the Sisters of Loreto and a teacher, was on a 400-mile train ride to a convent in Darjeeling for a retreat when she experienced a mystical encounter with Christ. “I heard the call to give up all and follow [...] (Italy) Like Mary, with one “yes” you can know the true joy of Christmas We must never underestimate the power of one “yes.” For example, in September 1946, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, then a member of the [...] said, “yes,” and that one “yes” changed the world. Or, Oct. 16, 1978, during the conclave to elect a new pope after the death of Pope Saint John Paul I, the balloting seemed to be favoring the young Cardinal
Most Holy Trinity - Madonna del Popolo (Italy, 1645) Stay with Mary, even when everything seems to be over In the middle of a gruesome war, a Syrian bishop said: “Hope is not believing that things will [...] better tomorrow. It means believing that God will be with me tomorrow as He is already today.” In difficult times, we are invited to be like the Virgin Mary, who stands at the foot of her Son’s cross. She already [...] announced, even if everything seems to be over. God does not come to fix things in a human manner, and much less in the manner of a magician. He comes to us first and foremost to save us and to give us Eternal
replied: "When a lover sings the same song to his fiancée over and over, who would think of telling him that it is mechanical?" Perhaps these dozens and dozens of Hail Marys are a simple prayer, from a poor soul [...] soul unable to find the words for a fruitful dialogue with God? Or they might be the prayer of a child who repeats his love to Mary, as he is sure that he will be heard... François Morinière, CEO, president [...] (Miraculous Medal) by Pius XI (1933) Let us repeat our love to Mary with our rosary beads! I am writing these lines on March 8, 2021 at 3:00 pm. It is a sunny afternoon and the countryside is awakening from winter
shovel. She was waiting for a little child. But for a mother, isn't a child who is God something unimaginable? Would not this child come to "cast a fire upon the earth" and “a sword pierce his mother's heart” [...] Christian Unity (January 18-25) The Virgin Mary waited with perseverance Jesus encourages us to remain faithful to him until the end. Let us wait for Him with perseverance. He will transform our difficulties [...] death, into a glorious resurrection. There are many saints who are examples of perseverance and witnesses of true expectation. I choose two of them: St. John, the forerunner, and the Virgin Mary, because
June 15 - Feast of all the Churches in the Holy Land (Ethiopia) Mary’s role as co-operator with the One Redeemer The Church’s teaching makes a clear distinction between the Mother and the Son in the work [...] 3:9), he maintains the real possibility for man to co-operate with God. [...] However, applied to Mary, the term “co-operator” acquires a specific meaning. The collaboration of Christians in salvation [...] in humanity’s Redemption is a unique and unrepeatable fact. [...] The Second Vatican Council moreover presents Mary not only as “Mother of the divine Redeemer”, but also “in a singular way [as] the generous
just north of Mexico City, a young lady "dazzling with light" appeared to a native called Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. She revealed herself as the Virgin Mary and asked him to have a church built on the site [...] December 12 – Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas (1531) The Virgin Mary of Guadalupe is with child! December 12th marks the anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady to Saint Juan Diego in [...] site of the apparition. The unbelieving bishop asked the seer to obtain a sign from the Virgin Mary. This didn’t take long—on December 12th, appearing to Juan Diego for the fourth and last time, the Virgin
Mater Domini (Italy, 1650) - St Rafqa (Lebanon) With Mary, getting out of our comfort zone! When Mary said yes to becoming the mother of God, she embarked on a great adventure. Adventures are full of excitement [...] routines, but sometimes a bit of adventure, with all of its good and bad, is exactly what we need. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone! Saying yes to a new goal can be daunting and it takes [...] maybe even sorrow. Mary followed her Son through all the highs and lows of his life, including staying by his side during his death. It is understandable that many of us are satisfied with our comfortable
the King – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Bologna, Italy) Prayer vigils with Mary around the world For more than a decade now, prayer vigils for the revival of the culture of Life in our societies [...] next national vigil (2). In 2018, Philippine Archbishop Palma of Cebu, who led a very successful March for Life with Mary, decried the endemic violence in his country, saying: "No man has the right to [...] next Vigil for Life will take place on November 30, 2019. During a meeting of the president of the Vigil for Life movement in France with Cardinal Sarah (1) on September 8, 2019, the cardinal blessed the
to the Cross, with Mary Through the Mystery of the Cross, the Lord restores our souls to splendor through all his sufferings. Let us stay with Mary, close to the Cross, her soul pierced by a sword of grief [...] in the rays of her tenderness and love, and let us taste in advance a little of that heaven with which she is inebriated. Mother Marie of the Cross www.petitessoeursdemarie.com [...] The Heart of Jesus could not be immersed in sorrow without Mary's soul sharing in the crucifixion. Her compassionate heart is the fruit of a great love for Jesus and for sinners. He who remains united
May 15 – Nuestra Señora de la Luz (Mexico) "Retreats of Trust" with Mary Undoer of Knots The AVE Mary Undoer of Knots Association (French acronym for Avancer, Vivre et Écouter: Moving Forward, Living and [...] earlier individually. These sessions provide a unique time to pray for oneself and one's family, to experience community prayer, and to have a chance to reconnect with our own spiritual life. Discerning what [...] and Listening) was created to let people pray the Novena to Mary who Unties Knots as a community that can meet, reflect and find healing together. Two-day sessions give participants the opportunity to
