Ember Saturday
46 And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; 47 my spirit rejoices in God my savior. 48 For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. 49 The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy
is his name. 50 His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. 51 He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the
arrogant of mind and heart. 52 He
has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. 53 The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich
he has sent away empty. 54 He
has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, 55 according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham
and to his descendants forever.”
This
canticle of Mary is often referred to as the Magnificat. We have many reasons
to give due consideration and prayerful reflection to the Magnificat. It is the
longest discourse recorded of Mary in Divine Revelation. Many are the stories
written telling about the heart of Mary as shown in that beautiful prayer.
Certainly inspired, it was pronounced by Mary herself when she was carrying the
Divine Child in her womb. It is the perfect act of humility and of profound
humble adoration. It is part of the Church’s liturgy and has been such since
the very first centuries. It has been recited or sung daily by ancient monks
and hermits and other Religious who have consecrated themselves to God. It is
indeed the prayer of consecrated souls and all clients of Mary. All the great
biblical masters of the ages have affirmed that there are four parts to the
Magnificat. In the first strophe, Mary expresses her gratitude to God; in the
second, she praises God for his power, His holiness and His mercy; in the
third, she compares how differently God deals with the proud and the humble; in
the fourth, she recalls that all the ancient prophecies to the Jews are now
being fulfilled in the Messiah, Who was at that moment present in her womb.[1]
God’s Handiwork
Every Christmas although the same
in many ways is always new for each Christmas expresses a hope learned from a
lifetime of praising God. For every Christmas if we open our eyes to truth we
will see the handiwork of God; the rock of our salvation. Perhaps in these
final days of anticipation it would do us well to reflect on the virtues of
Mary Christ’s very own mother and in these final days in some way reflect them
in our own lives.
Mary
carried Jesus in her womb with great patience. As a child I remember Christmas
was always a great strain on my patience. Can you imagine the strain on this
poor young girl from Nazareth? She of course could not have done this without
first having the virtues of humility, generosity, and a chase heart which led
her to have great patience.
This world being a
place of merit is rightly called a valley of tears; for we are all placed in it
to suffer, that we may, by patience, gain our own souls unto life
eternal, as our Lord Himself says, In
your patience you shall possess your souls. [Luke 21 19] God
gave us the Blessed Virgin Mary as a model of all virtues, but more especially
as an example of patience. St. Francis de Sales, amongst other things,
remarks, that it was precisely for this reason that at the marriage-feast of
Cana Jesus Christ gave the Blessed Virgin an answer, by which He seemed to
value her prayers but little: Woman,
what is that to thee and to Me? [John 2:4] And He did this
that He might give us the example of the patience of His most holy Mother. But
what need have we to seek for instances of this virtue? Mary's whole life was a
continual exercise of her patience; for, as the Angel revealed to St.
Bridget, "as a rose grows up amongst thorns, so did the Blessed Virgin
grow up amongst tribulations." Compassion alone for the Redeemer's
sufferings sufficed to make her a martyr of patience. Hence St.
Bonaventure says, "that a crucified Mother conceived a crucified
Son." In speaking of her dolors, we have already considered how much she
suffered, both in her journey to Egypt, and during her residence there, as also
during the time she lived with her Son in the house at Nazareth. What Mary
endured when present at the death of Jesus on Calvary is alone sufficient to
show us how constant and sublime was her patience: There stood by the Cross of Jesus His Mother.
Then it was that precisely by the merit of her patience, as Blessed Albert the
Great says, she brought us forth to the life of grace." If we, then, wish to
be the children of Mary, we must endeavor to imitate her in her
patience: "For what," says St. Cyprian, "can enrich us with
greater merit in this life, and greater glory in the next, than the patient
enduring of sufferings?" God said, by the prophet Osee, I will hedge up thy way with thorns.
[2:6] To this St. Gregory adds, that "the way of the elect is hedged with
thorns." As a hedge of thorns protects a vineyard, so does God protect His
servants from the danger of attaching themselves to the earth, by encompassing
them with tribulations. Therefore St. Cyprian concludes that it is patience
that delivers us from sin and from Hell. It is also patience that makes Saints:
Patience hath a perfect
work, [James 1:4] bearing in peace, not only the crosses which come
immediately from God, such as sickness, poverty, but also those which come from
men---persecutions, injuries, and the rest. St. John saw all the Saints bearing
palm branches---the emblem of martyrdom---in their hands; After this I saw a
great multitude, and palms were in their hands; [Apoc. 7:9] thereby denoting
that all adults who are saved must be martyrs, either by shedding their blood
for Christ or by patience.
Happiness
Happiness is a choice; just as love is a choice. We
either decide to be happy or we do not. No amount of money or material things
will bring us joy, no amount of pleasure or power either. Mary knew that true
happiness comes from God’s mercy. That is a choice too. God’s mercy is given to
those who fear Him and then in turn honor the gift of love. We in order to
accept the gift of mercy must be open to receive. We make a choice. It is funny
Mary’s whose name means bitterness was just the opposite. She emptied herself
to be filled to the brim with God’s love and within three days we commemorate
that she gave birth to Christ our redeemer. I imagine she pondered on this day
ages ago as she felt His movement within her that his mercy is overpowering. Let
us empty ourselves of all our bitterness and resentments asking Mary to pray
for us as we do. Let us in these remaining days before Christmas do all we can
to prepare for our Lord Jesus. Let us receive God’s mercy through the
sacraments which He has established through His Apostle’s down through the ages
to us today. If you have not gone to confession-do. Receive His mercy. Receive
the Eucharist be made whole and prepare for his birth. Give mercy in return to
any you have offended, pray and do good works toward those who have offended
you. In this way we emulate our God whose power is perfected in mercy.
Be at peace.
Ember Saturday[3]"Holy
impatience" over the coming of the Lord, both in the manger and in glory
at the end of time.
Psalm
147:12, 16-17 "Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem: praise thy God, O Sion. Who
giveth snow like wool: scattereth mists like ashes. He sendeth his crystal-like
morsels: who shall stand before the face of his cold?"
Advent Calendar[4]
Reflect "If we say that we have not sinned, we make [God]
a liar, and his word is not in us" (1 Jn 1:10).
Pray Add this "O Antiphon" to your daily or
meal-time prayer today: "O Key of David, opening the gates of God's
eternal Kingdom: come and free the prisoners of darkness." (Catholic
Household Blessings and Prayers, Revised Edition, 76)
Act Make going to confession a priority before Christmas.
Spiritual Crib[5]
A special devotion that can be performed during Advent to
prepare for the coming of the Infant Savior. It can be adapted for adults
and/or children and applied as is appropriate to your state in life.
·
12th day, December 22nd: ST. JOSEPH—Obedience
Today you must try to please the Divine Infant by cheerful, and very prompt
obedience. Be obedient for the love of Jesus in great and little things or in
easy ones. Do nothing without permission.
Evening
Antiphon
O King of the
Gentiles and their desired One, the Cornerstone that makes both one; Come, and
deliver man, whom You formed out of the dust of the earth.
During this Advent season let us take up the nature of God by
reflecting on these traits that make us a model for our children and our
sisters and brothers in Christ. Today reflect on:
Humility vs.
Pride
Recognizing that it is actually God and others who are responsible for the
achievements in my life (James 4:6)
1450 "Penance requires
. . . the sinner to endure all things willingly, be contrite of
heart, confess with the lips, and practice complete humility and fruitful satisfaction."
2317
Injustice,
excessive economic or social inequalities, envy, distrust, and pride raging
among men and nations constantly threaten peace and cause wars. Everything done
to overcome these disorders contributes to building up peace and avoiding war:
Insofar as men are sinners, the threat of
war hangs over them and will so continue until Christ comes again; but insofar
as they can vanquish sin by coming together in charity, violence itself will be
vanquished and these words will be fulfilled: "they shall beat their
swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not
lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
2554 The baptized person combats envy
through good-will, humility, and abandonment to the providence of God.
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
Don't say: 'That person
gets on my nerves.' Think: 'That person sanctifies me.'
Full Cold Moon
According to the almanac today is a Full Cold Moon; today would be
a good day to take the children/grandchildren out in the cold and enjoy hot
chocolate afterward.
Daily Devotions
[6]http://graceonlinelibrary.org/home-family/christian-parenting/49-godly-character-qualities/
[7]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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