{"id":332,"date":"2018-03-26T04:00:34","date_gmt":"2018-03-26T08:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/?p=332"},"modified":"2018-03-26T13:49:32","modified_gmt":"2018-03-26T17:49:32","slug":"knowledge-of-mary-introduction-and-day-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-practices\/marian-consecration\/knowledge-of-mary-introduction-and-day-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Knowledge of Mary – Introduction and Day 20"},"content":{"rendered":"

Knowledge of Mary – Introduction to the Week<\/strong><\/p>\n

From Pope Saint John Paul II\u2019s Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae<\/i> #14:<\/p>\n

Christ is the supreme Teacher, the revealer and the one revealed. It is not just a question of learning what he taught but of \u201clearning him\u201d. 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.<\/p>\n

The first of the \u201csigns\u201d worked by Jesus \u2013 the changing of water into wine at the marriage in Cana \u2013 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 \u201cread\u201d Christ, to discover his secrets and to understand his message.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cpilgrimage of faith\u201d. 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: \u201cBehold I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word\u201d (Lk 1:38).<\/p>\n

Reflection:
\nAs 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Day 20 – The Rosary helps consecrate us to Mary<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians:<\/p>\n

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)<\/p>\n

From Pope Saint John Paul II\u2019s Apostolic Letter on the Rosary (Rosarium Virginis Mariae #15):<\/p>\n

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 \u201cmind\u201d of Christ: \u201cHave this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus\u201d (Phil 2:5). In the words of the Apostle, we are called \u201cto put on the Lord Jesus Christ\u201d (cf. Rom 13:14; Gal 3:27).<\/p>\n

In the spiritual journey of the Rosary, based on the constant contemplation \u2013 in Mary’s company \u2013 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: \u201cJust 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\u201d.(I Quindici Sabati del Santissimo Rosario, 27th ed., Pompei, 1916, 27.)<\/p>\n

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 \u201cpre-eminent and altogether singular member\u201d, (Lumen Gentium #53) is at the same time the \u201cMother of the Church\u201d. 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cfully formed\u201d in us (cf. Gal 4:19). This role of Mary, totally grounded in that of Christ and radically subordinated to it, \u201cin no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power\u201d.(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: \u201cOur 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\u201d.(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!<\/p>\n

Reflection:
\n\"\"<\/a>\u201cThe Rosary mystically transports us to Mary\u2019s side.\u201d Is there ever a time that we do not need to be at Mary\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s hand. By contemplating Christ with Mary as we pray the Rosary, \u201cwe are thereby enabled to enter naturally into Christ’s life and as it were to share his deepest feelings.\u201d Let us enter into this adventure of discovery then, exploring the interior life of Christ through contemplating His Mysteries with Mary in the Rosary.<\/p>\n

Prayer:<\/a>
\nLitany of the Holy Spirit or Veni Sancte Spiritus
\nRosary (or at least one decade) followed by the Litany of Loreto
\nPrayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Knowledge of Mary – Introduction to the Week From Pope Saint John Paul II\u2019s 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 \u201clearning him\u201d. In this regard could we have any better teacher […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[49],"tags":[12,5,40,61],"class_list":["post-332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marian-consecration","tag-mary","tag-pope-st-john-paul-ii","tag-prayer","tag-rosary"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Virgin-and-Child-with-a-Rosary-B.E.-MURILLO-WGoA.jpg?fit=900%2C1343&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7bfMR-5m","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":477,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-practices\/marian-consecration\/day-30-knowledge-of-jesus-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":332,"position":0},"title":"Day 30 – Knowledge of Jesus Christ","author":"fatherboniface@gmail.com","date":"April 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Day 30 - Mary, the Eucharist and the Incarnation A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke: And Mary said to the angel, \u201cHow can this be, since I have no husband?\u201d And the angel said to her, \u201cThe Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marian Consecration"","block_context":{"text":"Marian Consecration","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/spiritual-practices\/marian-consecration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/img_2500.jpg?fit=865%2C1015&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/img_2500.jpg?fit=865%2C1015&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/img_2500.jpg?fit=865%2C1015&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/img_2500.jpg?fit=865%2C1015&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":479,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-practices\/marian-consecration\/day-32-knowledge-of-jesus-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":332,"position":1},"title":"Day 32 – Knowledge of Jesus Christ","author":"fatherboniface@gmail.com","date":"April 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Day 32 -\u00a0Jesus Dies, the Word is Silenced A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew: When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marian Consecration"","block_context":{"text":"Marian Consecration","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/spiritual-practices\/marian-consecration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Bartolom%C3%A9_Esteban_Murillo_-_Christ_Child_on_the_Cross-Editpix.jpg?fit=1200%2C892&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Bartolom%C3%A9_Esteban_Murillo_-_Christ_Child_on_the_Cross-Editpix.jpg?fit=1200%2C892&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Bartolom%C3%A9_Esteban_Murillo_-_Christ_Child_on_the_Cross-Editpix.jpg?fit=1200%2C892&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Bartolom%C3%A9_Esteban_Murillo_-_Christ_Child_on_the_Cross-Editpix.jpg?fit=1200%2C892&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Bartolom%C3%A9_Esteban_Murillo_-_Christ_Child_on_the_Cross-Editpix.jpg?fit=1200%2C892&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":338,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-practices\/marian-consecration\/day-24-knowledge-of-mary\/","url_meta":{"origin":332,"position":2},"title":"Day 24 – Knowledge of Mary","author":"fatherboniface@gmail.com","date":"March 30, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2019s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marian Consecration"","block_context":{"text":"Marian Consecration","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/spiritual-practices\/marian-consecration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Raphael-Raffaello-Sanzio-da-Urbino-1483%E2%80%931520-Sanzio-Bridgewater-Madonna-1507-Edit-1.jpg?fit=963%2C920&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Raphael-Raffaello-Sanzio-da-Urbino-1483%E2%80%931520-Sanzio-Bridgewater-Madonna-1507-Edit-1.jpg?fit=963%2C920&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Raphael-Raffaello-Sanzio-da-Urbino-1483%E2%80%931520-Sanzio-Bridgewater-Madonna-1507-Edit-1.jpg?fit=963%2C920&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Raphael-Raffaello-Sanzio-da-Urbino-1483%E2%80%931520-Sanzio-Bridgewater-Madonna-1507-Edit-1.jpg?fit=963%2C920&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2226,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-practices\/mary-our-mother\/","url_meta":{"origin":332,"position":3},"title":"Mary our Mother","author":"monks4christ","date":"June 26, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Prayer to Mary by Pope St John Paul II O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the true God and Mother of the Church!, who from this place reveal your clemency and your pity to all those who ask for your protection, hear the prayer that we address to you with filial\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marian Consecration"","block_context":{"text":"Marian Consecration","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/spiritual-practices\/marian-consecration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/therese.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/therese.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/therese.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/therese.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":255,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-practices\/marian-consecration\/knowledge-of-self-day-13-sharing-christs-sonship\/","url_meta":{"origin":332,"position":4},"title":"Knowledge of Self Day 13 – Sharing Christ\u2019s Sonship","author":"fatherboniface@gmail.com","date":"March 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Day 13 - Sharing Christ\u2019s Sonship A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians: But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,\u00a0to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marian Consecration"","block_context":{"text":"Marian Consecration","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/spiritual-practices\/marian-consecration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Carlo-Dolci_Vierge_au_lys.jpg?fit=978%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Carlo-Dolci_Vierge_au_lys.jpg?fit=978%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Carlo-Dolci_Vierge_au_lys.jpg?fit=978%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Carlo-Dolci_Vierge_au_lys.jpg?fit=978%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":95,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/priesthood\/st-joseph-master-of-virginal-begetting\/","url_meta":{"origin":332,"position":5},"title":"St. Joseph, Master of Virginal Begetting","author":"fatherboniface@gmail.com","date":"March 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Msgr. Jean-Jacques Olier, who founded the great seminary Sainte-Sulpice (and later the Sulpicians) as a response to the Council of Trent's call for a reform of the approach to training priests in seminaries, entrusted the seminarians of Sainte-Sulpice to the patronage of St. Joseph. The reason, he explained, was that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Priesthood"","block_context":{"text":"Priesthood","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/priesthood\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Photo-Mar-18-2016-2210.jpg?fit=1200%2C962&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Photo-Mar-18-2016-2210.jpg?fit=1200%2C962&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Photo-Mar-18-2016-2210.jpg?fit=1200%2C962&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Photo-Mar-18-2016-2210.jpg?fit=1200%2C962&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Photo-Mar-18-2016-2210.jpg?fit=1200%2C962&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":430,"href":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332\/revisions\/430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}