Sunday, May 3, 2009

Monday, May 4, 2009

From A Year With Blessed James Alberione,
Compiled by J. Maurus
Mary, Teacher of the Apostles

     Mary became the most humble and ardent teacher of the evangelical message which she would have liked to spread all over the world and share it with all for their happiness and salvation.
     When the dying Jesus told John:  "Behold your mother," he said so because from that moment began a new and most important ministry of Mary, that is , to be the spiritual mother of all human beings.
     She assembled the Apostles in the cenacle and prepared them to receive the Holy Spirit.  Not only that, Mary was their teacher for all the time they were waiting for the Holy Spirit, instructing them especially on a mystery they were not knowing, that is, the mystery of the incarnation and on many other particulars of the private life of Jesus which only she knew.
     Besides the other meanings the word Mother has, it means teacher and educationist as well.


From Saint and Thought For Every Day,
by Blessed James Alberione
Mary, Our Mother

     We have received life through Mary - the most beautiful life:  the supernatural life.  This is why we say:  "Hail, holy Queen, hail our life...."  She is the mother of everyone in the state of grace because lost grace is restored to men through Mary.  She is the mother of our souls.  She is the mother of her children in a higher degree than our earthly mother.  And since all life-giving grace came through Mary, she is the mother of every Christian in the grace of God.  Mary is, hence, mother of the entire Church, whose holiness was won by Christ and applied to us through Mary.

What Strikes Me Most Today

One thing I have learned over the years is that it's good to be on Mary's side.  I may not understand every subtlety about her being Co-Redemptrix, but I know that she is, even if I can't fully understand or explain the reasons behind it and what all it means.    Maybe some day I'll understand the reasons behind Mary's ongoing vital role in our Salvation and our Faith Lives, and maybe then I will be able to explain it to others better.  But for now, I already know Mary is the Mother of God and My Mother.  I know Mary is ESSENTIAL to my relationship with Christ - not as a one-time yes in history that she gave to the Archangel Gabriel, but every day of my life.  I can't explain how or why I know this one in the depths of my soul, but I do.  Perhaps this is a grace she gave me, since she is the Mediatrix of all Graces.  All I know is the closer I get to Mary, the closer she brings me to her Son Jesus the Divine Master, Way, Truth, and Life!  And as my Mother, she knows what I need to get me there (she especially knows how many more graces I desperately need)!  

Ave Maria!

What strikes you most today?  
Click on "COMMENTS" below to share your thoughts. 


Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Pauline Prayer Book for our Haitian Brothers and Sisters

Be Not Afraid

Be Not Afraid
"Fear not, I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Atone for sin."

Daughters of St. Paul

Daughters of St. Paul
Evangelizing the World!

New faith and family friendly video sharing

New faith and family friendly video sharing
Great Pauline Video Sharing Site

Why?

Why a blog? Why St. Paul? Why do I think I have any business doing this?
We are all on a spiritual journey. We all want that journey to lead us to heaven, to eternity with God. For this journey, we need one another.
The journey so far has led me to read and learn about so many forms of authentic Catholic spirituality - Ignatian, Benedictine, Carmelite, Dominican, Franciscan, etc. My biggest problem was that I came to love each one tremendously. I began reading more and more, spending more and more time at the Daughters of St. Paul bookstore on Watson Road here in St. Louis. Who would have thought my greatest conversion story would take place in a bookstore? Mine was not quite as sudden or dramatic as St. Paul on the road to Damascus, but getting to know the Daughters of St. Paul affected me no less significantly.
The sisters are Eucharistic by nature. The first time I entered the chapel in their bookstore, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and one of the sisters was on her knees, gazing at Christ, with an indescribably beautiful smile on her face. I had a glimpse of heaven. I knelt at one of the other kneelers and noticed on the wall behind the monstrance the words: "Fear not, I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Atone for sin." I had that brief moment of absolute certainty that I was on the right path.
Over the last several years I have worked my way through as many books, CD's, DVD's and conversations with the Daughters of St. Paul that time has allowed. Time is at such a premium for all of us. Years ago we were told that with advances in technology we would have much more free time on our hands. We all know this has not been the case. Our lives are busier and more hectic than ever. Even if we are unable to find time to read good books, see enlightening movies or attend lectures and discussions, maybe we could all spend a little time on the internet supporting one another on our faith journeys. Many of you know more about many aspects of Catholic spirituality than I do.
Pope John Paul the Great called us all to a New Evangelization, to share the Gospel with the world. I am hoping we can all be St. Paul in this blog space by sharing Christ with one another and with others. St. Paul travelled to many foreign and often hostile regions to evangelize the world; we are fortunate to be able to use the internet to reach even farther and more quickly.
The idea of using today's means of social communication to spread the Gospel was given to Blessed James Alberione on the night between the centuries (December 31, 1900 - January 1, 1901). He was a 16 year-old seminary student adoring Christ in the Blessed Sacrament when a special light came to him from the Host. Following this, Blessed James Alberione became the founder of the Society of St. Paul priests, the Daughters of St. Paul, the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd, Sisters of the Queen of Apostles, and numerous institutes that are also part of the Pauline family.
So what is Pauline spirituality? In my experience, Pauline spirituality encompasses all the teachings of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and love of all the other spiritualities and Saints of the Church. It is the members of the Pauline family who are the happiest people I know! It is loving God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit with all our hearts and souls, through the intercession of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and St. Paul.
So why St. Paul? I can relate to St. Paul. We first meet him in the New Testament as a sinner. He has a thorn in his side that God decides is best not to take away. I sometimes wish I knew what that thorn was, but it's probably better I don't know. I like to pretend it is one of my many weaknesses or faults. If St. Paul could go from persecuting Christ and His Church to becoming the person responsible for spreading the Gospel and establishing the Church in foreign lands, the least I can do is start a blog. I have been especially inspired by my two favorite bloggers, Sr. Margaret Charles Kerry, fsp, and a Pauline Cooperator named Rae Stabosz. I believe Sr. Margaret and Rae are doing just what St. Paul and Blessed James Alberione would be doing with the internet.
In future blogs (which will be shorter than this first post!), I would like to share writings of St. Paul, Blessed James Alberione, and many others. I look forward to others sharing writings from other Catholic spiritualities and writers. An especially Pauline way of sharing is to point out to one another what aspects particularly speak to each of us.
Another Pauline trait is to pray for one another. My prayer is that we support one another on our path to holiness. Our goal is to glorify God in all that we do - so let's do it!