The Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary| Daily Meditation| Daily Quote by S. Padre Pio| Divine Mercy Reflection
Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Both Calendars
This feast is a counterpart to the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (January 3); both have the possibility of uniting people easily divided on other matters.
The feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary began in Spain in 1513 and in 1671 was extended to all of Spain and the Kingdom of Naples. In 1683, John Sobieski, king of Poland, brought an army to the outskirts of Vienna to stop the advance of Muslim armies loyal to Mohammed IV in Constantinople. After Sobieski entrusted himself to the Blessed Virgin Mary, he and his soldiers thoroughly defeated the Muslims. Pope Innocent XI extended this feast to the entire Church.
Comment:
Mary always points us to God, reminding us of God's infinite goodness. She helps us to open our hearts to God's ways, wherever those may lead us. Honored under the title “Queen of Peace,” Mary encourages us to cooperate with Jesus in building a peace based on justice, a peace that respects the fundamental human rights (including religious rights) of all peoples.
Quote:
“Lord our God, when your Son was dying on the altar of the cross, he gave us as our mother the one he had chosen to be his own mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary; grant that we who call upon the holy name of Mary, our mother, with confidence in her protection may receive strength and comfort in all our needs” (Marian Sacramentary, Mass for the Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary).
Daily Meditation
A Good Apology:
An apology does not show parental weakness or inconsistency. It shows parental confidence and strength. A good apology is for disciplining badly. It is not for the discipline itself.
Quote by S. Padre Pio:
For pity's sake, I beseech you by all that you hold sacred not to wrong (Jesus) by entertaining the slightest suspicion that He has abandoned you for even a single moment.
Divine Mercy Reflection
Reflections on Notebook Four: 237-262
We continue to the fourth notebook that Saint Faustina filled with reflections and revelations from Jesus. As we enter into this notebook, allow yourself to seek God in the silence. This chapter begins with Saint Faustina revealing that she was experiencing a “dark night” (Diary #1235). She lacked the sensory feelings of closeness to God. By analogy, it would be as if you were in a dark room filled with treasures and someone told you that all the treasures of this room were yours. You could not see them but you trusted the person who spoke about all that was around you. Knowledge of these treasures filled your mind even though the darkness hid them from your eyes.
So it is with God. Saint Faustina loved our Lord with all her heart and with every beat of her heart. She knew His closeness and love. But it appears that she could not sense this through her human senses. This gift of darkness allowed her to enter into a relationship with God on a spiritual level far deeper.
Seek this depth of relationship with God as you read through this chapter. Move beyond a desire to feel close to God and allow yourself to become close to God. He wants to enter your heart on a much deeper level than you ever knew possible. Be open to the newness of a relationship shrouded in darkness and allow the Lord to communicate His Mercy to you on this new level of love.
Reflection 255: The “Blessing” of Sin
This may seem like an unusual title. How can sin be a “blessing?” True, strictly speaking sin is an offense against God and has the effect of separating us from God. Thus, sin is not a blessing in the strict sense. But God is All-Powerful and can use everything for His glory, even our sin. Sin could be spoken of as a blessing only in the sense that when we see our sins, acknowledge them, humble ourselves before God and beg for His Mercy, He bestows it in superabundance. In the end, the effects of the humility of repentance do far greater good than the damage done through sin. God can repair the damage immediately, and when He does so, He offers a Mercy that not only heals but also elevates us closer to His Heart. Allow your sin to be turned into a blessing by the power of God and you will be amazed at His endless Mercy (See Diary #1293).
Reflect upon the attitude you have in regard to your sin. Too often you may deny your sin, justify it or turn a blind eye to it. This is a profound mistake for two reasons. First, doing this keeps you from repenting. Second, a failure to humbly repent leaves you without the abundant Mercy of God. Foster within your heart a burning desire to see every sin you commit. Seek to become aware of every sin, even the smallest imperfections. Attentiveness even to your spiritual imperfections will enable you to humble yourself before God in such a way that your honesty and thoroughness will bring countless blessings to your life.
Lord Jesus, Son of God, have Mercy on me a sinner. Lord, I do see my sin but I also realize that I do not see it clearly enough. Please give me the grace to see my every sin, even the slightest imperfection, and then give me the grace to humbly repent with a sincere and contrite heart. I trust in Your abundance of Mercy, dear Lord. Jesus, I trust in You.