Volume V, Issue 31, November 29, 2008

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- The Rosa Mystica Hour of Grace by Jonathan Baker
- The Predestination of the Virgin Mother and Her Immaculate Conception by Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner, F.I.
- "Children, Come with Me Now" by "Anne, a Lay Apostle"
- Our Lady of America by Fr. Angelo Mary Geiger, F.I.
- Introduction to the Immaculate Conception by Mark Miravalle
- The Immaculate Conception in the Thought of Adrienne von Speyr by Fr. Donald Calloway, M.I.C.
- Mary: Immaculate New Ark of the Covenant by Jason Evert
- The Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God and the Doctrine of Mary as Coredemptrix in Eastern Orthodoxy by James Likoudis
- The Whole World Awaits Mary’s Reply by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

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- The Rosa Mystica Hour of Grace by Jonathan Baker

In the north of Italy, near the city of Brescia in Lombardy, is the small town of Montichiari. In the Spring of 1947, while praying in the chapel of the local hospital in Montichiari, nurse Pierina Gilli had an unforgettable experience. Mary, the Mother of God, appeared to her in a wonderful vision and magnificent light, as the exalted Lady, dressed in mauve, very sad and with tears in Her eyes. Pierina noticed that Her heart was pierced by three swords. The first sword means: the unworthy celebration of Holy Mass and Communion unworthily received; the meaning of the second sword is: being unfaithful to, and giving up, the vocation as a priest or a religious; and the third sword means: betrayal of the Faith. Our Lady asked for Prayer, Sacrifice, and Penance.

Our Lady was to appear eleven times to Pierina, including on December 8, 1947, when she came to request that an Hour of Grace be observed every December 8 at noon throughout the Church. She said of this Hour: "This Hour of Grace will produce great and numerous conversions. Hardened and cold hearts resembling this marble will be touched by divine Grace, and they will become faithful to Our Lord in loyal love." (1)

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- The Predestination of the Virgin Mother and Her Immaculate Conception by Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner, F.I.

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.

Introduction

The two closely related mysteries treated in this chapter are extraordinarily important, indeed, according to the Scotistic-Franciscan view of Mariology, crucially important, for a correct appreciation of Catholic theology on Mary and the Marian character of "our theology," viz., the saving knowledge of God possible to us in a time of pilgrimage (1).

Since the close of Vatican II, and despite that Council’s very firm reaffirmation of both mysteries in the traditional sense (2), treatment of the predestination of Mary has disappeared from Mariological study. Some expositions of the Immaculate Conception have either 1) minimized its binding dogmatic character with calls for its "dedogmatization," viz., its reduction to the status of a thesis pertaining to an unimportant and perhaps out-dated theological system no longer binding in faith on all Catholics; 2) downplayed or even denied its character as a unique privilege of Mary alone, and so reducing the Mother of God to the status of just another woman; or 3) totally naturalized the privilege (along the lines of the ancient heretic Pelagius) by eliminating any reference in its definition to original sin (3).

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- "Children, Come with Me Now" 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 17, 2003

Jesus

My children I am speaking to you from the depth of My Eucharistic heart. My dearest little souls of this world, you must come back to Me. I want your love now, as never before, and I want to protect you, as never before. Because Our time is not like your time, I can communicate with you in a timeless manner. This is what I wish to tell you. I am going to share My deepest secrets with you. I am going to remove the veil from the tabernacle as never before. I want you to know Me. I want you to know Me in My miraculous form of the consecrated host. I am the Bread of Life. Yes. And I am your Jesus, also. I was a humble Man, who walked your paths of difficulty, want, and hardship. Many treated Me badly, so I understand the pain of hurt. We had little money, so I understand the pain of hunger. I was different, so I understand the pain of isolation. Little ones, I am with you. I want to teach you things that souls of past times did not learn until they came to heaven. I am doing this because I am rising up a tidal wave of Christians to wash over the shore of badness that has taken control of this world, so lovingly created by My Father. This process will cleanse your world, making it safe once again for God's children. I am going to bring you knowledge, wisdom, and love. I am going to introduce you to the divine to make your hearts burn like furnaces of divine love. You will be given the opportunity to work with Me. Children, come with Me now. Walk this walk of the divine with Me, your Savior. Together, We call out to others to join us. In this way, We rise up against evil and reclaim goodness for the world, for its people, and for God in heaven. I am omnipotent. By cooperating with Me and working with Me, you share in My power. You will learn to love in a way you have never known before. I am revealing Myself in a new way, such as I have never done. Come, let us together pay homage and pledge obedience to God the Father. It is He who decrees this work. Thank Him often and deeply for these graces, for with these graces, you will help Me to save the world.

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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- Our Lady of America by Fr. Angelo Mary Geiger, F.I.

On May 31, 2006, the Franciscan Friars of The Immaculate enthroned a statue of Our Lady of America at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament at EWTN headquarters, Hanceville, Alabama. The following article is the homily given at the enthronement ceremony by Fr. Angelo Mary Geiger, F.I.
– Ed.

In the image of Our Lady of America that we enshrine in this beautiful Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament today, we have an icon of what our Blessed Mother wants for Her children in America:  devotion to Mary; conversion and sanctification; holy purity; and our readiness to fight for the soul of America.  In the image of Our Lady of America, we see revealed Her Pure Heart set to shine on all Americans.

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- Introduction to the Immaculate Conception by Mark Miravalle

The dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which was solemnly defined by an infallible pronouncement of Bl. Pius IX in 1854, proclaims that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin. Mary’s preservation from all stain of sin or its effects was a singular grace and privilege of God the Father in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the universal Redeemer of humanity.

Before examining the full solemn pronouncement of Bl. Pius IX (which was issued through an exercise of the papal charism of infallibility by which the Vicar of Christ is protected from error by the power of the Holy Spirit), let us first examine the revealed seeds of this dogma as they are first contained in Scripture and Tradition.

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- The Immaculate Conception in the Thought of Adrienne von Speyr by Fr. Donald Calloway, M.I.C.

On December 8, 1955, Pope Pius XII made the following statement in an allocution to the Catholic Relief Services: "In honoring Mary, in every thought of her, We do homage to the superabundant mercy and love of the Redeemer of men, all of whom He wishes to draw into union with Himself through grace and His Holy Spirit." 1 Pius XII could not have chosen a better day than the Solemnity of The Immaculate Conception to mention the superabundant mercy and love of God; the Immaculate Conception is, indeed, the masterpiece of God's superabundant mercy and love.

Yet, as we celebrate the anniversary of that blessed day, December 8, 1854, when Blessed Pope Pius IX, overcome with such emotion that he burst into tears, 2 dogmatically declared that the Holy Mother of God had been conceived without original sin—thus declaring her to be The Immaculate Conception (Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus)—we still have to ask ourselves whether or not we have taken full advantage of all the insights given to the Church over these last one hundred and fifty years concerning this unique mystery of God's superabundant mercy and love, The Immaculate Conception.

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- Mary: Immaculate New Ark of the Covenant by Jason Evert

From the foundation of the world, St. Paul tells us, we have been chosen to become children of God (Eph. 1:4-5). By the same measure, the Virgin Mary had been chosen from all eternity to become the mother of God. As Psalm 132:14 says, "The Lord hath chosen Zion; He hath chosen her for his dwelling."

While other verses, such as Genesis 3:15 and Luke 1:28, are commonly used to explain the Immaculate Conception, the Sacred Scriptures offer a wealth of other references that add weight to the dogma.

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- The Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God and the Doctrine of Mary as Coredemptrix in Eastern Orthodoxy by James Likoudis

Writing in 1986 Prof. George S. Bebis, professor of patristics at the Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, expressed the basic doctrine of the Eastern Orthodox communion concerning the place of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Christian economy of salvation:

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- The Whole World Awaits Mary’s Reply by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

You have heard, O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a son; you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit. The angel awaits an answer; it is time for him to return to God who sent him. We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion; the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us.

The price of our salvation is offered to you. We shall be set free at once if you consent. In the eternal Word of God we all came to be, and behold, we die. In your brief response we are to be remade in order to be recalled to life.

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