St. Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople. "On the Presentation of the Mother of God."

From today's Matins from the Fifth Day within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. May the Gospel's holy lection be our safety and protection. Amen.

Reading 7

From the Holy Gospel according to Luke

Luke 1:26-28

At that time the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And so on.

Homily by St. Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople.

On the Presentation of the Mother of God.

O Mary, where shall I find words to praise thee? Maiden undefiled, virgin unstained, exaltation of women, glory of daughters! Holy Maiden Mother, blessed art thou among women, thy glory is in thy guilelessness, and thy name is a name of purity. In thee the curse of Adam is done away, and the debt of Eve paid. Thou art the clean offering of Abel, chosen out of the firstlings profession thereof to be made at of the flock, a pure sacrifice. Thou art the hope of Enoch, that firm hope that he had in God, and was not ashamed. Thou art the grace that was in Enoch in this life, and his transit to a better. Thou art the Holy Ark of Noah, and the bond of reconciliation with God in a new regeneration. Thou art the exceeding glory of the kingdom and Priesthood of Melchisedech. Thou art the unshaken trust of Abraham, and his faith in the promise of children that were to-be. Thou art the renewed oblation and the reasonable burntoffering of Isaac. Thou art the ladder that Jacob saw going up to heaven, and the most noble of all his children throughout the twelve tribes of Israel. According to the flesh thou art the daughter of Judah. Thou art the modesty of Joseph, and the overthrow of the old Egypt, yea, and of the Synagogue of the Jews. O purest! Thou art the book of Moses the Lawgiver, whereon the new covenant is written with the finger of God, for the new Israel, fleeing from the spiritual Egypt, even as the old law was written upon Sinai, for the old Israel, that Israel which was fed in the wilderness upon manna and water from the rock, whereof both were types of Christ, which was yet to come from thy womb, as a bridegroom from his chamber. Thou art Aaron's rod that budded. Thou art David's daughter, all glorious within, clothed in a vesture of gold, wrought about with divers colours.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

R. A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed.

* O Mary, thy perfumes are a garden of delights.

V. Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled.

R. O Mary, thy perfumes are a garden of delights.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. She whose feast-day we are keeping, Mary, blessed Maid of Maidens, be our Advocate with God. Amen.

Reading 8

Thou art the vision of the Prophets and the fulfilment of those things which they foretold. Thou art the gate whereof Ezekiel spake, when he prophesied, and said, This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut xliv. 2. Thou art the Rod of Jesse, whereof Isaiah spake, xi. I, even that Rod whose Flower is Christ, and whose offshoots shall choke out all the seedlings of sin, and fill the earth with plants of grace. Thou art the Covenant foretold by Jeremiah when he said xxxi. 31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers thereby signifying the coming of thy Son, and calling upon all nations to worship Him for their God, even to the uttermost parts of the earth. Thou art the great mountain spoken of by Daniel, the man greatly beloved, wherefrom is cut without man's hands the corner-stone, that is, Christ, which hath smitten in pieces the parti-coloured image of the old serpent. I honour thee as the unpolluted fountain, I proclaim that thou art full of grace, I praise thee as the clean and undefiled tabernacle of God. Verily, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. As by a woman death entered into the world, by a woman came the power to rise again. The serpent gave us to eat deadly fruit, but that fall hath ended in the lifegiving Bread of Immortality. Eve, our first mother, brought forth Cain the first murderer; thou, O Mary, hast brought forth Christ, the first-fruits of life and of the resurrection. Ear hath not heard the like. It hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive this new thing. Blessed be the unspeakable depths of the Wisdom of God.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

R. My soul doth magnify the Lord;

* For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

R. For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.

R. For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. May He that is the Angels' King to that high realm His people bring. Amen.

Reading 9

And now we, the people of God, a holy generation, an acceptable congregation, the nestlings of the dove of peace, children of grace, do with purified minds and unpolluted lips, praise God in the tongues of all nations in this joyful solemnity of the Virgin. This is a noble Feast wherein the Angels keep holiday and men do most fitly offer praise, even a feast wherein we echo with reverence and joy that salutation first spoken by Gabriel. Hail Mary! Hail, thou Paradise of God the Father, whence the knowledge of Him floweth in broad rivers to the ends of the earth! Hail, Dwelling-place of God the Son, whence He came forth clothed in flesh! Hail, mysterious Tabernacle of God the Holy Ghost! Hail, thou that art holier than the Cherubim! Hail, thou that art more glorious than the Seraphim! Hail, thou that art nobler than the heavens! Hail, thou that art brighter than the sun! Hail, thou that art fairer than the moon! Hail, manifold splendour of the stars! Hail, light cloud, dropping the dew of heaven! Hail, holy breeze, clearing the air of the vapours of sin! Hail, royal theme of the Prophets! Hail, sound of the Apostles gone out into all the earth! Hail, most excellent confession of the Martyrs! Hail, just hope of the Patriarchs! Hail, peculiar honour of all the Saints! Hail, source of health to dying creatures! Hail, O Queen, ambassadress of peace! Hail, stainless crown of motherhood! Hail, advocate of all under heaven! Hail, restoration of the whole world! Hail, thou that art full of grace, the Lord is with thee, even the Lord that is before thee, and from thee, and that is with us. To Him, with the Father, and the most holy and Life-giving Spirit, be ascribed all praise, now and ever, world without end. Amen.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

Octave of the Immaculate Conception continues

In the liturgical cycle of the Roman liturgy before the destruction which began in 1955, this time now after December 8 was known as the Octave of the Immaculate Conception. You can follow this link, http://divinumofficium.com/cgi-bin/horas/officium.pl# which is also on a tab above to find out more about today and the different versions of the Divine Office, not including the new deformed and debased, Liturgy of the Hours wherein Pope Montini even had the temerity to write, "In this new arrangement of the psalms a few of the psalms and verses that are somewhat harsh in tone have been omitted, especially because of the difficulties anticipated from their use in vernacular celebration."

Because Pope Giovanni Battisti Montini knew better than the King David, the Prophet and God himself.

Leaving you to research as you will, I do wish to post the Readings of the Third Nocturne from St. Bernard of Clariveaux on Mary as the new Eve. May they enrich your day.

Reading 7

From the Holy Gospel according to Luke

Luke 1:26-28

In that time the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And so on.

Homily by St. Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux.

2nd on this text.

Rejoice, father Adam, and yet more thou mother Eve, ye that are the source of all, and the ruin of all, and the unhappy cause of their ruin before ye gave them birth. Be comforted both in your daughter, and such a daughter; but chiefly thou, O woman, of whom the first evil came, and who hast cast thy slur upon all women. The time is come for the slur to be taken away, and for the man to have nothing to say against the woman. At the first, when he unwisely began to make excuse, he scrupled not to throw the blame upon her, saying, The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. Wherefore, O Eve, betake thyself to Mary Mother, betake thyself to thy daughter let the daughter answer for the mother let her take away her mother's reproach; let her make up to her father for her mother's fault for if man be fallen by means of woman, it is by means of woman that he is raised up again.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

R. A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed.

* O Mary, thy perfumes are a garden of delights.

V. Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled.

R. O Mary, thy perfumes are a garden of delights.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. She whose feast-day we are keeping, Mary, blessed Maid of Maidens, be our Advocate with God. Amen.

Reading 8

What didst thou say, O Adam? The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. These are wrathful words, by the which thou dost rather magnify than diminish thine offence. Nevertheless, Wisdom hath defeated thy malice. God asked thee that He might find in thee an occasion of pardon, but, in that He found it not, He hath sought and found it in the Treasure of His Own mercy. One woman answereth for another; the wise for the foolish; the lowly for the proud; for her that gave thee of the tree of death, another that giveth thee to taste of the tree of life; for her that brought thee the bitter food of sin, another that giveth thee of the sweet fruits of righteousness. Wherefore accuse the woman no more, but speak in thanksgiving, and say, Lord, the woman whom Thou hast given me, she hath given me of the tree of life, and I have eaten; and it is in my mouth sweeter than honey, for thereby hast Thou quickened me. (Ps. cxviii. 103, 93.) Behold, it was for this that the angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin, to the most worshipful of women, a woman more wonderful than all women, the restorer of them that went before, and the quickener of them that come after her.

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to God.

R. My soul doth magnify the Lord;

* For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

R. For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.

R. For He That is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.

V. Grant, Lord, a blessing.

Benediction. May He that is the Angels' King to that high realm His people bring. Amen.

Reading 9

Has it not of this thy daughter, O Adam, that God spake when He said unto the serpent, I will put enmity between thee and the woman And if thou wilt still doubt that He speaketh of Mary, hear what followeth She shall bruise thy head. Who won this conquest but Mary? She brought to nought the whole wiles of Satan, whether for the pollution of her body or the injury of her soul. Was it not of her that Solomon spake, where he saith, Who shall find a virtuous woman? (Prov. xxxi. 10.) The wise man knew the weaknesses of women, how frail they are in body, and how changeable in mind. But he had read that God had promised that the enemy, who had prevailed by means of a woman, was by a woman to be overthrown, and he believed. But he wondered greatly, and said, Who shall find a virtuous woman? that is to say If our salvation, and the bringing back of that which is lost, and the final triumph over the enemy, is in the hand of a woman, it must needs be that a virtuous woman be found, meet to work in that matter

V. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.

R. Thanks be to 

Toronto Latin Masses for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ

Ave Regina Caelorum

Isabella Leonarda, the name chosen by or perhaps forIsabella Calegari, when she became an Ursaline nun, is a remarkable figure in the history of Western music. It was not at all unheard of for women to compose music in times gone by, but in virtually all such instances, the music written is vocal: sacred motets -- such as we might expect nuns (for most woman composers in earlier times were nuns) to produce -- and/or secular madrigals. It is indeed unusual to find a seventeenth-century Italian woman like Leonarda putting together textless instrumental music in the new Italian Baroque fashion.

Calegari, the daughter of a seventeenth century Italian aristocrat, was born in the city of Novara in 1620. As was still common in her day, most of the sons and daughters of the family were sent into church service, leaving only the eldest son to look after family matters. At age 16, then, Isabella entered the convent of Santa Orsala (Ursala), henceforth to be known as Leonarda. It is possible, though not proven, that Gasparo Casati, master of music at the Novara Cathedral, was her teacher in music. At any rate, in 1620, Casati organized the first publication of music written by her, in a volume otherwise devoted to his own music. She composed throughout her life and from the 1670s on, her music was regularly published, to a total of 20 volumes. She was, in addition, a very successful nun, eventually rising to the rank of Mother Superior for her convent and then becoming a Regional Counselor for the Ursalines. She died a few years into the new century, mostly likely in 1704.
  

Hail, O Queen of Heaven enthroned.

Hail, by angels mistress owned.

Root of Jesse, Gate of Morn

Whence the world's true light was born:

Glorious Virgin, Joy to thee,

Loveliest whom in heaven they see;

Fairest thou, where all are fair,

Plead with Christ our souls to spare.

V. Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O sacred Virgin.

R. Give me strength against thine enemies.

Let us pray: We beseech thee, O Lord, mercifully to assist our infirmity: that like as we do now commemorate Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin, Mother of God; so by the help of her intercession we may die to our former sins and rise again to newness of life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ave Maria

Ave Maris Stella

Ave, star of ocean,

Child divine who barest,

Mother, ever-Virgin,

Heaven's portal fairest.

Taking that sweet Ave

Erst by Gabriel spoken,

Eva's name reversing,

Be of peace the token.

Break the sinners' fetters,

Light to blind restoring,

All our ills dispelling,

Every boon imploring.

Show thyself a mother

In thy supplication;

He will hear who chose thee

At his incarnation.

Maid all maids excelling,

Passing meek and lowly,

Win for sinners pardon,

Make us chaste and holy.

As we onward journey

Aid our weak endeavour,

Till we gaze on Jesus

And rejoice forever.

Father, Son, and Spirit,

Three in One confessing,

Give we equal glory

Equal praise and blessing.

Amen.

On Mary's perpetual virginity

From the combox.

Obviously Mary had relations with her husband Joseph once the period of purification of 40 days after the birth of her firstborn, the Savior Jesus Christ, was over. "And didn’t know her until she had given birth to her firstborn son. And he named him Jesus"; Matthew 1:25 Stan on Look upon the face of the Sister Lucia "the Heretic" Caram. To her, the Blessed Virgin Mary, wasn't!

Sorry, Stan, you're stating heresy.

You see, here is the thing. You are to preoccupied with sex to imagine that it is possible to love a celibate and chaste life. It reveals your own issues. What you also fail to grasp, is what is explained about the language of the Bible as discussed below. Further, you do not recall the words of St. John about all the libraries of the world could not hold all the books if everything was written down. What we know about the Angel's visit to Joseph is what we are told but what we don't know is what else he was told that was not recorded. I happen to believe that he was told much more so that he knew fully what his role and responsibility to the Christ Child and His Mother were. Joseph knew that the Womb of Mary was the Ark of the New Covenant. He knew that it was the true Holy of Holies. As in the Temple, he could not enter into the Holy of Holies. Nor did he enter or put his seed into that which was Mary's. We also recall the words of God to Moses in the Burning Bush, "take off your sandals for you walk on holy ground."

Simple.

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3007.htm

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-case-for-marys-perpetual-virginity

http://www.catholicworldreport.com/2017/01/09/on-the-perpetual-virginity-of-mary-a-response-to-peter-leithart/

http://www.crisismagazine.com/2011/biblical-evidence-for-the-perpetual-virginity-of-mary

O Mary, thy perfumes are a garden of delights.

Homily by St. Germain, Patriarch of Constantinople.

On the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin.

Hail, Mary, full of grace, holier than the Saints, higher than the heavens, more glorious than the Cherubim, more honourable than the Seraphim, and the most worshipful thing that the hands of God have made. Hail, O dove, bearing in thy beak the olive-branch of peace that telleth us of salvation from the spiritual flood, Gen. viii. 10, n, dove, blessed omen of a safe harbour, whose wings are of silver, and thy feathers of gold, shining in the bright beams of the Most Holy and Light-giving Spirit. Ps. lxvii. 14. Hail, thou living garden of Eden, planted towards the East by the right hand of the Most Merciful and Mighty God, wherein do grow to His glory rich lilies and unfading roses, for the healing of them that have drunk in death from the blighting and pestilential breezes of the bitter West, Gen. ii. 8, 9; Eden, wherein hath sprung that Tree of life, Whereof if any man eat he shall live for ever. Gen. ii. 9; iii. 22. John vi. 52. Hail, stately Palace of the King, most holy, stainless, purest, House of the Most High God, adorned with His Royal splendour, open to all, filled with Kingly dainties; Palace wherein is that spiritual bridal chamber, not made with hands, nor hung with divers colours, in the which the Eternal Word, when He would raise up fallen man, wedded flesh unto Himself, that He might reconcile unto the Father them who had cast themselves away.

Hail, O rich and shady Mountain of God, whereon pastured the True Lamb, Who hath taken away our sins and infirmities, Hab. iii. 3; Isa. liii. 4; John i. 29, mountain, whereout hath been cut without hands that Stone which hath smitten the altars of the idols, and become the head-stone of the corner, marvellous in our eyes. Dan. ii. 34; Ps. cxvii. 22, 23. Hail, thou holy Throne of God, thou divinest store-house, thou temple of glory, thou bright crown, thou chosen treasure, thou mercy-seat for the whole world, thou heaven declaring the glory of God. Ps. xviii. 2. Hail, thou vessel of pure gold, made to hold the manna that came down from heaven, the sweet food of our souls, even Christ. Ex. xvi.33; Heb. ix. 4; John vi. 49-51. Hail, O purest Virgin, most praiseworthy and most worshipful, hallowed treasury for the wants of all creatures; thou art the untitled earth, the unploughed field; thou art the vine full of flowers, the well overflowing with waters, Maiden and Mother; thou art the Mother that knew not a man, the hidden treasure of guilelessness, and the clear, bright star of holiness; by thy most acceptable prayers, strong from thy motherly mouth, obtain for all estates of men in the Church that they may continually tend unto Him Who is the Lord, and God, and Maker of thee, and of them, and of all, but of thee the Son also, conceived without man's intervention; obtain this, O Mother, pilot them to the harbour of peace.

Be it thine to clothe God's priests with righteousness, and to make them shout aloud for joy Ps. cxxxi. 9, 16, in approved and stainless, and upright and glorious faith. thine be it to guide in peace the sceptres of orthodox princes, even of princes who put their trust in thee to be the crown of their Majesty, and the Royal Robe of their greatness, and the firm foundation of their dominion, more than in purple, or fine gold, or pearls, or precious stones; thine be it to put under their feet the unfaithful nations, nations that blaspheme thee, and the God That was born of thee; thine be it to keep in meek obedience the people that are under them, according to the commandment of God. Behold, this is thine own city, which hath thee for her towers and her foundations, crown her with victory, gird the house of God with strength, keep undefiled the loveliness of His tabernacles, as for them that praise thy name, be thou their deliverer from strife and bitterness of spirit. Free thou the prisoner, protect the wanderer, and if there be any that hath no refuge, be thou to him a consolation. Stretch forth thine hand and help the whole earth so shall we year by year keep this and all thy feasts, and at last be found with thee in Christ Jesus, Who is Lord of all, and verily our God. To Him, with the Holy Father, Who is the Fountain of Life, and the coeternal Spirit, Three Persons and One Substance, even as there is one Kingdom, be glory and strength, now and for ever. Amen.

Hymns of the Annunciation

The Office of the Annunciation

From Matins.

The God whom earth, and sea, and sky

Adore, and laud, and magnify,

Who o'er their threefold fabric reigns,

The Virgin's spotless womb contains.

The God, whose will by moon and sun

And all things in due course is done,

Is borne upon a maiden's breast,

By fullest heavenly grace possest,

How blest that mother, in whose shrine

The great artificer divine,

Whose hand contains the earth and sky,

Vouchsafed, as in his ark, to lie.

Blest, in the message Gabriel brought;

Blest, by the work the Spirit wrought;

From whom the great desire of earth

Took human flesh and human birth.

All honour, laud, and glory be,

O Jesu, Virgin-born to thee;

All glory, as is ever meet,

To Father and to Paraclete.

Amen.

From Lauds.

O glorious lady! throned on high

Above the star-illumined sky;

Thereto ordained, thy bosom lent

To thy creator nourishment

Through thy sweet offspring we receive

The bliss once lost through hapless Eve;

And heaven to mortals open lies

Now thou art portal of the skies.

Thou art the door of heaven's high King,

Light's gateway fair and glistering;

Life through a virgin is restored;

Ye ransomed nations, praise the Lord!

All honour, laud, and glory be,

O Jesu, Virgin-born, to thee;

All glory, as is ever meet,

To Father and to Paraclete.

Amen.

From Vespers.

Ave, star of ocean,

Child divine who barest,

Mother, ever-virgin,

Heaven's portal fairest.

Taking that sweet Ave

Erst by Gabriel spoken,

Eva's name reversed,

Be of peace the token.

Break the sinners' fetters,

Light to blind restoring,

All our ills dispelling,

Every boon imploring.

Show thyself a mother

In thy supplication;

He will hear who chose thee

At his incarnation.

Maid all maids excelling,

Passing meek and lowly,

Win for sinners pardon,

Make us chaste and holy.

As we onward journey

Aid our weak endeavour,

Till we gaze on Jesus

And rejoice forever.

Father, Son, and Spirit,

Three in One confessing,

Give we equal glory

Equal praise and blessing.

Amen.

Black Mass Sacrilege on this Holy Day. - O Mary assumed into heaven, ever-glorious Virgin Mother of God, pray for us.

https://gloria.tv/article/qz6ooBQUJPGwJnDnnToAo8z7i

Urgent Prayer Request - Cardinal Burke; Planned Black Mass: Please help take action

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I am outraged and most profoundly saddened by the news that a public sacrilegious Black Mass is scheduled to take place in Oklahoma City on the 15th of August, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I have also been informed that, after the horrible sacrilege of the Black Mass, a further blasphemy will be perpetrated directly against the Blessed Virgin Mary. All of this is being done with the official sanction of the legitimate authorities.

For this reason, let us turn to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, through the recitation of the Holy Rosary, to storm Heaven with our prayers to make reparation for these sins and blasphemies that further provoke God's just wrath upon our beloved Nation.

It is the fundamental obligation of every faithful Catholic to stand up for the honor and glory of God and the honor of the Mother of God. In this critical hour, may we not fail to fulfill our obligation of love and devotion toward Our Lord and His heavenly mother.

I ask and beseech each of you to unite with me on this day as I offer Holy Mass and pray a Holy Rosary in reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Let us also pray for the poor souls that are perpetrating these blasphemies.

I urge you to invite your family members, your friends and other fellow Catholics to join in this act of reparation.

Yours devotedly in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke

* ** *** **** ***** ****** ***** **** *** ** *
Take Immediate Action:

Call the Mayor of Oklahoma City, Mick Cornett, and the governor of Oklahoma, Mary Fallin, to voice your opposition to a Black Mass to be followed by the desecration of a Blessed Mother statue, scheduled to take place by satanists at their civic center on Monday, the Feast of the Assumption.

Both offices are taking calls and keeping a tally. Unbelievable that they are allowing this on the grounds of free speech! This situation begs for a moral compass to be applied.

In the United States, call:
Mayor Mick Cornett - 405-297-2424

Ave Regina Caelorum - Isabella Leonarda

We are at the door of Lent. Since February 3, the seasonal Marian Antiphon is now Ave Regina Caelorum. 

It is the one, when Easter is early, that is the least known and sung. Given that, it was not often set to polyphony. In my time as part of the Toronto Oratory Choir we would sing this yearly.

Isabella Leonarda was a Religion of the Ursuline Order from the age of sixteen. She died in 1704 after eight-four years - an extraordinary age and talent. Putting to rest the lie that the Catholic Church oppressed women, it was through the Church that a holy artist such as Leonarda was able to put her talents to full use and the glory of God and the Blessed Mother.

A full biography can be read at Women's Sacred Music Project.

Ever-virgin Mary's "yes" was the beginning of our salvation

Today's Second Reading from the Office of Readings, more traditionally known as Matins, is a lesson for all Protestants and those Catholics who downplay, or disdain in the case of some, the Blessed Virgin Mary's role in our salvation. When one reads this sermon by St. Bernard one can readily see that our Salvation by Our Lord Jesus Christ was totally dependant on her yes. True, if she said no, God would have found someone else but it may have not happened even to now. I recall in the Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich's writings that she asked her angel why it took so long for the Father to send His Son, the Messiah. She was told that it took 4000 years for a man and wife, Sts. Joachim and Anna, to be holy enough to bear Mary - the Immaculate Conception, who was conceived as all of us would have been had there been no Fall of our first parents, also something noted by Blessed Anne in her book, The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

They embraced each other with holy joy, and each told the other their good tidings. They were in a state of ecstasy and enveloped in a cloud of light. I saw this light issuing from a great host of angels, who were carrying the appearance of a high shining tower and hovering above the heads of Anna and Joachim. The form of this tower was the same as I see in pictures, from the litany of the Blessed Virgin, of the Tower of David, the Tower of Ivory, and so forth. I saw that this tower seemed to disappear between Anna and Joachim, who were enveloped in a glory of brightness. I understood that, as a result of the grace here given, the conception of Mary was as pure as all conceptions would have been but for the Fall. I had at the same time an indescribable vision. The heavens opened above them, and I saw the joy of the Holy Trinity and of the angels, and their participation in the mysterious blessing here bestowed on Mary's parents. Anna and Joachim returned, praising God, to the exit under the Golden Gate; …

It was explained to me here that the Blessed Virgin was begotten by her parents in holy obedience and complete purity of heart, and that thereafter they lived together in continence in the greatest devoutness and fear of God. I was at the same time clearly instructed how immeasurably the holiness of children was encouraged by the purity, chastity, and continence of their parents and by their resistance to all unclean temptations; and how continence after conception preserves the fruit of the womb from many sinful impulses. In general, I was given an overflowing abundance of knowledge about the roots of deformity and sin.

Let us thank the Blessed Mother, for her, "be it done unto me according to thy word."

The whole world awaits Mary's reply     

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.         

Tearful Adam with his sorrowing family begs this of you, O loving Virgin, in their exile from Paradise. Abraham begs it, David begs it. All the other holy patriarchs, your ancestors, ask it of you, as they dwell in the country of the shadow of death. This is what the whole earth waits for, prostrate at your feet. It is right in doing so, for on your word depends comfort for the wretched, ransom for the captive, freedom for the condemned, indeed, salvation for all the sons of Adam, the whole of your race.   

Answer quickly, O Virgin. Reply in haste to the angel, or rather through the angel to the Lord. Answer with a word, receive the Word of God. Speak your own word, conceive the divine Word. Breathe a passing word, embrace the eternal Word.   

Why do you delay, why are you afraid? Believe, give praise, and receive. Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident. This is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence. In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous. Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary. Open your heart to faith, O blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator. See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter. If he should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow you would begin to seek him afresh, the One whom your soul loves. Arise, hasten, open. Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving. Behold the handmaid of the Lord, she says, be it done to me according to your word.

Responsory       

Virgin Mary, receive the word of the Lord brought to you by the angel: You will conceive and bear a son, both God and man. You will be called, Blessed among all women.

You will indeed bear a son, yet suffer no loss of virginity; you will be with child, yet remain a mother ever undefiled. You will be called, Blessed among all women.

In reparation for the blasphemous display in Rome - Eia, mea labia

In reparation for the blasphemous display at St. Peter's Basilica and in honour of the glorious and ever Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception, I am honoured to present here for your peace and edification and mediation a hymn with original music composed by my good friend Jon Parr Vijinski and sung by Marie Parr.

It shows the beauty of our great God and Lord's creation interspersed with artwork of the Blessed Mother with the text selected from the "Little Office of the Immaculate Conception" (Officium parvum Conceptionis Immaculatae). 

O Mary, conceived without sin...

You are all beautiful, Mary,
and the original stain is not in you.
Your clothing is white as snow,

and your face is like the sun.
You are all beautiful, Mary,
and the original stain is not in you.
You are the glory of Jerusalem,
you are the joy of Israel,
you give honour to our people.
You are all beautiful, Mary

Missa Solemnis in Toronto - Immaculate Conception

A Solemn High Mass (Missa Solemnis) will be held in Toronto on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary this Thursday, December 8 at 7:30PM.

The Mass will be celebrated at St. Lawrence the Martyr Scarborough at 2011 Lawrence Avenue East, just west of Kennedy Road on the north side. The Mass is sponsored by Una Voce Toronto and a reception will follow in the Church Hall. More infomration is here and here on Facebook.

The Liturgical progrma of Sacred Music includes:

Organ Prelude: Alvus Tumescit Virgo - Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)

Processional Hymn: The God Whom Earth and See and Sky Quem terra, pontus, aethera -Venantius Fortunatus, 539-609
Missa cum Jubilo-Gregorian Mass IX
Credo III
Gregorian Chant Propers - Liber Usualis
Ave  Maria - Jacques Arcadelt-Pierre-Louis Dietsch
Jesu Rex Admirablis - Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Alma Redemptoris Mater - Tonus Simplex
Immaculate Mary - Lourdes Hymn
Organ postlude: Ricercar pro Tempore Adventus super Initium Cantilenae: Ave Maria klare - J.K.F. Fischer  1656 - 1746 

On this day

To our Heavenly Mother and all of our mothers.

Assumpta est Maria

Our Lady of America, Pray for Us

A fascinating and little known but growing awareness of Sister Mary Ephrem (Mildred Neuzil) 1916-2000 and her visions of the Blessed Virgin under the title of Our Lady of America approved by her spiritual director, the late Archbishop Paul Francis Liebold.

Could we consider for a moment what would happen if the American Bishops erected the statue shown below in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington and the consecrated America to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

From the incredible and powerful history and testimony at the official website.

A movement of great consequence has commenced for a definite response by the United States Catholic Bishops in response to private revelations which long ago received official Church recognition as having occurred in the United States. The revelations included apparitions of Our Lord and St. Joseph as well as St. Gabriel and St. Michael, as well as apparitions of The Blessed Virgin Mary as "Our Lady of America" to Sister Mary Ephrem (Mildred Neuzil), of the Precious Blood Sisters (1933-1979) who was later a Contemplative of the Indwelling Trinity (1979 - until death) . Sister Mary Ephrem, deceased on January 10th, 2000, said she was asked by The Blessed Virgin Mary to draw a picture according to the vision of Our Lady of America and have a statue constructed accordingly and placed after a solemn procession into the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Washington, D.C.. The Blessed Virgin Mary wishes to be honored in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at Washington D.C. as Our Lady of America. Our Lady says that if this is done, the United States of America would turn back toward morality and the shrine would become a place of "wonders."

Prayer to Our Lady of America, Patroness of our Land Written at the behest of Our Lady, October 5, 1956 by Sister Mary Ephrem

Oh Immaculate Mother, Queen of our country, open our hearts, our homes, and our land to the coming of Jesus, your Divine Son. With Him, reign over us, O heavenly Lady, so pure and so bright with the radiance of Gods light shining in and about you. Be our leader against the powers of evil set upon wresting the world of souls, redeemed at such a great cost by the sufferings of your Son and of yourself, in union with Him, from that same Savior, Who loves us with infinite charity.

We gather about you, O chaste and holy Mother, Virgin Immaculate, Patroness of our beloved Land, determined to fight under your banner of holy purity against the wickedness that would make all the world an abyss of evil, without God and without your loving maternal care.

We consecrate our hearts, our homes, our Land to your Most Pure Heart, O great Queen, that the kingdom of your Son, our Redeemer and our God, may be firmly established in us.

We ask no special sign of you, sweet Mother, for we believe in your great love for us, and we place in you our entire confidence. We promise to honor you by faith, love, and the purity of our lives according to your desire.

Reign over us, then, O Virgin Immaculate, with your Son Jesus Christ. May His Divine Heart and your most chaste Heart be ever enthroned and glorified among us. Use us, your children of America, as your instruments of peace among men and nations. Work your miracle of grace in us, so that we may be a glory to the Blessed Trinity, Who created, redeemed, and sanctifies us.

May your valiant spouse, St. Joseph, with the holy Angels and Saints, assist you and us in "renewing the face of the earth." Then when our work is over, come, Holy Immaculate Mother, and as our Victorious Queen, lead us to the eternal kingdom, where your Son reigns forever as King.

Amen
(200 days)

Nihil Obstat: Daniel Pilarczyk, S.T.D.
Imprimatur: +Paul F. Leibold, V.G.
Cincinnati, Jan. 25, 1963