True Devotion to Jesus thru Mary

Whoever has Ears . . .
 
A strange statement! What else does one do with ears? Every once in awhile, Jesus says the obvious. However, on second look, it may not be so obvious. He is making a statement about our hearing, and the lack of it.

Hear what? On any given day, what do we listen to? There is an incredible amount of sound. When we experience silence, some become disoriented. Much of the sound we hear today, is actually just noise. Background sounds. We may not be conscience of listening to the noise, but it fills our ears. Listen to this audio and understand the other types of “listening”.

There is another voice, that is often over-looked because it is easier to listen to the noise. That other voice is the voice of Christ. Whoever has ears ought to listen. Hear more about the discipline of listening to the right voice. Hear about how today’s Gospel should influence our living and spiritual life.

Meditiation for the Week

Whoever Has Ears Ought to Hear

Moses’ Lesson for Us Today

Israel experiences a difficult and lengthy journey from slavery to the promise land.

This has been the subject of recent Mass’ readings. Its important to realize that as miraculous the events in the readings are, it was also a torturous journey. Why was it torturous? Because of the state of the hearts of the people on this journey.

Time and time again, even as the Lord performed something outstanding to deliver them, they refused to trust the Lord. They cling to their self-reliance, and to their insecurity.

Over and over again, as soon as something difficult arises, the same lack of trust in the Lord materializes. Lack of faith is not a new thing.

When the people finally reach the promise land, Moses does not enter it with them. He however, gives the people one last lesson. The freedom to which they are moving is not their right … and it is not because of their achievement! When they enter this land and experience prosperity, it was not earned by themselves. This prosperity awaits them and was given to them by someone else. When one experiences goodness, do not forget the one who gives this goodness! Have trust in the Lord! This is the lesson of Moses. A lesson to Israel, and a lesson to us all.

Hear more about the lesson and how it should impact our Spiritual Life. Listen also to how the day’s Gospel also should impact our Spiritual Life. Hear more about this Meditation piece for the week.

Meditation for the Week

Moses’ Lesson for Us Today

Why Doesn’t God Just Get Rid of Evil?
Why Doesn't God Get Rid of the Weeds?

Evil exists in the world. Often, people exclaim, why doesn’t God simply get rid of evil in the world?

Why doesn’t God just get rid of the weeds in the fields? Weeds are part of today’s Gospel parable.

Be careful what one wishes! In the parable, we are not just talking about good and bad seeds. We are not talking just about good and bad plants. We are talking about people and life.

Jesus reminds us, when God made the world, and when He made the human heart, He sowed in it nothing but goodness. But in the human heart, an enemy did come and sowed evil into man’s heart. Selfishness . . . and so many other evils. Ever since the Garden of Eve, we have a mixture of good and evil in man’s heart.

Despite the evil in the world; despite the wickedness, the heart is more than weeds. It is more than evil. There is a mixture of good an evil. The difficulty is . . .this good and evil resides together in the human heart. At times, it is simply difficult to tell the wheat from the weeds. It is not until they start bearing fruit, that one can distinguish the wheat from the weeds. When they first start to grow, they look the same. The audio unpacks this more.

Humans can not always recognize the sinfulness that exists within us. We can not examine our own hearts and always tell them (good and evil) apart. Hear more about the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds. 

Meditate on Why Not Just Get Rid of the Weeds?

Why Doesn’t God Just Get Rid of Evil?

St. Bernard: The Gold Standard for the Teaching and Living a Devotion to Mary 

At the end of the Gospel reading, the Priest or the Deacon kisses the Gospel.

St Bernard’s Feast Day we celebrate this day, is a Doctor of the Church. Kissing the Gospel sums up St. Bernard’s life. He is the “Gold Standard” for Devotion to Our Lady. He lived more than 600 years before St. Louis de Montfort.

How is it that he is the gold standard in regard to the teaching of devotion to Mary? It is truly unfortunate that many Christians that have a devotion to Mary, do not really know about this man . . . this saint. He is one of the holiest, powerful and influential man the Catholic tradition has ever produced. Bernard entered religious life as a young man. He daily fasted and prayed, as he waited for the Lord to speak to him. He entered into a watchful fasting. In doing so he emptied out himself for material things (hear more about what this type of fasting means within the audio).

He was a great teacher and writer. While he was educated, his holiness sprang from the well of his prayer. Kings, Queens and even the Pope sought out his advice, even though he lived and remained largely isolated in his abbey.

He sought out Our Lady, but his objective, was the love of God. A principle not foreign to those who practice Montfortian Spirituality.

St. Bernard’s Reflection: . . .
In his reflection on the Love of God, Bernard describes Christian Life as a movement of four stages of Love. Wow, how insightful! St. Bernard states that all humans begin with a Love for Self. It is a natural beginning. Christians and non-Christians begin here.

However, if we are going to progress spirituality, we must have Love of God. We move toward Love of God because of the things God does for us! This is a natural progression. It is not bad, to love God for this reason. God is gracious and merciful. Its how we begin to know God. We begin to love God, because we see how good God is to us! However, Bernard also states, many Christians stop here.

. . . Stages of Love
But there is more in the stages of Love. When we really appreciate God and all that He does for us; when we really appreciate that, we enter into the next stage of Love. We come to understand How Good God Is! How Wise He Is! How Loving and Forgiving God Is! We move to love God, not because of what he does for us, but for how Wonderous, Great and Good God Is!

This is a marvelous place to be and many mature Christian hearts reach this place. It is truly wonderous. However, this is not the highest level. Typically this fact is not recognized by all Christians who have reached the third stage. The fourth stage completes the circle. We Love Ourselves For the Sake of God! When we understand how God loves us, we see and love our lives differently.

Hear more about the four stages of Love and also more about a wonderous saint with a deep devotion to Our Lady and Our Lord. Hear how Our Lady helps us along this journey of Love. Understand the greatness of this Saint and his impact on the Church! Listen to this Meditation Media piece.

St. Bernard: The Gold Standard for the Teaching and Living a Devotion to Mary

Receiving the Glory of His Forgiveness 

A Relationship With Jesus
 
Today’s   Gospel passage focuses on Simon, a Pharisees and a Sinful Woman.

Simon has a serious faith, and was proud. He welcomed Jesus into his home. Further, a sinner begins to wash Jesus’ feet with her tears, and wipes them with her hair. She anoints Him with oil.

In scripture, when someone invites Jesus into their home, we see others are also present. In our modern world, many Christians attempt to invite Jesus and have a relationship by making it private. Jesus and me. Many think they have a relationship with the Lord . . . a private relationship.

There is no relationship with the Lord that does not include His people.

In the passage we see Simon opening his door to Jesus and other, uninvited guests also show up, including the sinful woman. The door that was open for Jesus was also open for her.  There is a lesson here for us as well. We do not get to pick and choose those who will be present in our relationship with the Lord. We certainly can pick some, but the Lord has others that He draws to Him. If we are with the Lord, then these people are also drawn to us also. In the story, the righteous man invites Jesus into his home, and the unrighteous woman also enters.

St. Louis de Montfort echoes this fact. When on a mission and someone invited him to dinner, the saint would say yes, but only if he could bring a friend. He would show up with several beggars. If you invite me, you also invite those that come with me. A lesson Jesus taught . . . a lesson Montfort lived by.

Repentance Comes First
Note the woman. She desires to express affection to the Lord. The woman desires to honor the Lord. She desires to praise the Lord. Notice how she starts. She doesn’t start with a word of praise. She doesn’t immediately start by anointing Jesus. Why? Because that would be the wrong move.

Before she anoints the Lord, she weeps. Notice the sequence. Repentance comes first! Not praise, but repentance comes first! She knows the Lord and knows He receives the sinner. She does not praise His Glory, without first receiving the Glory of His forgiveness and healing.  Our praise and prayers are often shallow because we forget this lesson.

Find out more about the significance of this passage to our Spiritual Life. Listen to this Meditation piece.

Receiving the Glory of His Forgiveness

Advancing Our Own Spirituality
 
The Apostle John, within his first letter, address three categories of people; children, young men, and fathers.

The Apostle has something unique to say to each of these three groups. In doing so, John speaks to the entire breadth of Christian Communities. He speaks to each group, addressing each at their level of spirituality.

Growth in Christian life is the growth in maturity in one’s spiritual life . . . a growth in spiritual adulthood. Everyone, every Christian, starts out spiritually as a little child. Many of us, unfortunately, do not progress spiritually beyond the level of childhood. Regrettable, but true for most Christians.

He also speaks to the young men . . . those who advance out of childhood, to the cusp of adulthood. John speaks to each group, so that individuals will not stay there . . . but move forward in their spiritual life.

John writes to the little children, because they have been forgiven of their sins. He begins with this group, because this group is at the starting point of spiritual life. In the forgiveness of the children’s sins, the group begins to also know the Father.  Spiritual life’s fundamental goal, for all Christians, is to fully know the Lord. Listen to more about what John says about this spiritual group.

Spirituality Enables Us to Bring “My Will” into Conformity with “God’s Will”
The Apostle also addresses the Christian Fathers; the group that has reached adulthood and has reached a mature level of spirituality. They look after the well-being of the community. This group has come to know Him, the fullness of the Lord. How does one get there? Hear more about what Saint John says about this group.

The third group the Apostle speaks about is the Young Men, or Young Woman. This is the intermediate group. This group has overcome the world. What does that mean? This group has not only experienced the forgiveness of the Lord, but they have also grown beyond those sins. Listen to what St. John says about this group!

Three spiritual groups. What does the saint say to us? Why and how can we grow spiritually? Spiritual maturity involves knowing more fully the Lord. Spirituality’s goal is not just to know the Lord, but also to bring “my will” into conformity with “God’s will”. This just does not happen by saying a prayer . . . or a series of prayers.

Hear the Beloved Apostle message to us today!

St. John the Evangelist Speaks To Us About Advancing Our Own Spirituality

Secret of the Rosary Retreat (Alabama 2017)

Sorrowful Mysteries with Reflections from St. Louis de Montfort

he Five Marks of True Devotion to Mary

The audio begins with an introduction to the specific devotional conferences leading up to the Consecration of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Island dedicated to Mary, Queen of All Hearts. St. Louis de Montfort would often say to love someone requires one to examine the quality of their love and to love rightly.

So how does someone attend to the quality of their love for Mary? Fr. de Montfort presents five markers of Authentic Devotion to Our Lady.
Before beginning, what is Devotion to Our Lady? Is it saying the Rosary?  Belonging to special groups in her name? Is it wearing a specific Marian medal? Fr. de Montfort says No! These are practices and expressions of devotion…not devotion itself.
Devotion to Our Lady Defined

Devotion to Mary is when a person enters into a relationship with her.

We are personally Devoted to Our Lady. There are five characteristic of a healthy Devotion to Mary, says Fr. de Montfort. He would say that if you possess these five characteristics, you are indeed Devoted to Mary.

See the website for a description of these five markers.

Special Devotional Series to Mary

The Marks of True Devotion to Mary

Calling Upon the Name of Mary

In a prior conference, the focus is on the Mystery and Greatness of the Name of Mary. In this conference the focus is placed on Calling Upon the Name of Mary. Specifically, Mary and Our Crying Out for Mercy.

Why Do We Pray to Mary?

It is almost inevitable when we talk to non-Christians the following question arises. Why do you Christian pray to Mary? Why can’t I pray directly to Jesus? These questions imply that one prays to Mary or Jesus. This is not the actually the case!

To answer this question, the structure of the Litany of Loreto will be used to help explain. This Litany begins with an address to the Lord. Lord Have Mercy…Christ have Mercy…etc. The first six phrases of the prayer call upon the Lord. After doing this, the Blessed Trinity is called upon for mercy and to hear us. It is only after praying to the Lord, that the prayer turns to and speaks to Our Lady. At the conclusion, we then turn to the Lord. The conclusion of the prayer is addressed to God the Father.

Praying to Mary Fits Within Our Relationship With Our Lord

What does the prayer teach us? Our calling upon the name of Mary is not “instead of” or “in addition to” our calling upon Our Lord. Our calling upon Mary is an action that fits within our relationship with Christ. It fits within the way we call upon and pray to Our Lord.

How marvelous calling upon Mary in our prayer! It fits within our relationship with God. We turn to Our Lady to ask for her aid in seeking  the Lord’s mercy. When we seek the mercy of God, we raise our eyes to Heaven, calling upon the Lord to come in His power, His goodness and His mercy. In this prayer…in this cry to God, we sound a Marian note. Not as something additional, but as something within the prayer.

In the conference, Saint Louis de Montfort’s thoughts on crying out for help is reviewed. Listen to this audio Calling Upon the Name of Mary to assist you in your understanding on why we pray to Mary. We believe the content of the conference will impact your Spiritual Prayer Life.

Special Devotional Series 

Mary and Our Crying Out for Mercy

This discussion reflects on the Holy Mother of God and her maternity. As the Litany is further explored, we pray to Mary, Mother of God. This is the focus of the conference.

Three Initial Statements in the Litany: Initial Focus: Maternity

Holy Mary. After turning toward Mary and calling her by name (Holy Mary), the Litany explores her. Who is this Mary? She is in fact the Holy Mary, Mother of God. She is the Holy Virgin of Virgins. The audio’s focus is on the Maternity or the Motherhood of Our Lady.
Holy Mary, Mother of God.
Consider the dignity because of the greatness of her Son. She is not just proud of her Son. What mother has a dignity or greatness as Mary?  Only one person was the Mother of God. Of all mothers, there is only one that claims this title. It was the Lord’s desire to depend upon Mary and come to the world Through Mary, With Mary, In Mary and By Mary. Hear more in the audio.

Holy and Immaculate Virgin

“Holy and Immaculate Virgin, I do not know fitting praises to extol you. The One the Heaven could not contain you cloistered within your womb.” Mary, is more spacious than the universe. As great and as big as the universe is, Mary is more spacious because she is the temple of grace through which the Lord came into the world.
In reflecting upon the Mary, Mother of God, we see something beautiful. At the instance of the Incarnation, Mary did not become bigger physically. However, inwardly, she is more spacious and greater than the universe. We who receive Holy Communion should also meditate on this. When we receive the Lord in Holy Communion, outwardly we may not change immediately, but there is a richness within us! Hear more about the significance of this presence of the Lord within us!
Hear more and dwell upon the title Mother of God.

The Richness of the Title of Mother of God

The Litany unpacks the term: Motherhood. There are several additional titles within the Litany: Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church, Mother of Diving Grace, Mother Most Pure, Mother Most Chaste.

Mother of Christ. Saint Louis de Montfort stresses Mary does not just give birth to the Head of the Church. Mary gives birth to his members! Jesus is first born of many brothers.

Mother of the Church. We celebrate the motherhood of Mary as not just the Mother of Christ, but the spiritual mother of all of us! She is our mother. See how much the Lord love us! We cannot be the brother or sister of Christ without sharing His Mother and His Father! 

Jesus gives us His mother from The Cross. Behold your Mother! Open your eyes and see what I have done. See that you are her son/daughter. She is our mother! Fr.de Montfort suggests that we all say the following: I take you as my all! I take you as my mother! In receiving her, we receive Him as our Brother!

We Will Be Formed As The Perfect Likeness of Christ

The Holy Spirit knits us together to be members of the Body of Christ. We all share in the life of Jesus. We must turn to Mary and recognize that she is our mother. By turning to Our Lady, the Holy Spirit will do something great for us! Just as the Holy Spirit helped form the perfect man as Our Savior when He turned to Mary as His Mother, we too must do also. By turning to Mary, and recognizing her as our mother, the Holy Spirit will form those into a perfect likeness of Jesus Christ.

Mother of Divine Grace

Why is Mary Full of Grace? This is the name the Heaven gives Mary. It is the name the God gives Mary. In another conference, this is reviewed more fully. But why does Heaven give Mary this title? So she can receive God Himself!

Hear more about Mother of Divine Grace and the other titles that are outlined below in this 1 hour audio. In understanding these titles, we will know more about Mary. We will understand further How God Sees Mary. In doing so, this understanding will impact our Spiritual Life as we honor the Mary, Mother of God.

Special Devotional Series

Holy Mary, Mother of God

The Goal of this Special Devotional Series is for all of us to know Mary and to know who she is in the Eyes of God and in the Eyes of the Church. The goal is for us also to know her more personally. As we come to her, we will grow in confidence and grow in the love for her.
The Special Devotional Series is taking a spiritual journey, exploring the titles the Church recognizes for Mary. The prayer, Litany of Loreto has been prayed for hundreds of years, and likely goes back to the early Church days. Some of Mary’s titles are either mysterious, or confusing in these modern days. The last few conferences explore The Virginity of Mary and Cause of Our Joy.
Today’s focus is on four titles, which at first seem mysterious and requires a bit of work on our part to understand. These four titles of Vessel of Devotion include:

Spiritual Vessel
Vessel of Singular Devotion
Vessel of Honor
Mystical Rose

Read more about these titles directly from our website:
Go to the Special Devotional Series section  of QueenofAllHearts.com

Our Lady Vessel of Devotion and Mystical Rose

Cause of Joy and Seat of Wisdom

The Goal of this Special Devotional Series is for all of us to know Mary and to know who she is in the Eyes of God and in the Eyes of the Church. The goal is for us also to know her more personally. As we come to her we will grow in confidence and grow in the love for her. In this devotional journey, the last two conferences review Mary’s two titles: Her Divine Maternity and The Virginity of Mary.

This conference reviews Mary’s titles: Cause of Our Joy and Seat of Wisdom. Today’s contemporary world does not normally utilize these two traditional titles to describe Mary. Rich in history, Holy Mary,  Cause of Our Joy

Cause of Our Joy

We name Mary to be the cause of something…some associated activity. Her presence brings something about. Cause of Our Joy! It is a bold claim, but what does it really mean?

How many people cause our frustration and/or difficulties in this world? We experience frustration, when we really seek is happiness. Happiness is really fleeting to many people. It is not long lasting. When we find happiness, we rarely linger in it. The Cause of Our Joy! Mary is not the cause of our personal happiness. Joy is not happiness! Happiness is relatively shallow. Its not long lasting. Joy is permanent! It has a depth. It is not fleeting! Christians are called upon to value it.

Who is the “Our”?

The Our means the Body of Christ. It means the entire world or all of mankind. “Our” means us! A Savior has come. Cause of Our Joy! How easy it is to lose the joy of salvation. It is easy to be faithful, but not joyful about our salvation. A bold statement: All Christians need to experience the Joy of Salvation!

So how is Mary, the Cause of Our Joy? Joy occurs with the nearness and presence of Jesus. The Cause of Our Joy! Mary helps us enter into the presence of the Lord. Hear more on the Cause of Our Joy and why Mary embodies this title by listening to this audio. The audio also utilizes (see picture) the statue on display at the Shrine. Mary is the Tree of Life who gives us the fruit of life (Jesus). Hear how this statue connects us all to the Cause of Our Joy!

Seat of Wisdom

This name is a very ancient title, and reaches back to the early days of the Church. Another translation for Seat of Wisdom is the Throne of Wisdom. A throne implies a ruler, a King and a Queen. It implies royalty and governing body. A throne implies honor and demands respect. There are no other seats as strong and as beautiful as the throne. It has its own dignity. It honors whoever sits in it.

People with petitions approach the throne. They step forward to the throne. Jesus is pleased to greet His people on the throne. The statue is interesting. Mary is sitting and wearing a crown as she sits on the throne. Jesus is also enthroned upon her. He is pleased to be on His throne. However, Jesus is not crowned. Why? Jesus is Wisdom! Note the open book on the statue. The emphasis is not on His Kingship or His royalty, but His status as the Word made flesh. He comes to meet us and does so Through Mary. Wisdom is understanding the Way!

Hear more on the Seat of Wisdom and meditate on the goodness of Mary within these roles.

Cause of Joy and Seat of Wisdom

This is the second day of the nine day novena entitled:
The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts!

This novena is the second part of the Special Devotional Series. See the Devotional Series under the Spiritual Insights Menu on QueenofAllHearts.com

Special Devotional Series: Novena 

The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts: Day 2: The Gift of Wisdom

This is the third day of the nine day novena entitled:
The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts!

This novena is the second part of the Special Devotional Series. See the Devotional Series under the Spiritual Insights Menu on QueenofAllHearts.com

Special Devotional Series: Novena

The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts: Day 3: The Gift of Understanding

This is the fourth day of the nine day novena entitled:
The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts!

This novena is the second part of the Special Devotional Series. See the Devotional Series under the Spiritual Insights Menu on QueenofAllHearts.com

The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts: Day 4: The Gift of Counsel

This is the fifth day of the nine day novena entitled:
The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts!

This novena is the second part of the Special Devotional Series. See the Devotional Series under the Spiritual Insights Menu on QueenofAllHearts.com

The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts: Day 5: The Gift of Fortitude

This is the sixth day of the nine day novena entitled:
The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts!

This novena is the second part of the Special Devotional Series. See the Devotional Series under the Spiritual Insights Menu on QueenofAllHearts.com

The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts: Day 6: The Gift of Knowledge

This is the seventh day of the nine day novena entitled:
The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts!

This novena is the second part of the Special Devotional Series. See the Devotional Series under the Spiritual Insights Menu on QueenofAllHearts.com

The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts: Day 7: The Gift of Piety

This is the eighth day of the nine day novena entitled:
The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts!

This novena is the second part of the Special Devotional Series. See the Devotional Series under the Spiritual Insights Menu on QueenofAllHearts.com

The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts: Day 8: The Gift of Fear of the Lord

This is the ninth and final day of the nine day novena entitled:
The Great Novena to Mary, Queen of All Hearts!

This novena is the second part of the Special Devotional Series. See the Devotional Series under the Spiritual Insights Menu on QueenofAllHearts.com

True Devotion to Jesus thru Mary

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