The Imitation of Mary

THE ESTEEM OF SANCTIFYING GRACE:
  They eagerly pursue earthly goods and neglect, or even scorn, the everlasting heritage of heavenly blessings set aside for them!
  Ungrateful hearts, pitiful victims of sin, whoever you may be, at least do not close your hearts to God's voice as He calls out to you (Ps 95:7-8).
  You can regain the grace of adoption which you threw away, for there is a second baptism: the baptism of penance. Make use of it with trust and assurance, for your heavenly Father's greatest desire is to make you His friends once more. But use it quickly. Who knows but that a short time from now you may no longer be able to do so!
  Pure and spotless Virgin, pray for us, that we may stop sinning, that we may sin no more, that we may persevere in our intention of making up for the great harm done by our sins.
  Your intercession will win us the grace of perfect friendship with God. Therefore, we shall be able to praise you for being, after your Son Jesus, the source of our salvation.

 

The Imitation of Mary

ESTEEM OF SANCTIFYING GRACE:

  Alas! How few Christians even reflect on this privilege! How few try to live holy lives and thus prove worthy of the dignity that is theirs! How few make an effort to keep unspotted the baptismal garment of sinlessness that marks the innocent, pure, and loving child of God!
  On the contrary, we often take pride in the honors bestowed by the world and, in an extraordinary inversion of values, put grace last, even though it is the only thing that, properly speaking, deserves our respect and esteem.
  Many take pride in not being unworthy descendants of a supposedly illustrious lineage. At the same time, however, they are not afraid to betray their spiritual descent from God by an unclean life given over to the pleasures of the senses. They boast of an independence that is in fact an illusion, but are not shamed to enter into a horrible partnership with the devil and thus to accept his dominion once again, to put on his uniform once more, and to return to the condition of slavery in which they had the misfortune of being born.

The Imitation of Mary

Esteem of Sanctifying Grace:
  Christian soul, in baptism you received the sanctifying grace that Mary received in the moment of conception. That grace brought you the right to call God your father and Jesus your brother. You became an heir of God and a coheir with Christ Jesus (Rom 8:17). The kingdom of heaven itself was set aside as your inheritance.
  Do you fully understand what a great and glorious privilege is yours? And do you understand all the duties it lays upon you?

The Imitation of Mary

ESTEEM OF SANCTIFYING GRACE;
  Mary was free of original sin from the very first moment of her existence; she possessed the grace of God in the very instant of her conception.
  All of us come into this world as the unfortunate victims of God's anger; Mary alone was protected from the very beginning by God's love and so came into this world as a masterpiece of grace.
  God did not want the temple in which He was to dwell to be soiled in any way. The Son's honor required that His Mother not be even for a single moment the slave of Satan.
  How Mary must have valued the incomparable favor done her. In her eyes that favor was, as wisdom had been for Solomon, the source of all blessing (Prov 8:18).
  The Lord possessed her from the beginning of His ways (Prov 8:22) That is what Mary valued more than anything earth could offer. She had many other prerogatives given her by God, but this first favor was more precious than all the rest, since it brought her closer to God. Her life in its entirety was continuous expression of gratitude to Him for a gift which she shared with no other pure creature.

The Imitation of Mary

  O Queen of all the virtues, is it not fitting that one who loves you should do for you what he does for his friends in this world?
  We try to adapt ourselves to our friends' character and to make their likes and dislikes our own. Such adaptation leads to a union of hearts. In fact, we may say that where there is no likeness there can be no friendship.
  Your heart, Blessed Virgin, is utterly humble, pure, submissive to God's will, and zealous for His interests. How can it be united in the bonds of affection to a heart that is pleasure-seeking, proud, unresigned to God's will, and without zeal for His glory?
  The Apostle rightly says: "If you love me, then imitate me as I imitate Jesus" (1 Cor 4:16). If you are really my children (Mary says), then make your mother's spirit your own: the spirit of charity, peace, self-denial, and reverent love for God.
  Holy Virgin, from now on I will show you my loving devotion by imitating your virtues. There is no greater homage, no greater proof of love, that I can give.

The Imitation of Mary

IMITATION OF THE VIRTUES OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN

  You claim to be the servants of Mary: do you really want to become like her in her sublime holiness? Then imitate, as far as you can, her lively faith, her prompt obedience, her deep humility, her selfless intentions, her generous love.

  Is there any one of you that cannot make it your aim, with the help of God's grace, to follow Mary's example in the practice of these virtues?

  Without such imitation your love for her will be a weak thing indeed, and you cannot expect to receive evident proof of her special protection.

  True enough, you recite daily prayers in her honor; you give external signs of your devotion to her; you belong to a society that is especially consecrated to her. And all this binds her to ask God for the saving graces you need.

  But if your devotion does not take you a step further and lead you to imitate her virtues, then your  devotion will not save you.

  The Philistines took possession of the ark of the Lord and adorned it with their gifts. But the ark did not become a source of blessing for them, because they continued to adore their idols as before.

The Imitation of Mary

IMITATION OF THE VIRTUES OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN

  Blessed those who do not abandon the way I have bidden them go! Blessed those who listen to what I tell them (Prov 8:32-33) and who follow the models of virtue I offer them.
  In putting these words on the lips of Mary, the Church urges us to study the life of the Queen of Saints and to imitate her splendid example.
  Happy the man who imitates our Lady, for in imitating her he imitates Jesus, king and incomparable model of all virtue.
  The Blessed Virgin's life contains lessons for everyone, If we study it, we learn how to live in prosperity and adversity, prayer and work, honors and humiliations.
  We shall never attain the perfection she brought to every action; but our perfection can be measured by our closeness to her.

 

Psalm 51:11

Do not drive me from your presence, nor take from me your holy spirit....

Ezekiel 1:28

Like the bow which appears in the clouds on a rainy day was the splendor that surrounded him. Such was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

The Light of the World would like to thank the Knights of Columbus for their generous contribution for putting on this Rectory Shower and Taco Salad Dinner....And a special thanks to all those who brought their gifts to be blessed.