Tag Archives: Blessed Virgin Mary

Love for Mary, our Mother

Our Blessed Mother with the child Jesus

Before he died on the Cross, Jesus said to St John and to all of us: “Behold your Mother.” Mary is truly the mother of everyone. In this meditation we use texts of Scripture, St Bernard and St Josemaria to consider how:

  • In conceiving Jesus in her womb, and later giving birth to him in Bethlehem, Mary became the mother of all the members of Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church
  • At Calvary Mary suffered unspeakably with Jesus for all mankind and this moves her to love us all the more
  • Mary draws sinners to Jesus
  • Mary exercises her motherly role with the apostles and with all of us
  • Mary intercedes for us before Jesus in a powerful way
  • We can take Mary into our own keeping and love her, as St John did, through the various Marian prayers and customs, especially the rosary

The feast of the Annunciation

 

When the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary in the Annunciation, he invited her to welcome the Son of God into her womb and into the world. She said yes and our redemption was at hand. In this meditation we ponder this great event as related by St Luke and consider that:

  • Because of the original sin of our first parents, mankind was in need of redemption and only God could bring it about.
  • God asked Mary ‘s consent so that our Redeemer could take flesh in her womb
  • Because Mary was a virgin her son would be truly the Son of God
  • As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, God took flesh in Mary for four reasons
  • As related in a homily of St Bernard of Clairvaux, all mankind eagerly awaited Mary’s answer
  • We too can welcome Christ into our life by saying yes to whatever God asks of us

The wedding feast of Cana

Our Lord’s first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana has much to teach us. In this meditation we use texts of St Josemaria, Tertullian and St John Vianney to consider some of these lessons:

  • The beauty of Christian marriage
  • The importance of inviting Jesus to our wedding
  • Our Lady’s motherly concern at Cana and in our own lives
  • The power of Mary’s intercession
  • The importance of doing whatever Jesus asks us
  • Jesus’ power to do miracles today if we ask him with faith
  • The witness of our own faith to those around us

Mary at the Cross

When we consider the passion and death of Christ on the Cross we tend to overlook the enormous suffering of his mother Mary. Because of her great love for Jesus, Mary suffered unspeakably. In this meditation we use texts from the Stabat Mater, St Josemaria and St Bernard to consider how:

  • Mary was always united with Jesus, from his birth until his death on the Cross
  • Mary suffered in her soul what Jesus suffered in his body because her heart was one with his
  • Our Lady is with us in our own crosses
  • Jesus gives us Mary to be our mother and we, like John, should take her into our heart
  • Because of her great suffering, Mary can be called truly a martyr

 

Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted

mary-at-the-cross

Our holy mother, Mary, comforted our Lord at the foot of the cross.

In the Litany of Loreto we call Our Lady “Comforter of the afflicted”. With unspeakable love she comforted Jesus on the Cross at Calvary and she accompanies us in our afflictions. In this meditation we consider how:

  • Because of her freedom from sin Mary was able to love like no other
  • As prophesied by Simeon, Mary was destined to suffer much because she loved much
  • Mary suffered in her heart when Jesus was lost in the temple, at the wedding feast of Cana and especially at Calvary
  • Mary suffered intensely at Calvary, to the point where St Bernard calls her truly a martyr
  • The Sequence of the Mass of Our Lady of Sorrrows records this suffering in a moving way
  • As our mother, Mary loves us and comforts us in our afflictions

 

Christ our Light

Resurrection of Christ

Christ’s resurrection on the first Easter Sunday

At a time of much spiritual darkness and evil in the world, the light of the risen Christ at Easter brings light and hope to all. In this meditation we consider:

  • Christ’s resurrection and appearance to Mary Magdalene
  • The risen Christ has overcome the world
  • We have received the light at Baptism but can lose it through sin
  • We should return to the light through confession and help others to do so
  • We should keep our light burning and make it grow ever more brightly
  • We should share our light with many others

Meditation “Preparing for Christmas”

Christmas is a celebration of the birth of our saviour.

Every nativity scene you look at always has Mary, our holy mother with her son and St Joseph, her spouse.

Now that we are in Advent, we want to prepare well for Christmas. A good way to do this is by the hand of Our Lady. After all, she too prepared for the birth of Christ. In this meditation we consider nine lessons Our Lady gives us about how to prepare for this great feast:

 

 

 

  • Avoiding sin and going to confession
  • Docility to the will of God
  • Charity with others
  • Spreading joy
  • Presence of God
  • Not complaining about hardship
  • Penance
  • Contemplation and meditation
  • Bringing Christ to others

Meditation: Giving thanks for everything

We are accustomed to ask God for many favours but how often do we remember to thank him for the gifts he has given us? Are we perhaps like the nine lepers who were healed but did not return to thank Jesus? In this meditation we consider:

  • How much Jesus appreciates that the Samaritan leper returned to give thanks
  • Jesus himself gives thanks to the Father
  • St Paul exhorts the early Christians to give thanks always
  • Everything we have is a gift from God
  • We should give thanks for such general gifts as creation, the Incarnation, Redemption, the Church, the Sacraments
  • We should thank God for our life, our family, our health, our talents, our food, clothing and shelter, the good things we have done
  • We should thank God for the unknown blessings and even the crosses God shares with us

Meditation – Love for the Rosary

In 1883, Pope Leo XIII declared October the month of the Rosary. The Holy Rosary is a traditional prayer, going back at least a thousand years. It is a prayer we should say often and well. In this meditation we consider:

  • How the Rosary came to be
  • The recommendation of the Rosary by popes and saints
  • Why the Rosary is such a powerful prayer
  • Why the Rosary is such a rich prayer
  • The importance of the family Rosary
  • How we can say it better

Meditation “As I have loved you”

Christ gave us a new commandment to love one another as he has loved us. It is not always easy to do this but it is very important to try, so that we spread the love of Christ in the world. In this meditation we consider various ways we can do this:

  • Spirit of service
  • Sacrifice
  • Compassion
  • Affection
  • Love for our “enemies”
  • Forgiveness