Blessed Mother

I am by no means a theologian, so when I write things like this they come across I think as slightly disjointed. But not everyone is, or can be, a theologian. And while theology is a great thing, sometimes faith comes through in simple things. For me, it is in that simplicity that I find my greatest understanding of the role of the Blessed Mother. The way I understand her role most is through the wedding at Cana.

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. And they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the feast had all been used, and the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ Jesus said, ‘Woman, what do you want from me? My hour has not come yet.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ [John 2:1-5]

The first thing she does is bring the problem before Jesus. They have no wine. Even thinking about a modern wedding one can see how embarrassing that would be for the hosts and the newlyweds (I’m not sure who would be the host at a Jewish wedding). The hostess in me is horrified by the very thought of not being able to provide for one’s guests appropriately. Mary only says a few words, but that is all she needs. She doesn’t press the issue, or even ask Him to do anything. I find it such a wonderful illustration of her intercession for us. When she hears our petitions, she brings them before her son. She joins us in our troubles and shares in our petition.

The second thing she does is to tell the servants to do as Jesus instructs them. Do whatever he tells you. Having given Him their petition, she simply tells them to do as He says. Her whole interaction here has been to point the servants to Jesus. She leads them to Him. This is also beautifully illustrated in one of my favourite depictions of the Blessed Mother. Hodegetria – She who shows the Way. My old parish had an icon of the Black Madonna of Czetochowska in the shrine to Our Lady and it always captivated me. It is such a simple gesture, Mary’s hand pointing towards the infant Jesus, but it speaks volumes. She doesn’t draw attention to herself, she draws it to her son. She shows the way to Him. And not only does she show the way, she reminds us to follow Him. She reminds us that He can help us, and to trust in Him.

Even when the problem seems impossible, nothing is impossible to Christ.

Hodegetria – She who shows the Way

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.

On My Favourite Saints, Part 2

This is the second part of my favourite saints, you can read the first part here.

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Saint Augustine and Saint Monica, Ary Scheffer

Saint Augustine is famous for having said “God grant me chastity and continence, but not yet.” I have read some small sections of his Confessions and can honestly say it is one of the most beautiful writings I have come across. It is harrowing, and perhaps not for the faint-hearted, but nonetheless his life captured me. As with other saints I have talked about, it was his conversion that inspired me. The way he once lived his life and the way he lived in Christ were so totally apart from each other.

Interestingly, Saint Augustine was greatly influenced and actually baptised by the next saint on this list.

Saint Ambrose of Milan

Mosaic of Saint Ambrose

I have mentioned Saint Ambrose a few times before. I had a dream of taking him as my patron at my clothing, since I was confirmed on his feast day (Funny Coincidences). His appointment as Bishop was something he faced with great reluctance and tried to hide. But he did in the end give himself over to the will of God and I think that is something that speaks to me. To me he is a reminder that we cannot run from the will of God, and that we cannot hide from Him.

Saint Joan of Arc

Painting ca. 1845

The reason I love Saint Joan is simply because of one quote from during her trial. She was asked the question “Do you know whether or not you are in God’s grace?” The question was designed to trick her, but her response was beautiful. “If I am not, may God put me there; and if I am, may God so keep me.” Something about that response just captures me. It speaks of her great love for God, of her humility, of her trust in the Lord.

Saint Bernadette

Photograph of Saint Bernadette

One of my dreams is to go to Lourdes. I remember first hearing about her when I was in RCIA and was just completely taken aback. I had heard of Marian apparitions before of course but never really appreciated them before. A simple little girl was graced with a vision of the Blessed Mother herself. What an incredible and beautiful gift! She helped bring me closer to our Blessed Mother, so for that she will always be special to me.

My Stuff

So I went round my room with my camera the other day taking pictures of a few of the more important Catholic things I keep around my room.

My Our Lady of Sorrows holy card:

I wrote about this in the My Patrons page (top right if you’re interested). The card looked like this when I found it, so it’s not me mistreating it! It’s not laminated or even that plastic type paper, so it gets damaged easily.

My (no longer) standing crucifix:

This did used to be a standing crucifix. The base broke when I moved over the summer, you can kind of see at the bottom. It now hangs on one wall thanks to some thread I looped through the horizontal beam.

My wall crucifix:

I bought this after my standing crucifix broke. I like that it is much simpler than the standing crucifix.

My statue of Our Blessed Mother:

And last but definitely not least, Our Blessed Mother. I believe this statue is Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal – the medal at her feet kind of gave it away. The reason I bought this over any other in the store was that our Blessed Mother is crushing the serpent beneath her foot and I liked that about it.

I also have a rosary on the wall alongside my bed and my blessed palm from Palm Sunday is tucked above the whiteboard on my wall. So every wall of my room has something on it, which I think is pretty awesome. I’m after a Hodegetria icon, but I can’t afford one at the moment. And some saints would be awesome, but again I can’t afford anything at the moment. I keep a holy card of Our Lady of Grace in my purse, and I have two holy cards of St. Benedict floating around in various places.

Anyway, a little departure from my usual posts but I hope you enjoy it!