Volume V, Issue 32, December 13, 2008

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- The Miraculous Birth of the Man-God by Maria Valtorta

We present this account of the birth of Our Lord, followed by a commentary on the account by Our Lady herself, from The Poem of the Man-God. The Poem of the Man-God remains a legitimate mystical/spiritual source for Christian meditation regarding the life of Jesus as recorded by the Italian mystic, Maria Valtorta (see article, In Response to Various Questions Regarding "The Poem of the Man-God" in the Marian Private Revelation section). – Ed.

I still see the inside of the poor stony shelter, where Mary and Joseph have found refuge, sharing the lot of some animals.

The little fire is dozing together with its guardian. Mary lifts Her head slowly from Her bed and looks round. She sees that Joseph's head is bowed over his chest, as if he were meditating, and She thinks that his good intention to remain awake has been overcome by tiredness. She smiles lovingly and making less noise than a butterfly alighting on a rose, She sits up and then goes on Her knees. She prays with a blissful smile on Her face. She prays with Her arms stretched out, almost in the shape of a cross, with the palms of Her hands facing up and forward, and She never seems to tire in that position. She then prostrates Herself with Her face on the hay, in an even more ardent prayer. A long prayer.

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- "I Desire My Children to Have a Living Christ in Their Midst" by "Anne, a Lay Apostle"

The messages from "Anne, a Lay Apostle," from the international spiritual movement "Lay Apostles of Jesus Christ the Returning King" have been released for international distribution with the permission of Bishop Leo O'Reilly of the Diocese of Kilmore, Ireland, the diocese in which Anne and the international headquarters of the Lay apostolate reside. They have also been submitted by Bishop O'Reilly to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome (see article, "Discernment of Lay Apostolate of Jesus Christ the Returning King," Marian Private Revelation section).

The following message comes from Volume II, entitled Conversations with the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus. I strongly encourage our readers to download these messages and, if possible, read them prayerfully before the Blessed Sacrament in the presence of our Eucharistic Jesus. They have been of untold spiritual benefit to me.
—Ed.

August 18, 2003

Jesus

I want to show My children the great devotion I have for them. I reside in tabernacles all over the world. I do this because I desire My children to have a living Christ in their midst. Such holiness is available to souls who visit and venerate Me in the Eucharist. I am the cure for every ill. I am the calm for every storm. I am the comfort for every sorrow. Because I intend to lead My children in a more enhanced way, I am going to show you the Life that is enclosed in each tabernacle. My dear ones, if you but knew the value of each and every visit that is made to Me here, there would be crowds all through every day and every night. It is this crowd of souls I invite now. Dear children of this world, I, your Jesus, am not limited by the laws of nature. I can do anything. My powers are unimaginable to souls who have not seen the heavenly Vision. In other words, to souls who remain on earth. Much is said in your world about power. This one has this power and that one has another power. Children are being deluged with images of occult or magical powers. I want this to cease. There is an obsession with powers that are NOT heavenly powers. My children, even some of My children of Light, say these are good things, or at least harmless. I tell you now, in all of My Godly Majesty, that if a power is not from Me, it is evil. Search every day for these impostors and remove them from your life. You do not see the damage being done, but I, your Savior, assure you that this opens a door to your soul that you do not want opened. Your children must be protected from entertainment or games that feature "powers."

I wish to guide you in this specific manner. I wish to warn and correct you. I wish to teach you. Most of all, I wish to love you. Have you ever loved someone passionately, but been rejected? Was your love ever tossed casually back at you? If this has ever happened to you, then you understand how I feel. I am rejected by the majority of humanity. I gave My very life for this humanity, so that their sins would be overlooked and forgotten. Humanity, poor foolish humanity, flings this gift back at My feet, as if to say, "Your gift is worthless. It has no value anymore." Dearest children, this is ignorance in some cases. Many of these children do not understand that the gift they toss aside is their eternity, their salvation. They do not understand this in many cases because they are not being told. I will rectify this situation shortly when I reveal Myself to your world, leaving no room for doubt that Jesus Christ lives and that Jesus Christ saves. At that time, souls will know Me and will be free to make a choice based on knowledge. My little one, how consoled I will be by the souls who make the choice in advance of that day, based on faith. I am sending My Spirit into the world now. The Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is resting upon every soul who welcomes Him. My words must be spread and when these words reach a soul who is housing the Spirit, that soul will light up in a spectacular manner. Truly, the light of each of these souls will reach heaven, where the Triumphant Ones will rejoice to see another soldier returning to the cause. Be alert, dear ones, to My every whim. Practice responding in obedience to My requests. You will walk in peace, I promise you that today. Adore Me in the Eucharist as I teach you about love.

For further information regarding the Lay Apostolate of Jesus Christ the Returning King, or to purchase Heaven Speaks booklets, please contact Direction for Our Times on the Web at www.directionforourtimes.com, or mail inquiries to the following address: 9000 West 81st St., Justice, IL 60458, U.S.A.

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- Theological Defense of the Miraculous Birth by Msgr. Arthur B. Calkins

In her interesting article "Reproductive Science and the Incarnation" (Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly Vol. 25, No. 4, Fall 2002, 11-25) Dr. Catherine Brown Tkacz offers a number of interesting correlations between the discoveries of reproductive science and the Church's belief in the mystery of the Incarnation. Just as the Holy Spirit has continued to bring forth deeper insights into the meaning of this mystery (cf. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, #8), so also the data of biological science, evaluated in the light of Scripture and Tradition, can help us to marvel at the inexhaustible richness of the mystery. The point is, of course, that the mystery can never be simply explained either by theology or by modern science. At the end of her essay Dr. Tkacz appropriately comments that "the mystery of Jesus' Incarnation remains ineluctable and eternal" (p. 22).

Without taking away from the valuable insights which her article provides, I would nonetheless take issue with Dr. Tkacz's treatment of Mary's virginity in giving birth to Christ (commonly referred to as the virginitas in partu) on p. 21 and in endnotes #76 and #78 on p. 25. It must be admitted that the datum of the faith that Mary gave birth as a virgin, unfortunately, receives virtually no attention in contemporary catechesis or preaching.

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- The Incarnation: The Virgin becomes the Co-redemptrix by Mark Miravalle

"Incarnatio redemptiva redemptio inchoativa" (the redemptive Incarnation is the Redemption begun). This patristic concept of the miracle of miracles in which the Second person of the Most Holy Trinity deigned to become flesh for us correctly conveys that the Incarnation of Jesus Christ is truly the "Redemption begun." And yet, it was the Father's perfect plan that such redemptive Incarnation take place only through the consent of a human, a woman, a virgin.

Perhaps St. Bernard describes it best when he states that the whole world waited to hear the response of the Virgin, upon whom salvation was dependent: "The angel awaits an answer; . . . We too are waiting O Lady, for your word of compassion; the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us . . . We shall be set free at once if you consent… This is what the whole earth waits for…" (1).

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- Matchless Maidenhood by John Saward

>From the beginning, the Church has confessed, in the words of the Apostles' Creed, that the only Son of God was 'conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.' At the Council of the Lateran in 649, she taught that 'at the end of the ages' the Mother of God "conceived without seed by the Holy Spirit God the Word, who was begotten of God the Father before all ages" (1). This is the fact prophesied by Isaiah and reported by St. Matthew and St. Luke:

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- Mary and the Fathers of the Church by Fr. Luigi Gambero, S.M.

The following article is an excerpt from the recently published Marian anthology, Mariology: A Guide for Priests, Deacons, Seminarians, and Consecrated Persons, Seat of Wisdom Books, A Division of Queenship, 2008. Fifteen international Mariology experts contributed to the text. The book features a foreword by Archbishop Raymond L. Burke and has 17 chapters divided into four parts: 1. Mary in Scripture and the Early Church; 2. Marian Dogma; 3. Marian Doctrine; and 4. Marian Liturgy and Devotion. The book is now available from Queenship Publications. To obtain a copy, visit queenship.org. Visit books.google.com and search on "Mariology: A Guide" to view the book in its entirety, or simply click here.
Asst. Ed.

Our purpose is to elucidate the doctrine on the Blessed Virgin Mary in the ancient Christian tradition, that is in the time of the Fathers of the Church. We are convinced that from the beginning of our Christian history, Mary occupied a unique place beside Jesus in the evangelical kerygma of the Church; and from then on Christians have always paid special attention to her person and her role in the salvific plan of God. Mary is a "witness" of Jesus, as many Protestant theologians like to call her. Clearly she is that; but we ought to add: Mary is a very particular witness, whose presence and participation beside Jesus helps in an absolutely unique way to make his divine person more understandable. We cannot speak of the incarnate Word without referring explicitly or implicitly to his Mother. This is what we learn from the Fathers of the Church and the other ancient Christian writers.

Looking at the early history of Christian faith, we get the impression that the doctrine on Mary is like a river with mysterious springs. After a brief start, however not yet completely explored, little by little it appears majestic and overwhelming. Though this mysterious beginning still continues to pose questions to patristic scholars, we today have at our disposal numerous studies about the historical beginning of Marian doctrine (1).

To understand the importance of patristics in studying Marian doctrine we need to recognize its role in theology in general. Studying the Fathers of the Church means coming in touch with men who acted in order to establish a link between the apostolic tradition and the subsequent Christian generations. They transmitted to these latter that deposit of faith which the apostles themselves received from the Lord Jesus. St. Athanasius of Alexandria (+373) defines this process very well with a clear-cut statement: "The doctrine of faith is the one that the Lord taught, the apostles preached and the Fathers have kept" (2).

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- Wonderful Effects of True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis Marie de Montfort

My dear brother, be sure that if you are faithful to the interior and exterior practices of this devotion which I will point out (1), the following effects will take place in your soul.

First Effect: Knowledge and Contempt of Self

By the light which the Holy Spirit will give you through His dear spouse, Mary, you will understand your own evil, your corruption and your incapacity for anything good. In consequence of this knowledge, you will despise yourself. You will think of yourself only with horror. You will regard yourself as a snail that spoils everything with its slime; or a toad that poisons everything with its venom; or as a spiteful serpent seeking only to deceive. In other words, the humble Mary will communicate to you a portion of her profound humility, which will make you despise yourself—despise nobody else, but love to be despised yourself.

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- Guardian of the Redeemer (Redemptoris Custos) by Pope John Paul II

"Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took his wife" (cf. Mt 1 :24).

Inspired by the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church from the earliest centuries stressed that just as St. Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ's upbringing (1), he likewise watches over and protects Christ's Mystical Body, that is, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model.

On the occasion of the centenary of Pope Leo XIII's Encyclical Epistle Quamquam Pluries (2), and in line with the veneration given to St. Joseph over the centuries, I wish to offer for your consideration, dear brothers, and sisters, some reflections concerning him "into whose custody God entrusted his most precious treasures" (3). I gladly fulfill this pastoral duty so that all may grow in devotion to the Patron of the Universal Church and in love for the Savior whom he served in such an exemplary manner.

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- In Defense of the Theotókos by St. Cyril of Alexandria

I see this joyful assembly of holy bishops who, at the invitation of the blessed Mother of God, Mary ever Virgin, have gathered here with enthusiasm. And although I am sad, the presence of these holy Fathers fills me with joy. Among us is fulfilled the sweet words of the psalmist David: "Behold how good and sweet it is, brethren, to dwell together in unity."

Hail Mary Theotókos, venerable treasure of the whole world, star who never sets, crown of virginity, scepter of the orthodox law, indestructible Mother and Virgin, for the sake of the one who is called "blessed" in the holy Gospels, the one who "comes in the name of the Lord."

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- "Queen of Peace, Save the Nations and Peoples of the Whole Continent" - 1979 Homily from Guadalupe by Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II, on the first pilgrimage of his pontificate, gave the following homily in the basilica of Guadalupe on January 27, 1979.
—Asst. Ed.

Hail Mary!

Dear Brothers in the episcopate and dear sons and daughters, how deep is my joy that the first steps of my pilgrimage, as Successor of Paul VI and John Paul I, bring me precisely here. They bring me to you, Mary, in this shrine of the people of Mexico and of the whole of Latin America, the shrine in which for so many centuries your motherhood has been manifested.

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