nd of August 11, 1996
James 3: 7-11, 13-17
Wild animals and birds, reptiles and fish of
every kind can all be tamed, and have been tamed, by humans; but
nobody can tame the tongue — it is a pest that will not keep
still, full of deadly poison. We use it to bless the Lord and
Father, but we also use it to curse people who are made in God's
image: the blessing and curse come out of the same mouth. My
brothers, this must be wrong —
does any water supply give a flow of fresh water and salt water
out of the same pipe?
Anyone who is wise or understanding among you
should from a good life give evidence of deeds done in the
gentleness of wisdom. But if at heart you have the bitterness of
jealousy, or selfish ambition, do not be boastful or hide the
truth with lies; this is not the wisdom that comes from above,
but earthly, human and devilish. Wherever there are jealousy and
ambition, there are also disharmony and wickedness of every
kind; whereas the wisdom that comes down from above is
essentially something pure; it is also peaceable, kindly and
considerate; it is full of mercy and shows itself by doing good;
nor is there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it.
R. Jesus said in the Gospel
to forgive 70 x 7
Healing of the Family Tree
We need to be healed —
To admit our sins —
Genesis 1: 26-27
God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in
the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish
of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild
animals and all the creatures that creep along the ground.’
God created man in the image of himself,
in the image of God he created him,
male and female he created them.
Genesis 2: 7
Yahweh God shaped man from the soil of the ground
and blew the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a
living being.
Jesus: What does it profit a man to gain the
world and lose his soul —
R. We must pray hard now and do all
God has commanded us to do in the
Commandments —
Our lives are to be lived putting
God first —
What has God asked of us — What
is His will — then do it —
Suffering is a part of life —
Death is a part of our life here —
We die to our will, opposed to God's will
and we do His will —
We must want to do His will —
Fr. Carter lived this way —
He wanted God's will — not too much
he would say, not too little —
Jesus calls us to obey our heavenly
Father's will
To seek His will —
Excerpt from Priestly Newsletter 1998 - ISSUE FOUR
Shortly before he was to die from
cancer, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin left us these inspiring words about peace:
"It is the first day of November, and fall is giving way to winter.
Soon the trees will lose the vibrant colors of their leaves and snow will
cover the ground. The earth will shut down, and people will race to and from
their destinations bundled up for warmth. Chicago winters are harsh. It is a
time of dying.
"But we know that spring will soon come with all its
new life and wonder.
"It is quite clear that I will not be alive in the
spring. But I will soon experience new life in a different way...
"What I would like to leave behind is a simple
prayer that each of you may find what I have found—God's
special gift to us all: the gift of peace. When we are at peace, we find the
freedom to be most fully who we are, even in the worst of times. We let go
of what is non-essential and embrace what is essential. We empty ourselves
so that God may more fully work within us. And we become instruments in the
hands of the Lord."
3
Notes:
3. Joseph Cardinal Bernardin,
The Gift of
Peace, Loyola University Press, pp. 151-153.
R. When we have a fine chair we want
to use it as a chair and be
grateful —
Some one may come and abuse the chair —
treat it harshly and we shutter
to think it could break —
God gives us our lives
God gives us the world
God wants us to treat our lives as
a gift and love and serve Him in
these troubled times especially
of the rebellion in the world —
To tell God we are under Him —
To tell God we want what He wants —
To obey God and to do what He wants —
God wants hearts that are pure —
Living to serve Him —
Wanting only His will —
Being attentive to His will, not our
will opposed to His will —
Oh God help us to seek Your will
and to do it —
Oh God help us to hold tight to
what You want and not
justify our wrong deeds
by trying to make them look right —
The question is — not what I want
for my own pride,
but what is God's will for me —
Oh God forgive us for our willful
ways and help us to serve You
in humility —
To tell the truth about our offenses
against You and to seek recognition —
What is hidden will be brought to
light —
Excerpt from Mother at Our Side,
by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J.
Preface
It was the hour of Jesus'
agony. He hung on a cross, on a hill called Calvary. He had already
suffered excruciating pain. He had been brutally scourged—can we
comprehend what this did to Jesus? He had been crowned with thorns.
He had carried the heavy cross and then was mercilessly nailed to
it. After all this, the excruciating suffering continued as the
weight of His body pulled downward against the nail-inflicted wounds
of His hands and feet. Besides the intense physical suffering, there
was the spiritual anguish which pierced Jesus' Heart.
Amidst this unfathomable
suffering, Jesus spoke to Mary and John as they stood at the foot of
the cross: Woman, behold, your son. Then He said to the
disciple, Behold, your mother. (Jn. 19: 26-7).
John represented all of us. In
giving Mary to him as spiritual mother, Jesus was also giving Mary
to all of us as our spiritual mother.
In these our times, the
spiritual motherhood of Mary is being manifested in an extraordinary
fashion. There have been alleged apparitions of Mary in many parts
of the world. Many seem to bear the marks of authenticity. A small
number of these apparition sites have already received official
Church approval. Regarding the others, we await the Church's final
judgment and express our willingness to submit to her ultimate
decision.
Why such an extraordinary
proliferation of Marian apparitions and messages? Because we live in
extraordinary times. Mary is telling us that the Church and the
world are experiencing a time of great crisis brought about by an
unprecedented wave of sin which has been sweeping across the face of
the earth.
Through Mary, God is using
extraordinary means to call us to conversion. Mary tells us that her
Immaculate Heart is leading the Church and the world along the way
of conversion as she leads us in an extraordinary fashion to Jesus,
the Light of the world. She is beseeching us in a special way to
give our assistance to help fulfill the mission God has entrusted to
her.
In writing this book on Mary's
role in the Christian life, I have drawn upon the teaching of
Scripture and upon Church documents. I have used messages Mary has
given at apparition sites, as well as the locutions or messages
allegedly given to certain of her chosen ones over and above those
associated with her apparitions. I have also used the thoughts of
other theologians. Minor portions of this book have been drawn from
some of my previously published books.
Using all of the above
sources—and others not listed—I have tried to delineate Mary's role
as spiritual Mother to us. In doing so, I have also tried to give an
overview of the spiritual life. My prayerful hope is that the book
will help the reader grow in appreciation of Mary's motherhood
regarding us. Indeed, we go to the Father through Christ in the Holy
Spirit, with Mary as Mother at our side.
Edward Carter, S.J.
Xavier University
(5) January
2, 1999
Mary: I am Our Lady
of Snows. I come to cover the earth with a soft white blanket of my love.
I come to bring peace to the earth. I tell you to let go
of the anxiety in your heart and experience my peace and His love.
I am your heavenly Mother. I come to hold you and caress
you and take you to my Immaculate Heart.
(6) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 3
two - Mother at Our Side
"In an utterly singular way she
cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the
Savior's work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this
reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace." (Vatican
II).
2
Mary is the Mother of Jesus. She is also our Mother. The above
words of Scripture and of the Second Vatican Council attest to this.
2. Ibid., No. 62.
(7) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 3-4
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
Jesus has given us Mary as our
spiritual mother. As He hung upon the cross, Jesus told John to look
upon Mary as his mother, this John who represents all of us. In His
moment of deepest anguish and suffering, Jesus was thinking of us.
As the indescribable physical pain racked His body from head to toe,
as the unfathomable spiritual anguish penetrated to the depths of
His Heart, Jesus was thinking of us. If we allow this scene to
penetrate into our hearts, if we take the time to contemplate the
depth of Jesus' and Mary's love for us as Their Hearts were pierced
with grief, we are truly overwhelmed with the magnificent greatness
and tenderness of the scene. Jesus was proclaiming Mary to be Mother
of the Redemption. He was telling us that Mary is Mother to all
peoples.
(8) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 4
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
The fact that Mary is our
mother, the fact that she has such a powerful role to play in our
salvation in no way detracts from the mediatorship of Christ.
Vatican II states:
"We have but one Mediator,
as we know from the words of the Apostle: "For there is one God,
and one Mediator between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus,
who gave himself as ransom for all." (1 Tim. 2:5-6). The
maternal duty of Mary toward men in no way obscures or
diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its
power. For all the saving influences of the Blessed Virgin on
men originate, not from some inner necessity, but from the
divine pleasure. They flow forth from the superabundance of the
merits of Christ, rest on His mediation, depend entirely on it,
and draw all their power from it. In no way do they impede the
immediate union of the faithful with Christ. Rather they foster
this union."
3
3. Ibid., No. 60.
(9) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 4
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
In saying that Mary is our
spiritual mother, we are saying that Mary is the mother of our
Christ-life. What is this life? Can we define it?
(10) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 4-5
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
At Baptism the Persons of the
Trinity communicate so intimately to us that, as a result, they
leave their imprint or image upon us. This Trinitarian image is our
life of sanctifying grace. This life of grace is a created
participation in God's life, and since this gift of grace is
mediated by Christ in His humanity, this Trinitarian image also has
a Christic aspect. Christ as man has shown us how to live a God-like
existence. He has shown us how to live the life of grace. This life
of grace we possess allows us to enjoy the special presence of
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Truly, the divine Persons dwell within
us.
Whether we refer to this life
as the Christ-life, the life of grace, life in the Holy Spirit, or
by other names, we are referring to one and the same reality. This
reality, again, is the Christic, Trinitarian image given us through
the Trinitarian communication.
Visitation
(1) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 5
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
St.
Paul speaks of our life of grace in terms of our being baptized into
the death and resurrection of Jesus (Rom. 6:1-11). Again,
Jesus mediates our life of grace. He has shown us how to live a
Christ-like existence. Since Jesus' paschal mystery of
death-resurrection sums up His own human existence, so it sums up
our own. This is what St. Paul is telling us. Paul tells us that we
live our life of Baptism, our life of grace, by continually dying
and rising with Jesus—rising to a greater share in Christ's
resurrection. Indeed, we live resurrection now and hereafter. Living
death-resurrection involves all of our Christian activities. While
not giving an all-inclusive list, we do include the following: the
reading of Scripture, prayer, the performance of daily duties, the
doing of penance, making sacrifices, our jobs, periods of rest and
relaxation, sharing meals with loved ones, reception of the
sacraments, and, especially, participation in the Eucharist which is
both sacrifice and sacrament.
(2) Sing: Holy Is His Name
(3) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 4
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
This is our glorious existence
made possible by God's great love for us and a major truth of this
glorious existence is the fact that Jesus has given us Mary as our
spiritual mother. Mary is the Mother of our Christ-life. In her
loving, maternal role, she cooperates with the Holy Spirit in
forming Christ in us.
(4) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 6
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
Mary our mother is ever with
us, guiding us, teaching us, caring for us, protecting us, loving
us. With her maternal assistance we go to the Father through and
with Christ in the Holy Spirit.
(5) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 6
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
Mary nourishes our growth in Christ with a very tender and
specialized love for each of us. She regards each of us as a
precious, unique individual. John Paul II again speaks to us:
(6) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 6
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
"Of
the essence of motherhood is the fact that it concerns the person.
Motherhood always establishes a unique and unrepeatable relationship
between two people: between mother and child and between child and
mother. Even when the same woman is the mother of many children, her
personal relationship with each one of them is of the very essence
of motherhood. For each child is generated in a unique and
unrepeatable way, and this is true both for the mother and for the
child."
4
4. Pope John Paul II, The Mother of the Redeemer
(Redemptoris
Mater) (Washington: United States Catholic Conference, 1987), No.
38.
(7) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 6-7
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
The Holy Father then applies these
ideas to Mary and us:
"It can be said that
motherhood in the order of grace preserves the analogy with what
in the order of nature characterizes the union between mother
and child. In the light of this fact it becomes easier to
understand why in Christ's testament on Golgotha, His Mother's
new motherhood is expressed in the singular, in reference to one
man. Behold, your son."
5
5. Ibid., No. 45.
(8) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 75
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
This is the awesome and
consoling truth—you and I are very precious to Mary. She loves us
much more than we can ever fathom. It is our great privilege and
responsibility to love her in return. She asks for this love, she
asks for our trust. As we give our love and trust to our mother, she
wants us to come to her at all times and in all circumstances.
(9) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 7
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
Are we sorrowful, anxious,
troubled? Let us go to Mary our mother and ask her to console us.
Let us ask her for the grace to handle our sorrow, our anxieties,
our troubles properly—according to God's will. In this way our
suffering will bring us closer to Christ as it simultaneously allows
us to contribute to the ongoing Christianization of the world.
(10) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 7
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
Are we joyful, happy, basking
in the glow of a goal successfully accomplished? Let us go to Mary
and ask her to help us handle our joy, our happiness, our success as
God intends. Let us petition her not to allow our joy to make us
forgetful of God, our God Who is the source of all true joy,
success, and happiness.
Birth of Jesus
(1) Luke 2:1-7
Now it happened that at this time Caesar Augustus
issued a decree that a census should be made of the whole inhabited
world. This census—the first—took place while
Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to be
registered, each to his own town. So Joseph set out from
the town of Nazareth in Galilee for Judaea, to David’s town called
Bethlehem, since he was of David’s House and line, in
order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was
with child. Now it happened that, while they were there,
the time came for her to have her child, and she gave
birth to a son, her first–born. She wrapped him in swaddling
clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them
in the living–space.
(2) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 7-8
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
Are
we finding it particularly difficult to follow Christ in the
here-and-now? In child-like trust we can approach our mother. Let us
ask her for the grace to realize that the following of Christ is not
always easy—that at times being a follower of Christ challenges our
courage in a special way. We can also ask Mary to help us realize
that even at such difficult times, Christ's grace makes our burden
relatively light. Jesus has told us:
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you
rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble
of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is
easy, and my burden light. (Mt.11:28-30).
(3) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 8
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
Are
we finding it is particularly easy to follow Christ in the
here-and-now? Let us go to Mary and ask her for the grace to remain
humble. Let us beseech Mary to keep us from being inflated with
pride, and ask her to help us realize that without Jesus we can do
nothing.
(4) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 8
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
Mary, then, asks for our complete trust. She wants us always to seek
shelter under her maternal mantle. She invites us to come to her in
all circumstances—whether it be in joy or sorrow, success or
failure, laughter or tears. Mary wants us to share in her maternal
wisdom so that we may understand how to use our various experiences
to come closer to God in Christ. Sharing our lives with Mary in this
fashion, and on a consistent basis, requires that we love her, that
we trust her, that we surrender ourselves to her maternal love.
(5) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 8
two - Mother at Our Side - continues
Help us, Mother Mary, to probe
ever more deeply into the depths of your love for us. Help us to
realize more and more that to be loved by you is to experience a
sweetness, a warmth, a tenderness, a serenity, a security, which
makes us cry out, "O Mother, how good and loving you are!"
(6) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 9
three -
Mary And Our Personal Uniqueness
"Of the essence of motherhood
is the fact that it concerns the person. Motherhood always
establishes a unique and unrepeatable relationship between two
people: between mother and child and between child and mother. Even
when the same woman is the mother of many children, her personal
relationship with each one of them is of the very essence of
motherhood. . .
"It can be said that
motherhood 'in the order of grace' preserves the analogy with what
'in the order of nature' characterizes the union between mother and
child." (Pope John Paul II).
6
-
Pope John Paul II, The Mother of the Redeemer
(Redemptoris Mater) (Washington: United States Catholic
Conference, 1987), No. 45.
(7) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 9
three -
Mary And Our Personal Uniqueness - continues
We have already used these
words in the previous chapter. We repeat them here for the purpose
of discussing the concept of personal uniqueness. Each of us is
unique—a unique reflection of God. Out of each one's uniqueness
flows a special God-given mission. Cardinal Newman observes:
"Everyone who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young
and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent
into this world for nothing; we are not born at random. . . God sees
every one of us; He creates every soul, He lodges it in a body, one
by one, for a purpose."7
-
John Cardinal Newman, Discourses Addressed to
Mixed Congregations (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1906), pp.
111-12.
(8) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 9-10
three -
Mary And Our Personal Uniqueness - continues
And as Pope John Paul tells
us, we each have a unique relationship with Mary. She loves each one
of us very dearly, each in his or her own uniqueness. She knows each
of us has the awesome privilege and responsibility of allowing
Christ to live in and through this personal uniqueness. As Mary
cooperates with the Holy Spirit in forming Christ in us, she works
with the Spirit in assisting us to accomplish our personal mission
in life.
(9) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 10
three -
Mary And Our Personal Uniqueness - continues
Each day we can strive to accomplish our mission under Mary's
maternal mantle. Let us each day entrust ourselves to Mary's
Immaculate Heart and dwell within this most pure haven. Here we feel
loved, safe, confident, courageous in our efforts to act that day as
the Father wills. Dwelling within Mary's Heart, we face our daily
challenge of working with Christ to lessen the world's evil and to
promote its goodness. Aware of Mary's special and unique love for
each of us, we are strengthened in our attempt to accomplish our
God-given mission in all the various circumstances of life within
the human condition. Amidst joy and sorrow, success and failure,
acceptance and rejection, laughter and tears—amidst whatever
comprises each day's existence—we should rest secure knowing Mary is
Mother at our side.
(10) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 10
three -
Mary And Our Personal Uniqueness - continues
We should not waste time
bemoaning the fact that we do not possess this or that gift which
another has in abundance. We have the gifts God intends for us. We
have the gifts we need to accomplish our mission in life.
Concentrate to develop these gifts for love of God and neighbor
because how we use these gifts is what we will be judged on—not on
the fact that we lacked this or that talent.
Presentation
(1) Luke 2: 25-34
Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He
was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to the restoration
of Israel and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to
him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set
eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to
the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do
for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed
God; and he said:
Now, Master, you are letting
your servant go in peace
as you promised;
for my eyes have seen the salvation
which you have made ready
in the sight of the
nations;
a light of revelation for the gentiles
and glory for your people Israel.
As the child’s father and mother were wondering
at the things that were being said about him, Simeon
blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Look, he is destined
for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, destined to be a
sign that is opposed—
(2) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 10-11
three -
Mary And Our Personal Uniqueness - continues
I cannot accomplish your
mission in life. You cannot accomplish mine. Each of us has
something to give to Christ, His Church, and His world which no
other can contribute. Again, this is an awesome privilege and
responsibility.
God has given us Mary so that
she may assist us in living out this privilege and responsibility
and we should daily ask her for wisdom to grow in the understanding
of all that our mission involves. We should also petition her for
the courage not to shirk the responsibility, but joyously to embrace
it for the greater glory of God. With her mother's sense of pride,
she wants us to succeed in fulfilling God's plan for us. The more we
entrust ourselves to her, the more she places us with Christ so that
He may live in and through us to further Christianize the world.
Yes, the more we entrust
ourselves to Mary our Mother, the more we will be able to live out
the truth Cardinal Newman puts before us: "We are not sent into this
world for nothing; we are not born at random. . . God sees every one
of us; He creates every soul, He lodges it in a body, one by one,
for a purpose."
(3)
Excerpt from Mother at Our Side, by Father Edward Carter, S.J. p.
15
five -
Consecration To Christ And Mary
"If, in the strict sense in question here,
consecration makes one belong to God—how is it possible to speak
of consecrating oneself to Mary? It is possible because by God's
will Mary has something to do with our Christian life, with our
sanctification. She is certainly not, like Christ, the source of
salvation but she is maternally ordered to our life as children
of God—always, however, in perfect union with her Son and
subordinate to Him. . . Hence, in the full sense of the word a
consecration to Mary includes. . . a real and essential
reference to Christ and to the Baptism that binds us to Him."
(A. Bossard).
8
8. A. Bossard, in
Dictionary of Mary
(New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1985), p.55.
(4) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 15-16
five - Consecration To Christ And
Mary - continues
Before we can
intelligently discuss consecration to Christ and Mary we must
understand the basic concept of consecration in the overall context
of the Christian life.
To consecrate means to
make sacred, to make holy. Only God can make a being holy. So to
speak of our consecration is to speak of God's activity in making us
holy—His activity of giving us a share in His own holiness. At
Baptism—we receive a share in God's life—a share in His holiness.
Christ is the mediator of this grace-life. We are baptized into
Christ, into His death and resurrection. In Baptism we become holy
by sharing in the holiness of Christ. We become consecrated, sealed
with the divine holiness. We belong to the Father, through Christ in
the Holy Spirit.
(5) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 16
five - Consecration To Christ And
Mary - continues
On our part, we must
respond to God's consecration of us. We must live out the
consecration of Baptism. We must realize what God has done for us in
Christ and live according to this awareness. We need to live the
life of holiness and grow in it. In other words, we must develop the
life of grace, the Christ-life. We are given the gift, but we must
respond.
What God has done for us
in Christ involves Mary. God has given us a Christ-life, our life of
grace, and Mary is the Mother of this Christ-life. Consequently,
living out our life of consecration to God—living out the
Christ-life—includes allowing Mary to increasingly be the Mother of
our Christ-life.
(6) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. pp. 16-17
five - Consecration To Christ And
Mary - continues
Consecration to Mary,
therefore, is an aspect of our consecration to God in Christ. It
is entrusting ourselves entirely to her maternal love so that
she can bring us closer to Jesus—so that we can increasingly
live out our consecration to God in Christ.
At Fatima, Our Lady asked that
we consecrate ourselves to her Immaculate Heart.
Mary shows us her heart as a symbol of her love for
God and us. She asks us to make a return of love to
her—to consecrate ourselves to her. She wants us to
entrust ourselves to her completely so that she may
help us love God and neighbor. Her heart, symbol of
her own great love of God and the human race, is a
model for us in our own strivings to love God and
neighbor.
As stated above, consecration to
Mary is an aspect of our consecration to God in
Christ and she has asked for consecration to her
Heart so that she may assist us. Christ, in turn,
invites us to live out this consecration to Him
through consecration to His Heart. We see the divine
symmetry—consecration to the Immaculate Heart helps
us to live out consecration to Christ Who reveals
His Heart to us as symbol of His love. We see, then,
the most intimate link between consecration to the
Immaculate Heart and consecration to the Sacred
Heart.
(7) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 17
five - Consecration To Christ And
Mary - continues
Pope Pius XII reminds us
of this union: "That grace for the Christian family
and for the whole human race may flow more
abundantly from devotion to the Sacred Heart, let
the faithful strive to join it closely with devotion
to the Immaculate Heart of the Mother of God."9
9. Pope Pius XII,
Haurietis Aquas
(New York: Paulist Press), No.139.
(8) Excerpt from Mother at Our Side,
by Father Edward Carter, S.J. pp. 17-18
five - Consecration To Christ And
Mary - continues
Archbishop R.
Arulappa, one very much interested in devotion to
Mary's Immaculate Heart, reminds us that Our Lord
Himself has let it be known that He wishes devotion
to the Immaculate Heart to be united with devotion
to His Sacred Heart.
The Archbishop
says:
"In connection
with the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima,
Sister Lucia, one of the seers, still alive, has
been saying that on the 13th June 1929, Our Lady
requested (as sister herself records in
'Memoirs and Letters of Sister Lucia',
published in 1973), as follows: "The Good Lord
promises to end the persecution in Russia, if
the Holy Father will himself make a solemn act
of reparation and consecration of Russia... as
well as ordering all the Bishops of the Catholic
world to do the same.'
"On March 21,
1982, Sister Lucia further explained to the
Apostolic Nuncio, and two other witnesses, that
the Pope must select a date on which to order
the bishops of the whole world to make a solemn
act of reparation and consecration of Russia to
the most Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, each
in his own cathedral and at the same time as the
act effected by the Pope.
"There are
actually two versions of the vision of Our Lady
on 13th June 1929, but they are essentially the
same. In the better known version, Our Lady
says: 'The moment has come for God to ask the
Holy Father to make, in union with all the
Bishops of the world, the consecration of Russia
to my Immaculate Heart. He promises to save
Russia by these means.' The special mention of
'Russia' in this Act of Consecration is to be
noted.
"When Sister
Lucia asked Our Lord why He would not convert
Russia without such an act of consecration, He
replied:
'Because I
want my whole Church to recognize this
consecration as a triumph of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary, so as to extend its cult
later on, and to place devotion to this
Immaculate Heart beside the devotion to My
Sacred Heart.'" 10
...
10. Archbishop R. Arulappa,
The
Two Hearts,
in
The
Fatima Crusader,
Summer, 1992, p.3.
(9) Excerpt from Mother at Our Side,
by Father Edward Carter, S.J. p. 19
five - Consecration To Christ And
Mary - continues
Pope John Paul II
himself evidently realized, after inviting all the bishops to
make the 1984 consecration with him, that the specific act of
consecration requested by Mary was still to be fulfilled. After
his own act of consecration of the world to Mary, and in words
addressed to Our Lady of Fatima in St. Peter's Basilica, the
Holy Father said: "We wished to choose this Sunday for the act
of entrusting and consecration of the world. . .of all peoples
especially those who have a very great need of this consecration
and entrustment, of those peoples for whom You Yourself are
awaiting our act of consecration."12
12.
Pope John Paul II as quoted by Fr. Paul Leonard in
The Fatima Crusader,
Summer, 1992, p.18.
(10) From
Mother at Our Side by Fr. Edward J. Carter, S.J. p. 20-22
five - Consecration To Christ And
Mary - continues
When will this
specific act of consecration requested by Our Lady and Christ
occur? Sr. Lucia gives us the answer: According to Sr. Lucy, God
will permit the grace of the collegial consecration only "when a
sufficient number are complying with the message of Fatima."13
We see, then, how
extremely important it is for each of us to live the message of
Fatima. If we are consecrated to her Immaculate Heart, we
certainly want to do what Mary asks of us, and Mary's Fatima
requests include: 1) penance 2) the daily recitation of the
Rosary, 3) the five First Saturdays, 4) consecration to the
Immaculate Heart.14
Following is a brief commentary on each of these:
. . .Penance
is the turning away from sin, asking pardon for sin—which, of
course, includes sorrow for sin—and making reparation to the
Hearts of Jesus and Mary for the offenses committed against
them. The spirit of reparation should be present in all we do in
Christ—including performance of daily duties. We should include
in our activities the practice of fasting, a practice requested
by Our Lady at Medjugorje. As we perform our activities in union
with Christ and Mary, we are encouraged to say the Fatima
prayer: "O my Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the
conversion of poor sinners, and in reparation for all the sins
committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary."
. . .Our Lady of
Fatima also requested daily recitation of the Rosary. The
rosary is one of Mary's favorite forms of prayer. The power of
the rosary has been proven countless times over the centuries.
The promises Mary gave to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan
concerning those who say the rosary are truly remarkable. The
Fatima prayer to be said after each decade of the rosary is: "O
my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of Hell,
lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of
Thy mercy."15
. . .The practice of
the five first Saturdays involves: 1) Going to
confession, which may be done from 8 days before to 8 days after
the first Saturday. Of course, if a person is in the state of
serious sin, the confession must be made before receiving
communion. 2) Receiving Holy Communion. 3) Recitation of 5
decades of the rosary. 4) Meditating for 15 minutes on the
mysteries of the rosary. All of the above (except confession)
must be done on the first Saturday of 5 consecutive months with
the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart. For
those who make the five first Saturdays, Our Lady of Fatima has
promised to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces
necessary for salvation.
. . .Another request
of Our Lady of Fatima—one which includes all the others—is that
we consecrate ourselves to her Immaculate Heart. What
this consecration means we have stated earlier. Simply put, we
can say that in consecrating ourselves to Mary we give and
entrust ourselves to her so that she may bring us ever closer to
the Heart of Christ, this Christ Who brings us to the Father in
the Holy Spirit. This act of consecration obviously includes our
willingness to observe the other requests of Our Lady of Fatima.
A great sign of our
consecration to the Immaculate Heart is the wearing of the Brown
Scapular. Sister Lucia has said that all Catholics should wear the
Brown Scapular as part of the Fatima message. She said, The
Rosary and the Scapular are inseparable... In 1251, when she
gave the Scapular to St. Simon Stock and thereby to the world, the
Queen of Heaven stated: Whosoever dies clothed in this shall
never suffer eternal fire. Wearing the Scapular serves as a
constant reminder of one's personal consecration to Mary and of the
necessity of imitating her virtues and heeding her requests."16
Only priests properly authorized can
validly enroll one in the Brown Scapular.
... Mary, then, tells us
that consecration to her Immaculate Heart leads us to an even
greater assimilation to Christ, to a deeper living out of our
consecration to Christ. In the Immaculate Heart we are increasingly
formed into the likeness of Christ. We are increasingly drawn into
the Heart of Christ and more and more transformed in Him.
St. Louis de Montfort in
his own way tells us of the connection between our life in Mary and
our life in Christ: "The Holy Spirit espoused Mary and produced His
greatest work, the Incarnate Word, in her, by her, and through her.
He has never disowned her and so He continues to produce everyday,
in a mysterious but real manner, the souls of the elect in her and
through her. . . Since Mary produced the head of the elect, Jesus
Christ, she must also produce the members of that head, that is, all
true Christians."17
...Karl Rahner,
one of the greater theologians of our times, speaks to us
about this association with Christ's life: "We can only get
a complete picture of Christian existence, such as it is
given by God and such as we should make it, if we take a
good look at the whole life of Christ." Further on, Rahner
reminds us that Jesus still retains the mysteries or events
of His past existence: "Jesus has not lost a thing. He has
not only saved His physical being intact, but everything has
remained present, as it were, in its hidden, sublime
essence." Finally, Rahner tells us that through our union
with Christ we relive His mysteries: "In other words, just
as His cross and the totality of His life have become part
of our life, so also is His Resurrection a factor in our
present existence."18
To end our
reflection on consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
we might consider what Our Lady of Fatima said to Jacinta:
Tell everybody
that God gives graces through the Immaculate Heart of
Mary. Tell them to ask grace from her, and that the
Heart of Jesus wishes to be venerated together with the
Immaculate Heart of Mary. Ask them to plead for peace
from the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the Lord has
confided the peace of the world to her.
19
NOTES:
13. Our
Lady's Peace Plan from Heaven,
(Rockford: TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., 1983), p.14.
14. Ibid., p. 30.
15. Ibid., p. 31.
16. Our
Lady's Peace Plan from Heaven,
(Rockford: TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., 1983), p.23.
17. St. Louis de Montfort,
God Alone: The Collected Writings of St. Louis de Montfort
(Bay Shore: Montfort Publications, 1987), p.266.
18. Karl Rahner,
Spiritual
Exercises
(New York: Herder and Herder, 1965), pp. 244-47.
19. Our Lady of Fatima’s
Peace Plan from Heaven (Rockford: TAN Books and
Publishers, Inc., 1983). p.10.
Finding in the Temple
(1) Luke 2: 41-52
Every year his parents used to go to Jerusalem for
the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went
up for the feast as usual. When the days of the feast were over and
they set off home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without
his parents knowing it. They assumed he was somewhere in the party,
and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for
him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to
find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere.
It happened that, three days
later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers,
listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who
heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They
were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My
child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and
I have been, looking for you.’ He replied, ‘Why were you looking
for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’
But they did not understand what he meant. He went down with them
then and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His
mother stored up all these things in her heart. And
Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and
with people.
(2) Excerpt from Mother at Our Side,
by Father Edward Carter, S.J. p.12
four - God's Will—Our Guiding Principle
When his parents saw him, they
were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you
done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you
with great anxiety." And he said to them, "Why were you looking
for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
But they did not understand what he said to them.
(Lk. 2:48-50).
The above scene describes how Mary and
Joseph found Jesus in the temple after having been separated from
Him. As they were returning home after the Passover celebration,
they realized Jesus was not with them, and returned to Jerusalem to
search for Him. The scene has various lessons for us concerning
God's will.
(3) Excerpt from Mother at Our Side, by Father Edward Carter, S.J. pp.
12-13
four - God's Will—Our Guiding Principle
- continues
With the Holy Family traveling in two
separate groups (Mary with one, Joseph with the other, and Jesus
with either from time to time), we understand how Mary and Joseph
could have received conflicting stories regarding their Son's
whereabouts. The Father's will may have been made known to Jesus in
such a way that the timing of His response precluded alerting His
parents to the change in His plan. Whatever the details were, we can
be assured that there was no error made on the parts of Jesus, Mary,
or Joseph. We can base our trust in this on what we know through
faith—that Jesus would never have been disobedient or thoughtless
toward His parents, and that Mary and Joseph could not possibly have
been inept parents.
(4) Excerpt from Mother at Our Side, by Father Edward Carter, S.J. p.
13
four - God's Will—Our Guiding Principle
- continues
Even so, as people who expect certain
behaviors of children and parents, we can be unsettled by some
unanswered questions presented. Yet, since this event is
included in Sacred Scripture, we know it has tremendous value
for us as the Word of God. We also know that obedience to God's
will always works in the best interests of everyone concerned,
even when it is not obvious, even for quite some time.
(5) Excerpt from Mother at Our Side, by Father Edward Carter, S.J. p.
13
four - God's Will—Our Guiding Principle
- continues
The scene reminds us of the guiding
principle of Jesus' life—loving conformity to His Father's will.
Although Mary and Joseph were returning home, in some way Jesus knew
He was supposed to remain in the temple at this particular time. His
course of action was no different in this instance than it had been
in the past and would be in the future. His Father's will was made
manifest, and He obeyed; His Father showed the way, and He followed.
The Father's will was always Jesus' way, every day, in all matters.
As followers of Jesus, His guiding principle must also be ours.
(6) Excerpt from Mother at Our Side, by Father Edward Carter, S.J. p.
13
four - God's Will—Our Guiding Principle
- continues
This event in Christ's life also
demonstrates that conformity to God's will sometimes brings hurt or
sorrow to loved ones. Jesus knew that His remaining behind would
cause suffering for Mary and Joseph—we can well imagine their
anxiety. Jesus was sorry this had to be. He certainly was not
insensitive to His parent's feelings, yet He had to do what He did.
There can be similar situations in our own lives. Precisely because
we are striving to seek out and do God's will, we may be causing
hurt to loved ones. We know, however, there is no other course of
action if we are to be open to God's designs for us.
(7) Excerpt from Mother at Our Side, by Father Edward Carter, S.J. pp.
13-14
four - God's Will—Our Guiding Principle
- continues
The finding of the child Jesus in the
temple illustrates still a further point regarding conformity to
God's will. Mary and Joseph knew that somehow it was God's will that
Jesus remain in Jerusalem as they themselves headed back to
Nazareth. Yet they did not comprehend why all this happened. They
recognized God's will, but they did not understand it. They accepted
this will, however, along with the pain it produced in their lives.
(8) Excerpt from Mother at Our Side, by Father Edward Carter, S.J. p.
14
four - God's Will—Our Guiding Principle
- continues
The application of this lesson to our own
Christian lives is vividly manifest. At times there occurs an
incident we do not understand. We realize that somehow this is God's
will, at least His permissive will, yet we do not understand why,
and our unknowing is part of our pain.
(9) Excerpt from Mother at Our Side, by Father Edward Carter, S.J. p.
14
four - God's Will—Our Guiding Principle
- continues
Mary always perfectly conformed herself
in love to God's will. It was her joy to so act. Sometimes the doing
of God's will caused her considerable suffering, as we see from the
above Gospel scene. Later on, the sword of suffering would pierce
her even more deeply.
(10) Excerpt from Mother at Our Side, by Father Edward Carter, S.J. p.
14
four - God's Will—Our Guiding Principle
- continues
In summary, we can say that Mary always reached out and embraced
God's will with the deepest love, whether this was easy or very
difficult. Mary has left us these famous words: Behold, I am the
handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.
(Lk. 1:38). Let us ask our mother to obtain for us the
grace to grow in our own conformity to the will of God.
Statues,
Crucifixes, and Religious Artwork 
Copyright
© 2011 Shepherds of Christ.