For the New Year, a prayer we learned as children:

Bendito y alabado sea el Santísimo Sacramento del Altar, y la limpia e Inmaculada Concepción de la Virgen María, Madre de Dios y Madre nuestra, concebida sin mancha de pecado original desde el primer instante de su ser natural. Amén.

Blessed and adored be the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, and the pure and Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, conceived without stain of original sin from the first moment of her natural being. Amen.

Lord, give me the ability to discern what gives you glory, and what offends you; to know what works for the good of the people, and what is to their detriment; what will make me happy, and what will destroy my happiness – both eternal happiness and the relative happiness I can attain here on earth.

“There is nothing more beautiful than to let oneself be touched by the Gospel, by Christ. Happiness has a name, has a face: that of Jesus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist.” (Benedict XVI)

 

Looking at the Child, with Mary and Joseph, I want to be filled with admiration.

In Bethlehem, God came down to me, and to each family, especially to the most wounded ones, to heal us, to accompany us, and to discover with us the decisive role He has for each child of God to fulfill himself and to reach eternal happiness.

We end the year with the aspiration of Blessed Alvaro:

THANK YOU, LORD…for all the graces you have sent me during this year.

FORGIVE ME…for my lack of correspondence to these graces.

AND HELP ME MORE…. So that I will be able to fulfill your Holy Will.

(Picture from the workshop of Nacho Valdés)

 

That silent night with the Holy Family was the night of the Love incarnate, of the Love Child, of the Love newborn, of the baby Love who is crying in the silence of the humble cave, of that Love who carried on his shoulders the faults of all Humanity, my faults, your faults.

The smaller he makes himself, the more I love Him…the more powerfully he engages my love.

The more he humbles himself on my account, the greater he shows himself in kindness.

Realize how much God cares for you.

Learn from this what God thinks of you. Do not ask about your own sufferings; but about what he suffered. Learn from what he was made for you, how much he makes of you.

Realize how much you owe Him.

 

That night, she was the bearer of Love, the Custodian of Salvation, the Proclaimer of the Word still Mute, and, still today, those who hear her, do not open the door to Love.

Sorrow of the Virgin Mother who can only offer Him some straw in a manger, "because there was no room for them in the inn"; sorrow turned into Love in her lap, wrapped in swaddling clothes.

I am astonished before the Child-Love, I want to accompany Him in the cold Night, to stand still, to remain standing firm; I want to forget now my worries, and contemplate him unhurriedly, little by little, the defenseless God.

I want to be bold: to speak in Mary's ear, to look at Joseph out of the corner of my eye, to ask them to allow me, and with great care, slowly, with my lips tightly closed, kiss Him firmly.

Thank you, my God, for being with me, do not let me forget you, nor let me close my doors on you. May the warmth of my personal surrender protect you from the dreary cold of my own sins.

May it not be repeated in my life ever again that song so many times recited:

"How many times the angel has said to me:

Soul, lean out of the window now,

you will see with how much love

He is calling out to you!"

And how many times, sovereign beauty, I have answered:

"Tomorrow I shall open my door for you.”

And, the next day, I would refuse your Love –again– repeating, “Tomorrow!"

 

For your sake God has become man.

Awake, you who sleep, rise up from the dead, and I, Christ, will enlighten you. I tell you again: for your sake, God became man.

You would have suffered eternal death, had I not been born in time.

Never would you have been freed from sinful flesh, had I not taken on myself the likeness of sinful flesh.

You would have suffered everlasting unhappiness, had it not been for my mercy and compassion.

You would never have returned from sin to life, had I not shared your death.

You would have been lost if I had not hastened to your aid.

You would have perished, had I not come.

Tell me, can you be happy without Me?

Let us then joyfully celebrate the coming of your salvation and redemption.

Let us celebrate the festive day on which you who are the great and eternal Day came from the great and endless Day of eternity into our own short day of time.

 

What happened in the cave at Bethlehem is not an isolated event...in the past.

At every hour Jesus is born in my heart and in the heart of every person who is ready to welcome him.

With him, my interior is enlightened. This dazzling light always gives me the certainty that "he is alive".

 

Now is the time for me to listen fully to Jesus Christ who wants to tell me: "I love you and I want to make you happy".

How often have I been indifferent to the voice of God knocking at the door of my heart! Christ offers me happiness, but it is not obligatory. I have the freedom to say yes or no to him. I want to tell Jesus Christ to enter into my soul and renew my whole life.

I want to be a witness to the One who has loved me and who has called me by my name with a smile on his face. And I who experience my weakness, my misery, I want to turn to Christ and his Blessed Mother.

 

Thank you for becoming one like us; let us tonight become like you: children, that we may learn to see in all the love of your Father, even in the cold and loneliness of the night, like your first night made man.

May my heart be a complete Bethlehem, with each character of the mystery. May humility and confession prepare and arrange the manger in my heart. May my fidelity make it real in my heart. May my childlike love and my Mother's tenderness establish the proper lap for the Child.

He unveils his secrets and his mystery only to the simple of heart. As he did with Mary and Joseph, and as he has done throughout the centuries. He would also like to do so in my prayer today and every day, counting on my collaboration and teamwork.

 

Though the Lord’s coming is at hand, we must have patience: for he will come in his own time, in his own way, to each of us.

We live in a world weighed down by unbelief:

Lord, increase our faith.

Upon the complexity of man’s thoughts, among the theories and philosophies of our world today,

let your coming shed its own glorious light.

Give us the strong faith of the apostles,

and their fervor in preaching your Word.

Let us love the Church,

which continues to proclaim to all ages the reality of your coming.

– Lord Jesus, help us to believe that you are coming.

 

23 DECEMBER

If we want to love Jesus, we have to spend time with him. We don't have two hearts: one for God and one for the things of this earth. You should spend time with him daily, putting your heart into everything, with the ardor of people in love. God has captured our heart, our whole life. One day, by his infinite goodness, we felt the dart of love that conquered us for ever. And we must see to it that this love endures, and becomes more intense and refined every day.

What must I do to ensure that my love continues and increases? My child, it's a question of leaving aside the "old man", and of giving up those things which, although good in themselves, are no longer compatible with what God asks of us. Say to our Lord, with deeds, and with constancy: here I am for you called me. St Josemaria

Lord Jesus, help me to recognize my weakness. Give me your grace to get closer to you. Increase my faith in you, in your love and in your power. Open my eyes to see you and to recognize your face in my life. Be the light of my life.

May I see with your eyes, my Christ, Jesus of my soul. May I love with your heart...!!!!

 

22 DECEMBER

Christ is King of all peoples and all nations. The Savior is near; he is at the door. Twenty centuries have gone by since the first Christmas, and still there are nations and peoples awaiting the Messiah. But there are also cries of revolt from those who oppose Christ's kingship: We do not want this man to reign over us. The Lord's yoke is sweet and his burden light, but many reject it.

We are the soldiers and messengers of this king. All power in heaven and on earth belongs to him, and he has given us the mission to teach all people and bring them into his kingdom.

“Our Lord wants to be placed once more at the summit of all human activities. We are asked in a special way for this service, this help in ensuring that throughout the world there are even more abundant fruits of the Redemption, which is the only true freedom for man. We are working with this hope and this responsibility. The war of peace and love that we are engaged in is certain to be a long and demanding one. Yet victory is assured. God always conquers: He does not lose battles.” St Josemaría.

Our apostolic activity is always positive. By virtue of our mission, we are sowers of peace and joy. To everyone we meet, we would like to show a charity which is cheerful, gentle and strong, human and supernatural; a charity which is affectionate, which welcomes everyone with a smile and with understanding for their ideas and feelings, and which attracts them to cooperate in our work.

 

You have heard, O Virgin Mary, that you will conceive and bear a son; you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit. The angel awaits your answer; it is time for him to return to God, who sent him. We too are waiting, O Lady, have compassion; the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us.

The price of our salvation is offered to you. We shall be set free at once if you consent. In the eternal Word of God, we all came to be, and behold, we die. In your brief response we are to be remade to be recalled to life.

Tearful Adam with his sorrowing family begs this of you, O loving Virgin, in their exile from Paradise. Abraham begs it, David begs it. All the other holy patriarchs, your ancestors, ask it of you, as they dwell in the country of the shadow of death. This is what the whole earth waits for, prostrate at your feet. It is right in doing so, for on your word depends comfort for the wretched, ransom for the captive, freedom for the condemned, indeed, salvation for all the sons of Adam, the whole of your race.

Answer quickly, O Virgin. Reply in haste to the angel, or rather through the angel to the Lord. Answer with a word, receive the Word of God. Speak your own word, conceive the divine Word. Breathe a passing word, embrace the eternal Word.

Why do you delay, why are you afraid? Believe, give praise, and receive. Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident. This is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence. In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous. Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary. Open your heart to faith, O blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator. See, the desired of all nations is at your door, knocking to enter. If he should pass by because of your delay, in sorrow you would begin to seek him afresh, the One whom your soul loves. Arise, hasten, open. Arise in faith, hasten in devotion, open in praise and thanksgiving. Behold the handmaid of the Lord, she says, be it done to me according to your word.

 

The Nativity by Federico Barocci (c. 1535 – 1612). Reflections on the painting.

Sometimes, we look but do not see the total message in the painting. Here, Barocci's soft, opalescent renderings evoke the ethereal. Such studies were part of a complex process Barocci used to complete his paintings. Barocci did innumerable sketches: gestural, compositional, figural studies (using models), lighting studies (using clay models), perspective studies, color studies, nature studies, etc. Today, over 2,000 drawings by him are extant. Barocci's genius kept the brushstrokes passionate and liberated, and a spiritual light seems to flicker as a jewel across faces, hands, and drapery. Yes, seeking God demands effort, perseverance, discipline.

The focus of the painting is the Child Jesus, from whom the light floods and covers the entire little room in Bethlehem. Outside Christ, there is no light.

The first person to receive this light is the Virgin Mary; she is looking at the Child attentively in an attitude of adoration. She is his mother and still He is her God.

The Child Jesus is wrapped in swaddling clothes. Mary reveals to us that he is also endowed with a human nature, that is why he needs swaddling clothes, like every other human baby does. Mary testifies that He is God and man.

The donkey and the ox are peacefully gazing at the Child. They represent the animal kingdom, part of God's creation. They do not need to be forced to acknowledge the Child as their God, they do so naturally.

Farther on, we see two shepherds still outside, still in darkness, representing the people of Israel expecting the Messiah for many centuries. Moreover, they represent everyone else, trying to find meaning, sense of purpose for one’s existence. We can find these only in Jesus.

Saint Joseph is pointing out to the Child. He does not remain sitting down or silent, or indifferent, but he is announcing that the Child is here, that the Messiah we all were expecting, is already with us. Saint Joseph tells us that the attitude of a Christian is to announce Christ to all, from inside this little room, from inside the Church, in our ordinary occupations, to those outside because He is our salvation.

Saint Joseph opens and guards the door of the little room in Bethlehem. That room is the Church; it is so because Christ is at the heart of it.

On the lower left side, we find a basket presumably with grapes, semi covered with the traveling hat of Mary, and a sack with grain. This suggests to us the Eucharist as the heart of the Church. We find the living Jesus, first, in the Eucharist. That grain and those grapes are waiting to be transformed into the body and blood of Christ, by the action of the Holy Spirit.

The Eucharist makes the Church and Mary is the Eucharistic woman who tenderly prepares the matter of the sacrament and protects it with her hat. Mary is the Mother in the Church and of the Church.

 

Holding the World Cup in Qatar, MESSI declared that it was a gift of God. True so. It was his greatest, happiest moment. Yet, the cup was empty. Fifty years from now, the whole affair will be a curiosity for the statistics which only a few will know about.

Right now, I am going to hold the One who gave the cup to Messi. And He will be with me forever, even after death, always happy.

My Cup is full and overflowing for the others. Thank you, Lord.

Chalice of the Queen Doña Urraca is a piece of Romanesque gold work donated by the Leonese Infanta and Queen Urraca of Zamora (1033-1101), lady of Zamora and daughter of King Ferdinand I of León. As we know it, it dates back to the second half of the 11th century. It is currently kept in the museum of the collegiate church of San Isidoro de León (Spain).

 

The Prayer of the Overseas Workers

Almighty God and loving Father, you gave us Mary to be our Mother, Our Lady of Good Harvest, the Pilgrim Image of Filipino Migrants. In union with her, we adore your Eternal Glory and Majesty.

Mary, Our Lady of Good Harvest, we thank you for the motherly care you showered on us ever since we moved to distant lands for a better life. We are grateful to you for being always at our side in our daily struggles. In our joys and sorrows, in all our successes and in every failure, and in moments of loneliness and tiredness, you have been our guide, our hope and our anchor. Through your intercession, grant us true peace and happiness as we strive to carry out our mission of holiness in this part of the world, we now call home. Protect the family life of our nation and guard the precious gift of the unborn. Have mercy on us, sinners, the sick, the poor, and the unemployed, and all who humbly implore your aid.

Dear Mother, Solace of Migrants, be our refuge and our strength and intercede for us in our material and spiritual needs especially for (here mention your petitions). Our Lady of Good Harvest, under your protection, help us to grow in the Catholic Faith we received and assist us in our duty to spread the Faith to others so that we may live happily now and forever in Heaven. AMEN

 

In her conversations with Juan Diego, Our Lady of Guadalupe reveals, “Know and understand that I am the ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God through whom all things live.” In her simple greeting, Our Lady reveals three things to Juan Diego and to us:

1) that she is the ever-Virgin Mary,

2) that she is appropriately called the Mother of God, and

3) that God is the One through whom all things live.

It is curious that she says “ever Virgin Mary” because we know that she appeared to Juan Diego with a black bow around her waist signifying that she was with child. In this way, the Blessed Virgin makes clear that she conceived Jesus in her womb through the power of the Holy Spirit, and that she remained a Virgin forever.

When Our Lady of Guadalupe pleads with us to take to heart her question, “Am I not your Mother?” she wants us to know that she is also God’s Mother. Moreover, she wants us to have the same confidence, security, trust, and love for her that the Baby Jesus had! Truly we can call her Our Mother: we can bring anything to her and trust that she will always look over us.

We must trust her, that is, we must have confidence in her like a child has for his loving Mother. This means that we can look to her for help always, everywhere and for everything.

 

The Holy House of Loreto is not only a “relic”, but also a precious and true “icon”. It is an “icon” not of abstract truths, but of an event and a mystery: the Incarnation of the Word.

“When the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of woman”. Mary is that Woman. She is, so to speak, the “space” both physical and spiritual in which the Incarnation took place. But even the House in which she lived is a tangible reminder of the reality of this mystery.

Behind that altar, St Josemaria consecrated Opus Dei to our Mother. There is a tight space behind, entering the grilled door you see at the right.

 

The hidden life in there, reawakens in us the sense of holiness of the family, presenting a whole array of values, today so threatened, such as faithfulness, respect for life, the education of children, and prayer.

The Holy House recalls at the same time the greatness of the vocation to virginity for the Kingdom, and the gift of celibacy which had its glorious beginnings in the person of Mary, Virgin and Mother.

Here, we recognize the place of women in the Church and in society. Since God “sent his Son born of woman,” every woman was elevated, in Mary, to such a dignity greater than which no other can be conceived.

In addition, no theoretical consideration can ever exalt the dignity of human work more than the simple fact that the Son of God worked in this House and wanted to be called “son of the carpenter”.

And, about the “choice for the poor” The austere and humble walls of the Holy House visually remind us that God himself had inaugurated this choice in Mary.

Still on this theme of poverty and suffering, the sick have had a privileged place in the history of the Shrine. They were among the first to hasten as pilgrims to this House and to make it known to others. Where could they, moreover, be better welcomed, than in the House of Her whom precisely we invoke in the “Litany of Loreto” as “Health of the sick” and “Comforter of the afflicted”?

 

Christ, the light of all lights, follows John, the lamp that goes before him. The Word of God follows the Voice in the wilderness; the Bridegroom follows the bridegroom’s friend, who prepares a worthy people for the Lord by cleansing them by water in preparation for the Spirit.

We needed God to take our flesh and die for us, that we might live. We have died with him, that we may be purified. We have risen again with him, because we have died with him. We have been glorified with him, because we have risen again with him.

Thank you, Lord, for this privileged time to prepare ourselves to celebrate the event that marked history... and my history. God himself became incarnate in his Son, Jesus, to heal our original wound: that disobedience, that pride that turns us away from Love. May this Advent be my opportunity to bring Christ to those closest to me.

Illustration: The Holy House of Loreto and detail of the image of Our Lady.

 

 

 

Christians can help so many men and women who today have lost the foundation of life to find it. Our lives, our faith, make a difference when they are firmly united to the will of God. Then they become a beacon of light, a lighthouse, an indestructible rock to guide our brothers and sisters to the love and knowledge of God.

Today, is St. Juan Diego, to whom Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared. With him, we could say,

Thank you, Lord, for the dream that flooded my soul yesterday, I know it's worth it, but to have a vocation you have to be called ....

That day, you showed me what you expected from me. Thank you for trusting me...!!!!! I need to be what you want me to be, a light that illumines, a lighthouse in the middle of the world, and above all, to be yeast in the dough, that makes the batch rise, and still goes unnoticed....

 

8 DECEMBER: THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women. Thus, the Archangel St Gabriel could have greeted her in a hundred different ways, but he does so by reminding her of what is the most important thing for a Christian soul: that she is full of grace, the creature who enjoys a very special intimacy with God because she is filled with grace.

We too are loved by God, who has made us his children. By adopting us, he has placed his grace in our souls, which leads us to resemble Christ and become holy.

Do you strive to respond with complete generosity to God's inspirations? There are some words of Christ's in the Gospel that are very clear but that sometimes trouble me: For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away (Mk 4:25). If you and I respond to grace, like our Mother, God will enable us to respond even more; if we strive to be faithful to our calling, he will give us more help at every moment and make us holier each day. Let us make a firm resolution, then, to thank God for all the gifts he has bestowed on us.

Let us ask Holy Mary, Spes Nostra, our Hope, to kindle in us a holy desire that we may all come together to dwell in the house of the Father. Nothing needs disturb us if we make up our minds to anchor our hearts in a real longing for our true fatherland. Our Lord will lead us there with his grace, and he will send a good wind to carry our ship to the bright shores of our destination.

My resolution for today:

To live my life close to Mary, so that, one day, I may be sheltered under her blue mantle, happy forever.

Illustration: Immaculate Conception of Murillo

 

7 DECEMBER: NOVENA TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

God expects us to bear supernatural fruit. If we know Jesus, we realize that we can live only by giving ourselves to the service of others. Christians can’t be caught up in personal problems; they must be concerned about the universal Church and the salvation of all souls.

Our Lord often spoke about the need to bear fruit in our interior life and our apostolate. I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Mary, who brought Jesus up and accompanied him through his life and is now beside him in heaven, will help us recognize Jesus as he crosses our path and makes himself present to us in the needs of our fellow men.

“Don’t let discouragement enter into your apostolate. You haven’t failed, just as Christ didn’t fail on the Cross. Take courage!... Keep going, against the tide, protected by Mary’s Immaculate and Motherly Heart: Sancta Maria, you are my refuge and my strength. Hold your peace. Be calm... God has very few friends on earth. Don’t yearn to leave this world. Don’t shy away from the burden of the days, even though at times we find them very long.

“Many conversions, many decisions to give oneself to the service of God have been preceded by an encounter with Mary. Our Lady has encouraged us to look for God, to desire to change, to lead a new life. And so, her advice ‘Do whatever he tells you’ has turned into real self-giving, into a Christian vocation, which from then on enlightens all our personal life.” (St Josemaría)

My resolutions for today:

My prayer and action must go hand in hand. To live friendship intensely, open to all, to increase the number of friends and contacts.

Prayer always leads to specific apostolic deeds.

To foster a spirit of mortification.

To mark myself daily goals in the apostolate.

Illustration: Immaculate Conception by Alonso Cano

 

6 DECEMBER: NOVENA TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

“I am the Mother of Fair Love, and of fear, and of knowledge and of holy hope.” This is the lesson which Mary teaches us today: The lesson of the Most Beautiful Love, of living a clean life, of having a sensitive and passionate heart, so that we may learn to be faithful in our service to the Church. This is no ordinary love. It is Love itself. There is no room here for betrayal, calculation, or tepidity. It is a fair, beautiful love, because its beginning and end is God, who is thrice Holy, who is all Beauty, all Goodness, and all Greatness.

Jesus is our model for living holy purity. Among the virtues, charity, of course, is the highest, but chastity is indispensable. It is a "sine qua non" for anyone who wants to follow Christ. When it is missing, when a person fails to struggle, he becomes blind; he can't see anything.

At times I have seen an athlete's eyes light up at the sight of the obstacles he has to overcome. What a victory there is in store! How eagerly he conquers the difficulties! That is how the Lord our God looks upon us. He loves our struggle. We will always be victorious because he grants us his all-powerful grace. It doesn't matter if we have to fight, since he never abandons us.

At this very moment, you should trustingly beg Our Lady, as you accompany her in the solitude of your heart, without saying anything out loud: “Mother, this poor heart of mine rebels so foolishly! If you don’t protect me...” And she will help you to keep it pure and to follow the way to which God has called you.

“And now, my child, I ask you: how are you facing up to this battle? You know very well that a fight kept up from the beginning is a fight already won. Fight immediately, as soon as you are aware of the first sparks of passion, and even before. Also speak up immediately, if possible, even before anything happens.” (St Josemaría)

My resolutions for today:

Daily, to conquer myself, to apply the means to live chastity.

Human means: Sincerity: a savage sincerity in spiritual direction.

To guard my senses and my heart. Avoid being idle. Moderation in eating and drinking. Guarding my eyes and my heart, no tolerance for pornography.

Supernatural means: Mortification, small ones.

Prayer and the devout reception of the sacraments.

My love for our Lady; chastity is related to humility.

Illustration: Immaculate Conception of José Claudio Antolínez

 

5 DECEMBER: NOVENA TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

The prayer of our Mother. “Mary kept all these things and meditated upon them in her heart…” “His mother kept carefully all these things in her heart.” Twice the evangelist speaks of this prayerful attitude of our Mother, when facing the events of Jesus’ early life. The insistence of St Luke seems to be an echo the prayerful attitude of Mary, that he could have learnt from the apostles.

Mary meditates and keeps all the details in her heart. She knows about interior recollection and values in her intimacy the plans of God. Mary is always in prayer and everything she does is in reference to her Son.

I should learn from her to pray, to deal with God. Without prayer I am lost. With prayer I can achieve everything.

How is my prayer, is there dialog with God? Do I persevere in it? Do I use it as a remedy against temptation? Without prayer I lose joy. Prayer helps me to work better.

Nobody in this world knows how to deal with Jesus as well as his Mother did. And after his Mother, it is St Joseph. He could have spent hours looking at the Child, talking to him, dealing with him with simplicity and veneration. If I go to Mary and Joseph, I will learn to deal with our Lord.

Let us ask the blessed Virgin to teach us to recognize the constant calls from God, knocking at the door of our heart. Let us ask her now: “Help us to recognize him in the midst of the cares of each day. Stir up our mind and will so that we may listen to the voice of God, to the calls of grace.”

My resolutions for today:

To increase my devotion to Our Lady and to Saint Joseph, to be a person of prayer.

Illustration: Immaculate Conception called La Niña_Murillo

 

4 DECEMBER: NOVENA TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Mary is the Mother of Jesus and our Mother. This should lead us to have a tender, filial relationship with our Mother, fostering confidence in her. Mary is always ready to help us.

I should ask myself, what place does my Mother Mary occupy in my life? Have I “received” her in my life, as Saint John did? Or do I leave her alone, outside, not realizing that she is the person who has helped me most throughout my life? Today, have I often called her, “Mother”?

As a model of my relationship with Mary I should think of my relationship with my own mother on earth; that should be the pattern of my dealing with my Mother in heaven, with the most sweet name of Mary.

The Lord wants me to feel that I am a son of Mary, that I may love her because she is the person easiest to love, and that I may do so by means of little details with her of refinement and of love, perhaps very small but concrete ones.

My resolutions for today:

To repeat many aspirations,

To frequently glance at the image of Our Lady,

To make acts of atonement, considering that many Christians have forgotten about her, always going to her in any necessity,

To remember her with the Angelus and praying the Rosary.

Illustration: Immaculate Conception of Carreño de Miranda

 

3 DECEMBER: NOVENA TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Intercession of Mary. It is easy to imagine how she would have prepared the items her Son needed for his apostolic journeys along the roads of Palestine in the company of the Twelve. In Cana, Jesus shows us the power of Mary’s intercession. Later, when the drama of Calvary unfolded in all its bitter reality, Mary was present to help Jesus accomplish his mission, during his last moments on this earth. And her unshakable faith and hope brought strength to the apostles when the Body of her Son lay in the tomb.

Mary continually builds up the Church and keeps her together.

Mother, we thank you for your intercession before Jesus. Without you we would not have been able to reach Him. How true it is that one always goes to Jesus and returns to Him through Mary! (St Josemaría)

My resolutions for this day:

1. To go more often to the intercession of Our Lady; asking for the Church, for the pope, for the priests, for the families, for all our special intentions.

2. The Memorare…many.

3. The Rosary, with piety and attention, especially today.

Illustration: Immaculate Conception of José de Ribera (nicknamed Españoleto)

 

The Church invites everyone to look at Mary, the woman who personifies the original and authentic idea of what each person is, namely, the image of God.

This is our goal in the novena that begins today: to direct the eyes of those around us to holy Mary's beautiful countenance. We want them to discover her motherly affection and to learn to love her wholeheartedly. Undoubtedly the imitation of Christ is the road to follow if we are to be saints and reflect the absolute perfection of our heavenly Father....

But while the Catholic Church has always proclaimed this holy truth, it has also insisted that the imitation of the Virgin Mary in no way hinders one from faithfully following Christ, but rather makes this easier and more lovable.

Each day of this novena we too want to offer our Lady a rose by the deeds we perform in her service. At the evening examination of conscience, we hope to be able to say, “Here you have my gift for today, Mother.” And then from her heavenly throne she will smile upon us, for in those efforts of ours she will see the reality of our dedication.

30 NOVEMBER: NOVENA TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Today, all of us should strive to put greater diligence into prayer, into the fulfillment of our professional duties and into small voluntary mortifications, doing everything with filial love for the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God and of the Church, and our Mother. In addition, we also strive to grow in love for our Lady by showing her special signs of affection during these days and spreading devotion to her among our friends. Each day of the novena should be marked by a greater apostolic zeal. We want to awaken in many hearts a filial love for holy Mary, which perhaps has been weak or dormant for many years.

In recalling an incident from his own life, St Josemaría tells us, “Every year, during the month of May, the rector of an old seminary used to go to the rooms, knocking on the doors one by one, after the seminarians had already retired for the evening. When they opened the door, the rector would give them a rose to offer to our Lady. But whenever a seminarian had failed to be a good son of our heavenly Mother, either by breaking one of the rules or neglecting his study, the rector would knock on his door and say, ‘Today, you cannot offer our Lady a rose.’" I want to be able to offer her a beautiful rose every day of this Novena.

My resolutions for today:

1. Availability. “Behold the Handmaid of the Lord…” You want it, Lord? I also want it.

2. Increased spirit of prayer: “She kept all these things in her heart…”

3. To open our soul to the Lord by means of a good confession.

Illustration: Immaculate Conception of Museo del Prado by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

 

2 DECEMBER: NOVENA TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

The faith of Mary. “Blessed you who believed…” (Lk 1:45). Faith because God's plans are inscrutable: we know them only in a fragmented way, as though we were seeing just the knots of the reverse side of a splendid tapestry. But God sees, with complete clarity, the design and color and meaning of the entire work of art.

Life is like a path with signals. The first clue leads you to the next, and to the next. Similarly, it happens with the plans of God on us. It is like that children’s game of finding a treasure, each indication leads you to the next and to the next and at the end you shall find the treasure. Our treasure is Christ and the road leading to it is the fulfillment of the divine will. In our prayer, we find clues about what God is asking from us.

Our Lady meditated, she pondered on those events at the beginning of her vocation, alone with God. “Our Mother, you brought to earth Jesus, who reveals the love of our Father God. Help us to recognize him in the midst of the cares of each day. Stir up our mind and will so that we may listen to the voice of God, to the calls of grace.” (St Josemaría)

My resolutions for this day:

1. To look at all events and circumstances with the eyes of faith, the way God wants me to look at them, bringing them to my prayer.

2. To proclaim my faith with courage, talking about the Lord, talking about the treasure that I have found.

3. Liturgical piety, at Mass, the visit to the Tabernacle, my genuflections.

4. Aspirations, many, throughout the day. “Lord, increase my faith.”

Illustration: Immaculate Conception of Murillo

 

1 DECEMBER: NOVENA TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Generosity of Our Lady. “Behold the Handmaid of the Lord…” She gives herself totally to implement God’s Will. She accepts everything that the Lord is asking from her. Like her, I want that any occasion, or person, or plans recede to the second place in order to do what God is asking me to do. No excuses. No time to think it over from that moment. Jesus should be the reason for which I live.

Like her, I want to live generosity in the great things but also in the little things of my everyday life. I want to throw away any thought of egoism.

Mother, help me to give to God the best of my life.

My resolutions for today:

1. To ask Our Lady light to see what God wants from me and to have the courage to accomplish it.

2. More spirit of service to others. Specifically, having some details of generosity with the people close to me.

Illustration: Immaculate Conception by Tiepolo.