“Love of the Blessed Virgin is not a complication nor an aside in Christianity, for, as doctrine and experience prove, Mary naturally turns us toward Jesus, and by Him toward the Father, in the Holy Spirit.”
Bishop Louis Joseph Kerkhofs

For Reflection:
How have I seen this to be true in the lives of the saints? To what extent has this been true in my own life?

“Mary takes care of all, even of sinners; indeed she glories in being called in a special manner their advocate.”
St. Alphonsus Liguori

For Reflection:
Since Mary desires to advocate for sinners in a special way, I should be completely at peace knowing she is advocating for me. Who else would I like to entrust to her special mediation?

“Am I not here who am your mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the folds of my mantle, in the crossing of my Arms? Do you need anything more?
Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego

For Reflection:
Just as Our Lady spoke these words to Juan Diego, she speaks them to each one of us as well. How does this help me move forward in my confidence to entrust myself to her?

“I entrust you all to Mary most holy, our Mother in heaven, the Star of the Sea of our life: pray to her every day, you children! Give your hand to Mary most holy, so that she may lead you to receive Jesus in a holy way.”
Pope John Paul II

For Reflection:
Do I entrust myself and all that belongs to me to Mary? If not, what do I hold back and why?

“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?

“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?

“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?

“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.

“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.)

“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?