Catholic Fire

The Message of the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help The child Jesus has just seen the angels who have shown him the instruments of his passion. St. Michael the Archangel holds the lance and gall-sop. St. Gabriel the Archangel holds the Cross and the nails. Frightened by the sight, Jesus has run to his mother’s arms so quickly that he almost lost one of His tiny sandals. It dangles from his foot. Mary holds Him lovingly but her eyes look at us - pleading with us to avoid sin and love Her Son. His hands are in hers to show that, as a child, Jesus placed Himself in Mary’s hands for protection and to remind us that He now has placed into Her hands all graces, to be given to those who turn to His mother and ask. The star on Mary’s veil shows her to be the one who brought the light of Christ to the darkened world - the beacon that leads the way to Heaven. The falling sandal symbolizes a soul clinging to Christ by one last thread--devotion to Mary. The golden background is symbolic of Heave...

The month of May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary . May 1 through May 11 fall within the liturgical season of Easter, which is represented by the liturgical color white — the color of light, a symbol of joy, purity and innocence (absolute or restored). The last three weeks of the month (beginning the Monday after Pentecost) are in Ordinary Time which is represented by the liturgical color green. This symbol of hope is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection. Feasts, Prayers, Activities, Resources honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary can be found here at Women for Faith and Family. For more information on a May altar, May processions, the May crowning of Mary, Marian shrines, and a poem dedicated to Mary, see my post here. In May there are many beautiful Marian feast days, some of which include: May 13 - Our Lady of Fatima May 24 - Our Lady, Help of Christians May 3...

Happy New Year to all and a blessed feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God! Eight days after the feast of the birth of Christ, we remember Mary, Theotokus, which means God - bearer. Today, we look at and honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the Mother of God, and also the Mother of the Church. "Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense the Church's Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary. Mary is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the "Seat of Wisdom." ~ Catechism of the Catholic Church 721 For Prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, go here. For a free download of Veni Creator Spiritus, go here .

The Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History: 235 Anterus was elected pope, a position he would hold for only a few weeks (d. January 3, 236). 496 Pope Gelasius I , the third pope of African origin, died. 615 Columbanus , missionary scholarly Irish monk, died in Bobbio, Italy (b. ca. 543). 1854 - Pope Benedict XV was born. (d. 1922) 1964 The third session of the Second Vatican Council closed. Birthdays: 1912 - Eleanor Powell , American actress and dancer (d. 1983) 1920 - Stan Musial , American baseball player 1924 - Christopher Tolkien , British author 1937 - Marlo Thomas , American actress 1944 - Earl Monroe , American basketball player 1966 - Troy Aikman , American football star 1969 - Ken Griffey, Jr. , American baseball player

"God inspired in the heart of the pure Virgin Mary His own intense love for humility, and abhorrence of pride. She possessed, even from her infancy, a far greater horror of pride and ambition, and a far deeper love for humility than all the saints together. It was the first virtue that she practices. She abased and humbled herself before all. She esteemed herself, and would have been happy to be treated by others, as the last of the creatures. By marvelous radiance of her Immaculate Conception, she beheld herself susceptible to the guilt of the children of Adam, except that God miraculously preserved her, and she considered that she might have been capable of all the sins in the world, whose source is original sin. It was this humility which attracted to her the countless graces which rendered her worthy to be the Mother of God, Queen of heaven and earth. Give thanks to Almighty God who resists the proud and gives grace to the humble, and offer Him all the glory that this Maiden a...