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Knowledge of Jesus Christ – Introduction and Day 27

Introduction to the Week of Knowledge of Jesus Christ

The ultimate culmination of Marian consecration according to the model of Saint Louis de Montfort is really consecration to Jesus Christ. It is a total consecration to Jesus Christ through Mary. For this reason our journey of preparation concludes with a week focused on Jesus Christ. He is, after all, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He is our Savior and Lord. Saint Louis de Montfort simply intuited that a sweet and easy path to total consecration to Jesus Christ would be through Mary. As we have already been meditating, that total consecration happens particularly through the womb of Mary. That is where the God-man was formed and so that is where the “man-gods” can be formed. Jesus Christ is God by nature, but He makes us a sharer in His divinity, i.e. “God” by grace. That process of divinization is gradual and the mold is the womb of Mary. So we enter into the womb of Mary not simply out of love for Mary, but also in order to be transformed into Christ her Son.

As we have focused on throughout this preparation, a major obstacle for us is the disordered thoughts and desires of original sin, which fundamentally tempt us to try to become god without God. We seek control and self-sufficiency. We want to depend on God only insofar as it moves us to a point that we no longer need to depend on Him. We do the same with others. We are resistant to entering into truly interdependent relationships that are committed and eternal. Because of the wounds of broken trust, we always keep escape routes open in case things do not work out. Total consecration to Jesus Christ is a decision to close the escape routes in our relationship with God. It is a total consecration, involving our whole mind, heart, body and soul. It is a radical decision to enter irrevocably into a love relationship with Him starting in this moment and including all future moments as well, in time and in eternity.

We make this total consecration through Mary and as we place ourselves in her womb, we let ourselves develop the qualities of Jesus Christ her Son. We need to develop especially the counter-cultural qualities that reverse the pattern of original sin. These are qualities of trust and dependency on God. We develop this trust through prayer and we develop it also through our interdependent relationships with others. Interdependency with others is part of the life of Jesus. He placed His life in the hands of others, starting with Mary and Joseph and extending to His Apostles and disciples. He placed His life so radically in their hands that He gave them power to take His life away, and even when they betrayed Him, He never took away His trust and love. These are the heights we are called to.

In this Week of Knowledge of Jesus Christ, we focus on the way that Jesus became poor, little, weak and dependent. We focus on His powerlessness in His earthly life and His dependency on others and we focus on His ongoing powerlessness in the Eucharist and the dependency and trust that He still gives to us in our response to His Eucharistic Presence. We also focus on the illumination He brings us in the Resurrection and ultimately the way He made Himself subject to death. After each day’s meditation we pray a Litany of Powerlessness, focusing on the way that Jesus who always had the power of God truly emptied Himself and subjected Himself to our human limitations, becoming powerless like us. We pray that we might lovingly embrace His powerlessness and find all the power we need through our trust in God. We pray also a litany of Jesus living in the womb of Mary, deepening our reflection on how He “consecrated” Himself to Mary in this way, allowing Himself to be formed in her womb. Thirdly, we meditate, through Saint Thomas Aquinas’s Prayer Before Communion, on the humility of Jesus in His Eucharistic Presence. If it is possible, it would be an excellent final preparation to attend Mass each day this week and offer that Prayer of Saint Thomas before Communion in the context of the Mass. And lastly we continue our prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary. Let us also ask the Divine Artisan, the Holy Spirit to form us and lead us deeper in our journey throughout this week.

Day 27 – Jesus is little, near and real

From the Book of the Prophet of Isaiah:

Thus says the Lord:
Heaven is my throne
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house which you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?
All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things are mine,
says the Lord.
But this is the man to whom I will look,
he that is humble and contrite in spirit,
and trembles at my word. (Is 66:1-2)

From Pope Francis’s Homily in Czestochowa, July 28, 2016:

God saves us, then by making himself little, near and real. First God makes himself little. The Lord, who is “meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29), especially loves the little ones, to whom the kingdom of God is revealed (Mt 11:25); they are great in his eyes and he looks to them (cf. Is 66:2). He especially loves them because they are opposed to the “pride of life” that belongs to the world (cf. 1 Jn 2:16). The little ones speak his own language, that of the humble love that brings freedom. So he calls the simple and receptive to be his spokespersons; he entrusts to them the revelation of his name and the secrets of his heart. Our minds turn to so many sons and daughters of your own people, like the martyrs made the defenseless power of the Gospel shine forth, like those ordinary yet remarkable people who bore witness to the Lord’s love amid great trials, and those meek and powerful heralds of mercy who were Saint John Paul II and Saint Faustina. Through these “channels” of his love, the Lord has granted priceless gifts to the whole Church and to all mankind. It is significant that this anniversary of the baptism of your people exactly coincides with the Jubilee of mercy.

Then too, God is near, his kingdom is at hand (cf. Mk 1:15). The Lord does not want to be feared like a powerful and aloof sovereign. He does not want to remain on his throne in heaven or in history books, but loves to come down to our everyday affairs, to walk with us. As we think of the gift of a millennium so filled with faith, we do well before all else to thank God for having walked with your people, having taken you by the hand, as a father takes the hand of his child, and accompanied you in so many situations. That is what we too, in the Church, are constantly called to do: to listen, to get involved and be neighbours, sharing in people’s joys and struggles, so that the Gospel can spread every more consistently and fruitfully: radiating goodness through the transparency of our lives.

Finally, God is real. Today’s readings make it clear that everything about God’s way of acting is real and concrete. Divine wisdom “is like a master worker” and “plays” (cf. Prov 8:30). The Word becomes flesh, is born of a mother, is born under the law (cf. Gal4:4), has friends and goes to a party. The eternal is communicated by spending time with people and in concrete situations. Your own history, shaped by the Gospel, the Cross and fidelity to the Church, has seen the contagious power of a genuine faith, passed down from family to family, from fathers to sons and above all from mothers and grandmothers, whom we need so much to thank. In particular, you have been able to touch with your hand the real and provident tenderness of the Mother of all, whom I have come here as a pilgrim to venerate and whom we have acclaimed in the Psalm as the “great pride of our nation” (Jud15:9).

Reflection:

“The little ones speak his own language…” and we can imagine how twin babies communicate in such a simple way in the womb or how a baby in the womb communicates so simply with his mother. The language of love is always simple—gestures of tenderness, embraces, a mother feeding her baby with her body, a mother holding her baby in her arms. This is the first language that Jesus spoke—a language of touch, of food, of kisses and embraces. And it is the last language that He and we speak in our last moments of life. Likewise, if we let ourselves be little, we can feel the nearness of Jesus who draws close to our weakness to bring the tender touch of the Father and the realness of Jesus who does not settle for ideas, but turns them into gestures of love. All this happens when we allow ourselves to be little and enfolded in the love of Mary’s womb.

 

Prayers:

Litany of the Powerlessness of Jesus

Litany of Christ Living in the Womb of Mary

Prayer of St Thomas Aquinas before Holy Communion

Prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary

Prayers – Knowledge of Jesus Christ

Litany of Powerlessness
-Franciscan Sisters, TOR

A proud and self-reliant man rightly fears to undertake anything, but a humble man becomes all the braver as he realizes his own powerlessness; all the bolder as he sees his own weakness, for all his confidence is in God, who delights to reveal his almighty power in our infirmity and his mercy in our misery. ~St. Francis de Sales

Through your choosing to do nothing on your own, but only what you see your Father doing, (Jn 5:19)
Jesus, Lord of Lords, save us.

Through your choice to become a tiny embryo enclosed in the womb of your mother Mary unable to even breathe on your own,
Jesus, Creator of the Universe, save us.

By your submission to the limitations of time when you exist in eternity
Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, save us.

Through your choice to become the lost sheep sought out by the shepherds who “left the 99” on the night of your birth,
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, save us.

Through your need to be nourished at your Mother’s breast when you are “a table laden with abundance”
Jesus, Eucharistic Feast, save us.

Through your defencelessness during the flight into Egypt, when you had to rely on Joseph’s protection,
Jesus, our Deliverer, save us.

By the dependence of your childhood in the home of Mary and Joseph, when you needed their time, attention and love,
Jesus, our Provider, save us.

By your obedience to Mary and Joseph when you have dominion over the universe,
Jesus, Ruler of All Nations, save us.

Through your refusal to turn “stones into bread” when you were famished after 40 days in the desert, though you later multiplied the loaves for your hungry disciples,
Jesus, Bread of Life, save us.

Through your desperate request to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane to save you from the sufferings that you anticipated,
Jesus, our Savior, save us.

For surrendering yourself to the judgment of Pontius Pilate,
Jesus, our Just Judge, save us.

Through your choice to be identified as a criminal and a blasphemer, causing the high priest to tear his robe,
Jesus, our Great High Priest, save us.

Through your silence, “opening not your mouth”(Is 53:7) in defense, as you were accused unjustly,
Jesus, The Word , save us.

By not resisting a crown of thorns, you who crown us with glory and honor (Ps 8:5)
Jesus, King of Kings, save us.

Through the weakness you experienced on the way of the cross causing you, through whose strength we can do all things (Phil 4:13), to fall three times to the ground,
Jesus, Our Stronghold, save us.

Through your acceptance of Simon’s help on the Way of the Cross when you carry the whole world on your shoulders
Jesus, Strength of Pilgrims, save us.

Through surrendering yourself to the gibbet of the cross when you have exalted us with great power
Jesus, Enthroned on the Praises of Israel, save us.

Through your refusal to “save yourself” as the crowds jeered at you while you hung upon the cross, yet promising to “save us from the hands of our enemies” (Lk 1:74)
Jesus, Source of Eternal Salvation, save us.

Through your refusal to demand justice and your choice to forgive and make excuses for your friends and enemies who crucified you
Jesus, our Justice, save us.

Through the deep thirst you suffered as you cried out from the cross, when you had miraculously drawn water from a rock to quench the Israelites’ thirst in the desert.
Jesus, Source of Living Water, save us.

Through submitting yourself to the greatest abandonment possible, that of your true Father, yet never leaving the temple of our hearts and promising to be with us until the end of the age,
Jesus, Son of God, save us.

By your entering into our greatest moment of powerlessness: death, and allowing it, for a moment, to appear victorious
Jesus, Author of Life, save us.

Through your raising the only son of the widow of Nain, yet letting your dead body remain in the arms of your widowed mother,
Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, save us.

Through your choice to remain imprisoned in tabernacles throughout the world, yet breaking our chains of sin and death
Jesus, our Freedom, save us.

Let us pray.

Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer,
even though you are all-powerful, you embraced our human powerlessness
throughout your life on earth and you embrace it still in the Eucharist.
You did nothing of your own will, but only that of your Father’s.
Help us, who are intrinsically powerless,
to abandon our illusions of control and self-sufficiency,
and give us the humility to relinquish our own wills and plans
so that like you, Jesus, we will do nothing on our own,
but only the Father’s will,
and by always asking your help,
we may find true freedom and perfect power. Amen

Litany to Jesus Christ living in the womb of Mary

Jesus Christ, knit so wonderfully in the womb of Mary.
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary.
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, uniquely Man from the moment of conception in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, present at Creation, created in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, through Whom the world was made, formed in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, Word made flesh, taking on a human body in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, revealed by God the Father, concealed in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, subject to human development in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, Whose precious Blood first flowed through tiny arteries and veins in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, hidden nine months in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, Only begotten of the Father, assuming flesh in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, begotten by God, nourished by the substance and blood of Thy Most Holy Mother in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, leaping from eternity into time, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, revealing with His Father and the Holy Spirit all wisdom and knowledge to His Most Holy Mother, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, aware of His role as Redeemer in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, Sanctifier of His Precursor from the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, Eternal Word, Divine Child, embraced by the Father, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, raising His Mother to the heights of sanctification, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, everlasting delight of Heaven, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, manifesting His Incarnation to His Holy Mother, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, adored and contemplated by His Mother in the sanctuary of the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, before Whom the Angels prostrated themselves, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, in Whom the very Angels beheld the humanity of the Infant God and the union of the two natures of the Word in the virginal womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, our Protector and Savior, asleep in the inviolable womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, Whose Holy Limbs first budded in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, Whose Sacred Heart first began beating in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, Whose Godhead the world cannot contain, weighing only a few grams in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, Whose Divine Immensity, once measuring only tenths of an inch in the womb of Mary
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, Whose Divine Grasp outreaches the universe, cradled in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, Sacrificial Lamb, docile Infant in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, Who was to suffer the agony and passion of death, accepting the human capacity for pain and grief, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.
Jesus, foretelling His Eucharist Presence, in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us.

Jesus, Lamb of God, in the womb of Mary,
Spare us, O Lord.
Jesus, Holy Innocent in the womb of Mary,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Jesus, Son of God and Messiah in the womb of Mary,
Have mercy on us, O Lord.

Prayer Before Communion by Saint Thomas Aquinas

Almighty and Eternal God, behold I come to the sacrament of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. As one sick I come to the Physician of life; unclean, to the Fountain of mercy; blind, to the Light of eternal splendor; poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Therefore, I beg of You, through Your infinite mercy and generosity, heal my weakness, wash my uncleanness, give light to my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I thus receive the Bread of Angels, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, with such reverence and humility, contrition and devotion, purity and faith, purpose and intention, as shall aid my soul’s salvation.
Grant, I beg of You, that I may receive not only the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Lord, but also its full grace and power. Give me the grace, most merciful God, to receive the Body of your only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, in such a manner that I may deserve to be intimately united with His mystical Body and to be numbered among His members. Most loving Father, grant that I may behold for all eternity face to face Your beloved Son, whom now, on my pilgrimage, I am about to receive under the sacramental veil, who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

Prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary

Almighty God, Heavenly Father,
who have placed me, by Baptism, in the womb of the Virgin Mary
beneath her Immaculate Heart
to be together with your Son
and ever more conformed to Him by the power of the Holy Spirit,
grant that I may whole-heartedly embrace my dependence on you
as I place all my trust in my Mother Mary.
May I never scorn my weakness which your Son chose to share with me,
but may I always be grateful to be little and helpless,
knowing that without you I can do nothing.
Veiled with her beneath the protective care of Saint Joseph her spouse,
may I find in her a refuge against every danger
and in her womb a hiding place invisible to the ancient foe.
May I know that I am loved perfectly like Jesus by Joseph and Mary,
those parents, who, receiving everything from You,
will always provide for all of my needs.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Day 26 – Knowledge of Mary

Day 26 – Mary, our refuge

A Reading from the Book of Revelation:

And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery. And another sign appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. (Rev 12:1-6)

From Pope Francis’s Homily for a Mass at St Mary Major Basilica for the Translation of the Miraculous Image of Mary, Salus Populi Romani:

The Christian people have understood, from the very beginning, that in difficulties and trials we need to turn to our Mother, as the most ancient Marian hymn has it: Beneath your protection, we seek refuge, O Holy Mother of God; do not despise our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O Glorious and Blessed Virgin. Amen.

We seek refuge. Our fathers in faith taught that in turbulent moments we should gather under the mantle of the Holy Mother of God.  At one time those who were persecuted and in need sought refuge with high-ranking noble women: when their cloak, regarded as inviolable, was held out as a sign of welcoming, protection had been granted.  So it is for us with regard to Our Lady, the highest woman of the human race.  Her mantle is always open to receive us and gather us.  The Christian East reminds us of this, where many celebrate the Protection of the Mother of God, who in a beautiful icon is depicted with her mantle sheltering her sons and daughters and covering the whole world.  Monks of old recommended, in times of trial, that we take refuge beneath the mantle of the Holy Mother of God: calling upon her as “Holy Mother of God” was already a guarantee of protection and help, this prayer over and again: “Holy Mother of God”, “Holy Mother of God”… Just like this.

This wisdom, that comes to us from far off, helps us: the Mother protects the faith, safeguards relationships, saves those in storms and preserves them from evil.  Where our Mother is at home, the devil does not enter in.  Where our Mother is at home, the devil does not enter in.  Where our Mother is present, turmoil does not prevail, fear does not conquer.  Which of us does not need this, which of us is not sometimes distressed or anxious?  How often our heart is a stormy sea, where the waves of our problems pile up and the winds of our troubles do not stop blowing!  Mary is our secure ark in the midst of the flood.  It will not be ideas or technology that will give us comfort or hope, but our Mother’s face, her hands that caress our life, her mantle that gives us shelter.  Let us learn how to find refuge, going each day to our Mother.

Reflection:

Mary’s mantle is another image for her womb. We are invited to stay under the mantle of Mary, in the womb of Mary. “Where our Mother is at home, the devil does not enter in…fear does not conquer.” Our Mother is always “at home” when we are in her womb. She wants us not only to find refuge there each day, but as constantly as a baby finds refuge in its mother’s womb. The key is to spiritually press this against those places of anxiety and distress in our hearts. Remember the last time you were distressed and place it in our Lady’s womb. Remember the things that make you anxious and place them in our Mother’s womb. Let your anxious parts feel her firm support, secure refuge, tender caresses and absolutely safety from any spiritual harm.

Prayer:

Sub tuum praesidium: Beneath your protection, we seek refuge, O Holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O Glorious and Blessed Virgin. Amen.

Litany of the Holy Spirit or Veni Sancte Spiritus

Rosary (or at least a decade) followed by the Litany of Loreto

Prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary

Day 25 – Knowledge of Mary

Day 25 – Mary, our fiercely compassionate Mother

 

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke:

So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:3-7)

From Pope Benedict XVI’s homily for the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 2005:

In her, God has impressed his own image, the image of the One who follows the lost sheep even up into the mountains and among the briars and thornbushes of the sins of this world, letting himself be spiked by the crown of thorns of these sins in order to take the sheep on his shoulders and bring it home.

As a merciful Mother, Mary is the anticipated figure and everlasting portrait of the Son. Thus, we see that the image of the Sorrowful Virgin, of the Mother who shares her suffering and her love, is also a true image of the Immaculate Conception. Her heart was enlarged by being and feeling together with God. In her, God’s goodness came very close to us.

Reflection:

We see how fiercely Mary protects her children. We think of the saintly mothers throughout history, who, like Mary, would lay down their lives to protect their babies in the womb. Saint Gianna Beretta Molla and Chiara Corbella Petrillo and so many other Mary-like mothers laid down their lives to protect the babies in their wombs. Our Mother Mary loves us even more than that. When we speak of being in the womb of Mary, we know there is no pain or threat we face that she does not share with us. We know that her fiercely maternal heart fights vigorously to protect us. We know that she will never abandon us, no matter what the cost to her might be.

Prayer:

Litany of the Holy Spirit or Veni Sancte Spiritus

Rosary (or at least one decade) followed by the Litany of Loreto

Prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary

Day 24 – Knowledge of Mary

Day 24 – Mary and the Church

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John:

[S]tanding by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil the Scripture), “I thirst.” (John 19:25-28)

From Pope Francis’s Apostolic Exhortation The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium #285-286):

On the cross, when Jesus endured in his own flesh the dramatic encounter of the sin of the world and God’s mercy, he could feel at his feet the consoling presence of his mother and his friend. At that crucial moment, before fully accomplishing the work which his Father had entrusted to him, Jesus said to Mary: “Woman, here is your son”. Then he said to his beloved friend: “Here is your mother” (Jn 19:26-27). These words of the dying Jesus are not chiefly the expression of his devotion and concern for his mother; rather, they are a revelatory formula which manifests the mystery of a special saving mission. Jesus left us his mother to be our mother. Only after doing so did Jesus know that “all was now finished”(Jn 19:28). At the foot of the cross, at the supreme hour of the new creation, Christ led us to Mary. He brought us to her because he did not want us to journey without a mother, and our people read in this maternal image all the mysteries of the Gospel. The Lord did not want to leave the Church without this icon of womanhood. Mary, who brought him into the world with great faith, also accompanies “the rest of her offspring, those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus” (Rev 12:17). The close connection between Mary, the Church and each member of the faithful, based on the fact that each in his or her own way brings forth Christ, has been beautifully expressed by Blessed Isaac of Stella: “In the inspired Scriptures, what is said in a universal sense of the virgin mother, the Church, is understood in an individual sense of the Virgin Mary… In a way, every Christian is also believed to be a bride of God’s word, a mother of Christ, his daughter and sister, at once virginal and fruitful… Christ dwelt for nine months in the tabernacle of Mary’s womb. He dwells until the end of the ages in the tabernacle of the Church’s faith. He will dwell forever in the knowledge and love of each faithful soul”. (Isaac of Stella, Sermo 51: PL 194, 1863, 1865.)

Mary was able to turn a stable into a home for Jesus, with poor swaddling clothes and an abundance of love. She is the handmaid of the Father who sings his praises. She is the friend who is ever concerned that wine not be lacking in our lives. She is the woman whose heart was pierced by a sword and who understands all our pain…. As she did with Juan Diego, Mary offers [us] maternal comfort and love, and whispers in [our] ear: “Let your heart not be troubled… Am I not here, who am your Mother?” (Nican Mopohua, 118-119.)

Reflection:

After Jesus gave us His Mother to be our Mother, the Gospel says that He knew all was finished. Mary is able to turn the stable of our hearts into a home for Jesus, no matter how poor we feel we are. He knew that we needed a Mother to make the journey of Christian faith. In Mary we have a Mother and in the Church we have Mother. As Blessed Isaac of Stella taught us, what we can say about Mary, we can say about the Church. In one of the Church’s sacramentals of healing, the priest prays for the one who “ad Ecclesiae sinum recurrit,” (seeks refuge in the womb of the Church). The womb of Mary is the womb of the Church and that is the place of true liberation and healing. Through Marian consecration we come to see our relationship with the Church as being in the womb of our Mother and we discover the consolation and transformation that come from being so rooted in grace and surrounded by prayer.

Prayer:

Litany of the Holy Spirit or Veni Sancte Spiritus

Rosary (or at least one decade) followed by the Litany of Loreto

Prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary

Day 23 – Knowledge of Mary

Day 23 – The Holy Name of Mary

From a homily by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot and Doctor:

“And the Virgin’s name was Mary.” Let us speak a little about this name, which is said to mean “star of the sea,” and which so well befits the Virgin Mother. Rightly is she likened to a star. As a star emits a ray without being dimmed, so the Virgin brought forth her Son without receiving any injury. The ray takes naught from the brightness of the star, nor the Son from His Mother’s virginal integrity. This is the noble star risen out of Jacob, whose ray illumines the whole world, whose splendor shines in the heavens, penetrates the abyss, and, traversing the whole earth, gives warmth rather to souls than to bodies, cherishing virtues, withering vices. Mary is that bright and incomparable star, whom we need to see raised above this vast sea, shining by her merits, and giving us light by her example.

All of you, who see yourselves amid the tides of the world, tossed by storms and tempests rather than walking on the land, do not turn your eyes away from this shining star, unless you want to be overwhelmed by the hurricane. If temptation storms, or you fall upon the rocks of tribulation, look to the star: Call upon Mary! If you are tossed by the waves of pride or ambition, detraction or envy, look to the star, call upon Mary. If anger or avarice or the desires of the flesh dash against the ship of your soul, turn your eyes to Mary. If troubled by the enormity of your crimes, ashamed of your guilty conscience, terrified by dread of the judgment, you begin to sink into the gulf of sadness or the abyss of despair, think of Mary. In dangers, in anguish, in doubt, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let her name be ever on your lips, ever in your heart; and the better to obtain the help of her prayers, imitate the example of her life:   Following her, you will not stray; invoking her, you will not despair; thinking of her, you will not wander; upheld by her, you will not fall; shielded by her, you will not fear; guided by her, you will not grow weary; favored by her, you will reach the goal. And so you will experience in yourself how good is that saying: “And the Virgin’s name was Mary.”

Reflection:

The first word many children speak is the name of their mother. As Saint Bernard teaches us, this is the word we must practice most while we are in the womb of Mary. It is in speaking her name that we will remain her little children, always crying out to our Mama. We need to practice saying her Name and calling on her in our best times and in our worst times. When things go well, we know we have done everything in her, from her womb. When things go poorly, we know how much help we need and we call on her to soothe our guilty conscience. Let us think of those times we are most tempted to despair, most prone to wander, most in danger of going astray, most lost, fearful or weary and practice saying her Name, the Name of Mary.

Prayer:

Litany of the Holy Spirit or Veni Sancte Spiritus

Rosary (or at least one decade) followed by the Litany of Loreto

Prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary

Day 22 – Knowledge of Mary

Day 22 – The weak are formed into Christ

A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians:

And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; so that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love. (Eph 4:11-16)

St Louis de Montfort wrote in The Secret of Mary:

Mary has received from God a special dominion over souls, in order to nourish them and to make them grow up in God. Saint Augustine even says, that all the predestinate are in the womb of Mary, and that they are not born, until the good Mother brings them forth into life eternal. Consequently, as the child draws all its nourishment from its mother, who gives it to it in proportion to its weakness, so in like manner do the predestinate draw all their spiritual nourishment and all their strength from Mary. …

Mary is called by Saint Augustine, and indeed is the living mould of God, forma Dei, that is to say, it is in her alone, that the God-Man was naturally formed without losing any feature, so to speak, of His Godhead; and it is also in her alone that man can be properly, and in a life-like way, formed into God, so far as human nature is capable of this by the grace of Jesus Christ.

Now, a sculptor may make a statue or likeness after nature in two ways: 1. out of some hard and shapeless material, by making use of his skill, his strength, his knowledge, and good instruments; 2. he may cast it in a mould. The first manner is long and difficult, and subject to many accidents: it often happens that a mere blow of the hammer or chisel, awkwardly given, is enough to spoil the whole work. The second manner is quick, easy, and gentle, without trouble or expense, provided the mould be perfect, and a good natural likeness, and the material used offer no resistance to the hand.

Mary is the great mould of God, made by the Holy Ghost, in order to form a God-Man by the Hypostatic Union, and a Man-God by grace. In this mould, no feature of the Godhead is wanting; whoever is cast in it, and allows himself to be freely handled, receives therein all the features of Jesus Christ, who is True God. And this is done in a gentle manner, and in proportion to his human weakness, without much agony or labour; in a sure manner, without fear of illusion, for the devil has never had, and never will have, access to Mary; and lastly, in a holy and spotless manner, without the shadow of the least stain of sin. Oh! what a difference there is between a soul formed in Jesus Christ by the ordinary ways, that is to say, by trusting, like the sculptor, to mere natural skill and ingenuity, and a soul thoroughly tractable, really detached, and well molten, which, without in any way leaning upon itself, suffers itself to be cast in Mary, and to be handled by the Holy Ghost! How many stains, how many defects, how much darkness, how many illusions, how much of what is merely natural, and human, is there in the first soul; and how pure, how divine, and like to Jesus Christ, is the second!

Reflection:

As the Fathers of the Church affirmed, God became man that man might become God. This is already an unbelievable gift, but we might be suspicious that this only applies to some men and women, perhaps only to the strong, to those who are nearly saints already. Our Catholic Christian tradition denounces that deception, however, and affirms that Christ came so that all might be saved and that all might grow up into Christ. Saint Louis de Montfort elaborates on this sound doctrine and encourages us to see that weakness makes it even easier for us, because we are supernaturally drawn to the safest place, the womb of Mary. Furthermore, that womb is the most perfect place to be formed into Christ, because that is precisely the place that Christ was formed. When we feel our weakness, our littleness, our poverty and we are tempted to give up or get discouraged, we can find refuge and consolation in the womb of Mary. Then we can remember what Saint Louis teaches us, that that is the best place to be formed perfectly into saints, into Christ Himself.

Prayer:

Litany of the Holy Spirit or Veni Sancte Spiritus

Rosary (or at least one decade) followed by the Litany of Loreto

Prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary

Day 21 – Knowledge of Mary

Day 21 – Mary – abandoned to God becomes our Mother

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke:

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no husband?” And the angel said to her, “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. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38)

From Pope Benedict XVI’s homily for the Immaculate Conception, Dec 8, 2005:

This is something we should indeed learn on the day of the Immaculate Conception:  the person who abandons himself totally in God’s hands does not become God’s puppet, a boring “yes man”; he does not lose his freedom. Only the person who entrusts himself totally to God finds true freedom, the great, creative immensity of the freedom of good.

The person who turns to God does not become smaller but greater, for through God and with God he becomes great, he becomes divine, he becomes truly himself. The person who puts himself in God’s hands does not distance himself from others, withdrawing into his private salvation; on the contrary, it is only then that his heart truly awakens and he becomes a sensitive, hence, benevolent and open person.

The closer a person is to God, the closer he is to people. We see this in Mary. The fact that she is totally with God is the reason why she is so close to human beings.

For this reason she can be the Mother of every consolation and every help, a Mother whom anyone can dare to address in any kind of need in weakness and in sin, for she has understanding for everything and is for everyone the open power of creative goodness.

Mary thus stands before us as a sign of comfort, encouragement and hope. She turns to us, saying:  “Have the courage to dare with God! Try it! Do not be afraid of him! Have the courage to risk with faith! Have the courage to risk with goodness! Have the courage to risk with a pure heart! Commit yourselves to God, then you will see that it is precisely by doing so that your life will become broad and light, not boring but filled with infinite surprises, for God’s infinite goodness is never depleted!”.

…[L]et us thank the Lord for the great sign of his goodness which he has given us in Mary, his Mother and the Mother of the Church. Let us pray to him to put Mary on our path like a light that also helps us to become a light and to carry this light into the nights of history. Amen.

Reflection:

Pope Benedict XVI encourages us that by drawing closer to God we are not diminished by our dependence but rather strengthened, sanctified and even divinized. “The person who turns to God does not become smaller but greater, for through God and with God he becomes great, he becomes divine, he becomes truly himself.” When we are in the womb of Mary with Jesus, people can only see our beautiful pregnant Mother and they know that inside her is her divine Son. In other words, when they look at us, they see her and imagine Him. It is a great risk to remain so little in her womb—with faith, with goodness, with a pure heart. It is a risk that opens us up to the adventure of infinite surprises. We find ourselves carried by Mary into completely new places and far beyond our own capacity. We develop her sensitivities and her charity in our relationships with others.

Prayer:

Litany of the Holy Spirit or Veni Sancte Spiritus

Rosary (or at least one decade) followed by the Litany of Loreto

Prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary

Knowledge of Mary – Introduction and Day 20

Knowledge of Mary – Introduction to the Week

From Pope Saint John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae #14:

Christ is the supreme Teacher, the revealer and the one revealed. It is not just a question of learning what he taught but of “learning him”. In this regard could we have any better teacher than Mary? From the divine standpoint, the Spirit is the interior teacher who leads us to the full truth of Christ (cf. Jn 14:26; 15:26; 16:13). But among creatures no one knows Christ better than Mary; no one can introduce us to a profound knowledge of his mystery better than his Mother.

The first of the “signs” worked by Jesus – the changing of water into wine at the marriage in Cana – clearly presents Mary in the guise of a teacher, as she urges the servants to do what Jesus commands (cf. Jn 2:5). We can imagine that she would have done likewise for the disciples after Jesus’ Ascension, when she joined them in awaiting the Holy Spirit and supported them in their first mission. Contemplating the scenes of the Rosary in union with Mary is a means of learning from her to “read” Christ, to discover his secrets and to understand his message.

This school of Mary is all the more effective if we consider that she teaches by obtaining for us in abundance the gifts of the Holy Spirit, even as she offers us the incomparable example of her own “pilgrimage of faith”. As we contemplate each mystery of her Son’s life, she invites us to do as she did at the Annunciation: to ask humbly the questions which open us to the light, in order to end with the obedience of faith: “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).

Reflection:
As we set out on this next week of preparation, we shift our gaze to Mary, our Mother and Teacher and we learn from her, particularly by meditating with her and in her on the mysteries of the Rosary. Praying the Rosary is an essential part of this week of preparation and we will find it is an essential part of living in the womb of Mary, where we are formed into the full maturity of Christ. Likewise, as Pope Saint John Paul II teaches us, we need the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are essentially the qualities of Christ (His Wisdom, His Knowledge, His Fortitude, etc.) and they are woven into the heart and soul of the one who is formed in Mary’s womb. So we continue to ask the Holy Spirit each day for His sevenfold gift as He will allow Him to shape us into Christ in the womb of Mary.

Day 20 – The Rosary helps consecrate us to Mary

A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians:

For a good purpose it is always good to be made much of, and not only when I am present with you. My little children, with whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you! (Gal 4:18-19)

From Pope Saint John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter on the Rosary (Rosarium Virginis Mariae #15):

Christian spirituality is distinguished by the disciple’s commitment to become conformed ever more fully to his Master (cf. Rom 8:29; Phil 3:10,12). The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Baptism grafts the believer like a branch onto the vine which is Christ (cf. Jn 15:5) and makes him a member of Christ’s mystical Body (cf.1Cor 12:12; Rom 12:5). This initial unity, however, calls for a growing assimilation which will increasingly shape the conduct of the disciple in accordance with the “mind” of Christ: “Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5). In the words of the Apostle, we are called “to put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (cf. Rom 13:14; Gal 3:27).

In the spiritual journey of the Rosary, based on the constant contemplation – in Mary’s company – of the face of Christ, this demanding ideal of being conformed to him is pursued through an association which could be described in terms of friendship. We are thereby enabled to enter naturally into Christ’s life and as it were to share his deepest feelings. In this regard Blessed Bartolo Longo has written: “Just as two friends, frequently in each other’s company, tend to develop similar habits, so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hiddenness, patience and perfection”.(I Quindici Sabati del Santissimo Rosario, 27th ed., Pompei, 1916, 27.)

In this process of being conformed to Christ in the Rosary, we entrust ourselves in a special way to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin. She who is both the Mother of Christ and a member of the Church, indeed her “pre-eminent and altogether singular member”, (Lumen Gentium #53) is at the same time the “Mother of the Church”. As such, she continually brings to birth children for the mystical Body of her Son. She does so through her intercession, imploring upon them the inexhaustible outpouring of the Spirit. Mary is the perfect icon of the motherhood of the Church.

The Rosary mystically transports us to Mary’s side as she is busy watching over the human growth of Christ in the home of Nazareth. This enables her to train us and to mold us with the same care, until Christ is “fully formed” in us (cf. Gal 4:19). This role of Mary, totally grounded in that of Christ and radically subordinated to it, “in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power”.(Lumen Gentium #60) This is the luminous principle expressed by the Second Vatican Council which I have so powerfully experienced in my own life and have made the basis of my episcopal motto: Totus Tuus.(Cf. First Radio Address Urbi et Orbi (17 October 1978): AAS 70 (1978), 927) The motto is of course inspired by the teaching of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, who explained in the following words Mary’s role in the process of our configuration to Christ: “Our entire perfection consists in being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus Christ. Hence the most perfect of all devotions is undoubtedly that which conforms, unites and consecrates us most perfectly to Jesus Christ. Now, since Mary is of all creatures the one most conformed to Jesus Christ, it follows that among all devotions that which most consecrates and conforms a soul to our Lord is devotion to Mary, his Holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to her the more will it be consecrated to Jesus Christ”.(Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary) Never as in the Rosary do the life of Jesus and that of Mary appear so deeply joined. Mary lives only in Christ and for Christ!

Reflection:
“The Rosary mystically transports us to Mary’s side.” Is there ever a time that we do not need to be at Mary’s side? We are like babies in the womb who need constant support, nourishment, love and protection from our Mother. Is our life ever made better by being away from Mary? And as Pope Saint John Paul II taught us, when we are at Mary’s side she will always train us and mold us until Christ is fully formed in us. Even as we simply hold the beads of the Rosary, we can hold Mary’s hand. By contemplating Christ with Mary as we pray the Rosary, “we are thereby enabled to enter naturally into Christ’s life and as it were to share his deepest feelings.” Let us enter into this adventure of discovery then, exploring the interior life of Christ through contemplating His Mysteries with Mary in the Rosary.

Prayer:
Litany of the Holy Spirit or Veni Sancte Spiritus
Rosary (or at least one decade) followed by the Litany of Loreto
Prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary

 

Prayers – Knowledge of Mary

Prayers – Knowledge of Mary

Litany of Loretto

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, Pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins, Pray for us.
Mother of Christ, Pray for us.
Mother of divine grace, Pray for us.
Mother most pure, Pray for us.
Mother most chaste, Pray for us.
Mother inviolate, Pray for us.
Mother undefiled, Pray for us.
Mother most amiable, Pray for us.
Mother most admirable, Pray for us.
Mother of good counsel, Pray for us.
Mother of our Creator, Pray for us.
Mother of our Savior, Pray for us.
Mother of the Church, Pray for us.
Virgin most prudent, Pray for us.
Virgin most venerable, Pray for us.
Virgin most renowned, Pray for us.
Virgin most powerful, Pray for us.
Virgin most merciful, Pray for us.
Virgin most faithful, Pray for us.
Mirror of justice, Pray for us.
Seat of wisdom, Pray for us.
Cause of our joy, Pray for us.
Spiritual vessel, Pray for us.
Vessel of honor, Pray for us.
Singular vessel of devotion, Pray for us.
Mystical rose, Pray for us.
Tower of David, Pray for us.
Tower of ivory, Pray for us.
House of gold, Pray for us.
Ark of the covenant, Pray for us.
Gate of heaven, Pray for us.
Morning star, Pray for us.
Health of the sick, Pray for us.
Refuge of sinners, Pray for us.
Comforter of the afflicted, Pray for us.
Help of Christians, Pray for us.
Queen of angels, Pray for us.
Queen of patriarchs, Pray for us.
Queen of prophets, Pray for us.
Queen of apostles, Pray for us.
Queen of martyrs, Pray for us.
Queen of confessors, Pray for us.
Queen of virgins, Pray for us.
Queen of all saints, Pray for us.
Queen conceived without original sin, Pray for us.
Queen assumed into heaven, Pray for us.
Queen of the most holy Rosary, Pray for us.
Queen of families, Pray for us.
Queen of peace, Pray for us.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:
Grant, O Lord God, we beseech Thee, that we Thy servants may rejoice in continual health of mind and body; and through the glorious intercession of Blessed Mary ever Virgin, be freed from present sorrow and enjoy eternal gladness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Veni Sancte Spiritus

(Roman Missal translation)

Holy Spirit, Lord of light,
from the clear celestial height
thy pure beaming radiance give.

Come, thou Father of the poor,
come with treasures which endure;
come, thou light of all that live!

Thou, of all consolers best, thou,
the soul’s delighted guest,
dost refreshing peace bestow;

Thou in toil art comfort sweet;
pleasant coolness in the heat;
solace in the midst of woe.

Light immortal, light divine,
visit thou these hearts of thine,
and our inmost being fill:

If thou take thy grace away,
nothing pure in man will stay;
all his good is turned to ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
on our dryness pour thy dew;
wash the stains of guilt away:

Bend the stubborn heart and will;
melt the frozen, warm the chill;
guide the steps that go astray.

Thou, on us who evermore
thee confess and thee adore,
with thy sevenfold gifts descend:

Give us comfort when we die;
give us life with thee on high;
give us joys that never end. Amen.

Litany of the Holy Spirit

Litany of the Holy Spirit
Lord, have mercy on us, Christ have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Father all powerful, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Eternal Son of the Father, Redeemer of the world, Save us.
Spirit of the Father and the Son, boundless Life of both, Sanctify us.
Holy Trinity, Hear us.
Holy Spirit, Who proceedest from the Father and the Son, Enter our hearts.
Holy Spirit, Who art equal to the Father and the Son, Enter our hearts.
Promise of God the Father, have mercy on us.
Ray of heavenly light, have mercy on us.
Author of all good, have mercy on us.
Source of heavenly water, have mercy on us.
Consuming Fire, have mercy on us.
Ardent Charity, have mercy on us.
Spiritual Unction, have mercy on us.
Spirit of love and truth, have mercy on us.
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, have mercy on us.
Spirit of counsel and fortitude, have mercy on us.
Spirit of knowledge and piety, have mercy on us.
Spirit of the fear of the Lord, have mercy on us.
Spirit of grace and prayer, have mercy on us.
Spirit of peace and meekness, have mercy on us.
Spirit of modesty and innocence, have mercy on us.
Holy Spirit, the Comforter, have mercy on us.
Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, have mercy on us.
Holy Spirit, Who governs the Church, have mercy on us.
Gift of God the Most High, have mercy on us.
Spirit Who fills the universe, have mercy on us.
Spirit of the adoption of the children of God, have mercy on us.
Holy Spirit, Inspire us with horror of sin.
Holy Spirit, Come and renew the face of the earth.
Holy Spirit, Shed Your Light into our souls.
Holy Spirit, Engrave Your law in our hearts.
Holy Spirit, Inflame us with the flame of Your love.
Holy Spirit, Open to us the treasures of Your graces.
Holy Spirit, Teach us to pray well.
Holy Spirit, Enlighten us with Your heavenly inspirations.
Holy Spirit, Lead us in the way of salvation.
Holy Spirit, Grant us the only necessary knowledge.
Holy Spirit, Inspire in us the practice of good.
Holy Spirit, Grant us the merits of all virtues.
Holy Spirit, Make us persevere in justice.
Holy Spirit, Be our everlasting reward.

Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, Send us Your Holy Spirit.
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, Pour down into our souls the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, Grant us the Spirit of wisdom and piety.
Come, Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of Your faithful, And enkindle in them the fire of Your love.
Let us pray:

Grant, O merciful Father, that Your Divine Spirit may enlighten, inflame and purify us, that He may penetrate us with His heavenly dew and make us fruitful in good works, through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary

Almighty God, Heavenly Father,
who have placed me, by Baptism, in the womb of the Virgin Mary
beneath her Immaculate Heart
to be together with your Son
and ever more conformed to Him by the power of the Holy Spirit,
grant that I may whole-heartedly embrace my dependence on you
as I place all my trust in my Mother Mary.
May I never scorn my weakness which your Son chose to share with me,
but may I always be grateful to be little and helpless,
knowing that without you I can do nothing.
Veiled with her beneath the protective care of Saint Joseph her spouse,
may I find in her a refuge against every danger
and in her womb a hiding place invisible to the ancient foe.
May I know that I am loved perfectly like Jesus by Joseph and Mary,
those parents, who, receiving everything from You,
will always provide for all of my needs.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.