“Tradition ascribes to Mary the titles Mother of Divine Grace, Mother most amiable, Mother most admirable, Mother of Mercy… God has chosen her to be treasurer and dispensatrix of all His graces.. . . Since Mary has formed the Head of the predestined, Jesus Christ, it pertains to her to form also the members of the Head, who are the true Christians . . . She has received from God a special power to nourish souls and to make them grow in Him. St. Augustine goes so far as to say that the predestined in this world are enclosed in Mary's womb and that they come to the light only when their good Mother brings them forth to eternal life. It is to her that the Holy Ghost has said "Take root in my elect" (Eccl. xxiv, 13) ---- roots of profound humility, of ardent charity and of all the virtues.”
Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.
For Reflection:
Following is an excerpt from a poem written by Gerard Manley Hopkins about Our Lady under this title. Prayerfully read the poem. In light of the above quote, which verse(s), phrase(s), or word(s) from the poem echoes St. Augustine’s concept of the “world enclosed in Mary’s womb” and the idea that Mary brings us forth to eternal life? What other similarities do you see between the above quote and the sentiments of the poem? To what extent does this increase your appreciation of Our Lady’s role in your own salvation? How does the above quote and the poem relate to yesterday’s considerations?
from, Mary Mother of Divine Grace, compared to the Air we breath
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For centuries, the month of May has been dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary perhaps influenced by the ancient Greek and Roman cultures. In ancient Greece, May was dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of fecundity, and ancient Rome dedicated it to Flora, the goddess of bloom. But what better woman exemplifies the beginnings of life than the one whose fertile fiat ushered Eternal Life into the world? Mary the Mother of God, Mary the Mother of Mercy, Mary the Mother of the Mysteries of Salvation, Mary the Perfect Woman!
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, put it this way: "The mood of springtime informs the church's interior; nature's blossoming, the warm air of May evenings, human gladness in a world that is renewing itself -- all these things enter in. Veneration of Mary has its place in this very particular atmosphere, for she, the Virgin, shows us faith under its youthful aspect, as God's new beginning in a world that has grown old. In her we see the Christian life set forth as a youthfulness of the heart, as beauty and a waiting readiness for what is to come." (Seek That Which is Above, Ignatius, 1986, pp. 95-96).
For Reflection:
To what extent do I feel the “fertility of the fiat” stirring within me? Am I filled with a “waiting readiness for what is to come?” Explore this in light of your call to spiritual motherhood. Journal your insights.
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While my body here decays
May my soul your goodness praise,
Safe in heaven eternally. Amen Alleluia.
For Reflection:
This final stanza of the Stabat Mater encourages us to consider the Divine Mercy that floods the heart of Our Savior, who gave Himself for us. In what one way do you most need to experience this Ocean of Mercy? Journal your response. Read again the GraceLine for April 5, hear the voice of Jesus talking to you.
*Stabat Mater is a 13th century Roman Catholic hymn to Mary. It has been attributed to both Franciscan Jacopone da Todi and to Pope Innocent III. There are two Stabat Mater hymns, the Stabat Mater Dolorosa is about Mary's sufferings in union with her Son, Jesus Christ. Stabat Mater Speciosa refers to the Nativity of Jesus.
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Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
Lest in flames I burn and die,
In His awe-full judgment day.
Savior, when my life shall leave me,
Through your mother's prayers receive me
With the fruits of victory.
For Reflection:
Read again the For Reflection of April 25. How are you assured that Our Lady will be "nigh" to you on your judgment day? Journal your interior response.
Mary has assured us of her maternal intercession and God assures us forgiveness of our sins when we truly repent. However the evil one seeks to steal all assurance from us. He does this in three ways: discouragement, distrust, doubt. Discouragement because we are afraid we now can never acquire a deep union with God; distrust that God will treat us less favorably now and that He will be niggardly in the grace He gives us; doubt that God has forgiven us at all because our sin is so great.
To what extent is any one of these true of you? Read Rev. 21:5-6. Journal your insights, inspirations and consolations.
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Wounded with His every wound,
Steep my soul till it has swooned
In His very Blood away. For Reflection:
Read Mark’s account of the Passion . Underline or circle all of the wounds of Christ – physical, emotional, psychological. Which of these wounds have you experienced? How? Unite each of these sufferings to the wounds of Jesus and ask that the Precious Blood shed for you on Calvary’s hill will fill you with the healing balm of the Holy Spirit.
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Let me, to my latest breath,
In my body bear the death
Of your dying Son divine. For Reflection:
To die with Christ and be risen in Him is the quest of every holy soul. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the greatest aids in making this holy desire our final reality. It helps us advance in virtue, grow in self-knowledge, attain true humility, uproot bad habits, prevent spiritual negligence, combat apathy, purify our conscience, strengthen our will, receive spiritual direction, and acquire the grace of the Sacrament itself (Mystici Corporis).
Of the benefits of the Sacrament listed above, which do I most need? Which would others tell me I most need? Journal your insights.
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Virgin of all virgins blest!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share your grief divine. For Reflection:
To enter more deeply into the hearts of Jesus and Mary and to experience the treasury of grace that is found there we must stay united to Christ. Father Faber outlines three ways we can fall away from Jesus and put ourselves in spiritual peril: 1) by breaking away from Him through sin; 2) by letting the attractions of the world become greater than attraction to Him; 3) by slowly distancing ourselves from Him by imperceptible degrees.
Make a serious examination of conscience according to these three perils. Make a good Act of Contrition and then avail yourself of the Sacrament of Reconciliation as soon as you can.
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Savior, when my life shall leave me,
Through your mother's prayers receive me
With the fruits of victory.For Reflection:
Consider the above stanza in light of these words written by Reverend Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange: … At the hour of death, that supreme moment when the soul’s destiny is decided, the Blessed Virgin Mary bears in mind the love that has been shown to her, recalling how her servants have said to her time and time again: ‘Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of death’. She holds them up in the struggle of their last agony and defends them against the devil… inspires them with true contrition … and when they have died she watches over them in purgatory that she may lead them at last into heaven.”
To what extent do I offer no resistance to Mary’s good inspirations? To what extent have I recommended myself to her? What hope does this give me?
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Virgin, in your love befriend me,
At the Judgment Day defend me.
Help me by your constant prayer. For Reflection:
It is Mary’s desire as Spiritual Mother that all of her children attain eternal salvation. She never ceases praying for us. As the eminent theologian, Reverend Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P. tells us, “…[Mary] knows all the graces that we need because she is our Mother and has received from God a universal mission to help us all on the way of salvation. Her prayer is fervent and extends to the last sinner without losing any of its intensity. “[Mary] is sovereignly good and prays for all men, yet she prays especially for those who offer no resistance to her good inspirations and faithfully recommend themselves to her, looking upon them with particular tenderness, interceding for them more pressingly, more absolutely, until she finally obtains what she asks and bring them safe home to the harbor of salvation.”
According to this quote, how then do we reap the full benefit of Mary’s intercession? What is your interior response?
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Fairest maid of all creation,
Queen of hope and consolation,
Let me feel your grief sublime.For Reflection:
Though we pray these words with faith and love, it is not possible for us to feel the full measure of Mary’s grief simply because she is the “fairest maid of all creation.” Conceived without sin and never having sinned, she experienced the agony of Christ as deeply as He – especially His love for the souls for whom He was dying. Reverend Garrigou- Lagrange says, “Mary’s heart, like Christ’s whole bruised and crushed being, was transformed with anguish by the sins of mankind, being altered more than the bodies and hearts of the sick, the dying, the martyred.”
You are one of those souls for Whom Jesus and Mary suffered a grief sublime. In light of this, pray again the last line above. May our grief be the grief of true repentance. Journal your thoughts.
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