Our celebration started last night as I groaned with delight over the readings for today! Then in the dark Pat and I shared morning prayer in The Magnificat... amazing powerful delightful insights and once again the readings! A canticle from Isaiah... You shall be called "My Delight," and your land "Espoused." For the Lord delights in you, and makes your land his spouse. All I could say was "Wow!" over and over and I am filled with so much wonder at the beauty of this day and how God chose Mary the Immaculate Conception to be our "model of holiness" in much the same way that DNA plays an integral role in our genetic code: from the inside, not from the outside. At Mary's conception, a new way of being human happens, and we are "chosen, destined" to share it... The yes of Mary at the Annunciation, the culmination of the Immaculate Conception, undoes the disobedience of Eden and makes paradise a possibility once again for us.
With this image Bishop Barron put this quote: “Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” - Saint Maximilian Kolbe Yes!!!!!
Today also marks the beginning of the Holy Year of Mercy and the door of Faith is opened in St Peters today!
Such a beautiful and powerful image!
How we are called to take seriously the birthright we have gained through the new Eve's... Mary's yes! he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. Ephesians 1 - the second reading from mass today. The first being from Genesis - the fall from grace when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit!
May Faith enter into our every moment of every day of this journey of LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT!In a small service we shared with Pat's mother and sister... we prayed for the year of Mercy to fill our hearts, minds and souls with his love and mercy and heal all wounds most especially those in our domestic Church/family. We shared the readings together for the 4th time - so powerful and The Holy Spirit truly does speak its words for us each individually.
A year of Mercy has begun in earnest!
We have been shown endless Mercy for all our sins and failures, so may we give to others even a small part of what we have been given - most especially those the closest to us in our domestic Church/family. Why is it those that we are supposed to love the most we treat the worse?
This image is so appropriate this day! I love it!
Others are saying it and showing it so much better than my poor words this day, and the day has escaped me with LIFE times shared.
Lord, today in the Gospel we are given the words of the angel, which we repeat over and over with every breath that we take and every beat of our hearts as we pray without ceasing- "Hail Mary, full of Grace! The Lord is with you." You, O Mary, opened the way for us to be "holy and without blemish" if only we will lay our sins at the feet of Jesus in the confessional and then find the weapons to fight the Evil one. Dying to self so that the Holy Spirit may live in us and form us ever more into your image. Embracing our most Cherished Cross and following Jesus down the narrow path. May we always say these words when asked to be Christ to the world - "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Luke 1:38 I am yours, O Lord, I thank you for giving me your Mother conceived without sin to bear Jesus to me. Jesus, I trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
The darkness has been scattered by The LIGHT - Jesus Christ in His Word and Sacraments forever proclaimed by his Bride, The Church!
http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/full-text-pope-s-homily-for-opening-of-jubilee-of-mercy Here is the homily by the Pope today for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the beginning of the year of Mercy!
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