"Mary is the excellent masterpiece of the Most High, the knowledge and possession of which He has reserved to Himself. Mary is the 'sealed fountain,' the faithful spouse of the Holy Ghost, to whom He alone has entrance."
St. Louis de Montfort
For Reflection:
Review St. Maximilian Kolbe's statements about the Blessed Mother. In what way(s) do they parallel these comments of St. Louis de Montfort?
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"It is said that the Holy Spirit dwells in the souls of the just. If this is so, then he must dwell in the most perfect manner possible in the soul of the Immaculate. Our Most Holy Mother is totally suffused with the divine."
St. Maximilian Kolbe
For Reflection:
What do you think St. Maximilian Kolbe means when he says Mary "is totally suffused with the divine?" What knew depth of understanding does this bring to your perspective of Our Blessed Lady?
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"She is a breath of divine power, a most pure effusion of the Most High; hence nothing sullied can ever contaminate her. She is a reflection of the eternal light, a spotless mirror of God's activity, an image of his excellence. She is indeed more beautiful than the sun, surpasses all the constellations, and compared to light itself, she is more brilliant."
St. Maximilian Kolbe on the Blessed Virgin
For Reflection:
How is Mary "a breath of divine power?" "A most pure effusion of the Most High?" Which of the other descriptions of Mary most touch my heart? Why?
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"Mary acquired a very special relation with God. The blood of Jesus, the heart of Jesus and the body of Jesus are formed by the blood of Mary. By adoring the blood, the sacred wounds and the heart of Jesus, we adore something proceeding from Mary which was assumed by the Son of God."
Blessed James Alberione
For Reflection:
Jesus is in Mary. And Mary is in Jesus. How blessed is this Mother! How blessed am I that she is my spiritual mother! How holy are you, O Woman of Grace. Draw me by cords of love to your Immaculate Heart, and with those cords chain me to the Sacred Heart of your Son, my Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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"The Lord could have created a more beautiful heaven, He could have made a larger world, but He could not have created a mother greater than the Mother of God."
St. Bonaventure
For Reflection:
Why is this statement a true statement? To what extent does it enhance my appreciation of the Blessed Mother and her role in salvation history? Does this quote draw me closer to her?
(See tomorrow's Grace Line for one holy man's thoughts on this quote.)
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"God sends us joys before sorrows, to prepare our hearts; but the joys themselves contain prophecies of the coming sorrows."
Father Faber writing about the Blessed Mother
For Reflection:
What insight into the action of God in our lives! What are some examples from the life of the Blessed Mother that show the validity of this statement? What are some examples from my own life?
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"Only after the Last Judgment will Mary get any rest; from now until then, she is much too busy with her children."
St. John Vianney
For Reflection:
Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. How do the apparitions of the Blessed Mother underscore the validity of St. John Vianney's statement? How has she been busy in your life?
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"As sailors are guided by a star to the port, so Christians are guided to heaven by Mary."
St. Thomas Aquinas
For Reflection:
How does Mary guide us to heaven? How is this in keeping with her spiritual motherhood? How is this in keeping with her role as Queen Mother?Â
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"No angel, no saint, can equal [Mary] in the multitude and accumulation of heavenly good things."
St. Bonaventure
For Reflection:
Why is Mary's intercession so efficacious? Consider her freedom from sin. How does this enhance her intercessory mediation? What does this tell me about the relationship between a life of grace and power in prayer?
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"Far be it that anyone should try to defraud Mary of her privileges of divine grace and of her special glory. For by a certain singular favor of our Lord and God, and of her Son, she must be confessed to be the most true and most blessed Mother of God."
St. Vincent of Lerins
For Reflection:
Read Paragraphs 508-511 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. What are the "privileges of divine grace" and the "special glory" of Mary as outlined in them?
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