Mother Mary The Perfect Companion For Lent

Mary is the perfect companion for Lent, and Lent is a perfect time to deepen our love, knowledge and veneration of the Mother of God.

At the wedding feast of Cana, Mary told the servers: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). In a similar way, Mary directs us all to be faithful to Christ, her divine Son. If we wish to draw closer to Christ during Lent, there is no better way than by entrusting ourselves to Mary, our spiritual mother.

In his great work, “True Devotion to Mary” St. Louis de Montfort (1673–1716) teaches that the entire purpose of devotion to Mary is to provide “a smooth but certain way of reaching Jesus Christ” (No. 62). He says that devotion to Mary “is a way of reaching Jesus perfectly, loving him tenderly, and serving him faithfully”.

For St. Louis, “the more one is consecrated to Mary, the more one is consecrated to Jesus,” and consecration to Mary “is the perfect renewal of the vows and promises of holy baptism"'. If Lent is a season when we recall our own baptism , devotion to Mary is one of the best ways to do this.

 Lent is a perfect time to renew our devotion to Mary as our spiritual mother who cares for us in the midst of challenges and difficulties.

 Because Lent is a time to turn away from sin, it is also an ideal time to recognize the gift that Our Lord himself gave us, giving us his own mother as our mother while he was dying on the cross (Jn 19:25–27). Pope St. John Paul II recognized that Jesus gave Mary as mother not only to the beloved disciple but to all of the faithful. Mary’s spiritual motherhood is the basis for the “Marian dimension” of the life of each of the disciples of Christ.

 Lent is a time to deepen our prayer life, and Mary provides the best example of prayer in her canticle, known as the Magnificat (Lk 1: 46–55). This canticle expresses the attitudes of praise, gratitude and humility that are at the heart of all authentic prayer to God.

In the Gospel of Luke, Simeon told Mary that her heart would be pierced so that “the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed” (Lk 2:35). This prophecy was fulfilled during Christ’s passion when Mary stood beneath the cross witnessing her Son’s crucifixion (Jn 19:25–27).

Vatican II tells us that Mary “faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross, where she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, grieving exceedingly with her only begotten Son, uniting herself with a maternal heart with His sacrifice, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this Victim which she herself had brought forth” (Lumen Gentium, No. 58).

 Because Lent points to Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil, Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows assumes particular importance. But even under the cross, Mary remains a teacher and a model. She shows how all of the faithful, like her, can unite their sufferings to the passion of Christ for the redemption of the world.

Credits : Our Sunday Visitor

A Sacred Gem of Austria

The Basilica of Mariazell shows an astonishing theological concept. The pilgrim is invited to recognize a copy of his/her earthly pilgrimage when walking through the building and to get inspiration from it.

The pilgrim enters the Mariazell Basilica through its main entrance. The arch of the main entrance shows a crucifixion scene as well as depictions of the founding process of the pilgrimage site. On both sides of the main entrance, two lead figures - Duke Henry of Morovia and King Louis I., both important figures for Mariazell - invite the pilgrims to enter the Basilica. Upon entrance, the pilgrim is captivated by the Baroque beauty of the Basilica's interior.

The Chapel of Grace attracts the pilgrim's attention right away and constitutes the center of the Basilica. The plain wooden statue of the Mother of God welcomes the faithful and points at the aim of the pilgrimage: Jesus Christ. The Mariazell Mother of God is 48 cm tall and is made of linden wood. The early-Gothic statue of Mary is holding Baby Jesus on her lap. The child is holding an apple and reaches with His left hand for the fruit which Mary is offering Him. The fruits are a symbol for the salvation from Adam's fall. With her right hand, Mother Mary points at Jesus indicating the mystery of her and all human life: "Looking on Christ!" Since the 16^th century, statues of grace have been decorated with preciously embroidered clothes. The statue can be seen without the so-called "Embroidered Clothes" on only two days a year: the founding day of Mariazell, December 21, and the day of  Mary's Birth, September 8.

The Chapel of Grace is still located at the place of the foundation and was altered several times in the course of the centuries. The trapezoid ground plan goes back to 1690. The columns on the outside covered by Gothic canopies are the statues of St. Benedict and St. Lambrecht, the two patrons of the convent.

Statues of St. Joseph and Mary's parents, Joachim and Anne, crown the Chapel of Grace. These statues are works of Lorenzo Mattielli dating back to 1734.

Facing the Mariazell Mother of God, the pilgrim notices the space within the Basilica behind the Chapel of Grace. Continuing on the way through the Basilica, the pilgrim meets Mary again, when approaching the Statue of Mother Mary on the Woman's Column, who always accompanies humans on their ways. The Statue of Mother Mary on the Woman's Column is also venerated as a Statue of Grace. The impressive statue with a height of almost 2m was made in 1520 and is located on a 5m-high marble column. The Madonna is portrayed as crowned Queen of the Heavens and is carrying Baby Jesus on her right arm. In the left hand she is holding a scepter. This Marian statue, also called the "Pilgrims' Madonna," used to be the center of various penitential rituals. Today, devotional pieces are blessed at the foot of the statue.

The "Mother of God on the Woman's Column" is looking at the high altar which was designed by the famous Baroque-artist Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and was consecrated in 1704. In a visionary mode, the artist portrays central teachings of traditional Christianity: the salvation of humanity through Christ's death and resurrection as well as the Holy Trinity, in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. At Jesus' hour of death, God, the Eternal Father, descends from the golden Heavenly Spheres to the silver earthly reality to extend His hand to His Son, and lead Him from death to resurrection. In this way, God the Father points out the aim of the pilgrimage to the faithful: Jesus Christ, the crucified and resurrected Son of God.

The globe serves as the tabernacle and holds the sacramental Body of Christ in the bread of the Eucharist. For believers, this is a powerful source of comfort. The Eucharist inside the globe makes clear that the saving love of Christ lives inside a world which is threatened by evil forces but even in the face of evil Christ's love turns into the Bread of Life. The altar is the place of the celebration of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the highlight of every pilgrimage which shall transform the pilgrim's life.

Like many other churches, the Mariazell Basilica is directed east. The East is the place of the rising sun, the symbol of Christ, whose return has traditionally been expected to start from this direction.

The building and its fascinating theological concept help the pilgrim to direct themselves towards Christ while walking through the Basilica. This walk through the Basilica leading towards Christ shall act as an instruction and example for the pilgrim's "pilgrimage on earth."

Credits : The Theological Concept of Mariazell 

Lourdes Where Jesus Christ Is At The Heart of Everything

In the Apparitions at the Grotto, Mother Mary led Saint Bernadette to Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist and today intercedes for pilgrims and leads them to Jesus Christ.

At the Grotto in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, a Statue of Mother Mary stands on the right side and the altar for the Holy Eucharist is at the centre, because the Holy Eucharist is the "Centre of Devotion".

The Lourdes Motto is very simple.

"Through Mary to Jesus". Our Blessed Lady asked that a Chapel be built here wherein the "Living Sacrifice of the Mass" be offered up in supplication and atonement.

Devotion to Holy Mass and Frequent Holy Communion are the "Fruits of a Lourdes Pilgrimage".

Every major Marian Shrine is Christ-centred because it is centred around the Holy Eucharist.

Most of the reported miracles that take place at Lourdes, take place not only amidst a bath in those sacred waters but most specially during a Blessing with the Blessed Sacrament.

It is of utmost significance, that there is a Huge Basilica at Lourdes dedicated to Pope Saint Pius -- The Tenth -- The Pope of the Holy Eucharist.

In the Pius The Tenth Basilica the sick, the crippled, and others are daily blessed by the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

The chief form of reparation at Lourdes will always be through the Holy Eucharist. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is infinite reparation for the sins and errors of mankind.

When we come to Mother Mary, she looks upon us with motherly affection and tenderness and directs us to her Son in the Blessed Sacrament who is the Saviour of the World.

Conclusion :

To sum up Lourdes, is a "House of Gold", A Treasure House of grace, a "Tower of Ivory, beaconing the way to sanctity and salvation; a garden in the wilderness ready to enrich our souls and thirsting with the desire of our "Eucharistic Love".

Immaculate Queen of Heaven, Pray for us.

Credits and References :

1) Lourdes
    Page 27
   Newsbits
   Don Bosco's Madonna, Mumbai
   May 2008
   Vol -10, N0-1

2)  Guide to Lourdes
     Special Centenary Edition 1958
     By Rev. Father J.A. Shields Pages 34 and 67
     Published by C.J. Fallon Ltd
     Dublin
     Republic of Ireland

Our Lady of Divine Love

The Appian Way leading from Rome southward as far as Brindisi was built by Claudius Appius in 312 B.C.

This road, more than two thousand years old, is still in use though a Via Appia Nuova, a new Appian Way was built between the two world wars, to facilitate the increasing traffic around the Eternal City.

The existence of the new Appian Way did not alter the importance of the old one. Here the Roman legions, barbarian armies and Christian martyrs marched.

Leaving Rome on the Via Appia Antica, we have before us the Campagna and the hills of Frascati, Albano, and Castel Gandolfo, which are called the "Castelli Romani." Between the hills and walls of Rome lies that part of the Via Appia, which was the scene of much of Rome's spiritual and secular history.

This road, lined with tall pines, was a favorite burial place of rich families of ancient Rome.

Many monuments of the dead are still there and even in their silence speak of the presence of pagan Rome in the center of Christianity. Beneath the earth, there are other monuments of even greater importance: the catacombs.

Thus, Rome's present and Rome's manifold past give the particular setting to one of the most cherished Shrines of Mary in the Eternal City.

The Sanctuary of the Madonna of Divine Love is situated on the Via Ardeatina, in the region of the Via Appia and the Catacombs. La Madonna del Divino Amore is known to all pilgrims to Rome, but it is particularly dear to the hearts of the Romans and specially to those living on the outskirts of the city. This shrine's popularity is surpassed only by that of the shrine dedicated to the Protectress of Rome, the Salus Populi Romani in the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

The Sanctuary of the Madonna of  Divine Love was built in the middle of the eighteenth century; the image dates back to the early fourteenth century.

During World War II, when Rome was constantly in danger of becoming a center of actual fighting, the population journeyed daily by the tens of thousands in spontaneous pilgrimages to this lovely shrine, asking relief from the overpowering uncertainty and tension. The climax of the crisis approached when the Allies landed at Anzio.

At the insistent request of the population, the clergy removed the mural from the shrine on the Via Ardeatina, which was then about thirteen miles from the front.

The image was set up in the Church of St. Ignatius within the city of Rome. At that time the Holy Father placed Rome under the special protection of the Madonna of Divine Love.

After the liberation, Pius XII immediately went to the Church of St. Ignatius and, in a most moving ceremony, declared her the Saviour of Rome. After the war the image was returned to its original sanctuary.

Credits : Catholic Culture 

The Image Of Our Lady of Las Lajas

On the border between Colombia and Ecuador is a beautiful sanctuary, a wonder to its visitors.

There is a venerated image of Our Lady of Las Lajas, and thousands and thousands of pilgrims from both countries visit it each year and obtain many favors from God.

Back in the eighteenth century, María Mueses de Quiñones, a local woman from the village of Potosi, Colombia, often walked the six miles between her village and the neighbouring one of Ipiales.

One day in 1754 as she was making the journey, she approached the place called Las Lajas (the Rocks), where the trail passes through a deep gorge of the Guaitara River. Maria never liked this part of the trail because there were rumors that a cave in Las Lajas was haunted.

Such superstitions remained among the converted South American Indians.

Maria was carrying her daughter Rosa, a deaf-mute, on her back. And by the time she had climbed to Las Lajas she was weary and sat on a rock to rest. The child got down from her back to play.  The next thing Maria knew Rosa was at the cave shouting: “Mommy, there is a woman in here with a boy in her arms!” Maria became very frightened. This was the first time she had ever heard her daughter speak! She didn’t see the figures the girl was talking about, nor did she want to. She grabbed the child and ran on to Ipiales.

When she told the people what happened nobody took her seriously at first. However, as the news spread some asked if maybe it was true. After all, the child was now able to speak. A few days later Rosa disappeared from home. After looking everywhere the anguished Maria realized that her daughter must have gone to the cave. She often said that the woman was calling her. Maria ran to Las Lajas to find her daughter kneeling in front of a splendid woman and playing affectionately with a child who had come down from His mother’s arms to let the girl enjoy His divine tenderness.

Maria fell to her knees before this beautiful spectacle; she had seen the Blessed Virgin and Jesus.

Fearful of ridicule, Maria kept quiet about the event. But frequently she and Rosa went to the cave to place wild flowers and candles in the cracks of the rocks.  The months went by with María and Rosa keeping their secret. However, one day the girl fell gravely ill and died. A distraught Maria decided to take her daughter’s body to Las Lajas to ask Our Lady to restore Rosa to life.

Pressed by the sadness of Maria’s unrelenting supplications, the Blessed Virgin obtained Rosa’s resurrection from Her Divine Son. Overflowing with joy, Maria went home. It didn’t take long for a crowd to gather. Early next morning everyone went to Las Lajas, each wanting to check the details for themselves.

That was when the most beautiful picture of Our Lady on the wall of the grotto was discovered.

Maria Muese de Quinones could not recall noticing it until then. The Child Jesus is in Our Lady’s arms. On one side of Our Lady is Saint Francis; on the other is Saint Dominic.

Her delicate and regal features are those of a Latin American, perhaps an Indian. Her abundant black hair covers her like a mantle (The two-dimensional crown is metal and was added by devotees much later on). Her eyes sparkle with a pure and friendly glow. She looks about fourteen years old.

The Indians had no doubt: this was their Queen.

As Devotion to the image grew, a good road replaced the old trail. In the early 20th century a tasteful Gothic church was built over the cave.  But who put this magnificent image there? The artist has never been identified!

But tests done when the church was built show how stupendous this image actually is. Geologists from Germany bored core samples from several spots in the image. There is no paint, no dye, nor any other pigment on the surface of the rock.

The colors are the colors of the rock itself. Even more incredible, the rock is perfectly colored to a depth of several feet!

So the mystery remains unsolved. Did angels do it? Or did God Himself do it at the dawn of creation, when he contemplated the most excellent of all His creatures?

The One whom He would make Queen of Heaven and Earth and to whose maternal care the future nation of Colombia would be entrusted.

Credits : My Consecration 

The Lourdes Of Poland

There is only one approved Marian apparition from Poland, and this year 2017 marks the 140th anniversary of the occurrence.

It was June 27, 1877. Thirteen-year-old Justyna Szafryńska was on her way home from church. As she heard the Angelus bells and said the prayer, she suddenly saw a strange light and a figure dressed in white on the nearby maple tree.


The Church in Gietrzwałd (German: Dietrichswalde) at this time was facing difficult circumstances.  

In 1873 the Polish language had been banned in all the schools in the region. Because of This, “rebellious” Catholic priests and religious congregations, with the exception of those actively involved in social work, were removed from Warmia.


Thus was the social context on June 27, 1877, when 13-year-old Justyna Szafryńska was on her way back home from the church in Gietrzwałd. She was making preparations to receive her First Communion and had just passed an exam administered by the parish priest, Fr. Augustyn Weichsel. 

As she prayed the Angelus, she saw a strange light and a figure dressed in white on the maple tree near the presbytery; the figure was seated on a gold, pearl-studded throne.


A moment later the girl saw the glowing figure of an angel; with golden wings, clad in white, the angel descended from heaven. 

When the young Justyna prayed the Hail Mary, the figure rose from the throne and ascended into heaven together with the angel.

The apparitions would continue for almost three months, concluding on September 16.


Justyna recounted everything to the parish priest, who told her to revisit the place on the following day. Again, as the Angelus bells were heard, the maple tree was brightly illuminated. A golden circle appeared around it with a throne of gold; two angels escorted the Blessed Mother to the throne.


When Our Lady was seated, two other angels brought Baby Jesus in a heavenly glow and placed Him on the left knee of Our Lady; the Child was holding the orb in his left hand. 

Still other angels were raising a crown above Mary’s head. 

Yet another angel brought a gold spectre and held it in the right hand above the crown. One more angel hovered above the entire scene, pointing to a cross.


On June 30, Our Lady appeared on Her own, unaccompanied by angels. Justyna, though, had with her 12-year-old Barbara Samulowska.


During the apparition Justyna asked: “What do you want, Holy Mary?” The reply she received was, “I want you to pray the Rosary daily.” Our Lady spoke in the local dialect similar to the Polish language.


On July 1, Justyna asked: “Who are You?” and heard in reply: “I am the Blessed Virgin Mary of Immaculate Conception.”


Bear in mind that the apparitions in Gietrzwałd took place a mere 20 years after those of Lourdes, where the Mother of God told Bernadette Soubirous “I am the Immaculate Conception,” and barely 23 years after Pope Pius IX announced the dogma of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception.


During July, Szafryńska and Samulowska were daily visited by Our Lady during the evening Rosary service. The girls asked the Lady about the health and salvation of various people, and also if the Church in Poland would be liberated. 

They also wanted to know if new priests would soon be assigned to the parishes in south Warmia.


In reply, the girls heard: “Yes, provided people pray fervently. Then the Church will not be persecuted and the orphaned parishes will receive priests!”


Word of the apparitions attracted numerous pilgrims to Gietrzwałd. 

The first news about the apparitions was published by a Polish Periodical, issued in Pelplin in 1877. 

The three-day celebrations of the September 8 feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary attracted as many as 50,000 faithful to Gietrzwałd.


That day, Our Lady blessed a spring. Pilgrims have for years drawn water from it and healings have been reported.


Due to the increasingly difficult position of the Polish population in the Prussian state, the apparitions were seen as a powerful sign, a symbol of the defense of both Catholics and the Polish community.  

While the apparitions contributed to the revival of a Polish national spirit, in the religious sense they had a universal appeal.


Each year Gietrzwałd attracted a great number of pilgrims and successive local parish priests extended the shrine.


Following the apparitions, both the visionaries entered the religious congregation of the Daughters of Charity (of St. Vincent de Paul), first in Chełmno and then in Paris.


Sr. Barbara Samulowska took the religious name Stanisława. She left Paris for the missions in Guatemala. She died there on December 6, 1950. 

On February 2, 2005, Archbishop Edmund Piszcz of Warmia inaugurated the beatification process of Sister Stanisława.


Justyna Szafryńska, in turn, left the congregation in 1897 and returned to lay life. In 1899, in Paris she married Raymond Etienne Bigot. But after 1904, history loses track of her, and it is not known where she is buried.


While the apparitions were going on, the Bishop of Warmia, Filip Krementz, convened a special commission of theologians to thoroughly examine the case. 

A 47-page report gave a favorable verdict, and the girls themselves were defined as “unassuming, simple, natural, and alien to any deceitfulness.”


In early September 1877, the bishop moreover asked three physicians to examine the visionaries during the apparitions. When the girls were seeing the Blessed Virgin Mary, their pulse slowed down, their upper and lower extremities got cooler and their gaze was fixated.


On September 1, 1977, centennial celebrations took place, presided over by the future John Paul II, Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, then Metropolitan Archbishop of Krakow. 

On that day Bishop Józef Drzazga of Warmia solemnly recognized the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Gietrzwałd. 

He issued a decree validating the credibility of the apparitions and proclaiming them as in compliance with Christian faith and morality.

Credits : Aleteia

Who Is Our Lady of Chiquinquirá

During the 16th Century, Spanish Painter Alonso de Narvaez created a portrait of the Virgin of the Rosary.

To create the image he used pigments from the soil, herbs and flowers of the region. On either side of the Virgin Mary are Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Andrew the Apostle, the personal patrons of the colonist, Don Antonio de Santana, and Monk, Andrés Jadraque, who commissioned the painting.

In 1562, the Image was displayed in a chapel. Over time, and with water damage from the chapel’s leaky roof, the painting’s natural pigments faded, until it became almost unrecognizable.

By 1577, the image was discarded in an abandoned oratory in the town of Chiquinquira.

A few years later, in 1585, the image was discovered by a laywoman, Maria Ramos, who had taken it upon herself to clean and restore the oratory. According to tradition, on December 26, 1586, the image was miraculously renewed. It suddenly received back all its colors and was restored to its original glory.

The image soon became a frequent pilgrimage destination, and in the centuries that followed it remained in its renewed state, even though it was exposed to the temperature changes, candle smoke, and the enthusiastic veneration of the pilgrims.

In 1829, Pope Pius VII declared the Virgin of Chiquinquirá Patroness of Colombia.

Credits : Aleteia