I wanted today to reflect on what a mom is. And specifically what mine meant to myself, my siblings and by extension to many of our friends.
From my experience of viewing moms they for the most part are the most giving and patient of anyone to their children and have so much compassion for a child who’s parent is not there for them. I watched my mom reach out and pull in some of my and my siblings friends to help them.
My mom Roberta, Bobbie to her friends was the best mom that I could ever have had. God selected her for my dad. They were told that my mom could not have children. My mom and her grandmother began to visit all of the churches in the area and used to pray for children. Again, the doctors proclaimed one thing no children and God proclaimed another after 5 years of no children my mom was given the news she was pregnant. The doctors were not wrong. God was sovereign over everything. He had a plan for her and my dads faithfulness.
He blessed my mom and dad with five children in 7 years.
They were blessed with a daughter and four sons. My moms last pregnancy was very hard as she developed toxemia and during the delivery my dad was asked to chose who would live. My mom or the baby. My dad thank God did not have to make that decision because before he answered my brother was born alive and well. My mom recouperated and went home to take care of her family. My mom and dad never stopped thanking God for their family. My mom always said each one of her children were different like the fingers of her hand. She knew our strengths and weaknesses and challenged each one of us accordingly. She was love personafied.
My mom showed us what true sacrafice was even as my mom became ill herself with cancer she maintained her strenght for her family. When I was diagnosed with brain cancer she remained strong for me and we prayed as a family. She was always optomistic, she was always prayerful and was God strong. She often told me as she was really bedridden that God has me here to pray for you.
What a gift that was to myself and the entire family. My mom showed us the most important life lesson the way to eternity through Jesus Christ. Amen.
So today on my moms 2nd anniversary of her birthday into Heaven, We miss you and will see you again someday. xo Danny / pizza man . lol ( I was a chubby baby)
One of my moms favorite songs. like her life hopeful, faithful and beautiful. yes, God did make the way and she and my dad lead so their children could proudly follow.
As the the years have gone by especially the last 5 years for me, I have come to the understanding that the most important thing that we have to consentrate on in our lives is the condition of our souls. Personally, as a dad it also invigorated me to make this point to my children crystal clear.
I have said it before but it is the truth. You may not understand this and I can’t say that I blame you for that either, but…
Nobody wants a desease such as what I have had however, would my soul be today in this moment where it is now if I had not had this experience ?
We are called to be prepared because the Lord could call us by name to him at any moment. People really think that I know so so much about faith, life, it all. Let me tell you honesty, I don’t. I have only scratched the surface of Who God Is! I am falling in love with God so personally. Without this cancer I would not be here now and have this Spiritual Awaweness. And I still have a very long way to go.
I have the awareness of God, I have faith in God, but now God has me in the school of knowledge where His word (scripture) after study are being revealed to my heart for their use in my life. So, for the first time in my life, God is living in me. I personally own that reality. It is the intersection where my body, mind and Holy Spirit are aligned to serve God and undersrtand what he wants from me and for me. He wants me to witness him to my peers and wants me to call people back to his cross. The Holy Spirit is working with me so, I am sure that he will help me get it right. God wants the same for all of us. We are all equal in his eye’s. But we need to take Jesus/ God on our journeys daily. Pick ourseleves up, dustoff and keep going, always with an outstretched hand from another in need of help and the need of the revelation of Jesus Christ in their lives. Christ is our 1 hope , our life, our only hope. Jesus had done it All.
Aaron Sledge Did It All For Me
What I do know is about the Mercy he has given me and all of you.
Full Question
What exactly is a soul?
Answer
The glossary at the back of the U.S. version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines “soul” as follows:
The spiritual principle of human beings. The soul is the subject of human consciousness and freedom; soul and body together form one unique human nature. Each human soul is individual and immortal, immediately created by God. The soul does not die with the body, from which it is separated by death, and with which it will be reunited in the final resurrection.
Here’s more:
The human person, created in the image of God, is a being at once corporeal and spiritual. The biblical account expresses this reality in symbolic language when it affirms that “then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Man, whole and entire, is therefore willed by God. In Sacred Scripture the term “soul” often refers to human life or the entire human person. But “soul” also refers to the innermost.aspect of man, that which is of greatest value in him, that by which he is most especially in God’s image: “Soul” signifies the spiritual principle in man. The human body shares in the dignity of “the image of God”: it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit. Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Through his very bodily condition he sums up in himself the elements of the material world. Through him they are thus brought to their highest perfection and can raise their voice in praise freely given to the Creator. For this reason man may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day. The unity of soul and body is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the “form” of the body: i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature. The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God—it is not “produced” by the parents—and also that it is immortal: It does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection. Sometimes the soul is distinguished from the spirit: St. Paul for instance prays that God may sanctify his people “wholly,” with “spirit and soul and body” kept sound and blameless at the Lord’s coming. The Church teaches that this distinction does not introduce a duality into the soul. “Spirit” signifies that from creation man is ordered to a supernatural end and that his soul can gratuitously be raised beyond all it deserves to communion with God. The spiritual tradition of the Church also emphasizes the heart, in the biblical sense of the depths of one’s being, where the person decides for or against God. (CCC 362-368)
With this in mind, we need to seriously think about our Souls daily and see what the condition of it may be. The Holy Spirit will help you, if you feel guilty or realize that you have been hurtful to someone, cheated, stolen etc, we will be convicted by that sin BUT, if we seek repentance from God and are truely sorry Jesus will heal your soul of this sins and never remember the sins again.
We must always forgive everyone of their debts or transgressions towards us as well. God cannot forgive someone if they are withholding forgiveness to someone else. Those are my thouhgts on that matter.
Josh Groban Remember When It Rained Out standing !!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wanted to continue with my writing for my mom today. Part two was on Sept 4ths blog. The Saint Agnes Band was a large part of our lives growing up. We had attended the school as well. Some of us went on to Arlington Catholic too . It was a great life.
One of the best parts was that my mom and dad were present in our lives. My dad managed the equipment truck and trained other fathers to get their bus liscences, so that the band members and color guard could get back and forth from parades and competitions. Like I said, my dad was everyone’s dad in the band and they loved him. He loved all the kids too. I would like to remember also in this moment my fathers assistant in the equipment van Mr. Callahan. My dad loved this man as did all of the kids in the band. He was awesome:) He went to the Lord some time ago, God Bless Him too.
My mom was always in the stands with all kinds of food, extra sandwiches etc. When we came off the field of competition, we would change out of our uniforms and get our street clothes on and off we would go into the stands to find her. Each one of us ( her) kids had extra kids( friends) with us.lol We were all hungry and my mother was accustomed to that fact 🙂 and had sandwiches and stuff for them too. She also had jugs of homemade pink leomonade too.If my mom ran out Mrs. H was there with her food and was good for potato chips and chips ahoy cookies too.:)
In the band we would wear uniforms on the parade route and in competition. The uniforms had wool pants, Satin tops and a cumberbund wrapped around the middle.. It was topped off by a band drum style hat with a neck strap.We all wore white bucks (shoes) as well.
It could be 100 degrees in a parade or competition and we survived wearing those uniforms. The bottom line is this, we would roll in on the buses sometimes at 11:00 at night at the parking lot from a competition and needed to be back the next morning ready, uniformed and ready to go back out in competition once again or on a parade route somewhere. The uniforms needed to be laundered and ironed. The judges took points off of our score if things were not perfect. A lot of parents were not engaged with their kids or were unable to be there to support their kids. So, the kids were upset because they’re uniforms would not be ready for the next morning. It was a big deal. So My mom, Mrs. R said don’t worry honey, give them to me I will have them ready in the morning. Remember, my mom had 5 kids and worked full time. But you see, she saw a need and offered it up and got the job done. She made those kids feel special, and they were. She was a brick in their foundation as was my dad. I can remember her standing in the kitchen in front of that ironing board ironing one satin shirt after another. They were ready for the judges 🙂 She even carried Kiwi white shoe polish in her bag and was touching kids shoes up, nice and white.
My mom’s ilness, She was a Miracle and also showed the Doctors , staff of several institutions that, God is for real.
As I wrote in the past blog about my mom, C.O.P.D. progressed to emphysema and the ability of my mom to go out ,to walk stairs etc was very much diminished. She lived with a constant sense that she could not get breathe into her lungs. She very rarely complained but we understood her daily struggle. She was not going to bring her family down. She was partnered with Christ in his suffering. Like my mother would always say.
4 or so years ago in around June 2010 I think it was ? My mom went into the hospital at Mt Auburn in Cambridge her breathing was reduced even further and she was found to have a 4 to 5 inch tumor attached to her lung, behind her heart and it was obtructing the airway out from the lung. It was found to be inoperable, plus given her very poor respritory system she could not have anesthesia. Because of her strong resolve, faith and fight for life her Dr. R who was her primary for 30 plus years advocated that she should be allowed to try a plan to attack this tumor, my mom was well aware of its dangers and we all supported her and my dads decision in this matter.
She was treated by a wonderful Cancer and respritory Dr. S from Mt Auburn Hosp. He is a brain cancer survivor too. She under went chemo and very targeted radiation treatment for the cancer, for the tumor etc and when they were done the tumor still remained. She came home and was home a few days and radiation pneumonitis set in she was rushed into the hospital and ended up in Mt Auburns ER after she found to be non- responsive at her home. That particular morning, My neice, dad,brother and sister were watching her, and saw a difference in her that they never witnessed before. An ambulance was called, right away.
At the ER, things looked very grimm. we were all there. She was being given a lot of support she was filled with carbon dioxide , it is called I think, black death. It is when you breathe in and cannot expell the carbon diaoxide out of the lungs and body, so you will get sleepy, your brain and other vital organs can de deprived of oxygen and eventually you will pass away without intevention. Even with help, it is very dicey. The staff ushered the whole family into a room and brought us food and gave us some gentle words of support. Very beautiful.
My mom was moved up to the Intensive care unit and she was put onto a ventilator, by her choice, she was not done yet with her Earthly journey . She was there for a good seems like 1 and a half to 2 months if my memory serves me. My father was there everyday before 5 a.m. and stood by here because she would open her eyes and look at him at that time, he was not going to dissappoint her .Asside from that, she just slept a whole lot. He would take her hand and say, Its okay bobby, I am here just keep it in neutral.( Don’t Worry), You are going to get better. He stood there and prayed with her. All day long. All of the family would stream in and out of her ICU bed space and tell my dad to go sit down, food was being brought in by my sister, brother etc for him. We would make a prayer chain around her bed. Dr’s and nurses walked by and just watched the family through the glass windows and witnessed God in action. Eventually my mom was moved to a regular room at Mt Auburn to get her ready to transition her to Spaulding Cambrige Street Cambridge because her Dr. R ran the Vent department there. Again, God was handling everything.
At this time , It was about 6 months before I suddenly became ill with my Gleo, so I was able to be there a whole lot. Which I am so grateful for. It is what live is all about. Love, support and being there. Very Simple 🙂
I will continue with this account shortly.
God Bless You All,
Danny
My mom loved this song I am sure she was thinking of my dad when she listened to it and sang it 🙂 xoxo
There is a question that seems to go from Age to Age and generation to generation. It Is … this,
Doesn’t every generation think that the world is losing moral and societal footing. My grand parents did, my parents did, and I am now of the age that I too would have to agree with some aspects of their obversations. They saw it in their day’s and I am seeing it personally in our lives today. To me years ago my nana and papa were awesome but at that time I was young and when they expressed their concerns seeing what they were seeing in society I figured they were squares and old fashioned. I then watched my mom and dad go through the process of saying that this world was just getting so terrible as they watched their world changing. Well, now it is my turn and I am Watching the direction that society is taking. Guess what? I see it going in the same direction down hill.
It seems like society is on a voyage to the bottom of the sea! Pretty scary.
Flash forward 30 plus years at I now look at elements in this world and say OMG, what is going on? I understand why my grand parents said what they said, why my parents said what they said too. I believe that once I began to have children, I began to notice things that were happening with more accuracy.
I understand that times change and “time marches on”, as they say. New technologies have come about to advance and inhance our lives, Heck, I benefitted from these things during my treatment for cancer, I also am benefitting from technology through this blog to spread God’s good news for all of us, but the flip side is the amount of crap that is prevading our culture, country and world. The kids are being exposed to so much graphic sexual stuff images and language in this culture etc. Foul, foul language, the dumbing down of society as I see it. Their is domestic violence, broken families,shootings, robberies and murders. We have one scandal after another in government from the top right down to local government, who is telling the truth, who do we trust with our lives? You know, my feeling is that we will reep what we all sew as a people. As far as the motto that ” time marches on” goes, Its my opinion, looking at what is going in in the weather, globally, disease, wars, all the starving people in this world that we have walked away from God and stopped caring for our brothers in need. I guess that time is marching us off a cliff. Back to tecnology for a second. Not all technology is good either, when do you unplug? Sometimes I wish that cell phones and email would end for a least a day or so to allow people to un plug and get reacquainted with oneanother. It is a sad day when neighbors do not know eachother and you cannot eat dinner or take time away without the world barging in. There is always a text coming and every tv has urgent breaking news! Where is the time for prayer in our lives to listen to God ? We are in a prayer dessert as a country. With music constantly pounding in the background. I don’t get it, thats for sure!
God created us all with free will and desires our relationship with him.The Holy Spirit is working as the Guide for our personal good and for the good of society. Yet so many people aredead to the Spirit of God.
Meanwhile, I have written and said to many people that I know personally that I believe that If your not in God trying to grow towards perfection with him that you are open to fall for the liar ( devil ) and fall for all that he offers (nothing but pain suffering and your loss of your eternal soul.) and accept that everything that we do is okay. There are no boundaries and when struggle or adversity comes to us , and it will, that you do not have the faith and strenght through God to get ya through.We cannot save ourselves. When darkness comes God brings the light and joy through Jesus Christ. He is the way the truth and the life. We are then healed.
So, I now really feel that my grandparents were not square nor that my parents were incorrect in saying what they said back in their day. They were sick and worried about their children and grandchildren. I see it and feel it now myself. I do worry for my kids and their kids that they too will hold up and stand in the storm of life with a society who is less supportive of Godly values.
Finally today, I would like to touch on a topic. The topic is Suicide. Hopelessness that reaches a point that causes some poor souls to a tragic action. I do not care where a person comes from, money, poverty etc. I am by no way a professional on this topic but have heard and seen so much tradgedy in my life. Suicide knows no age, it can be caused by depression,drug, alcohol and chemical imbalances of their bodies. People lose hope. It is again my personal feeling that, no loved one or friend is to blame when this tradgedy occurs to their loved one. It is often seems to comes from out of the blue.
Every life is very precious, we need to watch the people in our lives, familiy, friends, co workers etc and get them a lifeline of hope and to get the help they need if they are in trouble. God did not intend for us to be defeated. He conquers all. Another thing that I grappled with when I was younger was, the idea that if someone committed such an act of suicide that they were destined for hell. Some faiths teach/taught that.
I personally could not accept this so I did seek the knowledge of a dear friend of my faith who was a bible scholar. I loved this man he was in his late 70’s at this time and I was maybe 35 ish. My friend L was posed this question during my bible study with my group. He was always thoughtful, prayerful and measured in his response. My friend B called him sensi. lol He said to me as he ran his fingers along the edge of his bible No, only God can judge such a thing and said that He knows the heart of the person and where they were psychologically at the moment that they acted. I felt the truth of that resonnate with me. As always, God knows all and is the just judge. I just realize how tender we all are and how fragile we all are. We are all broken so we need encouragement along our journey. God is my capitan and I am a passenger on his bus of life. Just seeing where he is taking me next. Amen.
In my life, I was Blessed by God with my mom. I spoke of my Dad a week or so ago on this blog and in this very moment I felt that I would begin to share about my mom.
My mom to the world was known as Roberta. My mother was a very unusual women, very beautiful too. She was extremely strong, bright and family oriented, Faith was very much a part of her foundation and her parents my nana and papa were the reason for that as was her grand parents Nana and Nonno. She was an advocate for the under dog. She was double promoted in highschool and met my dad when she was 16 years old at a back yard barbeque. My mother had a list of sayings that she used and lived by. She and my dad wed when she was I believe 18.
She had a very high standard for my sister and her 4 boy’s to meet. My sister is the spitting diecast of my mom. A force of nature ! Oh by the way, My mother was told that she would never have children. She went from Church to church with her grandmother doing novenas asking God for children and after 5 years of marriage she became pregnant and had 5 children within 7 years.Thats, God for you. The last pregnancy nearly took her life and my brothers. The doctors actually told my dad that he needed to decide which one would survive thanks be to God they both rebounded and recovered. Again, that was God and another Miracle.
My mom lived first and foremost for her family. Like I wrote in my blog about my dad, my mom was part of her mom and dads adult care, taking care of their needs daily. She witnessed to us everyday with an amazing strong and positive attitude and influenced our lives in so many ways. She always Sacraficed, and was so energenic. She commanded respect from everyone. You just loved her. The Holy Spirit was shining. My mom worked in concert with my dad to keep the reighns on her 5 children. She was very aware and knew if something was not quite right with one of her children and took that issue on right away. She would not allow things to festor as she would call it. She definately had a special gift of the Spirit to know stuff. She sensed things and acted on them. She was so devoted to God, Jesus , Her Blessed Mother, St. Anthony, St.Theresa, St.Rachael, St. Michael, St. Faustina, Saint Pio the list went on and on.
She alway’s said I have 5 children and each one is as different as the fingers on my hand. And I know you well, and she did. She was switching gears all the time to manage eachone of us in the way that we needed to be. Whether we were 3 or 52 that never changed. Not one of us ever felt that we were not loved or treated the same or equally. And if they did I never heard about it, and would not agree with that assertion anyway. 🙂
My father was her true and only love for 58 years of marriage and they knew eachother before marriage for a couple of years.
My mom was extremely loyal to all that she knew and loved. The cord of the phone back in the day was clearing all of the counter tops in her kitchen as she paced back and forth and counseled everyone giving them hope . 🙂
No adversity was ever too big for her, not one of her children could ever be unlovable to her. But she did not put up with nonsence either. She would hunt you down ! lol.
She did not care what people thought, because she lived the way that God was guiding her. And raised us the same way. She never said it, but I will, She lived the road less traveled because she was walking towards Calvary and her God. She raised our family with my Dad the same way. None of us is perfect including my mom ,she would tell you that too, only Christ is. If we the kids made a mistake in judgement, She would say if you think for one minute that I think this is right, then by golly I will tell you otherwise. But having said that, None of us stirred the pot to cause trouble with other people because if my parents were to think that we were not respectful of others they would correct that situation immediately. My parents would say, remember who you are and where you come from. I know my personal fear as a young man and is to this day that I might ever disappoint my Dad or my mom’s memory. I will not allow that to happen, they have been the best parents that one could ever ask for. They were God’s gift to my myself and my siblings.
My mom would say all the time.
Say, what you mean, Mean, What You Say, But, don’t be mean when you say it. ! When we were little, my mom was painting ceilings and walls while my dad worked two jobs. Hanging laundry outside on the lines at 2 am in the morning. My brother S and I were talking recently and he recounted this story to me, his window faced the back yard and he would hear the back door slam and he would silently watch my mom hang laundry and to make sure that she was safe. She made sauce and cooked nonstop at night, as she ironed everything. Pillow cases and all there were no dryers then. She was listening to talk radio and David Brodnoy 🙂 etc.
My mom went to work Full time when my youngest brother hit 1st grade. She worked day’s and my dad worked nights the ring of security was around the family her kids had 24 hour surveillance. LOL
My mom topped the Civil Service Exam and kept turning down job offers if they would be invasive in her life and would detract from her family including her mom and dad.She adored them.
My mom worked in the State highway department as a clerical employee/ manager. She turned down countless promotions to Boston, it was too far from home and kids at that stage of her life. As she got older she did not need to financially do that so she was very happy staying at the district office she worked 30 years before retirement.
What she did do though was to become a union President for AFSCME and a member of the AFLCIO during her younger years.
She found herself toe to toe in courts with attorney’s fighting greivances for other union members. She did not get paid for this. She felt called to do this and she mopped up alot of the lawyers in court. You See, they looked at her and did not realize who she was and her resolve to help the little guy. She would spend hours in the middle of the night typing summaries and notes for court and was prepared to go to battle for the person who needed their case resolved. Her life was one big ministry of love. She never missed a beat.
My mother never really slept. She just did and got the job done. My mother would throw the sunshine yellow colored toaster cover over her hair and run out of the house in the rain to drop us off at St. Agnes school in the morning.
One day, She ran out during the winter in the morning to drop us off at school, with her nightgown on,raincoat, slippers,wool socks and sunshine yellow toaster cover protecting her hair doo. LOl She dropped all us kiddies off at school and as she looped through the center to go home. The car ran out of gas . So, she had to go into the store and get help, her pocket book and money were at home. She always laughed about this incident and someone obviously helped her out. 🙂 I do not think that ever happened again:)
My mother was generous with everyone that she knew whether family or not. But was also a very frugul money manager. She added water to the soap containers like my wife does .:) So cute :). As she would say ,We work too hard to throw the money away. Stuff was not important, she had peace and when someone else needed something, she would say, I have a little put asside.
Her parents lived in the depression and she was born in that era, so her parents instilled the value of money in her as well.
She loved the Cursillo movement. It rejuenated her again. She would cry when she spoke about its beauty.
She was an inspiration. and Miracle to my family and everyone that she met.
Some other saying that she instilled in us are…
Knowing what you stand for, limits what you fall for.
Emulated by some, surpassed by none 🙂 about herself, and she would laugh.
You cannot do another persons inventory.
We have no right to judge.
I should give you a crack ! lol
What Would Jesus Do.
As God As My Witness.
Offer It Up.
Laugh at the good times, because the sorrows can be many.
That’s life.
The squeeky Hindge gets the oil.
Let it go.
Let go, Let God.
Do not give away your emotions.
Do not give them head space.
, She was brilliant. She was not a pushover either.
She was God strong.
Of My Dad,she would say, He is a class act !, He’s one in a million, She Adored him. He was her darlin.
She would say the man never stops! He is alwaying moving and doing for his family.
My mom loved music especially Christian music. But would listen to most everything. She liked to dance too. 🙂
My mom loved these songs, I can remember her telling me when I was very little.
She loved Irish music:)
St. Patricks Breastplate. Angelina EWTN
The Irish Tenors.
Danny Boy, My mom would call all the time to check in and from time to time if I did not answer she would sing Danny Boy to my message service. She did that all my life right up to her last day’s on Earth.
My mom and her dad use to sing this all the time. I can picture them now in Heaven doing the same 🙂
Hello, I received this message today and wanted to share it with you all.
God Bless You 🙂 Danny
Subject: Rosary Rally Sat Oct 11 No. Reading Common 12 Noon! ( at the gazebo.:)
I am a rally captain for the 2014 Public Square Rosary Crusade, coordinated by Tradition, Family and Property and its America Needs Fatima campaign. As we all know, the United States (and our world) is in great need of public prayer, repentance and conversion and PEACE! We must ask God to save America through the Rosary of His Most Holy Mother. Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, “The power of the Rosary is beyond description!”
And Saint Padre Pio called the rosary his powerful weapon against the devil.
Please join us in the praying for our nation on October 11, 2014 at 12:00 noon. Our local Public Square Rosary Rally will take place at the gazebo on the town common in North Reading. Please contact me, Kathi Lee, at 978-604-0488 if you need any more information. There will be over 10,000 of rosary groups throughout the country all praying on this day! Let’s join together and pray for our country and our world!!
Whatever faith you are, we need YOUR prayers, too. Either join us or set the time aside to pray at noon in your churches or at home. Catholics pray for Mary’s intercession to her Son Jesus. All prayers go straight to God so please unite together in prayer with us. We love all of our faith brothers and sisters.
If you do not live in this area, you can call to find the closest rally to you at 866-584-6012. If there aren’t any near you, decide to be a rally captain for your area! Call! The blessings you will receive will be many not only for yourself but for those who pray and for those who are prayed for OR just pray at home knowing you are uniting your prayers to all of ours.
Please forward this information to as many people as you can! Spread the word!!
God Bless,
Kathi Lee
I added the following information for you as well. Danny
The Mother, of God, Mother of Jesus, wife of St. Joseph, and the greatest of allChristian saints. The Virgin Mother �was, after her Son, exalted by divine grace above all angels and men�. Mary is venerated with a special cult, called by St. ThomasAquinas, hyperdulia, as the highest of God�s creatures. The principal events of herlife are celebrated as liturgical feasts of the universal Church. Mary�s life and role in the history of salvation is prefigured in the Old Testament, while the events of her lifeare recorded in the New Testament. Traditionally, she was declared the daughter of Sts. Joachim and Anne. Born in Jerusalem, Mary was presented in the Temple and took a vow of virginity. Living in Nazareth, Mary was visited by the archangel Gabriel, who announced to her that she would become the Mother of Jesus, by the Holy Spirit. She became betrothed to St. Joseph and went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who was bearing St. John the Baptist. Acknowledged by Elizabeth as the Mother of God, Maryintoned the Magnificat. When Emperor Augustus declared a census throughout the vast Roman Empire, Mary and St. Joseph went to Bethlehem, his city of lineage, as he belonged to the House of David. There Mary gave birth to Jesus and was visited by the Three Kings. Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple, where St. Simeonrejoiced and Mary received word of sorrows to come later. Warned to flee, St. Josephand Mary went to Egypt to escape the wrath of King Herod. They remained in Egyptuntil King Herod died and then returned to Nazareth. Nothing is known of Mary�s lifeduring the next years except for a visit to the Temple of Jerusalem, at which timeMaryand Joseph sought the young Jesus, who was in the Temple with the learned elders. The first recorded miracle of Jesus was performed at a wedding in Cana, and Marywas instrumental in calling Christ�s attention to the need. Mary was present at the Crucifixion in Jerusalem, and there she was given into John�s care. She was also with the disciples in the days before the Pentecost, and it is believed that she was present at the resurrection and Ascension. No scriptural reference concerns Mary�s last years on earth. According to tradition, she went to Ephesus, where she experienced her �dormition.� Another tradition states that she remained in Jerusalem. The belief that Mary�s body was assumed into heaven is one of the oldest traditions of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII declared this beliefCatholicdogma in 1950. The feast of the Assumption is celebrated on August 15. The dogma of theImmaculate Conception – that Mary, as the Mother of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, was free of original sin at the moment of her conception was proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854 . The feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on December 8. The birthday of Mary is an old feast in the Church, celebrated on September 8 since the seventh century. Other feasts that commemorate events in thelife of the Blessed Virgin Mary are listed in the Appendices. Pope Pius XII dedicated the entire human race to Mary in 1944. The Church has long taught that Mary is truly the Mother of God . St. Paul observed that �God sent His Son, born of a woman,” expressing the union of the human and the divine in Christ. As Christ possesses two natures, human and divine, Mary was the Mother of God in his human nature. This special role of Mary in salvation history is clearly depicted in the Gospel in which she is seen constantly at her son�s side during his soteriological mission. Because of this role exemplified by her acceptance of Christ into her womb, her offering of him to Godat the Temple, her urging him to perform his first miracle, and her standing at the foot of the Cross at Calvary Mary was joined fully in the sacrifice by Christ of himself. Pope Benedict XV wrote in 1918: �To such an extent did Mary suffer and almost die with her suffering and dying Son; to such extent did she surrender her maternal rights over her Son for man�s salvation, and immolated him – insofar as she could in order to appease the justice of God, that we might rightly say she redeemed the human race together with Christ� . Mary is entitled to the title of Queen because, as Pope Pius XII expressed it in a 1946 radio speech, �Jesus is King throughout all eternity by natureand by right of conquest: through him, with him, and subordinate to him, Mary is Queen by grace, by divine relationship, by right of conquest, and by singular election.� Marypossesses a unique relationship with all three Persons of the Trinity, thereby giving her a claim to the title of Queenship. She was chosen by God the Father to be the Mother of his Son; God the Holy Spirit chose her to be his virginal spouse for the Incarnation of the Son; and God the Son chose her to be his mother, the means of incarnating into the world for the purposes of the redemption of humanity. This Queen is also our Mother. While she is not our Mother in the physical sense, she is called a spiritual mother, for she conceives, gives birth, and nurtures the spiritual lives of grace for each person. As Mediatrix of All Graces, she is ever present at the side of each person, giving nourishment and hope, from the moment of spiritual birth at Baptism to the moment of death. The confidence that each person should have in Mary was expressed by Pope Pius IX in the encyclical Ubipriinum : �The foundation of all our confidence. . . is found in the Blessed Virgin Mary. For God has committed to Mary the treasury of all good things, in order that everyone may know that through her are obtained every hope, every grace, and all salvation. For this is his will, that we obtain everything through Mary.�
Just Danny Speaks 