SANTO ROSARYO: The Blessed Mother and Advent

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Monday, December 27, 2010

The Blessed Mother and Advent

The Blessed Virgin in the Revised Roman Liturgy

The reform of the Roman liturgy presupposed a careful restoration of its General Calendar. This Calendar is arranged in such a way as to give fitting prominence to the celebration on appropriate days of the work of salvation. It distributes throughout the year the whole mastery of Christ, from the Incarnation to the expectation of His return in glory,(10) and thus makes it possible in a more organic and closely-knit fashion to include the commemoration of Christ's Mother in the annual cycle of the mysteries of her Son.

For example, during Advent there are many liturgical references to Mary besides the Solemnity of December 8, which is a joint celebration of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, of the basic preparation (cf. Is. 11:1, 10) for the coming of the Savior and of the happy beginning of the Church without spot or wrinkle.(11) Such liturgical references are found especially on the days from December 17 to 24, and more particularly on the Sunday before Christmas, which recalls the ancient prophecies concerning the Virgin Mother and the Messiah(12) and includes readings from the Gospel concerning the imminent birth of Christ and His precursor.(13)

In this way the faithful, living in the liturgy the spirit of Advent, by thinking about the inexpressible love with which the Virgin Mother awaited her Son,(14) are invited to take her as a model and to prepare themselves to meet the Savior who is to come. They must be "vigilant in prayer and joyful in...praise."(15) We would also remark that the Advent liturgy, by linking the awaiting of the Messiah and the awaiting of the glorious return of Christ with the admirable commemoration of His Mother, presents a happy balance in worship. This balance can be taken as a norm for preventing any tendency (as has happened at times in certain forms of popular piety) to separate devotion to the Blessed Virgin from its necessary point of reference-Christ. It also ensures that this season, as liturgy experts have noted, should be considered as a time particularly suited to devotion to the Mother of the Lord. This is an orientation that we confirm and which we hope to see accepted and followed everywhere.

The Christmas season is a prolonged commemoration of the divine, virginal and salvific motherhood of her whose "inviolate virginity brought the Saviour into the world."(16) n fact, on the Solemnity of the Birth of Christ the Church both adores the Savior and venerates His glorious Mother. On the Epiphany, when she celebrates the universal call to salvation, the Church contemplates the Blessed Virgin, the true Seat of Wisdom and true Mother of the King, who presents to the Wise Men, for their adoration, the Redeemer of all peoples (cf. Mt. 2:11). On the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (the Sunday within the octave of Christmas) the Church meditates with profound reverence upon the holy life led in the house at Nazareth by Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man, Mary His Mother, and Joseph the just man (cf. Mt. 1:19).

In the revised ordering of the Christmas period it seems to us that the attention of all should be directed towards the restored Solemnity of Mary the holy Mother of God. This celebration, placed on January 1 in conformity with the ancient indication of the liturgy of the City of Rome, is meant to commemorate the part played by Mary in this mystery of salvation. It is meant also to exalt the singular dignity which this mystery brings to the "holy Mother...through whom we were found worthy to receive the Author of life."(17) It is likewise a fitting occasion for renewing adoration of the newborn Prince of Peace, for listening once more to the glad tidings of the angels (cf. Lk. 2:14), and for imploring from God, through the Queen of Peace, the supreme gift of peace. It is for this reason that, in the happy concurrence of the Octave of Christmas and the first day of the year, we have instituted the World Day of Peace, an occasion that is gaining increasing support and already bringing forth fruits of peace in the hearts of many.

Excerpts from Marialis Cultus by His Holiness Paul VI (see and click the link)

First Station

JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH

Oh Lord Jesus, you have been a victim of the cruelty of man. Pontius Pilate was not only indecisive, he was also a coward. He allowed himself to be pressured by a mob. He could not take responsibility and would not own what he did on that day when you were condemned to death. He made actually a fun of himself. You were alone. Some would want to stand up for you but there was not much strength in terms of numbers. The majority was not right when you were condemned. They were moved by evil motives and evil designs. As I read and listen to news reports nowadays, the injustices and atrocities have not ceased. Many have been condemned and only to find out later that the person was innocent of the crime charged. Many have experienced death by way of curtailment of their freedom to live as human beings. Poverty, hunger, human trafficking, drug and substance abuse, violence against women and children, among other and similar crimes and offenses. The victims are virtually condemned to death since in the end – how they wished they were dead, how they wished they were not born, how they wished that the world would end. Perhaps. Well, actually my own weaknesses, my own sinfulness have condemned you to death. But there is still time and as I walked through with you and contemplate on the stations of the cross, I am truly thankful to you Lord Jesus for this opportunity, as I pray for those victims, who, like what you have gone through when you were condemned to death, are now suffering and languishing in their present state of life. I lift them up to you and may they be blessed with your generosity and goodness. Amen.

Second Station

JESUS CARRIES THE CROSS

Oh My Lord Jesus Christ, how heavy indeed is the cross which you have been made to carry on your shoulders. That cross is actually this world ! The sins of men ! The transgressions and ungratefulness of humanity ! And to think that all these continue up to this day as you bear them, every moment, on your shoulders. Yet, and yes, yet, many among us would not even want to carry the little crosses that come our way. We always want to be within our respective comfort level. What a shame?! What really is that cross that I have always been to told to carry? Is it the same cross that you carried all the way up to the Calvary, to your death? Uh Oh. I think, not even a bit or fragment of that cross could be carried by me. Not even a breath that comes out of it. The cross of my life refers to myself, my iniquities, my sins, my forgetfulness, my carelessness, my lack of faith, and being a Christian and yet, I refuse to face each and every of these bits (or even one or two) of my own cross. Maybe because, I am afraid of problems; or I do not even try to carry my cross because of my fear of failure, that I may not be able to bring it up to my own Calvary. Well, wake up, you will not be nailed if you carry your cross. That cross, your cross, is actually a millionth fragment of the tiniest dust found in Jesus’ cross, and all you need to do is do your part in not being an additional burden for Christ. Be a solution, not a problem. Amen.

Third Station

JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME

My Lord and My God, My Savior , My Redeemer, Oh Lord Jesus. Forgive me. I mean it. From the very bottom of my heart. Had it not been for me, you would not have fallen from the sheer weight of that heavy cross that bears my sins. I don’t think I could even last carrying the cross before a first fall, but because you are My Lord, you have made sure that I would be able to carry my own cross. I now know why I was able to – because you were carrying me and my cross. Well, the bottomline is that I must carry on with whatever good things I may have started in my life and with my life. I should not be giving up and I ought to realize that there will always be a first time, and that first time must never discourage me to carry on. There may be obstacles, frustrations, disappointments, discouragement or whatever damn-if-you-do situations, but I must always bear in mind and in my heart that Jesus will always be with me, and I can truly feel His Holy Presence, unworthy as I am, for He loves me, and He wants me to succeed ! Amen.

Watch and Listen : Footprints in the Sand

Fourth Station

JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER

My Lord Jesus, you were all alone by yourself, as you continue to suffer from the weight of the cross, the thousands of wounds inflicted upon you, and as blood flows down from your body and from your head. For sure, you were already grasping for your breath, dehydrated from lack of water, famished for not having taken anything for the day since you were taken forcibly at the Garden of Gethsemane. This is a terrible situation and ordinary humans will certainly not be able to endure and survive these hardships, sufferings, and agony. Yet, here comes the Blessed Mother, who have shown herself to you, if only to assure you that she is by your side, together with the Father in Heaven. Though you don’t need any assurance, our Blessed Mother has done what her bleeding and crying heart has told her to do – to be a mother, to care, to love, and as much as she wanted to but cannot, to suffer for you, her son, to take your place. How many among us would be willing to do what the Blessed Mother has done? In our world, at the present time, we seldom see people who would be willing to share what they have, or at the least, just to be honest, just be to good, just to be fair, just to be the man created in the image of God. We thank the Blessed Mother for being there with you as she is now for us. Amen.

Watch Jesus Meets His Mother

Fifth Station

JESUS IS HELPED TO CARRY THE CROSS

My Lord Jesus Christ, I know that you do not need any help but amidst the humiliation that you have suffered from the hands of your persecutors, you have been humble enough to allow, a reluctant Simon of Cyrene to carry your cross. You have shown to us Lord that indeed “no man is an island”. That we live, not only for ourselves, but for our family and the people of God. That we have a responsibility to help others and to make sure that those who are in need are provided with what is necessary and which we can give as God has allowed us to. I have pleaded many times for help and you have not abandoned me. In many ways, you have answered my prayers. There were many times that I never realized that you have given me so many blessings and I was not even grateful. I can actually help carry the cross by heeding the call for me to serve God and in everything that I do, I must see to it that He is glorified and praised. Amen.

Watch and Listen: Jesus is Helped to Carry the Cross

Sixth Station

VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS

Oh my Lord Jesus, it was just a piece of cloth wiped on your face of Jesus, with blood and sweat dripping. Through such very small way, you are pleased. Veronica knows it is the only thing that she can do if only to ease up your sufferings and pains.

What about each one of us? Do we give our share to ease up the burden of Christ? Do we offer ourselves for him? Do we work and do things to help others who are in need?

There have been many times that we have thought of giving ourselves a break, or demanding some space for ourselves. We feel that we deserve better, or we need to have some more of what we already have, never contented of anything. We always think of ourselves and forget the fact that we must also think of others. Yet, we still have the gull to ask a lot of things through our prayers. Is this the right attitude? Is this the life that we lead and live? Well, it is time. Time to change. Time to be what you want you to be. Like Veronica, we need to have the humility of meeting you personally and in our own little way, do something that will ease up your agony, sufferings, sacrifices, among others. In doing so, we do not expect any reward but at the same time, we will not refuse the blessings that will come our way, and in everything and in anything, we shall always thanks and praise God for his overflowing generosity. Amen.

Seventh Station

JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME

My Lord, My Jesus and Savior. You are extremely exhausted already. The cross is heavier and more difficult to carry. The pain is just so intense. The soldiers are cruel. The crowd, even more mean and ferocious. The weight of the cross was just too much to bear. You fell for the second time.

But the reasons, no matter how valid they may be, and would justify that your giving up, did not deter you from getting up and continue carrying the cross on your way to calvary.

Teach us Lord to do the same. As we fall, many times actually, help us to stand up once again and move on to our life’s journey. We know that without you, we are nothing. Without you, we cannot do anything. Be our strength. Amen.

Eight Station

JESUS MEETS THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM

Hearing Jesus reproach the women of Jerusalem who follow him and weep for him ought to make us reflect. How should we understand his words? Are they not directed at a piety which is purely sentimental, one which fails to lead to conversion and living faith? It is no use to lament the sufferings of this world if our life goes on as usual. And so the Lord warns us of the danger in which we find ourselves. He shows us both the seriousness of sin and the seriousness of judgement. Can it be that, despite all our expressions of consternation in the face of evil and innocent suffering, we are all too prepared to trivialize the mystery of evil? Have we accepted only the gentleness and love of God and Jesus, and quietly set aside the word of judgement? "How can God be so concerned with our weaknesses?", we say. "We are only human!" Yet as we contemplate the sufferings of the Son, we see more clearly the seriousness of sin, and how it needs to be fully atoned if it is to be overcome. Before the image of the suffering Lord, evil can no longer be trivialized. To us too, he says: "Do not weep for me, weep for yourselves... if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" (catholic news agency)

Ninth Station

JESUS FALLS A THIRD TIME

Oh Lord Jesus Christ, the cross is obviously heavier now than the first time you had to carry it. I can only imagine the world today so much of a burden to you and yet, you continue to bring us to the road of salvation, you keep on carrying the cross, without let up. You have been obedient to the Almighty Father and had pleased Him so much by not giving up. As for us, we are easily discouraged by failures, and we tend to stop trying, or cease from even trying to try. We should not be prevented, by ourselves, from pursuing something which is noble and even Divine. We should not lose hope. We must constantly pray and ask for guidance, in order that - if ever we fall for the third or nth time – we may continue to move and fight for the many battles in our lives. Amen.

Tenth Station

JESUS CLOTHES ARE TAKEN AWAY

My Lord Jesus, have mercy on us! Being stripped of your clothes is certainly deplorable. It is not only humiliating but it has added insult to injury. The soldiers are ruthless. They are gamblers which placed at stake your clothes on a winner take all basis. Terrible indeed. Many people today are stripped of what remains in them by those who have taken advantage of the weaknesses of such people. We pray that those who fall victims to these people would be able to recover and stand up, as always, for what is true and what is necessary. Amen.

Eleventh Station

JESUS IS NAILED ON THE CROSS

Lord Jesus, My Savior, this is the time when you know who are with you and those who are not. Many among us and in our own lives - we do encounter problems, serious enough, as to drive away people from us. During happy times, they are near. During trying times, they are nowhere to be seen or heard. A little prayer may suffice, yet we do not know if they are really praying for us. We are also guilty of the same weakness ourselves. There are those whom we should be helping out but we did not extend our hands to them. Is it our of fear? Just like when you were being nailed on the cross, there may be those who followed you but on account of fear that they too may be nailed on the cross, have chosen to keep silent about they presence and what they feel about what was being done to you. Or is it just because we are indifferent to the plight of others, just like when we continue committing sins unmindful of your goodness, greatness and generosity. Teach us then Lord to be humble and be sincere in our ways so that when the time comes for us to help other people, we would not hesitate to do so, not because of as a mere obligation but more on the fact that we love you so much Lord. Amen.

Twelfth Station

JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

My Lord and My Savior, My Christ and My Redeemer, My Jesus, you have died on the cross because of the many sins and transgressions we have committed against you. With 5,745 wounds which you have sustained, with the cross weighing about 300 pounds on your shoulder alone, with the thousands steps you took on your way up to Calvary, with the crown of thorns, lashes, blows and kicks, falls and the weight of the cross on your body, and finally the nails on your hands and feet, as well as the lance that pierced your body, WHO AMONG US HAS THE COURAGE TO STEP FORWARD AND TAKE YOUR PLACE? We are truly and deeply humbled prostrated on the ground, as we asked for your mercy and forgiveness. All in your Most Holy Name, Amen.

Thirteenth Station

JESUS IS LAID IN THE ARMS OF HIS BLESSED MOTHER

Lord Jesus, as when everyone, except for a few, has expressed fear, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are not afraid to stand up for you. They took you down from the Holy Cross and laid you in the loving arms of your Blessed Mother. But why the Blessed Mother. The cause of the downfall of humanity was Eve, who was responsible for the temptation of Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. When Christ died on the Holy Cross, it was the triumph that has been longed for. And the Blessed Mother, being the new Eve would offer such victory to the Heavenly Father. Amen.

The Fifteen Promises of Mary Granted to those who Recite the Rosary

The Blessed Virgin Mary promised to Saint Dominic and to all who follow that "Whatever you ask in the Rosary will be granted." She left for all Christians Fifteen Promises to those who recite the Holy Rosary. Imparted to Saint Dominic and Blessed Alan :

Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.
I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
The Rosary 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 for eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.
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.
Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenititude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
I shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.
You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.
All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.
All who recite the Rosary are my sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters of my only Son Jesus Christ.
Devotion of my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

SANTO ROSARYO

PERPETUAL ADORATION

Morning Offering

Prayer of St. Gertrude