"O Mary, my Mother and my hope! Under your mantle I take refuge; do not cast me away, as I deserve. Look upon me and have compassion on my misery. Obtain for me the pardon of my sins, holy perseverance, the love of God, a good death, and heaven! From you I expect everything, since you are all-powerful before God. Make me holy, for it is in your power. O Mary! See that I entrust everything to you; in you I have placed all my hopes."
Saint Alphonsus Liguori, "The Way of Salvation."
And where she is, there is peace, joy, and security.
Meanwhile, she made sure that nothing was lacking in the joy of that simple celebration.
But she is not content with merely foreseeing it.
She knows his heart very well.
And she approaches, discreet and loving: "Vinum non habent": They have no wine.
Oh Mary! Where you are, nothing can be lacking.
You are the all-powerful intercessor. And your word hastens the hour of Jesus's miracles.
But you want me to cooperate to the best of my meager strength.
And to me, as to the servants at Cana, you also say: “Do whatever He tells you.”
At Cana, the servants filled the jars with water.
I will offer the water of my tears, which is all I have.
That is enough. And let it fill my poor heart to the brim.
Those tears will be transformed.
And the wine of joy, of peace, of trust, will fill my heart.
Alberto Moreno S.I.
BETWEEN HIM AND ME
"Mary is all eyes, compassionate towards us and ready to help us. Saint Epiphanius calls Mary 'the one with many eyes'; she who is all eyes to see and help those in need. A man possessed by a demon was being exorcised, and when the exorcist asked him what Mary was doing, the possessed man replied: 'She goes down and goes up.' He meant that this most benign Lady does nothing other than descend to earth to bring graces to humankind and ascend to heaven to obtain divine favor for our supplications. Saint Andrew Avellino rightly calls the Virgin the administrator of Paradise, who is constantly engaged in obtaining mercy, imploring graces for all, both the just and the sinners. 'The Lord has his eyes on the righteous' (Psalm 33:16). But the Lady's eyes, says Richard of Saint Lawrence, are turned both towards the just and towards sinners. And this is because Mary's eyes are a mother's eyes, and a mother does not..." "Look only to prevent your child from falling, but also, having fallen, to help him up."
Saint Alphonsus Liguori
True devotion to the Blessed Virgin is tender, that is to say, full of trust in her, like the trust of a child in its beloved mother. This devotion leads you to turn to the Blessed Virgin in all your material and spiritual needs with great simplicity, trust, and tenderness, and to implore the help of your loving Mother at all times, in every place, and under every circumstance: in times of doubt, that she may enlighten you; in times of straying, that she may guide you back to the right path; in times of temptation, that she may sustain you; in times of weakness, that she may strengthen you; in times of fall, that she may lift you up; in times of discouragement, that she may revive you; in times of scruple, that she may free you from them; in the crosses, anxieties, and setbacks of life, that she may console you. Finally, in all material and spiritual difficulties, Mary is your ordinary recourse, without fear of bothering your loving Mother or displeasing Jesus Christ.
🌿Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort - “True Devotion to Mary”.
Today's feast reminds us of the great event in history: the Incarnation of the Lord in the most pure womb of a Virgin. On this day, the Word became flesh and was united forever to the humanity of Jesus. The mystery of the Incarnation merits for Mary Most Holy her most beautiful title, that of "Mother of God," in Greek Theotokos, a name that the Eastern Church always inscribed in letters of gold, like a precious diadem on the foreheads of its painted images and statues. "Placed at the very limits of Divinity," for she provided the Word of God with the flesh to which He was hypostatically united, the Virgin has always been honored with a preeminent cult called "hyperdulia": the Son of the Father and the Son of the Virgin naturally become one and the same Son, says St. Anselm; And since Mary the Virgin has been the queen of humankind, we should all venerate her.
Since the title of Mother of God makes Mary Plenipotentiary, let us ask her to intercede with Our Redeemer, so that through the merits of His Passion and His Cross, we may attain the glory of His Resurrection. Amen.
MEDITATION ON THE ANNUNCIATION
I. Today, Mary Most Holy is made Mother of God; her humility and purity have earned her this ineffable honor. How much joy it gives me, O divine Mary, to see you elevated to such a high rank of glory! And since you are the Mother of Jesus Christ Our Lord, you are also the Mother of Christians. Ah, how consoling this thought is! You are all-powerful to help me, because you are the Mother of God; you possess a heart overflowing with love for me, because you are my Mother. I too, if I so desire, through faith and charity, can possess Jesus in my heart. The Virgin Mary gave birth to Christ according to the flesh; all Christians can give birth to Him in their hearts through faith (Saint Ambrose).
II. From this day forward, Jesus is our brother; the love He has for us makes Him like us, so that we may become like Him. He comes to earth so that we may go to Heaven. I adore You, Word incarnate in the virginal womb of Mary Most Chaste! Oh, that I had the power to do You a favor as precious as You have done for me! O most loving Brother and Redeemer, I offer You all my efforts and my works, my whole being.
III. Mary Most Pure is our Mother, Jesus our Brother: are we worthy children of Mary Immaculate, worthy brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ Our Lord? Mary Most Holy is completely pure, humble, and obedient: do you possess these virtues? Our Lord Jesus Christ seeks in all things the glory of His Father and the salvation of souls: are you animated by the same zeal? Would Jesus not have reason to complain and say to His beloved Mother: “The sons of my Mother have fought against me”? (Song of Songs).
Through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.
I greet you, hope of Christians. Receive the plea of a sinner who loves you tenderly, who honors you with special worship, and who deposits in you the hope of his salvation. For you I have life. Thou restores me in the grace of Thy Son; thou art the sure pledge of my salvation. Wherefore I beseech Thee to deliver me from the weight of my sins, destroy the darknesses of my mind, pluck from my heart the earthly affections, rebuke the temptations of my enemies, and orders my whole life; that I may attain through thee, and be guided by thee, the everlasting happiness of Paradise. Amen.
St. John Damascus
October 13, 1973
"My dear daughter, listen carefully to what I have to tell you. You will inform your superior."
After a short silence:
"As I told you, if men do not repent and amend their ways, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the flood, such as has never been seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and wipe out a great part of humanity, both the good and the bad, without exception for priests or the faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only weapons they will have left will be the rosary and the sign left by my Son. Recite the prayers of the rosary every day. With the rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops, and the priests."
"The work of the devil will infiltrate even the Church to such an extent that cardinals will be pitted against cardinals, bishops against bishops. Priests who venerate me will be despised and will face opposition from their fellow priests... churches and altars will be plundered; the Church will be filled with those who accept compromises, and the devil will pressure many priests and consecrated souls to abandon the service of the Lord.
"The devil will be especially relentless against souls consecrated to God. Thinking of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sorrow. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no forgiveness for them.
"Speak courageously to your superior. He will know how to give each one the strength to pray and to perform acts of reparation."
"It is Bishop Ito who leads your community."
" And she laughed and then said:
"Do you still have something to ask? Today is the last time I will speak to you with a living voice. From now on, you will obey the one who sends you and your superior.
"Pray the Rosary often. Only I can still save you from the approaching calamities. Those who place their trust in me will be saved."
The Mother of God emerges from heaven in all her majesty. A cherub carries her on his wings, wings of varied colors, like those of the birds of Mexico. Millions upon millions of angels precede her, formed in immense squadrons. Celestial music resounds throughout the universe, and the Angels of the Americas sing the march of redemption: that song of which David speaks in Psalm 110: Redemptionem missit populo suo (He sent redemption to his people).
As she passes, the stars that populate the immensity of the firmament bow before the firstborn of all creation. The sun descends to bathe her in its rays, and the stars come to adorn her sea-green mantle... She is not preceded by lightning and thunder, as in times past when the God of Sinai appeared; but by the moon, a sign of peace and covenant, the covenant she comes to celebrate with a people who will be hers forever.
The angelic choirs ask in wonder: Quae est ista? 'Who is this most beautiful Virgin, whose complexion is dark and whose hair is as black as that of the daughters of Cuauhtémoc and Moctezuma? Whose waist is as slender as the palm trees of Anáhuac and whose eyes are as chaste as those of the doves of our lakes?'
They ask: 'Where are you going, Lady? Are you going to Rome, the Eternal City?' And Mary answers them: 'No'—'Are you going to Greece, the ancient homeland of science and the fine arts?' "No." "Are you going to Spain, mistress of the seas, the richest in the world?" "No." "Are you going to Jerusalem, that beautiful captive, once sung of by David and Solomon, and now with its hair disheveled and its brow in the dust?"
"Are you going to Nazareth, to Mount Carmel, your former and beloved home?"
"No. I am going to an unknown corner of the world, which will be called Mexico. I am going to the simple nation of the Opatas, who live in Sonora under tents of chimborazoan hides, and to the nation of the Huastecas, who live in thatched huts under the palm trees of Potosí. I am going to the nation of the Otomites, who have no houses and sleep in hammocks, like the orioles that hang their net-like nests from the cypress trees of Querétaro." I am going to the nation of the Tarascans, who practice their mechanical arts in Michoacán and the Sierra of Guanajuato. I am going to the nation of the Aztecs, who dwell in the lakes of Tenochtitlan, in Zacatecas, Jalisco, and Colima, and who, to the sound of their drum and their teponahuaxtli, and in the sweetest of languages, will sing me the praises of the New Testament.
I am going to the nation of the Totonacs, who are white, live on the slopes of Orizaba and Acultzingo, and practice circumcision, like those Israelites taken captive by Salmanazar, who were lost in the ice of Russia. I am going to the nation of the Mixtecs, who in Oaxaca build temples in the Etruscan style and cultivate cochineal, more precious than the murex of the Greeks. I am going to the nation of the Chiapanecas, who live in Chiapas, who claim to be the inhabitants of the New World and descendants of a venerable old man who built a very large boat to save himself and his family from a global flood. I am going to the nation of the Chichimecas, who live in the miserable shacks of Jalostitlán, Teocaltiche, and Comanja.
From all these and many other nations with diverse languages, customs, beliefs, and governments, I am going to form a single family: one very great, very holy, very dear thing called the Fatherland; and I will be the Protector and the Mother of that new Fatherland. I carry the likeness of all Mexicans in the pupils of my eyes; I carry all their sorrows in my heart and their names written on my right hand. I am going to rescue their souls from sin and their bodies from brutality.
'I will not dwell in the marble palaces of Venice, nor in the gardens of the Alhambra in Granada, but on a barren mountain. I will live upon the rocks like a dove, to pray and move the Eternal One on behalf of my people, who until now have been wandering and unfortunate. I will not speak with Charles V nor with Francis I, but with an Indian, who has nothing more than a rough cloak, made from the fiber of his fields. On that cloak, which is the cradle of his children, I will imprint my likeness. And this likeness, which they will venerate in ecstasy, will be the token I leave to the Mexicans of my eternal love.'
Mary, whenever she has turned her maternal gaze upon the earth, in Lourdes, as in the apparitions of the Miraculous Medal, in La Salette, in Fatima, has shown herself solicitous and loving toward her children, poor sinners. She, in the wondrous grotto of Massabielle, before revealing herself—"I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION"—asked the innocent Bernadette for prayers and penances for sinners. Oh! You are truly all beautiful, O Immaculate Mary, and full of Mercy.
“Hail, O you who, moved with compassion upon seeing the terrible nakedness to which we were reduced in the Garden of Eden by the pernicious fruit that brought death to our souls, covered us with a wondrous mantle; a mantle not woven by human hands, but given to us by God himself; you who, when we were mired in the mud of iniquity, were given to us as the remission of sins, O Holy Spouse of the Almighty!”
“Hail, O you who, moved with compassion upon seeing the terrible nakedness to which we were reduced in the Garden of Eden by the pernicious fruit that killed our souls, covered us with a wondrous mantle; a mantle not woven by human hands, but given to us by God himself; you who, when we were mired in the mud of iniquity, were given to us as the remission of our ... Hail, O you who, with your resolute steps, trample underfoot that tyrant who dragged us into transgression to our harm, that treacherous counselor, that enemy of all good, that deceitful serpent called the Devil, and take, as if by the hand, our corruptible nature, ever ready to fall, to lead it, in your company, to the spiritual Sanctuary and the divine Tabernacle that never grows old.
Hail, O you who caused the radiance of a day of joy and gladness to spring forth upon the heads of those who were chained in the darkness of death, in the abyss of sickness, and upon whom you promised to dispel, by the Power of God, that baleful darkness, O Mary, more sublime than all miracles.
Hail, O you who pour down upon us the divine dew of understanding, O bright Cloud who raised on our horizon, shrouded in the shadows of death, the brightest of all suns! O fountain that, having its source in heaven, forms those swift rivers of the knowledge of God, which sweep away in their course, through the clear and pure waters of orthodox faith, the mire of heresy!
Hail, O divine Paradise, O Abode of Wisdom, O Garden full of charms, planted by the Hand of the Almighty, where the Forest of Life flourishes to impart the science of truth and grant immortality to those who taste it!
Hail, O Sacred Building, O immaculate and spotless Palace of the great King, of God Himself, O you who have been clothed in His Majesty and have called all humankind to receive within you a holy hospitality, where they may rejoice in the mysteries of faith from their very beginning!
Hail, O New Zion, O Holy Jerusalem, O august City of the great King, in whose towers God is clearly known, and through whose midst He passes without shaking or harming it, while He moves nations and makes kings fall at Your feet to pay homage to Your Glory!
Hail, O fruitful and shaded Mountain, where the Lamb who blotted out our sins and healed our diseases was nourished, and from which, without the aid of human hands, the small stone was cast that toppled the altars of idols, and by a wondrous miracle, became the cornerstone!
Hail, O Holy Throne of God, O Sacred Treasure, O resplendent and glorious House, O Venerable Tabernacle, O Chosen Vessel that God reserved for His use, O Merciful Place of the whole universe, O Heaven that recounts the glory of the Most High, O miraculous East from which rises a star that knows no setting, whose point of origin is Heaven, and which offers its warmth to all, that is, the channel of Providence!
Hail Mary, full of grace, holier than the saints, higher than the Heavens, more glorious than the cherubim, more worthy of honor than the seraphim, more venerable than all creatures!
***************************
A marvelous prayer that is also a clear hymn to the Co-redemption and Mediation of Mary Most Holy. To be prayed daily in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux (Doctor of the Church)
“It is the will of God that we should have nothing which has not passed through the hands of Mary.”
— Sermon on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
St. Alphonsus Liguori (Doctor of the Church)
“All graces that have ever been bestowed on men, all came through Mary.”
— The Glories of Mary, Part II, Discourse 5
St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort
“God the Holy Ghost gives no heavenly gift to men which He does not pass through her virginal hands.”
— True Devotion to Mary, no. 25
St. Bernardine of Siena
“Every grace that is communicated to this world has a threefold course. For by excellent order it is dispensed from God to Christ, from Christ to the Virgin, from the Virgin to us.”
— Sermon on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
⸻
⛪ Papal Teachings
Pope Leo XIII
“By the will of God, Mary is the intermediary through whom is distributed to us this immense treasure of mercies gathered by God.”
— Octobri mense, 1891
Pope St. Pius X
“Since she surpasses all in holiness and union with Christ, she is rightly called Mediatrix; as she is the one through whom we have received the very Author of grace.”
— Ad diem illum, 1904
Pope Pius XII
“Mary is the Mediatrix with the Mediator.”
— Radio Message to Fatima, 1954
Most Holy Virgin, Mother of God, look with kindness from heaven, where you reign, upon this wretched sinner, your servant. Aware of his unworthiness, in reparation for the offenses committed against you by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of his heart he blesses and exalts you as the purest, the most beautiful, and the holiest of all creatures.
Bless your holy name, bless your sublime prerogatives as true Mother of God, ever-Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, as Co-Redemptrix of the human race. Bless the Eternal Father, who chose you in a special way as his Daughter; bless the Incarnate Word, who, by assuming human nature in your most pure womb, made you his Mother; Bless the Holy Spirit, who chose you as His Spouse. Bless, exalt, and give thanks to the august Trinity who chose you and favored you so much that He raised you above all creatures to the most sublime heights.
O holy and merciful Virgin, implore the repentance of your offenders and accept this small homage from your servant, obtaining also for him, from your divine Son, the forgiveness of his sins. Amen.
On January 22, 1914, Pope Saint Pius X granted that the faithful Christians who recite this prayer with a contrite and devout heart may obtain an indulgence of one hundred days, applicable also to the deceased. This indulgence is valid in perpetuity and without the need for a brief dispensation.
Source: https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-06-1914-ocr.pdf (pages 108-109).
Pius XI: "O Mother of piety and mercy, who accompanied your sweet Son as he accomplished on the altar of the cross the redemption of the human race, as our co-redemptrix, associated with his sufferings...! Preserve in us and increase each day, we beseech you, the precious fruits of redemption and of your compassion." (Radio Message, April 28, 1935).
Saint Pius X: "The consequence of this communion of feelings and sufferings between Mary and Jesus is that Mary merited to be the most worthy redemptrix of the lost world and, therefore, the dispenser of all the treasures that Jesus won for us with his death and his blood." (Ad diem illud, February 2, 1904).
“This is the Virgin who conceived in her womb, this is the Virgin who gave birth to a son… She is the gate of the sanctuary, which no one shall pass through except the God of Israel alone. This gate is the blessed Mary; of her it was written: ‘The Lord shall pass through her,’ and it shall be shut after her childbirth; for she conceived as a virgin and gave birth as a virgin.”
~Saint Ambrose (Epist. 42,4 PL, XVI)
Lope de Vega, born in 1562 and one of the most representative poets and playwrights of the Spanish Golden Age, composed the following:
Let the angels sing today,
for You are born, great Lady,
and let them rehearse, from now,
for when God Himself is born.
Let them sing today, for they come
to behold their lovely Queen,
for the fruit they await from You
is He through whom they find grace.
Let them proclaim, O Lady, of You,
that You shall be their Sovereign,
and let them rehearse, from now,
for when God Himself is born.
For in fourteen years’ time,
when You reach that blessed age,
they shall see the good You give us,
the remedy for so many ills.
Let them sing and proclaim, through You,
that from today they have their Queen,
and let them rehearse, from now,
for when God Himself is born.
And we, who await with longing
that Bethlehem may soon arrive,
let us prepare as well
our hearts and our hands.
Go on sowing, O Lady,
peace within our hearts,
and let us rehearse, from now,
for when God Himself is born. Amen.
"Just as in the natural order, every child must have a father and a mother, so, in the order of grace, every true child of the Church must have God as Father and Mary as Mother. And whoever boasts of having God as Father, but does not show Mary the tenderness and affection of a true child, will be nothing more than an impostor, whose father is the devil..."
Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort
"The Secret of Mary."
The last dogma of faith solemnly proclaimed by the Catholic Church is the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, body and soul, into heavenly glory. To establish this definition, the Magisterium took into account the consensus of the faithful, verifiable in the most diverse times and places; the abundance of temples and images that early honored this mystery; the dioceses and cities that bear it as their patronal name; the liturgical feast celebrated, since ancient times, in both the East and the West; the constant and uniform teaching of the Holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church; and the doctrine of proven theologians.
Sacred Scripture, although silent about Mary's death and resurrection, shows the Mother of the Lord always united to the person and destiny of her divine Son. Already victorious over the empire of sin through her Immaculate Conception (a privilege that the Son won for her through the blood of his cross), the faith of the Church did not hesitate to extend this solidarity of destinies between the two, affirming that she too, like Jesus, overcame the power of death and the corruption of the tomb.
By virtue of this fact, not only does Mary's soul now enjoy the full vision of God: her body, formerly the abode of divinity, after a momentary slumber, has been clothed in the properties of the glorious body of the risen Christ. It is Mary's entire person, soul and body, spirit and heart, who has made her triumphant entry into heaven, anticipating what the common elect await to enjoy on the Final Day.
Popular devotion often refers to this feast as the "Transition." It is, indeed, a passage, a Passover, a victorious progress. The mere enunciation of the mystery reminds us that life never stops: its immanent law is to grow, to bear fruit, to perfect itself. The other name, "Assumption," brings two powerful ideas: our journey is upward, with no other limit or destination than heaven; and our ascension is possible because One, stronger than ourselves, draws us upward.
The Virgin Assumed body and soul into heaven thus becomes an Icon of the Church, which journeys in hope and unwavering nostalgia toward joyful reunification with her Spouse. Gazing at her, invoking her, celebrating her means passing victoriously from anguish to hope, from solitude to communion, from confusion to peace, from boredom and nausea to joy and beauty, from temporal perspectives to eternal certainties and possessions: from death to life.
A first level on which this paschal transition should be realized is that of our conversations. In the family, in education, and in social communications, opportunities for elevating the soul toward those themes and values that, like it, neither want nor can die must be opened and strengthened. Man is much more than a concatenation of miseries, servitudes, and frivolities of daily life. He hungers for God, thirsts for the Infinite. He is a seeker of the Ultimate Meaning. Teachers, preachers, and communicators who succeed in opening these spaces and enabling such opportunities for elevating the soul provide an invaluable service and honor the dignity of the human being.
A second level of elevation is found in the realm of our aspirations. We tend to settle for what is, rather than risk what is to come and will be better. Celebrating the Assumption, not only on August 15th but in every fourth glorious mystery of the Rosary, signifies a continued commitment to excellence and spiritual aristocracy. It is a leveling up, a becoming accustomed to persevering on the upward path. It is the law of inertia of love, which, once initiated, always desires more.
And a third level of elevation is that of our depressions. Devotees of the Assumption rejoice in knowing they are gifted and called to inject a vital tone of joy and optimism into our lives. Contemplating Mary, they see themselves singing the Magnificat, which announces God's victories. They rest and delight in the certainty that there is a Mother in heaven who calls them by name and covers them with her mantle.
Father Raúl Hasbún
O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the true God and Mother of the Church! You, who from this place manifest your clemency and compassion to all who seek your protection: hear the prayer we address to you with filial trust, and present it to your Son Jesus, our only Redeemer.
Mother of mercy, Teacher of hidden and silent sacrifice, to you, who come to meet us sinners, we consecrate on this day our whole being, all our love. We also consecrate to you our lives, our labors, our joys, our illnesses, and our sorrows.
Grant peace, justice, and prosperity to our people, for all that we have and are, we place under your care, our Lady and Mother.
We wish to be totally yours and walk with you the path of complete fidelity to Jesus Christ in his Church: do not let us go from your loving hand.
Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas, we pray for all the Bishops, that they may lead the faithful along paths of intense Christian life, of love and humble service to God and souls.
Contemplate this immense harvest, and intercede that the Lord may inspire a hunger for holiness in all the faithful and pastors, and grant abundant vocations to priests and religious, strong in faith and zealous dispensers of the mysteries of God.
Grant our homes the grace to love and respect the life that is beginning, with the same love with which you conceived in your womb the life of the Son of God. Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of Beautiful Love, protect our families so that they may always be closely united, and bless the education of our children.
Our Hope, look upon us with compassion, teach us to continually go to Jesus, and if we fall, help us to rise again, to return to him, through the confession of our faults and sins in the sacrament of Penance, which brings peace to the soul. We beseech you to grant us a great love for all the holy sacraments, which are like the footprints your Son left for us on earth.
Thus, Most Holy Mother, with the peace of God in our consciences, with our hearts free from evil and hatred, we may bring to all the true joy and true peace that come from your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
What does the devotion of the three Hail Marys consist of?
It involves praying the Hail Mary three times to the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God and our Lady, either to honor her or to obtain some favor through her mediation.
What is the purpose of this devotion?
What is the way to pray the three Hail Marys?
"Mary, my Mother, deliver me from falling into mortal sin.
1. By the power the Eternal Father has given you
Hail, Mary; full of grace; the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
2. By the wisdom the Son has given you.
Hail, Mary; full of grace; the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
3. By the love the Holy Spirit has given you
Hail, Mary; full of grace; the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen!
What is the origin of the devotion of the three Hail Marys?
Saint Matilda, a Benedictine nun, begged the Blessed Virgin to assist her at the hour of death. The Virgin Mary told her the following: "Yes, I will; but I want you to pray three Hail Marys daily for me. The first, asking that just as God the Father raised me to a throne of unparalleled glory, making me the most powerful in heaven and on earth, so also I may assist you on earth to strengthen you and remove from you all hostile power. For the second Hail Mary, you will ask me that just as the Son of God filled me with wisdom, to such an extent that I have more knowledge of the Holy Trinity than all the Saints, so I may assist you in the trance of death to fill your soul with the lights of faith and true wisdom, so that it is not darkened by the darkness of error and ignorance. For the third, you will ask that just as the Holy Spirit has filled me with the sweetness of his love, and has made me so lovable that after God I am the sweetest and most merciful, so I may assist you in death by filling your soul with such Gentleness of divine love, may all the pain and bitterness of death be changed for you into delights."
And this promise was extended to the benefit of all who put into practice this daily prayer of the three Hail Marys.
What are Our Lady's promises to those who prayed the three Hail Marys daily?
Our Lady promised Saint Matilda and other pious souls that whoever prayed three Hail Marys daily would have her help during life and her special assistance at the hour of death, appearing at that final hour with the radiance of such beauty that just seeing her would console them and transmit to them the joys of Heaven.
Mary renews her promise of protection:
When Sister Maria Villani, a Dominican nun (16th century), was praying the three Hail Marys one day, she heard these encouraging words from the Virgin Mary's lips:
"Not only will you obtain the graces you ask of me, but in life and in death I promise to be your special protector and that of all those like you who practice this devotion."
The Blessed Virgin also said: "The devotion of the three Hail Marys has always been very dear to me... Do not cease to pray them and to have them prayed as much as you can. Every day you will have proof of their effectiveness..."
It was the Blessed Virgin herself who told Saint Gertrude that "whoever venerates her in her relationship with the Most Holy Trinity will experience the power communicated to her by the Omnipotence of the Father as the Mother of God; she will admire the ingenious means inspired by the wisdom of the Son for the salvation of men, and she will contemplate the ardent charity kindled in her heart by the Holy Spirit."
Referring to all those who invoked her daily, commemorating the power, wisdom, and love bestowed upon them by the August Trinity, Mary told Saint Gertrude that, "At the hour of his death, I will reveal myself to him with the radiance of such great beauty that my sight will console him and communicate to him the joys of heaven."
What is the basis of this devotion?
The Catholic affirmation that the Blessed Virgin possessed, to the highest degree possible for a creature, the attributes of power, wisdom, and mercy.
This is what the Church teaches when it invokes Mary as the Powerful Virgin, Mother of Mercy, and Seat of Wisdom.
THE SCAPULAR OF CARMEN
A. HISTORY AND PRIVILEGES
1. Promise of Salvation:
Whoever dies with the scapular will be saved.
Saint Simon Stock was the sixth Superior General of the Carmelite Order during the years 1245-1265. Faced with serious difficulties in the Order, Saint Simon daily implored Mary's protection. His prayer was answered, and "the Blessed Virgin appeared to him, accompanied by a multitude of Angels, holding in her blessed hands the scapular of the Order and saying these words: This will be a privilege for you and all Carmelites; whoever dies with it will not suffer eternal fire, that is, whoever dies with it will be saved." (Catalog of Saints of the Order
Another very old version reads as follows: "Saint Simon, an Englishman, a man of great holiness and devotion, in his prayer continually begged the Virgin to favor his Order with some singular privilege. The Virgin appeared to him holding the Scapular, saying: This is the privilege for you and yours; whoever dies wearing it will be saved" (Brussels Saints' Calendar). That is, he will avoid hell. He will go to heaven after a stay in purgatory.
The date and place of the apparition are not known with certainty. London is mentioned, on July 16, 1251. This was still within the generalate of Saint Simon and before 1252, since on January 13 of that year, Pope Innocent IV issued the Bull "Ex parte dilectorum" in which he defended the Carmelites on this issue.
2. Sabbath Privilege: And the first one will be freed from purgatory. Saturday.
Sixty-two years later (1314), Our Lady appeared to Pope John XXII, who recorded her words in the Bull "Sacratissimo uti culmine," also called the Saturday Bull (3.3.1322): "If among the religious or confraternities of this order there are any who, upon dying, must purge their sins in the prison of purgatory, I, who am the Mother of mercy, will descend into purgatory on the first Saturday after their death, and I will free them to lead them to the Holy Mountain of Eternal Life."
3. Plenary Indulgences. - Those who wear the Scapular of Carmel join the Carmelite family and can gain a plenary indulgence on the day the scapular is imposed and on the following days (fulfilling the usual conditions, that is, receiving Communion—naturally without mortal sin—on that date and praying for papal intentions, usually a Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, and Gloria). as well as confessing eight days before or after the date):
May 16 (Saint Simon Stock).
July 16 (Our Lady of Mount Carmel).
July 20 (Saint Elijah the Prophet).
October 1 (Saint Therese of Lisieux).
October 15 (Saint Teresa of Jesus).
November 14 (All Saints' Day of the Carmelites).
December 14 (Saint John of the Cross).
B. CONDITIONS
1. For the promise of salvation, the following are required:
Having the scapular imposed. (It is enough to do so once.)
Wearing it. It can be replaced with a medal. (We will discuss this.) Both the medal and the scapular must be blessed upon imposition.
Devotion to Mary; seeking to imitate her; desiring to be good children of hers. The scapular is two small pieces of cloth that symbolize a garment. And whoever wears Mary's habit must live like her, practicing the virtues. Christians. So that the habit-dress is united to the habit-virtue.
2. For the Sabbath privilege. In addition to the above, the following are required:
Maintain the chastity proper to one's state. (Confession restores the lost status.)
Pray the Little Office of Our Lady. This prayer can be substituted for abstinence from meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Other possible substitutions are also mentioned, provided they are authorized by a priest: the recitation of the Divine Office or the Rosary. For indulgences. The requirements proper to indulgences are required, plus the conditions of the scapular in the promise of salvation.
4. The medal. - Saint Pius X (Holy Office, 16.12.1910) decreed that the scapular, after its imposition, can be replaced by a metal medal bearing on one side an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and on the other an image of the Blessed Virgin (usually Our Lady of Mount Carmel).
C. BLESSING AND IMPOSITION
There are several formulas for the blessing and imposition of the scapular. Some are approved for the different branches of Carmel, others are more general.
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