Does the Blessed Virgin Mary send text messages?

The task of a headline writer is to craft a partial sentence to grab the attention of a potential reader scanning through the various headlines scattered across the page, whether virtual or actual. These days headlines try too hard (particularly with headlines such as "...you won't believe what happened next") and often convince me to simply keep scanning.

Every now and again, though, a headline or two does capture my attention, like this one: Bishops say Marian emails and texts circulated in Ivory Coast may disturb public order. Alright, when did the Blessed Virgin Mary start sending text messages? That's a headline that leads to a story I'll read.

As should probably be expected, the Bishops of the Ivory Coast are cautioning the faithful about the claims of some who say the Mother of God is sending them messages through the new media:

In a letter sent earlier this month, the bishops said the authenticity of the messages “has neither been proven nor approved by the Church.” In fact, they said, most of the messages are “contrary to the teachings of the Church.”

“People, claiming to be from the Catholic Church, have given themselves the mission to disseminate messages that, according to their authors, are from the Virgin Mary,” said the bishops.

After reviewing their content, the letter said, “the conclusion is that the content of most of these messages is contrary to the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ … for some messages may even disturb public order and create psychosis and fear among the people.”

It might be said that the Blessed Virgin prefers to give her messages in person, which is why she makes use of apparitions.

"Behold, your Mother!"

Detail, L'Avvocata, written by St. Luke, house in the Dominican Convent on Monte Mario in Rome

“Mary is Mother, and one cannot conceive any other title of Mary that is not ‘Mother.” She is Mother, because she brings us Jesus and she helps us with the strength of the Holy Spirit, so that Jesus will be born and grow in us. She constantly gives us life. She is Mother of the Church. She is maternity. We do not have the right  -- and if we [think we do] we are mistaken – to have a psychology of orphans. A Christian does not have the right to be an orphan. He has a Mother! We have a Mother.”

- Pope Francis

Mary: Beauty in majesty and simplicity

"...all my own small perception of beauty both in majesty and simplicity is founded [upon Our Lady]."

- J.R.R. Tolkien

Our Lady of Humility

As the Universal Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Barnabas today, those of us who live at the Casa Santa Maria celebrate instead the feast of Our Lady of Humility, patroness of the chapel of our house.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Humility has five altars. Above the high altar is displayed a lovely image of our patroness:

Here is the image up close:

Those who visit the chapel today may, under the usual conditions, receive a plenary indulgence.

The humility of Our Lady permeates every aspect of her life and especially her great song of praise to God that she began, saying, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden" (Luke 1:46-48). In these words we hear an echo her great fiat: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).

In the Book of Sirach, we are told, "For great is the might of the Lord; he is glorified by the humble" (Sirach 3:20). Connecting these verses together, Saint Bonaventure said of Mary, "Whence the Virgin Mary, because she humbled herself beyond all others, magnified the Lord beyond others. And therefore she began by magnifying the Lord, because this was befitting for the humility of the Virgin singing" (Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, 1.87).

In all things, Mary lived the wisdom of Saint John the Baptist: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Today, let us ask Our Lady of Humility to teach us this same wisdom and to show us how to live it each day.

We might do well to make use of the Litany of Humility composed by His Eminence Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val:

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

George: Mary will be there

Throughout the month of October, Holy Mother Church urges us to give special consideration to the Rosary of Our Lady.

As we pray the rosary, through its various repetitions, we are asked, as Pope Benedict XVI reminds us, to "be guided by Mary in this prayer, ancient and ever new, which is especially dear to her because it leads us directly to Jesus, contemplated in his Mysteries of salvation: joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious."

Yesterday His Eminence Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago e-mailed a brief reflection on the rosary.  He concluded, saying, "So many private apparitions of the Blessed Virgin over the centuries have given us messages about this help, and it is a great comfort to believe that Mary will be there when the soul, the source of life for our body, struggles toward a different form of living.  Mothers give birth; Mary will be there, no matter when or how death comes to each of us."

Cardinal George is presently undergoing chemotherapy treatment for his second bout with cancer.  I ask you, then, remembering his words, to pray the rosary for him.  Ask the Lord to sustain him in his ministry and ask Our Lady to wrap him in her mantle.

Pope: Venerating Mary means learning from her how to pray

Last week the Holy Father Benedict XVI began a new catechetical series as the theme for his Wednesday General Audiences on the topic of prayer in the Acts of the Apostles and in the Letters of Saint Paul.

He began this series reflecting on the "praying presence of the Virgin in the midst of the disciples who would become the first nascent Church."  Mary, he said, "quietly followed her Son’s entire journey during His public life, even to the foot of the Cross; and now she continues in silent prayer to follow along the Church’s path."

His Holiness sees this praying presence throughout Mary's life:

The stages in Mary’s journey -- from the home of Nazareth to that in Jerusalem, through the Cross where her Son entrusts to her the Apostle John -- are marked by her ability to maintain a persevering atmosphere of recollection, so that she might ponder each event in the silence of her heart before God (cf. Luke 2:19-51) and in meditation before God, also see the will of God therein and be able to accept it interiorly. 

The presence of the Mother of God with the Eleven following the Ascension is not, then, a simple historical annotation regarding a thing of the past; rather, it assumes a meaning of great value, for she shares with them what is most precious: the living memory of Jesus, in prayer; and she shares this mission of Jesus: to preserve the memory of Jesus and thereby to preserve His presence.

Noting that often times "prayer is dictated by difficult situations, by personal problems that lead us to turn to the Lord for light, comfort and help," Pope Benedict said venerating Mary within the Church "means learning from her to become a community that prays."

Concluding his reflections, the Supreme Pontiff invited the faithful to entrust themsleves to the Blessed Virgin Mary:

As Mother of God and Mother of the Church, Mary exercises her maternity until the end of history. Let us entrust every phase of our personal and ecclesial lives to her, not the least of which is our final passing. Mary teaches us the necessity of prayer, and she shows us that it is only through a constant, intimate, loving bond with her Son that we may courageously leave “our home,” ourselves, in order to reach the ends of the earth and everywhere announce the Lord Jesus, the Savior of the world.

To emulate Gabriel

Currently I am in Indianapolis visiting our seminarians at Bishop Simon Brute College Seminary. While they are away at classes I have answered a good bit of e-mail and am working my way through the current issue of Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies.

In it, Susanna Fein has an interesting article titled, "Mary to Veronica: John Audelay's Sequence of Salutations to God-Bearing Women.". She says,

In late-medieval Christianity, Christ's human nature and the saints' proximity were beliefs deeply ingrained in the conceptual world of the faithful."

In our own day, we would do well to recover this conceptual world; it is, after all, reality.

In speaking to the saints, she says,

Such a poem is more than a prayer, however: because utterance of the first Ave allowed Jesus to be made flesh, salutation commemorates a core doctrine of medieval piety. When Gabriel enunciated, "Ave Maria gratis plena" (Hail Mary full of grace), God's Word entered Mary and grew in her womb. The form ( of addressing saints) is therefore modeled on hallowed utterance. Ave. A momentous word, marks the moment of Christ's incarnation and carries salvific import. In an exemplum preached by John Mirk, Mary is said to feel the thrill of her Son playing in her body whenever one utters the Ave phrase, "God is with thee.". Second only to the Paternoster ( Our Father) among all prayers, the Ave Maria is the premiere way to address Mary. To say "Ave" is to emulate Gabriel. Take up your rosary, then, in this month of October and emulate the Archangel.

In honor of the day

To make up for my previous rant, here's a pretty picture:

A prayer of St. Anthony of Padua

We ask you then, Our Lady,
that as you are the morning star,
you may by your splendor drive away
the cloud of the devil's suggestions
which cover the earth of our minds.

Do you, who are the full moon,
fill our emptiness and scatter the darkness of our sins,
so that we may be able to come to the fullness of eternal life,
to the light of unending glory.

May he grant this,
who brought you forth to be our light,
who made you to be born,
that he might be born of you.

To him be honor and glory for ever and ever.

In honor of the day

Homily - 15 August 2008 - The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - At the Vigil Mass

The first reading this evening recounts for us the bringing of the Ark of the Covenant into the capital city of Jerusalem, recently established by King David. He brought the Ark of the Covenant to the holy mountain, “for the Lord has chosen Zion; he prefers her for his dwelling” (Psalm 132:13). What is this Ark?

It is not the Ark of Noah, but the Ark of Moses. Whereas Noah’s Ark carried those creatures destined to survive the great Flood, the Ark of Moses, the Ark of God, bore not creatures, but the Creator himself.

The Lord commanded Moses to build this Ark and to place within it the two tablets of the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 25:10-16). The Lord promised Moses that he would be present in the Ark, saying,

There I will meet you and there, from above the propitiatory [the cover], between the two cherubim on the ark of the commandments, I will tell you all the commands that I wish you to give to the Israelites (Exodus 25:22).

It was in the Ark that the Lord would be present to his people and from the Ark that he would speak to and lead his people.

The Ark of the Covenant was then placed inside the meeting tent, curtained off from the people. When Moses had arranged the meeting tent just as the Lord told him, “the cloud covered the meeting tent, and the glory of the Lord filled the Dwelling” (Exodus 40:34).

This is the same tent that David erected in Jerusalem, of which we have heard just a moment ago. It is this tent that was replaced by the Temple, built by David’s son, Solomon. But what has any of this to do with the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven, which we celebrate today?

It has everything to do with today’s celebration. The ancient Fathers of the Church

looked upon the Ark of the Covenant, built of incorruptible wood and placed in the Lord’s temple, as a type of the most pure body of the Virgin Mary, preserved and exempt from all the corruption of the tomb and raised up to such glory in heaven.[1]

The Ark of the Covenant, which housed the glory of God, the presence of God, was seen as a prefiguration of the true Ark of the Covenant, the Virgin Mary, who housed the Lord himself, Jesus the Christ, in her womb.

In Mary’s assumption into heaven the words of the Psalmist are fulfilled: “Lord, go up to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your holiness” (Psalm 132:8). The Lord Jesus has taken his ark, his Blessed Mother, into heaven, into the place of his rest.

We know that through the sin of Adam and Eve death entered the world. We, too, suffer the consequences of this original sin and we know that we, too, will die. We also know that after death our bodies are corrupted, they decay and turn to dust and ashes. But this is not the case with the body of the Mother of God.

Because of her singular fidelity to the divine plan, Mary has been granted two unique privileges: her Immaculate Conception and her Assumption. Mary,

by an entirely unique privilege, completely overcame sin by her Immaculate Conception, and as a result she was not subject to the law or remaining in the corruption of the grave, and she did not have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body.[2]

In Mary, the words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory” (Isaiah 25:8; I Corinthians 15:54).

But why should the Lord grant this favor to his Blessed Mother? He has granted it to her, I think, for two reasons: because it is eminently fitting, and because it gives us hope.

That woman in the crowd spoke well of the Mother of Jesus. “Blessed is the womb that carried you,” she exclaimed, “and the breasts at which you nursed” (Luke 11:27). Yes, it as is Pope Pius XII said:

[I]t seems impossible to think of her, the one who conceived Christ, brought him forth, nursed him with her milk, held him in her arms, and clasped him to her breast, as being apart from him in body, even though not in soul, after this earthly life. Since our Redeemer is the Son of Mary, he could not do otherwise, as the perfect observer of God’s law, than to honor, not only his eternal Father, but also his most beloved Mother. And, since it was within his power to grant her this great honor, to preserve her from the corruption of the tomb, we must believe that he really acted in this way.[3]

How could the Son not glorify his Mother, and in this way bring glory to himself?

But there is more, for if we look at the Assumption of our Blessed Mother we see the promise of our own resurrection on the last day.

We know that Mary remains fully human, even in her Assumption into heaven and this gives us hope. For if Mary, a human, has entered body and soul into the heavenly realm, we who are also human can enter into heaven with her. There is a place for us, too!

Let us rejoice in this holy day and let each of us look to Mary, our Mother in heaven. Let us ask her to show us the way to blessedness, to happiness. Let us take confidence in her Assumption and ask her Son to keep us faithful that we, with Mary, may “enter his dwelling” and “worship at his footstool” (Psalm 132:7).

Today, let each of us “shout merrily for joy” (Psalm 132:9), for “that which is mortal [has clothed] itself with immortality” (I Corinthians 15:54). Amen.

[1] Pope Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus, 26.
[2] Ibid., 5.
[3] Ibid., 38.

Our Lady of the Southern Cross,

Pray for us!

This beautiful image of Mary, Our Lady of the Southern Cross, was unveiled recently in the Cathedral of St. Mary in Sydney. Pilgrims who prayed before this image - having also met the usual requirements - were granted a plenary indulgence.

I visited the Cathedral again this afternoon to pray for safe travels as we journey home tomorrow.

In honor of the day

The favorite song of Saint Anthony of Padua, which he sang on his deathbed, was O Gloriosa Virginum. Translated into English, it sings something like this:

O Glorious Virgin Mary, exalted far above the heavens,

you nursed your Creator as your very own child.

What was sadly lost through Adam and Eve

you have restored through the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

You opened the doors of heaven to us

who cry out from here below.

Through you came heaven's exalted King,

through you shone the Light of our Salvation, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Give praise all you nations redeemed by Christ,

for Jesus, our life, given through the Virgin Mary.

Glory to you, Lord Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary,

to the Father and the Life-Giving Spirit, for age upon age unending. Amen.

I've been wondering this for some time now and I can't seem to find an answer.

In our church we have this statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

It is a statue of Our Lady that I've not seen before, at least not that I can recall. Does anyone know if there is a particular Marian title associated with this image?

Homily - 1 January 2008 - The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God

As the secular world begins a new year, Holy Mother Church concludes her celebration of Christmas Day by reflecting upon Mary and her role as the Mother of God.

As the world calls us to revelry and drunkenness, the Church calls us to contemplate the “King of heaven and earth” who is born in Bethlehem and adored by the shepherds.[1] With Mary, we, too, are called to “[keep] all these things, reflecting on them in [our] hearts” (Luke 2:19).

The Church honors Mary in a special way today at the conclusion of the eight-day celebration of Christmas because it is through her Son, Jesus, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, that the Lord has had pity on us and blessed us (cf. Psalm 67:2). It is through the Virgin Mary’s Child that “the Lord has let his face shine upon [us]” (Numbers 6:25). It is through the Son of God and the Son of Mary that the Lord looks upon us kindly and gives us peace (cf. Numbers 6:26). It is through Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, “born of a woman,” that the blessing of Aaron – so loved by Saint Francis of Assisi – is fulfilled (Galatians 4:4).

We turn, then, to Mary today, giving thanks to God for giving Jesus – and us – so holy, so beautiful, so lovely a Mother. And as we look to Mary, she directs our gaze to her Son “lying in the manger” (Luke 2:16). Yet why is this holy Child found in a cave used as a stable? The “Bread of Life” (John 6:48) is laid in the trough “because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).

“When the fullness of time had come” (Galatians 4:4), the Son of God chose to be born of a Virgin Mother so that the nations might “be glad and exult” (Psalm 67:5). The birth of the Christ Child was

the moment that Israel had been awaiting for centuries, through many dark hours – the moment that all mankind was somehow awaiting, in terms as yet undefined: when God would take care of us, when he would step outside of his concealment, when the world would be saved and God would renew all things.[2]

Is it any different today?

Are not countless people searching for God, even without knowing it? It takes but a glance around to see that people today continually search for happiness, for peace, for joy but never arrive at it.

A great many will be looking for such happiness tonight in their revelry. They will look around and search, but they will not look to the Child “wrapped in swaddling clothes” and so they will not find that which they seek because they have no room for him (Luke 2:7).

What joy must have filled Mary’s heart as she prepared to give birth to the “Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32), the One whom Elizabeth recognized as the Lord (cf. Luke 1:43).

The questions and concerns she first raised to Gabriel at the announcement of so marvelous a birth have given way to a holy joy, a joy that was the preparation to welcome her Child. We see that

The swaddling clothes were ready, so that the child could be given a fitting welcome. Yet there is no room at the inn. In some way, mankind is awaiting God, waiting for him to draw near. But when the moment comes, there is no room for him. Man is so preoccupied with himself, he has such urgent need of all the space and all the time for his own things, that nothing remains open for others – for his neighbor, for the poor, for God. And the richer men become, the more they fill up all the space by themselves. And the less room there is for others.[3]

Mary stands before us today as the one completely open to God’s will and for this reason she is the Mother of God and Mother of the Church.

The Mother of Jesus and our Mother points us always to her Son lying in the manger. In doing so, she reminds us that “God does not allow himself to be shut out. He finds a space, even if it means entering through the stable; there are people who see his light and pass it on.”[4]

At the threshold of this new solar year, Mary invites and encourages us to enter it meditating upon the birth of the Savior, of the One who brings true and lasting peace. She directs our gaze to the face of God and asks us: “Will you make room for my Son?”

Together with the shepherds, let us go “in haste to Bethlehem” to find the Holy Family (Luke 2:16). Let us, too, listen to the proclamation of the angels: “a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord” (Luke 2:11). Let us beg the Son of Mary and the Son of God to bless us in this new year with his peace. Let us say to him: “May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the people’s praise you!” (Psalm 67:6). “Bless us, O newborn King. Let your face shine upon us and be gracious to us. Amen!”

[1] Introit of the day.
[2] Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, 25 December 2007.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.

A prayer to Mary from the Pope

Teach us, Mary,

to believe, to hope, to love with you;

show us the way that leads to peace,

the way to the Kingdom of Jesus.

You, Star of Hope,

who wait for us anxiously in the everlasting light

of the eternal Homeland,

shine upon us and guide us through daily events,

now and at the hour of our death. Amen!

- Address, 8 December 2007

If you haven't yet read the address he gave on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, you really should. It is an excellenct reflection on the Blessed Mother, as is the Angelus Address he gave that same day.

Bishop Lucas on Mary

In his weekly column for the Catholic Times, Bishop Lucas reminds us that "Mary remained steadfast in faith, and so was a beacon of hope to the other disciples of Jesus. This Advent, she lights a hope-filled path for us contemporary disciples of her Son."

His Excellency emphasized Mary's role as a guide to us and the example of faithful discipleship. "As you and I struggle along on our pilgrim way," Bishop Lucas said, "Mary helps us keep the end of the journey in mind. The first and finest disciple of Jesus encourages us to hold fast to the hope of seeing her Son and of living forever with our sins forgiven."

In honor of the day

The Imaculata is the Patroness of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. This image is the central mosaic in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

A prayer of Pope Benedict XVI

Mary, Mother of the "Yes", you listened to Jesus,
and know the tone of his voice and the beating of his heart.
Morning Star, speak to us of him,
and tell us about your journey of following him on the path of faith.

Mary, who dwelt with Jesus in Nazareth,
impress on our lives your sentiments,
your docility, your attentive silence,
and make the Word flourish in genuinely free choices.

Mary, speak to us of Jesus, so that the freshness of our faith
shines in our eyes and warms the heart of those we meet,
as you did when visiting Elizabeth,
who in her old age rejoiced with you for the gift of life.

Mary, Virgin of the Magnificat
help us to bring joy to the world and, as at Cana,
lead every young person involved in service of others
to do only what Jesus will tell them.

Mary, look upon the Agora of youth,
so that the soil of the Italian Church will be fertile.
Pray that Jesus, dead and Risen, is reborn in us,
and transforms us into a night full of light, full of him.

Mary, Our Lady of Loreto, Gate of Heaven,
help us to lift our eyes on high.
We want to see Jesus, to speak with him,
to proclaim his love to all.

-Prayer at the Holy House of Mary, 1 September 2007

[Photo credit]

In honor of the day