Marian Solidarity

5th Day –  The Finding of Jesus in the Temple

O Mary, Our Mother
we come to this place
where you who are sinless
appeared full of grace.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!

Make the sign of the cross.
- In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
   And of the Holy Spirit.
- Amen

Luke 2 : 41-52

Every year his parents used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.  When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual.   When the days of the feast were over and they set off home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it.  They assumed he was somewhere in the party, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances.  When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere. It happened that, three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies.  They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him’ “My child, why have you done this to us?  See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.”  He replied, “Why were you looking for me?  Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”  But they did not understand what he meant.  He went down with them then and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority.  His mother stored up all these things in her heart.  And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and with people.

This episode announces the death and resurrection of the Lord:  Jesus was found again, and He rose again, on the third day.  Mary and Joseph are confused and do not understand.  Mary, His mother, however “stored up all these things in her heart”, and life returns to normal in Nazareth.

In society and in the Church we must make an effort to understand each other.  The effort, however, is not always crowned with success.  We must learn to live with those whom we don’t understand, and who don’t understand us;  Those  whom we exclude or who feel excluded.

Jesus has always been the great Excluded, and yet He is the Savior.  We shall offer this decade for all those who feel misunderstood or excluded.

Recite the Our Father.
Recite one decade of the Rosary thinking about the Mystery being contemplated.

Hail Mary, full of grace;
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit who is now and shall be evermore. Amen!

Concluding prayer:

Lord
You prepared Mary to be the Mother of your Son.
By her Immaculate Conception,
You protected her from sin, from all the wounds of sin.
This is why She had the strength to say “yes” in faith,
from the Annunciation to the Cross.
What you realized in Mary, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In Lourdes, Lord, you prepared Bernadette
to be a witness to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
In the transparency of her heart,
in her humility and courage,
she thwarted all the tricks of the evil one,
What you realized in Bernadette, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In these days before our pilgrimage Lord,
Prepare us to receive the grace of the Jubilee.

That we may be ready to receive Your word,
of  which Mary is the echo;

Ready to be reconciled with You
And with our neighbors, close or distant;
Ready to experience this Church event
in fraternal communion, prayer and service.

May Mary guide us to the Grotto of Massabielle,
so that, on our return, we too may say with her
“The Lord has done great things for us”.

4th Day = The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

O Mary, Our Mother
we come to this place
where you who are sinless
appeared full of grace.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!

Make the sign of the cross.
- In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
   And of the Holy Spirit.
- Amen.

Luke 2 : 27-38

 Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:  Now, Master, you are letting your servant go in peace as you promised; for my eyes have seen the salvation which you have made ready in the sight of the nations; a light of revelation for the gentiles and glory for your people Israel.  As the child’s father and mother were wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Look, he is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is opposed – and a sword will pierce your soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.”  There was a prophetess, too, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.  She was well on in years.  Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow.  She was now eighty four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer.  She came up just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.

Mary and Joseph offer the infant Jesus to God his Father, like all first born children in Israel.  Jesus’ whole life will be an offering.  He came to accomplish the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, and He still offers Himself for us in the Eucharist.  Scripture applies this verse of the Psalm (40: 6-7) to Him:

You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings
but an open ear.
You do not ask for holocaust and victim.
Instead here am I.

When addressing the sick and handicapped in Lourdes on 15th August 1983, Pope John Paul II, seriously wounded two years before, said that for a Christian “the most beautiful gesture one can make is the offering of self”.  We shall therefore recite this decade for the intention of the sick, the handicapped, and their families, so that through this self-offering they may find a way out of their suffering.

Recite the Our Father.
Recite one decade of the Rosary thinking about the Mystery being contemplated.

Hail Mary, full of grace;
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit who is now and shall be evermore Amen!

Concluding prayer:

Lord
You prepared Mary to be the Mother of your Son.
By her Immaculate Conception,
You protected her from sin, from all the wounds of sin.
This is why She had the strength to say “yes” in faith,
from the Annunciation to the Cross.
What you realized in Mary, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In Lourdes, Lord, you prepared Bernadette
to be a witness to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
In the transparency of her heart,
in her humility and courage,
she thwarted all the tricks of the evil one,
What you realized in Bernadette, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In these days before our pilgrimage Lord,
Prepare us to receive the grace of the Jubilee.

That we may be ready to receive Your word,
of  which Mary is the echo;

Ready to be reconciled with You
And with our neighbors, close or distant;
Ready to experience this Church event
in fraternal communion, prayer and service.

May Mary guide us to the Grotto of Massabielle,
so that, on our return, we too may say with her
“The Lord has done great things for us”.

3rd Day –  The Nativity

O Mary, Our Mother
we come to this place
where you who are sinless
appeared full of grace.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!

Make the sign of the cross.
- In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
   And of the Holy Spirit.
- Amen.

Luke 2: 1-20

 Now it happened that at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be made of the whole inhabited world.  This census–the first–took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.  So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee for Judaea, to David’s town called Bethlehem, since he was of David’s House and line, in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.  Now it happened that, while they were there, the time came for her  to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first-born.  She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the living-space.  In the countryside close by, there were shepherds out in the fields keeping guard over their sheep during the watches of the night.  An angel of the Lord stood over them and the glory of the Lord shone round them.  They were terrified, but the angel said, “Do not be afraid.  Look, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”  And all at once with the angel there was a great throng of the hosts of heaven, praising God with the words:  Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace for those he favors.  Now it happened that when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this event which the Lord has made known to us”.  So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.  When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds said to them.  As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.  And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as they had been told.

The Messiah is born in the town of David, Bethlehem.  God is faithful to his promises.  The message of the angels is destined for the whole world: all mankind is called to give glory to God, the Creator; and all men, loved by Him, receive a message of salvation and peace.

Pilgrims in Lourdes have always prayed for peace, in particular during the International Military Pilgrimage.  Often countries at war with each other participate in this pilgrimage.  We offer this decade for peace between peoples, in society, and in our families.

 
Recite the Our Father.
Recite one decade of the Rosary thinking about the Mystery being contemplated.

Hail Mary, full of grace;
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit who is now and shall be evermore Amen!

Concluding prayer:

Lord
You prepared Mary to be the Mother of your Son.
By her Immaculate Conception,
You protected her from sin, from all the wounds of sin.
This is why She had the strength to say “yes” in faith,
from the Annunciation to the Cross.
What you realized in Mary, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In Lourdes, Lord, you prepared Bernadette
to be a witness to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
In the transparency of her heart,
in her humility and courage,
she thwarted all the tricks of the evil one,
What you realized in Bernadette, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In these days before our pilgrimage Lord,
Prepare us to receive the grace of the Jubilee.

That we may be ready to receive Your word,
of  which Mary is the echo;

Ready to be reconciled with You
And with our neighbors, close or distant;
Ready to experience this Church event
in fraternal communion, prayer and service.

May Mary guide us to the Grotto of Massabielle,
so that, on our return, we too may say with her
“The Lord has done great things for us”.

IN honor of the Nuestra Señora de la Candelarias or the Candlemas Virgin.
Jaro, Iloilo, in the Philippines celebrates today the Candlemas Festival.

Candlemas Virgin was the title bestowed on the Blessed Virgin Mary to commemorate the Presentation of Jesus and Mary’s own rite of Purification in accordance with the Jewish Law. The feast is marked by candles being blessed and a procession of lights showing Mary as the bearer of light.

In the Philippines, it is said that the Image of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria was found by a fisherman in a river in Iloilo in 1587. It took several men to lift the image because it was heavy. When it was decided that the image would be brought to Jaro, the image became lighter. It was placed in a small church located in the town of La Paz. In 1867, when Jaro became a diocese, a cathedral was constructed in the town proper named after St. Elizabeth of Hungary. The image was placed on a portal high on the front of the cathedral so that Our Lady could see the entire town.

The image was lighted by a lamp but after a while, the people neglected this duty. It is said that one evening in 1874, Our Lady appeared to a Chinese businessman as a beautiful young woman with her child. She bought an oil lamp. Curious, the businessman followed the woman and found her bathing her child at the artesian well located across the street from church. Soon people started bathing in the same well and were cured of their ailments. This led to a great devotion to Our Lady of the Candles.

The image was canonically crowned by Pope John Paul II in 1981 during his visit to the Philippines. Today, religious pilgrims flock to Jaro, Iloilo to participate in the procession of the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria with the Carnival Queen and all the pageantry and ceremony that goes with this great honor. Other highlights of the Candlemas Festival are the blessing of the green wax candles called the Perdon and an hourly liturgical Mass the whole day.

In keeping with the celebration of Our Lady of Candles, let us ask Jesus to guide our steps each day and to ask His grace so that we may be free from all blindness of sin.

source – http://www.mb.com.ph/OPED20090202147094.html

2nd Day –  The Visitation

O Mary, Our Mother
we come to this place
where you who are sinless
appeared full of grace.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!

 Make the sign of the cross.
- In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
   And of the Holy Spirit.
- Amen.

Luke 1: 39-56

Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into the hill country to a town in Judah.  She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.  Now it happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  She gave a loud cry and said, “Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.   Why should I be honored with a visit from the mother of my Lord?  Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy.  Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.”  And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant.  Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me.  Holy is his name, and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him.  He has used the power of his arm, he has routed the arrogant of heart.  He has pulled own princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly.  He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty.  He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his faithful love – according to the promise he made to our ancestors-of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants forever.  Mary stayed with her some three months and then went home.

Just like Mary with the Angel, Elizabeth is surprised by Mary’s visit.  “Surprise”: the word is inadequate.  “Why should I be honored with a visit from the mother of my Lord?”  Bernadette is also surprised.  Until the 16th apparition on 25th March, she dared not say that the Blessed Virgin was appearing to her.

Conversion is born of surprise: why should the Lord be interested in me?  Why should I matter in His eyes?  We offer this decade so that man, and we, ourselves in particular, may hear the call to conversion, and that we may do penance as John the Baptist, Jesus, and Mary asks us.

Recite the Our Father.
Recite one decade of the Rosary thinking about the Mystery being contemplated.

Hail Mary, full of grace;
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit who is now and shall be evermore Amen!

Concluding prayer:

Lord
You prepared Mary to be the Mother of your Son.
By her Immaculate Conception,
You protected her from sin, from all the wounds of sin.
This is why She had the strength to say “yes” in faith,
from the Annunciation to the Cross.
What you realized in Mary, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In Lourdes, Lord, you prepared Bernadette
to be a witness to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
In the transparency of her heart,
in her humility and courage,
she thwarted all the tricks of the evil one,
What you realized in Bernadette, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In these days before our pilgrimage Lord,
Prepare us to receive the grace of the Jubilee.

That we may be ready to receive Your word,
of  which Mary is the echo;

Ready to be reconciled with You
And with our neighbors, close or distant;
Ready to experience this Church event
in fraternal communion, prayer and service.

May Mary guide us to the Grotto of Massabielle,
so that, on our return, we too may say with her
“The Lord has done great things for us”.

1st Day – The Annunciation

O Mary, Our Mother
we come to this place
where you who are sinless
appeared full of grace.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!

Make the sign of the cross.
- In the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
  And of the Holy Spirit.
- Amen.

Luke 1: 26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her,”Rejoice, you who enjoy God’s favour! The Lord is with you.” She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, “Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob forever and his reign will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.” Mary said, “You see before you the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said.” And the angel left her.

Mary says “yes”. She is the servant of the Lord. We offer this decade for all Lourdes volunteers, who place themselves at the service of God through the service to their brothers and sisters, particularly those who are sick or handicapped.

Recite the Our Father.
Recite one decade of the Rosary thinking about the Mystery being contemplated.

Hail Mary, full of grace;
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus,
conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit who is now and shall be evermore Amen!

Concluding prayer:

Lord
You prepared Mary to be the Mother of your Son.
By her Immaculate Conception,
You protected her from sin, from all the wounds of sin.
This is why She had the strength to say “yes” in faith,
from the Annunciation to the Cross.
What you realized in Mary, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In Lourdes, Lord, you prepared Bernadette
to be a witness to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
In the transparency of her heart,
in her humility and courage,
she thwarted all the tricks of the evil one,
What you realized in Bernadette, Lord, is admirable.
We give you thanks.

In these days before our pilgrimage Lord,
Prepare us to receive the grace of the Jubilee.

That we may be ready to receive Your word,
of which Mary is the echo;

Ready to be reconciled with You
And with our neighbors, close or distant;
Ready to experience this Church event
in fraternal communion, prayer and service.

May Mary guide us to the Grotto of Massabielle,
so that, on our return, we too may say with her
“The Lord has done great things for us”.