(Byzantine Church) Esther, a figure of Mary We read in the 4th chapter of the Book of Esther, that in the reign of King Assuerus, there went forth, throughout his kingdom, a decree commanding the death [...] Mardochai to Queen Esther, and thus might we poor sinners say to our Queen Mary, if she were ever reluctant to intercede with God for our deliverance from the just punishment of our sins. Think not that [...] graciously listen to Mary, in his boundless love for her, when she prays to him for those poor sinners who recommend themselves to her? Saint Albert the Great, quoted in The Glories of Mary, Chapter 1, by Saint

Lady (France, 1248) Mary, for Jesus My Redeemer, Make My Heart White like a Lily (I) O Blessed Virgin, my tender Mother, for Jesus my Redeemer make my heart like a violet and white like a very pure lily. For [...] This is why I am always smiling and I always feel peaceful inside! I live for Jesus, to be united with Him! This is what I ask him: to die in His Love.

Lady (France, 1248) Mary, for Jesus My Redeemer, Make My Heart White like a Lily (I) O Blessed Virgin, my tender Mother, for Jesus my Redeemer make my heart like a violet and white like a very pure lily. For [...] This is why I am always smiling and I always feel peaceful inside! I live for Jesus, to be united with Him! This is what I ask him: to die in His Love.

- St Aelred of Rielvaux (d. 1167) A new generation of priests formed by Mary After reaching rock bottom, Donald Calloway—now a Marian of the Immaculate Conception—had a profound conversion that changed [...] and he couldn't move. The only person he knew to cry out to was Mary… All of a sudden he was pushed back into his body with the force of a universe coming crashing down upon him and he heard the most beautiful [...] concern about anything or anybody, said Father Calloway, whose mother had a breakdown, ended up consulting a priest, and becoming a Catholic—something young Donald knew nothing about. "Then one night in 1992

days when the Coptic Church celebrates Mary’s birth. The areas surrounding the Shrine were crowded with stalls selling various expressions of devotion to the Virgin Mary, despite being heavily conditioned [...] fact that a large piece of rock fell from the hill and threatened to sweep the family away. Local tradition says that the incident occurred when baby Jesus was standing on the hill with Mary & Joseph. [...] Faguette, seer of the Pellevoisin apparitions (France, d. 1929) A million pilgrims at the Marian Monastery-Shrine of Jabal al Tayr celebrate Mary’s birth More than one million Egyptian pilgrims, both Coptic

526 in Ravenna) I found a home that meets Mary's standards! I am writing to give thanks to Mary Undoer of Knots, for a grace obtained through her intercession. I was looking for a place to live, I couldn't [...] getting very difficult. I made a novena to Mary Undoer of Knots, then another, without getting discouraged, but after the 5th novena, I started to lose hope. Well, I found a home far beyond my expectations [...] ion is bigger than I expected. The manager made a mistake in measuring the surface area. I have 3 rooms and pay the price of 2 rooms! Thank you Mom Mary for this apartment. I have been living there since

Lady of the Castle (Italy, 1558) A 66,500-mile pilgrimage for Mary He is known simply as "the pilgrim" and for a good reason! At the age of 67, José Antonio García, a native of Cadiz (Spain), has walked [...] hospitalized for nearly a year, followed by five years of rehabilitation, alternating the use of crutches with a wheelchair. As soon as he was fully recovered in 2006, he began a series of pilgrimages [...] walked 66,500 miles to fulfill a promise he made to the Virgin Mary after surviving the sinking of a fishing boat. This tragedy occurred in 1999 off the coast of Norway. He was the only survivor of the whole

Conception A Newly Converted Saul is Confounded by the Greatness of Mary (1) Barnabas said, "As Elias was carried to Heaven in the fiery chariot and Our Lord ascended before our eyes, so Mary was also lifted [...] empty and only a glimmer of light lay there, which faded before our eyes as we stared at it." Instantly Saul was incredulous (...). "What!" he exclaimed. "A mere woman to receive such a divine honor! I [...] believe it. You were stricken with grief, and so looked for a miracle." Barnabas said, "Whence, then, disappeared her body?" Saul shrugged. He replied, "Who knows? Those who sought a miracle, or wished to reveal

Our Lady of the Woods (Italy, 1607) Let a statue of Mary be honored in every church Priests and faithful are at times surprised to not see a statue of the Virgin Mary in some churches – these are rare, thankfully [...] worship, a statue of Our Lady be presented to the devotion of the good people of God, to continue a long tradition of the Latin Church. We know that the Orthodox venerate the image of the Virgin Mary… I also [...] that, in all the churches, a statue of the Blessed Virgin would be worthily honored with flowers, especially in the months of May and October. God always gives us Jesus through Mary—to pray to her is to get

Keiff (Russia, 1010) Mary is a Woman Who Loves (I) Outstanding among the saints is Mary, Mother of the Lord and mirror of all holiness. In the Gospel of Luke we find her engaged in a service of charity to [...] to her cousin Elizabeth, with whom she remained for "about three months" (Lk 1:56) so as to assist her in the final phase of her pregnancy. Magnificat anima mea Dominum, she said on the occasion of that [...] 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