Luke 7:11 and Our Lady of Sorrows

“And it came to pass afterwards, that he went into a city that is called Naim; and there went with him his disciples, and a great multitude.  And when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow: and a great multitude of the city was with her.  Whom when the Lord had seen, being moved with mercy towards her, he said to her: Weep not.  And he came near and touched the bier. And they that carried it, stood still. And he said: Young man, I say to thee, arise.  And he that was dead, sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. And there came a fear on them all: and they glorified God, saying: A great prophet is risen up among us: and, God hath visited his people.  And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the country round about.”

Luke 7:11

Above is the Gospel passage for today, the 2nd Sunday in this month of Our Lady of Sorrows.  Do you notice anything?  This account of one of Our Lord’s miracles of raising the dead, foreshadows the Passion and the Resurrection.  Mary was a widow at the foot of the Cross, which is why Jesus gave her to Saint John, to be cared for by him.  Her Son was crucified, but raised after 3 days!  She never lost hope, trusting that this was part of God’s great plan for the redemption of the human race. 

Our celebrant at the Tridentine Mass in Glen Cove, New York, brought light to this scripture.  He mentioned that the crowd would have been astonished by Our Lord touching a dead body, as this was considered unclean.  He drew the parallel to us when we are in a state of sin.  Christ reaches out to us in our misery, to lead us to the sacrament of Penance and the great peace that follows.  It is a bathing of the soul.  We are all that young man, given back to our Holy Mother Church, the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

Another point Fr. Daniel made, was that once you are forgiven, it is time to become a witness.  As soon as the boy was raised, he spoke.   How important this is in our own time, as the world has forgotten all that is good and Godly.  Let us courageously speak of the love and mercy of the Most Holy Trinity to all the world and transform the face of the earth!

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows-Part 2

In Part 1, the image from The Divine Mercy website states: 

“The Key to Peace:  Emulate Mary’s Surrender.”

Why did Our Blessed Lord give us His Mother (through Saint John), from the Holy Cross, as He suffered so terribly?  Why has Holy Church given her the title “Our Lady of Sorrows?”  It is to honor her, of course, and her grievous pain.  It is also for the purpose of ministering to us, the Body of Christ.  Suffering is part of life.  During these unprecedented times, the trials of humanity are unique in history.  We know not what the future holds, but we do know it will be greatly challenging, and in fact, already is.  Our Blessed Mother teaches us the way to suffer in peace.  It seems a contradiction, but all is possible with God’s grace.  Even through the worst of Our Lord’s Passion, she never despaired, trusting in God’s plan for salvation.  We can do the same.  Emulate her surrender.

On the above link, there is an article by the late Stephen LaChance.   He brings out a great insight on the “Pieta” sculpture…

Michelangelo has carved into his Pieta an element as profound as it is subtle. Off to one side, almost hidden behind the lifeless body of Christ, Mary's left hand lies open in a sign of surrender to God. This gesture symbolizes her entire life.

In the Scriptures, starting with the words of her fiat, "Be it done unto me according to your word," to her patient waiting for the descent of the Holy Spirit, we see Mary living in complete acceptance of the will of God.  Tradition has developed this surrender as epitomized in seven of Mary's sorrows:

The Prophesy of Simeon, The Exile in Egypt, The Loss of Jesus in the Temple, The Way of the Cross, The Crucifixion, The Descent from the Cross, The Burial of Jesus

He goes on to discuss the feast of the Triumph (Exaltation) of the Holy Cross…

Standing by the cross of her Son, she offers all these pains for our benefit.  Standing with her, we see the solution to the problem of evil. We look at the all-powerful, all-good God and see Him suffer and die, in the Person of Christ.

This seeming contradiction has led the Church to celebrate a feast called the Triumph of the Holy Cross (Sept. 14). This triumph is the paradox of the cross, which St. Paul calls "a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ [is] the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

This feast is celebrated the day before the Sorrows of Mary. It makes sense that these two feasts are so connected, but it is surprising that the Triumph comes before the Sorrows. Where else in the world does triumph come before sorrow, or when does victory come before the battle?  Yet the inspired wisdom of the Church does not fail us in this regard. For it is only in light of the Triumph of the Cross that the Sorrows of Mary and our sorrows have any meaning.

Take a look at The Divine Mercy site for the full article and much more.  Their shrine is in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.  It is a beautiful place.  I will be there with my family in 2 weeks!

Our Lady of Sorrows, or the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, is celebrated September 15th.  We will post the prayers from the Tridentine Mass on that day.  Though this month has a sad cast to it, remember we also honored Mary’s joyful nativity on the 8th and will honor the Most Holy Name of Mary on the 12th.

Some other feasts of note are:  The Ember Days of Autumn (prayer and penance for the coming season), starting on the 20th, Saint Matthew on the 21st, Saint Padre Pio on the 23rd and the Archangels on the 29th.  For the full traditional calendar, please see:  calefactory.org

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

From the Tridentine Mass of this great feast:

Hail, holy Mother,

thou who didst bring

forth the King who rules heaven and

earth for ever and ever.  

Impart unto Thy servants, we beseech

Thee, O Lord, the gift of Thy heavenly

grace, that to us, for whom the

childbearing of the Blessed Virgin was

the beginning of our salvation, the

votive solemnity of her nativity may

give increase of peace. Through our

Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who lives

and reigns with Thee in the unity of

the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. 

Thou art blessed and venerable, O

Virgin Mary, who with purity unstained

was found to be the Mother of our

Savior. Virgin Mother of God,

He whom the whole world was unable to

contain enclosed Himself in thy womb,

being made man. 

Alleluia, alleluia.

Happy art thou, O

sacred Virgin Mary, and most worthy

of all praise, for out of thee hath risen

the sun of justice, Christ, our God.

Alleluia. 

Blessed art thou, O Virgin Mary, who

didst bear the Creator of all things;

thou didst bring forth Him Who made

thee, and remainest a virgin forever. 

Blessed is the womb of the Virgin

Mary, which bore the Son of the

Eternal Father.

Thought for the Day

“It’s not only about the economy. You got mentally deranged people in charge in a country near you…If we don’t stop where we’re going, we are going to be annihilated in a nuclear war. We have demonic, evil people in charge…I fight for peace and so I’m telling everybody out there, you better put your money where your heart is and do something to support peace because if we don’t, this thing is finished.”

Gerald Celente, Trends Journal

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows-Part 1

Let us honor the 7 Sorrows of Our Lady this month. She teaches us how to suffer. Last month, we celebrated her Immaculate Heart and now we see the great suffering which results from great love. Next month, we contemplate the Holy Rosary, the gift to humanity out of this motherly love.

There are many devotions to Our Lady of Sorrows. Think about choosing one (the chaplet is wonderful) and praying it with your family or church group.

Come back next week and we will discuss this topic a bit further, along with the notable feasts of the month. Don’t forget Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s feast on the 5th and Our Lady’s nativity on the 8th!

our lady of sorrows, pray for us!

+++ Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary +++

“Frari Assumption” by Tiziano Vecelli, altarpiece in Venice, 1518

Beautiful prayers from the Tridentine Mass of the Assumption:

A great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (Ps. 97: 1) Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: because He hath done wonderful things. Glory be 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. A great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

Almighty everlasting God, who hast taken body and soul into heaven the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Thy Son: grant, we beseech Thee, that by steadfastly keeping heaven as our goal we may be counted worthy to join her in glory. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear: and the King shall greatly desire thy beauty. All beautiful is the King’s daughter as she comes in, robed in cloth of gold.

Alleluia, alleluia. Mary has been assumed into heaven: the angelic host rejoices. Alleluia.

I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed.

May our offering of due service rise unto Thee, O Lord: and through the prayer of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, assumed by Thee into heaven, may our hearts be set on fire with love and ever yearn for Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation that we always and everywhere give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: and that we should praise and bless, and proclaim Thee, in this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ever Virgin: Who also conceived Thine only-begotten Son by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, and the glory of her virginity still abiding, gave forth to the world the everlasting Light, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy majesty, the Dominations adore, the Powers tremble: the heavens and the hosts of heaven, and the blessed Seraphim, together celebrate in exultation. With whom, we pray Thee, command that our voices of supplication also be admitted in confessing Thee saying:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,

Dóminus Deus Sábaoth. Pleni sunt

cæli et terra glória tua. Hosánna in

excélsis! Benedíctus qui venit in

nómine Dómini. Hosánna in excélsis!

All generations shall call me blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me.

Through the merits and prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by Thee assumed into heaven, may we, O Lord, who have received the sacraments of salvation, come to the glory of the resurrection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

The following commentary on the Mariology of the Assumption, is from a wonderful resource which I have used a lot: extraordinaryform.org

“Among the feasts of the Blessed Virgin that of the Dormitio Sanctae Mariae, or of her bodily Assumption into heaven, was from very early times the most solemn and the most widely observed. In the time of Pope Sergius I a solemn procession proceeded to St. Mary Major, where Mass was celebrated. It was customary to carry images of the Savior and of His Blessed Mother in this procession; outside of Rome a similar ceremony was observed. It should, however, be borne in mind that though the divine maternity of theBlessed Virgin Mary may be regarded as the immediate reason of her Assumption into heaven, yet the first and formal reason of this privilege is to be sought in her Immaculate Conception. It is true, indeed, that the dignity of the Mother of the Incarnate Word was the primary reason for which God preserved the Immaculate Conception of Mary from all stain of original sin – and in this sense the Gregorian Sacramentary rightly attributes the reason of the bodily resurrection of the Blessed Virgin to her prerogative as Mother of the Word – but in order to express this truth with perfect accuracy, it is necessary to say that the formal reason for the preservation of her body from corruption was precisely her immunity from all stain of original sin.”

Image from Wikipedia entry about this extraordinary painting.

August, Month of the Immaculate Heart & Marian Triad of the Months

This month, we celebrate the Mother of God’s Immaculate and most loving Heart.  In June, we prayed for our hearts to be conformed to the Heart of Jesus, now we pray for the same grace regarding Our Lady.  Think about how you will honor her most pure heart during the month of August. 

August also brings us the first month of what might be called the “Marian Triad of the Months.”  These are 3 months in a row, which Holy Church dedicates to Our Lady.  September honors Our Lady of Sorrows and October, the Holy Rosary.  It is an interesting theological pondering, to see how these 3 dedications might interrelate.  During this Triad would be a wonderful time to engage in Marian reading and devotions, to deepen your relationship with the Queen of Heaven.

As for some notable feasts this month, we have:  Saint Dominic, seer of the Holy Rosary, on the 4th and 8th (we look at both old and new feasts)…Our Lady of the Snows on the 5th…the Transfiguration of Our Lord, one of the Luminous Mysteries, on the 6th…Santa Chiara (Clare) on the 11th and 12th…the Vigil of the Assumption on the 14th and the Assumption, Holy Day of Obligation on the 15th…Saint Joachim, father of Mary, the very next day, the 16th…on the 22nd, a double Marian feast, the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin and the traditional celebration of the Immaculate Heart…we honor 2 patron saints of gardening on the same day, Saint Rose of Lima and Saint Fiacre, on the 30th…the Passion of Saint John the Baptist on the 29th.

Here is the Roman Catholic traditional calendar for the month of August:  Calefactory

~   Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for Us!   ~

Image from Catholic News Agency

Random Stuff...About Preparedness

I have been corresponding with a gentleman who is Catholic and also runs a preparedness forum.  He is known on the forum as “Watchman.”  I like the simple, uncomplicated presentation and it has a wealth of information… 

The Preparedness-Survival Forum

Preparing for the Inevitable

What you can find here:  news, prepper library, homesteading, technical aspects of preparedness and survival, family issues, financial info (I like that they get their stats from kitco.com), health and stewardship of the Earth.  Join the forum and speak with like-minded, knowledgeable people!

After designing a completely new landscape, my husband and I have gotten a new shed (see previous post) and are now starting a raised bed.  It is late in the New York season to begin planting, but there are plenty of crops which can still start from seed.  Below is a pic of what we’ve got so far…grass (LOL).  I will keep you posted on the progress.  This is a kit we purchased at a local garden center.  There are many different kits out there, which make the process easy.  Ours comes with a greenhouse top for one side (not sure if we will use that right now).  “The Authentic Life” is exciting and makes you want to fly out of bed in the morning!  Here’s also a pic of the shelves my hubby built in the shed…they are about a foot apart and there is space beneath them to store larger items…we still need to install various hooks and clamps for rakes, shovels, etc…

 “This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us be glad and rejoice therein.”

Psalms 117:24

We do not prepare simply for a possible disaster or emergency.  As the site above states, we are preparing for the inevitable.  A time of great newness is upon us.  It is the Greater Reset or the Newer World Order.  The way we cope with the death of life as we knew it, is to keep our focus on the next big thing…The Authentic Life:  A life close to God and nature.  Focus on beauty, the beauty you are creating.  The beauty WE are creating together as the people of God!

July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood of Christ

April is the month when we honor the Body of Christ, and July, we honor His Blood.  The birthstone for July is the red ruby, seemingly reflecting the red Blood of Our Lord, raised up in adoration this month.  God made all things of the natural world and they continually praise Him, each in its own way.  A life of authenticity is a life immersed in His creation, the surest way to happiness.

July 1st is the feast of the Most Precious Blood, in the traditional calendar.  The ensuing week invokes many who shed their own blood, directing humanity to that which was shed upon the Holy Cross.  We celebrate the Visitation on the 2nd, when Saint John the Baptist leapt in Saint Elizabeth’s womb, the one who paved the way for Christ and was martyred in the process.  The 3rd, we honor Saint Thomas, the one who doubted, but later also gave his life, doubting no more.  And on the 6th, there is Saint Maria Goretti, the young girl who gave her life for purity.  Later in the month, on the 25th, Saint James the Greater is honored, also a martyred Apostle. 

Also from the 1st Century, Saints Mary Magdalen on the 22nd, Joachim & Anne on the 26th and Martha on the 29th.  Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who gave Saint Simon Stock the miraculous Brown Scapular, is celebrated on the 16th.

Almighty and Eternal God, Thou hast appointed Thine only-begotten Son the Redeemer of the world, and willed to be appeased by His Blood.  Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may worthily adore the Price of our salvation, and through its power be safeguarded from the evils of this present life, so that we may rejoice in its fruits forever in Heaven.  Through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

From the Litany of the Most Precious Blood

This month’s Roman Catholic Traditional Calendar:  Calefactory.org

Please note, we discuss both trad and new feasts.

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Today is the feast of the Sacred Heart, in both the old and new calendars. Tomorrow is the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the new calendar. These Hearts are so inseparable, Holy Church celebrates them together in this month of June.

The beautiful depiction above, of Our Lord holding out His Heart to us, was painted in the 18th century by Pompeo Batoni. I’m actually looking at it right now in my dining room (which is also my office, much to the chagrin of my family), since our church has been giving out large prints of this painting. When searching for an image, I thought to myself, “I wish I could find that one,” and it’s the first thing that popped up!

"Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine.”

We are all familiar with this pious prayer, but have we really thought about the implications of it? Look again at His Heart above. It is encircled by the Crown of Thorns and has been pierced, droplets of blood falling from it. If we are to conform our hearts to His, we must accept the consequences. We must accept that we will at the very least, become dry martyrs in this life. We will be insulted, lied about and misjudged. We will be hurt by those we love. We will need to raise the “sword to divide,” and be called “abusers” for speaking the truth. We will be persecuted in all kinds of ways by those around us and by the world. We must don also, this Crown of Thorns and our own hearts will be pierced and bloodied. This is what that cross and that flame atop our own hearts will require. But there is no greater gift than that of the Theological Virtue of Charity and it is worth any suffering that may result. We will have a clear conscience at death and win our eternal reward in Heaven. We will also be happier.

“And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.”

1 Corinthians 13:13