DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS FOR MAY 2008.

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+A Meditation for the Merry Month of May in which we honour our Blessed Lady+

God the Holy Ghost being barren in God – that is to say not producing another Divine Person – is become fruitful by Mary whom He has espoused. It is with her, in her, and of her, that He has produced His Masterpiece which is God made Man, and whom He goes on producing in the persons of His members daily to the end of the world. Christian people are the members of that Adorable Head. This is the reason why He, the Holy Ghost, the more He finds Mary, His dear and inseparable Spouse, in any soul, becomes the more active and mighty in producing Jesus Christ in that soul, and that soul in Jesus Christ. It is not that we may say that our Blessed Lady gives the Holy Ghost His fruitfulness, as if He had it not Himself. For inasmuch as He is God He has the same fruitfulness or capacity of producing as the Father and the Son; only that He does not bring it into action because He does not produce another Divine Person. But what we want to say is that the Holy Ghost chose to make use of our Blessed Lady, though He had no absolute need of her, to bring His fruitfulness into action by producing in her and by her Jesus Christ in His members: a mystery of grace unknown to even the wisest and most spiritual among Christians. The soul of our Blessed Lady will communicate itself to you, to glorify the Lord. Her spirit will enter into the place of yours, to rejoice in God her salvation, provided only that you are faithful in your devotions to Mary. “Let the soul  of Mary be in each of us to glorify the Lord; let the spirit of Mary be in each of us to rejoice in God!” (St.Ambrose)  Ah! When will the happy time come, when the divine Mary will be established Mistress and Queen of hearts, in order that she may subject them fully to the empire of her great and holy Jesus?
(from “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin” by Blessed Louis Grignon de Montfort)

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Bishop Anthony writes: Mary, of course, is not divine but Cardinal Vaughan tells us that she may be so called because she meekly accepted God’s plan for her and brought forth the eternal Son Who is God Himself. The first of our Lord’s miracles occurred when He was still in Mary’s womb, when she visited her cousin Elizabeth, which caused Saint John Baptist to leap for joy in his mother’s womb. God can choose to act through Mary – Mary who gave God earthly life. The Holy Ghost remains forever the Spouse of Mary and He longs for us to love and honour Mary because she is His beloved Spouse! As I have often said: every devotion we give to Mary is instantly returned by her to God. It pleases the Holy Trinity that we love our Blessed Lady because in praising Mary we are also always praising God. She said: “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour!” If we keep Mary in our hearts, praying daily to her, then it is certain that we shall never fall away from God because Mary’s spirit will be ever guiding us towards our eternal Destiny – which is the Living God.

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Let us pray: Lord Jesus, help us to be ever faithful to our Christian apostolate. Teach us to work always with Thy most holy Mother Mary and to keep her in our hearts, so that we may obtain and keep the joyous fruits of the Holy Spirit and proclaim Thee our Redeemer and King to all the world +Amen+

And a passing thought

God is pleased with the little deeds of goodness which we do in secret with no desire to be seen by others. He takes more pleasure in these than in a multitude of grand works that we may do out of the desire to be seen by others.     

(Saint John of the Cross)

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JESUS AND MARY: WE GIVE THEE OUR HEARTS AND OUR SOULS!
MOTHER MARY, SACRED VIRGIN: VOUCHSAFE THAT WE MIGHT EVER PRAISE THEE!
MAY THE SACRED HEARTS OF JESUS AND MARY BE OUR SALVATION!

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