March 2007

The following is a talk on “Our Blessed Mother and her Spouse the Holy Spirit” presented by Gayle to the Holy Family Prayer Group on February 12th, the evening after the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Good Evening:

I am here, at David’s request (actually, I was going to try to get one of our Carmelite Priests to do this talk but they are out of town this evening so you are stuck with me) to enlighten you about Our Blessed Mother and her relationship with her Spouse, the Holy Spirit. As I stand here, over my shoulder to the right are the Statues of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, St. Therese of Avila, and St. John of the Cross. I am sure most of you do not know that I have made my vows in the Third Order Carmelites.

I would like to start this talk with the scriptures that I will be referring to in this talk:

ACTS 1vs12 

"12  Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away; 13  and when they had entered they went up to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas , Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James. 14  All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the Mother of Jesus and with his brethren."

As charismatic prayer warriors, this passage shows that the prayers of the disciples, including the women, in the company of Mary would have been a supplication of entreaty and praise and thanksgiving to God. This union of hearts and feelings produced by prayer is a kind of anticipation of the gifts the Holy Spirit will bring.  We are told time and again in narrating the lives of the first followers of Christ ‘All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer’ Prayer then, as it is today, the only weapon, the most powerful means for winning the battles of our interior struggle.  Here we see Mary AS THE SPIRITUAL CENTRE ROUND WHICH JESUS’ INTIMATE FRIENDS GATHER; tradition has meditated on this “tableau” and found it to depict our Lady’s motherhood over the WHOLE CHURCH, both at its beginning and over the course of the centuries.

On 21 November 1964, at the closing of the third session of Vatican II, Paul VI solemnly proclaimed Mary Mother of the Church (litany of Laredo): “Our vision of the Church must include loving contemplation of the marvels which God worked in his holy Mother. And knowledge of the true Catholic doctrine about Mary will always be the key to correct understanding of the mystery of Christ and of the Church.

The chapter goes on to replace Judas Iscariot by casting lots and electing Matthias as the 12th apostle.

Chapter 2. The coming of the Spirit.

"1 When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim."

As we reflect on what really happened, can you imagine how the apostles felt when Jesus left them? They all went to his mother for guidance which led to this intense prayer and then the awesome day of Pentecost when THE SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY………………………… was there to help them understand what just happened.  She was their teacher as she knew very well what was happening.  Guess what, Mary was the FIRST “CHARISMATIC”. (Charismatic means gifts of the Holy Spirit.)

It is true that over the years some well-meaning Catholics have gone over the edge in the extravagance of their devotion to Mary. Others have virtually dismissed her in a misguided attempt at ecumenical sensitivity and then there is the average person who hasn’t given Mary much thought at all.  Early on the divisions (which do not come from God) led people to believe their devotion was better than all the others. We had the Charismatic’s using the gifts of the Holy Spirit with a strong devotion to the trinity, God and Jesus…then the Marians, devoted to Our Lady, the Crusillo with their own unique spirituality. In all this as I was a member of Charismatic and Marian devotions it never seemed right that the Holy Spirit and his Spouse should be separated. It was Our Lady that has always guided me and introduced me to Her Spouse and the gifts, to Jesus and finally a healing that allowed me to be close to God which makes the trinity. 

If you think about it you really cannot separate Our Lady from any of the Trinity. As the years have gone on and a lot of us have attended to the SCRC this has all come to light through the speakers at the convention.  One in particular is Father George Montegue who wrote the book the woman and the way. That was the year I really felt great as I had the confirmation that I was being led along the right path.  I did; however, for a very long time agree with St. Therese of Lisieux when she said she never heard a sermon about Mary that she liked. Some people would feel “a certain estrangement from such a creature so superior.”   It is sad that the lack of knowledge allows a lot of people to go to the banquet and eat crackers when there is a whole meal in front of them.

In later years we have been helped by St. Louis de Montford with his total consecration to Mary and St. Maxmillian Kolbe that has added to it for our times. When you do these devotions you are led as with St. Ignatius in his exercises to empty yourselves to give all to them. That way she knows where to put all your good works and they will benefit mankind to a much greater degree. It helps your prayer life, it helps your ministry and keeps you going. You cannot stay still in the spiritual life, you will either go backwards of forwards but not stay still and Our Lady will keep you going if you let her.  There are a lot of us that started right here and are in ministries that occupy all our time.

Generally the Saints all had a devotion to the Blessed Mother, like Padre Pio, Pope John Paul II (new Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary). Carmelites are her order and have 3 doctors of the Church and more Saints than any other order. Franciscans and Dominicans received the Stations of Cross and the Rosary.  St. Francis de Sales once said, “Our Lady comes to visit us very often but we do not really want to receive her.” Let’s not make that mistake. We need her and our children need her. If we welcome her, she will stand with us and lead us to her son.

She always leads you to her son Jesus just as at the wedding of Cana, “Do whatever he tells you”.  This was the beginning of his public ministry. The first miracle and she is still there INTERCEDING FOR US as she does in Lourdes and other apparition sites around the world.

It is good to reflect that she INTERCEDES as do all the other Saints. JESUS is the healer not her in fact she says the Lourdes water is healing as it comes out of the spring but this water here is healing and Holy Water because it has been blessed by a Priest. She always wants us to have our items blessed by a Priest. It is surprising how many people will ask me to bless items in the store.  There are so many misconceptions but she is very firm in telling us the responsibilities of our Priests.

The Church is very cautious about accepting Marian apparitions. Even when it does give its approval, as in the appearances at Lourdes, the Church does not require us to accept the story or subsequent miracles. Actions speak louder than words, however. Many Popes have been deeply moved by accounts of various apparitions; however, it is also true that there were 86 proven false apparitions after Lourdes as I am sure there are after Guadalupe, Fatima, Betania, Medjugorje and a lot of others.

As we approach Lent we should remember she has told us in many of her apparitions to Pray, Fast and do Penance. If we choose to not respond to her message then we can see the same one in the bible when Jesus told his apostles that they could not cast out the demons because they would only respond to prayer and fasting. Also she is always for PEACE and this we really need in our world today.

As we reflect on Our Lady she is referred to in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 3 vs 15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” The woman’s (Mary’s) offspring is of course Jesus.  Also in Revelation Chapter 12 “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne.

The woman, herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days.

Of course, then comes St. Michael to cast the devil out of heaven.

As in our Ministry, we know that it is Our Lady that will crush the head of Satan so as Charismatic’s and we are dealing in spiritual warfare, who better to ask to intercede for us?

She is only recorded seven times in the Scriptures, but her few words point out much about her faith, strength, joy, concern and care.

“How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”  Luke 1:34

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”  Luke 1:38

[Mary] entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. Luke 1:40

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord .”Luke 1:46-55

“Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”  Luke 2:48

“They have no wine.”  John 2:3

“Do whatever he tells you.”  John 2:5
 

Genesis: She will crush the head of the serpent and Revelation she is the woman clothes with the sun with the stars under her feet.

Mary is the most perfect symbol and realization of the Church, who by faithfully accepting God’s Word, becomes a mother, for by preaching and baptism she brings forth children conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of God to new and immortal life. The Church is also a virgin who keeps integral and pure the faith pledged to Her Spouse.