For from Christ’s fullness
We have all received,
grace upon grace”
(John 1:16, ESV)
The NASB translates the verse the same way.
The NIV translates the verse
“Out of his fullness we have all received
grace
in place of grace already given.”
Christ (the Word)
has been the focus of John chapter 1. In verse 14
we read,
“And the Word became flesh
and
dwelt among us,
and
we have seen his glory,
glory as of the
only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.”
The fact that Jesus was
“full of
grace and truth”
is the key concept addressed in verses 16–17. Verse 15
is a parenthetical aside.
To get a better understanding of the force of
John’s argument,
we can read verses 14 and 16–17 together, without verse 15:
“And the
Word became flesh
and
DWELT among us,
and we
have Seen his Glory,
Glory as of the
Only Son from the Father,
Full of
Grace and Truth. . . .
For from his fullness we have
ALL received,
Grace upon Grace.
For the law was given through
Moses;
Grace and Truth
came
THROUGH
Jesus Christ
Jesus is full of GRACE,
and
John says that, FROM that fullness,
we
(John, his original readers,
and the rest of US WHO have TRUSTED in CHRIST)
have received
GRACE and MORE GRACE
One hallmark of any interaction with Jesus is grace. Christians receive grace and then more grace—grace served on top of grace—grace and then, in place of that, more grace. The point is that Christ is full of grace, and those who know Him get showered with grace.
The Amplified Bible translates John 1:16 this way: “Out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift].” What’s abundantly clear is that, when we come to Christ, He dishes out grace in heaping, huge servings.
In John 1:17 Christ is contrasted with Moses and the law. Of course, the law and God’s dealings with Israel did involve grace and truth, but the emphasis was more on obedience and punishment. In the New Testament, law is often contrasted with grace.
The Law emphasized
God’s
Divine Standards
And the Inability of Fallen mankind
to meet them,
While GRACE RESCUES
Fallen Humanity
From deserved punishment
The law pinpoints the problem,
and
Grace Fixes the problem
Romans 5:20–21 says the same thing in a slightly different way:
“The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase.
But where sin increased,
GRACE INCREASED all the MORE,
so that,
Just as sin reigned in DEATH,
so
ALSO GRACE might
REIGN THROUGH
RIGHTEOUSNESS
TO BRING ETERNAL
LIFE
TROUGH
Jesus CHRIST our Lord.”
The events
that happened on the road to Damascus
relate not only to the apostle Paul,
whose dramatic
conversion occurred there,
but they also provide
a clear picture of the conversion
of all people.
While some have an extraordinarily dramatic conversion known as a “Damascus Road experience,” the conversion of all believers follows a similar pattern of Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus, described in Paul’s own words in
Acts 9:1–9; Acts 22:6–11; and Acts 26:9–20.
Putting the three accounts together, the details of this amazing experience come together. Paul, who went by the name of Saul at that time, was on his way to Damascus with a letter from the high priest of the temple in Jerusalem giving him authority to arrest any who belonged to “the Way,” meaning those who followed Christ. So intent was he on “opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 26:9) that in “raging fury,” he breathed “threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.”
Here was a man who
truly
hated Christ and all who were
associated with Him.
Suddenly a bright light shone on Saul, causing his entire party to fall to the ground. Then Jesus spoke to Saul, asking him, “Why are you persecuting me?” in a voice understood only by him. Saul recognized that this was a deity of some sort because he called Him “Lord” and asked who He was. When Jesus identified Himself as the very One Saul had been persecuting, one can only imagine the terror that filled Saul’s heart. Saul was speechless, no doubt thinking to himself, “I’m a dead man.” The Acts 22 version of the story indicates that Saul’s response was to ask what Jesus wanted him to do. The Acts 9 and Acts 22 retellings of the story have Saul saying Jesus told him to rise and go to Damascus where he would be told what to do.
In the Acts 26 story, which is longer and more detailed, Saul describes Jesus’ commission of him as His messenger to the Gentiles (which must have amazed Saul, the ultimate Gentile-hating Pharisee), to turn many from darkness to the light and from the power of Satan to God. His message of forgiveness of sins and “a place among those who are sanctified by faith” must have also astonished Saul because the Jews were convinced they alone had the place of honor in God’s eyes.
There is no discrepancy or contradiction among these three accounts. Even though Saul received his commission from Jesus on the road, he still had to go into Damascus and be told what to do—meet with Ananias who laid hands on him, receive the Holy Spirit, be baptized, and be received by the disciples there (Acts 9:15–16, 19; 22:12–16). At Damascus, he also went for three days without eating or drinking, and then received his sight, which had been taken from him on the road.
The phrase “Damascus Road experience” is used to describe a conversion which is dramatic and startling. Many people receive Christ in a life-changing, instantaneous experience, although many others describe their conversion as more of a gradual understanding of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But both types of experiences have several things in common. First, salvation is of the Lord, by His will and according to His plan and purpose (Acts 22:14). As He does one way or another to each of us, Jesus made it clear to Saul that he had gone his own way for long enough. Now he was to become an instrument in the hands of the Master to do His will as He had foreordained it.
Second, the response of both Saul and all those who are redeemed by Christ is the same: “What do you want me to do?” Like Saul, we do not bargain, negotiate, question, or come halfway. The response of the redeemed is obedience. When God truly touches our hearts, our only response can be, “Lord, may your will be done and may you use me to do it.” Such was the experience of Saul on the Damascus Road.
Saul’s dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus was the beginning of an incredible journey. And while not all conversions are as startling as Saul’s, each of us is commissioned by Jesus to live in obedience to Him (John 14:15), love one another in His name (1 John 2:23), “know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” (Philippians 3:10), and tell the world of the wonderful riches in Christ.
Hebrews 5:8–10 says,
“Son though he was, [Jesus] learned obedience
from what he suffered and, once made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation
for all who obey him and was designated by God
to be high priest
in the order of Melchizedek.”
As with any passage, context is essential for understanding these verses.
The entire epistle explains to the Hebrews their own Scriptures. The writer takes them from what they knew—the Old Testament, especially the Law of Moses—to what they had not known until now, the revelation of how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament and brought them into a New Covenant with God (Hebrews 8:1–13; 9:15). The context of chapters 4 through 10 explains how the Levitical priesthood and temple are no longer on earth but in heaven and how Jesus serves as our perfect, final, and eternal high priest.
The immediate context runs from Hebrews 4:14 through 5:10 and deals with Jesus’ qualifications to serve as the one and only High Priest in heaven for all people, for all time. Here (and elsewhere in Hebrews) we learn that Jesus was fully divine yet fully human and that He was without sin yet experienced temptation and human weakness. Because of Jesus’ unique nature and experience, He can fully relate to our struggles as He performs the priestly duties required by the Law for the forgiveness of our sins.
Focusing on Hebrews 5:8—an inseparable part of one sentence running for three verses—we have an extremely condensed version of Jesus’ life on earth. He was the infinite Son of God who nevertheless experienced the limits of space and time and life as we do. God could have created a fully grown adult body for Jesus as He did for Adam and rushed Him to the cross, but He didn’t. Instead, Jesus left heaven, entered time (Philippians 2:5–8), and experienced for Himself ordinary human life from birth to adulthood to death. Learning and suffering and death are part of the life experience for all people, and God ensured that His own Son would be no exception. As God, Jesus did not need to learn anything, especially obedience; yet, at His incarnation, Jesus limited Himself to the human experience. He chose the weak position of having to learn and grow (Luke 2:52).
Jesus “learned obedience” not in the sense that He was prone to disobedience and had to bring rebelliousness under control, but in the sense that He fully entered the human experience. As a child, He obeyed His parents (Luke 2:51); as an adult, He obeyed the Law (Matthew 5:17) and fulfilled all righteousness (Matthew 3:15). All His life, Jesus completely fulfilled the Father’s will (John 8:29; 15:10; Hebrews 10:9). He knew what obedience was prior to His incarnation, of course, but He “learned” obedience on earth by experiencing it. In every situation, no matter how difficult, the Son was obedient to the Father: “The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. I offered my back to those who beat me” (Isaiah 50:5–6).
Jesus learned
obedience
“from what He suffered.”
As the divine
Son of God,
Jesus did not have to suffer,
but as the
Son of Man suffering
was
required
to
learn obedience
The Greek word used in Hebrews 5:8 for “suffered” usually refers to enduring unpleasant experiences like disease (Mark 5:26) or persecution (Acts 8:1). But it often also implies enduring a challenging process that transforms the sufferer (Romans 5:3; 2 Corinthians 1:3–9). That is the sense in which the word is used in Hebrews 5:8 (see also Hebrews 2:10). Jesus chose to endure an unpleasant, challenging process because it was the will of His Father for His brief time on earth. After that process Jesus had been “made perfect.” It is crucial to note that perfect here means “complete,” as in finishing a full course of training or education—or, in Jesus’ case, He finished an altogether righteous human life and had a complete understanding of human frailty and suffering. It was Christ’s total human obedience, coming through extreme suffering, that qualifies Him to be our eternal High Priest, “now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death” (Hebrews 2:9).
Having been “perfected,” not morally but in relation to His ministry as our Savior, Jesus is qualified to be “the source [or author] of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (Hebrews 5:9). Jesus’ high priesthood is not a temporal Levitical priesthood but is everlasting, “in the order of Melchizedek” (verse 10).
The astonishing eternal results of the process Jesus endured are expounded on throughout the Bible but beautifully wrapped up in this passage:
“Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness;
but the oath, which came after the law,
appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever”
(Hebrews 7:23–28).
The author of Hebrews
writes to inform readers of
the superiority of Jesus and to urge them to
follow Him closely.
In Hebrews 4:16 the author explains that we can come boldly to the throne of grace: “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” So, following Jesus is about confidence, not timidity. The author explains how: because of Jesus, our High Priest.
Jesus is described as a
merciful and faithful high priest
in Hebrews 2:17,
and He accomplished propitiation for sin (or the satisfaction of God’s wrath because of sin). In the Mosaic Law, the high priest would intercede on behalf of the people and was at least a symbolic head of the current priestly administration (Numbers 25, 28). The priest would bring sacrifices to God on behalf of the people of Israel and would do so repeatedly, as the law prescribed. While ordinarily the high priest would bring the sacrifice, Jesus Himself was the sacrifice. His personal sacrifice was an incredible act of mercy, and He could be the sacrifice because He had become like those for whom He was giving Himself up (Hebrews 2:17). Because of Jesus the High Priest, we can come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). Elsewhere in the epistle, Jesus is the “High Priest of our confession” (Hebrews 3:1). Jesus is a trustworthy high priest, as God the Father counted Him faithful (Hebrews 3:2). If the Father counts Him as faithful, then we can, too.
In the Mosaic Law, that which was sacrificed died, and so new sacrifices were necessary to (temporarily) cover sin. But Jesus as high priest brought a different kind of sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed Himself, and He was resurrected and ascended into heaven (Hebrews 4:14)—another evidence that He is faithful and had the ability to accomplish salvation for all who would believe in Him. Because of Him we can come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). He is a high priest who sympathizes with our weakness (He knows our weaknesses because He became like us when He became a man)—He even has been tempted in all things as we have, yet He remained sinless (Hebrews 4:15).
Because Jesus was a man, He could be our substitution—He could stand in our place to pay the price for sin: death. None of us can finish paying the price because our debt is so great and we have nothing left with which to pay it. He could pay the price in our place as a man. Because Jesus was God, He had no sin of His own and He could arise from the grave showing that He conquered sin and death. His one-time sacrifice was enough (Hebrews 9:26). Because of Him we can now come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16)—not on our own merits, bringing our own sacrifice—but on His merit and His sacrifice. Now that He has made it possible for us to come to God, we come to Him by faith—for “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6).
Because of what Jesus has done for us, we can come boldly and with confidence to the throne of grace—it is no longer a throne of judgment for us; rather, it is where we have
received forgiveness in mercy and righteousness in grace.
Jesus, our High Priest, intercedes on our behalf
even today (Romans 8:34). Not only can we come boldly to the throne of grace for forgiveness and salvation (Hebrews 4:16), but we can also come to that same throne in prayer knowing that we are no longer enemies of God but beloved children who can call Him “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:15).
There is every evidence from Scripture that, before He began His ministry, Jesus was employed as a carpenter. His earthly father, Joseph, was also a carpenter, which means that Jesus was likely His father’s apprentice. It is bizarre to think that God Incarnate was taught to build things by a human man, but it seems that in this, as in all other aspects of His earthly life, Jesus submitted Himself to the humility of being fully human (Philippians 2:6–8).
People called Jesus a carpenter (Mark 6:3), and He was known as a carpenter’s son (Matthew 13:55). There is some evidence that the Greek word used for “carpenter” (tekton) could also be translated more broadly as “artisan,” “contractor,” or “handyman.” It is possible, therefore, that Jesus and Joseph were the sort of men you call when something needs to be fixed—be it made of wood, stone, or something else. It is also possible that they acted as civil engineers, even designing bridges or other structures that were needed by the people of the town. This throws an interesting light on Jesus’ later comments about the temple. As they were going past the temple, His disciples, perhaps knowing of His interests and past profession, pointed out the grandeur of the great buildings. Jesus told His disciples that those structures would all be thrown down (Mark 13:2). In addition to being a prophecy, Jesus’ words were perhaps a reminder of the importance of the spiritual over the physical.
Jesus made a prophecy that the Jews would destroy the temple and that He would raise it up again in three days. By this, He was referring to His resurrection (John 2:19–21). Looking back on that statement after His death and resurrection, the disciples believed in Him (verse 22). The night of His arrest, Jesus told His disciples of a future building project of His: “I go and prepare a place for you” (John 14:3). The Son of God and the Carpenter of Nazareth is right now building His church (Matthew 16:18) and preparing an eternal dwelling place for all who trust in Him.
The Four Horsemen
correspond with the first four seals opened by the Lamb as He opens the scroll of judgment in heaven (see Revelation 5). When the Lamb opens the first seal, one of the living creatures before the heavenly throne says to John, in a voice like thunder, “Come!” (Revelation 6:1). John then records what he sees: “I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest” (Revelation 6:2).
The first Horseman likely refers to the Antichrist. He is the false imitator of the true Christ, who is also associated with a white horse (Revelation 19:11–16). At the beginning of the tribulation, the Antichrist will be given authority (“a crown”), and he will wage war (“a bow”), conquering all who oppose him. This description agrees with Daniel’s vision of the “little horn” that rises to power and is bent on conquest: “This horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them” (Daniel 7:21; cf. Revelation 13:7).
When the Lamb opens the second seal, the second living creature says, “Come!” (Revelation 6:3). John looks and dutifully records what he sees: “Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword” (Revelation 6:4). The second Horseman refers to terrible warfare that will break out in the end times. Those wars will include the Antichrist’s rise to power, which requires the downfall of three other kings (Daniel 7:8), and possibly the Battle of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38—39).
The Lamb then opens the third seal, and the third living creature invites John to “Come!” (Revelation 6:5). The third Horseman then appears: “There before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!’” (Revelation 6:5–6). The third Horseman of the Apocalypse portrays a great famine that will take place. Food is scarce, and prices are inflated beyond reason. The command to spare the oil and the wine seems to signify that the luxuries (oil and wine) will still be available during the famine, but the staples will not.
When the Lamb breaks open the fourth seal, the fourth living creature says, “Come!” (Revelation 6:7). John says, “I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8). The fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse is symbolic of death and devastation. The horse’s pale color (in the original language, it’s literally “pale green” or “yellowish green”) denotes sickliness and biliousness. The fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse will bring further warfare and terrible famines along with awful plagues, diseases, and attacks by wild animals. A fourth of the world’s population will die.
What is most amazing, or perhaps terrifying, is that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are just precursors of even worse judgments that come later in the tribulation (Revelation chapters 8—9 and 16). For all the horror brought by the Four Horsemen, there is much more to come.
In his vision of judgment upon the wicked, the apostle John tells us that Jesus is returning on a white horse: “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war” (Revelation 19:11; see Psalm 45). Most Bible scholars are of the opinion that this passage is not referring to the Rapture, but rather to Jesus’ coming to earth with His saints at the end of the Tribulation.
The horse’s white color represents purity or victory (cf. Revelation 7:14-15), for this rider is holy and goes forth to be the triumphant conqueror. During ancient times, victorious Roman generals entered their conquered cities in chariots drawn by white horses. The entire setting of this verse implies victory over Christ’s enemies. As such, the word white indicates triumph, a successful war.
What a vivid contrast
we see in Jesus’ return with all His angels
(Matthew 25:31),
as compared to His entry to Jerusalem upon a donkey
(Matthew 21:7-9)!
He is no longer riding a humble donkey.
Jesus will return on a fiery white charger,
bringing judgment, just as He had promised
(Matthew 25:31-33).
Also by way of contrast, when He was on earth, Jesus was abandoned by His followers (Mark 14:50). Revelation 19 reveals the armies of heaven following Him in conquest. He is not returning to speak “gracious words” (Luke 4:22) but the words of righteous judgment (Isaiah 11:4). Jesu
The name Faithful and True expresses the total trustworthiness, reliability, and constancy of Jesus Christ. The title reveals His character and makes known His words and works.
In Revelation 19:11, John sees a vision of Jesus as the exalted King of kings leaving heaven to return to earth: “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.” This picture of Christ’s second coming at the end of the age shows Jesus no longer as the peaceful, humble servant riding on a lowly donkey (John 12:12–15). Now He is the victorious King, charging forth like a conquering war general, leading His troops into battle (Revelation 19:14).
In this vivid portrayal, John identifies Jesus by four different titles, beginning with Faithful and True. It is the first and only time this name of Jesus appears in Scripture. The second title is unknown to us (Revelation 19:12); the third is the Word of God (verse 13); the fourth is King of kings and Lord of lords (verse 16).
The word for “Faithful” in the original language means “characterized by steadfast affection or allegiance,” and the word translated “True” means “truthful or characterized by expressing the truth.” The nature of Jesus Christ—His whole being—exudes faithfulness and truth. Earlier, in Revelation 3:14, Jesus called Himself the “faithful and true witness” in His letter to the church in Laodicea. Faithful and True is who Jesus Christ is.
In His first coming to earth, Jesus proved Himself to be faithful to the mission and will of God His Father: “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4; see also John 5:30; Hebrews 3:6; Luke 4:43). Never once did the Lord give in to the temptation to sin (Hebrews 4:15–16), from the time Satan tempted Him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11; Mark 1:12–13; Luke 4:1–13) until His death on the cross (Matthew 16:21–23; 26:36–44; Mark 8:31–33; 14:32–42; Luke 22:40–46).
From the day Isaiah foretold His coming, Christ’s faithfulness was known (Isaiah 11:5; 42:3). As a young man (Luke 2:49) and throughout His ministry, Jesus was a faithful and obedient servant to His Father God (John 4:34; 6:38; 8:29; 12:27; 14:31). Jesus is consistently the same “yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Others will wear out, change, or perish, but Jesus Christ remains the same for all eternity (Hebrews 1:11–12).
Jesus, who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life,” is the very embodiment of truth (John 14:6). He came from His Father “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). And His promise of eternal life is true: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24, ESV; see also John 6:47).
Because of the fidelity inherent in His character, Jesus is faithful toward His followers in every circumstance. “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself,” declares 2 Timothy 2:13 (see also Matthew 28:20; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Hebrews 10:23).
Faithful and True is a fitting title for Jesus Christ our King, and He calls His followers to emulate His faithfulness and truth (Revelation 14:12; Hebrews 10:23). The entire book of Revelation conveys a message to the church of Jesus Christ to be faithful and true, just as He is Faithful and True.
In Revelation 19:11, when John sees the gates of heaven open, the One who has been Faithful and True from ages past appears at the end of time to wage His final battle. Jesus Christ comes with justice to judge and wage war, and He will triumph over the enemies of God! The outcome is sure because He is Faithful and True. He will do what He has promised to do. He shall defeat the devil once and for all. He will destroy the power of death, wiping away every sorrow, tear, and pain from the hearts of His devoted followers (Isaiah 25:8; 1 Corinthians 15:54; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 20:14).
The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin
is intrinsic to Christian worship.
The Church rightly honors 'the Blessed Virgin with special devotion.
From the most ancient time the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title 'Mother of God,' to whose special protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs. This very special devotion [hyperdulia]. . . differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the Incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit and greatly fosters this adoration." (CCC, para. 971).
In other words, we honor Mary and to do so enhances our adoration of the one, true God. Mary is the first Christian, our Mother in the order of grace, the chosen human instrument through whom God chose to send us His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
How can Mary be so exalted by the Church and yet there be so little in Scripture about her? This was done purposefully according to St. Louis de Montfort, whose book, True Devotion to Mary, was written in the early 1700's. After reading this book Saint Pope John Paul II said it marked a turning point in his religious life and he described devotion to Mary (not worship of Mary, which would be idolatry) as "indispensable to anyone who means to give himself without reserve to Christ and to the work of redemption."
Montfort says
the
Holy Spirit and the Church
refer to
Mary as
"Mother hidden and secret."
He adds,
"her humility was so profound
that she had
no inclination on earth
more powerful or more constant that
than of
hiding herself,
from herself as well as from every other creature,
so as to be known
to
God only."
Montfort says these prayers were heard and that God
"took pleasure in hiding her from
all human creatures,
in her conception, in her birth, in her life,
in her mysteries
and in
her
resurrection and Assumption."
Montfort explains:
"God the Father consented that
she should work no miracles, at least no public one,
during her life,
although He had given her the power to do so.
God the Son
consented that she should hardly ever speak,
though He had communicated
His wisdom to her.
God the Holy Ghost, though she was His faithful spouse,
consented that His Apostles and evangelists should
speak very little of her, and
no more than was necessary to make
Jesus Christ known."
(pp.3-4)
Jesus tells the parable of the wedding banquet (in Luke 14:11) which is a symbol of the banquet in heaven, the marriage supper of the Lamb (as it is called in the Book of Revelation), wherein he teaches that "those who humble themselves will be exalted." St. Peter writes, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you" (1 Pet 5:5). Mary is the perfect example of Christian humility. She wanted the Son of God to be the focus!
St. Jerome, writing in the 5th century, said God chose Mary for her humility more than all her sublime virtues. More testimony is found in the Scriptures at the time of the annunciation, when Mary responded to the angel, "let it be done to me according to your word" and again, in the prayer of our Lady called the "Magnificat," in which she exclaims that she is the "handmaid of the Lord." This is an example of what St. Paul means when he uses the phrase "the obedience of faith" at both the beginning and the end of his epistle to the Romans. Mary possessed an obedient, reverent faith. She was the first believer, but much more.
Elizabeth, her cousin, inspired by the Holy Spirit as St. Luke tells us, called her "blessed" twice (Luke 1:42ff). First, because of the fruit of her womb and second, because of her faith. Saint Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical, "Mother of the Redeemer," notes this refers to the Annunciation, and says, "Mary is the first to share in this new revelation of God," of His self-giving, and thus she proclaims, "For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name." She exults with joy in the fulfillment of the Covenant (the great family bond between God and man), for which the Jews had waited almost 1800 years and the knowledge that salvation and mercy have come together at that moment.
Although the Church did not declare the dogma of the Immaculate Conception until 1854, it was always a part of the deposit of faith (the oral and written teachings of the Church). Recall that the great commission Jesus gave the Apostles at the end of Matthew's gospel (Mt. 28), was not to write down His words--indeed only three or four of the Apostles wrote any Scripture and none did so until about a dozen years after Jesus ascended to the Father. Thus the deposit of faith (the sum total of Jesus' teaching) was oral, a part of the Church's sacred Tradition, and the written books of the New Testament were not even finally selected from amongst many other pious writings as those inspired by the Holy Spirit, until a Church Council did so at the end of the 4th century (i.e., Council of Rome under Pope Damasus in 382 A.D.). Mary's Immaculate Conception was a part of the oral deposit of faith from the beginning.
Thus, Mary, like Adam and Eve, is born without the stain of original sin by reason of the merits of Jesus Christ, who selected her from all women in history to be His mother. The Catechism notes, "The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person 'in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places' and chose her 'in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love'" (see Eph 1:3-4). Indeed, it is hard to imagine an all holy God being conceived and born by a sin-filled creature. God was so holy that Jews believed that they would die if they even lay their eyes on Him! This does not dehumanize Mary (nor does it mean that she does not need a Savior), rather it makes her more human, remembering that this was the original state of mankind intended by God (before the fall of Adam and Eve and their ejection from the Garden of Eden).
The Angel Gabriel greeted Mary with the words, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed our thou amongst women." "Hail" is a term used for royalty and indeed, Mary is a Queen. The angel called her "full of grace" before she was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and conceived our Lord in her womb! [if Mary were not sinless, the Son of God would have been carried by a sinful creature]. The Greek work used in Luke 1:28, sometimes translated as "favored one" or "highly favored one" in many Bibles is more properly translated "full of grace" and this is the case in the Vulgate version of the Bible which was the Bible of the western Latin speaking Christian world for over 1000 years. This is the case today for the Douay Rheims translation, which is based on the Vulgate and is also the way Gabriel's words are translated in the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (Ignatius Bible).
The Greek word is kecharitomene, which is the perfect passive participle, indicates a completed action with permanent result. Thus it translates, "completely, perfectly, enduringly endowed with grace." [In comparison, the word used in Ephesians 1:6 and applied to the saints is charis]. St. Thomas Aquinas, a great medieval doctor of the Church, writes, "The Blessed Virgin Mary is full of grace both with respect to operation and to the avoidance of evil. Second, she was full of grace with respect to the overflow of soul to flesh or body. For it is a great thing for the saints to have enough grace to sanctify their soul; but the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary was so full that from it graces flowed into her body, in order that with it she might conceive the Son of God."
Still, like all of us, Mary had to be "wholly borne by God's grace" in order to "give the assent of faith." She was the mother of God first in her heart, than in her body. Pope John Paul tells us that "this consent to motherhood is above all a result of her total self-giving to God in virginity." She was, he notes, "guided by spousal love, the love which totally consecrates a human being to God."
Tradition has it that Mary pledged herself to God as a perpetual virgin as a child of twelve years. Some Protestants object that the gospel of Matthew (1:25) says of St. Joseph that he had no marital relations with her "until" she had born Jesus, but as St. Jerome explains, this usage of the word "until" was common among the Hebrews and denotes only what is done, without any regard for the future. For example, in Isaiah 46:4, God says, "I am till you grow old." Who would thereby infer that God will then cease to be? St. Jerome and other Church Fathers used Song of Songs 4:12 to argue Mary's perpetual virginity (before, during and after Christ’s birth). It states, "You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed
fountain." Isaiah 7: 14 states, “Therefore the Lord shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and
his name shall be called Emmanuel.” Some object that the Hebrew word translated“virgin” can also be translated, “maiden.” But the Old Testament use of “maiden” is also in a virginal context. St. Luke’s Gospel confirms that “the Angel Gabriel was sent from God . . . to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph . . . and the virgin’s name was Mary” (Lk. 1:26-27).
That Mary was a virgin during the birth of Jesus was a miracle and this divine act was taught by the Fathers of the Church. St. Augustine, for example, said, “It is not right that He who came to heal corruption should by His advent violate integrity.” St. Thomas Aquinas compared the miracle to light passing through glass without harming it (Miravalle, Introduction to Mary, p.58). The Catechism of the Council of Trent put this way, “he is born of his Mother without any diminution of her maternal virginity” and compares it to Jesus exit from his sepulcher when he rose from the dead. Thus, Mary conceived without pain, unlike Eve who was told, “In pain you shall bring forth children”in Genesis 3: 16. This is confirmed by the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium (para.57), which states: “This union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ virginal conception . . . then also at the birth of our Lord, who did not diminish his mother’s virginal integrity but sanctified it. . .”
A good Baptist friend of mine says that everyone knows that Mary had other children after Jesus, but the word "brethren" in Aramaic (the language of the Hebrews after the Babylonian exile) refers to "cousins" as a general term, since there is no word for "brothers" in their language. Thus, Lot is referred to as the "brother" of Abraham in one reference in Genesis, when, in fact, he was his nephew. But what of James the younger (Less), Joses (Joseph) and Jude, mentioned in Scripture as "brethren" of the Lord? St. Jerome, the greatest Scripture scholar in the West and translator of the Greek Bible into Latin by 415 A.D. (the Vulgate), wrote, "Suppose that the Brethren of the Lord were Joseph's by another wife?" But we understand the "brethren of the Lord" to be not the sons of Joseph, but cousins of the Savior, the sons of Mary of Clopas, his mother's sister. Mary of Clopas, is mentioned in John 19:25 as being at the foot of the Cross with Mary.
St. Augustine wrote:
It is written [quoting Ezekiel 44:2]: 'This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall pass through it. Because the Lord God of Israel hath entered it . . .' What means this closed gate in the house of the Lord, except that Mary is ever to be inviolate? What does it mean that 'no man shall pass through it,' save Joseph shall not know her? And what is this--'The Lord alone enters in and goeth out by it.' except that the Holy Ghost shall impregnate her, and that the Lord of Angels shall be born of her? And what means this--'It shall be shut for evermore,' but Mary is a Virgin before His birth, a Virgin in His birth, and a Virgin after His birth."
If Mary had other children, there would be absolutely no reason to think Jesus was any different from those siblings in His origin, i.e., that He was God the Son become man.
Thus the perpetual virginity safeguards
the miraculous birth, which, in turn,
safeguards
His special conception, which manifests His eternal pre-existence.
The Church calls Mary "Mother of God" or
Theotokos in Greek,
a title formerly granted to Our Lady at the
Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D.
She is Mother of God
because the son she bore is both man and
the Son of God.
The Fathers of the Eastern Church (Orthodox), who shared the same tradition with the Catholic Church until they split in 1054 A.D., refer to Mary as "the All-Holy" (Panagia) and the Church believes she "remained free of every personal sin her whole life long" by the grace of God. The Saints have testified to Mary's place. St. Peter Canisius says she alone has the same Son of God as the Father. St. Irenaeus, whose famous 3d century work "Against Heresy" marks him as a defender of the faith, wrote:
"Being obedient she became the cause of salvation
for herself
and for the whole human race.
Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert . .
. 'The knot of Eve's disobedience
was untied by Mary's obedience: what the
virgin Eve bound through her disbelief,
Mary unloosed by her faith.'"
The Fathers had a saying,
"Death through Eve, life through Mary"
and referred to
Mary as the "second Eve."
Jesus himself,
was referred to as the second Adam, by St. Paul,
and thus,
Mary's cooperation with the grace of God
is an
essential step in our salvation.
Just as Eve's sin had singular effect upon mankind,
so does Mary's cooperation with grace.
St. Bonaventure said that "all the angels in Heaven cry out incessantly to her: 'Holy, holy, holy Mary, Mother of God and Virgin' and that they proclaim the angelic greeting of Ave Marie millions of times per day begging to be honored by one of her commands. St. Augustine assures us that even St. Michael, the prince of the heavenly court, anxiously honors and serves her. St. Fulgentius, Bishop of Ruspe in the sixth century, said, "Mary is the ladder of Heaven; for by her God descended from Heaven into the world, that by her men might ascend from earth to Heaven."
The Church, acting with the authority of the Holy Spirit, canonizes some of the faithful whose heroic virtue and fidelity to God's grace allow them to be declared Saints, models and intercessors for the faithful. As St. Paul tells us in the beautiful letter to the Ephesians, the Church is "holy" and "glorious," without stain or wrinkle, and as the Catechism points out, we the faithful still strive to conquer sin and achieve holiness, without which we cannot see God (Heb 12:14).
So we can turn to Mary, the first Christian,
in whom the Church is already
"all-holy."
Mary's pilgrimage of faith on
earth
allowed her to prevail
upon
her divine Son,
to
perform the first miracle at the feast of Cana
and ultimately
led her to the foot of
the
Cross on Calvary,
where she continued "her maternal cooperation with the Savior's whole mission through her actions and sufferings." Pope John Paul II in his encyclical, "Mother of the Redeemer," tells us that on Calvary, below the bleeding figure of her Son on the Cross, Mary "underwent a singular transformation, becoming ever more imbued with 'burning charity,' towards all those to whom Christ's mission was directed. . . In Mary's case, we have a special and exceptional mediation [subordinate to Christ's], based upon her 'fullness of grace,' which was expressed in her complete willingness to be the 'handmaid of the Lord.'"
Jesus prepared her to be our Mother in the order of grace. Hence His pained words on the Cross were not just uttered for John, but for all, when He said, "Behold your mother." As Pope John Paul II notes,
"Mary who had
from the beginning given herself
without reserve
to the person and work of her Son,
could not but pour out upon the
Church from the very beginning,
her maternal self-giving."
After
Jesus ascended to Heaven,
her maternal mediation continued and we see her in
the upper room with the Apostles praying for the
coming of the Holy Spirit,
in a spiritual and mystical sense, praying to her spouse.
Mary, no doubt, played a role in the theological sophistication
of John's gospel,
since she lived with him for some time at Ephesus.
[It is worth noting that Christ entrusted her to John's care which would not have been the case if he had other earthly brothers,
which Jewish law required to assume this responsibility].
The Church expresses its faith in her
unceasingly love for us by
referring to her as Mediatrix of
grace, again pointing us to Christ,
by whose merits it is made possible. As the Catechism notes:
"No creature could ever be counted along
with the
Incarnate Word and Redeemer;
but just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways
both by his ministers and by the faithful,
and as the one goodness of God
is radiated in different ways among his creatures,
so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not
exclude but rather gives rise to manifold cooperation
which is
but a sharing in this one source."
In 1950 Pope Pius XII [who by the way should
also be remembered for his opposition to Nazism
in World War II,
saving thousands of Jews from extermination]
issued the dogma on
Mary's Assumption,
stating,
"The Immaculate Mother of God,
Mary Ever-Virgin,
after her life on earth,
was assumed,
body and soul,
into
heavenly glory."
Mary did experience death,
not because she needed too because
she was free
from the consequences of original sin,
including death,
but rather, according to St. Francis de Sales,
a great defender of the faith during
the Reformation,
because of Her Wish to be MORE
Conformed to her Son
who
DIED for ALL--hence, a DEATH for LOVE.
She was thus
UNITED with HIM
and in
expectation of His second coming,
She will Return with Him,
as Pope John writes,
in the
maternal role of mediatrix of Mercy,
"when all those who belong to Christ, 'shall
Be made Alive,'
when
'THE LAST ENEMY
to be
DESTROYED is DEATH'"
(1 Cor 15:26)
Belief in Mary's Assumption comes
from the early Church,
where we see for example, in the "Books of Divine Names," attributed to St. Denis the Aeropagite, who records an account of the a said Hierotheus, who claimed that all the apostles had been divinely alerted to the impending death of Mary and rushed to be with her, only St. Thomas failing to arrive in time. *[This is also attested to by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich's work on Christ's life, which is considered private revelation]. She was buried, but when St. Thomas arrived, he asked to see Her body, but when the tomb was opened they found only burial shroud and flowers. The bodies of Apostles and Martyrs who shed their blood for Christ have been preserved and venerated in the Church from the beginning of Christianity.
The remains of St. Peter and Paul are preserved in Rome, but no Christian city or center has ever claimed to possess a bone or any other remain of the Blessed Virgin, which would have been of far greater value and no skeptic has ever found her body, though many have searched for it. Scripture records that Old Testament saint Enoch, "walked with God; and he was not, for God took him" (Genesis 5:24) and notes of Elijah, that he was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot (2 Chronicles 2:1-13). Some also believe this was the case for Moses since he appeared at the Transfiguration of Christ with Elijah. [In modern times a number of Saints bodies have been found incorrupt, like St. Therese of Liseux, for example, even after a century].
As Australian theologian Robert Haddad wrote, "The Immaculate Conception, formed by the Holy Spirit, and which formed the Body of Christ, would not be allowed to see corruption." Mary's Assumption has been described as "a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 966).
Song of Songs
is said to refer to
Mary's Assumption
with verse 2:4,
"He has taken me to the
banquet hall,
and his banner over me is love."
Jesus's banquet hall is heaven.
Jesus' exhortations
to
Mary to "come with me" are
also a
reference to her assumption
(see verse 4:8).
Psalm 16 tells us that God will
not permit his holy one to see decay.
Certainly,
as the fourth commandment reminds us,
we
honor our mothers!
She Died.
Literally, Died.
Jesus Christ
Brought
her back to Life,
Literally,
From the Dead.
Detractors of our Blessed Mother often misunderstand Luke 11:27-28,
which notes that a
"woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him [Jesus],
'Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!'
But he said, '
Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'"
This was not a "put down" or belittling of his mother,
but rather a commendation because
Mary's greatness
lies in her
hearing the word of God
and doing it."
Let me close by recommending what will be of great profit for your study, namely, Genesis 3:15, the Proto-Evangelium or first gospel,
which prophesies the crushing
of the
head of Satan
by
the seed of the woman, Mary.
This is fulfilled in Jesus. Mary’s
Immaculate Conception
can
also be argued from the words,
“I will be put enmity between you and
the woman between
your seed and her seed...” (Genesis 3:16).
This signifies that Mary
was given
“the same absolute and perpetual
opposition to Satan
as
Jesus possesses in relation to sin”
(Mark Miravalle, Introduction to Mary, p. 65).
The second is Revelation 12, which after ending the previous chapter by a mention of the long missing ark of the Covenant, speaks of the "woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars . . . " This is the Lady that the Church refers to as the Queen of Heaven, whose queenly reign is not one of power and pomp, but rather one of humility and total self-giving. This is not a defined dogma of the Church, but there is a Biblical foundation for it and many references to it in the early Church Father's writings.
These two passages hold much of the mystery of our faith. Remember not to approach them with an "either-or" attitude but rather with a "both-and" approach. The symbolism and prophetic imagery of Revelation 12 refers to Mary, then the Church, now to Mary the Mother of believers and image of the Church. It carries a double signification, which the early Church Fathers frequently attached to Scriptures.
In his 1987 encyclical letter, Redemptoris Mater, Saint John Paul II writes, "Thanks to his special bond, linking the Mother of Christ with the Church, there is further clarified the mystery of that "woman" who from the first chapters of Genesis until the Book of Revelation, accompanies the revelation of God's salvific plan for humanity. For Mary, present in the Church as the mother of the Redeemer, takes part as a mother in that 'monumental struggle against the powers of darkness' which continues throughout human history. And by ecclesiastical identification as the "woman clothed with the sun" (Revelation 12:1), it can be said that in the Most Holy Virgin the Church has already reached the perfection whereby she exists without spot or wrinkle'" (Ephesians 5:27).
Much more has and could be said of
Our Lady,
but suffice to end with the thought that
she is indeed
our mother in the order of grace.
Thanks be to God!
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!" (Psalm 90:17)
'For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield." (Psalm 5:12)
Saying, “God bless you,” as a polite response to the common human function of sneezing originated with Pope Gregory I in ancient Rome during the days of the devastating bubonic plague, according to Southern Living. It was reported that he suggested the quick prayer, “God bless you,” after someone sneezed to protect them from the ravages of the plague.
This may or may not have been the actual source of this common blessing. However, it seems as if it is a typical human desire to share or accept the blessings of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and supremely loving Deity. It seems quite natural for us to want the blessing or favor of God.
Meaning of God’s FavorThe “favor of God” can be described as a divine kindness, or an act of true compassion on the part of God Himself toward needy and undeserving human recipients. Often, in Scripture, this act of God toward unworthy men or women is referred to as God’s “grace” – which means “the unmerited favor of God,” as Justin Holcomb said on Christiantiy.com.
In simple terms, we can define God’s favor or grace as God giving us the ability to do something which is humanly impossible for us to do.
Eternal Life: An Example of God’s FavorGod’s Word provides two overarching examples of God’s favor toward mankind. The first and most important act of God’s favor is the God-given ability for us to have Eternal Life. This is explained clearly to us in Ephesians 2:8-9,
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
We cannot earn, nor do we deserve salvation. We do not have the ability to “save” ourselves. That is exactly why we need God’s favor.
Strength to Live for God: An Example of God’s FavorA second Biblical example of God’s grace or favor can be found in 2 Timothy 2:1, where the Apostle Paul told his student Timothy, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”Here, and in many other places in the Scriptures, God’s grace gave the beneficiary the ability or strength to do something they were humanly incapable of doing.
A quick reading of the previous chapter in 2 Timothy explains the author’s use of the English word, “therefore” in this verse. Basically, Paul was telling this young man that he needed the strength that could be found in the grace of God. I think that Timothy understood what the aged Apostle was saying. Life can be very difficult, and we all need God’s grace to make it through.
To summarize these two examples of God’s favor: it is only by God’s grace (or undeserved favor) that we can experience eternal life, and it is only by God’s grace that we have the ability to live for the Lord during the sometimes difficult paths He has for us in this life.
Save this free PDF to use for Bible study and prayer: Living By the Holy Spirit Power - A Prayer and Scripture Guide
How Do I Get God’s Favor?A song was given to us in Psalm 18 – especially the first 19 verses – that describes the desperate prayer of the Psalmist. Notice the beginning of verse 6, “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God.” The next several lines of that song indicate the conundrum in which he found himself.
He writes about the “pangs of death,” the “floods of ungodliness,” the “snares of death,” and even the “sorrows of Sheol (or the grave).” It is no wonder that the author of this song is crying out to God. The pressure of life that he describes here was just about too much to handle.
The next few verses in this song read almost like an incredible and supernatural adventure movie. After hearing the frantic cry of the Psalmist, God literally released the very resources of heaven in response (verses 7-15). The reader can almost visualize the drama, display, and spectacle of how God answered this cry for help.
Verses 16 through the beginning of verse 19 narrate God’s amazing answer to this prayer. He “delivered” the author from the “calamity” of this situation and rescued him into a “broad place” of safety and security.
But, the most remarkable section in this entire song must be the last line of verse 19, “He delivered me because He delighted in me.”
The only reason we can personally experience God’s favor, or as the more contemporary songwriter put it, God’s “amazing” grace, is because He delights in us. God’s favor is totally and unequivocally undeserved and unmerited. There is nothing we can do to earn or merit his favor.
He supplies us with His favor or grace totally at His initiative and only because of His love for us. That’s exactly why verses like the familiar, John 3:16, describe God’s love as a gift. God loves us because it is in His character to love. He does it because He wants to.
It’s probably a very nice custom to respond to someone’s sneeze by saying, “God bless you.” As mere mortals, we are desperate for God’s blessing, but we’re not deserving of it. That’s why we must accept His gift of grace and favor.
Scripture About God's FavorFor the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. ~ Psalm 84:11
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.~ Proverbs 3:1-4
And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. ~ Isaiah 58:11
He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. ~
Proverbs 18:22
For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning. ~
Psalm 30:5
Hail Holy Queen
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, Our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve, To thee do we send up our sighs, Mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Mary, Help of Those in Need
Holy Mary,
help those in need,
give strength to the weak,
comfort the sorrowful,
pray for God's people,
assist the clergy,
intercede for religious.
Mary all who seek your help
experience your unfailing protection.
Amen.
Morning Consecration to Mary
My Queen, My Mother, I offer
myself entirely to thee.
And to show my devotion to thee,
I offer thee this day, my eyes,
my ears, my mouth, my heart,
my whole being without reserve.
Wherefore, good Mother, as I am thine own, keep me, guard me as thy property and possession.
Amen.
O Mary, recall the solemn moment when Jesus,
your divine Son, dying on the Cross,
confided us to your maternal care.
You are our Mother, we desire ever to remain your devout children.
Let us therefore feel the effects of your powerful intercession with Jesus Christ.
make your Name again glorious in the shrine once renowned throughout England by your visits, favours, and many miracles.
Pray, O holy Mother of God, for the conversion of England, restoration of the sick, consolation for the afflicted, repentance of sinners, peace to the departed.
O blessed Mary, Mother of God, our Lady of Walsingham, intercede for us.
Amen.
O Mother of God, Immaculate Mary, to thee do I dedicate my body and soul, all my prayers and deeds, my joys and sufferings, all that I am an all that I have. With a joyful heart I surrender myself to thy love. To thee will I devote my services of my own free will for the salvation of mankind, and for the help of the Holy Church whose Mother thou art.
From now on my only desire is to do all things with thee, through thee, and for thee. I know I can accomplish nothing by my own strength, whereas thou can do everything that is the will of thy Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Thou are always victorious. Grant, therefore, O Helper of the Faithful, that my family, my parish, and my country might become in truth the Kingdom where thou reignest in the glorious presence God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.
Amen.
O Most Holy Virgin Mary,
Queen of the most holy Rosary, you were
pleased to appear to the children of Fatima and
reveal
a
glorious message.
We implore you, inspire in our hearts a fervent love for the recitation of the Rosary. By meditating on the mysteries of the redemption that are recalled therein may we obtain the graces and virtues that we ask, through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer.
Amen.
Dear Mother, we love you. We thank you for your promise to help us in our need. We trust in your love that dries our tears and comforts us. Teach us to find our peace in your Son, Jesus, and bless us every day of our lives.
Help us to build a shrine in our hearts. Make it as beautiful as the one built for you on the Mount of Tepeyac.
A shrine full of
trust, hope, and love of
Jesus
growing stronger each day.
Mary, you have chosen to remain with us by giving us your most wonderful and holy self-image on Juan Diego's cloak. May we feel your loving presence as we look upon your face. Like Juan, give us the courage to bring your message of hope to everyone.
You are our Mother and our inspiration. Hear our prayers and answer us.
Amen.
Blessed, most pure Virgin, you chose to manifest yourself shining with life, sweetness and beauty, in the Grotto of Lourdes.
To the child, St. Bernadette, you revealed yourself, "I am the Immaculate Conception."
And now, Immaculate Virgin,
Mother of Mercy, Healer of the Sick, Comforter of the Afflicted,
you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings.
Look upon me with mercy.
By your appearance in the Grotto of Lourdes, it became a privileged sanctuary from which you dispense your favors.
Many have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and physical. I come, therefore, with confidence in your maternal intercession.
Obtain for me, O loving Mother, this special request. Our Lady of Lourdes, Mother of Christ, pray for me.
Obtain from your Divine Son my
special request if it be
God's will.
Amen.
O Most beautiful Flower of Mt. Carmel,
Fruitful Vine,
Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity.
O Star of the Sea,
help me and show me herein
you are my mother.
O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth,
I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart
to succor me in this necessity.
There are none that can withstand
your power.
O show me herein you are my mother. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. (three times)
Sweet Mother, I place this cause in your hands. (three times)
Amen.
O Most Holy Virgin,
Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ:
by the overwhelming grief
you experienced
when you witnessed the martyrdom,
the crucifixion,
and the death of your
divine Son,
look upon me with eyes of compassion
and awaken
in my heart a tender commiseration
for those sufferings, as well
as a sincere
detestation of my sins, in order that,
being disengaged from
all undue affections for the
passing joys of this earth,
I may long for the eternal Jerusalem,
and that
henceforth all my thoughts and all my actions may
be directed toward
this one most desirable object.
Honor, glory, and love to our Divine Lord Jesus,
and to the
Holy and Immaculate Mother of God.
Amen.
Regina Coeli (Caeli)
O, Queen of Heaven, rejoice! Alleluia.
For He whom thou didst merit to bear, Alleluia,
Hath arisen as He said, Alleluia.
Pray for us to God, Alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary. Alleluia.
For the Lord hath risen indeed. Alleluia.
Oremus (Let us pray)
O God, who, through the Resurrection of Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
Didst vouchsafe to fill the world with joy; grant, we beseech Thee, that, through His Virgin Mother, Mary,
We may lay hold on the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Salve Regina
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy.
Hail my life, my sweetness and my hope!
To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve!
To you do we send up our sighs;
mourning and weeping in this vale of tears!
Turn, most gracious Advocate, your eyes of mercy toward me,
and after this, our exile,
show to us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus Christ!
Clement, loving, sweet Virgin Mary!
Amen.
Sub Tuum Praesidum
We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God;
Despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers,
O glorious and blessed Virgin.
Amen.
The Angelus
The Angelus is traditionally recited morning (6:00 a.m.), noon and evening (6:00 p.m.) throughout the year except during Paschal time, when the Regina Coeli is recited instead.
The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
And she conceived of the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary, etc.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary, etc.
And the Word was made Flesh.
And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, etc.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let Us Pray
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my savior; for he has looked upon His servant in her lowliness; all ages to come shall call me blessed. God who is mighty has done great things for me, holy is His name; His mercy is from age to age on those who fear Him. He has shown might with His arm; He has confused the proud in their inmost thoughts. He has deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places. The hungry He has given every good thing, while the rich He has sent empty away. He has upheld Israel his servant, ever mindful of His mercy; Even as He promised our fathers, promised Abraham and His descendants forever.
Amen.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word incarnate, despise not my petitions, but, in your mercy, hear and answer me.
Amen.
O Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate,
We dedicate and consecrate ourselves to you under the title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. May this Medal be for each one of us a sure sign of your affection for us and a constant reminder of our duties toward you. Ever while wearing it, may we be blessed by your loving protection and preserved in the grace of your Son. O Most Powerful Virgin, Mother of Our Savior, keep us close to you every moment of our lives. Obtain for us, your children, the grace of a happy death; so that in union with you, we may enjoy the
bliss of Heaven forever.
Amen.
Greeting Mary
Hail Mary, hello, how are you?
I greet you with love,
And I thank you for being available.
Deeply, I breathe your roses,
The twelve fresh roses you place in my spirit
Every morning when I say hello to you.
Full of grace are you,
Grace spilling over Heaven's boundaries
Into my world, living water, bread and wine,
The unmerited favor of God
That you come carrying to me,
Your arms always full of gifts.
The Lord is with thee,
Jesus Christ the Messiah is with you,
And you teach me how to recognize
That the Lord is with me.
Blessed art thou amoung women,
Glowing with love for Jesus,
Pure blessedness never tainted
But alive with holy beauty.
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
The most blessed of humanity,
Delivered through you, Virgin Mary.
Jesus, the most cursed of humanity,
Who became a curse for me
So that I might be blessed
With his resurrection life.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Teach me to value motherhood,
Help me pray for mothers and fathers
To love and support each other.
Show me how God loves you.
Pray for us sinners now
And at the hour of our death.
Pray that I can live each moment
Consecrated to love, to Christ,
That I recognize each now
As the moment of salvation
So that I die prepared for eternal life.
Pray that I can crucify my passions,
Those passions that make me a sinner,
And that I can die to sin on the cross with Jesus
As you look on weeping and praying
But joyous, knowing that resurrection follows.
Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners
Now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Mary's Peace Prayer
Mary, Mother of God my mother, Queen of Peace, ask your Son Jesus to
give me the gift of peace. Pray for me for peace; peace in my heart, peace
of mind and of soul, peace in my family, peace with all whom I meet, the
peace of Jesus.
Jesus, my Lord and Savior, my Brother, King of Peace, I come to you
with Mary, Queen of Peace, to ask you humbly for a new outpouring of the
gift of peace. Pour out on me your Holy Spirit of Peace.
Give me peace, Jesus, peace within myself, peace in my family, peace in
my everyday life. Give peace to my nation, and to all nations, peace among
all peoples, peace in the world.
Jesus, my mediator with the Father, take me to the Father to pray for
peace.
Father, Father of Jesus, our Father, my Father, I come to you with your
Son Jesus. In Him and with Him and through Him I pray for peace.
Most Glorious Virgin, you were chosen by the eternal Counsel to be the Mother of the Eternal Word made flesh. You are the treasurer of divine graces and the advocate of sinners. I who am your most unworthy servant have recourse to thee. Graciously be my guide and counselor in this valley of tears.
Obtain for me, through the Precious Blood of your Divine Son, the forgiveness of my sins, the salvation of my soul, and the means necessary to obtain it. In like manner, obtain for the Holy Church victory over Her enemies and the spread of Jesus' kingdom over the whole earth.
Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
O Most Holy Virgin Mother, we listen with grief to the complaints of your Immaculate Heart surrounded with the thorns placed therein at every moment by the blasphemies and ingratitude of ungrateful humanity. We are moved by the ardent desire of loving you as Our Mother and of promoting a true devotion to your Immaculate Heart.
We therefore kneel before you to manifest the sorrow we feel for the grievances that people cause you, and to atone by our prayers and sacrifices for the offenses with which they return return your love. Obtain for them and for us the pardon of so many sins. Hasten the conversion of sinners that they may love Jesus and cease to offend the Lord, already so much offended. Turn your eyes of mercy toward us, that we may love God with all our heart on earth and enjoy Him forever in heaven.
Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady in Time of Trouble
Holy Virgin Mary, you are reigning in glory, with Jesus, your Son.
Remember us in our sadness. Look kindly on all who are suffering
or fighting against any difficulty.
Have pity on those who are separated from someone they love.
Have pity on the loneliness of our hearts.
Have pity on the weakness of our faith and love.
Have pity on those who are weeping, on those who are praying, on those who are fearful.
Holy Mother, please obtain for all of us hope and peace with justice.
Amen.
O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
full of goodness,
show your love towards us.
Let the flame of your heart,
O Mary, descend on all people.
We love you immensely.
Impress true love in our hearts
so that we have a continuous desire for you.
O Mary, gentle and humble of heart, remember us when we are in sin.
You know that all men sin.
Give us, by means of your Immaculate Heart, spiritual health.
Let us always see the goodness of your motherly heart
and may we be converted by means of the flame of your heart.
Amen.
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
full of love for God and mankind,
and of compassion for sinners,
I consecrate myself to you.
I entrust to you the salvation of my soul.
May my heart be ever united with yours,
so that I may hate sin,
love God and my neighbor,
and reach eternal life with those whom I love.
May I experience the kindness of your motherly heart
and the power of your intercession with Jesus
during my life and at the hour of my death.
Amen.
Prostrate at thy sacred feet,
O august Queen of Heaven,
I venerate thee with the most profound respect,
and I believe that thou art the daughter of the Eternal Father,
the Mother of His Divine Son,
and the Spouse of the Holy Ghost.
Full of grace and virtues and heavenly gifts,
thou art the purest temple of the most Holy Trinity,
thou art the treasury and dispenser of divine mercy.
Thy Immaculate Heart, full of charity, sweetness and tenderness,
has given thee the name of Mother of Divine Clemency.
Therefore, in my affliction
and agony I present myself with confidence before thee,
our most loving Mother,
and I pray thee to make me experience the love which thou bearest us;
Grant me (specify the favor)
if it be the Will of God and for the good of my soul.
Amen.
O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
refuge of sinners,
I beg of you by the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
and by the graces God has granted to you since your Immaculate Conception,
the grace of never going astray again.
Mother, keep me, a sinner,
constantly bathed in the light of your Immaculate Heart.
Amen.
In the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I Trust
Look to the Star
Call upon Mary!
In danger, in difficulty
or in doubt,
think of Mary,
call upon Mary,
Keep her name on your lips,
Never let it pass
out of your
heart. Following
in her footsteps,
you will not go astray:
praying to her,
you will not
fall into despair:
thinking of her
you will not err.
While she keeps hold
of your hand,
you will not fall ...
you will not grow weary ...
you will have no fear ...
Enjoying her protection,
you will reach the goal.
(Saint Bernard)
O Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to thee,
and for those who do not have recourse to thee,
especially the enemies of the Church
and those recommended to thee,
Amen.
Most Lovable Lady
I love thee, most lovable Lady, By the love which I bear thee, I promise ever to serve thee,
and to do as much as I can, that thou be loved by others also. I put all my hopes in thee,
all my salvation. Receive me as thy servant and cover me with the mantle of thy protection,
thou the Mother of mercy!
Amen.
Prayer to Mary for a Good Mind
(A. Hanrion, S.J.)
O Mary, my Mother,
I offer you my soul, my mind, and my heart.
Make of me God's instrument.
Give me a penetrating mind to discover,
firm to judge,
open to understand,
free to serve the truth;
an honest mind in telling what it sees rather than what it wants to see;
a tolerant mind which does not dictate to other people,
but which explain what it sees clearly;
a mind infused by the light and the truth of your Son Jesus,
patient in faith,
while waiting for the vision of eternal life.
Amen.
O Virgin Immaculate, Mother of God and my Mother, from your sublime heights turn your eyes of pity on me. Filled with confidence in your goodness and knowing full well your power, I beg you to extend to me your assistance in the journey of life, which is so full of dangers for my soul. In order that I may never be a slave of the devil through sin, but may ever live with my heart humble and pure, I entrust myself wholly to you. I consecrate my heart to you forever, my only desire being to love your divine Son, Jesus. Mary, none of your devout servants has ever perished; may I, too, be saved.
Amen.
Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
O Most Holy Virgin Mother, we listen with grief to the complaints of your Immaculate Heart surrounded with the thorns placed therein at every moment by the blasphemies and ingratitude of ungrateful humanity. We are moved by the ardent desire of loving you as Our Mother and of promoting a true devotion to your Immaculate Heart.
We therefore kneel before you to manifest the sorrow we feel for the grievances that people cause you, and to atone by our prayers and sacrifices for the offenses with which they return your love. Obtain for them and for us the pardon of so many sins. Hasten the conversion of sinners that they may love Jesus and cease to offend the Lord, already so much offended. Turn your eyes of mercy toward us, that we may love God with all our heart on earth and enjoy Him forever in heaven.
Amen.
A Prayer to Our Lady in Time of Trouble
Holy Virgin Mary, you are reigning in glory, with Jesus, your Son.
Remember us in our sadness. Look kindly on all who are suffering
or fighting against any difficulty.
Have pity on those who are separated from someone they love.
Have pity on the loneliness of our hearts.
Have pity on the weakness of our faith and love.
Have pity on those who are weeping, on those who are praying, on those who are fearful.
Holy Mother, please obtain for all of us hope and peace with justice.
Amen.
Prayer to Mary Consoler of the Afflicted
O Immaculate Mary, Dear Mother, Consoler,
I take refuge in your most lovable Heart with all the trust of which I am capable.
You shall be the dearest object of my love and my veneration.
From you, the dispenser of heavenly treasures, I shall always seek peace in my troubles,
light in my doubts, defence in my dangers, help in my needs .
Be therefore, my refuge, my strength, my consolation O Mary Consoler.
At the hour of my death, graciously receive the last beats of my heart, and obtain for me a place in that heavenly country,
where as one, all hearts shall praise forever the adorable Heart of Jesus, with your most lovable Heart,
O Mary, my Mother, Consoler of the Afflicted, pray for us, who have recourse to you.
Amen.
Mothers Day is a time to stop and reflect on all the love
our mothers have shown us through our lives. Sweet and
Blessed Mother, guide our mothers that they too may lead us
to Your Son, just as you show us. May they imitate Your
love and devotion. May we in return also be loving,
patient, understanding and supportive to our mothers.
Blessed Mother, we pray for all mothers - our own mums, our
aunts, our grandmothers... the living and the departed.
Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art
thou amongst women, Blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now
and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Hail, Holy Queen
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope!
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping
in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Amen.
A Prayer to Mary for Our Nuns
O Mary - Queen, Spouse, and Mother of God - we ask you to intercede with God for one of the Earth's most valuable and needed resources, our nuns.
May their contemplative prayer be a source of power and energy which leads the entire world to better see the Face of God.
May their service be cheerful, effective, rewarding, and Christ-like, because He has entrusted to their care His sick, His poor, His troubled brothers and sisters, and His children.
May their purity and their burning love for Jesus give them unspeakable joy and ignite that same love in our hearts.
May their detachment from material things and their attachment to the divine King and His Kingdom shower both them and us with eternal riches.
May their obedience and fidelity to the Church and to God's will give them strength, courage, peace, and contentment, and be an inspiration for all of us.
In short, may they be perfect brides of Christ - and more and more like you.
Amen.
O Virgin of the Angels, who has for centuries established your throne of mercy at the Porziuncula, hear the prayer of your children, who trust in you. From this truly holy place and the habitation of the Lord, so dear to the heart of Saint Francis, you have always invited all men to love. Your tender eyes assure us of a never failing motherly help and a promise of divine help to all those who humbly have recourse to your throne, or who from afar, turn to you to ask for help. You are, indeed, our sweet Queen and our only hope. O Lady of the Angels, obtain for us, through the intercession of blessed Francis, pardon for our sins, help us to keep away from sin and indifference, so that we shall be worthy of calling you our Mother for evermore. Bless our homes, our toil and our rest, by giving us that same serenity we experience within the walls of the Porziuncula, where hate, guilt and tears turn into a song of joy like that once was sung by the Angels and the seraphic Francis. Help those who are in need and hungry, those who are in danger of body and soul, those who are sad and downhearted, those who are sick and dying. Bless us, your most beloved children, and we pray you, bless also with the same motherly gesture, all those who are innocent, together with those are guilty; those who are faithful, together with those who have gone astray; those who believe, together with those who are in doubt. Bless all humanity, so that all men acknowledging that they are God's children, would find through love, real peace and real good.
Amen.
Petition to Mary for the Suffering Souls
O Immaculate Mother, Queen of Heaven, hear the cries of your suffering children in purgatory and intercede for them at the throne of the Almighty. Behold in them, O Mother most faithful, the image of your Divine Son Who offered Himself in their behalf. Recall His bitter Passion and Death, and see in them His very sufferings. We feel confident, then, O Mother of Mercy, that you will obtain their liberation; so that they, in union with you and the Choir of Heaven, may contemplate the Beatific Vision in heaven forever. Amen.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
Amen.
Prayer to the Holy Family of Nazareth
Mother Mary, bless the mother of our family. Help her to be pure and kind, gentle and self-sacrificing. For the more she resembles you, the better will our family be.
Saint Joseph, bless the head of our family. Obtain for him the strength, the wisdom, and the prudence he needs to support and direct those under his care.
Lord Jesus, bless the children of our family. Help them to be obedient and devoted to their parents.
Holy Family of Nazareth, make our family and home more and more like yours, until we are all one family, happy and at peace in our true home with you in Heaven.
Amen.
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary 1
My Queen, my Mother, I give myself entirely to thee, and to show my devotion to thee, I consecrate to thee this day, my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve.
Wherefore good Mother as I am thine own, keep me, guard me, as thy property and possession.
Amen.
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary 2
O most Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of gentleness and mercy, I, an unworthy sinner, fly to you with sentiments of confidence and love. I beg you who stood close to your most beloved Son as He hung upon the cross, graciously to remain near me, a miserable sinner, and near all priests who throughout the whole Church will offer Holy Mass this day. By your gracious favor help me to offer a sacrifice which is worthy and acceptable in sight of the most high and undivided Trinity.
Amen.
O most holy, most amiable and most glorious Virgin, Mother of God.
Mistress and Advocate to whom we are all vowed and consecrated, making it our glory to belong to thee as children, servants and slaves for time and eternity, behold! with common accord, we throw ourselves at thy feet to renew our vows of fidelity and servitude to thee and to pray thee that as we belong entirely to thee, thou wouldst offer, dedicate, consecrate and immolate to the Sacred Heart of our adorable Jesus, ourselves and all that we are, all that we shall do and suffer, without reserving anything for ourselves.
We wish to have no other liberty except that of loving Him, no other glory except that of belonging to Him as slaves and victims of His pure love, no other will or power but that of pleasing Him and contenting Him in everything, even at the price of our lives. And since thou hast all power over the amiable Heart of thy Divine Son, grant, O most charitable Mother, that He may receive and accept this consecration which we make today in thy presence, and through thy mediation, with the protestations of our fidelity, relying on His grace and thy help, which we beg thee not to refuse us.
O, our sweet Hope, make us feel thy power over the amiable Heart of Jesus, and use thy influence on our behalf to lodge us there always. Pray Him to exercise His sovereign empire over our souls, making His love reign in our hearts, in order that He may consume us and transform us entirely into Himself. May He be our Father, our Spouse, our Protection, our Treasure, our Delight, our Love and our All in all things; may He destroy and annihilate in us all that is of ourselves and put in place of it all that is of Himself, in order that we may be able to be pleasing to Him. May He be the support of our powerlessness, the strength of our weakness, the joy of all our sadness.
O Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, repair all our failings, supply for all that is wanting to us, burn our hearts in your holy ardors; consume all our coldness and cowardice in loving and serving you, since we wish to make all our holiness and happiness consist in living and dying in the state of slaves of the adorable Heart of Jesus, and servants of His holy Mother.
Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady
Remember, O most loving Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone
who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence, we turn to you,
O Virgin of virgins, our Mother.
To you we come, before you we stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, do not despise our petitions, but in your mercy hear us and answer us.
Amen.
Evening Prayer to Our Blessed Mother 1
O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of mercy, pray for me that I may be preserved this night all evil, whether of body or soul. Dear St. Joseph, all the saints and angels, and especially you, my guardian angel and my chosen patron, watch over me. I commend myself to your protection now and always.
Amen.
Night is falling, dear Mother, the long day is o'er,
And before thy loved image I'm kneeling once more,
To thank thee for keeping me safe through the day,
To ask thee this night to keep evil away.
Many times have I fallen today, Mother dear;
Many graces neglected since last I knelt here.
Wilt thou not in pity, my own Mother mild,
Ask Jesus to pardon the sins of thy child?
I am going to rest, for the day's work is done,
Its hours and moments have passed one by one.
And the God Who will judge me has counted them all;
He has numbered each grace, He has counted each fall.
In His book they are written against the last day
0 Mother, ask Jesus to wash them away;
For one drop of His Blood for which sinners was spilt
Is sufficient to cleanse the whole world from its guilt.
And if e'er the dawn I should draw my last breath;
If the sleep that I take be the long sleep of death,
Be near me, dear Mother, for Jesus' dear sake
When my soul on Eternity's shore shall awake.
Amen.
Prayer for Mothers
Good and Gentle God, we pray in gratitude for our mothers and for all the women of theory who have joined with you in the wonder of bringing forth new life. You who became human through a woman, grant to all mothers the courage they need to face the uncertain future that life with children always brings.
Give them the strength to live and to be loved in return, not perfectly, but humanly.
Give them the faithful support of husband, family and friends as they care for the physical and spiritual growth of their children.
Give them joy and delight in their children to sustain them through the trials of motherhood.
Most of all, give them the wisdom to turn to you for help when they need it most.
Amen.
Prayer for Our Lady for Healing
Mary Immaculate, you have given yourself to us as our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
You have asked us to pray with confidence, and we will receive great graces.
We know your compassion, because you saw your Son suffer and die for us.
In your union with his suffering you became the mother of us all.
Mary, my mother, teach me to understand my suffering
as you do and to endure it in union with the suffering of Jesus.
In your motherly love, calm my fears and increase my trust in God's loving care.
According to God's plan, obtain for me the healing I need.
Intercede with your Son that I may have the strength
I need to work for God's glory and the salvation of the world.
Amen.
Mary, Halth of the Sick, pray for me.
Exaltation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, in this tragic hour of the world's history, we entrust and consecrate ourselves to your Immaculate Heart, our only refuge, our hope, our salvation. Have pity on this world, torn by the most terrible conflicts, burning with the fires of hate, victim of its own sins. May your heart be moved at the sight of so much ruin, pain and sorrow.
We consecrate to your maternal heart our persons, our families, our country and the whole of humanity. Protect and save us!
O Heart of Mary, source of true love, fill our selfish hearts with divine charity and with that true brotherly love without which there can never be peace. Grant that men and nations may
understand and fulfill the precept of your Divine Son,
LOVE ONE ANOTHER,
in order that true peace may be firmly established
in the
Justice and Truth of Christ.
Amen.
0 Lady of Mental Peace, Mother of Tranquility and Mother of Hope, look upon me in this time of my weakness and unrest. Teach my searching heart to know that God's Love for me is unchanging and unchangeable; and, that true human love can only begin and grow by touching His Love. Let your gentle peace which this world cannot give be always with me. And, help me to bring this same peace into the lives of others. Our Lady of Mental Peace, Pray for us. Amen.
Prayers to Jesus and Mary for Mercy
Lord Jesus Christ, eternal and merciful God,
Creator and Redeemer of all, listen to my prayer.
For the love Thou doth bear to those who ask forgiveness,
look on me with mercy, as once Thou didst look on Mary Magdalen,
and on Peter who denied Thee.
Look on me, Lord Jesus Christ, as Thou didst looked at the thief on his cross
and on every sinner whom Thou hast ever forgiven.
Look on me, merciful Lord, as Thou didst look on Thy Mother, Mary,
standing in sorrow beneath Thy Cross.
Let me feel in my heart her compassion for Thee,
and let my eyes weep for Thy sorrows, caused by my sinful life.
Call me back from the darkness to my Father's house, give me a new heart
and a place at Thy side in the banquet Thou hast prepared for me. Amen.
Hail, Mary, my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul!
Thou art all mine through thy mercy, and I am all thine.
But I am not thine completely enough.
Destroy in me all that may be displeasing to God.
Place and cultivate in me everything that is pleasing to thee.
Amen.
Memorare to Our Lady of the Precious Blood
Remember, O Lady of the Precious Blood, the sorrowful Sheddings of the Blood of thy Jesus and the most bitter tears thou didst mingle with His Redeeming Blood. In the name of the Blood of the Victim of Reparation and of thy holy tears; in the name of the seven swords which pierced thy heart, by which thou didst become the Mediatrix of all graces for the human race and the Queen of Martyrs, have pity on my soul and on all its miseries; have pity on sinners and on the innocent souls they seek to pervert; have pity on the poor, the sick, the infirm, on all their sufferings, both physical and moral; have pity on the agonizing, especially upon those who, except for thine intercession, would leave this world without being purified in the Blood of the Lamb.
It is by the Blood of thy Dying Son, by His inexpressible Sufferings, by His last plea to His Father in favor of mankind, by His ignominious death and by the perpetuation of His Sacrifice on Catholic Altars, that I beg thee not to reject my supplications, but graciously to hear them. Amen.
Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin, Help of Christians, we place ourselves under your motherly protection. Throughout the Church's history you have helped Christians in times of trial, temptation and danger. Time and time again, you have proven to be the Refuge of Sinners, the Hope of the Hopeless, the Consoler of the Afflicted, and the Comforter of the Dying. We promise to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, your Son, to proclaim His Good News of God's love for all people, and to work for peace and justice in our world. With faith in your intercession, we pray for the Church, for our family and friends, for the poor and abandoned, and all the dying. Grant, O Mary, Help of Christians, the graces in which we stand in need. (Mention your intentions) May we serve Jesus with fidelity and love until death. Help us and out loved ones to attain the boundless joy of being forever with our Father in heaven. Amen.
Receive me under your protection, O Mother of Mercies
Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin Mary, my Mother, I - the most miserable of all sinners - have recourse to you today, the Mother of my Lord. I venerate you, O great Queen, and thank you for all the graces you have obtained for me, especially for having delivered me from hell, which I have so often deserved. I love you, O my very kind sovereign, and for your love, I commit myself to serve you forever, and tend all my efforts to make you loved by others too. I place all my hopes and all my salvation in you.
Accept me as your servant, and receive me under your protection, O Mother of Mercies. And since you are so powerful over God, deliver me from all temptations or obtain for me the strength to conquer them until death.
O my Mother, by the love that you have for God, I pray that you will always assist me, but most of all at the last moment of my life. Do not abandon me until you see me safe in heaven, occupied to bless you and to sing your mercies for all eternity. This is my hope.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee! Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
O Mary Immaculate
O Mary Immaculate, Virgin so fair
Mother of Our Savior, please hear my prayer
Intercede, dearest Mother
to your heavenly son.
Tell Him I am truly sorry for all the wrongs I have done.
Ask Him to guide me by the Gifts of The Holy Spirit
in all of my deeds and way.
So that I may give Him glory, honour and praise at the end of my days.
Amen.
Mary, Queen Assumed into Heaven, I rejoice that after years of heroic martyrdom on earth, you have at last been taken to the throne prepared for you in heaven by the Holy Trinity.
Lift my heart with you in the glory of your Assumption above the dreadful touch of sin and impurity. Teach me how small earth becomes when viewed from heaven. Make me realize that death is the triumphant gate through which I shall pass to your Son, and that someday my body shall rejoin my soul in the unending bliss of heaven.
From this earth, over which I tread as a pilgrim, I look to you for help. I ask for this favor: (Mention your request).
When my hour of death has come, lead me safely to the presence of Jesus to enjoy the vision of my God for all eternity together with you.
Amen.
Irish Litany of Mary
Great Mary
Greatest of Marys
Greatest of Women
Mother of Eternal Glory
Mother of the Golden Light
Honor of the Sky
Temple of the Divinity
Fountain of the Gardens
Serene as the Moon
Bright as the Sun
Garden Enclosed
Temple of the Living God
Light of Nazareth
Beauty of the World
Queen of Life
Ladder of Heaven
Mother of God
Pray for us
Amen.
Prayer in Honor of Mary, Mother of God
Hail, Mary, Mother of God,
venerable treasure of the whole universe,
lamp that is never extinguished,
crown of virginity,
support of the true faith,
indestructible temple,
dwelling of him whom no place can contain,
O Mother and Virgin! Through you
all the
holy Gospels call blessed
the
one whom comes in the name of the Lord.
Hail, Mother of God.
You enclosed under your heart the infinite God
whom no space can contain.
Through you the
Most Holy Trinity
is
adored and glorified,
the
priceless cross is venerated throughout the universe.
Through you the heavens rejoice,
and the
angels and archangels are
filled with gladness.
Through you the demons are banished,
and the
tempter fell from heaven.
Through you the fallen human race
is admitted to heaven.
Hail, Mother of God.
Through you kings rule, and the
only-begotten Son of God
has become a
star of light to those who were sitting in darkness
and in the shadow of death.
Amen.