Contemplative Haven

…at Consecrated to Mary…

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During this period leading up to the Feastday of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, I will be making the novena I posted about last year here and here, in which different aspects of Our Lady’s beautiful Icon are meditated upon each day.  To all those who are making a novena at this time, may you be filled with trust and confidence in Mary’s love and solicitude for all her children. 

I also wanted to share with you today a beautiful video I just discovered.  It is of etched-glass windows at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Foremost, Alberta, Canada.  The windows were created by Mary Mehlen, and there is one representing each of the Seven Sacraments, as well as one in honour of Mary and another in tribute to all who minister.  Many thanks to the YouTube channel allsaintsparish for providing this beautiful footage for all to enjoy. 

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Recently I received a comment on my February 2008 post for the Feastday of Our Lady of Lourdes.  It was from Mr. Kamalakar Rao Ponnapalli, inviting us to watch the trailer of his movie entitled, “Our Lady of Lourdes”, of which he is writer and producer.  There has also been a website set up here, where you can see some posters and pictures from the movie. 

I googled Mr. Ponnapalli’s name, to see if I could find out more about the movie, and to make sure I had as much correct information as I could before I posted this.  I happened upon a comment which he had left in an online forum, wherein he mentioned that during the production of this movie he had witnessed several of what he believes to be miracles, and that this labour of love came about because he had been inspired by Mother Mary. 

I asked Mr. Ponnapalli if he might share with us a little bit about his experience of witnessing these miracles, as well as how Mother Mary has impacted his life as a Hindu.  He has graciously agreed to provide me with some information, which I will be posting over at “Consecrated to Mary” when the time comes. 

Congratulations in bringing this beautiful movie to fruition, Mr. Ponnapalli; I wish you much success with its distribution, and may many blessings and graces pour down on you through Our Lady for your fine work and perseverence.   

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Both The Visitation and The Immaculate Heart of Mary are being celebrated over at “Consecrated to Mary” today.

And if you’ve never had an experience with angelic voices, there’s no time like the present!

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A headline caught my attention the other day:  “Canada’s worst neighbourhood”.  I won’t link to the article, but it got me to thinking that as dangerous and heartwrenching as the location mentioned may be, the fact of the matter is that the magazine got it wrong.  The most dangerous place in Canada to be living today is in the womb. 

As Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast stated in a recent message:  “Where is the most dangerous environment in Canada?  The answer is the womb!  Since the 1969 amendment to the Criminal Code concerning abortion, over three million Canadian children have been denied the right to life.” 

What do we do when faced with such staggering and brutal statistics?  Some are specifically called by God for active work in the Pro-Life cause; all of us, hopefully, are called to prayer.

In terms of sanctity of life, we are faced not only with the abortion epidemic, but with human embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, threats to the lives of the mentally or physically-challenged, abuse of the elderly, disregard of the homeless; the list goes on and on.  Everyday, as Catholics, we are called to protect and promote the sacredness of life.

One who has recently discerned the call to a more active involvement is Hush, of Mother of the Life Within.  Currently in formation as a Lay Missionary of the Gospel of Life, Hush’s blog will undoubtedly bring us many keen insights and beautiful reflections as the sanctity of life is explored, from conception to natural death.

We have all been adopted by the Father.  Mary is our Mother.  Everyone’s Mother.  There are no,

ORPHANS OF GOD
[A beautiful and powerful song.  This is not an abortion video.]
   

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Prayer to Our Lady of Fatima for Peace
“O Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Peace, you appeared to the children of Fatima at a time of great unrest and turmoil in the world. You asked then that the world pray for peace, so that the Reign of God may be known in every land.

Our world today continues to be mired in the vicious and fruitless cycle of hatred, violence and war. Your message of peace to the children of Fatima is needed as urgently today as it was when you first delivered it.

Grant us, Mary, that peace which is so much more than the mere absence of war. Grant us God’s peace, so that we might see every man and woman as a brother or a sister, as fellow creatures of the one God. Help us to build a world of justice, which is the only sure foundation of peace. And bring us all one day into the fullness of union with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in eternity. This we ask through Christ, your Son and our Lord, the Prince of Peace. Amen.”

Taken from:  Our Lady of Fatima, with Prayers and Devotions (from the Florentine Series of booklets on the Lives of the Saints)

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Today’s beautiful feast will be celebrated over at Consecrated to Mary.  Come join us for a little Adrienne von Speyr and J.S. Bach.

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From Totustuusproduction, as we continue Consecration Preparation as well as our Lenten journey, drawing ever closer to His Passion and Mary’s.  Dear Lord, please help us to break each and every one of Satan’s chains, once and for all. 

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To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes to St. Bernadette, I would like to direct you to the official celebration website, where, among other things, you can watch a selection of lovely, short videos direct from Lourdes.  Just click on the link in the section marked “Multimedia Space”, and then go to the “Video Reports” button, and you will see a variety of videos listed in a menu on the left-hand side.

If you would like to read an excerpt from a speech given in Lourdes by Pope John XXIII (then Cardinal and Patriarch of Venice) in March 1958, please see my post today at Consecrated to Mary.

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Mary and Joseph must have been very tired after the birth of Jesus. The long journey to Bethlehem from Nazareth was no doubt exhausting.  All the commotion surrounding the census must have been nerve-wracking, and the anxiety of finding a place to stay and birth the baby would have been very stressful.

After the birth, Mary and Joseph had to open their temporary shelter to visitors of all kinds - shepherds, the Magi, curious passersby - and very likely at all hours of the day and night. 

During this week between Christmas and New Year’s, many of us will be visiting others or receiving visitors.  The pre-Christmas preparations and the activities of Christmas Eve/Christmas Day may have left us exhausted.  Although we dearly wish to spend time with people we love, some of whom  we only see at this time of year, we wonder sometimes how we will manage - how will we get through the afternoon or the evening without our fatigue showing?  And on a deeper level, how will we get beyond the conversation of “catch-up and chit-chat” and be really present to our hosts/guests, in a way that will allow the light of the Christ-child to shine?

In “Fresh Bread and Other Gifts of Spiritual Nourishment“, author Joyce Rupp gives us the following prayer, inspired by the Blessed Virgin’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth after the Annunciation.  I hope it will be a source of strength and inspiration to any readers who may be battling fatigue, yet dearly wish to make themselves available to friends/family/strangers during this Christmas season: 

A Prayer for Hospitality to the Mother of Jesus  

“Mary, the quality of your visit to Elizabeth draws me to prayer.  You teach me so much about welcoming others and of being other-centered.  You hurried quickly to where the need was.  You thought of Elizabeth.  You gave her joy, hope and promise, or rather, you allowed the Lord to do all of that through you.  You believed in the promise made to you by your God.  Is that why you could give and share, and visit the way you did?  You touched Elizabeth’s spirit and she felt the goodness of God in her life.  Mary, you understood so well God’s great love for you.  You trusted him so totally.  Your welcoming presence met Elizabeth and she cried out in recognition of the fulness of God within you.

Mary, dear woman of God pray for us, that we can be spiritual people of quality, of promise, of welcoming presence.  Help us to be full of hospitality, welcoming the Christ in all and allowing the Christ within us to be met and visited.  Amen.”   

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