Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her, ablaze with light from her eternal King, let all the corners of the earth be glad, knowing an end to gloom and darkness.
Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice, arrayed with the lightning of his glory, let this holy building shake with joy, filled with the mighty voices of the people - Easter Vigil. Easter Proclamation as the congregation enter the church from darkness into light.
At the beginning
Mary, while pregnant,
Birth of Jesus;
Presentaton of Jesus
Jesus is "lost"
The Marriage in Cana
During Jesus' Passion,
Mary at Pentecost.
At Mary's uncorrupted death;
And at Mary's Coronation:
- The Prophecy of Simeon in Luke 2;
- The Flight into Egypt in Matthew 2;
- The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, also in Luke 2;
- Mary meeting Jesus on the Via Dolorosa, the Fourth station of the Cross which is not found in the Bible;
- The Crucifixion of Jesus on Mount Calvary in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and especially John 19;
- Jesus's Descent from the Cross in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19;
- The Burial of Jesus by Joseph of Arimathea also in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19;
But a likely start to Mary's Vita Dolorosa is when the angel Gabriel appeared and told her that she does not have to be afraid because she has found favor with God: "And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
Mary's Vita Dolorosa
At the time of her betrothal to Joseph, Mary was just a child. Not more than 17 years old during her pregnancy. How can a child process this information and not need therapy?
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 50% of documented teenage (ages 13 – 19) pregnancies end with a termination, and suggests pregnant teens should ask some of these questions: What sort of support network do I have around me? How does having a baby as a teenager affect my economic future?
What choices do I have when I’m a teenager & pregnant:? abortion, adoption, parenting. How will this affect my relationships as a teenager? What questions go through Mary's mind? Isn't there a Planned Parenthood? What does it mean to be the mother of God? But just like Father Abraham, she just has faith and obeys: "Mary consents: “Let it be done to me.”" Lk. 1:38
The Gospel of Luke starts with Joseph and a pregnant Mary in Galilee. They journey to Bethlehem in response to a census that the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus required for all the Jewish people. Since Joseph was a descendant of King David, Bethlehem was the hometown where he was required to register.
According to the Bible, they travelled far then they searched all over Bethlehem To find a room for the night where they could stay. No room for Mary; Nowhere at all. While the fact there was no room at the inn was the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Isaiah 53, which says that the Messiah would be “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering " it was just another marker in Mary's Vita Dolorosa. What is in Mary's mind? But I thought I was the mother of God. What happened?
According to Burn’s Pediatric Primary Care, newborns should stay in a room with an ambient room temperature between 20 and 22 degrees Celsius or 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Does Mary know that? What other questions might Mary have?
If baby Jesus has hiccups, how do you stop it? What happens if my newborn doesn’t burp? Why is my newborn sneezing a lot? Why is my newborn stomach gurgling?
At Jesus' presentation, does Mary know what Simeon says or does she simply dismisses him:? "This Child is destined for the fall and rise of many.” Lk. 2:34. “Your own soul a sword shall pierce.” Lk. 2:35
Then Mary loses the child Jesus. What goes through her mind? Is there a blame game where she blames Joseph and Joseph blames Mary? Are they insulted when Jesus says he was about His Father's business?
By the marriage in Cana in Galilee, it appears Mary has sn idea of what the Son of the Holy Spirit is capable of: while wine runs out. Mary intercedes and asks Jesus to perform a miracle. How? Only he knows. Jn 2:3
Jesus is nailed to the Cross. Lk. 23:33. Bestselling author, political adviser and social and ethical prophet Jeremy Rifkin investigates the evolution of empathy and the profound ways that it has shaped our development and our society
If we are all wired to have Empathy, as Rufkin claims, How is she impacted by the Passion of her son? According to the Nationalibrary of Medicine when parents experience the murder of a son "Extreme feelings of vulnerability, anxiety, panic, and hyper-vigilance can also accompany the sadness and despair. Grieving parents evidence anger as part of the normal reaction to the loss of their child. This may be expressed as intense rage or as chronic irritation and frustration." Mary's reaction is everything but human. Now she knows she is the mother of God!
But A Mother's Job is Never Done
Mother Mary continues to bring people from the farthest corner of the world to her son. and bring her son to the world
NWcatholic.org/Mary
When Marian apparitions occur, Mary addresses those who see her in their native language, and often promulgates a particular image of herself that incorporates elements of the local culture, as in St. Paul Letter to the Corinthians "To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak. I have become all things to all, to save at least some. All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in it." 1 Corinth 9. This is a way that Mary reminds people of both the universality and particularity of the faith: relationship with God is available to all people across all cultures, but God also desires a personal relationship with each individual who seeks him. Marian apparitions often serve as a way for particular countries to solidify an identity that is both faithfully Catholic and distinctive of the local culture and customs. Instead of relying on a faith that is often imported and can therefore seem culturally alien, apparitions allow diverse populations to celebrate an expression of the faith that resonates with their own cultural context. They point to the diversity of the Church, whilst also drawing people towards the elements of the faith that unify Catholics across all cultures.
Mary Spouse of the Holy Spirit and her Vita Dolorosa
In the April/May issue of Northwest Catholic. Seattle's Archbishop Paul D. Ettiene in preparation for the Month of May, dedicated to our Blessed Mother Mary, He calls to our attention a lesser-known titles not found in the Holy Rosary: Spouse of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ took on our human flesh, through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Mary's humility and obedient faith to God, she conceived the Son of God, when the Holy Spirit came upon her and the Power of the Most High overshadowed her (Luke 1:35.) As Blessed Concepcion Cabrera de Armida wrote in Priests of Christ: "Without Mary, there would be no Redemption. No Church, no Eucharist, no salvation of the human race "
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Mary, as the mother if Jesus, served him his entire life, selflessly, humbly, lovingly and faithfully. Because she knew, he was the Son of God, she gave her entire life to him supporting him through every step of his life, his ministry, passion and death.
At Calvary, Mary was united with the suffering of her son. The grace of that moment, as Christ was establishing the Church, come forth from Jesus' open side and flow always from the Holy Spirit, through the heart of Mary.
Then, at Pentecost - when the Risen Lord gave the promised Holy Spirit to the apostles, telling them to go to the ends of the earth preaching the Gospel and giving witness to his resurrection- Mary was there.
By the working of the Holy Spirit, Mary gave her son to the world, and now we who have been incorporated into the life of the Risen Jesus through baptism, are sent forth with the same mission: to bring Christ to others and bring others to Christ. This is always the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church, and there's no better intercessor for this work to succeed than Mary, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit.
Through Mary's intercession, we beg the Holy Spirit, to flood the Church in these days, freeing hearts for greater intimacy with Christ, conquering the indifference that holds so many back from actively living their faith.
Mary, spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us.
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