Marian Solidarity

Message from Jesus
March 20, 2006
Monday, 11:21 p.m.

    “Child of My divine heart, it is I, your Jesus, and how I desire for you to transcribe My words of love and mercy.  Oh My pearl, for long before you were born I knew your name and all you would be called to do.  For you are My precious pearl, My bright and shining gem.

    “Little dove, spread your wings and soar with My majestic eagles, you have so much work to do.   I will not allow you to experience distractions as you embark on the road of holiness.  I, the Lord of all and Kings of Kings, go before you to bring light to all those living in darkness, as the just hand of My Father comes over the world.  Look around you, My pearl, at the current events and state of the world you live in.  Foolish men – they are in a deaf slumber.  Wake up; wake up, I say, for the Son of Man beckons out to all of mankind.

    “As I have warned My children before, do not be as the bridesmaids without their oil.   For you do not know the day or the hour.   Soon, certain nations will align only to recognize their folly.  For woe to those I say who have been blessed so abundantly and acted out of greed and did not share their knowledge and resources with the less fortunate.  Be prepared as events of cataclysmic magnitude continue to unfold.  Stay suited in holy armor and do not fear.

    “Remember, My words to you are sacred and My word reigns forever.  For you, My bright and shining pearl, have much work to do.  I will call you out amongst distant shores.  I will speak through you to nourish My people.  The banner waves and proclaims the triumphant reign of My Mother’s holy and immaculate heart.  The Dogma of My Mother as Coredemptrix and Mediatrix of all grace will be fulfilled.  Be prepared My pearl, as the mountains rumble, the sea roars, winds will blow mightily, and the earth will tremble.  The hour has come when men will see their souls as My Father sees them.  Pray that My mercy will be theirs.

    “My little pearl, I bless and anoint you with My kiss of mercy and pardon in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” 

Reprinted from the website, http://www.ourladyofthefingerlakes.com/. On the left column click 2006 in the ‘OUR LADY AND OUR LORD’S MESSAGES’ and scroll down to find the article.

Mary is definitively introduced into the mystery of Christ through this event: the Annunciation by the angel. This takes place at Nazareth, within the concrete circumstances of the history of Israel, the people which first received God’s promises. The divine messenger says to the Virgin: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Lk. 1:28). Mary “was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be” (Lk. 1:29): what could those extraordinary words mean, and in particular the expression “full of grace” (kecharitoméne).

If we wish to meditate together with Mary on these words, and especially on the expression “full of grace,” we can find a significant echo in this passage:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3). These words of the Letter to the Ephesians reveal the eternal design of God the Father, his plan of man’s salvation in Christ. It is a universal plan, which concerns all men and women created in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gen. 1:26).

And if after the announcement of the heavenly messenger the Virgin of Nazareth is also called “blessed among women” (cf. Lk. 1:42), it is because of that blessing with which “God the Father” has filled us “in the heavenly places, in Christ.” It is a spiritual blessing which is meant for all people and which bears in itself fullness and universality (“every blessing”). It flows from that love which, in the Holy Spirit, unites the consubstantial Son to the Father. At the same time, it is a blessing poured out through Jesus Christ upon human history until the end: upon all people. This blessing, however, refers to Mary in a special and exceptional degree: for she was greeted by Elizabeth as “blessed among women.”

The double greeting is due to the fact that in the soul of this “daughter of Sion” there is manifested, in a sense, all the “glory of grace,” that grace which “the Father…has given us in his beloved Son.” For the messenger greets Mary as “full of grace”; he calls her thus as if it were her real name. He does not call her by her proper earthly name: Miryam (= Mary), but by this new name: “full of grace.” What does this name mean? Why does the archangel address the Virgin of Nazareth in this way?

In the language of the Bible “grace” means a special gift, which according to the New Testament has its source precisely in the Trinitarian life of God himself, God who is love (cf. 1 Jn. 4:8). The fruit of this love is “the election” of which the Letter to the Ephesians speaks. On the part of God, this election is the eternal desire to save man through a sharing in his own life (cf. 2 Pt. 1:4) in Christ: it is salvation through a sharing in supernatural life. The effect of this eternal gift, of this grace of man’s election by God, is like a seed of holiness, or a spring which rises in the soul as a gift from God himself, who through grace gives life and holiness to those who are chosen. In this way there is fulfilled, that is to say there comes about, that “blessing” of man “with every spiritual blessing,” that “being his adopted sons and daughters…in Christ,” in him who is eternally the “beloved Son” of the Father.

When we read that the messenger addresses Mary as “full of grace,” the Gospel context, which mingles revelations and ancient promises, enables us to understand that among all the “spiritual blessings in Christ” this is a special “blessing.” In the mystery of Christ she is present even “before the creation of the world,” as the one whom the Father “has chosen” as Mother of his Son in the Incarnation. And, what is more, together with the Father, the Son has chosen her, entrusting her eternally to the Spirit of holiness. In an entirely special and exceptional way Mary is united to Christ, and similarly she is eternally loved in this “beloved Son,” this Son who is of one being with the Father, in whom is concentrated all the “glory of grace.” At the same time, she is and remains perfectly open to this “gift from above” (cf. Jas. 1:17). As the Council teaches, Mary “stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who confidently await and receive salvation from him.”

If the greeting and the name “full of grace” say all this, in the context of the angel’s announcement they refer first of all to the election of Mary as Mother of the Son of God. But at the same time the “fullness of grace” indicates all the supernatural munificence from which Mary benefits by being chosen and destined to be the Mother of Christ. If this election is fundamental for the accomplishment of God’s salvific designs for humanity, and if the eternal choice in Christ and the vocation to the dignity of adopted children is the destiny of everyone, then the election of Mary is wholly exceptional and unique. Hence also the singularity and uniqueness of her place in the mystery of Christ.

The divine messenger says to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High” (Lk. 1:30-32). And when the Virgin, disturbed by that extraordinary greeting, asks: “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” she receives from the angel the confirmation and explanation of the preceding words. Gabriel says to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (Lk. 1:35).

The Annunciation, therefore, is the revelation of the mystery of the Incarnation at the very beginning of its fulfillment on earth. God’s salvific giving of himself and his life, in some way to all creation but directly to man, reaches one of its high points in the mystery of the Incarnation. This is indeed a high point among all the gifts of grace conferred in the history of man and of the universe: Mary is “full of grace,” because it is precisely in her that the Incarnation of the Word, the hypostatic union of the Son of God with human nature, is accomplished and fulfilled.

this is an excerpt from Redemptoris Mater, an Encyclical Letter on the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Life of the Pilgrim Church by Pope John Paul II

Man of God, St. Joseph,
Faithful son of the Father.
Wise guardian of the Word made flesh;
Obedient servant of the Holy Spirit;
be to me a father and a friend.

Watchful protector of the Church,
teach me to reverence Jesus
the Bread of Life
and to love him in every crushed grain of
humanity, from which his Body is made

Chaste Husband of the Immaculate Virgin,
help me to honour Mary with a pure and
innocent mind, courageous chastity of body
and constant reflection on the mysteries of her Son.

Gentle Father of the Holy Family,
be mindful of my needs and those of my family.
Gather us in prayer each day with Jesus and Mary.

(Pause for silent reflection and prayer.)

Guard me from the evil of these times,
from the worship of riches,
from the destructive pursuit of pleasure and
from the pride that blinds me to the perfect love of Christ.

Show me how to live and work
in the presence of Jesus all the days of my life
and to come to him at the end in a death
as peaceful and happy as your own. Amen.

Gift of the Holy Spirit:
Love of God

Matt 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them (a scholar of the law) tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Matt 26:40

Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did it for me.

Meditation:

At long last, in God’s appointed hour, the Blessed Mary completes the first phase of her mission on earth (the second phase continues to this day), having accompanied the Church from its beginning at the breaking of bread during the first Eucharistic Sacrifice, witnessing at the foot of the Cross as living waters and the blood of redemption flowed from the Heart of her Crucified Son as the centurion thrust his spear into Jesus’ side and pierced her own Heart, at the birth of the Church in the first Pentecost with the disciples gathered with her in prayer when the Paraclete descended upon them in blazing tongues of fire, to her last days as shepherdess to the early Church. the Blessed Mary is now ready to enter into the Father’s reward in Paradise to join her Son and Joseph her most chaste spouse.

Accompanied by her Savior Son, with archangels and choirs of cherubim and seraphim, with trumpets blast, she enters in glory, body and soul, into the kingdom of heaven.

St. Joseph welcomes his Blessed Spouse with holy embrace and the his Holy Family, united at last in heaven, enters into the omnipresence of the Heavenly Father. The Holy, Mighty and Immortal One in Three, welcomes the Blessed Mary in resplendent glory and crowns her as Queen of heaven and earth for all eternity. St. Joseph, his heart overflowing with joy, takes his place of honor beside the Queen Mother and their Son in these heavenly festivities. His Holy Family is united again and his heart, at last, is at rest as he knows his beloved ones are now beyond harm’s reach.

Truly, blessed are the lowly for they shall be exalted. Blessed are those who, for the love of God, endures persecution, the reign of God is theirs. This Beatitude is proved true by the life of Joseph and his Holy Family. Theirs is the reign of God.

The Love of God is not listed as one of the seven gifts of the Spirit because it encompasses all the gifts: Fear of the Lord, Piety, Counsel, Fortitude, Understanding, Knowledge and Wisdom. These are the fruits of the Love of God.

Every person is born with the love of God etched in his heart which is created in God’s image. When our hearts respond to God’s love with our own love, this love of God implanted in us brings forth the fruits of the Spirit in our heart which becomes the depository of God’s treasures, enabling us to take to heart His commands. “Your heart is where your treasure is.” “If you love me, follow my commands.”

God is thus enthroned in our hearts where He reigns supreme with His reign of justice and love.

God is Love and the love of God is like God Himself, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the cause and the effect. His love is from eternity to eternity, infinity to infinity.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus represents both the word of God made flesh and the love of God pierced in sacrifice for the love of man. From this pierced Heart flows the living waters to cleanse us from our sins and to quench our thirst for the longing of God.

Mary responded perfectly to God’s love with her perfect love of God. The Heart of the Savior was formed in the mold of His Mother’s Heart, drawing His lifeblood from her heart. Her blood became God’s Precious Blood which we consume with the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus at the Sacrifice of the Mass. It is this Holy Communion of love that makes us blood brothers and sisters of Jesus and children of Mary as it is her Son’s blood taken from her that is transfused in us through the Holy Eucharist to give us life in the Spirit.

This blood union invites us to an Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, our own heart with the Sacred Heart of the Son and the Immaculate Heart of the Mother in a universal kingdom where God’s justice and loving mercy reign. The first to respond to this Alliance of Hearts is Joseph with his own unconditional love of God. He is our perfect model to guide us to enter into this sacred alliance of love, joining our hearts with the Hearts of Jesus and Mary in the company of Joseph.

When our love is commingled with God’s love, in the example of Joseph, it is transformed to perfect love, as when the drop of water in the cup of wine is transformed to wine. We will not know when God’s love ends and our love begins nor when our love ends and God’s love begins. We will love with the love of God and he in turn uses our love to express His love for mankind.

This grand alliance, the commingling of divine and human love is not for personal piety alone but an alliance of love to establish on earth God’s kingdom of justice and mercy. Justice is the highest form of love as merciful love is the perfection of justice.

Joseph is described by the Scriptures with three words, as “a just man”. His love of God compels him to act justly in every situation, towards every person, rendering upon each one his or her just due, with a love that is kind and merciful.

For us on earth who long for the beatific vision of God whom we are commanded to love with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength, this love of God must be proved by our love of neighbor. Our life on earth shall be judged by our adherence to this commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves.

In Mary and Joseph, our exemplars of the perfect love of God, is the fulfillment of the promise of the Beatitudes of exaltation: Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are the meek, they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who are persecuted for holiness sake, the reign of God is theirs.

Prayer:

Father Joseph, in your poverty you have gained the eternal riches of the Kingdom of God. In your humility, you are crowned and clothed with authority in the reign of God.

Merciful Joseph, humble and meek of heart, guide my family to live the way of Jesus and Mary, to live His Beatitudes as your Holy Family did. Grant that the Holy Spirit will bless and assist us with His Gifts.

Just Joseph, pray that we may never be unjust to any person but to render justice to everyone in all that we do.

Finally, my dearest Patron, grant that you will prepare a place for me and my family and for all those who are just to us.

Our Father, Ten Hail Marys, Glory Be

These meditations invite the reader to a spiritual journey with St. Joseph, reliving nine joyous, sorrowful, and glorious events in his life with his most beloved Jesus and Mary. They are meant for prayer and presented in the framework of a Novena Rosary of the Holy Family.

With love and devotion to the Holy Family,
Howard Joseph Q. Dee

Gift of the Holy Spirit:
Knowledge of God

1 Cor 15:12

But if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised.

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Meditation:

At the time of St. Joseph’s death, redemption of man was yet to be accomplished by his Foster Son, so the gates of Paradise were not yet opened to those who died in grace, including the martyrs and the saints. But at the very moment Jesus surrendered his life on the cross, tombs of many holy people opened and they rose from the dead.

The evangelist Matthew recounts in Matt 27:51-53:

“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

Christians in the early centuries believed that among these holy people who were raised to life were St. Joseph and St. John the Baptist. After Jesus’ resurrection on that first Easter, they entered the city and were seen by many.

Blessed Joseph was the holiest of the holy people – he and Mary were the first among the redeemed – and it would be more surprising if he were not counted among these selected holy souls who rose from their tombs to give witness to Jesus’ own resurrection.

Imagine the great rejoicing of the Holy Family as the risen Jesus appears to His Mother, and they are joined by St. Joseph. What a great reunion of the Holy Family, with tears of joy streaming down their holy faces, singing praises of homage and glory to God.

The great humility of Joseph did not permit the evangelists to record even one word spoken by him, much less this event of his being raised to life. Many saints also believed that the risen Jesus appeared first to His Mother before he appeared to Mary Magdalene but this was not recorded by the evangelists.

St. Francis de Sales was certain that St. Joseph resurrected from the dead and was brought to heaven, body and soul, with Jesus on Ascension Day. He wrote: “What is there left for us to say now if not that, in no way, must we doubt that this glorious saint enjoys much credit in heaven in the company of the One who favored him so much as to raise him there, body and soul. It seems to me no one can doubt this truth, for how could He have refused this grace to St. Joseph, he who had been obedient at all times in his entire life …. he who had the honor and the grace of carrying Him so often in his holy arms in which Our Lord had found so much delight? O how happy we shall be if we can be worthy of having a share in his holy intercessions! For nothing will be refused him, neither by Our Lady nor by her Glorious Son.”

It was said that Pope John XXIII also held this belief of the early centuries that St. Joseph and John the Baptist were assumed into heaven, together with Jesus on the day of His Ascension.

Who could imagine the glories and honors reserved in heaven for St. Joseph as he enters Paradise escorted by His Risen Son? Suffice it for us to say that the Omnipotent Father must have prepared the grandest celebration that we cannot even begin to imagine, with the heavenly hosts and the choirs of cherubim and seraphim, all the Saints and Martyrs in attendance.

Contemplate this scene as the Son presents His Foster Father to the Father in His heavenly throne. What rejoicing there must be! A special place is given to St. Joseph befitting the Father’s Surrogate on earth whom His Beloved Son called Father.

Blessed indeed is Joseph who is pure of heart, for he sees God face to face.

We speak here of Knowledge not in the ordinary sense as even unbelievers are capable of common knowledge. We speak here of the Spirit’s gift of Knowledge which is a personal and intimate knowledge of God and the things of God. As when Jesus said: “No one knows the Father except the Son and no one knows the Son except the Father,” He was speaking of a personal, intimate and profound knowledge between Him and His Father in heaven.

This intimate knowledge of God is given only to the pure in heart. This personal knowledge and intimacy with God is the ultimate gift of the Spirit to those who live the Spirit of the Beatitudes.

As Proverbs 2:1-5 say:

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

Blessed Joseph lives this life of the Beatitudes to the full. He is single hearted, pure in heart and spirit. Joseph is the first man to follow the counsel of Jesus: “Be perfect as My Father is perfect.” Jesus was speaking of His Father in heaven but his example of perfection could very well apply to His Foster Father on earth.

St. Joseph’s greatest reward in heaven is the perfect knowledge of the perfect God.

Prayer:

Blessed St. Joseph, you know my failings in living the Spirit of the Beatitudes. How far I am from your example in the things that are of God. But I trust in your fatherhood as you are the Father of Divine Mercy.

Be a merciful father: do not abandon me and my loved ones to the evil one. Send the Angels to guard us, the Saints to guide us.

Bring us close to the Hearts of your Son and His Mother and speak a kind word to them on our behalf, that we too, one day, may enter Paradise and come to the full knowledge of God in the company of your Holy Family and the angels and saints. Amen.

Our Father. Ten Hail Marys. Glory Be.

Gift of the Holy Spirit:
Wisdom

Wisdom 8:1-7

Indeed, wisdom reaches from end to end mightily and governs all things well.

Her I loved and sought after from my youth, I sought to take her for my bride and was enamored by her beauty.

She adds to nobility the splendor of companionship with God, even the Lord all loved her.

For she is the instructress in the understanding of God, the selector of his works. And if riches be a desirable possession in life, what is more rich than Wisdom, who produces all things?

Or if one loves justice, the fruits of her works are virtues;

For she teaches moderation and prudence, justice and fortitude, and nothing in life is more useful for men than these.

Meditation:

The Proverb: “The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom” aptly describes St. Joseph and his departure from earth. Wisely, he departs quietly.

There is no scriptural passage relating the death of St. Joseph. This is in keeping with the respect of the Evangelists for his silent humility and poverty of spirit. Christian tradition tells us that St. Joseph died the holiest and happiest of deaths, in the embrace of Jesus and Mary.

But his dying is not without sorrowful tears for the Holy Family, knowing that the Patriarch-protector is leaving, even before Jesus’ destined hour has come.

Joseph’s inestimable joy is to be in the presence of His beloved Jesus and Mary. Now that he is leaving them, this joy has turned into spiritual sadness, knowing that he would not be sharing in the paschal hour of his Savior Son and His Mother. He would no longer be there to protect and console them and be with them when the hour of their agony and passion arrives.

As surrogate Father, he wisely knows that it is now time for him to fade away before Jesus’ appointed hour arrives. Jesus and Mary bid him farewell with loving kisses. In their sweet embrace, Mother and Son bless him and entrust his soul to the care of the Heavenly Father who sends a retinue of angels to escort his soul to await the Resurrection when the heavenly gates shall be opened.

The episode at the temple when Jesus was twelve – speaking to His parents of His Father’s affairs – was only a preview of what eventually would come. At that time, Joseph could not understand. Now, having been given the fullness of Wisdom, he realizes that the time has come for the Father in heaven to receive from him the ‘handing over’ of his earthly task, a task that he has realized so well in life.

Joseph has completed his mission, fulfilling his assigned role as Substitute of the Father. What Jesus had said could very well be spoken by Joseph: “I come not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”

After the demise of St. Joseph, in the first public appearance of Jesus at the river Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptizer, it is the heavenly Father who introduces His Son: “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” The son of the carpenter is now publicly proclaimed by His Father in heaven as the Son of the Most High God.

In his role as surrogate father of the Messiah, Joseph was infused by the Holy Spirit with the Gift of Wisdom to perform his role to perfection. This innate wisdom has produced in him the other cardinal virtues of justice, fortitude, prudence and temperance, earning for him the description of “a just and upright man.”

This passage from Proverbs 2:6-11 perhaps best describes Joseph’s special gifts, the virtues corresponding to his being a “just and upright man,” one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness and godliness.

“For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He holds victory in store for the upright; he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Then you will understand what is right and just and fair – every good path.

For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you”.

In all his travails, when he was put to the test, time and again, Joseph never doubts the goodness of God. From this wisdom, he derives his understanding of God’s plans, and the fortitude to carry them out, in joy as in adversity, even now in his last moments as his life flickers away. It is this eternal wisdom that is the wellspring of his justice and righteousness, the source of his hunger for God and His ways.

Even as he is dying and leaving his two dearly beloved, he never loses trust in the providence of God. He is obedient to the end, “a just and upright man.” Certainly, the Lord holds him victorious and gives Joseph his fill as he leaves this world.

Prayer:

Father Joseph, just and wise, you have run the race and emerged victorious, faithful and true.

Teach me Wisdom that my life will bring forth justice and truth.

Give me your hunger for righteousness and thirst for justice that I may walk the good path and have my fill of God’s merciful love.

Grant me a share of your Wisdom that I too, in imitation of you, my Father, will be faithful and obedient to the end of my days to enjoy the fullness of God’s Holy Presence. Amen.

Our Father. Ten Hail Marys. Glory Be.

These meditations invite the reader to a spiritual journey with St. Joseph, reliving nine joyous, sorrowful, and glorious events in his life with his most beloved Jesus and Mary. They are meant for prayer and presented in the framework of a Novena Rosary of the Holy Family.

With love and devotion to the Holy Family,
Howard Joseph Q. Dee