Mary, The Help Of Christians - free ebook by Bonaventure Hammer

Novenas in Preparation for the Principal Feasts of the Blessed Virgin

The Sacred Heart of Mary COMPILED BY...

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REV. BONAVENTURE HAMMER, O.F.M.

NEW YORK, CINCINNATI, CHICAGO PRINTERS TO THE HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE PUBLISHERS OF BENZINGER'S MAGAZINE Imprimi Permittitur FR. CHRYSOSTOMUS THEOBALD, O.F.M., Minister Provincialis. Cincinnati, Ohio, die 30, Martii, 1908. Nihil Obstat REMY LAPORT, S.T.L., Censor Librorum. Imprimatur JOHN M. FARLEY, Archbishop of New York. NEW YORK, March 4, 1909. COPYRIGHT, 1909, BY BENZIGER BROTHERS. RULES FOR THE PROPER OBSERVANCE OF NOVENAS ON THE MANNER OF READING THE MEDITATIONS AND OBSERVING THE PRACTICES INTR

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Novenas in Preparation for the Principal Feasts of the Blessed Virgin

Hail, Virgin Most Pure!...

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Rules for the Proper Observance of Novenas

By St. Alphonsus Liguori 1. T HE soul must be in the state of grace; for the devotion of a sinful heart pleases neither God nor the saints. 2. We must persevere, that is, the prayers for each day of the novena must never be omitted. 3. If possible, we should visit a church every day, and there implore the favor we desire. 4. Every day we ought to perform certain specified acts of exterior self-denial and interior mortification, in order to prepare us thereby for the reception of grace. 5. It is

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On the Manner of Reading the Meditations and Observing the Practices

H OLY SCRIPTURE says, "Before prayer prepare thy soul; and be not as a man that tempteth God" ( Eccles. xviii. 23). Therefore place yourself in the presence of God, invoke the assistance of the Holy Ghost, and make a most sincere act of contrition for your sins. Offer up to God your will, your intellect, and your memory, so that your prayer may be pleasing to God and serve to promote your spiritual welfare. Then read the meditation slowly, reflecting on each point of the thought or mystery treat

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Mary, the Help of Christians

N O CATHOLIC denies that Our Lord Jesus Christ is the only mediator through whose merits we became reconciled to God. Nevertheless, it is a doctrine of our faith that God willingly grants us grace if the saints, and especially the Blessed Virgin Mary, the queen of saints, intercede for us. If the saints, during their life on earth, were so potent with God that through their prayers the blind obtained sight, the deaf hearing, and the dumb speech, that the sick of all conditions were healed, the d

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I. Novena in Honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Immaculate Conception INDULGENCES T O ALL the faithful who by themselves or with others, in church or at home, with at least contrite heart and devotion, shall make this novena: (1) 300 days indulgence for each of the nine days; (2) a plenary indulgence on one day of the novena or of the eight days following it. (Pius IX, January 5, 1849.) Conditions: Confession, communion, and prayer, according to the intentions of the Holy Father. Remark. —Whenever, in the following pages, an indulgence is

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Predestination of the Blessed Virgin Mary

PREPARATORY PRAYER I N THY conception, O Virgin Mary, thou wast immaculate; pray for us to the Father, whose Son Jesus, conceived in thy womb by the Holy Ghost, thou didst bring forth. Indulgence. 200 days, every time. (Pius VI, November 21, 1793.) MEDITATION H OLY Church, our Mother, purposely gathered into the season of Advent everything which might contribute to assist us in preparing for the coming of the Redeemer. Purity of heart is the most necessary and helpful requirement for receiving G

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Mary's Immaculate Conception

Preparatory Prayer (p. 51). MEDITATION A CCORDING to the definition of Pope Pius IX, the immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is that privilege by which she was preserved, in view of the merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ, from original sin in the first moment of her conception. By solemnly proclaiming the dogma of Mary's immaculate conception, the Church confirmed anew the fundamental principles of Christianity which in our times are so frequently attacked, derided, or forgotten. Go

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Mary, the Victrix of Satan

Preparatory Prayer (p. 51). MEDITATION T HE immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary inaugurated the fulfilment of the divine promise made to our first parents in paradise in the words addressed to the serpent: "I shall put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed; she shall crush thy head" ( Gen. iii. 15). Mary is the woman in whom Satan never had a part. Her intimate connection with God was announced by the angel: "Hail, full of grace; the Lord is with thee." Now

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Mary without Actual Sin

Preparatory Prayer (p. 51). MEDITATION M ARY conceived without sin is the most blessed daughter of the eternal Father, the real and true Mother of the divine Son, the elect spouse of the Holy Ghost. But in the world, in what condition do we behold her? She dwells not in a splendid palace; she is not surrounded by a retinue of servants ready at every moment to do her bidding; she is not exempt from trials and suffering. On the contrary, she is poor; she lives in obscurity, and suffered so much on

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Mary, Full of Grace

Preparatory Prayer (p. 51). MEDITATION S ATAN'S relation to God as His child was severed by sin. The beautiful image of God imprinted on man's soul was disfigured by it. But with the immaculate conception of Mary, a being full of grace, an object of God's supreme complacency entered this world. After the lapse of four thousand years God, in His wisdom, power, and love, for the first time again created a human being in that state in which He had originally created our first parents. Mary, from th

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Mary, Our Refuge

Preparatory Prayer (p. 51). MEDITATION W E CARRY the precious treasure of sanctifying grace in a frail vessel. Our inclination to evil remains with us, and continues to impel us to that which is forbidden. On whom shall we call for aid? Call on Mary! She is conceived without sin. She, the lily among thorns, who never lost God's friendship, is our advocate. Let her, who was found worthy to become the Mother of our Redeemer, inspire you with trust and confidence. The Church invokes her as the refu

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Mary, the Mother of Chastity

Preparatory Prayer (p. 51). MEDITATION H OLY Scripture and the Fathers agree in the statement that the Blessed Virgin Mary made the vow of perpetual virginity. For when the Archangel Gabriel brought God's message to the immaculate spouse of St. Joseph, that she was to become the Mother of the Most High, she asked, "How shall this be done, because I know not man?" ( Luke i. 34.) Indeed, Mary would not have been, in the full and most excellent sense of the word, the "Virgin of virgins," had she no

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The Image of the Immaculate Conception

Preparatory Prayer (p. 51). MEDITATION C HRISTIAN art represents the Immaculate Conception as follows: The Blessed Virgin appears standing on a globe, about which is coiled a serpent holding an apple in its mouth. One of Mary's feet rests upon the serpent, the other is placed on the moon. Her eyes are raised toward heaven; her hands are either joined in prayer, or she holds a lily in her right, and places the left on her breast. Her dress is white; her ample mantle is of blue color. A crown of t

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The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Preparatory Prayer (p. 51). MEDITATION E ARLY in the Christian era the feast of Mary's immaculate conception was observed in several countries. St. Anselm, Bishop of Canterbury, introduced it in England. A great number of Popes favored the doctrine of Mary's absolute sinlessness, and the adversaries of the Immaculate Conception were bidden to be silent and not publicly assert or defend their view. In 1477, Pope Sixtus IV prescribed the feast of the Immaculate Conception to be observed in the who

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II. Novena in Honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Presentation of Mary in the Temple...

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The Birth of Mary

PREPARATORY PRAYER W E 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 M ARY 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 c

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Mary, the Elect of God

Preparatory Prayer (p. 74). MEDITATION W E FIND the explanation of the great prerogatives and privileges which God bestowed upon the Blessed Virgin Mary by reflecting on her singular and glorious predestination. From all eternity she was predestined to become the Mother of His divine Son; therefore, says Pope Pius IX, God loved her above all created beings, and in His special predilection made her the object of His divine complacency. With singular appropriateness we may apply to her the words o

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Mary, the Child of Royalty

Preparatory Prayer (p. 74). MEDITATION A CCORDING to her lineage, as traced in two Gospels, Mary numbers among her paternal and maternal ancestors the holiest and most renowned personages of the Old Testament. We find amongst them Abraham, the friend of God, the father of Israel and of all the faithful; then David, the man after God's own heart, the inspired Royal Prophet; and Solomon, the wise and mighty king, and the whole line of the kings of Juda. On her mother's side she belonged to the tri

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Mary, the Child of Pious Parents

Preparatory Prayer (p. 74). MEDITATION T RADITION tells us that Mary's parents were called Joachim and Anna. The holy Fathers rival each other in praising the virtue of this holy couple. St. Epiphanius writes: "Joachim and Anna were pleasing in the sight of God because of the holiness of their lives." St. Andrew of Crete remarks: "Joachim was eminent for the mildness and fortitude of his character. The law of God was his rule of life. He was just, and never relaxed in the fervor of his love of G

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Mary's Supernatural Prerogatives

Preparatory Prayer (p. 74). MEDITATION M ARY was the masterpiece of God's creation; her soul was the most perfect ever dwelling in a human body. A pious tradition tells us that she possessed the use of reason much earlier than other children. Her intellect was illuminated by supernatural light; her will was exempt from concupiscence. Being preserved from original sin, she surpassed in holiness, from the first moment of her existence, all angels and men. She possessed all virtues in the highest d

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Mary, the Joy of the Most Holy Trinity

Preparatory Prayer (p. 74). MEDITATION I N THE child Mary the eternal Father beheld His unsullied glorious image, which image had been defaced in all other human beings by original and actual sin. What a joy to Him to behold this stainless, immaculate child! And how great must have been the joy of the Son of God at the birth of her who was to be His Mother! From her He was to take that sacred body in which He was to dwell on earth, the blood of which He was to shed on the cross for our redemptio

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The Angels Rejoice at Mary's Birth

Preparatory Prayer (p. 74). MEDITATION D ESCRIBING God's power and wisdom as shown in creation, Holy Scripture, according to the explanation of the Fathers, introduces Him as saying, "When the morning stars praised me together, and all the sons of God made a joyful melody" ( Job xxxviii. 7), and by these words intends to convey with what joy the angels praised God's omnipotence on beholding the wonders of creation. What, then, must have been their joy on beholding this new wonder of divine power

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The Joy of the Just in Limbo at Mary's Birth

Preparatory Prayer (p. 74). MEDITATION F OR four thousand years the just in limbo sighed for redemption, and sent up to Heaven the plaintive cry, "O that Thou wouldst rend the heavens, and wouldst come down!" ( Is. xiv. 1.) "Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just; let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour" ( Is. xlv. 8). What joy must have filled the souls of the just when they heard the welcome tidings of the birth of Mary, the virgin Mother of the promise

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The Holy Name of Mary

Preparatory Prayer (p. 74). MEDITATION S T. ALPHONSUS writes of the name of Mary: "This name was neither invented on earth, nor imposed by human agency. It came from heaven and was given to the Mother of God by divine command." Just as it is a peculiar glory of our Saviour's name, that "God hath given Him a name which is above all names, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth" ( Philipp. ii. 9), thus it also behooves that Mary,

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III Novena for the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Annunciation...

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The Annunciation

PREPARATORY PRAYER M Y QUEEN, my Mother, remember I am thine own. Keep me, guard me, as thy property and possession! Indulgence. 40 days, every time. (Pius IX, August 5, 1851.) MEDITATION A T NAZARETH, a mountain village in Judea, lived poor and in obscurity Mary, the virgin selected by God to become the Mother of His Son. On March 25th she was in prayer in her chamber, and perhaps sent up to heaven the yearning petition, "Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just;

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The Import of the Angel's Salutation

Preparatory Prayer (p. 95). MEDITATION "H AIL, full of grace!" Mary was greeted as full of grace by the Giver of grace Himself. The angel's salutation meant: "The grace of God has preserved thee from all sin. Neither the stain of original sin, nor the guilt of actual sin, ever obscured the mirror of thy soul. By the special favor of God the most sublime virtues were infused into thy soul." "The Lord is with thee." From all eternity the Lord was with Mary. He was with her not only as He is with H

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The Effect of the Angel's Salutation

Preparatory Prayer (p. 95). MEDITATION T HE effect of the angel's salutation on Mary was striking. Imbued with sentiments quite different from ours, she was troubled at the praise addressed to her. Meanwhile she is silent and considers within herself what might be the meaning of these words. And now the angel calls her by name, saying, "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus. He s

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Mary's Question

Preparatory Prayer (p. 95). MEDITATION W ELL versed as Mary was in Holy Scripture, she fully understood the words she had heard and knew their great import. She was destined to become the Mother of the Most High, the Son of God. But there is an obstacle which prevents her from giving immediate assent. She has solemnly vowed her virginity to God. Not knowing how the mystery announced to her was to be accomplished, and intent above all on keeping inviolate her vow, she interrupts her silence by th

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The Solution

Preparatory Prayer (p. 95). MEDITATION T HE angel explains to Mary how, without detriment to her virginity, she will become a mother. He says, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" ( Luke i. 35). St. Bernard remarks: "Let him who can, comprehend it. Who, but that most happy Virgin who was worthy to experience the influence and effect of the power of the Mo

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Mary's Consent

Preparatory Prayer (p. 95). MEDITATION W E ADMIRE the creative word of God, by which heaven and earth were called into existence. But Mary's word, "Be it done to me according to thy word," is even mightier and more efficacious; for it commands the obedience even of the almighty Creator. Without this word of humility and obedience the incarnation of our divine Saviour would not have been accomplished. Mary does not say, "I accept the proposal, I agree to the proposition," nor does she use other w

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Mary's Fortitude in Suffering

Preparatory Prayer (p. 95). MEDITATION A LTHOUGH Mary's consent was free, and freely given, she was clearly convinced and perfectly conscious of the responsibility, the obligations, and the duties involved by that consent, and which she now assumed. Great are the duties and tearful the days of a mother who has to raise her Son, who is also God, to be sacrificed on the cross. Mary assumes with the dignity this responsibility. She consents to conceive the Son of God, to give birth to Him, to nouri

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Mary, the Mother of God

Preparatory Prayer (p. 95). MEDITATION M ARY'S true greatness consists in her having been chosen the Mother of God. This sublime dignity, pre-eminently her own and shared by no other creature, elevates her to a station inconceivably exalted. Mother of God! St. Peter Damian thus gives expression to his conception of this dignity: "In what words may mortal man be permitted to pronounce the praises of her who brought forth that divine Word who lives for all eternity? Where can a tongue be found hol

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Mary, Our Mother

Preparatory Prayer (p. 95). MEDITATION M ARY could not consent to become the Mother of the Redeemer without including in her consent those to be redeemed. "She bore one man," says St. Antonine, "and thereby has borne all men again. Beneath the cross of her divine Son she has reborne us to life with great pain, just as Eve our first mother, has borne us under the tree of forbidden fruit unto death. That there be no doubt concerning it, her divine Son made this declaration in His last will." "When

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IV Novena in Honor of the Seven Sorrows of Mary

Mary, the Mother of Sorrows NOTE.—Besides the indulgences granted for every novena in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Pius IX, Pope Leo XIII, January 27, 1888, granted that all the faithful may gain, on the third Sunday in September , being the second feast of the Seven Sorrows of Mary (the other is observed on the Friday before Palm Sunday), a plenary indulgence as often as they visit, after confession and communion, a church where the Archconfraternity of the Seven Sorrows is canonically e

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Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary

PREPARATORY PRAYER B ID me bear, O Mother blessed, On my heart the wounds impressed Suffered by the Crucified! Indulgence. 300 days, once a day. A plenary indulgence, on any one day, in each month, to those who shall have practised this devotion for a month, saying besides seven Hail Marys, followed each time by the above invocation. Conditions: Confession, communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Pope. (Pius IX, June 18, 1876.) MEDITATION F ROM the dolorous way of Our Lord's

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Mary's First Sorrow: Simeon's Prophecy in the Temple

Simeon's prophecy Preparatory Prayer (p. 115). MEDITATION F ORTY days after the birth of our divine Saviour, Mary His Mother fulfilled the law of Moses by offering Him to His divine Father in the Temple. "And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was in Him. And he received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came by the

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Mary's Second Sorrow: The Flight into Egypt

The flight into Egypt Preparatory Prayer (p. 115). MEDITATION F OR the second time the sword of sorrow pierced Mary's heart when she was commanded to fly into Egypt with her divine Child. Without manifesting undue perplexity or discontent, she hastily gathered a few necessaries for the journey, while St. Joseph saddled the beast of burden. Then taking the infant Jesus into her arms and pressing Him to her throbbing heart, the holy pilgrims set forth into the cold, starry night, away to a foreign

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Mary's Third Sorrow: Jesus Lost in Jerusalem

The Child Jesus is found in the temple Preparatory Prayer (p. 115). MEDITATION W HO can describe Mary's sorrow when, returning from Jerusalem, she missed her divine Son? With St. Joseph she retraced her steps in anxious search of Him whom her soul loved. She went to all her relatives and acquaintances in Jerusalem, but heard no tidings of her lost Child. She passed three long days of anxiety in her search, and this constitutes her third sorrow. Of it, Origen writes: "On account of the ineffable

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Mary's Fourth Sorrow: She Meets Jesus Carrying His Cross

Preparatory Prayer (p. 115). MEDITATION T HE time was at hand when mankind's redemption was to be accomplished. Already the divine Victim of our sins is bearing the instrument of our salvation. Torn by the cruel scourging, crowned with thorns, and covered with blood He proceeds on His way to Calvary, and in this pitiful condition meets His blessed Mother. What a spectacle, what a sight for a Mother such as Mary! Anxious to look upon her, and with one fond glance to thank her for her heroic, unse

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Mary's Fifth Sorrow: Beneath the Cross

Preparatory Prayer (p. 115). MEDITATION A T THE crucifixion of Jesus the soul of Mary was plunged into a sea of sorrow when she stood three hours under the cross. Writhing in excruciating pain, the Son of God hung upon the tree of disgrace and infamy, yet Mary continued to stand at its foot, tearful, grieving, yet persevering, filled with anguish because she could do nothing to help Him. Another great sorrow befell the heart of Mary when she slowly withdrew her tearful gaze from the face of Jesu

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Mary's Sixth Sorrow: The Taking Down of Jesus' Body from the Cross

Jesus' body is taken down from the cross Preparatory Prayer (p. 115). MEDITATION W HO can describe the sorrow and anguish of Mary's heart when the body of Jesus was taken from the cross, when her tearful eyes fell upon His disfigured features! The pure and holy and beauteous form of her Son was a mass of clotted blood and unsightly wounds; and yet, disfigured as it was, there shone in His countenance a clear, calm expression of divine majesty. Now Mary views the wounds of that sacred body; she l

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Mary's Seventh Sorrow: Jesus is Buried

Preparatory Prayer (p. 115). MEDITATION T HE sacrifice for the redemption of the world was accomplished. "And Joseph, taking the body, wrapt it up in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new monument, which he had hewed out in a rock. And he rolled a great stone to the door of the monument, and went his way" ( Matt. xxvii. 59). Mary also took part in the burial of her beloved Son, though the evangelists do not mention her name amongst those who were present on that mournful occasion. Neve

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Reasons Why Mary Had to Suffer

Preparatory Prayer (p. 115). MEDITATION T HE reasons why God permitted Mary to suffer so much may be briefly stated as follows: He did so from His love for Mary and from His love for us. He did so from His love for Mary, because by suffering she merited greater glory in heaven. As Mother of the Crucified she persevered beneath the cross, and now she thrones in heaven as the glorious Mother of the risen Redeemer. Because she shared in His suffering, she now shares His glory. Again, God permitted

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V Novena for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Assumption...

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Mary's Death was without Pain

Mary's Death PREPARATORY PRAYER O MARY, Virgin most blessed and Mother of Our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ, through thy mercy I beseech thee to come to my aid, and to inspire me with such confidence in thy power, that I may have recourse to thee, pray to thee, and implore thy aid in all needs of soul and body. MEDITATION M ARY, the virgin Mother of God, was conceived without original sin. She never dimmed the luster of sanctifying grace which beautified her soul by actual sin. Nevertheless she

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At Mary's Tomb

Preparatory Prayer (p. 133). MEDITATION A N ANCIENT legend relates that, led by Heaven, all the Apostles, except St. Thomas, assembled at the Blessed Virgin's death-bed. After she had breathed forth her pure spirit, her sacred remains were prepared for the grave by wrapping the body in new white linen and decking it with flowers. Meanwhile the apostles, assembled in another room, sang psalms and hymns in praise of their departed Mother. The apostles, all the disciples, and the faithful dwelling

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The Empty Tomb

Preparatory Prayer (p. 133). MEDITATION S T. JOHN DAMASCENE writes: "St. Thomas was not with the other apostles when the Blessed Virgin died, but arrived in Jerusalem on the third day after that event. Ardently desiring to see once more and to venerate the sacred body which had given flesh and blood to his beloved Master, the grave was opened for this purpose. The body could nowhere be seen, and a delicious perfume filled the empty tomb. The apostles then became convinced that as God had preserv

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Reasons for the Bodily Assumption of Mary into Heaven

Preparatory Prayer (p. 133). MEDITATION 1. T HE wages of sin is death. Now, as the Blessed Virgin from the first moment of her existence was preserved from all sin, and even from original sin, it necessarily follows that death could have no permanent dominion over her, and that her body would not be permitted to see corruption. 2. This sinless body had been the medium by which the body of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was the conqueror of death, had been formed. How, then, could such a highly privi

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Mary's Glorious Entrance into Heaven

Preparatory Prayer (p. 133). MEDITATION A JOY greater than human heart can conceive fills the heavenly spirits when a soul enters heaven to receive her reward. What jubilant transports, then, must those have been with which they hailed the entrance into heavenly bliss of the most pure and holy Virgin, the Mother of the Son of God, body and soul, transfigured in glory! And she is, and shall be, for all eternity, their mistress and queen! What an ineffable joy, too, for the Blessed Virgin, to beho

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Mary Crowned in Heaven

The coronation of the Blessed Virgin Preparatory Prayer (p. 133). MEDITATION M ARY'S glory received its culmination by her coronation as queen of heaven and earth. It was meet that in her should be fulfilled the words of Holy Scripture: "Come from Libanus, my Spouse, come, thou shalt be crowned" ( Cant. iv. 8), and that her own prophetic words, "He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble" ( Luke i. 52), should be exemplified in her. For it was reasonable and becomin

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Mary's Bliss in Heaven

Preparatory Prayer (p. 133). MEDITATION A CCORDING to Holy Scripture and the doctrine of the Church, there are in heaven various grades of glory and bliss, according to the rank and merit of the saints. They probably attain this higher grade of glory and bliss by the increase of their ability to enjoy the happiness of heaven. Their intellect is enabled to contemplate more profoundly the incomprehensible essence of God; their power of perception is augmented so that they may more readily recogniz

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Mary, the Queen of Mercy

Preparatory Prayer (p. 133). MEDITATION M ARY is, then, a queen, but—what a consolation to know it!—a queen always mild and gentle, always willing to confer benefits upon us. Hence the Church teaches us to call her the Mother of mercy. The pious and learned author Gerson says: "God's dominion comprises justice and mercy. He divided it, retaining the administration of justice for Himself, and relinquishing, in a certain sense, the dispensation of mercy to Mary, by conferring through her hands all

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Mary in Heaven, the Help of Christians on Earth

Preparatory Prayer (p. 133). MEDITATION M ARY'S help as Mother of mercy is not confined to individuals. She is the protectress and helper of the whole Church. All over the earth, wherever we cast our glance, in the records of the history of times long past and those of recent occurrence, we find testimony of the graces and benefits obtained through her intercession. The feasts celebrated by the Church throughout the year, what are they but evidences of gratitude offered to the queen of heaven fo

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