Story:

We read, in the life of Sister Catharine of St. Augustine, that in the place where she resided, there was a woman, of the name of Mary, who in her youth was a sinner, and in her old age continued so obstinate in wickedness, that she was driven out of the city, and reduced to live in a secluded cave; there she died, half consumed by disease, without the sacraments, and was consequently hastily buried in a field like a beast. Sister Catherine, who always recommended the souls of those who departed from this world, with great fervor to God, on hearing the unfortunate end of this poor, old woman, never thought of praying for her, and she looked upon her (as everyone else) as irrevocably lost.  One day, four years afterwards, a suffering soul appeared to her, and exclaimed: “How unfortunate is my lot, Sister Catherine! Though you recommend the souls of all those that die, to God: on my soul alone you had no compassion.” “And who are you?” asked the servant of God. “I am,” she replied, “that poor Mary who died in the cave.” “And are you saved?” said Catherine. “Yes,” she answered, “by the mercy of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” “And how?” “When I saw myself at the point of death, loaded with sins, and abandoned by all, I had recourse to the Mother of God, saying, ‘Lady, you are the refuge of abandoned creatures: behold me, at this moment, abandoned by all; you are my only hope: you alone can help me: have pity on me.” The Blessed Virgin obtained, for me the grace to make an act of contrition. I died, and am saved; and besides this, she my Queen obtained for me another favor, that my purgatory should be shortened, by enduring, in intensity, that which otherwise would have lasted for many years: I now need only a few masses to be entirely delivered; I beg you to have them said; and on my part, I promise always to pray for you to God and to Mary.” Sister Catherine immediately had the masses said; and after a few days that soul again appeared to her, shining like the sun, and said: “I thank you, Catherine: behold, I go to Paradise, to sing the mercies of my God, and to pray for you.”

Prayer:

O, Mother of my God, and my Lady Mary: as a beggar, all wounded and sore, presents himself before a great queen, so do I present myself before you, who are the Queen of heaven and earth.  From the lofty throne on which you sit, disdain not, I implore you, to cast your eyes on me, a poor sinner. God has made you so rich that you might assist the poor, and has constituted you Queen of Mercy in order that you might relieve the miserable.  Behold me then, and pity me: behold me and abandon me not, until you see me changed from a sinner into a saint. I know well that I merit nothing; that I deserve, on account of my ingratitude, to be deprived of the graces that, through your means, I have already received from God. But you, who are the Queen of Mercy, seek not merits, but miseries, in order to help the needy. But who is more needy than I? O, exalted Virgin, well do I know that you, who are Queen of the universe, are already my queen; yet am I determined to dedicate myself more especially to your service, in order that you may dispose of me as you please. Therefore do I address you in the words of St. Bonaventure: “Do govern me, O my Queen, and leave me not to myself.” Command me: employ me as you will, and chastise me when I do not obey; for the chastisements that come from your hands will be to me pledges of salvation. I would rather be your servant than the ruler of the earth. I am yours; save me. Accept me, O Mary, for your own, and as yours, take charge of my salvation. I will no longer be mine; to you do I give myself. If, during the time past I have served you ill, and lost so many occasions of honoring you, for the future I will be one of your most loving and faithful servants. I am determined that from this day forward no one will surpass me in honoring and loving you, my most amiable Queen. This I promise; and this, with your help, I hope to execute. Amen.

The post The Glories of Mary #1: Mary Our Queen Our Mother first appeared on AirMaria.com.

How much our Confidence in Mary should be Increased
because she is our Mother

Story:

In the history of the foundation of the Society of Jesus in the kingdom of Naples,we read the following account of a young Scottish nobleman, named William Elphinstone. He was related to King James, and lived for some time in the heresy in which he was born. Enlightened by divine grace, he began to perceive his errors. Having gone to France, with the help of a good Jesuit Father, who was also a Scotchman, and still more by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, he at last discovered the truth, abjured his heresy, and became a Catholic. From France he went to Rome, and there a friend, finding him one day weeping and in great affliction, inquired the cause of his grief. He answered that during the night his mother, who was lost, appeared to him, and said: “It is well for you, son, that you have entered the true Church; for as I died in heresy, I am lost.” From that moment he redoubled his devotion towards Mary, choosing her for his only Mother, and by her he was inspired with the thought of embracing the religious state, and he bound himself to do so by vow. Being in delicate health, he went to Naples for a change of air, and there it was the will of God that he should die, and die as a religious; for shortly after his arrival, finding himself at the last extremity, by his prayers and tears he moved the Superiors to accept him, and in presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament, when he received it as viaticum, he pronounced his vows, and was declared a member of the Society of Jesus. After this it was most touching to hear with what tenderness he thanked his Mother Mary for having snatched him from heresy, and led him to die in the true Church, and in the house of God, surrounded by his religious brethren. This made him exclaim: “Oh, how glorious is it to die in the midst of so many angels!” When exhorted to repose a little, “Ah,” he replied, “this is no time for repose, now what I am at the close of my life.” Before expiring, he said to those who surround him: “Brothers, do you not see the angels of heaven here present who assist me?” One of the religious having heard him utter some words, asked him what he said. He answered, that his guardian angel had revealed to him that he would remain but a very short time in purgatory, and that he would soon go to heaven. He then entered into a colloquy with his sweet Mother Mary, and like a child that abandons itself to rest in the arms of its mother, he exclaimed, “Mother, mother!” and sweetly expired. Shortly afterwards a devout religious learned by revelation that he was already in heaven.

Prayer:

O most holy Mother Mary, how is it possible that I, having so holy a mother, should be so wicked? A mother all burning with the love of God, and I loving creatures; a mother so rich in virtue, and I so poor? Ah, amiable Mother, it is true that I do not deserve any longer to be your son, for by my wicked life I have rendered myself unworthy of so great an honor. I am satisfied that you should accept me for your servant; and in order to be admitted among the lowliest of them, I am ready to renounce all the kingdoms of the world. Yes, I am satisfied. You must not forbid me to call you mother. This name consoles and fills me with tenderness, and reminds me of my obligation to love you. This name excites me to great confidence in you. When my sins and the divine justice fill me with great consternation, I am all consoled at the thought that you are my mother. Allow me then, to call you mother, my most amiable mother. This do I call you, and this will I always call you. You, after God, must be my hope, my refuge, my love in this valley of tears. This is how I hope to die, breathing forth my soul into your holy hands, and saying, My Mother my Mother Mary, help me, have pity on me! Amen.

The post The Glories of Mary #2: Confidence in Mary first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Mary Vitamin for July 22nd
Feast of St. Mary Magdalen

Topic: Gaining the affection of Mary by practicing courtesy

Quote:
St. Alphonsus di Liguori
Saint Gregory Nazianzen assures us that there is nothing by which we can with
greater certainty gain the affection of Mary then by charity towards our
neighbor.
St. Alphonsus di Liguori, The Glories of Mary, (Tan Books), 479.

Meditation:
The charity and courtesy of St. Mary Magdalen

Why was St. Mary Magdalene unable to recognize the risen Christ? Why did she not
recognize the Messiah after the Resurrection if she was one of the few that
recognized the Messiah when “there was no beauty”? Was the Lord testing St. Mary
Magdalene’s charity? Did He want to leave a testimony of her great love? She
treated someone to whom she thought stole the body of her Lord with great
respect. After she spoke, Jesus revealed His identity to her.

But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into
the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at
the feet where the body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have
taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know
it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you
looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you
carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”
which means Teacher.
John 20:11-17

Resolution:
Today, I will work to win the affection of the Blessed Virgin Mary by speaking
with courtesy.

Marian Vow:
St. Claude de la Colombiere
We have no reason to despise anyone. A humble man sees only his own faults. It
is a sign of little virtue to notice the imperfections of others. A person may
be imperfect today who in a little while, recognizing this, may rise to great
sanctity.
Mother M. Philip, I.B.V.M., arr. & ed. The Spiritual Direction of Saint Claude
de la Colombiere,(

Related sites: Castle of the Immaculate

+++

Mary Vitamin is a daily Email support for Marian mental prayer. Each day (Monday through Friday) members will receive a brief Marian quote with a corresponding Marian meditation and resolution. The Mary Vitamin is designed to make mental prayer a little simpler and bring Our Lady into your day in a systematic way.

The post St. Mary Magdalen and Courtesy first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #130801 ( 12min) Play – Fr. Benedict gives us a quick introduction to the life of St. Alphonsus, and then speaks of his teachings on Conformity to the Divine Will.

We apologize for some technical difficulties during the video.

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Alphonsus Liguori – Catholic Encyclopedia – Comm – Form: EF, Spiritus Domini
Readings: 
1st: 1st tim 2:1-7
Gsp: luk 10:1-9

Audio (MP3)

+++

The post Aug 01 – Homily – Fr Benedict: St. Alphonsus and Conformity to the Divine Will first appeared on AirMaria.com.