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Reflection – Feast Day – The Blessed Trinity – Our Lady of the Blessed Trinity? Yes. Mother of God? Yes. Mother of the Blessed Trinity? No.

This year the feast of the Blessed Trinity occurred on June 7, 2020. It so happened that my twins were baptized on the Feast of the Blessed Trinity entirely without my instigation some years ago, now. But before launching into that story, let me say what I know and have heard in the Catholic world from priests and the catechism about the Blessed Trinity and Mother Mary. There are 3 persons in 1 God. They are one God. Picture a 3 leaf clover. Other than that, it is a mystery to us. Each person, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, all contain the infinite virtues: almighty, all loving, eternal, all-knowing, all-present, among others. Is the Father God? Yes. Is the Son God? Yes. Is the Holy Ghost God? Yes. Are there three Gods? No. There are three persons in one God. Also, the title of Mother of God has its roots in the Counsel of Ephesus in 431 AD.  Although Mary was the Mother of Jesus and therefore bears the title, Mother of God; the title, Mother of the Trinity, implies that Mother Mary is the mother of God the Father and the Holy Ghost which is not true.

My twins were in the hospital in the ICU nursery. They were born premature. I was 42 years old at the time. I had a C-section. My daughter held the finger of the doctor before she was born. My son was born first, and he was almost 5 lbs. My daughter was born second, and she was almost 4 pounds. Before I conceived them, I agonized over whether to keep having children because my two previous children had also been born prematurely. They both had a stint in the ICU, but they were both fine!

I prayed a lot to Mary about it and was given a sign that I knew was saying that I should continue to have children. My mother-in-law bought a blanket for my baby boy, Joe. I opened it and it had two puppies on it. It said, “We are hopeful about the future.” The puppies were babies and they were hopeful, and I had that feeling. I knew God was speaking to me. However, I did not know I’d have twins. When I thought back on that sign, it was amazing to me that there were two puppies!

So, the twins were in the hospital. But they were both sound. The doctor kept them there for observation and to increase the weights of both babies, especially the weight of my daughter. So, I wasn’t alarmed that they may be near death or anything and would need Baptism right away. I guess I didn’t know enough about it. But there was a lady at church who heard about their birth somehow. I don’t know how because I don’t think I told anyone. She called me and insisted on their immediate baptism.

I was a little put off at the time. She insisted, and I was dealing with a lot. I didn’t really think it was her business, but I figured I ought to try and be humble and accept her help because maybe Mother Mary was behind the whole thing. She arranged everything for me and the priest came to the hospital on Trinity Sunday which was a great blessing that I would not have received had I not listened to this lady from church!

Furthermore, when we say the family rosary together, on the 5th glorious mystery which is The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary as queen of Heaven, each member of the family says a title of Mary that they have chosen from among her many titles before each Hail Mary of the Hail Marys of this decade. My youngest daughter, one of the twins, says, Mother of the Blessed Trinity, pray for us. Although I’ve recently learned that’s wrong , I haven’t had the heart to correct her, yet. It’s the one she chose.

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Feast Day – Pentecost and Mother Mary – Holy Ghost prayer

In most paintings of Mary with the disciples in the upper room at Pentecost, Our Holy Mother is placed in the center of the picture. There is a reason for this: She is central to Pentecost. She is the spouse of the Holy Spirit, and He comes to her naturally. The disciples not only needed Mary there to encourage them to be patient and wait for the Holy Ghost, but more importantly, they needed her intercession in order to receive the Holy Ghost at all. Jesus was 9 months in the Immaculate womb of our Mother before being born, and by the same token, the Holy Ghost was 9 days in communion with the Immaculate soul of Mary before coming to disciples at Pentecost. For just as Jesus Christ chose to be born into the world through her virginal womb, the Paraclete chose to come into the world through her virginal soul.

This truth is especially evident and most profoundly noted in the year 2020; in this year, the feast of Pentecost and the feast of Mary, Queen of Heaven fall on the same day – May 31. Mary is the chosen vessel of the Holy Ghost. His benedictions and inspirations are poured out on humanity through her. The significance of the Holy Ghost coming into the world through the prayers of Our Mother should never be undermined as it has profound implications for our prayers to the Holy Ghost. If we want to petition or communicate with the Holy Ghost, we must reciprocate and go down the path he paved for us, the royal road of Mary’s soul.

Benedict XVI has affirmed that, “there is no Church without Pentecost and no Pentecost without the Virgin Mary” (Regina Coeli, 5/23/2010) He has also stated: “Wherever Christians gather in prayer with Mary, the Lord gives His Spirit”

Let us go to the Holy Ghost through Mary especially in these trying times of the Covid-19 pandemic with its apparent and hidden evils. It is no accident that the Feast of the Queenship of Mary (The Visitation of Mary in the Novus Ordo) falls on Pentecost this year. It is almost as if God is asking us to pray through Mary to the Holy Ghost to lead us to faith in God and His Love and to protect and guide us through this trial .

To that end, here is a prayer that is recited by the Marian movement of priests. Say three times:

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Thy well beloved spouse.

I pray for the world now:

Come Holy Ghost, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Thy well beloved spouse.

Come Holy Ghost, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Thy well beloved spouse.

Come Holy Ghost, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Thy well beloved spouse.

Amen.

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Book – The Glories of Mary – St. Alphonsus – Part 1 – Chapter 1 – Section 1 – Audio

To immediately access free online The Glories of Mary by St. Alfphonsus Audio or Book, please skip to the end of the post.

When I first came across the Glories of Mary, I was about 12 years old. I eventually found it buried in a box of books in the cellar of my grandmother’s house.

At the time, my sister, Christine, and I had claimed my grandmother’s basement as our personal club house because it was super awesome! It was strewn with 40s ballgowns and blingy satin spike heel shoes. A big old sink that smelled of beach guarded the entrance to the cellar from the house, and one of the first models of Singer sewing machines sat on a rug remnant. There was also a life-sized picture of Jesus standing straight up which my sister and I were afraid to pass by. One time, after having disobeyed Grandma by playing with lots of rusty, dangerous tools in my Uncle Franky’s deserted workshop, it took us 10 minutes to run by Him as we had to shore ourselves up. It was one of those paintings where the eyes follow you-so scary and cool!

There were piles of antiquated religious books and one voluminous dictionary. We liked the dictionary because it was too heavy to pick up. We had to go to IT to look up a word. I tried reading some of the old books, but I was 12, you know. I’d usually give up after having read one page that I’d flipped to in the middle .

However, The Glories of Mary struck my heart. I learned that Mary loved me so much and that ANY sinner could be saved by her intercession. The saint writer was clearly in love with Mary, and there was a lot of information about her that I didn’t know. The Glories of Mary filled me with warm, positive emotions and hope for Heaven. It was weird because the book was riveting to me after having briefly tried several other Catholic books and deciding to toss them aside. Later on, I found out that the writer, Saint Alphonsus, was the saint on my birthday. It made me feel as if he somehow sat there with me and encouraged me regarding this particular book.

Well, eventually, the winter storm of 1977 revved up and threw the Atlantic Ocean from across the street into our cellar, and so we lost our “happy valley” with all of its treasured objects. However, Christine and I were really very excited by the whole affair as we got to wade waste deep in the Atlantic Ocean while it was sitting in my grandmother’s cellar while singing Beatle’s songs at the top of our lungs. As you can well imagine, the waste-deep-wading didn’t go over well with Grandma, and we got in big trouble. Grandma was also deeply upset and burdened by the damage the flood brought, but the magic of being 11 and 12 is that you have little to no empathy. So Christine and I ended up being just jazzed and feeling that it was a fun and fitting end to our boss hideout.

I think The Glories of Mary was the only thing that survived the surge because it was the only thing I took upstairs to my room. I take it as a good omen. Because I saved it, I think it just might save me.

Here is Chapter 1 Part 1 from The Glories of Mary by St. Alphonsus Audio :

https://archive.org/details/glories_of_mary_amb_1407_librivox/gloriesofmary_01_liguori_128kb.mp3#

Here is the link to the free online Book: http://www.themostholyrosary.com/the-glories-of-mary.pdf

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Meditation – Good Friday – Mary at the Scourging at the Pillar

In my meditations of her at the Scourging at the Pillar, .Jesus Christ, bound to the pillar, before He is scourged, always tells me to go to His Mother.  As I run to her, I discover that I am am no more than a toddler and I end up grabbing onto her skirt and legs, and  burying my face there.

Looking up at her, I say, “I’m sorry, Mother. I’m sorry about your Son.  I’m so sorry.  But I’m glad He is dying for me. Without Him,  I’d go straight to hell.” She looks down at me with sorrow in her eyes and hugs my little body.

But some other rarer times, I see her standing in the crowd, and I am not a toddler but a young woman. This one time I went to her as a woman, she turned to me with a face beaded with sweat and etched with the most extreme anguish and distress, the kind you can’t begin to describe.

I said, “What can I do for you, Mother? Is there anything I can do for you?”

She began to faint, and I caught her and was holding her in my arms on the dirty stone ground. I said what words  of comfort I could. Something like, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for your pain. I stumbled around with other useless words. Tears were welling up in her eyes and there was a growing weakness of her body.  The scourging was so violent that a drop of Christ’s blood fell upon her face even though she was situated several feet away. She acknowledged it, wincing.

I said to her: What can I do?

She said to me,” Hold me,” And then she buried her face in my chest. It was the only time  in my years of meditating upon The Scourging at the Pillar that she ever let me comfort her. In retrospect, perhaps it was  just more that she wanted to place that drop of Christ’s Precious Blood in my heart so that I could be saved.

To hold Mary was like holding everything good, all at once: every star, every planet, every gorgeous child, every love there ever was.

Dearest Mother, my heartfelt thanks for this one moment and all my love for your excruciating agony on this day.

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Song – Palm Sunday – The Palms – Enrico Caruso

Our Lady wishes to honor her Son on Palm Sunday.

1 O’er all the way green palms and blossoms gay
Are strewn this day in festive preparation,
Where Jesus comes, to wipe our tears away,
E’en now the throng to welcome Him prepare.

Refrain:
Join all and sing His name declare,
Let ev’ry voice resound with acclamation,
Hosanna! Praised be the Lord!
Bless Him, who cometh to bring us salvation!

2 His word goes forth, and people by its might
Once more their freedom gain from degradation,
Humanity doth give to each his right,
While those in darkness find restored the light.

3 Sing and rejoice, O blest Jerusalem,
Of all thy sons sing the emancipation,
Thro boundless love, the Christ of Bethlehem
Brings faith the hope to thee forevermore.

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Feast Day – The Friday of Sorrows

Although not an official feast day in the United States, the Friday of Sorrows is a special commemoration which takes place on the Friday before Palm Sunday. This year, 2020, it took place on April 3rd.  Sometimes referred to as Our Lady in Passiontide or St. Mary in Passiontide, the day solemnizes the emotional martyrdom of Our Lady during the Passion of Jesus Christ where she suffered untold agony in following Jesus through His sufferings to His Crucifixion. In certain countries, like Mexico, Spain, Brazil, the Philippines, Nicaragua, Malta, Peru, Guatemala and Italy, it marks the beginning of Holy Week and is called the Viernes de Dolores which means Friday of Sorrows.

On the Friday of Sorrows,  it is especially salutary to meditate on Our Lady’s sufferings during the Passion, Crucifixion, and Death of Our Lord. Known as the Seven Sorrows, there are two forms of this prayer:

You  say seven Hail Marys while meditating on each of the Seven Sorrows listed at the end of this post

You  say  the Sorrowful Mother Rosary which consists of saying seven Hail Marys and one Our Father while meditating on each of the sorrows listed at the end of this post

Our Lady told St. Bridget that the following remarkable seven promises will be granted to those who honor her daily with seven Hail Marys while meditating on her seven sorrows.

The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady

The prophecy of Simeon. (St. Luke 2:34, 35)
The flight into Egypt. (St. Matthew 2:13, 14) The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple. (St. Luke 2: 43-45)
The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.
The Crucifixion
The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross
The burial of Jesus

Our Lady told St. Bridget that the following remarkable seven promises will be granted to those who honor her daily with seven Hail Marys while meditating on her seven sorrows.

The  Seven Promises of Mary

They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.
I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.
I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.
I have obtained from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

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Meditation – Pray for Family in Purgatory

When I close my eyes to pray the rosary, I often envision a scene from one of the mysteries e.g. The Annunciation or The Crucifixion. For me, the scene is never static as the characters of Jesus, Mary, the saints , and the angels will move and speak.  While I was meditating on the Crucifixion, Mary was pointing to the ground beneath the cross of the suffering Jesus. The ground fell through as sand through an hour glass and the scene changed. Mary was taking me down some dark grey, stony steps–way down into packed earth. She communicated to me that I would be seeing different souls in Purgatory.  I saw my father’s hand come out of a swirling miasma of what could have been water or sand.  I said to myself, I want to help him out of there. So, I reached for his hand, and as I did, a plan for prayer and supplication came to me that  I could use to bring him out and to heaven. It seemed his release would happen very soon.

She proceeded to descend, encouraging me to follow her. It was dank, dark and creepy, but I continued out of obedience to the Blessed Virgin Mary.. We came to a spot where was gathered all relatives of mine, some I knew, and some I didn’t. The rocks upon which they were standing glowed orange. There was a relative floating above the rest of them. He was surrounded by a glowing, blue mist, and it was communicated to me that he was in heaven but was visiting purgatory through the intercession of the Blessed Mother. He had a long white beard and a sort of a laurel wreath on his head. He was a long dead ancestor.

He told me that I would save our family line. Immediately, I thought to Mary that this was some sort of huge ego trip, and I came out of this meditation.

However, I remembered that this happened in the month of November which is the month to pray for souls of the dead. And what came to mind was that I had inscribed on my wedding ring this phrase: Pono animas stirpis familiae mea in Corde Immaculato Mariae semper. Amen.  It means: I place my family line in the Immaculate Heart of Mary forever. I say it sometimes, but I think the people in my family line in Purgatory would like me to say it every day, and so I’ve decided to do so.