Today, June the thirteenth, is the feast of St. Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church, who is also known as the hammer of the heretics. Five years ago, we wrote about his teaching on the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I am posting this writing again, today, as it is such a delight to learn about the Queen of Heaven; and one never tires of reading such words from a Doctor of the Church, our Catholic ancestor. This post begins now: The Franciscan priest and saint, Anthony of Padua, preached and wrote about many of the characteristics of Our Lady, but one that he spoke of that is often questioned, and/or misunderstood, is that of her perpetual virginity. The Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate say regarding St. Anthony’s teachings on this topic: The holy doctor (St. Anthony, added by SCF) frequently spoke on the perpetual virginity of Mary, a doctrine defined by the Church at the Lateran Council in 647. Our saint capsulizes this teaching concisely: “She remained a Virgin before, during, and after the birth (of…
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The Queenship of Mary, May 31
On the last day of May, the Church commemorates the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and for this day, I am posting an article (in bold print with source cited at the end) by Dr. Peter Kwasniewski which was published in New Liturgical Movement. The article is titled, “Mighty, Conquering Warrior”: The Queenship of Mary. And, speaking of our Queen, and the Church’s love for her: a deceased American nun, who was devoted to Our Lady, has received quite a bit of media attention over the past several weeks; here I am speaking of Sr. Wilhelmina Lancaster, OSB. The Marian Room posted a story about Sr. Wilhelmina after her death in 2019 (see here) which noted her devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The recent media interest in her has arisen after her coffin was exhumed, and her (non-embalmed) body was found to be incorrupt with her habit showing no signs of decay. A CNA article will give you the details, here. I think you will find this article to be interesting, as well as, the Kwasniewski text, on this special…
Hail Glorious May: the Month of Mary
“The Child Christ lives on from generation to generation in the poets, very often the frailest of [mortals], but [mortals] whose frailty is redeemed by a child’s unworldliness, by a child’s delight in loveliness, by the spirit of wonder. Christ was a poet, and all through his life the Child remains perfect in him. It was the poet, the unworldly poet, who was king of the invisible kingdom; the priests and rulers could not understand that. The poets understand it, and they, too, are kings of the invisible kingdom, vassal kings of the Lord of Love, and their crowns are crowns of thorns indeed.” ~Caryll Houselander (b. 1901- d. 1954) We are well into May, and what a glory she is! The leaves are fresh, the grasses lush, and new flowers seem to pop out overnight, always bringing an unexpected joy amidst events in life which are often difficult in this earthly vale. But, apart from the glories of nature, May holds an even great joy to those who bear within their souls the identity of being baptized into Christ, and, as…
The Blessed Virgin Mary on Holy Saturday: The Tower of Ivory
“Let us transport ourselves in spirit to the holy mountain of Calvary, to the foot of the cross, beside Mary… She practices there an unalter- able patience. She stands up in the midst of the horrible tempest like a rock surrounded by waves, which beat against it without causing it to fall. Neither the abyss into which she is plunged by her grief, nor the spectacle of death, nor the fury of man, nor the rage of demons is able to cast her down. Her demeanor is full of resolution and courage. Without allowing a complaint to escape her, she adores the designs of God in silence and submits to them. Let us look at ourselves in this beautiful mirror of patience, and let us be confounded. It requires so little to cast us down, to make us lose heart, to excite complaints and murmurings! The humility of Mary is here equal to her patience. A mother whose son is suffering capital punishment is ashamed to show her- self; she is afraid lest the ignominy of her…
Friday of Passion Week 2023: Our Lady of Sorrows
Today, on the Friday of Passion Week, the Church takes a day to remember the sufferings of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the foot of the Cross, one of her Seven Sorrows. The following is an excerpt from Dom Prosper Gueranger’s The Liturgical Year which tells us about today’s commemoration. I think you will find it to be most informative. Gueranger’s excerpt begins now: This Friday of Passion Week is consecrated, in a special manner, to the sufferings which the Holy Mother of God endured at the foot of the Cross. The whole of next week is fully taken up with the celebration of the mysteries of Jesus’ Passion, and although the remembrance of Mary’s share in those sufferings is often brought before the faithful during Holy Week, yet, the thought of what her Son, our Divine Redeemer, goes through for our salvation so absorbs our attention and love that it is not then possible to honour, as it deserves, the sublime mystery of the Mother’s Compassion. It was but fitting, therefore, that one day in the year should be set…