Stunning…simply stunning.  I love “Mysteries of the Virgin Mary: Living Our Lady’s Graces”! A beautiful and lovingly assembled collection of and meditations on the 13 principal Marian mysteries celebrated by the Church.  From the sound theological foundations for our devotion to Our Lady to the reflections and teachings of the saints, Fr. Peter John Cameron, founding editor-in-chief of the monthly worship aid Magnificat, has given us a wonderful resource to deepen our walk with the Blessed Mother of God.

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You kind find this book at www.servantbooks.org

Here is the extended web-exclusive edition of our “Inside the Pages” interview with Fr. Cameron[powerpress url=”http://www.old.discerninghearts.com/interviews/Inside_the_Pages-Fr_Peter_John_Cameron_special_extended_edition.mp3″]Download (right click & choose “Save Link As”)

Click here for the complete text and audio for the Mary, Untier of Knots Novena

Sign of the Cross
Act of Contrition

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Third day:

Bible reading:

« Mary said, “ Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word. “Then the Angel departed from her.” » ( Luke 1, 38 )

Brief Reflection:

The Virgin Mary meekly undergoes the designs of God, although with certain reservations. “.. How can this be if I do not know man?…she accepts, with some concerns. How many doubts will we have when we have moved away from God, and in our mistakes, we have knitted a useless cobweb of knots. Let us give our griefs to the council of Mary.

( Brief meditation: meditate with one decade of the Holy Rosary: One Our Father, 10 Hail Mary’s, One Glory be and the Prayer to “The Virgin Mary untier of Knots”)

Click here for the complete text and audio for the Mary, Untier of Knots Novena

Sign of the Cross
Act of Contrition

Second day: [powerpress]

Bible reading:

…« And the Angel said to her in reply, ”The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.

( Luke 1, 35 )

Brief Reflection:

The Holy Spirit, Third Person of God, overshadowed the womb of the Virgin Mary full of grace, and the power of the most High was with her so that she would give birth to our savior made man. That is why the Virgin Mary is blessed and holy. In her, The Son of God inhabited. ¡ Who better than his Mother, to aid us and help us to dismantle our tangled conflicts!

( Brief meditation: meditate with one decade of the Holy Rosary: One Our Father, 10 Hail Mary’s, One Glory be and the Prayer to “The Virgin Mary untier of Knots”)

(A brief note why I felt the Novena is so important to promote…you can find the text for Day 1 lower in the post)

Click here for the complete text and audio for the Mary, Untier of Knots Novena

“Eve, by her disobedience, tied the knot of disgrace for the human race; whereas Mary, by Her obedience, undid it…For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the Virgin Mary set free through faith.” Saint Irenaeus,  in his writings titled Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies).

I once experienced a situation in which I was totally flummoxed in how to proceed; the result was a tremendous piercing of the heart, all very painful and sad.  A large messy misunderstanding arose  and the ability to communicate with the other person involved completely disappeared.  I wasn’t sure how to pray or even what to pray for, and frankly, it just hurt so much I couldn’t think what to do next.  So, like any confused child, I went to my mother for help…our Blessed Mother to be more specific.

As indicated by the great saint above, St. Irenaeus,  the role of Our Lady as the one who “unties” the knots in our lives goes way back to the early years of the Church.  The “knots” of course can be anything that separates us from God and our fellow man.  And in particular those knots that tie up and strangle loving relationships in families and friendships.

The image most closely associated with this devotion was one in the 1700s by an unknown painter.  As you can see in the picture, in her hands is a knotted white ribbon, which, with the aid of the angels, she is peacefully untying.   All of this is done under the watchful gaze of the Holy Spirit.   All the while she is crushing,  under her feet, the head of the serpent who’s body is coiled and knotted.

In her booklet, Dr. Suzel Frem Bourgerie’s writes about the knots each of us suffer. “How they suffocate the soul, beat us down, betray the heart’s joy and even the will to continue living.” She goes on to say: “… The Virgin Mary does not want this to continue anymore in your life. She comes to you today for you to give her all these snarls because she will undo them one by one.”

In the personal situation that I cited above, I found great comfort and peace knowing that our Blessed Mother was  handling everything .  I grew to trust in her loving care for the relationship.  She, in turn, has taught me to totally trust her Son in all things  That was the first knot she needed to untie for me,  now she’s working on the others.

Click here for the complete text and audio for the Mary, Untier of Knots Novena

Sign of the Cross
Act of Contrition

First Day

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Bible reading:

…« and now she will bear a son. You shall call him ‘Jesus’ for he will save his people from their sins.»

( Mathew 1, 21 )

Brief Reflection:

Our Lord Jesus, was born of the flesh and blood of the Holy Virgin Mary, spouse of the Holy Spirit. Jesus,  untied the tongues of the mute, the obstacles to the paralytics, he remove the yoke of the oppressed , and he liberated the sinners with his death. Jesus, through his Death and Resurrection is the Great Untier of Knots of our humanity united to sin. His Mother, first disciple and co re-demptrix, will untie our knots.

( Brief meditation: meditate with one decade of the Holy Rosary: One Our Father, 10 Hail Mary’s, One Glory be and the Prayer to “The Virgin Mary untier of Knots”)

Blessed John Duns Scotus, the teacher of “God’s closeness”.  I love the homily below on this great theologian and lover of the Blessed Mother. 

CNA- Pope Benedict XVI  taught about Franciscan priest and teacher  Blessed John Duns Scotus, in one of his Wednesday audiences in July of 2010.  The Holy Father remembered his loyalty and devotion to Christ, the Church and the Successor of St. Peter, as well as his contributions to Christian thought.

During his catechesis, the Pope recalled the life of the medieval Scottish priest and theologian, Blessed John Duns Scotus. He spoke of how the Franciscan, who taught at Oxford, Cambridge, and later in Paris, left France instead of betraying Pope Boniface VIII who was in conflict with King Phillip IV.

This fact, said the Pope, “invites us to remember how many times in the history of the Church, believers have found hostility and promptly even persecution because of their loyalty and devotion to Christ, to the Church and to the Pope.

“We all look with admiration to these Christians, that teach us to protect as a precious inheritance the faith in Christ and the communion with the Successor of Peter and, therefore, with the Universal Church.”

Continuing on the life of the 13th century Franciscan, the Pope said that Blessed Scotus provided three major contributions to Christian thought. The first gift is his “great Christocentric vision” that in the Incarnation “every creature, in and through Christ, is called to be perfected in grace and to glorify God forever.” The second contribution is the theory which led to the dogma “that Our Lady’s preservation from original sin was a privilege granted in view of her Son’s redemptive passion and death.” And finally, Pope Benedict noted his “great attention to the issue of human freedom”as one of his gifts to Christian thought. (more…)

[powerpress]Msgr. Esseff reflects on the birth of the Virgin Mary.  But even more than that, he ponders the importance of the Blessed Mother in our lives.  The gift of her presence in the action of salvation history and  role is the “Mother” of us all.

Be sure to visit Msgr. Esseff’s website “Building A Kingdom of Love“

St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a great mystical doctor of the Church.  What a heart for Jesus and the Blessed Virgin (I’m sure he still has).

St. Bernard of Clairvaux, was a Cisterian monk, who lived in France in the 12th century.  Living at a time when the great gothic cathedrals where born, St. Bernard, advocated for simplicity and austerity in life.  He was concerned about the temptations of worldly things and desires.  He wished to focus solely on the love of Christ and the Blessed Mother; everything else was folly.
To read more about the details of his life you can visit here.

What captures my heart is his legacy of prayer and spiritual writings.  He truly deserves the title Doctor of the Church. What a feast he has left us!  Pope John Paul II has said that if we wish to learn to pray, look to the Mystical Doctors…he truly is one of those special souls.  There is so much, where can one begin?  Begin with Mary. Ask the Blessed Mother, she will lead you through his teachings.

REMEMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

St. Bernard on the Blessed Mother

St. Bernard on Holy Repentance

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Highly recommended reading introduction to St. Bernard would be – “The Fulfillment of All Desire” by Ralph Martin

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I always say a quick prayer to St. Alphonsus Ligouri before I go into the confessional.  He is the great founder of the Redemptorists, and a man who loved the Blessed Mother very much.  His “Glories of Mary” is one of my favorite devotional books on the Blessed Virgin.  He also wrote “Moral Theology”.  He wrote it primarily based on his pastoral experience, as well as his education, which explains it’s ability to speak to us today.  That pastoral experience, combined with his great prayer life, as well as his tremendous knowledge, made him such a wonderful confessor.  What a heart this man had. He is a living example of how the journey can be made “from the head to the heart”.  He is patron of Confessors and Theologians.

Petition to Mary by Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary,
to thee who art the Mother of my Lord,
the queen of the universe,
the advocate, the hope, the refuge of sinners,
I who am the most miserable of all sinners, have recourse this day.

I venerate thee, great queen,
and I thank thee for the many graces
thou has bestowed upon me even unto this day;
in particular for having delivered me from the hell
which I have so often deserved by my sins.

I love thee, most dear Lady;
and for the love I bear thee,
I promise to serve thee willingly forever
and to do what I can to make thee loved by others also.

I place in thee all my hopes for salvation;
accept me as thy servant
and shelter me under thy mantle,
thou who art the Mother of mercy.

And since thou art so powerful with God,
deliver me from all temptations,
or at least obtain for me the strength to overcome them until death.
From thee I implore a true love for Jesus Christ.

Through thee I hope to die a holy death.

My dear Mother,
by the love thou bearest to Almighty God,
I pray thee to assist me always,
but most of all at the last moment of my life.

Forsake me not then,
until thou shalt see me safe in heaven,
there to bless thee and sing of thy mercies through all eternity.

Such is my hope.
Amen.

[powerpress] Msgr. Esseff discusses the great love the Blessed Virgin Mary has for all of us. He shares his personal experiences with the Blessed Mother and a special encounter with her love, especially through the gift of her Son. He encourages us to remember that we are never alone.

Mother of those who place their hope in Solidarity, pray for us.

Mother of those who are deceived, pray for us.

Mother of those who are betrayed, pray for us.

Mother of those who are arrested in the night, pray for us.

Mother of those who are imprisoned, pray for us.

Mother of those who suffer from the cold, pray for us.

Mother of those who have been frightened, pray for us.

Mother of those who were subjected to interrogations, pray for us.

Mother of those innocents who have been condemned, pray for us.

Mother of those who speak the truth, pray for us.

Mother of those who cannot be corrupted, pray for us.

Mother of those who resist, pray for us.

Mother of orphans, pray for us.

Mother of those who have been molested because they wore your image, pray for us.

Mother of those who are forced to sign declarations contrary to their conscience, pray for us.

Mother of mothers who weep, pray for us.

Mother of fathers who have been so deeply saddened, pray for us.

Mother of our suffering country _____, pray for us.

Mother of our faithful country _____, pray for us.

We beg you, O mother in whom resides the hope of millions of people, grant us to live in liberty and in truth, in fidelity to you and to your Son. Amen.

Ave Maria…the invocation of the name of Mary is a powerful prayer…Ave Maria…every time we say it we cry out to our Mother.  What mother doesn’t rush to the aid of her child when he or she cries out her name?  Hail Mary. Not just a name, but a supreme gift of grace to us all…the gift of a mother who loves unconditionally, who loves always, who loves each and every one of her children given to her by God.  Hail Mary, when we say it we unlatch the door and allow our mother in, when we say it we pick up the phone and converse with the greatest of human counselors, when we say it  we acknowledge the reality of the presence of the “Woman” clothed with the Sun, with the moon under her feet, crowned with the stars who labors to see all of her children “birthed” into heaven.  Mary….Mary….Mary.   The Holy Name of….Mary.

This has become for me a very precious feast day.  Once, when I was traveling on a personal pilgrimage alone, I was feeling achingly isolated, rejected and lost, literally thousands of miles from home.  A terrible darkness had shrouded over me emotionally and spiritually.  In a very poignant and unexpected way, Our Lady made her presence  known to me on this date.  It would involve an encounter with a little woman from Africa who looked like my grandmother and spoke no English, and a long plane ride home..this coming together would grow into a gentle, loving exchange  between strangers…I didn’t realize it, but it was what my broken “pierced” heart had been aching for.  Without fanfare or expectation, out of nowhere came the name of Mary, literally…a moment which illuminated for me the bright light of the Blessed Mother’s presence, and not just at that particular moment in time.  Like the brightest star in the night sky, it became clear to me that she had been there truly, truly guiding me all along, even in the darkest moments of doubt and pain.  That she had not, and would never, “leave me alone”.  That I was indeed responding to HER call and in turn she had responded to mine.  Mary.  It was she who traveled with me on that journey and who would continue to do so in the days and years ahead.  Mary.

Well, the entirety of this story is really for another time, I just wanted to share with those who may read this, that I, unqualified and without hesitation,  with my whole unworthy heart, love Our Blessed Mother…I love “Mary”.  I hope and pray you do too.  If not, listen today for her name…call out to the one who is waiting…she WILL race to your aid.  Mary.  She is your mother, a gift to us all from her Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.  A precious, precious gift.  Do not toss her aside.   She will never, ever leave you alone.

Father, in the video below, talks about the orgin of this feast day… it’s really quite a lovely homily.

Click here for the complete text and audio for the Mary, Untier of Knots Novena

Sign of the Cross
Act of Contrition

Nineth day:

Bible reading:

« 14 All of these together gave themselves to constant prayer. With them were some women and also Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers…» and  »when the day of Pentecost arrived, all were filled with the Holy Spirit.» (Acts 1:14 and 2:1-4)

Brief Reflection:

Our Father sends the Holy Spirit on the feast of Pentecost , that will feed us in our faith. This is the same faith that with Mary’s maternal help, will remove the bonds that keep us prisoners. With the light of the Holy Spirit we see in meridian clarity which of our anguishes had our spirit trapped. The guidance of Saint Michael the Archangel has always been certain,  Saint Gabriel the Archangel will announce my freedom and Saint Michael the Archangel, will protect me from any attack. The Evil one (the serpent), overpowered by the presence of Mary, lies at her feet, made into a useless knot, unable to touch us.

( Brief meditation: meditate with one decade of the Holy Rosary: One Our Father, 10 Hail Mary’s, One Glory be and the Prayer to “The Virgin Mary untier of Knots”)

Mark answers –

1. What makes Mary any different than you or me? What if Mary had said, “No”?

2. How did the tradition of there being three magi start up if Matthew:2 doesn’t give a number of Magi? How did they get named? Basically, I need some more information on how this Catholic tradition got started.

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Mark Hart is an author, speaker, director and teacher, Mark’s work both written and spoken, is known across the country and world. While he serves as the Vice President of LIFE TEEN, he is known to tens of thousands simply as the “Bible Geek ®” Mark passionately echoes the gospel to all he encounters. He is as deep as he is funny, and his love for his wife and daughters is second only to his immense love for Jesus Christ.

Visit Mark at www.lifeteen.com

I can not imagine a better way of traveling through the year in prayer then with Our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary. It’s always a joy to talk with Karen Edmisten, especially talking about Our Lady.  “Through the Year with Mary: 365 reflections” is a wonderful book that provides beautiful and compelling nuggets for our prayer that will lead us to directly to Christ, Our Lady’s precious child and our Savior.

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This book features one quote per day accompanied by a brief question or reflection designed to fuel prayer. Major Marian feasts will offer entries specific to the feast day, while other quotes will be more universally about Mary’s faith, life, example, and intercession. Quotes are from a wide variety of sources, including popes, the saints, spiritual writings, literature, and the Blessed Mother’s own words from approved apparitions. – from the Servant Book website

You can find Karen’s book here

Be sure to visit Karen’s fantastic blog site “Karen Edmisten”