Thursday, June 21, 2007

Heaven's Promises ~ First Five Saturday Devotion

Church Approved Apparition of Our Lady
The Blessed Virgin Mary gave this message to Lucia at Fatima in 1917: "Jesus wants to use you to make me known and loved. He wants to establish the devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world. I promise salvation to those who embrace it and their souls will be loved by God as flowers placed by myself to adorn His throne." Our Lady has requested we make the Five First Saturday devotion in honor of her Immaculate Heart. "I promise to assist at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for salvation all those who, on the First Saturday of five consecutive months, confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."

There are three principal practices of devotion which Our Lady has requested in honor of her Immaculate Heart: the First Saturday of the month, the Five First Saturdays, and the Consecration of Russia. They bear a marked similarity to the devotions in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The practice of the First Saturdays: This consists of the following exercises, performed with the intention of consoling the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and making reparation to her for all the outrages and blasphemies of which it is the object on the part of ungrateful Christians: 1. the Rosary
2. Communion of Reparation.
The practice of the Five First Saturdays - In addition to the two exercises already mentioned, the following two are added on the first Saturday of five consecutive months:
3. Go to confession.
4. Join with Our Lady in meditation for a quarter of an hour on the mysteries of the Rosary. These two must be offered in reparation to the Immaculate Heart . The meditation may be on one or several mysteries.
5. Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary - Our Lady asked that Russia be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart and Lucia, one of the seers, has explained that Our Lady wants the Pope and all the bishops of the world to do this on one special day. If this is done She will convert Russia and there will be peace. This was indeed performed by Our Holy Father Pope John Paul II of happy memory.

Again, the Promise of the First Saturday Devotion: "I promise to assist at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for salvation all those who, on the First Saturday of five consecutive months, confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me." ~The Words of Our Lady of Fatima to seers Lucia, Bl. Jacinta and Bl. Francisco.

I strongly encourage the practice of this Devotion with your children or grandchildren. Shortly after my youngest made his First Communion, we as a family completed the First Five Saturdays and all they included. Now we are working on the First Friday devotion to the Sacred Heart and this is more challenging, but so worth it! One hint for completing the meditation portion of the devotion with little kids - we played segments of movies made with scenes from the mysteries of the Rosary. A childrens rosary book could be used as well. It is not easy for children to meditate, but this can be easily overcome!

In this age of great temptation, wickedness and apostacy, having your children complete this devotion could be a sure means for conversion and salvation should they fall prey to worldliness. There are so many good Christian parents who lament their "stray" children. I hope to die in peace counting on this promise! Amen!

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

And now for something completely different...


Picked this up from Orthometer and couldn't resist:


Grab the book that is closest to you.
Open it to page 161.
Find the fifth full sentence.
Post the text of the sentence.
Don't search around for the coolest or most impressive book you have use the one that really is closest to you.

My result..."Have you sworn falsely, rashly, or in slight and trivial matters?"

The book is called Manna of the Soul, vest pocket edition Copyright, 1917 The Benzinger Brothers. Quote is from the section called "Examination of the Ten Commandments of God" Commandment two.
Post your results in the combox!

Heaven's Promises ~ Two Divine Promises

The Two Divine Promises are a powerful devotion relying on God's Mercy which originated with revelations in Poland in 1954 and which spread worldwide. Tapping into the primary sources of grace – the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Holy Communion and prayer – the Two Divine Promises are a sure way and a true method for growth in holiness and an increase of graces for ourselves and others. A booklet by one Fr. Hoppe shows the relationship of the Two Divine Promises to three other 20th-century revelations of God's Mercy and gives advice on how best to practice this pious devotion, plus he gives numerous testimonies from lay Catholics who have received from it tremendous spiritual benefits. Fr. Hoppe's own challenge – just to try this devotion is to believe in it wholeheartedly – is undoubtedly the best recommendation one can possibly make for the Two Divine Promises.

PROMISE 1: "Each priest who worthily offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for 30 consecutive days and, in addition, makes the Stations of the Cross daily, will receive for himself: and another soul selected by him, the assurance of eternal salvation."
PROMISE 2: "Likewise, each individual who will receive Holy Communion worthily for 30 consecutive days, and will recite one Our Father and Hail Mary for the welfare of the Holy Catholic Church, will receive for himself and one other soul selected by him, the assurance of eternal salvation." -----Words of Our Lord to an anonymous Polish soul

In this devotion we are merely employing the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Blessed Eucharist and a few extra prayers-----the normal means Our Lord has established for the welfare of our souls and our eternal salvation. The important question here is whether God has in fact bound Himself to grant the results which this devotion claims for itself. Again, we cannot know for sure. We must simply leave that to Him in His great mercy and wait until eternity to find out. At any rate, there cannot be found within this devotion anything displeasing, as God wishes us to pray, receive Communion and what would He want more than the salvation of souls?

(Source: "The Two Divine Promises" by TAN Books and Publishers, link above.)

Friday, June 15, 2007

Heaven's Promises ~ Devotion to the Blood Our Savior Shed on His Way to Calvary

The Devotion


St. Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary, with St. Matilda and St. Brigette, with great devotion and wishing to know something more of the Passion of Jesus Christ, together offered fervent and special prayers, upon which Our Lord revealed to them:

“I descended from heaven to earth to convert you. In ancient times, people were religious and had abundant harvests; at the present time, on the contrary, they are scarce.
If you want to have plentiful crops, you should not work Sundays, because on Sundays you must go to church to pray to God that He may forgive your sins. He gave you six days to work, and one for devotion and prayer, to help the poor and to assist the church.
I will not shelter or protect the people that quarrel against My religion, or slander this Sacred Letter.
On the contrary, those that carry a copy of this Letter with them, will not die from drowning or suffer a sudden death, die from contagious diseases, or be struck by lightning, will not die without confession, will be freed from their enemies and from the hand of unjust authority, and all false witnesses.
The women, who at childbirth are in danger, by having this Letter with them, will overcome any difficulty immediately. In the homes where this letter is kept nothing bad will ever occur, and forty days before death of a person that has this Prayer with them, the Most Holy Virgin will appear."

Promises
"To all the faithful who shall recite for 3 years, each day, 2 Our Fathers, 2 Hail Marys and 2 Glory Be's, in honor of the drops of Blood I lost, I will concede the following 5 graces:


1. The plenary indulgence and remittance of your sins.
2. You will be free from the pains of Purgatory.
3. If you should die before completing the said 3 years, for you it will be the same as if you had completed them.
4. It will be upon your death the same as if you had shed all your blood for the Holy Faith.
5. I will descend from Heaven to take your soul and that of your relatives, until the fourth generation.
Blessed and approved by His Holiness Pope Leo XIII in Rome, April 5, 1890.


"The thought of saving souls should always be on our mind. St. John Bosco stated it well: "There is nothing more holy in this world than to work for the good of souls, for whose salvation Jesus Christ poured out the last drops of His blood." St. Vincent de Paul tells us that: "The Salvation of men and our own are so great a good that they merit to be obtained at any price."
Sad to say, the great majority of Catholics put forth little or no effort in promoting the greater honor and glory of God and the salvation of souls. Let us keep in mind that if we manage to save one soul, we also ensure the salvation of our own. The Holy Ghost reveals this to us in the Holy Bible. (St. James 5:19,20)
This little card gives us a very easy way to save our own soul as well as the ones most dear to us – our family. See other side for details. You are urged to supply yourself with a large quantity of these cards and to distribute them liberally. This will be most pleasing to Our Dear Lord and a great way to store up treasures in Heaven." ~Exerpt from devotional pamphlet, see below.


(Source) Also here, here and here.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Heaven's Promises ~ Divine Mercy Devotion

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"Jesus I trust in Thee"


The Divine Mercy chaplet and devotion have become quite popular in this age. Therefore I will not focus much on its practice, but rather on its history and its promises. If you'd like more information on the practice of the Divine Mercy devotion go here, here and here.


The following is an excerpt from the brochure "Divine Mercy Devotion"


"Between 1930 and 1938 Christ appeared to Sister Faustina, a Sister of Mercy in Poland, to re-teach us the story of His love even unto death, and His disappointment in us because of distrust in His Mercy and goodness. Sister Faustina's life was a routine of everyday chores – tending the door, cooking, sweeping, gardening; Even the closest of her nun companions never guessed God's predilections for her, or knew the wonderful secrets He whispered to her at prayer."
"Sister Faustina received the first apparition of the Merciful Christ on the 22nd of February, 1931 in Plotzk. She describes it thus: "It happened in the evening. I was in my cell, when I saw Jesus dressed in a white garment. He held one hand raised in blessing and with the other, He was touching the garment at the breast. From under the garment came two rays of light, one red the other pale. In silence I contemplated the Lord. My soul was filled with fear and, at the same time, with great joy. After a moment Jesus said to me: 'Paint a picture according to the vision you see and with the inscription: – Jesus, I Trust in Thee – I desire that the picture be venerated first in your chapel and then throughout the whole world'."
"These rays (red and pale, symbolizing the Blood and Water that gushed forth from the Sacred Heart) shield the soul before the wrath of My Father. Fortunate is he who lives in Their shelter for the just hand of God will never reach him."



Promises ~ Given by Jesus Himself to St. Faustina

1. "Those who venerate this picture (Divine Mercy portrait) shall not perish."

2. "I further promise to that soul victory over its enemies already here on earth and especially in the hour of death. I, Myself, shall defend that soul as my own glory."

3. "When punishments for sins shall come upon the earth, and your native land shall be in extreme abasement, the only salvation will be hope in Divine Mercy. I shall preserve the cities and homes which this picture shall be found; I shall protect likewise those persons who shall venerate and have confidence in My Mercy."

4. "Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death...Priests should recommend it to sinners as a last hope of salvation. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this chaplet even once, will receive grace from My infinite mercy . . . Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who will recite this chaplet . . . By means of it you can ask and obtain anything, if what you ask for will be compatible with My will . . . I want the whole world to know My infinite mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My mercy."

5. "Souls who spread the honor of My Mercy I will shield through their entire life as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior."

6. "Tell My priests that hardened sinners will crumble beneath their words when they will speak about My unfathomable Mercy, about the compassion I have for them in My heart. To priests who will proclaim and extol My Mercy I will give wonderful power, and I will anoint their words and I will touch the hearts to which they will speak."

7. "When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the Merciful Savior"

Friday, June 8, 2007

Heaven's Promises ~ Three Hail Mary's Devotion

Opening Heaven with the Three Hail Mary's Devotion
One of the greatest means of salvation and one of the surest signs of predestination, is unquestionably, the devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin. All the holy doctors of the Church are unanimous in saying with St. Alphonsus of Liguori: "A devout servant of Mary shall never perish." The chief issue is to persevere faithfully until death in this devotion.

Numerous examples show how agreeable the three Hail Marys Devotion is to the Divine Mother and what special graces it draws, during life and at the hour of death, on those who never omit it for a single day.
This practice was revealed to St. Melchtilde (13th century) while she was beseeching Our Blessed Mother to assist her in her hour of death. Our Lady appeared to her and said:

"I will, certainly. But I also want you to say three special Hail Marys to me every day. The first will be in honor of God the Father, Whose omnipotence raised my soul so high above every other creature that after God I have the greatest power in heaven and on earth. In the hour of your death I will use that power of God the Father to keep any hostile power far from you. The second Hail Mary will be said in honor of the Son of God Who communicated His inscrutable wisdom to me. In the hour of your death I will fill your soul with the light of that wisdom so that all the darkness of ignorance and error will be dispelled. The third Hail Mary will be in honor of God the Holy Ghost Who filled my soul with the sweetness of His love and tenderness and mercy. In your last hour I will then change the bitterness of death into divine sweetness and delight."

Our Blessed Mother also revealed to St. Gertrude the Great: "To any soul who faithfully prays the Three Hail Marys, I will appear at the hour of death in a splendor so extraordinary that it will fill the soul with heavenly consolation."

St. Leonard of Port Maurice, the celebrated missionary, had the Three Hail Marys recited morning and evening in honor of Mary Immaculate, to obtain the grace of avoiding all mortal sins during the day or night; moreover he promised in a special manner eternal salvation to all those who proved constantly faithful to this practice. He gave this devotion of Three Hail Marys as a penance in the confessional, especially for those who were struggling with sins of impurity.

Promises
1. Mary will appear to you at the hour of death and console the one who practices this devotion.
2. Mary will obtain for you special graces during life.
3. Avoidance of all mortal sin and in a special manner eternal salvation to all who practice this devotion with perserverance.

Practice
Recite morning and evening, three Hail Marys in honor of the three great privileges bestowed upon Our Blessed Mother by the most Blessed Trinity with this invocation at the end: for the morning: "O my Mother preserve me from mortal sin during this day." For the evening: "O my Mother preserve me from mortal sin during this night."
Indulgences
200 days granted by Leo XIII, 300 days for the members of the Archconfraternity of the Three Hail Marys by Benedict XV, and Apostolic Benediction by St. Pius X. Currently this would be considered a partial indulgence according to The Handbook of Indulgences.

Prayer ~ The Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen+

(Source: For more on this devotion go here)

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Heaven's Promises ~ Brown Scapular



The brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the most popular scapular in the Catholic Church today. In the Middle Ages, a scapular was a full-length garment (apron) worn over the monk's or nun's habit, the color signifying the particular religious order. The brown scapular was revealed to St. Simon Stock, the Prior General of the Carmelite order in 1247. The Virgin Mary appeared to him and gave him the brown scapular and associated promises as a result of his pledge of complete loyalty to her (known as a privilegium). The smaller version (pictured above) of the scapular is worn by lay persons.


I always purchase them here. A new one itches slightly for a day or so, then you don't even know its there. My children were all enrolled shortly after First Communion and wear one all the time. I admit openly I have to constantly remind them though "Are you wearing your scapular?" Answer, "uh...I think I left it in the bathroom/my backpack/my school locker/on my dresser/insert any various place..." They wear it willingly, but as children do, forgetfully. I pray they are more mindful as adults. My husband and I have a number of them, one nicer one for everyday, and a whole bunch of tattered ones for running and working out. We wear them at all times except when swimming or bathing. I used to also wear a scapular medal, but the nonstop clanging against my Miraculous Medal drove me nuts.


Saints and popes throughout the ages have worn and encouraged wearing of the brown scapular, and many miraculous events have attested to the value of the sacramental (the scapular worn by Blessed Pope Gregory X, who died in 1276, was found intact in 1830). Pope John Paul II wore the brown scapular from the time of his First Communion until his death. When I read this in a bio of our Late Great Pope, I went right out and got one myself. If the Pope wears one, so should we all.



Practices

1. Wear the Brown Scapular (or scapular medal) after enrollment*

2. Observe chastity according to your state in life

3. Recite the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary or five decades of the Rosary daily (usual requirements)

Promises/Benefits

1. "...whosoever dies wearing this (the brown scapular) shall not suffer eternal fire" (Virgin Mary's promise to St. Simon)

2. Partial indulgence granted by Pope Benedict XV to those who devoutly kiss their scapular.

3. Sabbatine Priviledge: release from purgatory on the first Saturday after death (revelation by the Virgin to Pope John XXII in 1322). Please note that much controversy has surrounded this 'promise' since its promotion by some early Carmelites. The modern Order does not recognize this as legitimate. It is mentioned here for informational purposes.


Your thoughts and practices on the Brown Scapular to the combox please!

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Heaven's Promises ~ Sacred Heart


"You have not chosen me. I have chosen you. Go and bear fruit that will last." (John 15:16)
Go here for a website run by Fr. Roger Smith of one Sacred Heart Church in Morton WA. This is the best source I've found for all things regarding devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, how it is accomplished and including its history.
Briefly, this devotion was given to the world through one St. Margaret Mary Alocoque in 17th century France. This devotion effectively squashed the heresy of Jansenism and greatly helped Christians to come to know more of the great love God has for us. Jesus revealed to us, through his humble servant St. Margaret Mary that His heart veritably burns for love of us.
In His great generosity, which we don't deserve...Jesus has granted mankind twelve promises to those who faithfully practice this devotion:
The Twelve Promises of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of death.
5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
9. I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honoured.
10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.
12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.
In our home we have an 8 x 10 print of the Sacred Heart over our fireplace mantle in the living room. In our prayer room (a renovated second floor porch) we have a larger statue of Jesus with His most Sacred Heart situated between statues of Mary and Joseph. Our family is also assisting Mass on First Fridays. Part of our family spiritual practices is reading books together on the lives of the saints. One of the best was the life of St. Margaret Mary, available here. My husband and I enjoy the books just as much as the kids do - St. Catherine of Siena is especially good too. As a family we often dedicate one decade of our rosary to reparation to the Sacred Heart. I also encourage my children to offer other communions, sacrifices and such in reparation for sins of indifference and blasphemy against the Sacred Heart. These are offered simply as examples of various ways to practice this great devotion.
Please feel free to share different ways in which you practice this devotion in the combox.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Heaven's Promises ~ The Rosary

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
Today I'm kicking off a new sort of series. I'm going to briefly review several Catholic devotions that have promises given by God for those to faithfully practice them. It is my intention to give honor to God for His abundant generosity to us poor sinners.
Let us be faithful to our spiritual exercizes, trust in our Lady's intercession and pray the rosary daily. Click here for a great resource in how to pray the Rosary. It takes only 20 to 30 minutes a day. The Holy Father John Paul II asked that every Catholic pray the rosary every day. If all Catholics were faithful to this pious practice, the devil would be bound by the chain of Mary to the foot of the cross and would have no power over the world. Have faith, pray the rosary and the rewards will be great. NonCatholics may also pray the Rosary, just get one and say the prayers, Mary will take care of obtaining your salvation.
The following are the Promises given by Heaven for those who pray the Rosary faithfully:
1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the rosary, shall receive signal graces.
2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the rosary.
3. The rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the rosary, shall not perish.
6. Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God and become worthy of eternal life.
7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
8. Those who are faithful to recite the rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary.
10. The faithful children of the rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven.
11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the rosary.
12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all Members of the
Rosary Confraternity shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.
14. All who recite the rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only son Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion of my rosary is a great sign of predestination.
~Revealed to the Dominican Blessed Alanus de la Roche, by the Blessed Virgin Mary in the 15h century. For myself, I would have to say the promise that I have experience most strongly is that part of number four: "It will draw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things." Since becoming "reverted" and a devotee of the Rosary this detachment from the world (not perfectly!) and desire of life eternal has been granted my poor soul. Many of the things I once cared about, I care not a wit for now (i.e popular music, lively social life, wanting to liked/popular and such). Many of the things I cared not bit about, I now care deeply about (being in God's grace, charity, sacrifice, virtue, mortification, etc.). I invite you to share what promises you have seen revealed in your soul in the combox. Let us rejoice in God's generosity!

Monday, June 4, 2007

Great Article

Everyone needs to read this great blog post by Catholic Evangelist Mark Mallet.

We must watch and pray, pray we are numbered among Christ's sheep so we do not become prey for the wolves.

Sorrow Turned Into Joy


"A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Rev. 12: 1)
Meditating on and learning about the sea of Mary's sorrows is a very noble and good thing. I felt compelled to post today about the joy that occured after Mary's earthly exile. For all the suffering she underwent, Jesus rewarded her more than can be comprehended, for God will not be outdone in generosity.
By Mary's beautiful faith, she merited to become "a light to all the faithful, Queen of the true faith." Saint Methodius calls her, "Queen of the true faith." Mary is the new Eve. She makes up in obedience what Eve lacked in disobedience. She is the one who will in the end crush the serpents head beneath her foot. It is difficult for our modern Republic/Democratic minds to understand what it is to have a King and a Queen. I urge you all to think on this - what a glorious thing it is to be devoted to the Heavenly Royalty, Jesus the King of Heaven and Earth who posesses all authority, honor and glory, and who is seated at His side? His mother, the Queen Mother who merited this place through her "Fiat" her great cooperation with God's will. She is the one who wears the crown her Son placed on her head and intercedes on our behalf. Jesus will deny her nothing. Her joy in Heaven is complete and yet she care for us her wayward children, even cries over our disobedience.
Our Lord returns to us through His Holy Mother as Queen of Heaven, passing on to us His blessing through her hands as the Mediatrix of all graces. He came down from Heaven to dwell as a human through her; through her we return to Him.
Prayer
Our Lady went into a strange country
And they crowned her for a queen
For she needed never to be stayed or questioned
But only seen;
and they were broken down under unbearable beauty
As we have been.
Our Lady wears a crown in a strange country
The crown He gave,
But she has not forgotten to call her old companions
To call and crave;
And to hear her calling a man might arise and thunder
On the doors of the grave.
~G.K. Chesterton, "Regina Angelorum" 1935.

Friday, June 1, 2007

The Burial of Jesus III


"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mt 27:46)
After Our Lady said her final farewell to her Divine Son Jesus, St. Bonaventure states: "her sisters veiled her like a widow, almost covering her face." He also says that, "passing by the cross still dripping with the blood of her Son on her return from the tomb, Mary was the first to adore it. 'O holy cross,' she said, 'I kiss you, I adore you! You are no longer and instrument of torture, but a throne of love and an altar of mercy. You have been consecrated by the blood of the divine Lamb, immolated on you for the salvation of the world.'"
She and those others present left the cross and went home. When Mary arrived there, she faced the reality that Jesus was not there. She would face this every day for the remainder of her earthly life. Think about it: she remembered nursing Him as an infant, teaching Him his prayers, all those precious yet ordinary scenes from everyday life, conversations they had, the deep affection between them. She did not have Joseph at her side to comfort her. She was alone, bereft of her immediate family. She was now a part of the household of St. John, and this must have been a comfort, but certainly not the same...no never could this be the same. We can picture Our Lady, her heart full of sadness turn to St. John and ask him, "John, tell me, where is your Master?" Perhaps she turned to St. Mary Magdalen and said, "Tell me, where is your beloved? O God, who has taken Him from us?" Mary wept bitterly, and all who were with her certainly wept with her.
Meditating on this sad time in Our Sorrowful Mother's life, let us say with St. Bonaventure: "And you, my soul, do you not weep also? Let us turn to our Lady and say, 'O my own sweet Lady, I am the one to weep. You are innocent, I am guilty." Beg her to allow you to weep with her. We should weep for our sins, for they are the cause of all this suffering.
Prayer
Most loveable queen, I desire to love you in heaven. There, at your feet, I shall understand better how worthy you are of love and how much you have done to save me; and then I shall love you with even greater love. I shall love you eternally, without fear of ever ceasing to love you. O Mary, with your help, I am certain of being saved. Pray to Jesus for me. Nothing else is needed. Be my salvation. Amen+
(Source: The Glories of Mary by St. Alphonsus de Ligouri)