Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

 

The Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God is a feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the aspect of her motherhood of Jesus Christ, whom She had circumcised on the eighth day after His birth according to Levitical Law. Christians see Him as the Lord and Son of God. It is celebrated by the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church on 1 January, the Octave day of Christmas. 

The feast is a celebration of Mary being the mother of Jesus. The English title "Mother of God" is a literal translation of the Latin title Mater Dei, which in turn is a rendering of the Greek title Θεοτόκος (Theotokos), meaning "Bearer of God" dogmatically adopted by the First Council of Ephesus as an assertion of the divinity of Christ.

The Second Vatican Council stated: "Clearly from earliest times the Blessed Virgin is honoured under the title of Mother of God." and at an early stage the Church in Rome celebrated on 1 January a feast that it called the anniversary (Natale) of the Mother of God. When this was overshadowed by the feasts of the Annunciation and the Assumption, adopted from Constantinople at the start of the 7th century, 1 January began to be celebrated simply as the octave day of Christmas, the "eighth day" on which, according to Luke 2:21, the child was circumcised and given the name Jesus.

In the 13th or 14th century, 1 January began to be celebrated in Rome, as already in Spain and Gaul, as the feast of the Circumcision of the Lord and the Octave of the Nativity, while still oriented towards Mary and Christmas, with many prayers, antiphons and responsories glorifying the maternity of Mary. Pope John XXIII's General Roman Calendar of 1960 removed the mention of the circumcision of Jesus and called 1 January simply the Octave of the Nativity.

The 1969 revision of the liturgical year and the calendar in the Roman Rite states: "1 January, the Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord, is the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, and also the commemoration of the conferral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus." It removed the 11 October feast, even for Portugal, stating: "The Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on 1 January in the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God." 

In his Apostolic Letter Marialis Cultus, Pope Paul VI explained: "This celebration, placed on January 1 ...is meant to commemorate the part played by Mary in this mystery of salvation. It is meant also to exalt the singular dignity which this mystery brings to the 'holy Mother...through whom we were found worthy to receive the Author of life.' It is likewise a fitting occasion for renewing adoration of the newborn Prince of Peace, for listening once more to the glad tidings of the angels (cf. Lk. 2:14), and for imploring from God, through the Queen of Peace, the supreme gift of peace."

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solemnity_of_Mary,_Mother_of_God

Full of Grace

“Hail, full of grace! 

The Lord is with you.” 

LUKE 1:28

She walks with beauty and with grace, a gentle smile upon her face. She spreads her kindness all around and lifts the spirits of the down. She knows the value of each soul and sees the good in young and old. She gives her love without a price and shares her faith in Jesus Christ. She is a blessing to behold, a precious gem, more than gold. She is a child of God above and she is full of grace and love. She is Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38)

You have a gift and a purpose to share, you have a vision and a passion to dare, you have a voice and a message to shine so do whatever you have in mind. Don't let the doubts and fears hold you back, don't let the critics and naysayers attack, don't let the rules and norms confine, just do whatever you have in mind. Life is too short and too precious to waste, life is too rich and too varied to taste, life is too wonderful and amazing to find if you don't do whatever you have in mind.

The Lord is with you in every trial, He knows your pain and every sigh, He holds you close and wipes your tears, He gives you strength and calms your fears. The Lord is with you in every joy, He shares your happiness and your smile, He blesses you with grace and peace, He fills your heart with love and ease. The Lord is with you in every moment, He guides your steps and lights your way, He hears your prayers and speaks to you. He is your friend and loves you true

When King David was settled in his palace, and the Lord had given him rest from his enemies on every side, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent!” Nathan answered the king, “Go, do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.” But that night the Lord spoke to Nathan and said: “Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Should you build me a house to dwell in? “‘It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth. I will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old, since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you. And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.’” (2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16)

God made a covenant with His people to be their God and they His own. He promised to bless and protect them and never leave them alone. He sealed His covenant with a sign, a rainbow in the sky, a reminder of His faithfulness and His mercy ever nigh. He fulfilled His covenant with David and gave him a royal throne. He established his house and kingdom and promised him a greater Son. He revealed His covenant with the prophets and gave them a vision of grace. He foretold the coming of the Messiah and the salvation of the human race. He completed His covenant with Jesus and gave Him the cross and the crown. He raised Him from the dead and exalted Him and poured out His Spirit all around.

The Lord invites us to join His covenant and gives us the gift of faith. He calls us to love and obey Him and to follow Him all our days. He will keep His covenant forever and gives us the hope of glory. He will come again and receive us and we will reign with Him eternally.

The promises of the Lord I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness. For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness. “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.” “He shall say of me, ‘You are my father, my God,the rock, my savior. Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm.’” (Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29)

Obedience of faith is a journey, a journey of growth and discovery, a journey of joy and peace, a journey of grace and glory. Obedience is not a burden but a blessing based on His grace and power and His will and purpose. To obey God is to trust Him, to trust Him is to love Him, to love Him is to know Him, to know Him is to have faith, Faith is not a blind leap but a confident step based on His word and promise and His character and goodness.

To him who can strengthen you, according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Romans 16:25-27)

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your love and grace that You have shown me in Christ Jesus. I thank You for revealing to me the mystery of Your will, which You purposed in Him before the foundation of the world. I thank You for making me a partaker of Your promise and a member of Your body, the church.

Lord, I ask You to open the eyes of my heart, that I may know You more and more. I ask You to enlighten me with the knowledge of Your glory and the riches of Your inheritance. I ask You to grant me wisdom and understanding in the mystery of Christ, which is the gospel of Your grace. I pray that You would help me to walk worthy of Your calling, and to bear fruit in every good work. I pray that You would empower me with Your Spirit, and enable me to speak the mystery of Christ with boldness and clarity. I pray that You would use me as Your instrument, to make known Your manifold wisdom to the world.

Lord, I praise You for Your great and precious promises, which are all Yes and Amen in Christ. I praise You for Your faithfulness and goodness, which endure forever. I praise You for Your marvelous works, which are beyond my comprehension. I praise You for Your glorious plan, which is unfolding before my eyes. I worship You for who You are, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. I worship You for what You have done, the Savior of sinners and the Redeemer of the lost. I worship You for what You will do, the Judge of the living and the dead and the Restorer of all things.

You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created. You are worthy, O Lamb, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood. To You be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Pericope:

II: The Infancy Narrative

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS

Luke 1:26-38

IV: The Reign of David

DAVID'S CONCERN FOR THE ARK

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Third Book of Psalms 73-89

A LAMENT OVER GOD'S PROMISE TO DAVID

Psalm 89:1-53

VII: Conclusion

DOXOLOGY

Romans 16:25-27

Reflection Source:

Copilot with Bing Chat

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Catholic Online

"I will hear their weeping, their sorrow, 

and will remedy and alleviate all their 

multiple sufferings, necessities and misfortunes."

An elder Mexican man makes his way to Mass in the early morning twilight of December 9, 1531. He is a peasant, a simple farmer and laborer, and he has no education. Born under Aztec rule, he is a convert to Catholicism, and each step he takes this morning is a step into history.

The morning quiet is broken by a strange music that he will later describe as the beautiful sound of birds. Diverting his path to investigate the sound, Juan Diego comes face to face with a radiant apparition of the Virgin Mary.

Juan Diego is 57 years old. He has just encountered the Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill, the site of a former Aztec Temple. His wife has died two years earlier, and he lives with his elder uncle, scratching his living from the earth as a humble peasant farmer. Why should this unlearned, man be chosen by Our Lady to carry a message to the Bishop? Perhaps because she would find none other as humble as Juan Diego.

Juan Diego is dazzled by the incredible beauty and miraculous nature of Our Lady's appearance. She appears as a native princess to him, and her words sound more beautiful than the sweetest music ever made.

Our Lady calms the startled traveler, and assures him of who she is. She instructs Juan Diego to visit his bishop and ask that a temple be built on the site of her appearance, so that she will have a place to hear petitions and to heal the suffering of the Mexican people. "Now go and put forth your best effort," Our Lady instructs.

Visibly shaken, Juan Diego approaches the Bishop who is initially very skeptical of his account. What did this peasant truly want? Does he merely seek attention? Notoriety? Money? Or is he possessed by demons? Has Juan Diego been tricked by the Devil?

The Bishop patiently listens to Juan Diego's accounts and dismisses him. The humble farmer has failed.

Juan Diego begins to doubt himself. He returns to Tepeyac Hill where he hopes for some conformation of what he's experienced. Indeed, Our Lady does not disappoint, for she appears again, as radiant as before. Juan Diego tells Our Lady what she already knows, that the Bishop did not believe him. She instructs him to return the next morning and ask again.

The Bishop is beside himself. Why did this peasant insist on telling this story? How could he know if the peasant was lying or perhaps insane? At their second meeting, the Bishop asks for a sign. Juan Diego makes a promise he won't keep, saying he will return the very next morning with a sign from Our Lady.

But that evening, Juan Diego returns home to find his uncle, Juan Bernadino, who is 68 years old, and suddenly, terribly ill. The illness is known to the people there and it brings a burning fever so hot, it's almost always fatal. Juan Diego cannot leave his uncle's bedside to keep his pledge to the Bishop. He spends two days with his uncle, trying to save him. When it becomes apparent his uncle is about to die, he leaves to find a priest who can prepare him for death.

Frightened and saddened, Juan Diego sets off in a great hurry, time is running out, and Juan Diego is afraid his uncle will die without a last confession. On the road, in his way, Our Lady appears for a third time. Upset and afraid, Juan explains himself. Our Lady replies, "Am I not your mother? ... Are you not in the crossing of my arms?" she asks.

Shamed by the admonishment, but emboldened by Our Lady's presence, Juan Diego asks for the sign he promised to the Bishop. He knows he is wrong to doubt Our Lady. Juan Diego is instructed to climb to the top of Tepeyac Hill where he will find flowers. He is to pick the flowers there, which are unlike any he has seen before, and he is to keep them hidden in his tilma until he reaches the Bishop.
Juan Diego is skeptical again. It's December, what flowers could grow on the summit of the hill in this cold?

Nevertheless, he obeys and atop the hill he finds a great number of flowering roses which he picks and hastily gathers into his cloak.

For the third time, Juan Diego is ushered in to see the Bishop. The skeptical cleric has waited for two days to see what sign Our Lady has for him. Juan opens his tilma, letting the roses cascade to the floor. But more than the roses, both men are astonished to see what is painted on his humble tilma - an exquisite image of Our Lady.

In the image, she stands as she appeared, a native princess with high cheekbones. Her head is bowed and her hands are folded in prayer to God. On her blue cloak, the stars are arranged as they appeared in the morning darkness at the hour of her first apparition.

Under her feet, is a great crescent moon, a symbol of the old Aztec religion. The message is clear, she is more powerful than the Aztec gods, yet she herself is not God.

At the same time Our Lady is appearing to Juan Diego, and directing him to cut the flowers on Tepeyac Hill, she also appears to his uncle, Juan Bernadino who believes he is about to die. As soon as she appears, the fever stops and Juan Bernadino feels well again. She tells Juan Bernadino, she wants to be known as "Santa Maria, de Guadalupe."

Our Lady of Guadalupe did not appear again, for her mission was complete. The temple was built and remains there today, in what is now a suburb of Mexico City. Juan Diego's tilma, woven from cactus fibers, with a shelf-life of just 30 years at best, remains miraculously preserved.

The symbolism of Our Lady's dress is obvious to over eight million Native Mexicans, whom all speak different languages. She is brighter than the sun, more powerful than any Aztec god, yet she is not a god herself, and she prays to one greater than her. Her gown is adorned with stars in the correct position as in the night sky, and the gold fringe of her cloak mirrors the surrounding countryside. Millions of natives will convert at the news of what has happened. Millions more will make pilgrimages over the next five centuries to see the miraculous tilma, and to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe. Great miracles continue to occur, even today.

On October 12, 1945, Pope Pius XII, decreed Our Lady of Guadalupe to be "Patroness of all the Americas." Her feast day is December 12, and it is a Holy Day of Obligation in Mexico.
Our Lady of Guadalupe had this to say to Juan Diego:

"Know for certain, least of my sons, that I am the perfect and perpetual Virgin Mary, Mother of the True God through whom everything lives, the Lord of all things near and far, the Master of heaven and earth. It is my earnest wish that a temple be built here to my honor. Here I will demonstrate, I will exhibit, I will give all my love, my compassion, my help and my protection to the people. I am your merciful mother, the merciful mother of all of you who live united in this land, and of all mankind, of all those who love me, of those who cry to me, of those who seek me, of those who have confidence in me. Here I will hear their weeping, their sorrow, and will remedy and alleviate all their multiple sufferings, necessities and misfortunes."

Published:

December 12, 2016, 7:12 AM

Immaculate Conception

The Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(Solemnity)

A feast called the Conception of Mary arose in the Eastern Church in the seventh century. It came to the West in the eighth century. In the eleventh century it received its present name, the Immaculate Conception. In the eighteenth century it became a feast of the universal Church.

In 1854, Pius IX solemnly proclaimed: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.”

It took a long time for this doctrine to develop. While many Fathers and Doctors of the Church considered Mary the greatest and holiest of the saints, they often had difficulty in seeing Mary as sinless—either at her conception or throughout her life. This is one of the Church teachings that arose more from the piety of the faithful than from the insights of brilliant theologians. Even such champions of Mary as Bernard and Thomas Aquinas could not see theological justification for this teaching.

Two Franciscans, William of Ware and Blessed John Duns Scotus, helped develop the theology. They point out that Mary’s Immaculate Conception enhances Jesus’ redemptive work. Other members of the human race are cleansed from original sin after birth. In Mary, Jesus’ work was so powerful as to prevent original sin at the outset.


Comment:

In Luke 1:28 the angel Gabriel, speaking on God’s behalf, addresses Mary as “full of grace” (or “highly favored”). In that context this phrase means that Mary is receiving all the special divine help necessary for the task ahead. However, the Church grows in understanding with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit led the Church, especially non-theologians, to the insight that Mary had to be the most perfect work of God next to the Incarnation. Or rather, Mary’s intimate association with the Incarnation called for the special involvement of God in Mary’s whole life. The logic of piety helped God’s people to believe that Mary was full of grace and free of sin from the first moment of her existence. Moreover, this great privilege of Mary is the highlight of all that God has done in Jesus. Rightly understood, the incomparable holiness of Mary shows forth the incomparable goodness of God.

Quote:

“[Mary] gave to the world the Life that renews all things, and she was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.

“It is no wonder, then, that the usage prevailed among the holy Fathers whereby they called the mother of God entirely holy and free from all stain of sin, fashioned by the Holy Spirit into a kind of new substance and new creature. Adorned from the first instant of her conception with the splendors of an entirely unique holiness, the Virgin of Nazareth is, on God’s command, greeted by an angel messenger as ‘full of grace’ (cf. Luke 1:28). To the heavenly messenger she replies: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word’ (Luke 1:38)” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 56).

Published:

December 08, 2010, 6:19 AM

Behold, Your Mother

Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” 

And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. 

JOHN 19: 27

How has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? (Lk 1:43)

Who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning on her beloved? Beneath the apple tree I awakened you; There your mother was in labor with you, There she was in labor and gave you birth (Sg 8:5). Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the waters; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant waters (Ez 19:10). 

Listen to me, O islands, and pay attention, you peoples from afar. The LORD called Me from the womb; From the body of My mother He named Me.(Isa 49:1).

The Lord said, "Every one of you shall reverence his mother and his father, and you shall keep My sabbaths; I am the LORD your God" (Lev 19:3).

Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the LORD your God gives you (Ex 20:12, Dt 5:16).

A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother (Prv 10:1). Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you (Prv 23:25). Observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother (Prv 6:20). Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old (Prv 23:22).

He shall not make himself unclean for his father or for his mother, for his brother or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. (Nu 6:7)

My trust is in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God”. In your hands is my destiny. (Ps 31:15-16) Into Your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, O Lord, O faithful God. (Ps 31:6)

Our Lady of Sorrows (Memorial)

Today we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. This is not meant to lead us into despair because of the suffering caused by our sin, but to remind us that when we embrace suffering in our lives it can become redemptive. Let us never allow despair to enter our hearts. It is imperative that we remain positive in our suffering as Mary does. (Kerygma 2014)
 
Mary is a model of contemplation, pondering the truths of her life in her heart and standing beneath the cross of her Son as He dies for our sins. Let us take a cue from Mary’s life in this regard and never forget to reflect on the meaning of the various experiences of faith we have had and so grow in our faith and trust in God.  (Kerygma 2012)

I sometimes wonder what went through the heart and mind of Mary as she stood at the foot of the cross and gazed upon her Son. We know she did not despair. Did she realize that the cross of her Son was the means of redemption for the world? (Kerygma 2014)

think:

The memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows reminds us that when we embrace suffering in our lives, it can become redemptive.  Let us reflect on the meaning of the various experiences of faith we have had and so grow in our faith and trust in God just like Mary. (Kerygma)

Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary; without dying you won the martyr’s crown beneath the Cross of the Lord.


A SORROWFUL — BUT NOT DEPRESSED — MOTHER
Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

Parents suffer from anything that could harm or hurt their children. Since Mary surely was a perfect mother, she must have suffered much in bringing up her beloved Son. We can assume that her suffering was even more intense than that of any parent because of her spiritual closeness to her Son. That God had entrusted to her His Son might have even intensified her suffering because of the profound responsibility she had for this great treasure. Mary also might have suffered much from what her Son went through because of her sinless nature, which made her more compassionate and sensitive to other people’s sufferings.

Christian pious tradition identified and reflected on the seven great sorrows in Mary’s life — such as the flight to Egypt, the loss of her 12-yearold boy in Jerusalem, and meeting Jesus carrying the crossbeam towards the place of His execution, among others.

One spiritual writer noticed that today’s feast celebrates the sorrowful Mother of Jesus, not the depressed Mother of Jesus. An interesting thought! John tells us in his Gospel that Mary was standing near the Cross of her Son. Although her suffering must have been close to unbearable, her faith gave her the courage and strength to bear this suffering without breaking down. Here, Mary becomes a great model to look up to when God allows crosses to burden and weigh us down.

And so this feast is not just another memorial of Mary but it invites us to look up to her when sorrows and sufferings become too much to bear.

With her example and her motherly intercession, we can and will be able to follow her footsteps and not break down but remain “standing” even in the darkest moments that may come. These moments then will not crush us but, with Mary’s help, become moments of passage into the light that waits beyond every cross.


OUR LADY OF SORROWS
Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

Today’s Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows follows the Feast of the Triumph (or Exaltation) of the Cross. I do not believe that this is an accident or coincidence. The Church has deliberately chosen to illustrate one of the aspects in which we are all, not just Our Lady, called to meditate upon and embrace the Cross of Jesus in our lives.

None of us can avoid suffering in life. If Jesus suffered, and He was without sin and not in need of redemption, then how do we think we could avoid suffering? The prosperity gospel — every possible version of it — is a lie. In fact, it is more than lie — it is disrespectful to the passion of Jesus. There is nothing wrong with legitimate avoidance of suffering by making wise and prudent choices, but I am sure that it is obvious to us that a lot of suffering that people endure has nothing to do with the personal choices of the sufferer but a result of the unjust and sinful choices of others. This is the reality of sin and while we may be able to minimize the sin in our own lives, we have very little power to do so in the lives of others. That is their responsibility.

Mary is presented to us as Our Lady of Sorrows because she has embraced the truth that living involves suffering. This is not necessarily an evil thing as long as we approach it with faith in God. The suffering of Jesus on the cross gives God the right to be able to say to us, “Everything will be all right in the end if we place our trust in Him.” Jesus underwent suffering to show us the way to faith in God and to make sense of the cross by giving it redemptive value.

Suffering would be totally evil if there is no redemptive value to it. It adds nothing to human character and experience apart from the Cross of Jesus. This may be a matter of faith, or at least a truth that is strongly enlightened by faith. We must pray for the grace to understand it as such and to act upon it.

Our Lady of Sorrows

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Our Lady of Sorrows (Latin: Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (Latin: Mater Dolorosa), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to sorrows in her life. As Mater Dolorosa, it is also a key subject for Marian art in the Catholic Church.

The Seven Sorrows of Mary are a popular Roman Catholic devotion. In common religious Catholic imagery, the Blessed Virgin Mary is portrayed in a sorrowful and lacrimating affect, with seven daggers piercing her heart, often bleeding. Devotional prayers which consist of meditation began to elaborate on her Seven Sorrows based on the prophecy of the Rabbi Simeon. Common examples of piety under this title are Servite rosary, or the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady and the Seven Joys of Mary and more recently, "Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary".

Within the Santero culture prevalent among Gay Catholics in Spain and the Philippines, the Blessed Virgin Mary under this title is widely popular. Many homosexual patrons often petition the Blessed Virgin Mary under this title often associated with grief and sorrow. Under the same Marian title, Mary is also popularly invoked as a cultural patroness among abused wives and heartbroken individuals.

The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is liturgically celebrated each 15 of September, while a feast of Friday of Sorrows was also commemorated before the changes of the Second Vatican Council.

Seven Sorrows
Mary, surrounded by the Seven Sorrows

The Seven Sorrows (or Dolors) are events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary which are a popular devotion and are frequently depicted in art. It is a common devotion for Catholics to say daily one Our Father and seven Hail Marys for each. These Seven Sorrows should not be confused with the five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.

1    The Prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34–35) or the Circumcision of Christ
2   The Flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13)
3    The loss of the child Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2:43–45)
4    Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary.
5    Jesus dies on the cross. (John 19:25)
6    The piercing of the side of Jesus, and Mary's receiving the body of Jesus in her arms. (Matthew 27:57–59)
7    The body of Jesus is placed in the tomb. (John 19:40–42)

The feast of the Our Lady of Sorrows was originated by a provincial synod of Cologne in 1423 as a response to the iconoclast Hussites. It was designated for the Friday after the third Sunday after Easter. It had the title: Commemoratio angustiae et doloris B. Mariae V.. Before the 16th century, the feast was celebrated only in parts of northern Europe. Earlier, in 1233, seven youths in Tuscany founded the Servite Order (also known as the "Servite Friars", or the "Order of the Servants of Mary"). Five years later, they took up the sorrows of Mary, standing under the Cross, as the principal devotion of their order. Over the centuries several devotions, and even orders, arose around meditation on Mary's Sorrows in particular. The Servites developed the two most common devotions to Our Lady's Sorrows, namely the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows and the Black Scapular of the Seven Dolours of Mary. The Black Scapular is a symbol of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Sorrows, which is associated with the Servite Order. Most devotional scapulars have requirements regarding ornamentation or design. The devotion of the Black Scapular requires only that it be made of black woollen cloth.

On February 2, the same day as the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, Orthodox Christians and Eastern Catholics commemorate a wonder-working icon of the Theotokos (Mother of God) known as "the Softening of Evil Hearts" or "Simeon's Prophecy". It depicts the Virgin Mary at the moment that Simeon the Righteous says, "Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also...." (Luke 2:35). She stands with her hands upraised in prayer, and seven swords pierce her heart, indicative of the seven sorrows. This is one of the few Orthodox icons of the Theotokos which do not depict the infant Jesus. The refrain "Rejoice, much-sorrowing Mother of God, turn our sorrows into joy and soften the hearts of evil men!" is also used.

By inserting the feast into the General Roman Calendar in 1814, Pope Pius VII extended the celebration to the whole of the Latin Church. It was assigned to the third Sunday in September. In 1913, Pope Pius X moved the feast to September 15, the day after the Feast of the Cross. It is still observed on that date. Another feast, originating in Germany in the 15th century, spread to several other countries, and was extended to the whole of the Latin Church in 1727 by Pope Benedict XIII, who assigned it the Friday in Passion Week, one week before Good Friday. In 1954, it still held the rank of major double (slightly lower than the rank of the September feast) in the General Roman Calendar. Pope John XXIII's 1960 Code of Rubrics reduced it to the level of a commemoration. In 1969 the celebration was removed from the General Roman Calendar as a duplicate of the feast on 15 September. Each of the two celebrations had been called a feast of "The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary" (Latin: Septem Dolorum Beatae Mariae Virginis) and included recitation of the Stabat Mater as a sequence. Since then, the 15 September feast that combines and continues both is known as the Feast of "Our Lady of Sorrows" (Latin: Beatae Mariae Virginis Perdolentis), and recitation of the Stabat Mater is optional.

Observance of the calendar as it stood in 1962 is still permitted as an extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, and even where the calendar as revised in 1969 is in use, some countries, such as Malta, have kept it in their national calendars. In every country, the 2002 edition of the Roman Missal provides an alternative collect for this Friday.

Published:

September 15, 2014, 10:30 AM

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, 

and they shall name Him Immanuel, 

which means “God is with us.” 

MATTHEW 1 : 23

Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his brethren shall return to the children of Israel. (Micah 5:2)


Today’s passage from Micah is a prophecy of the coming Messiah. When Mary gave birth to Jesus, this prophecy was fulfilled. By celebrating Mary’s birthday today, the Church reminds us that the Son of God is born of a woman—a woman conceived and born free from all sin. Our celebration of Mary’s birthday shows our faith in the Word who became flesh, fully human, for our sake. (Kerygma 2023)

Mary walked with Jesus through His ministry. 

Today we celebrate the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Let us take a moment to reflect on Mary as a model for our discipleship. She is humble and obedient to God’s call, and so should we. She is our mother and the Mother of the Church. Let us ask for her powerful intercession.

Mary’s role in the work of salvation is more than just being the Mother of God. Just as Mary walked with Jesus through His ministry, so should we walk with one another and support each other in our journeys. Solidarity in ministry is important — ministry can be a soul-destroying reality when people seem to ignore the Gospel rather than embrace it. Let us persevere and pray that the seeds of faith we have planted will one day sprout and grow into faith. (Kerygma 2015)

Never rule out the possibility that God has an important plan for your life. 

The birthday of Mary is a great time to thank God for the gift she is to us as the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and our mother. Hopefully we are able to draw strength and inspiration from the holiness of her life. She was a very simple person, but this did not stop her from having the most significant role in the work of salvation. We should never rule out the possibility that God has an important plan for our lives as well.

Expect the Spirit to be at work in your life every time you respond to God’s will for you. 

We do not have any writings concerning the birth of Mary but we do have the birth of Jesus in the Gospels. It is important to note the role of the Holy Spirit, which gives us an indication that we can expect the Spirit to be at work in our lives every time we respond to God’s will for us. Hopefully we can remember this as it is helpful to know the Spirit is around, especially when following God’s will becomes difficult.  (Kerygma-2014)

Remember that Mary desires to help us through her intercession to grow closer to Jesus and serve the Gospel more fully.

We celebrate the birthday of Mary because of the central role she plays in the mystery of our faith. We do not know a lot about her, but what we do know is enough to inspire us by her example. As we honor her today on her birthday, let us remember that Mary desires to help us through her intercession to grow closer to Jesus and serve the Gospel more fully. (Kerygma-2012)


Lord, thank You for giving us Your Mother Mary as our Mother, too. May she become more and more my inspiration and model. 


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOTHER MARY!

Nobody knows when and where the Virgin Mary was born. No birth certificates were issued in her time. Was she born in Nazareth or in nearby Sepphoris, where a church honors her parents Joachim and Anne who are said to have lived there? We don’t know.

September 8 was chosen because in the fifth century, a church in Jerusalem was dedicated on this day, which was said to have been built above the place where Mary was born. Nazareth, Sepphoris, Jerusalem? Nobody knows. And we don’t need to know.

The Church presents us today with the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew mentions four women in this genealogy: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. Tamar disguised herself as a temple prostitute to have intercourse with her father-in-law and produced a son. Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho, Ruth was a Moabite, an archenemy of the Israelites, and Bathsheba committed adultery with King David. In these four sinful women, the curse of Eve’s sin becomes visible. Sin begets sin, an endless, ever escalating curse. And then Matthew mentions a fifth woman: Mary. With her, the ancient curse of sin is finally broken and transformed into a chain of blessings. With her sinlessness and obedience to God’s plans, salvation dawns. The Second Vatican Council states that Mary “is inseparably linked with her Son’s saving work.”

Every human birth is a call for joy and new hope. Loving parents have shown hope in a world filled with sorrow, suffering, wars and hopelessness. The newborn child has the potential to become a channel of God’s love in this often dark world. This was especially true when Mary was born. She foreshadows God’s love for mankind that was manifested in her Son Jesus.

On this joyful day, let us try to bring some joy and hope into our world by making somebody happy — somebody who suffers or is lonely, who is weighed down by failure and rejection. Yes, bring “joy to the world” as Mary’s birth did. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD


REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Who is Mary for you? Do you have just a sentimental attitude towards her, or do you try to imitate her humility and faith?

Nativity of Mary

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Nativity of Mary, or Birth of the Virgin Mary refers to the traditional birthday of Saint Mary.

The modern canon of scripture does not record Mary's birth. The earliest known account of Mary's birth is found in the Protoevangelium of James (5:2), an apocryphal text from the late second century, with her parents known as Saint Anne and Saint Joachim.

In the case of saints, the Church commemorates their dies natalis or date of death, with Saint John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary as the few whose birth dates are commemorated. The reason for this is found in the singular mission each had in salvation history, but traditionally also because these alone (besides the prophet Jeremiah, Jer 1:5) were holy in their very birth (for Mary, see Immaculate Conception; John was sanctified in Saint Elizabeth's womb according to the traditional interpretation of Lk 1:15).

The “Protoevangelium of James,” which was probably put into its final written form in the early second century, describes Mary's father Joachim as a wealthy member of one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. He and his wife Anne were deeply grieved by their childlessness.

Tradition celebrates the event as a liturgical feast in the General Roman Calendar and in most Anglican liturgical calendars on 8 September, nine months after the solemnity of her Immaculate Conception, celebrated on 8 December. The Eastern Orthodox likewise celebrate the Nativity of the Theotokos on 8 September.

This feast, like that of the Assumption of Mary, originated in Jerusalem. It began in the fifth century as the feast of the Basilica Sanctae Mariae ubi nata est, now called the Basilica of Saint Anne. The original church built, in the fifth century, was a Marian basilica erected on the spot known as the shepherd's field and thought to have been the home of Mary's parents. In the seventh century, the feast was celebrated by the Byzantines as the feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The feast is also celebrated by Syrian Christians on 8 September and by Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians on 9 May (1 Bashans, EC 1 Ginbot). At Rome the Feast began to be kept toward the end of the 7th century, brought there by Eastern monks. The feast is also included in the Tridentine Calendar for 8 September.

The winegrowers in France called this feast "Our Lady of the Grape Harvest". The best grapes are brought to the local church to be blessed and then some bunches are attached to hands of the statue of Mary. A festive meal which includes the new grapes is part of this day.

The scene was frequently depicted in art, as part of cycles of the Life of the Virgin. Late medieval depictions are often valuable records of domestic interiors and their fittings - at this period the setting was often in a wealthy household.


Published:

September 08, 2015, 7:40 AM
September 08, 2014, 7:23AM