I watched the game with my dear friends the Buttaci's and I think Jon had one of the best responses: "My only disappointment was that they (Michigan...that stupid team that likes to think they own the color blue or something) didn't score another touchdown at the end of the game." Classic Notre Dame failure to finish the game out lose another one in the last minutes like they have been doing for the last decade. Of course, one had to wake up Sunday morning and realize that what happened last night did in fact occur, was not a nightmare, and suffer the pain all over again. Ok, I am going to stop now but I don't think I have ever been more disappointed.
Today is also the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary.
Our Lady's name is a strong tower. To her the sinner has recourse, and there finds security and salvation. O sweet name, which gives the sinner strength and blessed hope. We pray you, Our Lady, Star of the Sea, shine upon us in our distress on the sea of life, and lead us to safe harbor and the ineffable joys of eternity.
Saint Anthony of Padua proclaimed in 1231: “O name of Mary! Joy in the heart, honey in the mouth, melody to the ear of Her devout clients!”
In accordance with Jewish custom our Lady's parents named her eight days after her birth, and were inspired to call her Mary. We call Mary our Lady as we call Jesus our Lord. When we pronounce her name, we affirm her power, implore her aid and place ourselves under her protection.
Thus, as Benedict XVI notes, we should, with St. Bernard "Look to the star of the sea, call upon Mary … in danger, in distress, in doubt, think of Mary, call upon Mary. May her name never be far from your lips, or far from your heart … If you follow her, you will not stray; if you pray to her, you will not despair; if you turn your thoughts to her, you will not err. If she holds you, you will not fall; if she protects you, you need not fear; if she is your guide, you will not tire; if she is gracious to you, you will surely reach your destination"
I refer to my most recent post -http://morelacemoregrace.blogspot.com/2011/09/bowing-ones-head-at-holy-names.html and to my dear friend Morgan's blog post -http://fabricsandfun.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/the-j-e-s-u-s-word/. As there is power in the name of Our Lord, there is power in the name of Our Lady.
We venerate the name of Mary because it belongs to her who is the Mother of God, the holiest of creatures, the Queen of heaven and earth, the Mother of Mercy. That creature so beatuiful and pure, immaculately conceived with the sweetest of names is Our Mother. As any child would, one should always feel confident and safe in calling out to one's mother in time of distress...and in time of joy!
Richard of St. Laurence states "there is not such powerful help in any name, nor is there any other name given to men, after that of Jesus, from which so much salvation is poured forth upon men as from the name of Mary." He continues, "that the devout invocation of this sweet and holy name leads to the acquisition of superabundant graces in this life, and a very hi
gh degree of glory in the next." After Our Lord, there is no sweeter name in Heaven than Mary; and no name more powerful.
As I mentioned before, Our Lady has a very prominent role in exorcisms: http://morelacemoregrace.blogspot.com/2011/06/friendship.html. Thomas a Kempis affirms "that the devils fear the Queen of heaven to such a degree, that only on hearing her great name pronounced, they fly from him who does so as from a burning fire." The Blessed Virgin herself revealed to St. Bridget "that there is not on earth a sinner, however devoid he may be of the love of God, from whom the devil is not obliged immediately to fly, if he invokes her holy name with a determination to repent." On another occasion she repeated the same thing to the saint, saying, "that all the devils venerate and fear her name to such a degree, that on hearing it they immediately loosen the claws with which they hold the soul captive." Our Blessed Lady also told St. Bridget, "that in the same way as the rebel angels fly from sinners who invoke the name of Mary, so also do the good angels approach nearer to just souls who pronounce her name with devotion."
Which would make sense. She is the New Eve who will crush the head of the Serpant with her heel (Gen. 3:15 - "Inimicitias ponam inter te et mulierem, et semen tuum et semen illius : ipsa conteret caput tuum, et tu insidiaberis calcaneo ejus." - "I will put enmities between you and the woman, and your seed and her seed: she shall crush your head, and you shall lie in
wait for her heel.") When Our Lord refers to Our Lady as "Woman" (John 2:3) in the way Adam referred to Eve ( Gen. 2:23 - " hæc vocabitur Virago, quoniam de viro sumpta est." - "She shall be called "woman", because she was taken out of man"), it is clear that Christ identifies her as the Lady whole will crush the head of the serpent. For Satan, the mere mention of Her Name forces him to tremble in fear for the mere memory of she who defeated him. One exorcist I knew told me that the possessed would blaspheme Our Lord left and right (which is the eternal battle...Satan knows he is trying to usurp his role as a creator instead of a creature) but at the mention of Mary, they hiss and squirm, shouting "She is here...she is here!" Satan can't ignore that fact that he is a creature...he can never his very createdness before his Creator. Yet, this lowly creature, this humble virgin, defeated him. A human, lower than angels, defeated him and is in fact elevated to such a glory that she is above the angels in Heaven!
The Blessed Raymond Jordano says, "that however hardened and diffident a heart may be, the name of this most Blessed Virgin has such efficacy, that if it is only pronounced that heart will be wonderfully softened." Moreover, it is well known, and is daily experienced by the clients of Mary, that her powerful name gives the particular strength necessary to overcome temptations against purity. She is no push-over. Our Lady, like any good mother, protects, watches, blesses, and cares for her children. Like these beatufiul images of Our Lady of the Apocalypse:
In her care, the evil, multi-headed dragon thing can never get us. Thus, invoke her fair name whenever you are in danger!
Let us today learn to fall more and more in love with Our Blessed Mother named Maria. "Thy name, O Mother of God, is filled with divine graces and blessings," as St. Methodius says.
Maybe pray a Chaplet of St. Bridget today (http://www.franciscan-sfo.org/ap/rac/mary.htm, #73) which includes 63 Ave Maria's in honour of the sixty-three years which, it is said, the most holy Mary lived upon this earth: it is composed of six divisions, each division consisting of one Pater noster, ten Ave Maria's, and one Credo. After these, one Pater noster more is said, and three more Ave Maria's: thus in all there will be seven Pater noster's, to mark the number of her Seven Sorrows and Seven Joys; and the three Ave Maria's are added to make up the full number of sixty-three years.
Let us conclude with the tender prayer of St. Bonaventure: "I ask thee, O Mary, for the glory of thy name, to come and meet my soul when it is departing from this world, and to take it in thine arms."
Lastly, Mary Our Mother,
as we invoke thy fair name,
help the University of Notre Dame
win a football game!
No comments:
Post a Comment