A Christmas Meditation

Under the dim light of a lamp Mary most holy contemplated the newborn Infant. In him she noticed her own features and with trembling tenderness and love she placed on that face the first kiss. Over that Infant who was the Son of God, but also her son, she rejoiced as no other mother in the world ever has for the birth of her child. Enraptured, she must have adored and contemplated, unable to express her sentiments.

                                                - La Madonna nella Rivelazione, Father Pietrafesa

Historical Fruit of Devotion to Mary

The world is governed by its ideals, and seldom or never has there been one which has exercised a more salutary influence than the medieval conception of the Virgin. For the first time woman was elevated to her right position, and the sanctity of weakness was recognized, as well as the sanctity of sorrow. No longer the slave or toy of man, no longer associated only with ideas of degradation and of sensuality, woman rose, in the person of the Virgin Mother, into a new sphere, and became the object of reverential homage, of which antiquity had no conception…. A new type of character was called into being; a new kind of admiration was fostered. Into a harsh and ignorant and benighted age this ideal type infused a conception of gentleness and purity, unknown to the proudest civilization of the past. In the pages of living tenderness, which many a monkish writer has left in honor of his celestial patron; in the millions who, in many lands and many ages, have sought to mould their character into her image; in those holy maidens who for love of Mary have separated themselves from all the glories and pleasures of the world, to seek in fastings and vigils and humble charity to render themselves worthy of her benediction; in the new sense of honor, in the chivalrous respect, in the softening of manners, in the refinement of tastes displayed in all the walks of society; in these and in many other ways we detect its influence. All that was best in Europe clustered around it, and it is the origin of many of the purest elements of our civilization.

                                                              - William H. Lecky, History of Rationalism, vol. 1, p. 225
(It should be noted that William H. Lecky was a known unbeliever and rationalist but as a historian when examining the historical evidence and positive influence of the Holy Virgin upon nations and peoples even he had to admit in objective truth that the Virgin has had a real and positive influence upon history.)

Ave Maria!

A beautiful photo of Our Lady of Sorrow

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Seven Sorrows Devotion

From the blogger: The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady is a powerful devotion and one particularly suited for the spiritual warfare of our times. The Church has honored our the Blessed Virgin Mary's sufferings under the following seven sufferings:

1) The Prophecy of St. Simeon

2) The Flight into Egypt 

3) The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple

4) Mary meets Jesus on the Way of the Cross

5) Mary stands at the foot of the Cross

6) The piercing of Jesus's side and the taking down of the body of Jesus from the Cross

7) The Burial of Jesus

This devotion can be practiced by either reciting 7 Hail Mary's in honor of the Sorrows or the recitation of the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows. I urge any Catholic reader of this blog to please institute this devotion in your life, it will purify from sin and especially any persistent sin you may have difficulty in overcoming. Our Lord promised four special graces for this devotion:

1) Those who invoke the Heavenly Mother through her sorrows will obtain true sorrow for their sins before death.

2) Our Savior will protect them in their tribulations, especially at the hour of death.

3) He will impress upon them the memory of His Passion, and will reward them for it in Heaven.

4) He will commit such devout servants to the hands of Mary, that she may dispose of them according to her pleasure, and obtain for them all the graces she desires.

Father Faber also enumerates a few more graces:

1) This devotion has a remarkable connection with great interior holiness.

2) It reveals the emptiness of worldly joys. Worldliness finds no soul harder to attack than one entrenched in the sorrows of our Blessed Lady. The world can graft itself upon nothing in this devotion.

3) It gives us a permanent share in the sorrow for sin which Jesus and Mary felt.

4) It keeps our thoughts close to Jesus Christ, and to Him Crucified.

5) It communicates to our souls the spirit of the Cross and gives us strength to endure our own sufferings with resignation to the Holy Will of God.

6) This devotion is wholly covered with the Precious Blood of Jesus and leads us directly into the depths of the Heart of our Savior.

7) Anyone who during his lifetime has cherished compassion for this afflicted Mother may consider this as a most assured sign of predestination.

Please pray to Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows!

The Weaver

The Virgin's festival incites our tongue today to herald her praise. Mary is the handmaid and Mother, Virgin and Heaven, the only bridge of God to men, the awful loom of the Incarnation, in which by some unspeakable way the garment of that union was woven, whereof the weaver is the Holy Ghost; and the spinner the overshadowing from on high; the wool the ancient fleece of Adam; the woof the undefiled flesh from the virgin; the weaver's shuttle the immense grace of Him Who brought it about; the artificer the Word gliding through the hearing.

                                                                          - Saint Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople (+ 447): sermon preached in 429 at Ephesus

The Sorrowful Hail Mary composed and promulgated by Blessed Pope Pius IX

Hail Mary, full of sorrows, the Crucified is with thee; thou are pitiable among women, and pitiable is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus! Holy Mary, Mother of the Crucified, implore for us, the crucifiers of thy Son, tears of contrition, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

-An indulgence of 100 days for this prayer promulgated by Blessed Pope Pius IX.

The Atheist

If anyone does not believe that Holy Mary is the Mother of God, such a one is a stranger to the Godhead. If anyone shall say that Christ passed through the Virgin as through a channel and was not formed in her both in divine and human fashion - divine because without a husband's cooperation, human because conceived in accordance with human law- such a one too is an atheist. If anyone shall say that a man was made, and that afterwards God entered into him- he renders himself liable to damnation.

                                                                            -St. Gregory Nazianzen, Doctor of the Church (+390)

The Hail Mary (2)

I come to you, therefore, with humility and reverence, with devotion and confidence, and with the greeting of Gabriel on my lips - a greeting that I joyously repeat with head bowed in respect and with hands open in deep devotion. I pray that this greeting may be repeated a hundred, a thousand, and even more times on my behalf by all the heavenly spirits. Indeed, I do not know anything dearer and more worthy I can offer you than this greeting.

Listen now to one most enamored of your name: "Heaven rejoices and earth is amazed when I say: Hail, Mary! Satan flees, hell trembles when I say: Hail, Mary! The world becomes contemptible, the flesh foul, when I say: Hail, Mary! Sadness disappears and joy returns when I say: Hail, Mary! Tepidity  vanishes and the heart is inflamed with love when I say: Hail, Mary! Devotion grows, compunction is born, hope intensifies, and consolation is increased when I say: Hail, Mary! The soul is renewed and the inclination to good is strengthened when I say: Hail, Mary!"

So intense is the sweetness of this blessed greeting that it cannot be expressed in human words. It remains forever loftier and more profound than any creature can grasp. Therefore, I kneel again before you, Most Holy Virgin Mary, and say: "Hail, Mary! full of grace."

My most merciful Lady, Holy Mary, accept this very devout greeting and, with it, me as well, so that there may be something in me that pleases you, strengthens my trust in you, enkindles in me an ever increasing love, and keeps me forever devoted to your holy name.

                                                                            - Blessed Thomas a Kempis, Imitation of Mary, Book 1

Beyond Compare

It is truly proper to glorify you, O Theotokos, the ever-blessed, immaculate, and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim; who, a virgin, gave birth to God the Word, you truly the Theotokos, we magnify.

                                                                                      -Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Scriptural Sources for the Seven Sorrows of our Lady

1. The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2: 25-35)

And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was in him. And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came by the spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law; He also took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said; Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word, in peace: Because my eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people: A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people, Israel. And his father and mother were wondering at these things which were spoken concerning him. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother: Behold, this child is set for the ruin, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed.

2. The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2: 13-15)

And when they were departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt, and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy him. Who, rising up, took the child and his mother by night, and retired into Egypt: and he was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: out of Egypt have I called my son.

3. The loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2: 42-51)

And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast. And after they had fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child, Jesus, remained in Jerusalem, and his parents knew it not. And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day’s journey, and sought him among their kinsfolks and acquaintance. And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them and asking them questions. And all, that heard him, were astonished at his wisdom and his answers. And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee, sorrowing. And he said to them: how is it that you sought me? Did you not know, that I must be about the things that are my Father’s? And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth: and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart.

4. Mary meets Jesus on the way of the Cross (Luke 23: 26-31)

And as they led him away, they laid hold on one Simon, of Cyrene, coming from the country: and they laid the cross on him to carry after Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of people and of women: who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them , said: Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For behold the days shall come, wherein they will say: blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the paps that have not given suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains: Fall upon us, and to the hills: Cover us. For if in the green wood they do these things, what shall be done in the dry?

5. Mary stands at the foot of the Cross (John 19: 25-27)

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus, therefore, saw his mother, and the disciple standing, whom he loved, he saith to his mother; Woman, Behold thy son. After that, he saith to the disciple; Behold thy mother. And from that hour the disciple took her to his own.

6. The taking down of the body of Jesus from the Cross (John 19: 33-38)

But when they came to Jesus, as they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers opened his side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water. And he that saw it, gave testimony; and his testimony is true. And he knoweth that he saith true, that you also may believe. For these things were done, that the Scripture might be fulfilled; You shall not break a bone of him. And again another Scripture saith; they shall look on him whom they pierced. And after these things, Joseph of Arimathea (because he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews) besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted him. He came, therefore, and took away the body of Jesus.

7. The burial of Jesus (John 19: 40-42)

They took, therefore, the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as it is the custom with the Jews to bury. Now there was in the place, where he was crucified, a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein no man had yet been laid. There, therefore, because of the Parasceve of the Jews, they laid Jesus, for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

The Hail Mary

The Hail Mary. Surely we must realize now that that salutation is the heavenly antidote protecting the soul against the mortal bite of the serpent, of that serpent found in so many a statue and picture of Mary, whose head she crushes under her virginal heel! What a veritable bludgeon it is, for smiting unceasingly that head which contrived and still unflaggingly contrives every plot attempted against the glory of God and of His Christ, against the honor of the Virgin Mother, against her Immaculate Heart, against the conservation and integrity of the Church, against the perfection of her saints, against the welfare of peoples, of society, of families, of individuals! The Hail Mary. It is the nail driven by the woman clothed with the sun into the temple of Sisara, the enemy of God's people; the millstone crashing on the abominable Abimelech; Judith's sword severing the head of the impious Holofernes. The Hail Mary remains the sword ever brandished by the Mother of God and ever crushing schisms, heresies, every enemy of the Christian name. With the Hail Mary she triumphs and always will triumph over Satan, the eternal murderer. Amen. So be it! Ave Maria ... Hail Mary! Take then Christian soul, that sword with which you , too, may crush the hordes of hell; with which you may overcome all temptations, in yourself and in all those you love; with which you may accomplish marvels, perform miracles, heal bodies and save souls.

                                                            - by Dom Eugene Vandeur, S.J. from the book Hail Mary, 1954

Praise of the Mother of God from St. John Chrysostom

Hail, Kecharitomene, unreaped land of heavenly grain.
Hail, Kecharitomene, virgin mother, true and unfailing vine.
Hail, Kecharitomene, faultless one carrying the immutable divinity.
Hail, Kecharitomene, spacious room for the uncontainable nature.
Hail, Kecharitomene, new bride of a widowed world and incorrupt offspring.
Hail, Kecharitomene, weaving as creature a crown not made by hands.
Hail, Kecharitomene, habitation of holy fire.
Hail, Kecharitomene, return of the fugitive world.
Hail, Kecharitomene, lavish nourisher for the hungry creation.
Hail, Kecharitomene, interminable grace of the holy virgin.
Hail, Kecharitomene, lampstand adorned with all virtue and with inextinguishable light brighter than even the sun.
Hail, Kecharitomene, challenger of spirits.
Hail, Kecharitomene, wise bearer of spiritual glory.
Hail, Kecharitomene, golden urn, contaning heavenly manna.
Hail, Kecharitomene, dispensing sweet drink ever flowing to fill those who are thirsty.
Hail, Kecharitomene, spiritual sea who holds Christ, the heavenly pearl.
Hail, Kecharitomene, splendor of heaven, having the one uncontained by the heavens in herself, God confined and unconfined.
Hail, Kecharitomene, pillar of cloud containing God, and guiding Israel in the wilderness
 -St. John Chrysostom, Christmas Day sermon

The Power of the Name of Mary (4)

As there is no proper and legitimate name, except it be found in the immutable being of God himself (for from it are participated and determined according to their right weight and measure all things in infinite wisdom) his Majesty wished himself to give and impose that name in heaven. He thereby made known to the angelic spirits, that the three divine Persons, had decreed and formed the sweet names of Jesus and Mary for the Son and Mother from the beginning before the ages, and that they had been delighted with them and had engraved them on their eternal memories to be as it were the Objects for whose service They should create all things. Being informed of these and many other mysteries, the holy angels heard a voice from the throne speaking in the person of the Father: "Our chosen One shall be called MARY, and this name is to be powerful and magnificent. Those that shall invoke it with devout affection shall receive most abundant graces; those that shall honor it and pronounce it with reverence shall be consoled and vivified, and will find in it the remedy of their evils, the treasures for their enrichment, the light which shall guide them to heaven. It shall be terrible against the power of hell, it shall crush the head of the serpent and it shall win glorious victories over the princes of hell."
                                                                                -excerpted from "The Mystical City of God" by Venerable Mary of Agreda, visionary, pages 269-270, volume 1, The Conception. (Tan Books edition)

Star of the Sea

This verse ends: 'And the Virgin's name was Mary.' Let us now say a few words about this name, which means 'Star of the Sea' and is so becoming to the Virgin Mother. Surely she is very fittingly likened to a star. The star sends forth its ray without harm to itself. In the same way the Virgin brought forth her son with no injury to herself. The ray no more diminishes the star's brightness than does the Son his mother's integrity. She is indeed that noble star risen out of Jacob whose beam enlightens this earthly globe. She it is whose brightness both twinkles in the highest heaven and pierces the pit of hell, and is shed upon earth, warming our hearts far more than our bodies, fostering virtue and cauterizing vice. She, I tell you, is that splendid and wondrous star suspended as by necessity over this great wide sea, radiant with merit and brilliant in example. O you, whoever you are, who feel that in the tidal wave of this world you are nearer to being tossed about among the squalls and gales than treading on dry land, if you don't want to founder in the tempest, do not avert your eyes from the brightness of this star. When the wind of temptation blows up within you, when you strike upon the rock of tribulation, gaze up at this star, call out to Mary. Whether you are being tossed about by the waves of pride or ambition or slander or jealousy, gaze up at this star, call out to Mary. When rage or greed or fleshly desires are battering the skiff of your soul, gaze up at Mary. When the immensity of your sins weighs you down and you are bewildered by the loathsomeness of your conscience, when the terrifying thought of judgement appalls you and you begin to founder in the gulf of sadness and despair, think of Mary. In dangers, in hardships, in every doubt, think of Mary, call out to Mary. Keep her in your mouth, keep her in your heart. Follow the example of her life and you will obtain the favor of her prayer. Following her, you will never go astray. Asking her help, you will never despair. Keeping her in your thoughts, you will never wander away. With your hand in hers, you will never stumble. With her protection you will not be afraid. With her leading you, you will never tire. Her kindness will see you through to the end. Then you will know by your own experience how true it is that 'the Virgin's name was Mary'.
                                                                                       - St. Bernard, Second homily from Missus Est

Daughter of thy Son

"Thou Virgin Mother, daughter of thy Son,

Humble and high beyond all other creature,

The limit fixed of the eternal counsel,

Thou are the one who such nobility 

To human nature gave, that its Creator 

Did not disdain to make himself its creature.

Within thy womb rekindled was the love,

By heat of which in the eternal peace

After such wise this flower has germinated.

Here unto us thou art a noonday torch

Of charity, and below there among mortals

Thou are the living fountain-head of hope.

Lady, thou are so great, and so prevailing,

That he who wishes grace, nor runs to thee,

His aspirations without wings would fly."

                                           -Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, Paradiso Canto XXXIII, as translated by Henry W. Longfellow

Mother of God (Hymn)

At morn - at noon - at twilight dim -
Maria! thou hast heard my hymn!
In joy and woe - in good and ill -
Mother of God, be with me still!
When the Hours flew brightly by,
And not a cloud obscured the sky,
My soul, lest it should truant be,
Thy grace did guide to thine and thee;
Now, when the storms of Fate o'ercast
Darkly my Present, and my Past,
Let my Future radiant shine
With sweet hopes of thee and thine!
                                -hymn by Edgar Allen Poe as quoted in Angelus Domini with Legendary Lays and Poems in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary compiled and edited by A Daughter of the Church, published by The Baker & Taylor Company Publishers 1893.

The Power of the Name of Mary (3)

1. When I pronounce the name of Mary, I feel myself inflamed with such love and joy, that between the tears and happiness with which I pronounce this beautiful name, I feel as though my heart might leave my breast! For this sweet name is like a honey-comb dissolving in the innermost recesses of my soul.
                                                                                    -Blessed Henry Suso supra, cited in booklet Mary, Our Mother, p. 52 (Clyde, Mo., 1921).

2. Give me, O glorious Virgin, the strength, talent, and speech, that I may announce to the faithful and to your clients the glory of your name. Not how much it is, nor what it is; but that I, your little servant, may tell something of your immense praises, to your glory, to my devotion, and the solace of all the readers.
                                                                                    -Saint Bernardin of Siena, O.F.M. (+1444), cited in Foreword to Fr. Fulgence's Who is She? (Cincinnati, 1935).

3. The name of Mary is joy to the heart, honey to the mouth, music to the ear.
                                                                                    -Saint Antoninus, O.P. (+1459), quoted in Abp. Kenrick's Month of Mary.

4. The devils fear the Queen of Heaven to such a degree, that only on hearing her great name pronounced, they fly from him who does so as from a burning fire.
                                                                                    -Venerable Thomas a' Kempis (+ 1471): Ad Nov., s. 23.

5. The name of Mary should be highly esteemed by all pious persons. It should be embraced by religious, recommended to seculars, preached to sinners, whispered to the sorrowing, and invoked by all men in time of danger.
                                                                                    -Venerable Thomas supra, cited in booklet Devotion to Mary (Clyde, Mo., 1943).

6. The name of Mary is glorious, holy and sweet. It is glorious because it means Lady and Queen, not of one province only, but of all created things in Heaven, on earth, and in hell . . . Mary means "full of light," and "light-giving," inasmuch as, being filled with light from Heaven, she has shed brightness upon the whole world, by giving birth to Eternal Light, Our Lord Jesus Christ, whilst still remaining in the glory of her virginity.
                                                                                     -Fra Girolamo Savonarola, O.P. (+ 1498), as quoted by Fr. Stanislaus Hogan, O.P. in art. "Savonarola's Devotion to Mary, the Mother of Christ," in Ecclesiastical Review, May, 1919.

7. After the most holy and adorable Name of Jesus, there is no name more glorious or more powerful than the name of Mary. At the mention of this name, the angels rejoice and the devils tremble; through the invocation of this name, sinners obtain grace and pardon.
                                                                                     -Saint Peter Canisius, S.J., Doct. of Church (+ 1597), cited in Mysteries of Mary.

8. I would exchange all my learning for the merit of a single devout Hail Mary.
                                                                                     -Francisco Suarez, S.J. (+ 1617), cited in Mary, Our Mother, p. 43.

9. As often as the sweet name of Mary comes to your lips, you ought to represent to yourself a masterpiece of God's power, so perfect and so sublime that even the arm of the Almighty could not produce anything more perfect in the shape of a pure creature.
                                                                                     -Saint Leonard of Port Maurice, O.F.M. (+ 1751), cited in Fr. Griffith's booklet The Hail Mary, p. 19 (Dublin, 1926).

10. Salvation is occasionally more easily obtained, says Saint Anselm [De Excell. Virg., c. 6] by calling on the Name of Mary than by invoking that of Jesus. Not that he is not the source and Lord of all graces, but because, when we have recourse to the Mother, and she prays for us, her prayers have greater efficacy than ours, as being those of a mother.
                                                                                      -Saint Alphonsus Liguori, C. SS. R., Doct. of Church (+ 1787): Glories of Mary, pt. II, disc. v, p. 389 (ed. Grimm).

Ancient Irish litany of the ever Blessed Mother of God

O Great Mary,
Mary, Greatest of Marys,
Most great of women,
Queen of the angels,
Mistress of the heavens,
Woman full and replete with the grace of the Holy Spirit,
Blessed and most blessed,
Mother of Eternal Glory,
Mother of the heavenly and earthly Church,
Mother of love and indulgence,
Mother of the golden light,
Honor of the sky,
Harbinger of peace,
 Gate of Heaven,
Golden casket,
Couch of love and mercy,
Temple of the Divinity,
Beauty of virgins,
Mistress of the tribes,
Fountain of the gardens,
Cleansing of sins,
Washing of souls,
Mother of orphans,
Breast of the infants,
Refuge of the wretched,
Star of the sea,
Handmaid of God,
Mother of Christ,
Abode of the Godhead,
Graceful as the dove,
Serene like the moon,
Resplendent like the sun,
Destruction of Eve's disgrace,
Regeneration of life,
Perfection of women,
Chief of the virgins,
Garden enclosed,
Fountain sealed,
Mother of God,
Perpetual Virgin,
Holy Virgin,
Prudent Virgin,
Serene Virgin,
Chaste Virgin,
Temple of the Living God,
Throne of the Eternal King,
Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit,
Virgin of the root of Jesse,
Cedar of Mount Lebanon,
Cypress of Mount Sion,
Crimson rose in the land of Jacob,
Fruitful like the olive,
Blooming like the palm,
Glorious son-bearer,
Light of Nazareth,
Glory of Jerusalem,
Beauty of the world,
Noblest born of the Christian people
Queen of life,
Ladder of Heaven,
  Hear the petition of the poor; spurn not
the wounds and the groans of the miserable.
  Let our devotion and our sighs be carried
through thee to the presence of the Creator,
for we are not ourselves worthy of being
heard because of our evil deserts.
  O powerful Mistress of Heaven and earth,
wipe out our trespasses and our sins.
  Destroy our wickedness and depravity.
  Raise the fallen, the debilitated, and the fettered.
Loose the condemned. Repair through thyself the
transgressions of our immorality and our vices.
Bestow upon us through thyself the blossoms and
ornaments of good actions and virtues. Appease for us
the Judge by thy prayers and thy supplications.
Allow us not, for mercy's sake, to be carried off
from thee among the spoils of our enemies. Allow
not our souls to be condemned, but take us to thyself
for ever under thy protection.
  We, moreover, beseech and pray thee, O holy Mary,
to obtain, through thy potent supplication, before thy only
Son, that is, Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, that
God may defend us from all straits and temptations.
Obtain also for us from the God of Creation the forgiveness
and remission of all our sins and trespasses, and that we may
receive from Him further, through thy intercession, the
everlasting habitation of the heavenly kingdom, through all
eternity, in the presence of the saints and the saintly virgins of the
world; which may we deserve, may we enjoy, in saecula saeculorum.
Amen
                -Ancient Irish Litany of the ever Blessed Mother of God, dated to the 8th century and indulgenced by Blessed Pope Pius IX, 5th September 1862.

The Little Container

Hail, our desirable gladness;
Hail, O rejoicing of the churches;
Hail, O name that breathes out sweetness;
Hail, face that radiates divinity and grace;
Hail, most venerable memory;
Hail, O spiritual and saving fleece;
Hail, O Mother of unsetting splendor, filled with light;
Hail, unstained Mother of holiness;
Hail, most limpid font of the life-giving wave;
Hail, new Mother, workshop of the birth.
Hail, ineffable Mother of a mystery beyond understanding;
Hail, new book of a new scripture,
of which, as Isaiah tells,
angels and men are faithful witnesses.
Hail, alabaster jar of sanctifying ointment;
Hail, best trader of the coin of virginity;
Hail, creature embracing your Creator;
Hail, little container containing the Uncontainable.
                                 -Theodotus of Ancyra (d. before 446) Homily 4,3; PG 77, 1393 B-C.

The Power of the Name of Mary (2)

1. Who is she that goeth up by the desert as a pillar of smoke [Cant. iii, 6]? Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising [Cant. vi, 9]? Who is this that cometh up from the desert, flowing with delights [Cant. viii, 5]? And why do the angels so often ask the name of their Queen? It was so sweet even to the angels to hear it pronounce, that they desired to hear that name in reply.
                                                -Richard of St. Lawrence (+ 1245): De Laud. V.M.

2. And the Virgin's name was Mary [St. Luke i, 27]. These two words, Mary and Virgin, are joined together by the Evangelist, to denote that the name of this most pure Virgin should always be coupled with the virtue of chastity.
                                                -Ibidem supra.

3. Glorious indeed, and admirable, is they name, O Mary; for those who pronounce it at death need not fear all the powers of hell... Men do nat fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary.
                                                -Saint Bonaventure, O.F.M., Doct. of Church (+ 1274); quoted in Mary, Our Hope, p. 22 (Mary's Book, vol. iv, College of St. Francis, Joliet, 1941).

4. As was melts before fire, so do the devils lose their power against those souls who remember the name of Mary and devoutly invoke it.
                                                -Saint Bonaventure supra, quoted in Fr. Griffith's The Hail Mary (Dublin).

5. Ave Maria! This name was inserted [in the Angelic Salutation] not by the Angel, but by the devotion of the faithful. The blessed Evangelist Luke says significantly, And the name of the Virgin was Mary (St. Luke i, 27). This most holy, sweet and worthy name was eminently fitting to so holy, sweet and worthy a virgin. For Mary means a bitter sea, star of the sea, the illuminated or illuminatrix. Mary is interpreted lady. Mary is a bitter sea to the demons; to men she is the star of the sea; to the angels she is illuminatrix, and to all creatures she is lady ... Let us pray, let us pray most devoutly to Mary and say: O Mary, Bitter Sea, help us, that we may be plunged into the bitter sea of penance! O Mary, Star of the Sea, help us, that we may be guided rightly through the sea of this world! O Mary, Light-giver, help us, that we may be eternally illumined in glory! O Lady Mary, help us by thy government and empire that we may be filially governed. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
                                                -Saint Bonaventure supra: Spec. B.M., ch. iii, pp. 15, 27 (trans Sr. M. Emmanuel, O.S.B., 1932).

6. Mary means star of the sea, for as mariners are guided to port by the ocean star, so Christians attain to glory through Mary's maternal intercession.
                                                -Saint Thomas Aquinas, O.P., Doct. of the Church (+ 1274), as cited in booklet Mysteries of Mary (Clyde, Mo., 1943).

7. There is something so admirable, sweet and sublime in this name of Mary, that when it meets with friendly hearts it breathes into them an odor of delightful sweetness.
                                                -Abbot Francone: De Grat. D., I, 6.

8. O Mary, what must thou thyself be, since thy very name is so loving and gracious?
                                                -Blessed Henry Suso, O.P. (+ 1365): Dial., c. 16.

The Power of the Name of Mary

1. The name of Mary is the key of the gates of Heaven.
• Saint Ephraem of Edessa, Doct. of the Church (+c. 373): De Laud. Dei Gen.
2. The name, O Mary, is a precious ointment, which breathes forth the odor of Divine Grace. Let this ointment of salvation enter the inmost recesses of our souls.
• Saint Ambrose, Bp. C. Doct. of the Church (+397): Instit. Virg., c. 13.
3. The name of Mary is an indication of chastity.
• Saint Peter Chrysologus, Bp. C. Doct. of Church (+ c. 450): Serm. 146.
4. Mary means light, for from her proceeded Christ, the Light of the world.
• Saint Isidore of Seville, Doct. of the Church (+636), cited in Mysteries of Mary.
5. As breathing is not only a sign but even a cause of life, so the name of Mary, which is constantly found on the lips of God's servants, both proves that they are truly alive, and at the same time causes and preserves their life, and gives them every succor.
• Saint Germanus of Constantinople (+ 732): De Zona Deip.
6. May thy name, O Mother Of God, be the last sound that escapes my lips.
• Saint Germanus supra, cited by Archbishop Kenrick.
7. Thy name, O Mother of God, is filled with divine graces and blessings. 
• Saint Methodius (+ 847): De Sim. et Anna.
8. O name of Mary! Joy in the heart, honey in the mouth, melody to the ear of her devout clients!
• Saint Antony of Padua, O.F.M., Doct of Church (+ 1231): Dom. 3 Quadr., s. 2.

This is my first post on selections on the power of the name of Mary. I have so many topics about the Mother of God so please remember this is the first sampling, I hope you receive great edification from this and remember to invoke the Mother of God, after Jesus Christ, her name is most powerful against the devil and Hell! More information posts to follow!

Beginning

Hello to everyone, this blog will be a special project about the Mother of God. I have done a lot of research into this important woman and I would like to share the information I have learned for the edification of Catholics and the conversion of people into the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. It is important for people to find her and pray to her for her intercession with Christ, the Savior of Humanity. This is a dark age we all live in and it is so important to tell people that God is REAL, that he really did become incarnate in the womb of the Virgin Mary and that he will save people through His Precious Blood and the intercession of the Mother of God. Thanks for visiting and I will start posting soon. Thanks and God Bless!