December 18 – Our Lady of Hope (Spain) – Feast of the Expectation of the Delivery of the Virgin Mary (654) 25 years of peace. Without any wars? At the time when the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, all [...] was the time of the long Pax Romana of Augustus. The Jews were actually expecting the birth of their mysterious Christ precisely in those years (with calculations based on the prophecy of the 70 septenaries) [...] to be the Prince of Peace. The Talmud explained that he would come when the world had ceased fighting. And this did happen, at the time of the peace of Augustus. There was a period of 25 years without
– Consecration of the Shrine of Our Lady of Victories to the Most Holy Immaculate Heart of Mary (France, 1836) Both virgins are the mothers of Christ Advent reminds Christians that Mary, like all mothers [...] the head of this body; the other, through the forgiveness of all sins, gave birth to the body of that head. Mary’s gestation echoes that of the Church, one complementing the other, as Isaac of Stella says: [...] this parallel between Mary and the Church: both are mothers, and both are virgins. Both of them, without any carnal contact, conceive of the same Spirit. Both of them, without sin, give a progeny to God the
employed by the Secretariat of the Mexican presidency, placed a flower wreath laced with dynamite at the foot of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The image of the Virgin Mary miraculously inscribed on [...] Our Lady of Olmetti (Turin, Italy, 1738) – Our Lady of Pasenika or Mary’s Victory (Constantinople) - Saint Gregory Palamas (d. 1360) The brass crucifix was twisted by the blast, but the image of the Virgin [...] force of the explosion destroyed the marble steps of the main altar. The heavy brass crucifix was thrown so hard that it twisted in the blast. The windows of nearby houses exploded. But the image of Our
November 8 – Mary of Victory – Blessed John Duns Scotus How Duns Scotus won the debate on the idea of the Immaculate Conception Not only Christ's role in the history of salvation but also that of Mary is the [...] solemnly defined the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. And this argument is that of "preventive Redemption," according to which the Immaculate Conception is the masterpiece of the Redemption brought [...] the subject of the Doctor subtilis' thought. In the times of Duns Scotus the majority of theologians countered the doctrine which holds that Mary Most Holy was exempt from original sin from the very first
Guglielmo (Italy, 1623) – Coptic feast of the Visitation of Mary A son who seeks the tenderness of his Mother I did not really have any extraordinary personal encounter with Mary, but on reflection, I would say [...] to first heal my feelings of "disappointment" with myself, because of my incoherence, like a son who seeks the tenderness of his loving Mother. At the same time, because of this affection, when she receives [...] despite the forgiveness that comes from the Father through the unique channel of the Son, the presence of the Mother is of extraordinary value to lead me to her Son, and to help me re-assume my condition
February 17 – The seven holy founders of the Friar Servants of Mary The Virgin Mary will be the focus of the next 3 WYD: Here are the themes chosen by Pope Francis for the next 3 World Youth Days: WYD [...] because "Mary is the one whom all generations will call blessed." This "strongly Marian connotation" also echoes the words of Pope Francis at the WYD 2016 in Krakow, describing the Mother of Jesus as "a [...] great things for me" (Lk 1:49) WYD 2018: "Be not afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God" (Lk 1:30) WYD 2019 (Panama): "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to thy word"
February 2 - Purification of the Virgin Mary and Presentation of Jesus in the Temple Mary’s intimate dialogue with the Word of God Mary and Joseph take their Son to Jerusalem, to the Temple, to present [...] is not the attitude of someone who is afraid of what God might ask. Mary reflects, she ponders on the meaning of this greeting… Mary enters into an intimate dialogue with the Word of God that has been announced [...] required by Mosaic Law… Mary’s “yes” to God’s will, in the obedience of faith, is repeated throughout her life, until the most difficult moment, that of the Cross… How was Mary able to journey on beside
mother of God" is a bold formula that truly conveys the solemn meaning of Mary’s dignity, the meaning of the feast of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. So we begin the new year with the Solemnity of Mary, the [...] January 1st – Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God How should we celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation? Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, on October 11, 1932. [...] Though the title of Mother of God is not found in Scripture, it has an ecumenical dimension: for Luther, the title of Mother of God was an absolute reflection of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s dignity. "A woman
December 23 - The Betrothal of the Virgin Mary The Miraculous Birth of Christ You have undoubtedly read about St Bridget's revelation of the birth of this divine Savior (Revelations, Book VII, c.21). She [...] She wrote that Our Lady had a great abstraction, and all of a sudden she saw him laid upon the ground, naked. Then Mary quickly took Jesus in her arms and wrapped him in swaddling clothes.
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary A Newly Converted Saul is Confounded by the Greatness of Mary (II) It was then that a sad coldness spread over the faces of his guests [...] equality and respect. They met in the houses of wives and mothers, to escape the exasperated wrath of their fellow Jews. They honored women because of the Mother of the Messiah. [...] us of these things. The Lord performed His first miracle at her loving request. It was He who gave her as Mother to all men, as He hung dying on the infamous cross. She was present when the fire of Pentecost
