Anonymous Prato, Madonna of childbirth, Prato, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo
By coming into the world as a little unborn baby, and living that existence for nine months, Jesus sanctified the unborn state and the relationship between the unborn child and his parents, particularly the relationship with his mother. Day after day, month by month Jesus was nothing but an insignificant unborn baby. He chose this restricted unborn life to show the depths of God’s love for us. Perhaps the world can not understand nor appreciate it, but we Christians must!
The modern world would have us judge unborn babies superficially by our limited abilities of observation; what we can observe them doing, learning, achieving and mastering. Not so with God. He sees us for who we are, rather than what we can or can not do. As the philosophical maxim states; “action follows being”. When God appeared to Moses He revealed His identity by stating: “I AM WHO AM.” So too, it is more important that we discover Who Unborn Jesus is rather than what things He might have done as an unborn baby.
And the same is true for all unborn babies. God designed “personhood” to be a secret core mystery of life to be discovered by oneself and others on nature’s terms, not ours. God hides the “unborn person” in the womb, almost in a suspended state of love that is, suspended between God’s creative love for the new creature and the mother’s nurturing love until the beauty of the infant’s physical development is sufficient to reflect the fullness of the infant soul. As one professor of pastoral theology has noted “awe is intrinsic to parenting”. Months of waiting contributes to the sense of awe that parents experience through pregnancy and birth. And awe is also an essential element in respecting human life as both gift and blessing.
Parents who, respecting nature and nature’s God, patiently wait for the birth of their child, grow themselves in that very virtue patience that they will need most in the upbringing of the child. The “unborn person” is literally a “buried treasure” of personhood and personality but, like wine, needs to age. Such a respectful attitude was that held by Mary and Joseph during the months of the second and third trimesters. It should be the attitude of all expectant parents.
From Unborn Jesus Our Hope by George Peate,
Andrea di Bartolo from Jesi, Platytera as Madonna Madonna della Misericordia, Ostrense Belvedere, Church of Our Lady of Mercy:
The new Vatican document Dignitas Personae refers to Christ’s identification with humanity but also points out that his identification began in the womb. Here are two beautiful quotes about this identification from Deacon Keith Fournier of Catholic Online.
“As a pre-born child, Jesus sanctified all mother’s wombs by dwelling within the temple of His beloved self-chosen mother. This is the greatest argument that Christians have against the horror of procured abortion. In an age which rejects the truths of revelation we also argue from the truth of reason, the Natural Law. However for those who believe that Jesus the Redeemer lived, ruled and reigned as King in that Holy womb, the evil of the taking of innocent human lives through abortion comes into focus. The latest instruction from the Holy See entitled ‘The Dignity of Persons’ speaks of ‘Embryonic Persons’. God became an embryonic person and has forever identified with these smallest members of our human family.” The Dignity of the Person’: The Catholic Church, Defender and Champion of Life by Deacon Keith Fournier
“As we move closer to the Day when those who bear the name Christian will commemorate the Nativity of the Lord, let us remember the incredible truth revealed in the Mystery which we will celebrate, there was a Redeemer in the Womb. The Incarnate Word became one of us, at every stage. In fact, Jesus was an ’embryonic person’, to use the salient phrase taken from this newest Vatican document, and is forever identified with all embryonic persons.” Merry Christmas: Incarnate Love is Born Today by Deacon Keith Fournier
Fra Angelico – The Annunciation, detail of the Virgin
Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009 is the Feast day of The Most Holy Name of Jesus. The Archangel Gabriel was sent on a mission to deliver a message to the Virgin Mary who lived in Nazareth (Lk 1:26-38). A key component of that message was the Name of the Messiah, a further installment in the prophetic revelations through the millennia concerning the identity of the Messiah. Previously, the revelations and prophecies had been getting more and more specific as the year of his advent approached.
God the Father spoke to Adam and Eve about the Messiah (Gen 3:15). As centuries unfolded, so too the mystery of the Messiah unfolded. It was revealed – He would be from the tribe of Judah. It was revealed – He would be born in Bethlehem. It was revealed – He would be a descendant of King David.
But now, in these last days – actually moments before the Incarnation of the Son of God – His Holy Name was revealed – to one trusted custodian: “you shall call his name Jesus”. Here we must pause and reflect on Mary’s state of soul. The Angel departs, the Holy Spirit comes upon her, the power of the Most High overshadows her, and after all is said and done, she is left alone (almost), to marvel, with a handful of words in her heart which break open the sacred mystery of the Messiah:
“Do not be afraid”
“Son of the Most High”
“His kingdom”
“holy, the Son of God”
“Jesus”
Of these five “words”, the first and the last are the most “personal” with respect to Mary’s human heart: “Do not be afraid, Mary…” and “JESUS”, her baby’s name.
“Jesus” was a special name; the fruit of God’s Heart. A name with a message, it means “Yahweh is salvation”. But uppermost in Mary’s mind was that this was her child’s name. She would have repeated it, interiorly, with great frequency…out of love, out of reverence and awe, in thanksgiving and with expectation.
After the Holy Spirit revealed the “Divine” pregnancy of Mary to Elizabeth, it was now Mary’s privilege to announce to Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah the name of the Messiah; “Jesus”(Lk 1:39-56). This holy couple represented the “remnant” of Israel who faithfully awaited the fulfillment of God’s promises through the coming of the Messiah. So to them Mary revealed the Most Holy Name of Jesus. Later, the name was also revealed to Joseph.
For nine sacred months this name was pondered within this Mother’s Heart. She held the Divine Person in her womb and His Holy Name in her heart. Both hidden from the world until the proper time. Decades later, St. Paul would say of this “name”, that it was “the name which is above every name” (Phil 2:9). But for Mary, it was simply the most beautiful name she had ever heard or spoken.
Last Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Advent, one of the alternative opening prayers for the Catholic Mass included these words: “Your eternal Word took flesh on our earth when the Virgin Mary placed her life at the service of Your plan”. I was taken by this concept of Mary “at the service of” God’s plan of salvation, that is, she was at the service of the plan to redeem you and me. Her famous response to the Archangel Gabriel “Let it be done unto me according to your word” (Lk 1:38), was a wide open acceptance of God’s will – not only for the next year or two but – for the rest of her life… And what a life!
One of the Preface prayers at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer (Preface of Advent II) was even more striking: “The virgin mother bore Him in her womb with love beyond all telling”. So we see in Mary this beautiful harmony of “service” and “love” –both “beyond all telling”. She was a teenager when she conceived Christ and she was on a trajectory of growing in service and love throughout her entire life. “Full of grace” before conceiving Christ, living a life of intensifying holiness, in the constant presence of God Most High made oh so tiny (in her womb).
We will never ever understand Mary unless we understand this: that she loved her unborn child with “love beyond all telling” during her first trimester, then even more so during her second trimester, and then to the breaking point during her third trimester! Her love of her son –God’s only begotten Son – simply continued to grow and deepen, grow and intensify, grow and re-define what love is and could be.
It is “love beyond all telling” because no human mind can fathom it! Think of Mary’s closeness to her baby when you think of these words from John’s Gospel: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth…And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace…” (Jn 1:14,16).
So Mary received grace from her baby and grew in her love for her baby and her God, and Jesus received His humanity from His mother and grew in His humanness and His solidarity with humanity. Each received from the other and grew in the gift received, mother and child.
Filed under: Christmas, Pope Benedict XVI, Quotes from Great Christians, Unborn Jesus
On this mosaic Joseph is depicted as taking the Virgin Mary to his home.
This is one of the world famous mosaic depictions of Chora museum.*
“We should like to penetrate into those remaining six months, which Mary and Joseph spent together, before the birth of the Holy Child. Scripture is silent about them, but it is not difficult for a sanctified imagination to picture something of what was taking place…
The house at Nazareth was in very deed God’s Sanctuary, containing the Altar of Repose, where the Savior of the world was resting. Angels were in constant adoration before their King. The faithful consisted of Mary and Joseph, whose thought and conversation could be about nothing else but the Child Who was coming into the world. And who shall measure the graces and blessings, which that Child was showering upon Mary and her faithful spouse, during those months of waiting and prayer and holy converse,while they planned and arranged with such care and minuteness, as parents are wont to do, every detail connected with the birth of the firstborn?” Mother St. Paul, Ortus Christi
“Joseph realized how great was the blessing which God had bestowed upon him, a poor carpenter, in decreeing that from his house and family should come the hope and salvation and remedy of all generations and that he should be guardian and putative father of the Savior and the spouse of His blessed Mother. When a heart so pure and holy sees itself enclosed and inundated by such mysteries, what must it feel? How astonished and enraptured it must be amidst such marvels and blessings, especially since the Holy Spirit usually gives to the just an experience or taste proportionate to the knowledge which He gives them. What must have been the state of Joseph’s will when his intellect was enlightened concerning the great marvels and mysteries?” Venerable Louis of Granada (1505-1588)
“In these last days of Advent the liturgy invites us to contemplate in a special way the Virgin Mary and St Joseph, who lived with unique intensity the period of expectation and preparation for Jesus’ birth. I would like today to turn my attention to the figure of St Joseph…
The beloved Pope John Paul II, who was very devoted to St Joseph, left us an awesome meditation dedicated to him in the Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, “Guardian of the Redeemer”. Among the many aspects it highlights, particular emphasis is placed on the silence of St Joseph. His is a silence permeated by contemplation of the mystery of God, in an attitude of total availability to his divine wishes. In other words, the silence of St Joseph was not the sign of an inner void, but on the contrary, of the fullness of faith he carried in his heart, and which guided each and every one of his thoughts and actions…
Let us allow ourselves to be ‘infected’ by the silence of St Joseph! We have much need of it in a world which is often too noisy, which does not encourage reflection and listening to the voice of God. In this time of preparation for Christmas, let us cultivate interior meditation to welcome and watch over Jesus in our lives.” Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus Message, Dec. 18, 2005.
* The Chora (Museum) Monastery is located in the northwest part of Istanbul, in a district called Edirnekapi. The word “Chora”, as widely accepted, means land, country, a suburb, or suburban area, and countryside in Greek language. As the building lay outside the city walls built by emperor Constantine, it was thus named Chora. Chora also means “womb” in ancient Greek. Some historians have thought that the church might have been dedicated to Virgin Mary who gave birth to Jesus from her womb.There are two etymological approaches to the word “Chora” 1- Geographical (land, county, suburb), 2- religious and mystical (womb).
Filed under: Quotes from Great Christians, The Incarnation, Unborn Jesus
Interior Of The Mezquita Cathedral Virgin Mary Icon*
“He has become incarnate for me; it behooves me then to keep as close to Him as possible, to love Him with all my heart and to copy Him as far as I can.
He is God and therefore there can be nothing imperfect about Him; from the first moment of the Word being made flesh in the womb of His Mother till ‘she brought forth her first-born Son’ on Christmas day, His faculties, His reason, His intelligence, His sensibilities were all in a state of perfection; He knew the past, the present, and the future; and He, the Source of grace, was pouring forth grace on all around Him.
Directly we understand this, we feel that we must draw near, not only to adore but to sympathize, to wonder, to love, to learn, to imitate. For those who understand the Incarnation, His work did not begin on Christmas Day, but on the Feast of the Annunciation, when Mary said: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy word.’
What happened at that moment? The Holy Ghost overshadowed her, the Body of Our Lord was formed from her pure blood; God created the human Soul to dwell in it, and by the act of the Incarnation that Soul and Body became the Soul and Body of the Word, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
Mary became the Mother of God and Gabriel worshiped before the Tabernacle of the Word made flesh.”
From Ortus Christi:meditations for Advent (1921) by Mother St. Paul
*Detail – fresco of Virgin Mary “of the Sign”: she is carrying Jesus in her womb. This icon is found in The Mezquita of Cordoba, a Roman Catholic cathedral and former mosque, situated in the Andalusian city of Córdoba, Spain. Under the rule of Islam, it was built as the second-largest mosque in the world, and is perhaps the most accomplished monument of the Umayyad dynasty of Cordoba. After the Spanish Reconquista, it was transformed into a church, and some of the Islamic columns and arches were replaced by a basilica in early Baroque style. Today it houses the main church of the diocese of Cordoba in Spain.
Filed under: Advent, Incarnation, Quotes from Great Christians, Unborn Jesus
Mary full of Life brings light to a dark world. Photo taken by Rob Howells, Director of Development Union Gospel Mission
Recently, we did a post about this beautiful billboard, Mary Full of Life. The idea for the sculpture and billboard were developed by Valerie Aschbacher. (Click here to see the original news story about this billboard.) Valerie sent out an email about her efforts to make sure it was lit up at night. She finally succeeded but shared her thoughts about the darkness surrounding the billboard.
“Saddened by this dark experience, I had hoped Mary Full of Life would become illuminated for all to see – as a real beacon of LIGHT amongst the dark landscape in the city. This morning, the Clear Channel President has notified me – the light is working now.”
This made me think how Mary’s pregnancy and the Unborn Christ Child illuminate our dark culture of death. Karl Adam in his book The Son of God (Sheed and Ward, 1934) writes about how Christ “holy and exalted as was his nature…appeared to us in purely human form, in the dubious condition of all that is transitory and temporal.” What can be a more ‘dubious condition’ to this world than a single cell or a developing unborn baby.
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta reminded us that the poor were really Christ in a ‘distressing disguise’. In our sad world, what disguise could be more distressing than an unborn baby?
In a post entitled Life Incarnate, two views ‘the aspiring f.o.o.l.’ (an aspiring ‘friend of our Lord’) writes these beautiful lines: “He consigned Himself to a torturous life on earth so that we might see, embodied as it is, what love is.”
When I see the billboard of Mary full of Life spreading the light of Jesus unborn to the dark world beneath it, I know this is ‘what love is’ – Jesus unborn ‘in the dubious condition of all that is transitory and temporal’ – yes a beautiful yet , ‘ distressing disguise’ that this dark world needs to behold.
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1: 4-5)
Key to Christ’s Kingdom Christine Granger
Here is a wonderful quote from Mother St. Paul (1861-1940) about Mary’s Pregnancy.
“She was ever holding colloquies with her God within her, pondering things over in her heart, that is, talking them over with Him from Whom she had no secrets and between Whom and her soul she put no obstacles.
Her life was spent with Him; whatever her duties might be, everything was done with Him, which is prayer. If duties or conservation demanded all her attention for a while, did it matter? No, for He was there all the same. He, in her, carried on the blessed converse with His Father; there was never any separation between Mary and the Blessed Fruit of her womb, Jesus. She would come back to Him…
…When we think of Jesus praying for nine months to His Father, when we think of Mary’s nine months colloquy with Jesus, we begin to think that there is something wrong about our methods of prayer, that they need re-modeling.
Let us try to understand something of what His prayer was. We think of Him, and quite rightly, as talking over with His Father all His plans for man’s salvation, praying for each individual thing that would be connected with it through all time. We love to think that He prayed particularly for each one of us.“
From Ortus Christi:meditations for Advent (1921) by Mother St. Paul
The picture above is a mural on the Visitation Church in Ain Karim on the outskirts of Jerusalem which commemorates Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth and the Magnificat
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah. Luke 1:39
Why did Mary decide to go to the home of Elizabeth? Undoubtedly the Holy Spirit, who had come upon her (Lk 1:35), unfolded the reason for the angel’s reference to Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Her state, as she considered what she should do was described by St. Peter Julian Eymard:
“The Word was in Mary’s womb. He inspired His Mother to visit Elizabeth; Mary carried to John his Master and King. John could not come, for his mother was too old to undertake that journey; Jesus Christ went to him. He did the same for us: we could not go to God; God came to us.”
Most likely Mary welcomed those three or four days of traveling to visit her cousin Elizabeth as it afforded her a great deal of time to reflect and pray and to sort out in her own mind what had happened. … Underlying all her thoughts was a poignant sense of duty and mission – the messianic mission. As Cardinal Berulle (1575-1629) explains, her unique role was underway:
“The Virgin is involved with Jesus and she is the only one in the whole world involved with Jesus. Thus she is the only one in the whole world adoring the mystery of the Incarnation, which was brought about on earth for the earth but unknown to the earth. She is the only one adoring Jesus. The more that she is the only one captivated by such a great subject, the greater is her involvement. She is devoted to it with all her faculties. All her senses are brought to bear on it, for it is a tangible mystery and tangible within her. All her senses should pay homage to her God made tangible for human nature. Her whole mind is concentrated on it. And the Spirit of Jesus, which enlivens this little divinized body, enlivens the spirit and body of the Virgin as well, through grace, love and a holy, gentle influence.”
Excerpt from Unborn Jesus Our Hope
The Icon of Our Lady of ‘Childbirth’ or Procreation and Mothering. Russian Orthodox Church. This wood-mounted, foil icon depicts the Theotokos with Christ in her womb. It is customarily given to expecting mothers to remind them to pray to the Theotokos for a safe, healthy childbirth.
On November 24, LifeNews.com reported that the Russian city of Novorossiysk was ‘starting a campaign called a “Week Without Abortions.” The idea is to temporarily prohibit abortions in the city and encourage couples to have children in an effort to combat the growing underpopulation problem’.
In a September 20, 2008 Los Angeles Times article, Abortion foes begin to make their case in Russia, Megan K. Stack reports that “A fledgling anti-abortion movement is beginning to stir in Russia. Driven by a growing discussion of abortion as a moral issue and, most of all, by a government worried about demographics, doctors and politicians are quietly struggling to lower what is believed to be one of the world’s highest abortion rates.”
According to the article the following pro-life changes are making their way into Russian society:
- The government recently imposed new restrictions on the procedures after the 12th week of pregnancy, and toughened the language of a waiver women must sign before terminating a pregnancy.
- Late-term abortions used to be easily accessible on “social” grounds: A woman merely had to visit a social worker, complain that she wouldn’t be able to raise a child, and she could collect a stamped waiver. These days, exceptions are available only for extreme circumstances, such as the sudden death of a husband or a medical emergency.
- Many gynecologists have launched their own small efforts to persuade patients to go through with their pregnancies. Although law requires parental consent only for girls younger than 16, many doctors boast that they involve the parents of any patient younger than 19. Gynecologist Natalia Smirnova even stated: “This is the decision of a lifetime. It’s very important for me to show them the ultrasound picture of their fetuses. This stops most of them.”
- Natalia Karpovich, who is pregnant with her fifth child and is a leader of the State Duma committee focused on family, women and children, is one of the Russian lawmakers who doesn’t think that abortion should be so casual. The spiritual position,” she said, “should be that this is murder and the woman who does this commits a sin.” She is pushing for media messages that warn women about the consequences of abortion such as infertility and damage to the body. She also supports new measures meant to encourage childbirth by paying cash bonuses and opening new day-care centers across the country.
- What is most surprising is that some of the doctors who used to perform abortions are now the ones trying to dissuade women from getting them. One woman, Marina Chechneva, a former abortionist, is now devoting her time to writing magazine articles on fetal development, something she knows well from years of handling aborted fetuses. She says she feels a responsibility for unborn children, and writes articles for women seeking abortion who do not realize “that what they’re doing is already a murder.”
Why is Russia rethinking its long held liberal abortion stand? The Rand Corporation has some interesting articles that give a back story to these new developments in Russia.
In a 1997 article published by the Rand Corporation entitled Russia’s Demographic “Crisis”: How Real Is It? the author’s make some interesting observations:
- Recent demographic trends in Russia have caused widespread public concern.
- Russia is experiencing unusually high death rates from non natural causes, many related to alcoholism.
- The Russian fertility rate has declined to among the world’s lowest, while its abortion rate is the highest.
- For the first time in Russian history, the annual number of deaths has exceeded the number of births.
- The population is aging rapidly–a trend that will accelerate over the next two decades.
In a 2001 Rand Corporation article entitled: Dire Demographic Trends Cast a Shadow on Russia’s Future, Vladmir Putin is quoted: “Year by year, we, the citizens of Russia, are getting fewer and fewer. . . . We face the threat of becoming a senile nation.” The article goes on to state: “At the same time, the fertility rate has declined to among the world’s lowest, while a high rate of abortion poses significant health problems. Deaths have exceeded births since 1992.”
In a 2002 article published also by Rand Corporation, Julie DaVanzo and Clifford A. Grammich point out that: “Like many Communist or post-Communist nations, Russia has one of the highest abortion rates in the world. These rates have created a legacy of significant medical problems. Complications from abortion are the cause of more than one in four maternal deaths in Russia. Overall, two in three Russian women aborting their pregnancies suffer health complications as a result of the procedure, further stressing the overburdened Russian health care system. Abortion has also led to high rates of secondary sterility in Russia; an estimated one in ten women is left sterile by the procedure.”
And finally click here to read another good article on this topic: Russia Rethinks Abortion: What About America? by Albert Mohler ,(president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary). One of the points Dr. Mohler makes is: “Some credit this change to the growing influence of the Russian Orthodox Church after seven decades of official Soviet atheism and repression. The Church has clearly influenced some key political figures and may play an even larger role in the future. A pro-life movement is now emerging in Russia, and these restrictions are a sign of its success.”
To that I add, ‘Our Lady of Childbirth, please pray for us.’
A photograph of the sculpture Mary Full of Life renders it larger than life. The image appears on a billboard over Old Town at the intersection of West Burnside Street and Northwest Third Avenue.
In an article entitled: Old Town billboard of pregnant Mary aims to bear hope, Nancy Haught begins:
“An image of a very pregnant Mary, the mother of Jesus, looks down on Old Town from a billboard on West Burnside Street and Northwest Third Avenue. In the weeks before Christmas, she is a reminder of the approaching celebration of her son’s birth.” Click here to read the rest of the story.
Recently, Valerie Aschbacher, (who commissioned the sculpture and put up the billboard) got in touch with us to share her beautiful website : Mary Full of Life. In her email she said: ‘It appears Mary has been “speaking” to quite a few of us…..This artwork began in 2004.’
Click here to see this wonderful sculpture and the prayer that Valerie wrote artfully displayed and brought to life .
Let us pray.
Holy Mary, Full of Life
The Word lives within you!
Blessed are you among all generations
Divine is The Son, in your womb, Jesus.
Humble Mary, Bearer of God
Show us, your children,
How we may be born into new life.
Amen.
Prayer by Valerie Aschbacher
“Three months Mary abode in Zachary s house, and all that time the flame of communicating love abode there too, burning ever more brightly within her. What a privilege for the house of Zachary! We read in Sacred History that once “the Ark of the Lord abode in the house of Obededom the Gethite for three months; and the Lord blessed Obededom and all his household.” (2 Kings vi. 11.)
What then must have been the blessings bestowed on Zachary’s household, while Mary the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ abode there! ‘ Foederis area, ora pro nobis.’ Pray that we too may get the blessings of those who receive thee as their constant guest.” From Mater Christi : meditations on Our Lady (1920). Mother St. Paul
____________________________________________________________________
“Our Lady stayed with Elizabeth until John was born; that is the point of the ‘three months’; the gospel account is surely Mary’s personal recital. There were no maternity wards in those days, and Mary assisted at the birth of Elizabeth’s son.” From The Gospel Story by Ronald Knox and Ronald Cox, Sheed and Ward, 1958
What I love about this painting (see below) is that Mary is holding John the Baptist right after his birth. Of course, Jesus is also present at this birth in his mother’s womb.
The Birth of St. John the Baptist, Andrea di Nerio, c. 1350
Mary in the House of Elizabeth , Robert Anning Bell 1863-1933
“All through those blessed three months during which Mary abode with Zachary and Elizabeth, she was singing Magnificat. All through her life she sang Magnificat, even though she was the Mother of Sorrows, for the thought of God’s glory ever lifted her out of herself and made her praise Him for all He did. It was because Mary had said her Fiat that she could say her Magnificat….
…We know nothing of what went on during those three months, but we may presume that things continued as they began. It is not likely that Elizabeth said her ‘Ave’ only once, and only once spoke of the honour she considered it to have the Mother of God in her house. It is not likely that the unborn Forerunner never again saluted His Master, in Whose presence he so continually was. It is impossible to conceive that Mary sang God’s praises and her own unworthiness no more during those three months. And what about Jesus ? These were the first three months of His life on earth, and grace was surely going out from Him to His Blessed Mother first, and then to all who knew the secret.”
From Mater Christi : meditations on Our Lady (1920). Mother St. Paul
Annunciation, Vittore Carpaccio Galleria Franchetti in the Ca d’Oro, Venice
“In working for the common good of our society, racial justice is one pillar of our social doctrine. Economic justice, especially for the poor both here and abroad, is another.
But the Church comes also and always and everywhere with the memory, the conviction, that the Eternal Word of God became man, took flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, nine months before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This truth is celebrated in our liturgy because it is branded into our spirit. The common good can never be adequately incarnated in any society when those waiting to be born can be legally killed at choice.
If the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision that African Americans were other people’s property and somehow less than persons were still settled constitutional law, Mr. Obama would not be president of the United States. Today, as was the case a hundred and fifty years ago, common ground cannot be found by destroying the common good.”
Plenary Session Address by Cardinal George, 2008 Fall General Assembly of Bishops, Nov. 10-12.
Vierge Ouvrante (Opening Virgin) click on picture to open and see scenes from the Gospel
Loving Mother of the Redeemer
Gate of heaven, Star of the Sea,
Assist your people who have fallen
yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature
you bore your Creator,
yet remained a virgin after as before.
You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,
have pity on us poor sinners.
Sister Linus sent this to me: During Advent, this is the antiphon used in Compline for the Divine Office. She points out that, “Today it’s like a prayer of sorrow and reparation.”
Meeting of Mary and Elisabeth, Marx Reichlich, Austrian painter (b. 1460, Salzburg, d. 1520, Salzburg) Wood, 100,5 x 81,2 cm Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Many of us are shuddering at the prospect of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) promised by the Democrats and president-elect Obama. For info on this act click here and here.
FOCA is a logical outgrowth of the Democratic Party Platform to promote and protect abortion as a uniquely construed “right” in and of itself. This platform plank, which has been central to the Democratic Party for many years, is a gross, ill-conceived principle at the foundation of the culture of death. It is a principle of death and a false “right”.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines now, millions are working for and praying for, a Culture of Life. In our gut there is a sense of desperation! But in our heart there must be a sense of expectation! Here are two key scripture verses at the pragmatic core of the Culture of Life philosophy/spirituality:
“…where sin increased, grace abounded all the more…” Rom 5:20
“…in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.” Rom 8:28
We can find wholesome expectation and hope in the Redemptive Pregnancy of Mary. More specifically, in the Unborn Baby, within the womb of Mary. He is Christ the Lord! (Lk 2:11) Is there a light at the end of this dark tunnel of the culture of death? Yes, He is Christ the light of the world! (Jn 8:12)
“The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world.” (Jn 1:9)
“And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace” (Jn 1:16). When you read this wonderful verse, think of John the Baptist within his mother’s womb leaping for joy! Joy? Yes, joy because he is in the immediate presence of Unborn Jesus (Lk 1:39-44).
Just because we must be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Mt 10:16; another key scripture verse at the pragmatic core of the Culture of Life spirituality), doesn’t mean we can not also leap for joy in expectation with Elizabeth and unborn John the Baptist.
So leap don’t weep! Leap while you pray! Leap in Holy Expectation!
There is no doubt that many of us are discouraged right now. I wanted to talk about something that has helped me a great deal.
Many of you know that our blog’s subtitle is: Honoring the Unborn Christ Child, promoting the Gospel of Life, one day at a time…
During the election we encouraged those who read this blog to pray the Magnificat 9 times a day for the election in honor of the nine months that Jesus spent in Mary’s womb. This was a devotion that St. Juliana of Cornillon recommended to her friends. I assumed that most of you already were praying other Novenas etc. and that only a few would be able to add this to their already busy lives.
But I did start praying the Magnificat 9 times a day myself and we are continuing to pray this novena until the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. I want to tell you about how profound and powerful this experience has been for me.
Let me explain – a few years ago I read Unborn Jesus Our Hope which is a meditation on the nine months that Jesus spent in Mary’s womb. Some of you know that it was written by my husband. It took him 20 years to write this book because he had to support a growing family and could only dedicate himself to it in his spare time. I basically ignored what he was doing for the entire 20 years. I didn’t really understand what he was trying to accomplish. When he decided that the book was ready and he turned to looking for a publisher (Life Cycle Books published it), I decided that I really should read it.
What happened is that I fell in love with the Unborn Christ Child. I only tell you this so that I can explain why praying the Magnificat has been so powerful for me.
I dedicate each Magnificat to a different month that Christ spent in Mary’s womb.
Initially with the first Magnificat, I place myself before Christ at the moment of His Conception.
With the 2nd Magnificat, Mary is visiting Elizabeth and praying this prayer herself.
At the 3rd Magnificat, Mary is with Elizabeth and Zachariah – the Unborn Christ Child is present at John’s Birth.
I travel the road back to Nazareth with Mary and Unborn Jesus while praying the 4th Magnificat.
The 5th Magnificat is with Mary, the pregnant mother who is unsure of her future but fully trusting in God as she senses Joseph’s agony until the Angel speaks to him.
At the 6th Magnificat Joseph joins Mary in her worship of the God within her womb.
The 7th Magnificat is in the happy home at Nazereth where Mary and Joseph prepared for the great task ahead of them while going about their ordinary duties.
At the 8th Magnificat, I am with them and unborn Jesus as the wonderful news of the census in Bethlehem came to them. They knew that God wanted the Messiah to be born in Bethlehem and now they saw God’s hand in history accomplishing this.
And finally, during the ninth Magnificat I am with Unborn Jesus, Mary and Joseph as they journey to Bethlehem, are rejected by the Innkeeper and find the stable that was the birth place of Our Blessed Lord.
John Paul II in his Encyclical Letter on the Holy Spirit (Dominum et Vivificantem) while speaking of the Incarnation reminded us:
“What was accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit “in the fullness of time” can only through the Spirit’s power now emerge from the memory of the Church. By his power it can be made present in the new phase of man’s history on earth.” Dominum et Vivificantem. 51
We can in a new way be present at that time in history when heaven was wedded to earth, when Jesus was powerfully present to our world in the womb of Mary. These are the moments in history where God first fully embraced humanity. And we can be reminded that he has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly and that His Mercy is on those who fear him in every generation. The Almighty has done great things for all of us and holy is His Name.
Taste and see the great goodness of Our Lord. Like St. Juliana, I too urge my friends to try this devotion. You will find strength and refreshment for your souls in this time of trial and disappointment. We need, like Pope John Paul reminds us, ‘to make present in this phase of man’s history what was accomplished by the Holy Spirit in the”fullness of time”. This is what will give us strength to begin again and renew the face of the earth and continue to fight for our beloved unborn children.
UNBORN WORD of the day 