Welcome

Novena for the Fifth Marian Dogma "Day of Dialogue" : March 25, 2010

2010-03-12T00:00:00Z

On March 25, 2010, a "Day of Dialogue" will take place at the Vatican Forum on the issue of the appropriateness of a fifth Marian Dogma, the solemn papal definition of Our Lady as the Spiritual Mother of all humanity, the Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix of all graces and Advocate. Bishops and theologians from different parts of the world have been invited by Inside the Vatican Magazine, moderator of the discussion, to partake in the Church dialogue, one which could have significant and even historic effects of the solemn definition of Our Lady's spiritual motherhood and thereby on the entire Church and world.

The following Annunciation Novena has been adapted and initiated by members of the Christian faithful to pray for the success of this Roman Day of Dialogue and for the eventual definition on the Fifth Marian Dogma. We are happy to forward on to you this novena which we have received, and to encourage readers the world over to participate in this novena from Wednesday, March 17 to Thursday, March 25, that the Holy Spirit through the Immaculate and Coredemptive Heart of Mary will overshadow those participating in the Day of Dialogue and ultimately our beloved Holy Father regarding the dogmatic crowning of our Mother Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix of all graces and Advocate. -Ed.

Annunciation Novena

I greet you. Ever-blessed Virgin, Mother of God, Throne of Grace, miracle of Almighty Power! I greet you, Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity and Queen of the Universe, Mother of Mercy and Refuge of Sinners!

Most loving Mother, attracted by your beauty and sweetness, and by your tender compassion, I confidently turn to you, miserable as I am, and beg of you to obtain for me from your dear Child the favor I request in this novena:

For the day of dialogue in Rome and that the Church may dogmatically crown you as Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix of All Grace, and Advocate.

Obtain for me also. Queen of heaven, the most lively contrition for my many sins and the grace to imitate closely those virtues which you practiced so faithfully, especially humility, purity and obedience. Above all, I beg you to be my Mother and Protectress, to receive me into the number of your devoted children, and to guide me from your high throne of glory.

Do not reject my petitions, Mother of Mercy! Have pity on me and do not abandon me during life or at the moment of my death. Amen

Is the Time Ripe for a 5th Marian Dogma? Vatican Forum to Host Discussion on Feast of Annunciation

2010-03-06T00:00:00Z

WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH 1, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Since the moment on Good Friday when Jesus, speaking from the cross as he was about to die, said to the Apostle John, "Behold your mother," the maternal role of Mary has been a central element of Christian faith and devotion.
The depictions of Mary's sorrow in works of art such as the Pieta by Michelangelo have suggested a profound emotional truth: When any believer is confronted with great sorrow or suffering, we can turn to Mary, our spiritual mother, for consolation, because she experienced such great suffering.
The great Marian apparitions, especially at Lourdes in 1858 and at Fatima in 1917, suggest to thoughtful observers of the mystical life that Mary continues to "draw near" to the "little ones," to children, to encourage them and to share with them a message of maternal comfort and exhortation.
Over the centuries, the theological reflection of the Church has come to grant special and particular titles to Mary, to make clearer who she is, and why she is worthy of our filial devotion.
Presently, the Church has proclaimed four dogmas regarding the Mother of Jesus: (1) her maternal role in the birth of Christ, the Son of God, making her truly Mother of God ("Theotokos," Council of Ephesus, 431); (2) her Perpetual Virginity (First Lateran Council, 649); (3) her Immaculate Conception (Pius IX, "ex cathedra" proclamation, 1854); and (4) her Assumption into heaven (Pius XII, "ex cathedra" proclamation, 1950).
For almost a century now, there has been a small but growing movement in the Church in favor of the proclamation of a fifth Marian dogma regarding the role of the Blessed Virgin as the Spiritual Mother of All Humanity.
On March 25, the Vatican Forum of Inside the Vatican magazine and St. Thomas More College, in a meeting room close to St. Peter's Square, will invite an international group of bishops and theologians to discuss whether now is the appropriate time for a fifth solemn definition or "dogma" to be pronounced regarding the Virgin Mary.

The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross

2010-03-06T00:00:00Z

The following account of the "Seven Last Words", an extraordinarily profound testimony to Jesus the Redeemer and Mary the Co-redemptrix, is recorded by visionary Mrs. Janie Garza of Austin, Texas. For over 20 years, Janie Garza, has received apparitions and locutions from Jesus, Our Lady, St. Joseph, St. Philumena, the Three Archangels, and several other saints.

The mystical experiences of Mrs. Garza follow consistently within the Church's mystical tradition and within the general criteria used by the Church to discern supernaturally authentic private revelation, i.e., doctrinal orthodoxy of message contents; experience of ecstasy and other supernatural phenomena within the precedence of past mystical phenomena; and spiritual fruits leading to conversion and deeper participation in the prayer and sacramental life of the Church.

On May 31, 2006, Janie Garza's spiritual director, Fr. Henry Bordeaux, ocd, met with her bishop, and permission to continue to speak and promulgate her messages nationally and internationally was granted by the local ordinary -Ed.

Ash Wednesday

February 21, 2007, 1:00 a.m.

I was awakened at 2:50 a.m. My body felt like it was on fire. I found myself in spirit in the Garden of Gethsemane. I was suffering intensely. My body was wet with sweat, and I was in such distress. My feet were pounding with pain, and I felt the crown of thorns on my head. I prayed, so that all this suffering would pass, and perhaps I could go back to sleep, but I continued to suffer. I prayed and suffered all night until it was time for my family to wake up. I went to Holy Mass, and I continued praying and suffering throughout the day.

Later the same day, I was praying my Rosary and my Lord came to me and said, "Come, beloved of My Most Sacred Heart; journey into the mystery of my crucifixion. You will witness what others before you have also witnessed. You will suffer as they suffered. During these forty days of Lent I, your merciful Savior, will teach you the mysteries of my seven last words on the Cross."

The Moral Compass or The Golden Compass?

2010-03-06T00:00:00Z

The conversion of traditional archetypes of evil into morally good ones makes a quantum leap in a film based on a novel by British author Philip Pullman. It is titled The Golden Compass, which is also the North American title of the first volume of Pullman's fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials. {footnote} Volume one of the trilogy is published in Britain under the title Northern Lights (1995), followed by The Subtle Knife (1997) and The Amber Spyglass (2000).{/footnote} According to interviews with Pullman, the author's stated intention is to reverse the traditional Biblical account of the war between heaven and hell. In his introduction, Pullman says that he "is of the Devil's party and does know it" (a line adapted from a poem by William Blake).

Jesus Speaks: "My Presence in Your Day"

2010-03-06T00:00:00Z

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). On the first of every month, Our Lord gives Anne a new message about His call to service. - Asst. Ed.

Jesus

March 1, 2010

My dear friends, you are making progress. I, the One who sees all, can mark progress in many ways which are not available to you. I can mark progress in terms of your holiness, which you will experience as a greater awareness of your flaws and weaknesses. I can mark progress in terms of the advancement of My plan, which I experience in an increased longing for goodness in My children. I can mark progress in the commitment of more and more of My little apostles to the spread of My healing graces. I am pleased. Your time on earth will be used to the fullest possible extent, if only you will remain fixed on My presence in your day. So much depends on this awareness of Me. Your comfort in this time of change will largely depend on this and that is why I have come in the way that I have come and in the time that I have come. I prepare you, My friends, so that you can then prepare others. There is a groaning in My Church, a sigh of exertion as she pushes forward into a renewed period. You feel this aching strain but you also feel the spark of My hope. Dear apostles, for what reason would I come to you in this way if not for a good reason? Why would I deluge My Church in grace if not to renew her? Please. I urge you to rejoice. I am the Messenger who brings salvation. You are the heralds of My salvation. Does a herald look downhearted and hopeless? Of course not. One who heralds the King's return stands with eyes alight, filled with anticipation and happiness. Be this for Me in this world where darkness is delivered by so many. Be heralds of the Light, rejoicing, so that others may see their future.

"You Would Become Co-redemptrix"

2010-03-06T00:00:00Z

While the more complete story of Mary Co-redemptrix is being told by medieval theologians and saints, so too the liturgical hymns of the time begin to sing its truth. Between the fourteen and fifteen centuries the title of "Co-redemptrix" makes its first appearance in a liturgical hymn.

Her titles are her functions, and thus, as the medieval mind achieves greater clarity regarding the Mother's salvific function with Jesus, it is appropriate that the title, "Co-redemptrix," which best captures the function of Mary's share in Redemption, would be sung in the public prayer of the Church.

Faith in the Eucharist

2010-03-06T00:00:00Z

Qui credit in Me, habet vitam aeternam.
He that believeth in Me, hath everlasting life. (John vi. 47.)

HOW happy we would be if we had a lively faith in the Most Blessed Sacrament!
For the Eucharist is the royal truth of faith; it is the virtue and sovereign act of love, the whole of religion in action. Si scires donum Dei! Oh! if we but knew the gift of God!
But belief in the Eucharist is a treasure we must seek by submissiveness, preserve by piety, and defend at any cost.

Not to believe in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest of misfortunes.

Latest Messages Given in Medjugorje by Our Lady

2010-03-05T19:27:04Z

Monthly Message, February 25, 2010

"Dear children! In this time of grace, when nature also prepares to give the most beautiful colors of the year, I call you, little children, to open your hearts to God the Creator for Him to transform and mould you in His image, so that all the good which has fallen asleep in your hearts may awaken to a new life and a longing towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Our Lady's Message to the Visionary Mirjana, March 2, 2010
Dear children, In this special time of your effort to be all the closer to my Son, to his suffering, but also to the love with which he bore it, I desire to tell you that I am with you. I will help you to triumph over errors and temptations with my grace. I will teach you love, love which wipes away all sins and makes you perfect, love which gives you the peace of my Son now and forever. Peace with you and in you, because I am the Queen of Peace. Thank you.