Saint Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, doctor of the Church (d.373) How Jesus instructed us that Mary remained a virgin until the end Indeed, when he was lifted up on the Cross, Jesus commended John to [...] "the disciple took her into his home" (cf. Jn 19:26-27). With these words, the Savior affirms that Mary did not bear another son after him. For, if she had had other children, the Savior would not have
Cathedral fire (1997) Completely imbued with the Word of God, Mary is able to become the Mother of the Word Incarnate Outstanding among the saints is Mary, Mother of the Lord and mirror of all holiness. In the [...] initiatives. Mary is a woman of hope: only because she believes in God's promises and awaits the salvation of Israel, can the angel visit her and call her to the decisive service of these promises. Mary is a woman [...] is encountered both in prayer and in service of neighbor—only then does goodness enter the world. Mary's greatness consists in the fact that she wants to magnify God, not herself. She is lowly: her only
heaven more visible. Holiness and virginity are embraced in the feminine heart of Mary, the keystone of the heavenly city. Mary's holiness, a treasure of charity towards God and neighbor, is associated with [...] April 15 - Our Lady of Kiev (Ukraine) Mary's feminine heart, keystone of the heavenly city The redeeming love of Christ sustains the fidelity of those who have received, like the sovereign Virgin, the [...] two prerogatives to an "eminent and singular" degree (Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, §63). Mary's fullness of grace is a requisite fact of faith; moreover, her virginity, the first fruits of the
April 17 - Our Lady of Miracles (Italy, 1555) We should all adopt Mary’s faith Historians believe Mary was between 12 and 14 years old when Jesus was born. She was a teenager, which may be shocking in [...] at such a young age. However, in Mary’s culture, having a child at that age was common. Couples got married and had children sooner than they typically do now. So Mary and the people around her didn’t [...] referenced explicitly in Matthew 18:3. Mary’s young age helped her choose admiration for God instead of cynicism which older people typically struggle with. However, Mary was more spiritually mature than her
April 30, 2000 Mary to Saint Faustina: "I am the Queen of Heaven and Earth, but above all your Mother" St. Faustina Kowalska reported in her Diary about twenty apparitions of the Virgin Mary, in addition
1755) Why we should reflect on Mary's childhood (I) The humility of the Virgin Mary before the moment of the Annunciation is often overlooked. We usually stress Mary’s humble response to the Angel announcing [...] of her life leading up to that moment, from the time she was born. As the Immaculate Conception, Mary’s whole life had been sinless, and remained sinless after the Annunciation. But while the Annunciation [...] has not received any revelation explaining her exceptional situation. Now, unless we suppose that Mary was unaware or unthinking, she could not have failed to notice, at least slightly, that she was profoundly
did so through a total openness to God and to his grace. In this way, Mary sends us a powerful message, even though we are sinners. Mary reveals what a human being can be, what holiness can be - a holiness [...] manner. Let us meditate, then, on the life of Mary, not only on the part we all know, with Jesus in Nazareth and then on Calvary, but also that of young Mary, pure and humble, even before she had any idea [...] March 30 - Our Lady of Miracles (Lucca, Italy, 1588) Why we should reflect on Mary's childhood (II) The meaning of the Immaculate Conception is first and foremost an intrinsic absence of any disconnection
Paul II asserted that the revelation of the Trinity was already given to Mary at the Annunciation. This revelation allowed Mary to attain an unparalleled union with God through the power of the Holy Spirit [...] Through her response of faith Mary exercises her free will and thus fully shares with her personal and feminine "I" in the event of the Incarnation. With her "fiat", Mary becomes the authentic subject [...] March 25 - The Annunciation of the Lord The revelation of the Trinity was already given to Mary at the Annunciation On August 15, 1988, in his Apostolic Letter On the Dignity of Women and in continuity
- Our Lady of the Militias (Sicily, 1091) - Our Lady of Iwer (Russia) An apparition of the Virgin Mary on horseback In 1736, the Sacred Congregation of Rites ruled that the feast of Maria Santissima delle [...] shore of Scicli, miraculously resolved in favor of the Christians by the intervention of the Virgin Mary, who thus liberated Sicily from Saracen domination. The Saracen Belcane, whose forces were superior
(Italy, 1855) - Saint Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem Mary could not stay at the inn because she was about to give birth When the Virgin Mary was almost at the end of her pregnancy, the emperor Augustus [...] everyone to report to their city of origin. So Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Joseph's family (cf. Luke 2:1-7). If Mary had not been pregnant, after traveling the hundred miles from [...] everyone else. They were not rejected because they were outcasts, penniless, or foreigners, but because Mary was about to give birth and there was simply no suitable room for her to do so in peace and quiet
