http://katolikongpinoy.org/why-do-we-celebrate-mama-marys-birthday.html

From Saint Alphonsus Liguori's The Glories of Mary:

Discourse o the Birth of Mary 

Men usually celebrate the birth of their children with great feasts and rejoicings; but they should rather pity them, and show signs of mourning and grief on reflecting that they are born, not only deprived of grace and reason, but worse than this--they are infected with sin and are children of wrath, and therefore condemned to misery and death. It is indeed right, however, to celebrate with festivity and universal joy the birth of our infant Mary; for she first saw the light of this World a babe, it is true, in point of age, but great in merit and virtue. Mary was born a saint, and a great saint. But to form an idea of the greatness of her sanctity, even at this early period, we must consider, first, the greatness of the first grace with which God enriched her; and secondly, the greatness of her fidelity in immediately corresponding to it.
To begin with the first point, it is certain that Mary's soul was the most beautiful that God had ever created; nay more, after the work of the Incarnation of the Eternal Word, this was the greatest and most worthy of Himself than an omnipotent God ever did in the world. St. Peter Damian calls it "a work only surpassed by God." Hence it follows that divine grace did not come into Mary by drops as in other saints, but like rain on the fleece, as it was foretold by David. The soul of Mary was like fleece, and imbibed the whole shower of grace, without losing a drop. St. Basil of Seleucia says, "that the holy Virgin was full of grace, because she was elected and pre-elected by God, and the Holy Spirit was about to take full possession of her." Hence she said, by the lips of Ecclesiasticus, My abode is in the full assembly of saints; that is, as St. Bonaventure explains it, "I hold in plenitude all that other saints have held in part." And St. Vincent Ferrer, speaking particularly of the sanctity of Mary before her birth, says "that the Blessed Virgin was sanctified" (surpassed in sanctity) "in her mother's womb above all saints and angels."

http://www.christorchaos.com/MariaBambina2006.htm
                               
 Prayer to Infant Mary

Sweet Child Mary, destined to be the Mother of God and our sovereign and loving Mother, by the prodigies of grace you lavish upon us, mercifully listen to my humble supplications. In the needs which press upon me from every side and especially in my present tribulation, I place all my trust in you.
O Holy Child, by the privileges granted to you alone and by the merits which you have acquired, be merciful to me this day. Show that the source of spiritual favours and the continuous benefits which you dispense are inexhaustible, because your power with the Heart of God is unlimited. Deign through the immense profusion of graces with which the Most High has enriched you from the first moment of your Immaculate Conception, grant me, O Celestial Child, my petition, and I shall eternally praise the goodness of your Heart.

Novena for the Nativity of Our Lady starts on August 31

                             http://catholicism.about.com/b/2013/09/08/the-virgin-marys-birthday.htm
Just a week remains to wish our Mother, "Happy Birthday". Mary, our Mother is "Cause of our Joy" 

SEPTEMBER 8th The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady,Mother of God, and Ever-Virgin Mary. 

Troparion, tone 4: Thy birth, O Mother of God, has brought joy to all the world; for from thee arose the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, Who, having dissolved the curse, has given His blessing, and having abolished death, has granted us life eternal.

Kontakion, tone 4: Joakim and Anna were freed from the reproach of childlessness and Adam and Eve from the corruption of death, O Immaculate One, by thy holy nativity. And thy people, redeemed from the guilt of sin, celebrate thy birth by crying to thee: The barren woman gives birth to the Mother of God and the nurse of our life.
http://www.liturgies.net/Prayers/Orthodox/tropariaandkontakiafeastdays.htm

                    http://www.passionistnuns.org/Saints/BirthBVM/index.htm
 from The Divine Office – Matins (Morning Prayer)

Thy birth, O Virgin Mother of God,
heralded joy to all the world.
For from thou hast risen the Sun of justice,
Christ our God.
Destroying the curse, He gave blessing;
and damning death, He bestowed on us
life everlasting.
Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
For from thou hast risen the Sun of justice,
Christ our God.

Novena for the Nativity of Our Lady
The following Novena is prayed from August 31 through September 8, the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This Novena was approved well before Vatican II: Nihil Obstat: Iacobus P. King, I.C.D. Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: Bryan Iosephus McEntegart, D.D., LL.D. Episcopus Bruklyniensis http://www.dailycatholic.org/sepdevo.htm#nativitybvm1

Day One: August 31

V. O God, come to my assistance
R. O Lord, make haste to help me Gloria Patri... Heavenly Child, lovable Mary, the Eternal Father delights in thy birth, for He beholds in thy coming into this world one of His creatures who is so perfect that she will become the worthy Mother of His divine Son. May thy birth give joy to my soul also, by obtaining for me from the heavenly Father, the pardon of my sins, and an abiding sorrow for them.
Hail Mary... Antiphon: Your Nativity, O Virgin Mother of God, was the herald of joy to the whole world; since from thine arose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, who, destroying the curse, bestowed the blessing, and confounding death, rewarded us with life everlasting.V. Let us celebrate with joy the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
R. That she may intercede for us with Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us pray Grant to us Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of Thy heavenly grace, that as our salvation was begun in the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin, so from this solemn festival of her Nativity may we obtain an increase of peace. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

O Gloriosa Domina -The Favourite Hymn of St.Anthony

O Gloriosa Domina
O Heaven's Glorious Mistress

                                http://militiaimmaculatae.wordpress.com/tag/st-anthony-of-padua/

This hymn  was a favorite of St. Anthony of Padua. Tradition has it that it was sung by St. Anthony's mother when he was an infant. It was such a favorite of St. Anthony, that it was constantly on his lips during his life and he sang it at his death. Here is the English translation of the hymn.

O HEAVEN'S glorious mistress,
enthron'd above the starry sky!
thou feedest with thy sacred breast
thy own Creator, Lord most high.

What man had lost in hapless Eve,
thy sacred womb to man restores,
thou to the wretched here beneath
hast open'd Heaven's eternal doors.

Hail, O refulgent Hall of light!
Hail Gate august of Heaven's high King!
through thee redeem'd to endless life,
thy praise let all the nations sing.

To the Father and the Spirit
and to thy Son all glory be,
who with a wonderous garment
of graces encircled thee. Amen.

Translation by R. F. Littledale and others

.http://www.preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/BVM/OGloriosa.html

St.Francis Assissi's Prayer to Holy Mother

                 Prayer by Saint Francis of Assisi

                                 

http://sicsempertyrannisjmj.blogspot.in/2012/10/feast-of-saint-francis-of-assisi-3rd.html  http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2013/12/21/fresh-look-francesco-vanni-highlights-artist-naturalism-narrative-clarity-devotion/jatHCy4ugkUuyprzqCOR1L/story.html 

For St. Francis the Blessed Virgin Mary was Mother, Advocate and Queen. St. Bonaventure bears witness that St. Francis honored Her as Mother, when he says: "He loved with an unspeakable affection the Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ, forasmuch as that She had made the Lord of glory our Brother, and that through Her we have obtained mercy." (Leg. Mai. IX,3) For who can make the Lord our Brother, if She not also be our Mother? And again, this Doctor of the Church recounts that even before his perfect conversion the Seraphic Father had devotion for Her as Queen, for speaking of the Portiuncula, he says: "When the man of God beheld it thus abandoned, by reason of the ardent devotion that he had toward the Sovereign Lady of the world, he took up abode there, that he might diligently labor to repair it." (Leg. Mai II,8).http://www.franciscan-archive.org/patriarcha/mdevot.html

Holy Virgin Mary, there is none like you among women born in the world. Daughter and handmaid of the heavenly Father, the almighty King, Mother of our most high Lord Jesus Christ, and Spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us to your most holy Son, our Lord and Master.
Hail holy Lady, most noble Queen, Mother of God, and Mary ever Virgin. You were chosen by the heavenly Father, who has been pleased to honor you with the presence of his most holy Son and the Divine Paraclete.
You were blessed with the fullness of grace and goodness. Hail, Temple of God, his dwelling place, his masterpiece, his handmaid. Hail, Mother of God, I venerate you for the holy virtues that -- through the grace and light of the Holy Spirit -- you bring into the hearts of your devoted ones to change them from unfaithful Christians to faithful children of God. Amen.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resources/prayers/marian-prayers/prayer-by-saint-francis-of-assisi/

Madonna with St Francis and St John the Evangelist, Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_Lorenzetti

              

Sedes Sapientiae, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.

                          Pope John Paul II in 2000 commissioned Jesuit artist Father Marko Ivan Rupnik SJ to make the icon, the Sedes Sapientiae, entrusted to students around the globe to inspire them to bring Christianity to life in their universities. More recently, sedes sapientiae is for example the motto of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.       
Seal of the university

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universit%C3%A9_catholique_de_Louvain

  In Leuven, Belgium, one finds the Church of Saint Peter and in the left aisle of the church, among several art treasures, a wooden sculpture of the Madonna can be seen. This Madonna is called the'Sedes Sapientiae' (Seat of wisdom) and is the symbol of the University of Leuven. It was sculpted in 1442 by De Bruyne.   http://mcitl.blogspot.in/2008_12_01_archive.html                        

 Father Marko Ivan Rupnik SJ Sedes Sapientiae  2000Mosaic: marble and ceramic with gilt
http://idlespeculations-terryprest.blogspot.in/2011/10/sedes-sapientiae.html


                                             http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/991819.Love_Of_Eternal_Wisdom

"The greatest means of all, and the most wonderful of all secrets for obtaining and preserving divine Wisdom is a loving and genuine devotion to the Blessed Virgin."
THE LOVE OF ETERNAL WISDOM St. Louis de Montfort 

According to St. Louis de Montfort we need to acquire knowledge of Divine Wisdom in order to obtain everlasting life. "The Saint explains 4 means by which we can attain Wisdom:

1. Ardent desire, fostered by keeping of the Commandments;
2. Persevering prayer;
3. Universal mortification;
4. The last and greatest means of all, the most wonderful of all secrets for obtaining and keeping of Divine Wisdom, a tender and true devotion to the Blessed Mary.

In the Loreto Litany we invoke Mary as the Seat of Wisdom.Our Lady is the Seat of Wisdom because She was the only crated being, who knew and loved God most. The Gospel tells us: She pondered all things and kept them in Her Heart.                

 http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/prayers/sedessapientiae.html

 “Mary is,” St. Louis says, “the secret magnet."...“Wherever she is, she draws Eternal Wisdom so powerfully that He cannot resist. …Once we possess Mary we shall easily and in a short time possess Divine Wisdom through her intercession. Of all the means to possess Jesus Christ, Mary is the surest, the easiest, the shortest way and the holiest.
“And the best way to belong entirely to Mary is, so to speak, to take Mary into our house by consecrating ourselves unreservedly to her as her servants and slaves. To surrender into her hands all we possess. And then, this good Mistress, who never allows herself to be outdone in liberality, will give herself to us, in an incomprehensible but real manner, and then Eternal Wisdom will come to dwell in her as in His glorious throne room.”

 Christ, Wisdom Incarnate,  is seated on the lap of His Blessed Mother.Hence Mary is the throne from which Christ rules the universe.
She is also the “Lady Wisdom” prefigured in the Old Testament, especially in the Book of Proverb..  She is Lady Wisdom by virtue of her role as Theotokos; she bore Christ in her womb and upon her lap.

 Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us. St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.

http://www.stpeterslist.com/9744/the-24-theses-of-st-thomas-aquinas-with-citations-and-commentary/     

Student's Prayer to OUR LADY OF STUDIES (By St. Thomas Aquinas) http://www.seatofwisdom.net/prayer10.htm

O Mary, Seat of Wisdom, so many persons of common intellect have made through your intercession admirable progress in their studies. I hereby choose you as my guardian and patron of my studies. I humbly ask you to obtain for me the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that from now on I can understand more quickly, retain more readily, and express myself more fluently. May the example of my life serve to honor you and your Son, Jesus. Amen.                                 -St. Thomas Aquinas prayer taken from Pure Faith Jason Evert 107

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nicolas_Froment_003.jpg

God spoke to the Prophets: we have His communications to them in Scripture. But He spoke to them in figure and parable. There was one, viz., Moses, to whom He vouchsafed to speak face to face. "If there be among you a prophet of the Lord," God says, "I will appear to him in a vision, and I will speak to him in a dream. But it is not so with my servant Moses. . . For I will speak to him mouth to mouth, and plainly, and not by riddles and figures doth he see the Lord." This was the great privilege of the inspired Lawgiver of the Jews; but how much was it below that of Mary! Moses had the privilege only now and then, from time to time; but Mary for thirty continuous years saw and heard Him, being all through that time face to face with Him, and being able to ask Him any question which she wished explained, and knowing that the answers she received were from the Eternal God, who neither deceives nor can be deceived.
Our Lady Seat of Wisdom; pray for us.
Taken from the book "The Mystical Rose" (Thoughts on the Blessed Virgin from the writings of Cardinal J. H. Newman) St. Paul Publications 1955 http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/SEATWISD.HTM

                                      

The feast of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom, our patronal feast, is observed on June 8th.  The title of Mary as ‘Seat of Wisdom’ is an ancient one, traced back liturgically to the twelfth century, when we find prayers to the Virgin as the ‘Mother of Wisdom’, the ‘fountain of Wisdom’ and, of course, the ‘Seat of Wisdom’.  She is seen not only as the Mother of Christ, Who is Wisdom Incarnate, but also as the prototypical ‘wise Virgin’ herself, who ‘kept all these words in her heart’, in order to ‘teach, recount, and proclaim them to the world’ (cf.,Sacramentary for Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary).http://www.seatofwisdom.org/lady-seat-wisdom-pray-us/

St. Ignatius of Loyola, Knight of Mary

   

"Mary's sorrow was less when she saw her only Son crucified, than it is now at the sight of men offending Him by sin."- St.Ignatius of Loyola

Saint Ignatius Loyola constantly wore an image of the Sorrowful Mother on his bosom, and venerated her with tender devotion.
 http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/sorrows1a.htm

                              

Sanctuary of Loyola, in Azpeitia, built over St. Ignatius' birthplace in Spain.    http://www.ignatiusofloyola.net/

    Ignatius had his conversion vision of Mary in a Hospital near the family castle in Loyola.   

  T
The great Spanish knight Ignatius of Loyola underwent a spectacular conversion to God while he was recuperating from wounds received in battle.      http://iveignatianexercises.org/site/dbpage.asp?page_id=180000188&sec_id=180000384      

Vision of Mary (diorama)1521

                              http://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/jesuit-a-z/Mary,-the-Hidden-Catalyst-Reflections-from-an-Ignatian-Pilgrimage-to-Spain-and-Rome.cfm

Recuperating from war wound
"He saw clearly a likeness of Our Lady with the Holy Child Jesus... (from which) he received a very extraordinary consolation."

 Eventually, completely converted from his old desires and plans of romance and worldly conquests, and recovered from his wounds enough to travel, he left Loyola in March of 1522.
He had decided to go to Jerusalem to live where our Lord had spent His life on earth. His journey led him first to Barcelona. He first proceeded to the Benedictine shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat, made a general confession, and knelt all night in vigil before Our Lady's altar, following the rites of chivalry. He left his sword and knife at the altar, went out and gave away all his fine clothes to a poor man, and dressed himself in rough clothes with sandals and a staff.

                          
http://www.catholictradition.org/ignatius.htm          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_of_Montserrat

The miraculous statue of the Black Madonna (La Moreneta) the Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat.

Since the 12th century, pilgrims have been drawn to the mountain to venerate this image.The thirty-eight inch statue shows evidence of Byzantine conventional and stylized form, and is painted in polychrome. The art historical designation for this type of pose is called "Throne of Wisdom". The body is thin, the face elongated. She holds an orb of the earth in her right hand. The Child's hand is raised in a formalized and traditional Eastern blessing

MANRESA
He continued on to Barcelona, stopping along the river Cardoner at a town called Manresa. He stayed in a cave outside the town, intending to linger only a few days, but he remained for ten months. He spent hours each day in prayer and also worked in a hospice. It was while here that the ideas for what are now known as the Spiritual Exercises began to take shape.

At Manresa God treated Ignatius as a schoolboy and stamped indelible mystical visions of the Trinity and Jesus’ humanity and Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist into Ignatius.

 

Ignatius writing the Spiritual Exercises in the cave at Manresa with the Manresa bridge and the Montserrat mountains in the background. 

http://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/jesuit-a-z/Mary,-the-Hidden-Catalyst-Reflections-from-an-Ignatian-Pilgrimage-to-Spain-and-Rome.cfm

He spent part of 1523 and 1524 in the Holy Land.

Ignatius went to Paris to study. During these student days Ignatius gathered a body of mystical men around him who were united by love of Christ and each other.On August 15th 1534 in Paris, Ignatius and his first companions took private vows of poverty and chastity.
             http://norprov.org/spirituality/lifeofignatius.htm 

It was also in Paris that he began sharing a room with Francis Xavier and Peter Faber. He greatly influenced a few other fellow students (Xavier was the hardest nut to crack, interested as he was mainly in worldly success and honors), directing them all at one time or another for thirty days in what we now call the Spiritual Exercises.

 On June 24th1537 Ignatius and other companions were ordained though they did not celebrate their First Mass for a long time afterwards. During his time preparing for priesthood he received many spiritual visions and supernatural visitations and deep assurances from God about certain matters.

 
St. Ignatius,Vision at the Chapel of La Storta

Icon by William McNichols.http://puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/andre/ignatius_trinity.html

Ignatius, along with two of his companions, Peter Faber and James Lainez, decided to go to Rome and place themselves at the disposal of the Pope. It was a few miles outside of the city that Ignatius had the second most significant of his mystical experiences. At a chapel at La Storta where they had stopped to pray, God the Father told Ignatius, "I will be favorable to you in Rome" and that He would place him (Ignatius) with His Son.

 In the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome during Christmas 1538 he celebrated his First Mass. In Rome he taught the Spiritual Exercises. During his time in Rome his mystical life reached its maturity.

Madonna Della Strada or Santa Maria Della Strada — the Italian for Our Lady of the Way, or Our Lady of the Road — is the name of a late 15th or 16th century image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.This was the image before which Ignatius prayed at the church of Our Lady of the Way in Rome. It is now in the Church of the Gesù. The feast of Our Lady of the Way (24th May) was restored to the Jesuit liturgical calendar in 2014.

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (Rome) - statue of the Holy Mary 'Ave Regina Pacis' 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SM_Maggiore,_Roma_fc06.jpg

Our Lady of the Angels, Santa Maria degli Angeli Portiuncula /Porziuncola

                                              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Santa_Maria_degli_Angeli

The Portiuncula (Porziuncola) is an ancient church dedicated to Mary under the title Our Lady of the Angels and is located in Assisi, Italy.The Porziuncola is the place where Franciscanism developed, and where Saint Francis lived and died .Shrine of the Porziuncola is situated now inside the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in the town of the same name around 5 km from Assisi.

It was a spot very dear to the heart of Saint Francis.St. Francis repaired three chapels. The third was popularly called the Portiuncula or the Little Portion.

The chapel, of antique construction and venerated for the apparition of Angels within it, belonged to the Benedictine monks of Subasio. It was on a piece of land called "Portiuncula" and later, the name of the land passed to the little church itself.It was abandoned for a long time and was restored by Saint Francis. It was here that he understood his vocation clearly and here that he founded the Order of the Friars Minor (1209) "establishing here his home", St. Bonaventure tells us, "because of his reverence for the angels, and of his great love of the Mother of Christ" to whom the little church was dedicated. The land and the Chapel were gifted to him by the Benedictines for making it the centre of his new religious family.

On 28 March, 1211 Clare, daughter of Favarone di Offreduccio received her religious habit here from the hands of Saint Francis and so initiated the Order of the Poor Clares.
In 1216, in a vision, St Francis obtained from Jesus himself the Indulgence of the Pardon of Assisi that was approved by Pope Honorius III. This plenary indulgence may ordinarily be gained on August 2 and 15; pilgrims may gain it once a year on any day of the year.

 http://www.franciscanfriarstor.com/archive/stfrancis/stf_portuncula_lady_of_the_angels.htm

And, in 1216, Francis had a vision in the little chapel in which he was granted the "Pardon of Assisi." As he prayed, a light filled the chapel and he saw above the altar Christ, the Virgin Mary and a company of angels. They asked him what he wanted for the salvation of souls, and Francis replied:
The request was granted based on Francis' worthiness, and the indulgence was officially approved by Pope Honorius III.
Nearby, in the humble cell now known as the Cappella del Transito, St. Francis died October 3, 1226.

  http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/assisi-santa-maria-degli-angeli

The following is an excerpt from the Major Life of St. Francis by St. Bonaventure.)

" The Portiuncula was an old church dedicated to the Virgin Mother of God which was abandoned . Francis had great devotion to the Queen of the world and when he saw that the church was deserted, he began to live there constantly in order to repair it. He heard that the Angels often visited it, so that it was called Saint Mary of the Angels, and he decided to stay there permanently out of reverence for the angels and love for the Mother of Christ.

He loved this spot more than any other in the world. It was here he began his religious life in a very small way; it is here he came to a happy end. When he was dying, he commended this spot above all others to the friars, because it was most dear to the Blessed Virgin.

This was the place where Saint Francis founded his Order by divine inspiration and it was divine providence which led him to repair three churches before he founded the Order and began to preach the Gospel.

This meant that he progressed from material things to more spiritual achievements, from lesser to greater, in due order, and it gave a prophetic indication of what he would accomplish later.

As he was living there by the church of Our Lady, Francis prayed to her who had conceived the Word, full of grace and truth, begging her insistently and with tears to become his advocate. Then he was granted the true spirit of the Gospel by the intercession of the Mother of mercy and he brought it to fruition.

He embraced the Mother of Our Lord Jesus with indescribable love because, as he said, it was she who made the Lord of majesty our brother, and through her we found mercy. After Christ, he put all his trust in her and took her as his patroness for himself and his friars."

Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels

In the middle of the large Basilica, the little Porziuncola shines with simplicity. Francis repaired it with his own hands in 1207. A little later, on February 24th, 1208, Mass was celebrated there and Francis heard a decisive call during the reading of the Gospel.

                                                   http://www.psalmos.com/english/html/porziuncola.html
                                                  
 Prayer to Our Lady of the Angels

You are fair, O Mary,
And the stain of original sin is not in you.
You are the glory of Jerusalem;
You are the joy of Israel;
You are the honor of our people;
You are the advocate of sinners, O Mary
Our Lady of the Angels,
Virgin most prudent,
Mother Most loving,
Pray for us,
Intercede for us with Jesus Christ our Lord.
(mention your request)
AMEN.

Salutation Of The Blessed Virgin
( by Saint Francis of Assisi )
Hail Holy Lady most holy Queen,
Mary Mother of God.
Chosen by the Father in heaven
consecrated by Him.
With His most beloved Son and
Holy Spirit comforter,
On you descended and still remains
fullness of grace
And every good.
Hail His palace and His robe,
Mary Mother of God.
Hail His handmaid lowely and pure,
Loving servant of the Lord.
Hail holy virtues given by God
to all the faithful in the world,
So that no longer we faithless be,
And may become the
servants of the Lord. - AMEN

Mirror of Justice, Pray for us

Today is my 14th day of the 33 day preparation for the total Cosecration to Virgin Mary(This is my fourth time). Yesterday the daily prayers have changed and the Litany of Loreto is included. Thought of doing some research on it. Today I am meditating on Mary as "Mirror of Justice", a phrase that has always intrigued me. I found a beautiful explanation by Cardinal Newman. And some very interesting illustrations from the web.There is a beautiful piece of embroidery depicting the Mary as Mirror of Justice.Read more about it in this link : http://www.embroiderersguild-secure.co.uk/uploads/docs-mags/loreto.pdf


http://www.embroiderersguild-secure.co.uk/uploads/docs-mags/loreto.pdf
And here is a painting :
http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-157/Mirror%20of%20Justice.htm

From John Henry Newman's Meditations on the Litany of Loretto  

Mary is the "Speculum Justitiæ," the Mirror of Justice{31} HERE first we must consider what is meant by justice, for the word as used by the Church has not that sense which it bears in ordinary English. By "justice" is not meant the virtue of fairness, equity, uprightness in our dealings; but it is a word denoting all virtues at once, a perfect, virtuous state of soul—righteousness, or moral perfection; so that it answers very nearly to what is meant by sanctity. Therefore when our Lady is called the "Mirror of Justice," it is meant to say that she is the Mirror of sanctity, holiness, supernatural goodness.

Next, what is meant by calling her a mirror? A mirror is a surface which reflects, as still water, polished steel, or a looking-glass. What did Mary reflect? She reflected our Lord—but He is infinite Sanctity. She then, as far as a creature could, reflected His Divine sanctity, and therefore she is the Mirror of Sanctity, or, as the Litany says, of Justice.
Do we ask how she came to reflect His Sanctity? {32} —it was by living with Him. We see every day how like people get to each other who live with those they love. When they live with those whom they don't love, as, for instance, the members of a family who quarrel with each other, then the longer they live together the more unlike each other they become; but when they love each other, as husband and wife, parents and children, brothers with brothers or sisters, friends with friends, then in course of time they get surprisingly like each other. All of us perceive this; we are witnesses to it with our own eyes and ears—in the expression of their features, in their voice, in their walk, in their language, even in their handwriting, they become like each other; and so with regard to their minds, as in their opinions, their tastes, their pursuits. And again doubtless in the state of their souls, which we do not see, whether for good or for bad.
Now, consider that Mary loved her Divine Son with an unutterable love; and consider too she had Him all to herself for thirty years. Do we not see that, as she was full of grace before she conceived Him in her womb, she must have had a vast incomprehensible sanctity when she had lived close to God for thirty years?—a sanctity of an angelical order, reflecting back the attributes of God with a fulness and exactness of which no saint upon earth, or hermit, or holy virgin, can even remind us. Truly then she is the Speculum Justitiæ, the Mirror of Divine Perfection.

 http://www.newmanreader.org/works/meditations/meditations2.html#may11

                                                          Holy House of Loreto
                                        
It was above all by living so many years in close intimacy with Jesus that Mary became the wonderful Mirror of Justice.  The very house in which the Holy Family lived became a sanctuary of holiness, and is worthy of veneration by the faithful.Read more : http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-157/Mirror%20of%20Justice.htm

Our Lady of the Thirty-Three

                                         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_of_the_Thirty-Three

Our Lady of the Thirty-Three (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de los Treinta y Tres) is a title of the Virgin Mary in Uruguay.V
Virgen De Los Treinta Y Tres—The small image of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three is a wood carving originating in the missions that the Jesuits had in Paraguay during the eighteenth century. Around 1779 the image was placed in the chapel in the village of Pintado, and later it moved with the entire village to what is now the city of Florida. The image was crowned canonically in 1961 and during the following year was proclaimed officially "Patroness of Uruguay."
http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/resources/shrines/uruguaynp.html

The Cathedral of Florida is the shrine where this image is venerated. Ever since the country's independence, there have been pilgrimages to it, for instance, in times of pests. The first National Pilgrimage was in 1908. A very important pilgrimage was carried out by bishop Miguel Paternain in 1945, covering almost one half of the whole country.

A yearly pilgrimage is held every second Sunday of November.^[2]

The Cathedral Basilica of Florida,Uruguay, the National Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three .

Florida (Spanish pronunciation: [floˈɾiða]) is the capital of Florida Department of Uruguay. Having a population of over 33,000, it is home to almost half of the inhabitants of the department.

The oath of the Thirty-Three Orientals by Uruguayan painter Juan Manuel Blanes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguay

Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in the southeastern region of South America. It is bordered by Argentina to its west and Brazil to its north and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to the south and southeast. Wikipedia

The Treinta y Tres Orientales (English: thirty-three orientals or thirty-three easterners) was a militant revolutionary group led by Juan Antonio Lavalleja against the Empire of Brazil. Their actions culminated in the foundation of modern Uruguay. They became famous by the name of the Treinta y Tres Orientales when, in 1825, they began an insurrection for the independence of Oriental Province, a historical territory encompassing modern Uruguay and part of modern Brazilian Rio Grande do Sul State, from Brazilian control.

 April 15, 1825, Lavalleja and his men took ship from San Isidro, a Buenos Aires neighborhood on the banks of the Río de la Plata at the northwest outskirts of the city. They advanced carefully among the isles of the Paraná Delta, evading the vigil of the Brazilian flotilla. After nightfall they crossed theRío Uruguay in two boats and disembarked at Agraciada Beach in the dawn of April 19. There they planted what would become known as the Bandera de los Treinta y Tres Orientales (Flag of the Thirty-Three Easterners), a flag of blue, white, and red horizontal bars. These colors had been traditional since the times of Artigas, not only in Oriental Province but also in others of the Río de la Plata region.http://www.youngdayschool.edu.uy/webliceo/april191825.html

                                           
                                           http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/resources/engseven.html
The small image of the Virgin of the Thirty Three is a wood carving originating in the missions that the Jesuits had in Paraguay in mid eighteenth century. The image was made in one of the Guarani workshops that flourished in these famous missions.
Around 1779 the image was placed in the chapel that the Jesuits looked after in the village of Pintado and later, when the entire village moved to what is now the city of Florida, the residents took with them the beloved image before which their ancestors had prayed.
On April 19, 1825, thirty-three orientals, Uruguayan patriots, landed on the beaches of the Agraciada to commence the liberation of their country. When they reached Florida, they went to the small church and placed the future of the new nation at the feet of the Virgin. National Independence is proclaimed on August 25, and the members of the Constitutional Court having signed the Act of Independence, presented themselves again before the image and placed their nascent country under her protection.

http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/resources/engseven.html

OUR LADY OF LOURDES by Sr. Marie Pierre Semler

Our Lady of Lourdes1933

This representation received inspiration from the sixth apparition of Bernadette in which the Lady, diverting her eyes from the child, had turned them afar with an expression of sadness, then returning again to Bernadette, she exclaimed, "Pray for sinners." We also see her counting her beads with Bernadette as given in another part of the narrative. Details of Bernadette's garments are taken from the clothing of a doll made by the Sisters of Nevers for our "Father Bernadette."

http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/semler7.html

Excerped from Lost in the Beauty of her God 
Sr. Marie Pierre Semler was a native of upstate New York. She was born Bertha Josephine Semler in Chili, New York in 1901. She entered the religious community of the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic in 1925. During her sixty-eight years as a Maryknoll Sister she created 1,997 pieces of art work. Sr. Marie Pierre also wrote poetry, meditations, and descriptions for many of her art pieces. She worked in several mediums and made many reproductions of her work during her lifetime. She died at the Maryknoll Sisters Center on October 18, 1993, at the age of 92.When Sister Marie Pierre Semler looked at a piece of wood, stone or canvas, she saw stories, messages of inspiration and the achievements and short-comings of humankind.Her work is preserved and exhibited by her grand-nephew David Hoysic, and his wife Mary. Together they have sponsored more than fifty exhibitions in the Northeastern United States.Sister Marie Pierre’s collection numbers close to two thousand pieces, and has been viewed by more than fifteen thousand people in New York State and New England. Each of her works carries her characteristically meditative quality.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ!

Our Lady of the Night

                                 http://www.pinterest.com/source/artofamaryknollsister.com/

                       Our Lady of the Night

                 Artist:  Sr. Marie Pierre Semler

Original created 1934

 http://www.sistermariepierre.com/oil.htm

Our Lady stands in the night upon our world. It is that night which brought in tangible form the dawn
of our salvation. In the cold, quiet, silence of the nights darkest hour Mary brought to us the Life that
is our Light. He rests, "The Ancient of Days", in the cradle of her arm with one tiny hand raised in
benediction between heaven and earth. The light of the star mingles with the light radiating from the
Infant Christ, and is guided within the folds of Mary's mantle to shine upon the earth.
The natural light that floods our earth and casts a shadow that we call night, is but a figure of that supernatural light which is Christ, penetrating all things, and casting no shadow for it is in our darkness  as well as in our light. It is He, the creator of light who mingles these two lights, who sent forth Epiphany's star to proclaim His coming and by it drew kings into His presence from the far reaches on the earth. It is He who in tender mercy created Mary, our Mother, and placed Himself in her hands that she might be a lamp to our feet as we journey through life's night. She who is filled with His light, wears a dark mantle; the mantle of the cross, the cross of humble everyday life, in poverty and service to others. Through the shadowing of this mantle could be seen, only here and there, a bit of light from within as we see the stars in the painting glow dimly through its outer surface. It is only when Mary draws aside her mantle and the hand of the "Light of the World" is raised in benediction that we may hehold something of the exalted glory in Mary's hidden life. It reaches "from end to end mightily, and ordereth all things sweetly." Wis. 8-1.
"She is the brightness of eternal light, and the unspotted mirror of God's majesty, and the image of his goodness." Wis. 7-26.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ!

Postage Stamps of Marian year 1954

Here are some beautiful postage stamps  commemorating the  Marian year 1954 images from the web.

Italy #664—60 lire Madonna of the Pieta
by Michelangelo Black & cream Issued Dec. 31, 1954
to mark the endof Marian Year Set of 2 values
(Scott #663-664) http://www.wisdomportal.com/Numbers/60-Stamps.html

Monaco issued this attractively-designed mint set of three stamps on June 7, 1955, to commemorate the Marian Year that was ordered for 1954 by Pope Pius XII. The stamps feature "Virgin" by Francois Brea, "Pieta" by Louis Brea, and "Blessed Rainier." 
http://www.collectiblestampsgallery.com/proddetail.asp?prod=RL19

These stamps were issued December 16, 1954, near Christmastime, to celebrate the upcoming Marian Year.  Each of the stamps show a 14th Century wood carving of an enthroned Madonna.
http://www.stamp-collecting-world.com/liechtensteinstamps_1953.html

A stamp issued in 1957 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Irish Franciscan theologian and historian Luke Wadding (see also Pius XII’s letter on same):
http://lxoa.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/the-changing-face-of-irish-stamps/

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ!

Mary's Dormition- claims for two cities

Church of the Sepulchre of Saint Mary, also Tomb of the Virgin Mary, is a Christian tomb in the Kidron Valley – at the foot of Mount of Olives, in Jerusalem – believed by Eastern Christians to be the burial place of Mary, the mother of Jesus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_the_Virgin_Mary

Claims made for two cities http://www.seetheholyland.net/church-of-the-dormition/
Two cities, Jerusalem and Ephesus (in present-day Turkey), claim to be the place where the Virgin Mary died. The Ephesus claim rests in part on the Gospel account that Christ on his cross entrusted the care of Mary to St John (who later went to Ephesus).

But the earliest traditions all locate the end of Mary’s life in Jerusalem, where the Tomb of Mary is venerated at the foot of the Mount of Olives.

 Early writers favour Jerusalem.

“The apocryphal works of the second to the fourth century are all favourable to the Jerusalem tradition. According to the Acts of St John by Prochurus, written (160-70) by Lencius, the Evangelist went to Ephesus accompanied by Prochurus alone and at a very advanced age, i.e. after Mary’s death.
Life-size statue of Mary in death


Lifesize image of Mary in death, in the Church of the Dormition
If the upper floor of the Church of the Dormition is luminous, the circular crypt seems totally shrouded when first entered.
In the centre, under a rotunda, is a simple bier on which rests a life-size statue of Mary, fallen asleep in death. The statue is made of cherry wood and ivory.

Icon of Mary’s death at the Tomb of Mary (Seetheholyland.net)
http://www.seetheholyland.net/tag/ephesus/

I

Panaya Kapulu / Meryem Ana Evi- House of Mother Mary

 Panaya Kapulu ("Doorway to the Virgin") aka Meryem Ana Evi (House of Mother Mary)

Atop a distant mountain in southwest Turkey, overlooking the ancient city of Ephesus, lies a shrine shrouded in mystery. Called Meryem Ana Evi (House of Mother Mary) by the native Turks, it is believed to be the last earthly home of the Virgin Mary. Unlike the Marian shrines of Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe and Knock, which are held to be the locations of apparitions of Mary, Our Lady of Ephesus is a shrine connected to Mary’s physical historical presence. Pilgrims who journey to Nightingale Mountain to visit the shrine believe it to be the site of her last earthly residence, the place of her death, and, for some, the location from which she was bodily assumed into heaven. Although sought out by more than a million Christian and Muslim pilgrims annually, Our Lady of Ephesus has received little attention from the academic world.http://religionnerd.com/2013/02/19/the-house-of-mary-the-discovery-at-ephesus/

 

                              

http://www.sistermariefiles.com/MARYSHOUSEBLOG.pdf 

In 1880 a book was published that captured the hearts and imaginations of
many devotees of Mary, Mother of God. A German seer by the name of
Anne Catherine Emmerich (1771-1824) shared with the world her private
revelations in a book entitled The Life of the Blessed Virgin recorded by
Clemens von Brentano. In this intriguing book Mary’s House is described
in great detail including its exact whereabouts with descriptions of various
landmarks in the surrounding location. The House of the Virgin is first
discovered in 1881 by Father Julien Gouyet, of Paris, through the diligent
use of this book. Archbishop Timoni of Izmir (then Smyrne) did support
Gouyet’s work and sent him a helper. The report made to Rome and Paris
by Father Gouyet proved unpopular, however, and was disregarded.


http://www.kusadasi.biz/virgin-mary/

Emmerich had seen in her visions the Virgin Mary leaving Jerusalem with St.John before the persecution of Christians had become worse and their coming to Ephesus; she had also seen that the house in Ephesus was on a mountain nearby and that the Christians who had settled there before lived in tents and caves. She said furthermore that the house of the Virgin Mary, a stone house, was built by St.John, that it was rectangular in plan with a round back wall and had an apse and a hearth. The room next to the apse was her bedroom and there was a stream of water running it. Emmerich went on as follows:

"After completing her third year here she had a great desire to go to Jerusalem. John and Peter took her there. She was taken so ill and lost so much weight in Jerusalem that everybody thought she was going to die and they began preparing a grave for her. When the grave was finished the Virgin Mary recovered. She was feeling strong enough to return to Ephesus.

After returning to Ephesus the Virgin Mary became very weak and at 64 years of age she died. The saints around her performed a funeral ceremony for her and put the coffin they had specially prepared into a cave about two kilometers away from the house".

Emmerich narrated that at this point in her vision St.Thomas coming there after the death of the Virgin Mary cried with sorrow because he had not been able to arrive in time. Whereupon his friends not wanting to hurt his feelings took him to the cave. And she went on:

" When they came to the cave they prostrated themselves. Thomas and his friends walked impatiently to the door. St.John followed them. Two of them went inside after removing the bushes at the entrance of the cave and they kneeled down in front of the grave. John neared the coffin of which a part was protruding from the grave and unlacing its ties he opened the lid. When they all approached the coffin they were stunned in amazement: Mary's corpse was not in the shroud. But the shroud had remained intact. After this event the mouth of the cave containing the grave was closed and the house was turned into a chapel."
Also check this site for a virtual tour!

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Middle_East/Turkey/Izmir_Ili/Ephesus-1844014/Things_To_Do-Ephesus-Virgin_Mary_House-BR-1.html

Our Mother of Perpetual Help

                                

• Just a few blocks west of St. Mary Major Basilica stands the lofty Victorian-gothic church of San Alfonso.   The sacred picture of “Our Mother of Perpetual Help” is fittingly venerated in this church named after the Marian Doctor of the church St. Alphonsus Liguori.  It was he who wrote that great spiritual classic, The Glories of Mary.  It is his sons, the Redemptorists, who are the custodians of the shrine and picture.  They are forever associated with this miraculous image through their apostolic zeal in fostering reverence and devotion to our Lady of Perpetual Help throughout the world.
• The story of this Icon is one of the most unusual and involved stories of the many Marian shrines and miraculous images throughout the world.  The painting originally came from the island of Crete where it had been venerated for a number of years.  The earliest written account is from an old document-plaque written in Latin and Italian which was placed before the Icon in the church of St. Matthew where it was first venerated in Rome in March of 1499.
•  Miracles: On January 19, 1866, Fathers Marchi and Bresciani brought the miraculous picture to St. Alphonsus’ church.  Preparations were now made to inaugurate the new public reign of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  On April 26^th, a great procession was staged in which the picture was carried throughout the Esquiline region of Rome.  Upon returning to the church, the picture was enthroned over the high altar, in a resplendent shrine-niche especially constructed for it.All along the route of the procession the people of Rome decorated their houses with bunting and flowers.  Clergy and religious were proud to march in the procession.  Our Lady, as is to be expected, showed her pleasure at this outpouring of her children’s love in several authenticated miracles.  The procession passed a house where a little boy of four lay dying.  He had been given up as a hopeless case by the doctors.  Hearing the singing, the child’s grieving mother snatched him in her arms and hastened to the open window.  Looking out at Our Lady’s picture passing by she called out: “Dear blessed Mother, either cure my boy or take him to paradise!”Our Lady chose the first, and the boy was cured at once.  The next day he toddled along with his mother to St. Alphonsus’ church and stood before the picture.  He waved his little hands to the Madonna and cried “Grazie, grazie” and threw her some kisses in the loving Italian style.  As the procession was passing another house, another mother called upon Our Lady of Perpetual Help to aid her eight-year-old daughter who was completely paralyzed.  At once the girl regained partial use of her limbs and was able to move about a bit.  The next day the mother brought the child to St. Alphonsus’ church to thank Our Lady and ask if she would not complete the cure.  At once the child was restored to full health and vigor.
• As to be expected, the report of those marvelous healings spread rapidly throughout the city and people came by the hundreds to visit the shrine.  Soon the whole area around the altar was filled with abandoned crutches and canes and several whole glass-covered cabinets were filled with gold and silver thanksgiving offerings in the shapes of miniature hearts, arms, legs and other votive offerings.  
• Scarcely two weeks after the solemn exposition of the picture, Pope Pius IX himself came to visit the shrine.  He stood quietly before it for a long time and then exclaimed: “How beautiful she is!”  He was given and had enshrined a copy of the original in his own private chapel and was often seen kneeling before it in fervent prayer.  Later on, when the Archconfraternity of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was formed, he blessed the project and insisted that his name head the list of the worldwide membership.
• Pope Leo XIII, the next pontiff, had a copy of the picture on his desk so that he might see it constantly during his working day.  St. Pius X sent a copy of the icon to the Empress of Ethiopia and granted an indulgence of 100 days to anyone who repeated the phrase: “Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for us.”  Pope Benedict XV had the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help placed immediately over his chair of state in the throne room.  Here it could be seen by all just over his head, as if to say: “Here is your true Queen!”  Many famous cardinals (Like Mercier of Belgium) and bishops (like von Keppler of Germany) declared the Mother of Perpetual Help their own special patroness.  Rapidly the Madonna became known outside of Rome.  
• Pope Pius IX told the Redemptorists, in speaking to them of the treasure he had committed to their care: “Make her known!”  It seems as though they hardly needed the exhortation.  In the United States, they built the first Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in the Roxbury section of Boston, and it was eventually raised to the honor of a “Papal Basilica” by Pope Pius XII.

Excerpted from:

http://www.marys-touch.com/history/olhelp.htm

The icon damaged by incense smoke and timely discoloration, prior to its restoration.

Pope Pius IX finally gave his Apostolic Blessing and titled the icon Mater de Perpetuo Succursu (Mother of Perpetual Help). On June 23, 1867, the image was canonically crowned by the Dean of the Vatican Chapter in a solemn and official recognition of the Marian icon under that title.^[14]
On April 21, 1866, the Redemptorist Superior General gave one of the first copies of the icon to Pope Pius XI. This copy is preserved in the chapel of the Redemptorists' Generalate in Rome. The original icon remains under the care of the Redemptorist Fathers at the Church of St. Alphonsus with the latest restoration of the icon having taken place in 1990.^[13]
In 1990, the icon was taken down from its altar for new photography and image restoration commissioned by the General Government of Redemptorists. The Redemptorist Order entered into contract with the Technical Department at the Vatican Museum to restore the icon and prevent further fungal damage into the icon. The restoration process involved X-ray, infra-red scanning, technical analysis of the paint and ultra-violettesting along with a Carbon-14-test which placed the icon between the year 1325-1480. Artistic analysis of the icon revealed that the facial structure of the icon was altered due previous overpainting, resulting in a combination of "oriental and occidental" features of the image.^{[15]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Perpetual_Help}

Detail of the hands of the virgin.