MotherOfChrist

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Ave Maria

The Blessed

Mary Praying

"Blessed art thou amongst women" Luke 1:28, Luke 1:42

I'm remembering the time when I was about fifteen or sixteen and I see this
teenager who was engrossed in music, clothes, make-up and boys. I didn't
think of God very much and I'm sure the majority of teens are always
too busy with the academic or material world.

With so many "worldly" influences today, it's easy for teenage ladies to be
swayed towards the wrong paths that could so easily put them in all kinds
of jeopardy. Many a naive young lady could find herself in trouble and
pregnant without the man taking on the responsibility as the father of the
child she is bearing. Her whole world would be turned upside down
and I'm certain no gentleman would make himself handy as a husband.

Mary lived in an age where an unmarried pregnant woman would face
different circumstances altogether from today. The authority and traditions
of her time would have dealt very harshly with her, more so in her case as
she was already betrothed to Joseph. Unfaithfulness during an engagement
was then considered adultery. The penalty - merciless stoning! Yet without
hesitation she said "YES" to God, and in so doing partook in the events of
the redemption of my soul. I meditate often on those moments when the angel
Gabriel appeared to her. The apparition alone might have sent me running and
screaming from shock!

Yet here was Mary, so young, so brave, yet so humble. She's a real wonder
to me, prepared with such holiness by only God himself.
God must have never ever left her side!

"'Hail you who are highly favored, the Lord is with you, blessed are you amongst women'. Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid Mary, you who have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name JESUS. He will be great and be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, his kingdom will never end'." Luke 1:28-33

If some handsome or important chap complimented me I would be beaming from
ear to ear! And here a message from God Almighty for Mary, announcing
that she's the favored one and blessed. Being called blessed by God...wow!

What a situation to be in, conversing with an angel sent by God with such
heavenly messages. Mary was puzzled as she was a virgin and was intending
to remain one throughout her life and even in marriage, or else she may
have deduced that the pregnancy would take place after her
marriage, but instead she said:
"'How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin'. The angel
answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most
High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called
the Son of God'." Luke 1:35

This is when Gabriel informs Mary of Elizabeth, who was "in her old age"
and "barren" yet pregnant by the will of God, saying: "For with God,
nothing is impossible." Luke 1:37

The answer Mary gives the angel for God really blows my mind:
"Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according
to thy word, and the angel departed from her." Luke 1:38

Handmaid

God never imposes or disregards His gift to us of free will. Mary
exercised holy obedience. This is really the ultimate trust one can have
for God when one is put into such a difficult and misty situation.
I personally would have asked Gabriel so many questions:

How will I explain it to my parents? What will my fiancee Joseph think?
Wouldn't the people surely accuse me of adultery since an engagement
has been contracted with Joseph? What will I do if they decide to stone
me? Where will I run? Who will hide me? If I escape the stoning, where
shall I live while I grow bigger in belly every month? Will I be given a
house? Who's going to finance me? How will I convince people that I
didn't fool around and that the child I carry is conceived by God's
miracle? How will I explain to people that the child I'm going to bear
is the Son of God? How can I convince anyone that I'm chaste?
Who would ever want to marry me now?
Who would believe me when I tell them that I'm still a virgin?
Who would believe me?
Who would believe me?
Would YOU?

God protects His blessed ones and an angel appeared to Joseph in a
dream and explained everything to him:
"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife,
because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will
give birth to a Son and you are to give him the name JESUS, because
he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 2:20-21

"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and they will call
Him Immanuel - which means, God With Us." Matthew 2:22-23

Mary, chosen by God to bear His Divine Son, does not sit in a room to
worry or to be waited upon. Any woman would tend to take it easy and
also expect a little pampering from her husband and family when she
is pregnant for the first time.
Not Mary!

This Lady gets up and packs for a trip and travels "into the hill country with haste, into the city of Judea, and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elizabeth." Luke 1:39-40
She goes there to accompany and assist Elizabeth. I also see this, as Mary quickly bringing Jesus, the baby in her womb, to Elizabeth. Mary's life, I also see, is filled with selfless and charitable acts. Her role was to put us all before herself in bringing Jesus to the world, and in this early act of faith she puts into deeds her holy duty.

"Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone
will say, You have faith, I have deeds. Show me your faith without
deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." James 2 17-18

"You foolish man. Do you want evidence that faith without deeds is
useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what
he did when he offered his son Izaac on the altar? You see that his
faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was
made complete by what he did." James 2:20-22

Upon hearing the greeting of Mary, "the babe leaped in her womb for joy and
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she spoke out with a loud voice
and said 'Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy
womb. But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should
come to me'?" Luke 1:41-43

St. Luke explains in his Gospel that the Holy Spirit revealed to Elizabeth
that Mary had become the Mother of the Lord, the promised Savior of
mankind. "And blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord
has said to her will be accomplished." Luke 1:45

Contemplative Mary

And so in honor of Our Blessed Virgin Mary, taken directly
from the Holy Scriptures comes:

The Angelic Salutation or The Hail Mary

"Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee:" Luke 1:28
"Blessed art thou amongst women." Luke 1:28 Luke1:42
"And blessed is the fruit of thy womb," Luke 1:42
"Jesus" Luke 1:31
Holy Mary "Mother of God" Luke 1:42
Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
(as it is common that you and I ask our fellow parishioners, friends
and family to pray for us, so it is rightly so that we ask our
Lord's Mother to favor us with prayers too)

Mary's beautiful Song of Praise to our Heavenly Father:

The Magnificat

"My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
He looks on His servant in her nothingness,
Behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He that is Mighty has done to me great things, Holy is His Name,
And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm.
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their seats and exalted them of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel in remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to Abraham and to his seed forever."
Luke 1:46-55

In Loving Memory of Uncle Adrian

I loved you, I missed telling you that.
I'll remember you fondly my sweet Uncle Adrian.

Eternal rest grant unto my Uncle Adrian oh Lord
my God, and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace in Your loving Arms. Amen.
Beloved Mother of Christ, pray for him.

"...it is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to
pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins,"
2 Machabees-12:46

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