Next to Her Son

Leader: A development received? (Church Times)

ALL GENERATIONS shall call her blessed. The festival of the Blessed Virgin Mary this Sunday is one that has usually been associated with the ending of her earthly life. This event is, as it must be for all saints, a joyful one, meriting a celebration. The Eastern Church calls it her dormition, or falling asleep. There is little to object to in that, even though it is not recorded in scripture. To speak of her “assumption”, as the Western Church did without defining it as bodily, or as an article of faith, until 60 years ago, was to say a little more — but not necessarily much more than many Christians say of their own mothers who, they hope, have “gone to heaven”. John Brown’s body, after all, lies a-mouldering in the grave, but his soul is marching on. And yet not all of today’s theologians who live in “sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life” are happy with later words in the 1662 burial service: “Almighty God, with whom do live the spirits of them that depart hence in the Lord, and with whom the souls of the faithful . . . are in joy and felicity. . .” Our Lady’s body is not John Brown’s body: it had a higher vocation; there is no tradition, as there is with other saints, of relics: what happened? Historians have little to go on. But on 1 November 1950, Pope Pius XII declared it a matter of divine revelation that Mary “having completed her earthly course was in body and soul assumed into heavenly glory”. Thomas Ken had written: “Next to his throne her Son his Mother placed.” But this was not a dogma. Such a definition would be an ecumenical mistake, argued two Roman Catholics, Victor Bennett and Raymond Winch, while they were still free to say so (The Assumption of Our Lady and Catholic Theology, SPCK, 1950). Since Vatican II, it has proved a lesser obstacle than expected. True, Barthians do not like it. But John Macquarrie’s Mary for All Christians (1991) gave a positive C of E critique; and the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, in 2005, affirmed “the teaching that God has taken the Blessed Virgin Mary in the fullness of her person into his glory as consonant with Scripture, and only to be understood in the light of Scripture”. When Anglicans speak of unwarranted developments these days, they are more likely to be talking about disputes among themselves. Indeed, the charge of setting the bar too high for communion, levelled against Rome in 1950, has a topical ring to it. The question of reception is on the table again. Are Anglicans still willing to take their stand on the principle that there are developments, however reasonable to those who ad vance them, that cannot be deemed final and binding upon all?

Pope in Fatima

Half a million pilgrims chanting “Viva o Papa” braved the rain to hear Pope Benedict XVI condemn the world’s “petty egoisms” at an overflowing open-air mass at Fatima, the Portuguese Lourdes.

The mass, the highlight of the Pope’s four-day trip to Portugal, marked the anniversary of the day in 1917 when three shepherd children reported seeing visions of the Virgin Mary as the sun “spun” in the sky.

They claimed that the Madonna confided to them three “secrets” foretelling the Second World War, the conversion of Russia to Christianity and the attempt on the life of John Paul II in 1981. John Paul believed that the Virgin Mary saved him from the attempted assassination, which took place on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima.

In his homily a weary looking Pope Benedict, dressed in white and gold vestments and sounding hoarse, said: “We delude ourselves if we think that the prophetic mission of Fatima has come to an end.”

On the plane from Rome to Lisbon on Tuesday he said that the so-called Third Secret of Fatima referred not only to the attack on John Paul II by a Turkish gunman on 13 May, 1981, but also to the “sufferings of the Church” in general, including the current crisis over clerical sex abuse.

He has not referred directly to the sex abuse scandals in his speeches since arriving in Portugal, where few abuse cases have come to light. However in a policy reversal the Pope acknowledged that the abuse scandals did not come from a conspiracy by the Church’s enemies and the media, as Vatican officials had claimed, but from “sins inside the Church itself”.

At a candlelit evening prayer service on his arrival at Fatima from Lisbon on Wednesday the pontiff said that he was bringing the suffering “of a wounded humanity, of the problems of the world” to the shrine, constructed in the 1950s.

Praying before a statue of the Madonna, the Pope referred to the bullet that his predecessor had placed in the statue’s crown in gratitude for her intervention. “It is a profound consolation to know that you are crowned not only with the silver and gold of our joys and hopes but also with the ‘bullet’ of our anxieties and sufferings,” he said.

The cult of the three shepherd children and their visions was first opposed by the then anti-clerical Portuguese authorities and viewed with scepticism by the Church. However, it flourished later after the miraculous nature of the visions was authenticated by the Vatican.

On a visit to Fatima in 2000, Pope John Paul disclosed the Third Secret and beatified two of the shepherds who had reported apparitions and who died young. The third of the children, Lucia dos Santos, became a nun and died five years ago. She too is headed for beatification, the step before sainthood.

Many Portuguese pilgrims at Fatima had walked more than 100 miles from towns and villages, and some travelled the last few hundred metres on their knees. Others flocked to Fatima from neighbouring Spain.

Eavan O’Donoghue, an English teacher in Valencia, said that she had seen the Pope before “but Fatima holds a special meaning”.

In his homily the Pope, 83, told pilgrims that they would be returning in seven years time to mark the 100th anniversary of the apparitions, but did not say whether he expected to be present.

He said that the “human family” appeared all too ready to “sacrifice its most holy bonds on the altar of the petty egoisms of nation, race and ideology”.

Earlier he told hundreds of priests, nuns and seminarians at the sanctuary that dedication to their calling required “courage and trust”. He told the clergy to be wary of “those situations where there is a certain weakening of priestly ideals or dedication to activities which do not fully accord with what is proper for a minister of Jesus Christ”.

He also held a 30-minute meeting with Portugal’s Prime Minister Jose Socrates, a supporter of gay marriage legislation recently passed by the Portuguese Parliament and due to be signed into law next week. (Times).

Lady Day

The Annunciation is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel toMary that she would become the Theotokos (God-bearer). Despite being a virgin, Mary would miraculously conceive a child who would be the called the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her son Jesus, meaning “YHWH delivers”. Most of Christianity observes this event with the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March, nine full months before Christmas. According to the Bible (Luke 1:26), the Annunciation occurred in “the sixth month” ofElizabeth's pregnancy with the child who would later become known as John the Baptist.

Approximating the Vernal equinox, the date of the Annunciation also marked the New Yearin many places, including England, where it is called Lady Day. Both the Roman Catholicand Eastern Orthodox Churches hold that the Annunciation took place at Nazareth, but differ as to the precise location. The Church of the Annunciation marks the site preferred by the former, while the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation marks that preferred by the latter.

The Annunciation has been a key topic in Christian art in general, as well as in Roman Catholic Marian art, particularly during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Beginning in 2010, the Annunciation feast is a national holiday in Lebanon celebrated by both Christians and Muslims by virtue of a governmental decree.

Poem of the Man-God

(Discovered whilst in Poustinia)

1897-1961

Maria Valtorta was born in 1897 in Caserta, Italy. In 1916 the lord attracted her to Himself by means of a dream which was to remain vivid throughout her life. In an evangelical vision, which seemed to anticipate the waking visions of her literary work, Jesus aided Maria with words of admonishment and piety.

In her early 20's and in the spring of 1920, while walking along the street, she was struck in the back by a young delinquent. With an iron bar stripped from a bed, he came from behind and struck her with all his might. She remained confined to bed for three months, just a sample of what was to be her future complete infirmity. January 4th, 1933 was the last day Maria was able to leave her house and after April 1, 1934, she was no longer able to leave her bed.

Her activity as writer reached intensity from 1943 to 1947, and continued, diminishing progressively, until 1953. The notebooks written by Maria included almost fifteen thousand pages. Little less than two-thirds of this outstanding literay production concerns the monumental work on the Life of Jesus (The Poem of the Man-God). The minor works include extensive commentaries on biblical texts, doctrinal lessons, histories of the first Christians and martyrs and pious compositions. "I can affirm" - one of Valtorta's declarations reads - "that I have had no human source to be able to know what I write, and what, even while writing, I often do not undersatand."

The Poem of the Man God (Italian title: Il Poema dell'Uomo-Dio) is a multi volume book of about four thousand pages on the life of Jesus Christ written by the Italian mystic Maria Valtorta. The latest editions of the book, bear the title: The Gospel As It Was Revealed to Me.

The book was first published in Italian in 1956 and has since been translated into 10 languages and is available worldwide. The book is based on over 15,000 handwritten pages produced by Maria Valtorta between 1943 and 1947. During these years she reported visions of Jesus and Mary and claimed personal conversations with Jesus.

The book has received the imprimatur and approval of some Catholic Bishops but the official position of the Holy See with respect to the book is currently less than clear. Since 1993 the Vatican has decided to remain silent on the work. Given the endorsements provided for the book in the visions of the Virgin Mary reported at Medjugorje in 1981, if and when the Holy See selects a position on Medjugorje, it may also be viewed as having selected a position on the work of Maria Valtorta.

Our Lady of the Rosary

Homily at St Martin Eucharist (Acts 1.12-14; Luke 1.26-38)

"All joined in continuous prayer, including Mary the mother of Jesus"

There is no more gospel centred prayer than the rosary.

The origin of today's memorial derives from the victory of the Christian West over the Muslim Turks at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, attributed to the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary in response to cries for help through the widespread saying of the rosary.

Today the Church continues to commend the simplicity and warmth of the rosary as a way of fostering intercession and contemplative prayer in the heart of the believer. The Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries recalled by the recitation of the beads imbeds and fructifies the gospel essentials in the Christian soul. The repetition of the many Our Father's, Hail Mary's, and Glory Be's expresses the soul's cry to God for help and grace. The gaze is kept firmly fixed on Jesus throughout, the author and perfecter of our faith.

As we say the rosary we join the first disciples in their continuous prayer in the upper room, with Mary the mother of Jesus.

"Our Lady of the Rosary, open to us its holy secrets. Let it be a door for us into the heart of your Son, his Father, and the Holy Spirit."

England's Nazareth

Today we celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham and prayed for the parish pilgrims visiting at the shrine this week.

Collect:

Lord God, in the mystery of the Incarnation Mary conceived your Son in her heart before she conceived Him in her womb. As we, your pilgrim people, rejoice in her patronage, grant that we also may welcome Him into our hearts, and so, like her, be made a holy house fit for His eternal dwelling. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. +Amen.

Our Lady of Walsingham

by Joanna Bogle
Voices' Contributing Editor

Walsingham is England’s national shrine to Our Lady, and a major place of pilgrimage and prayer. It is in Norfolk, a few miles from the North Sea, and is a small village set in the green countryside characteristic of this corner of Britain. The shrine dates back to the 12^th century, when the local lady of the manor, Richeldis, had a vision of the Holy House – the home of the Holy family at Nazareth – on this spot. For centuries, pilgrims visited here and Our Lady of Walsingham was honoured with countless processions and prayers. Springs of water – they still exist today – were said to have healing powers. A great priory drew men who devoted themselves to the religious life. At the shrine itself, the image was always surrounded by candles, flowers, and gifts left by grateful pilgrims who had knelt there in prayer.

In the early 16^th century, among those who came were the young king Henry, and his wife Catherine. They were praying that God would grant them a son. England had seen terrifying wars in an earlier generation as the houses of Lancaster and York battled out their struggle for supremacy, and now stability was needed for the new ruling house of Tudor. It was not to be. Catherine bore several children, but all died in infancy except one daughter, Mary. Henry, angry and disappointed, decided to marry his mistress Anne Boleyn. He sought an annulment of his marriage through the Church, but failed to obtain it. Divorcing Catherine unilaterally, he married Anne – who by then was carrying his child – and announced himself head of the Church. The Lord Chancellor, Thomas More, and the Bishop of Rochester, John Fisher, were beheaded at the Tower of London in 1534 for refusing to affirm him in his claims, maintaining instead that only the Pope, the successor of Saint Peter, could hold that office. . Needing funds, Henry turned on the Church and crushed monasteries and priories. On the excuse of its being idolatrous, the shrine at Walsingham was destroyed and the statue burned. For some 400 years, there were no more pilgrimages, processions, or signs of devotion to Mary in this quiet village.

The shrine was revived in the early 20^th century – an Anglican vicar researched the history and re-created the Holy House in a new shrine, and a Catholic lady obtained the old “Slipper Chapel” just outside the village and this became the revived Catholic centre of devotion. Today, there are pilgrimages throughout the summer and the Catholic shrine has its own large church built of attractive local stone. Pilgrims pray and sing as they walk the “Holy Mile” – traditionally barefoot – from the village. Schools, parish groups, Catholic organisations – all come with their banners and their choirs, their sandwiches and their children, to greet Our Lady at a place which combines the pleasures of unusually beautiful countryside with an atmosphere of real devotion and joy. Some groups stay for days – a local farmer rents out fields in which large groups of young pilgrims and families can camp – and in recent years Walsingham has seen a revival of Eucharistic adoration and confession, promoted by “Youth 2000”, a major initiative of the “John Paul 11 generation”.

When Pope John Paul visited Britain in 1982 the image of Our Lady of Walsingham was brought to London where it was the centrepiece of a major rally attended by the Holy Father. Many Catholic families, churches and schools, have copies of the image: it is an unusual one in which Mary is seen seated, as a dignified queen wearing a simple Saxon-style crown and carrying the Christ-child seated upright on her lap. Honour to Our Lady of Walsingham is linked to prayer that the people of England may once again return to the practice of the Catholic Faith: Our Lady of Walsinghan, pray for us!

Faith Components

St Martin's homily on "woman, you have great faith" from today's gospel (Matthew 15.21-58)":

Fancy being praised by Jesus for your 'great faith'.

Faith has many components and today's gospel highlights two of them.

First, there is 'perseverance', what my grandfather used to call 'stickability' or not giving up at the least discouragement. The Canaanite woman knew what she wanted from Jesus and she wasn't easily put off by his initial silence nor by his apparent rejection.

Secondly, faith is strengthened by the support of others 'the disciples pleaded with Jesus on her behalf' though not from the highest of motives - possibly just to shut her up.

In the Catholic calendar today we recall the dedication of the basilica of S Mary Major in Rome following she was declared 'mother of God' at the Council of Ephesus in 431. In the Anglican calendar we recall Oswald's contribution to the conversion of northern England as king companion of Aidan after his baptism and Christian formation by the monks of Columba on Iona.

He was killed in battle in 642 and celebrated as a Christian martyr.

When we pray to the Lord we can show great faith by our reliance on the help of Mary and the saints, so let's do that.

In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father:

Lord, teach us how to pray and grant us perseverance -

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, bless your church and give faithfulness in witness to gospel truth and values -

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, save mankind an deliver the world from warfare and injustice -

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, heal the sick in body, mind and spirit both at home and in hospital -

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, grant to the departed your forgiveness, and peace -

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

These prayers we unite with those of Mary, mother of God, and with all the saints -

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Merciful Father,

accept these prayers,

for the sake of your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

She was at Pentecost

Bienvenue! the Anglican National Pilgrimage at Walsing ham, on Bank Holiday Monday, with images of Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Walsing ham.

The Bishop of Tarbes & Lourdes, Mgr Jacques Perrier (left) with Canon Martin Warner.

Regina Coeli

(On Thursdays I attend mass at St Saviour, Scarborough where during EASTERTIDE the Regina Coeli is sung/recited)

One Easter morning, St Gregory the Great was walking in procession when he heard angels chanting:

Regina coeli laetare, alleluia,
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia,
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia.

And he added the last line:

Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.

Other than this legend, the authorship of the Regina Coeli is completely unknown although it has been attributed to Gregory V, apparently without any reason. During Easter, from the Easter Vigil until Pentecost, it replaces the Angelus and is often sung in the following translation to the tune of "Jesus Christ is Risen Today":

Joy to thee, O Queen of Heaven. Alleluia!
He whom thou wast meet to bear. Alleluia!
As he promised hath arisen. Alleluia!
Pour for us to God thy prayer. Alleluia!

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
R. For the Lord is risen indeed, alleluia.

O God who by the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, didst vouchsafe to bring joy to the whole world.
Grant that through his Mother, the Virgin Mary, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Saying 'yes' to God

St Martin’s Homily

 

Mary’s ‘yes’ to God at the Annunciation make her the first Christian and the model Christian. Today may be called ‘Lady Day’ but this makes the imitation of Mary not only relevant to women but to all Christians.

 

In the final analysis there are only two kinds of human being: those who say ‘yes’ to God and those who say ‘no’; those who say ‘your will be done’ and those to whom God says ‘OK, have it your own way’.

 

When Mary embraced God’s will for her she opened the gateway for the drama of our salvation to begin. She was not coerced, she was not pressurised, she was not threatened. She simply responded as only faith and love know how when she said ‘yes’ to God as he asked for her cooperation in his plan of salvation for mankind. She was still saying ‘yes’ to God when she also embraced her son’s suffering and crucifixion in such a way that they pierced her own soul too.

 

Our vocation as Christians is to imitate her. It is as simple, and as profound, as that. She is the standard and the standard bearer of what it means to live our lives for Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

The late Pope John Paul II often reflected on Mary’s example and urged all Christians to say ‘yes’ to God as she did. On one occasion he said:

 

“Such a ‘yes’ in imitation of Mary, such a’ yes’ creates joy, a new life, a breath, a

 

 blessing.

 

One must accept the call. One must listen. One must receive.

 

Say ‘yes’ ,‘yes’, ‘yes’.

 

Do not fear life for you have found grace and this certainty, this consciousness, will help you, as it helped Mary”.

I am the Lord’s servant, let what you say be done to me.

 

Lk 1:26-38 Behold, you will coneive in your womb and bear a son. In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, you who enjoy God’s favour! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God.

Are you sure?

There is alegend that Mary was not the first young woman to whom the angel came. But she was the first to say yes.

And how unsurprising it would be for a fourteen year old girl to refuse the angel. To be disbelieving. Or to say:

"Are you sure you mean -

but I'm unworthy -

I couldn't anyhow -

I'd be afraid. No, no,

it's inconceivable, you can't be asking me -

I know it's a great honour

but wouldn't it upset them all,

both our families?

They're very proper, you see.

Do I have to answer now?

I don't want to say no -

it's what every girl hopes for

even if she won't admit it.

But I can't commit myself to anything

this important without turning it over

in my mind for a while

and I should ask my parents

and I should ask my -

Let me have a few days to think it over."

Sorrowfully, although he was not surprised to have it happen again, the angel returned to heaven.

(from 'And it was good: reflections on beginnings' by Madeleine L'Engle)

Our Lady of the Rosary

(From this month's 'New Directions')

A hidden treasure

Ernest Skublics calls upon us to rediscover the Rosary as a way of cultivating our relationship with God by offering Him our time, and as a means of focusing our attention on moments in the life of Christ

A very old mainstay of Catholic devotion, the Rosary, deserves re-evaluation and an unapologetic come-back among Anglo-Catholics. Even among Roman Catholics, the popularity of the once much-loved 'beads' had a period of decline following the Second Vatican Council, not unrelated to a fundamentally healthy re-focusing on essentials, liturgically, devotionally, doctrinally The Rosary, to some extent, fell victim to this pruning, because it seemed to be the only extended prayer-form among the laity, so much so that it was even recited during Mass, in place of an intelligent participation in the Liturgy itself.

Purpose of prayer
Yet the Rosary, in some sense, is the archetypal model, a real case study, for all prayer, especially non-liturgical prayer. For all people, who have generally grown up with the idea (supported by most dictionary definitions and the etymology of the word) that prayer is about asking, a devotion like the Rosary is a most enlightening corrective.

For prayer is not primarily about asking. We may venture to say that it is not even primarily about going out to God in love and admiration, in recognition and thanksgiving (berakah - Eucharist) - though that comes much closer to the essence of prayer and is certainly central to it. But it is so only because prayer is primarily and essentially the conscious and loving cultivation of our relationship with God.

This relationship is already a given - by our creation and re-creation in baptism. We do not need to establish the relationship, but we do need to become mindful of it, cultivate it, deepen it, develop a habitual awareness of it that permeates all our life. And we can only do this if we spend time with God. The very same dynamic obtains in any relationship, between human beings, in a family, among friends. Absence may make the heart grow fonder, but it does not deepen knowledge and love for each other; in fact, it accustoms us to being apart.

Prayer is a time spent with God. It need not be spent talking; 'not in multiplying your words will you save your soul'. It may be in total silence; it may be in reading or hearing - and ruminating
on - the Word of God, or reflecting on some truth or dynamic in our relationship with God.

In our busy, restless, fidgety, utilitarian approach to everything, this type of prayer at first comes with difficulty. If we do not have anything to say, it strikes us as a waste of time. Interestingly, a wise master of the spiritual life once said: 'If you really want to learn to pray, you first have to learn to waste time.' There is a story of a busy priest who didn't understand this. Rushing through his church on a weekday he repeatedly noticed a simple man spending time in a pew in the back. He had no book; his lips were not moving; he just sat there. One day the priest asked him what he was doing when sitting there. The man answered: 'Nothing. I just look at Him, and he looks at me.'

Time for contemplation
Well, the Rosary, first of all, teaches us to waste time, just being with God, Jesus and Our Lady. Our time is itself a pleasing offering. The Rosary teaches us by a crucially important quality to any extended prayer: through its therapeutic monotony, which it shares particularly with the older and longer forms of the Divine Office, when as many as six psalms were recited or chanted before coming to a Lesson. It breaks down our fidgety, rushing, utilitarian approach; it gently loosens our grip on any particular agenda of our own; and it teaches us to allow God to carry us on the endlessly flowing river of the Church's prayer.

And then, we find that we have been unwittingly introduced to contemplative prayer. For each of the fifteen decades of the Rosary (the Lord's Prayer followed by ten Hail Marys, of which usually only five decades - or even fewer - are recited at a time) is dedicated to one or another 'mystery' or episode in the life, passion and glorification of our Lord. And while our fidgety fingers find something to do in counting off the prayers, and our lips recite the Angelic Salutation, our minds can stop and stare at, reflect on, think about a moment in the life of Christ, and the significance of that moment for our salvation and our daily life.

Meditative recitation
In the wake of that conciliar pruning, when Marian devotions saw a significant cut-back, I too had stopped praying the Rosary. In recent years, however, my old beads came out again, bored as I was with my daily walks, and I found it refreshing to resume the quiet and meditative recitation of the Rosary. I also find using the beads to be an effortless way of focusing, while I spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, or, certainly, when visiting a place like Walsingham. My walks have now deepened my understanding, aroused my curiosity, driven me to further exploration of the meaning of such mysteries as the Crowning with Thorns, the Ascension of Christ, or the glorification of Our Lady.

Prayer beads are common in many religions. They seem to appeal to our fidgety nature by being able to anchor it in a contemplative exercise, whether sitting or kneeling in a holy place, walking, or doing something that does not require much mental concentration. Turkish Muslims are commonly seen in the streets with their prayer beads, Byzantine-Slav Christians use them for the 'Jesus Prayer', and Western Catholics have used them ever since the Dominicans, Cistercians and Carthusians promoted the practice in the fifteenth century.

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (7 October) was established in thanksgiving for the naval victory of the joint Christian fleet against the invading Muslim Turks at Lepanto in 1571, because the victory was attributed to the intercession of Our Lady, to whom the entire Church prayed the Rosary. Many saints have attributed significant victories, in their own lives and on behalf of others, to the faithful recitation of the Rosary. The whole month of October is traditionally marked by Marian devotions, and the praying of the Rosary. Perhaps it is time for us all to rediscover this wonderful way of praying.

Archbishop visits Lourdes

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Archbishop of Canterbury to preach in Lourdes for 150th anniversary of the visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Archbishop of Canterbury will participate in anniversary celebrations at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, at the invitation of the Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, Monsignor Jacques Perrier.

He will preach at the International Mass on 24th September 2008 which is being celebrated by His Eminence Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.

The Archbishop will also participate in a Pilgrimage of bishops, clergy and laity of the Church of England, which is organised by the Society of Mary and the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.

The Archbishop will be accompanied in Lourdes by the Church of England bishop with particular responsibility for chaplaincies in France, the Right Reverend David Hamid, the suffragan bishop of the Diocese in Europe.

Christian unity is designated as one of the elements of the Church's mission to which the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes specifically contributes and is one of the strands being celebrated in the 150th anniversary celebrations.

Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, hails Catholic saint at Lourdes

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has held up a Roman Catholic saint as an inspiration to the faithful, in a ground breaking visit to the shrine of Lourdes.

Dr Williams said the story of Bernadette Soubirous, the 19th century peasant girl whose visions of Mary led to the founding of the shrine, provided hope for those who were attempting to spread the Christian faith.

He added that the experience of coming to a holy place "soaked in the hopes and prayers of millions" could help people grasp the "deep and mysterious" joy of God.

"Bernardette's neighbours and teachers and parish clergy knew all they thought they needed to know about the Mother of God - and they needed to be surprised by this inarticulate, powerless, marginal teenager who had leapt up in the joy of recognition to meet Mary as her mother, her sister, bearer of her Lord and Redeemer," he said.

"Our prayer here must be that, renewed and surprised in this holy place, we may be given the overshadowing strength of the Spirit to carry Jesus wherever we go, in the hope that joy will leap from heart to heart in all our human encounters.

"And that we may also be given courage to look and listen for that joy in our own depths when the clarity of the good news seems far away and the sky is cloudy."

Dr Williams' remarks were made in a sermon at the International Mass at Lourdes celebrated by Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.

He is taking part in the first pilgrimage by a Church of England leader to the shrine, a magnet for Roman Catholics, many of them ill or disabled, from all over Europe.

The shrine, in south-west France, is marking the 150th anniversary of the visions.

It was visited earlier this month by Pope Benedict XVI.

Song from Silence

Leader: The song from the silence (CHURCH TIMES)

TODAY is the festival of the Visitation — or the Visit, as the Common Worship calendar now puts it — of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth. It is easily and often neglected. Nevertheless, it should have a special place in Christians’ hearts as marking the occasion in scripture when the Lord’s mother has the most to say for herself; for it is, above all, the festival of the Magnificat — of our Lady baring her soul. The scriptural record of her words is scant. Nevertheless, even her briefest sayings — “Behold the handmaid of the Lord,” “Be it unto me according to thy word,” “Whatever he saith unto you, do it” — have stimulated many hours of thought and devotion. It is not surprising that Christians find inexhaustible riches, then, in the ten verses of her Magnificat.
Filled with the Spirit, Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, the mother of St John the Baptist, greets her in the words that have become the second sentence of the Hail Mary. Mary responds with a song drawn from scripture: “My soul doth magnify the Lord. . .” She foresees the future generations who will count her blessed in her Son. She sings of the mercy and strength of God; of his kindness to the poor and the humble and the meek; of his justice. She sets the birth of the Lord in its context as the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham in the Hebrew scriptures.
A generation ago, the Magnificat was one of the scriptural passages most familiar to Anglicans: the first of the Gospel canticles at evensong, which was still one of the services most popular among churchgoers. Despite the benefits of the Parish Communion and liturgical revision, the downside is the loss of these canticles and psalms from the list of mental church furnishings that weekly churchgoers all but effortlessly acquire. Timothy Dudley-Smith’s “Tell out my soul” is an excellent hymn, and widely known, but it is a loose paraphrase, not a substitute for scripture itself.

Mary bares her soul and her heart. It is no accident that her song of praise emerges from her silent pondering. Elizabeth Ruth Obbard, in the extract from her new book writes of harvesting “hermit moments” of silent presence and listening. While it may be possible (as she suggests in her book) to find these at home or in a supermarket queue, it is also true that for many this is too much to expect. They need their times of prayer in church. Today, however, as much of an endangered species as the singing of evensong is the opportunity to arrive in a church, say, 15 minutes before the service, and enjoy uninterrupted silent prayer. In many churches, talk has taken over. May every parish priest and cathedral dean resolve to make the stilling of this sea of chatter a priority over the coming year. “Holy is his name.”

Fatima One Year On

This time last year I was in Fatima with the crowds celebrating the 90th anniversary of the apparitions.

Since returning home I have made sermon references, written in the parish magazine, and talked to St Saviour's Walsingham Cell about the experience.

My love of Our Lady is increased. At Fatima she revealed herself as 'Our Lady of the Rosary' and asked for regular recitation, pleaded for the practice of penance, and devotion to Her Immaculate Heart.

We are approaching the Feast of the Immaculate Heart which is kept on the Saturday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost (the day following the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). The Opening Prayer of the Feast has a Pentecost note in it:

"God our Father, You created a worthy dwelling place for the Holy Spirit in the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Grant that, through her prayers, we may become a fit temple for Your glory."

To be 'devoted' to the Immaculate Heart of Mary means to make 'Saying Yes to God:May His Will be done' the defining centre of one's whole life, that the Kingdom may come.

Mary's Month

Mary's Month--Why May?
Author Fr. Johann G. Roten, S.M.

The month of May is traditionally dedicated to Mary in many cultures. May is considered the season of the beginning of new life. Already in Greek culture, May was dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of fecundity.

In Roman culture, May was dedicated to Flora, the goddess of bloom, of blossoms. The Romans celebrated ludi florales (literally: floral games) at the end of April, asking the intercession of Flora for all that blooms. This is also related to the medieval practice of expelling winter. May 1 was considered the beginning of growth.

At one time, the custom of having a Mary-month was independent from the month of May as such:

A very old tradition known as Tricesimum (or: Thirty Day Devotion to Mary; also called Lady Month) was originally held from August 15 - September 14. The exact dates or origin of this devotion are unknown; but the custom is still practiced here and there.
Mary Month, as yet unrelated to a specific period, has been known since baroque times (Sources: Johannes Nadasi; Theophilus Marianus, 1664; J. X. Jacolet, Mensis Marianus, 1724). This devotion was comprised of 30-31 spiritual exercises in honor of Mary.

Since medieval times, we have the combination between Mary and the month of May. Among the earliest witnesses are: Alphonsus X, "el sabio", King of Castille, Spain (1221-1284) with his "Cantigas de Santa Maria" ("Ben venna Mayo").

Here and elsewhere, both Mary and the month of May are greeted, welcomed and celebrated on specific days in May. Later, the whole month of May became the month of Mary. On each day of this month, special devotions to Mary were organized.

This custom originated in Italy (for example: Ferrara, 1784). It was spread widely during the 19th century, a century well known for its monthly devotions (Heart of Jesus in June; Rosary in October).

Mother Mary

Annunciation of the Lord to the BVM
(transferred from Tuesday 25th March)

We clebrate that great day of decision: Mary's acceptance of the role that God has chosen for her in his plan of redemption.

As Christ came into the world, he said: Behold! I have come to do your will, O God.

We pray that Christ, the Word made flesh, will make us more like him.

God our Father,
your Word became man and was born of the Virgin Mary.
May we become more like Jesus Christ,
whom we acknowledge as our redeemer, God, and man.

Regina Coeli

Used instead of Angelus until evening of Pentecost.

Joy to thee, O Queen of heaven: alleluia
He whom thou wast meet to bear: alleluia
As he promised hath arisen: alleluia
Pour for us to God thy prayer: alleluia

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia
For the Lord is risen indeed, alleluia.

O God, who by the resurrection of thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ has brought joy to the whole world; grant that through his Mother the virgin Mary we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. We ask this through Jesus the Lord. Amen.

Mothering Sunday

When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

Gospel of John 19:26-27

Today is Mothering Sunday. Only some of us are mothers but we all have mothers. We have a common experience of being mothered. So let's praise and thank God for that.

First, let's thank God for our natural mothers.
There is an old Jewish proverb that declares 'God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers'. Some of us grew up with the chorus hymn ' Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so' but now we realise it would be equally true to say 'Jesus loves me this I know for my mother told me so'. It was probably grandmother who told her. If it was our privilege to drink in the love of God with our mother's milk then that is certainly something for which we shall want to thank God. Paul wrote to Timothy 'I remember your sincere faith, a faith which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure dwells also in you'.
So today we thank God for our natural mothers who reflected the love of God to us and introduced us to Jesus and the Gospel.

Secondly, let's thank God for Mother Church.
It was Cyprian who said 'No man can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother'. The Church is the Bride of Christ and the Mother of all the faithful. The Church cares for us as a mother and provides for our spiritual nourishment and growth. She also teaches us to be good family members and to act with love towards our brothers and sisters in Christ. She also mediates for us with God the Father. It is appropriate for us to love Mother Church despite her imperfections. Jesus did and gave his life for her.
So today we thank God for Mother Church who mediates the love of God to us especially through Word and Sacrament and Pastoral Care.

Thirdly, let's thank God for Mother Mary.
When Jesus from the Cross said to his mother 'Woman, behold, your son' and to John 'Behold, your mother' it was his deliberate intention to make his words universal as well as personal. John Paul II in his 1987 encyclical 'Redemptoris Mater' wrote 'This is true not only of John, who at that hour stood at the foot of the cross together with the Mother, but it is also true of every disciple of Christ, of every Christian'. Mary is a model of love and mercy, interceeding with her son Jesus for us, her children here on earth. Mary is the perfect example of motherhood both to natural mothers and to Mother Church.
So today we thank God for Mary our Mother continuing to pray for us, to protect us and all her children who seek to be faithful to her Son.

On this Refreshment Sunday the Lenten Fast eases briefly with flowers and simnel cake and rose vestments.

Soon we return to our journey towards Calvary where we too may stand at the foot of the Cross. There we will do well to note ,through Mary, the cost of mothering along with all the other truths of our redemption.

Sermon preached in Dulverton Chapel today.

A.D. 2008

The New Year of Our Lord 2008 has arrived.

Today is the 8th day of Christmas when we commemorate the naming and circumcision of Jesus.

It is also a solemnity of Mary who 'kept all these things and pondered them in her heart'.

It is also World Peace Day.

"Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us."