PRESENCE OF GOD:

O Mary, my Mother, teach me to live hidden with you in the shadow of God.

MEDITATION:

The liturgy enthusiastically celebrates Mary’s Nativity and makes it one of the most appealing feasts of Marian devotion. We sing in today’s Office: “Thy Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, brings joy to the whole world, because from you came forth the Sun of Justice, Christ, our God.”

Mary’s birth is a prelude to the birth of Jesus because it is the initial point of the realization of the great mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God for the salvation of mankind. How could the birthday of the Mother of the Redeemer pass unnoticed in the hearts of the redeemed? The Mother proclaims the Son, making it known that He is about to come, that the divine promises, made centuries before, are to be fulfilled. The birth of Mary is the dawn of our redemption; her appearance projects a new light over all the human race: a light of innocence, of purity, of grace, a resplendent presage of the great light which will inundate the world when Christ, “lux mundi ” the Light of the World, appears.

Mary, preserved from sin in anticipation of Christ’s merits, not only announces that the Redemption is at hand, but she bears the first fruits of it within herself; she is the first one redeemed by her divine Son. Through her, all ­pure and full of grace, the Blessed Trinity at last fixes on earth a look of complacency, finding in her alone a creature in whom the infinite beauty of the Godhead can be reflected.

The birth of Jesus excepted, no other was so important in God’s eyes or so fruitful for the good of humanity, as was the birth of Mary. Yet it has remained in complete obscurity. There is no mention of it in Sacred Scriptures and when we look for the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel, we find only what refers to Joseph; we find nothing explicit about Mary’s ancestry except the allusion to her descent from David. Our Lady’s origin is wrapped in silence, as was her whole life. Thus, her birth speaks to us of humility. The more we desire to grow in God’s eyes, the more we should hide ourselves from the eyes of creatures. The more we wish to do great things for God, the more we should labor in silence and obscurity.

2. In the Gospel the figure of Mary is, as it were, com­pletely overshadowed by that of her divine Son; the Evan­gelists tell us only what is necessary to present the Mother of the Redeemer, and in fact, she enters on the scene only when the narrative of the Incarnation of the Word begins. Mary’s life is confounded with, is lost in, the life of Jesus: truly she lived “hidden with Christ in God.” Let us note, too, that she lived in obscurity, not only during the years of her childhood, but also during the whole period of her divine maternity, yes, even during the triumphal moments in the public life of her Son, even when a certain woman, enthusiastic about the wonderful things that Jesus did, cried out in the midst of the crowd.” Blessed is the womb that bore Thee and the breasts that nursed Thee!” (Lk 11,27).

The Feast which we celebrate today is an invitation to the hidden life, to hide ourselves with Mary in Christ, and with Christ in God. Many times it is God Himself who, through circumstances or the decisions 6f our superiors, makes us live in obscurity. We should be very grateful for this, and take advantage of these opportunities to make more progress in the practice of humility and self-effacement. At other times, however, God gives us responsibilities, offices, apostolic works which bring us into prominence, but even in such circumstances we should try to efface ourselves as much as possible. Certainly we must not refuse the assignment, but we should know how to withdraw as soon as our activity is no longer needed for the success of the work entrusted to us. All the rest-praise, applause, the account of our success or the excuse for our failure-should not concern us. In the face of all this we should strive to remain wholly indifferent. An interior soul should long to hide itself as much as it can under the shadow of God, for, if it has been able to accomplish some little good, it is convinced that in reality all has been the work of God; therefore, it eagerly seeks that all may redound to His glory alone. Let Mary’s humble, hidden life be the model of ours, and if, in emulating her, we have to struggle against our ever-recurrent tendencies to pride, let us confidently seek her maternal aid, and she will help us to triumph over all vainglory.

COLLOQUY:

“When I feel myself tossed about in the sea of this world amidst storms and tempests, I keep my eyes fixed on you, O Mary, shining star, lest I be swallowed up by the waves.

“When the winds of temptation arise, when I dash against the reefs of tribulations, I raise my eyes to you and call upon you, 0 Mary. When I am agitated by the billows of pride, ambition, slander or jealousy, I look to you and I invoke you, O Mary; when anger or avarice or the seductions of the flesh rock the fragile little barque of my soul, I always look to you, 0 Mary. And if I am troubled by the enormity of my sins, troubled in conscience, frightened at the severity of judgment, and if I should feel myself engulfed in sadness or drawn into the abyss of despair, again I raise my eyes to you, always calling on you, O Mary.

“In dangers, in difficulties, in doubts, I will always think of you, O Mary; I will always call on you. May your name, O Virgin Mary, be always on my lips and never leave my heart; in order that I may obtain the help of your prayers; grant that I may never lose sight of the example of your life. Following you, O Mary, I shall not go astray, thinking of you I shall not err, if you support me I shall not fall if you protect me I shall have nothing to fear, if you accompany me I shall not grow weary, if you look upon me with favor, I shall reach the port” (St. Bernard).

Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene OCD  (Divine Intimacy)

The post Meditation on the Eve of the Nativity of Mary first appeared on AirMaria.com.

September 8: Feast of the Nativity of Mary

Radiant Dawn of our salvation,

Hope of life for all the earth!

Now we sing God’s new creation

On this day of such a birth.

Virgin, thou art filled with beauty;

Spot and stain are not in thee.

God has made thee perfect duly

For thy Son’s divinity.

Cry, O Blessed, to high heaven;

Sing our praise, O Spotless One!

We, thy children, are forgiven

Through thy Maker, Lord, and Son.

God has looked on thee with favor;

Generations this acclaim.

We rejoice in God thy Savior,

For with thee we praise his Name.

The post Nativity of Mary first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Radiant Dawn of our salvation,

The post Praise the Radiant Dawn first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #100908 (13min) Play – For four thousand years many souls were born into to the world but only one of these would bring the Savior of mankind. The dawn of light appeared in the dark of sin, through the birth of the sinless Virgin Mary.
Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

+++

The post Sep 08 – Homily – Fr Bonaventure: The First Rays of Redemption first appeared on AirMaria.com.

THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

PRESENCE OF GOD: 0 Mary, my Mother, teach me to live hidden with you in the shadow of God.

The liturgy enthusiastically celebrates Mary’s Nativity and makes it one of the most appealing feasts of Marian devotion. We sing in today’s Office: “Thy Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, brings joy to the whole world, because from you came forth the Sun of Justice, Christ, our God.” Mary’s birth is a prelude to the birth of Jesus because it is the initial point of the realization of the great mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God for the salvation of mankind. How could the birthday of the Mother of the Redeemer pass unnoticed in the hearts of the redeemed? The Mother proclaims the Son, making it known that He is about to come, that the divine promises, made centuries before, are to be fulfilled.

The birth of Mary is the dawn of our redemption; her appearance projects a new light ove­r all the human race: a light of innocence, of purity, of grace, a resplendent presage of the great light which will inundate the world when Christ, ” the Light of the World” appears. Mary, preserved from sin in anticipation of Christ’s merits, not only announces that the Redemption is at hand but she bears the first fruits of it within herself; she is the first one redeemed by her divine Son.

Through her, all pure and full of grace, the Blessed Trinity at last fixes on earth a look of complacency, finding in her alone a creature in whom the infinite beauty of the Godhead can be reflected.  The birth of Jesus excepted, no other was so important in God’s eyes or so fruitful for the good of humanity, as was the birth of Mary. Yet it has remained in complete obscurity, There is no mention of it in Sacred Scriptures and when we look for the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel, we find only what refers to Joseph; we find nothing explicit about Mary’s ancestry except the allusion to her descent from David. Our Lady’s origin is wrapped in silence, as was her whole life. Thus, her birth speaks to us of humility. The more we desire to grow in God’s eyes, the more we should hide ourselves from the eyes of creatures. The more we wish to do great things for God, the more we should labor in silence and obscurity.

In the Gospel the figure of Mary is, as it were, com­pletely overshadowed by that of her divine Son; the Evan­gelists tell us only what is necessary to present the Mother of the Redeemer, and in fact, she enters on the scene only when the narrative of the Incarnation of the Word begins. Mary’s life is confounded with, is lost in, the life of Jesus: truly she lived “hidden with Christ in God.” Let us note, too, that she lived in obscurity, not only during the years of her childhood, but also during the whole period of her divine maternity, yes, even during the triumphal moments in the public life of her Son, even when a certain woman, enthusiastic about the wonderful things that Jesus did, cried out in the midst of the crowd: ” Blessed is the womb that bore Thee and the breasts that nursed Thee!” (Lk 11,27).

The Feast which we celebrate today is an invitation to the hidden life, to hide ourselves with Mary in Christ, and with Christ in God. Many times it is God Himself who, through circumstances or the decisions of our superiors, makes us live in obscurity. We should be very grateful for this, and take advantage of these opportunities to make more progress in the practice of humility and self-effacement. At other times, however, God gives us responsibilities, offices, apostolic works which bring us into prominence, but even in such circumstances we should try to efface ourselves as much as possible. Certainly we must not refuse the assignment, but we should know how to withdraw as soon as our activity is no longer needed for the success of the work entrusted to us.

All the rest-praise, applause, the account of our success or the excuse for our failure-should not concern us. In the face of all this we should strive to remain wholly indifferent. An interior soul should long to hide itself as much as it can under the shadow of God, for, if it has been able to accomplish some little good, it is convinced that in reality all has been the work of God; therefore, it eagerly seeks that all may redound to His glory alone.

Let Mary’s humble, hidden life be the model of ours, and if, in emulating her, we have to struggle against the ever-recurrent tendencies to pride, let us confidently seek her maternal aid, and she will help us to triumph over all vainglory. 

Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene (Divine Intimacy)

The post Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Fi News #153 – ( 08min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

There are definite advantages having the US Delegate as the Father Guardian of a friary–here at Mt. St. Francis Hermitage, for the first time ever, we were blessed to have the investiture of the Novices on the evening of Sept 7, and then during an evening Mass on Sept 8, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one novice made his first Simple Profession and seven others renewed their vows. Friar Pedro Francesco Maria of the Holy Cross (a.k.a. Nelson Olhero) made his first profession of vows after completing a two year novitiate. Friars Gabriel, Charles, John Paul, Gregory, Felix, and Charbel renewed their vows for another year, and Friar Camillo renewed his vows up until December when he will be making his Solemn Profession. The two Postulants who were invested as Novices on the evening of Sept 7 were Fra Bernard Mary of the Cross (Andrew Kellogg ) and Fra Maximilian Mary of the Sacred Heart (Matthew Geffen). This short video is a collage of pictures taken during the ceremonies.

Audio (MP3)

+++

The post Video – FINEWS 153 – Professions at Mt. St. Francis Hermitage, 8th Sept 2015 first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Fr. Ignatius on the Birthday of Mary explains the need to honor her. This is what we should do on our mother’s birthday, give her honor. And, the best way is to pray the Rosary.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Feast
Readings: 
1st: rom 8:28-30
Resp: psa 13:6, 6 0
Gsp: mat 1:1-16, 18-23

The post Sep 08 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: Rosary on Her Birthday first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Preparatory Prayer:   We Fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God. Despise not our petitions in our necessities, and deliver us from all dangers, O ever glorious and blessed Virgin!

Meditation:   Mary is born! The dawn announcing the coming salvation of mankind is at hand. The deep significance of Mary’s birth is expressed in the words of the Church: “Thy birth, O virgin Mother of God, has brought joy to the world; for from thee is to come forth the Sun of Justice, Christ our Lord, to dispel the curse and bring the blessing, to conquer death and bring us everlasting life. On this day a light broke forth to brighten the paths of men through all time. Let us, then, rejoice in Mary’s coming.” Equally expressive and touching are the reflections of that great Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine: “The day has dawned, the long-wished for day of the blessed and venerable Virgin Mary. Well may this earth of ours rejoice and be glad for having been honored and sanctified by the birth of such a virgin.”

Practice:  Let us, then, rejoice in Mary’s coming. Let us hail the birth of her who attained the dignity of mother without losing the high privilege of a virgin. Let us imitate her holy life, that she may become our intercessor before the throne of her Son, our judge and redeemer. By becoming the Mother of God she became also our Mother. As Mother of the Redeemer she is also the Mother of the redeemed. Richard of St. Lawrence writes: “If we desire grace and help, let us have recourse to Mary and we shall obtain what we desire.” For, as St. Alphonsus remarks: “All graces and gifts which God has resolved to bestow upon us He gives us through the hands of Mary.”

Prayer of the Church:   Grant to us, Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace; that to those for whom the delivery of the Blessed Virgin was the commencement of salvation, the commemoration of her nativity may give increasing peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The post Celebrating the Birth of the Mother of God first appeared on AirMaria.com.

September 8: Feast of the Nativity of Mary

Radiant Dawn of our salvation,

Hope of life for all the earth!

Now we sing God’s new creation

On this day of such a birth.

Virgin, thou art filled with beauty;

Spot and stain are not in thee.

God has made thee perfect duly

For thy Son’s divinity.

Cry, O Blessed, to high heaven;

Sing our praise, O Spotless One!

We, thy children, are forgiven

Through thy Maker, Lord, and Son.

God has looked on thee with favor;

Generations this acclaim.

We rejoice in God thy Savior,

For with thee we praise his Name.

The post Radiant Dawn! first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria Meditations

Mary, Mother of God, you are the Virgin who is promised as the Mother of the Savior… Prophets foretold the coming of the Savior and the manner in which the redemption would take place. They spoke of you as His Virgin Mother and of the part you would play in the redemption of mankind…

Your birth was awaited as the nearest sign of the deliverance of the human race. The Church regards you as the rising dawn. As the dawn precedes and announces the coming of the sun, makes the darkness of the night disappear, consoles the sick and rejoices all nature, so you went before and announced Jesus, “the Son of Justice,” Who made the darkness of the world disappear by the light of His gospel, consoled and cured the sick in soul and body, and brought an abundance of graces and blessings to the whole world.

Mary, at the very beginning of your existence you received grace exceeding in greatness that of all of the saints because you were destined to be the Mother of the Redeemer and the Mediatrix of the world. From the first instance of your existence your mind was filled by the supernatural light of faith and your soul with love of God. Who can describe the grace that adorned your soul at the glorious instant of your nativity! Your soul had never been touched by original sin. With my whole heart, I think God for all He has done for you and for all mankind through you.

+Fr. Lawrence Lovasik S.V.D.

The post September 8th: Celebrate the Birth of Our Lady! first appeared on AirMaria.com.