to your private room and shut yourself in, and so pray to your Father who is in that secret place” (Mt 6:6).
Praye ...
03-25-2008
The Different Forms of Prayer
Actually, there are as many forms of prayer as there are souls, since every prayer establishes a dialogue with God. Prayer can be for praising, worshipping, petitioning, thanking God etc. We can draw a line of distinction between private an ...
03-18-2008
Contemporary Marian Spirituality
In the wake of the proclamation of the dogmas of the Assumption and the Immaculate Conception of Mary, which crowned the theology of the Church at the end of the nineteenth century, a strong desire to better enter into Mary’s mystery became apparen ...
03-15-2008
The Gospels are at the Root of Marian Piety
The Virgin Mary is mentioned in the Gospels more times than is commonly believed. Despite her profound humility and self-effacement confirmed by her own words, “I am the servant of the Lord” (Lk 1:38), the New Testament offers a number of verses ...
03-14-2008
To Remain in a State of Prayer, According to the Fathers of the Church
“To pray well, it is not always necessary to kneel; but what is of great benefit is to make all one’s movements in the spirit of prayer, i.e. with affection for God, with faith, with love and conformity to His will.”
John Joseph Surin, The ...
03-08-2008
The Legion of Mary
The Legion of Mary is an apostolic organization of lay people in the Catholic Church founded in 1921 by Frank Duff in Dublin. It is now present on every continent and operates in almost 2,000 dioceses throughout the world.
Well over three million ...
03-07-2008
Prayer Novenas
What difference is there between lifting up a daily intention and carrying the same intention on for 9 specific days of prayer? And why do it through a saint's intercession and often through well-defined formulas? A novena is a pra ...
03-07-2008
Pray at All Times
The New Testament insists on constancy in prayer in an ongoing way. There is a time for everything, certainly, but the attitude of the heart, whatever may be the varied events of life, must always be that of the prayer... In other w ...
03-07-2008
The Litany of the Blessed Virgin
The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Christian prayer originally approved in 1587 by Pope Sixtus V. It is also known as the Litany of Loreto. The responses are in italics.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy ...
02-23-2008
Modern Marian Spiritualities
What one calls "the modern times" starts with the Renaissance, in the 17th century. At that time, a rich Marian devotion developed in the Church, nearer to the spirituality of Lumen Gentium of Vatican II than to the popular, more sentimenta ...
02-15-2008
The Congregation of the Ladies of Nazareth
The Ladies of Nazareth are one of the first Catholic religious congregations based in Europe to have established themselves in the Holy Land. The Congregation was founded in Montmirail, a small town in the French Ardennes, on May 3, 1822. Three peopl ...
02-15-2008
Classic Marian Spiritualities
From the Middle Ages several of the major religious orders of the Church have deliberately chosen to live a spirituality specifically Marian. Among the best known are:
The Carmelite Order (or Our Lady of Mount Carmel), which spread the dev ...
02-15-2008
The Essence of Prayer
The most important thing in prayer is just to be there: to be attentive to the Real Presence of Another, and as well as remembering others, through whom Christ might be calling us.
His voice comes to us through the voices of our brethren. His face ...
02-15-2008
Pray, Pray, Pray
"Little children, I desire for you to become carriers of peace and of God's joy to today's world without peace. That is why, little children, pray, pray, pray!"
(Our Lady of Peace, Medjugorje, 10/25/97 )
...
01-19-2008
Christian Spirituality and Marian Spirituality
There are many “Marian” types of spiritualities, in the sense that since the beginning of the Church, a number of religious orders, congregations and other associations of faithful have chosen to place themselves under the special patronage of Ma ...
01-03-2008
Mary and Spirituality
It is striking to note that Mary has been universally recognized as the "Mother of Jesus", and her unique maternal tenderness, spiritual beauty, purity and delicacy attract huge crowds of men, women and children to her, whatever their cultu ...
12-07-2007
The Blessed Virgin Mary and Advent
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments recently gave a “Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy”, (Vatican City, 2001). The following is an excerpt taken from that document concerning Mary and Advent.
Litur ...
12-07-2007
Devoutly I Adore Thee
O most blessed and sweet Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, filled with all tenderness,
Daughter of the most high King,
Lady of the Angels,
Mother of all the faithful,
On this day and all the days of my life,
I entrust to your merciful heart
my body ...
11-20-2007
Prayer of Saint Ephraem the Syrian to Mary
O Virgin, most pure, wholly unspotted, O Mary,
Mother of God, Queen of the universe,
you are above all the saints,
the hope of the elect and the joy of all the blessed.
It is you who have reconciled us with God.
You are the only refuge of ...
11-20-2007
Prayer to the Mother of God by St Gregory of Narek
Magnify your honor through me, and my salvation will be manifested through you
if you find me, Madonna,
if you pity me, blessed among women,
if you rescue me in my waywardness, immaculate one,
if you care for me in my fear, happy one,
if you lif ...
11-14-2007
Prayer by Saint Catherine of Siena
O Mary, temple of the Trinity.
O Mary, bearer of fire.
O Mary, dispenser of mercy.
O Mary, restorer of human generation, because the world was repurchased by means of the sustenance that your flesh found in the Word, Christ repurchased the world w ...
11-14-2007
Mary and the Eucharist (John Paul II)
This most Holy Body retains its Marian origin
The Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is our “thanksgiving” to the Father who gave us the Divine Word, the Living Bread from heaven, and our thanks happily extend to the Blessed Virgin ...
11-14-2007
Mary Gives Birth to and Prepares our “Bread”
Without a sense of awe, there is no liturgy. Liturgy is humanity marvelling ...
For January 1st, the Gelasian Sacramentary (late 5th century), offers this wonder-filled Eucharistic preface:
He is worthy ... Our Eternal God.
In celeb ...
11-14-2007
Christ the King of the Universe
The liturgy celebrates the lordship of Christ in the hearts and history.
In celebrating Christ the King of the universe, the Church cannot forget that “the Immaculate Virgin, preserved from all guilt of original sin, on the completion of her ea ...
11-13-2007
Solemnity of the Holy Trinity: God is not Solitude, He is Perfect Communion
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On this Sunday that follows Pentecost, we are celebrating the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.
God is not infinite solitude but communion of light and love
Thanks to the Holy Spirit, who helps us understand Jesus' ...
11-13-2007
Solemnity of the Holy Trinity
The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of faith and Christian life.
The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian life and faith. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other ...
11-13-2007
The Nativity of Our Lord
The Feast of Christmas celebrates the event of Jesus’ birth. The Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, was born in Bethlehem, Judaea, and the first to visit Him were simple shepherds who found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger ...
10-08-2007
The Liturgical Time of Advent
Advent is the transcription of the Latin “adventus” which designates the fact of having arrived or come: it is the time that prepares to the “coming” of Christ, his coming in glory at the ...
10-04-2007
Mary Associated to the Feasts of Our Lord
The Second Vatican Council reminded the faithful that the Church celebrates Mary through the annual cycle of the Feasts to Our Lord. Therefore Mary is first and foremost associated to the Feasts of Our Lord (Cf. Vatican II, Constitution on the Liturg ...
10-04-2007
Mary’s Presence in the Liturgical Calendar
The Vatican Council exhorted all the Church faithful to practice Marian devotion, a devotion that must be of liturgical nature above all (Lumen Gentium 67), which we do so by celebrating the normal liturgical Feast Days.
The Vatican Council has al ...
03-06-2006
Marian Devotion
The foundations of Marian devotion (or piety) can be found in the Gospels themselves.
When we read the Gospels attentively, we notice the veiled presence of the Virgin of Nazareth all along, although she often stays in the backgr ...
02-09-2006
God's Graces Pass by the Virgin Mary
Mary distributes God's graces because He wanted her to be the Mother of the Redeemer and the Mother of the Church.
God chose Mary to cooperate with Him
Mary said "yes" to God's proposition, brought by the Angel Gabriel, asking he ...
02-09-2006
Greatly Loved Marian Prayers
The first, foremost and certainly the most widespread of all Marian devotions is the prayer taken from the words of the Angel Gabriel, which he spoke to Mary at the time of the Annunciation. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee”… (L ...
07-28-2005
Praying to Mary
Mary has been celebrated by all nations throughout the ages, in every way imaginable. She is present in the liturgy of all traditional Churches, in the spirituality of saints and religious, in the devotion of crowds.
Continue reading and ...
06-22-2005
St. Thomas' Prayer to Mary
O most blessed and sweet Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, filled with all tenderness, daughter of the most high King, Lady of the Angels, Mother of all the faithful, on this day and all the days of my life, I entrust to your merciful heart my body and m ...
06-01-2005
The Importance of Prayer
Prayer is the respiration of the soul, the intimate bond with one's Creator and Savior...
It's a little like a plant needing water and fertilizer to grow and develop: the divine life sowed in our soul at baptism can only ...
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