Petition against Statue Offending Our Blessed Mother

Mary was pure and courageous enough to give birth to Jesus, who gave his life that we might live.

Along comes artist Soasig Chamaillard who blasphemes the names of Mary and Jesus, turning Our Blessed Mother into a vampire. Vampires represent the anti-Christ; they suck the blood and life out of people while he gave his blood that we might live. In the form of a statue, Mary is also represented as My Little Pony and Superwoman.

Note that while I am for free speech and expression, we also have the right to express outrage when Our Lord and Our Lady are attacked. If you are horrified by these misrepresentations, please take a moment to sign a petition to remove this exhibit from the Albane Art Gallery in the city of Nantes, France.

The Art of Motherhood

In certain occupations, such as baking, medicine, and architecture, perfection is of utmost importance. Motherhood is not one of them.

One of the hardest lessons I have had to learn, as a born perfectionist, is that, like cooking and painting, motherhood is an art, with more room for creativity and imagination than we usually take; it can be stymied by trying too hard to adhere to a certain worldly model – that “perfect mother” that many of us have built up in our brains, composed of pieces of motherly characters from books, movies, and real life.

I don’t think I contradict myself to say we should strive to be like Mary. I think she would not have tried to do things perfectly by our modern standard. Everything we know about her motherhood came about the “wrong way” for her time. She conceived a baby out of wedlock, gave birth in a stable, lived as a poor wife of a simple carpenter, lost her son in the temple, and had to watch her son die a cruel death.

When we view motherhood as a gift, we don’t have to pay God back by being perfect mothers. He knows we can’t, and He doesn’t expect it of us. All He asks is we give them Love. Treasuring a child means putting him or her as our first priority and doing our best for them, given whatever circumstances we are in.

A good friend recently reminded me that to think we could do things perfectly on our own is a sin of pride. Let us offer up our weaknesses then, to God, and ask Him for the grace we need to help bring these young ones up to glorify Him.

Luke 1: 46-55 (NAB)

And Mary said: 16 "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.

The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.

He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.

He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.

The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,

according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."


Painting: “The Madonna of Humility” by Robert Campin, Netherlandish, circa 1450-70

Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima

I am back to my desk after a week devoted to my son's First Communion, enjoying the company of friends and family, and finishing up those science fair projects! I'll be posting on all that tomorrow.


Today is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima.


A Spiritual Communion with Mary

O Immaculate Queen of Heaven and Earth, Mother of God and Mediatrix of every Grace! I believe that Thy dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, is truly and substantially contained in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love Him above all things and I long to receive Him into my heart. Since I cannot now receive Him sacramentally, be so good as to place Him spiritually in my soul.

O my Jesus, I embrace Thee as One Who has already come and I unite myself entirely to Thee. Never permit me to be separated from Thee. Amen.

Ave Maria Stella

I have never been up on the most popular names, and actually thought that my sister-in-law had made up the name AVA when she named her beautiful baby girl last year.

Therefore, I noticed with great interest that the name AVA had made the top ten list for the past five years.

Here is the chart for the most girls' names in the US in 2006:

1. Emily
2. Emma
3. Madison
4. Isabella
5. Ava
6. Abigail
7. Olivia
8. Hannah
9. Sophia
10. Samantha

My husband immediately pointed out that one of the famous bearers of this name was Adolf Hitler's mistress, Eva Braun. Evangeline is a longer form of the name.

I thought of the beautiful prayer, “Ave Maris Stella”. In this prayer, Ave is meant to show Mary was quite literally the reverse of Eva, or Eve (Adam’s wife and the first woman, who also was the first human to sin).

While AVA is the Latin form of the Hebrew Eve, a slight variation in the spelling yields “Ave”, which is Latin for “Hail”.

An interesting story tells of the promises to those who pray the Ave Maris Stella. During a riot in Rome, a mob came to the house where St. Bridget lived, intent on burning her Alive. She prayed to The Lord and asked if she should flee to safety.

Jesus advised her to stay; "It doesn't matter if they plot thy death. My power will break the malice of thy enemies. If Mine crucified Me, it is because I permitted it."

Our Blessed Mother added: "Sing as a group the AVE MARIS STELLA and I'll guard you from every danger."

Ave Maria Stella
(in both Latin and English)

Ave maria Stella
Dei Mater Alma
Atque Semper Virgo
Felix Coeli Porta

Hail Thou Star of the Ocean
Portal of the Sky
Ever Virgin Mother
Of The Lord Most High

Sumens Illud Ave
Gabrielis Ore
Funda Nos in Pace
Mutans Evae Nomen

Oh, by Gabriel's Ave
Uttered Long Ago
Eva's Name Reversing
Established Peace Below

Solve Vincia Reis
Profer Lumen Caecis
Malla Nostra Pelle
Bona Cuncta Posce

Break the Captives' Fetters
Light on Blindness Pour
All our Ills Expelling
Every Bliss Implore

Monstra te Esse Matrem
Sumat per te Preces
Qui pro Nobis Natus
Tulit esse Tuus

Show Thyself a Mother
Offer Him our Sighs
Who for us Incarnate
Did not Thee Despise

Virgo Singularis
Inter Omnes Mitis
Nos Culpis Solutos
Mites fac et Castos

Virgin of all Virgins
To Thy Shelter Take us
Gentlest of the Gentle
Chaste and Gentle make us

Vitam Presta Puram
Iter Para Tutum
Ut, Videntes Jesum
Semper Collaetemur

Still, as on we Journey,
Help our Weak Endeavor,
Till with Thee and Jesus
We Rejoice Forever

Sit Laus Deo Patri
Summo Cristo Decus
Spiritui Sancto:
Tribus Honor Unus.
Amen

Through the Highest Heaven,
To the Almighty Three
Father, Son and Spirit,
One Same Glory be.
Amen

Oil painting above:
Nest Builders by Ava Freeman

The Visitation

The theme of the 2007 Respect Life Program is The Infant in My Womb Leaped for Joy.

[The angel Gabriel had just told Mary the extraordinary news of her immaculate conception.]

“’And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.’
Mary said, ‘Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.’
Then the angel departed from her.

During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah,
Where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
Cried out in a loud voice and said, ‘Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.’

And Mary said:
‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
My spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
Behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me,
And holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age
To those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,
Dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones
But lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things;
The rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant,
Remembering his mercy,
According to his promised to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his descendants forever.’

Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.”

Luke 1:36-56

“Annunciation and Visitation”
Unknown master, Flemish, c. 1525
Oil on oak panel, 99 x 33 cm (each)
Groeninge Museum, Bruges

Our Lady of America

“Our Lady again appeared to me while I was at prayer. She held the world in her hands. From her eyes tears were flowing upon it, as though she longed to cleanse it from its guilt. It was then that I heard these words filled with sorrow and longing: "Behold, O my children, the tears of your Mother! Shall I weep in vain? Assuage the sorrow of my Heart over the ingratitude of sinful men by the love and chasteness of your lives. Will you do this for me, beloved children, or will you allow your Mother to weep in vain? I come to you, O children of America, as a last resort. I plead with you to listen to my voice. Cleanse your souls in the Precious Blood of My Son. Live in His Heart, and take me in that I may teach you to live in great purity of heart which is so pleasing to God. Be my army of chaste soldiers, ready to fight to the death to preserve the purity of your souls. I am the Immaculate One, Patroness of your land. Be my faithful children as I have been your faithful Mother. These are my words, O my daughter. Make them known to my children. I desire to make the whole of America my shrine by making every heart accessible to the love of my Son." "

Learn more about Our Lady of America.

Our Daily Bread

As Christians, we knew about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs before he published his great epiphany. The disciples knew they couldn’t let the multitudes go hungry. We know that we have to feed the poor that come into our parish before attending to their spiritual needs. Yet how many of us have coffee for breakfast, running out the door to “do good” for others while undernourishing our own bodies?

If you believe everything you read in magazines, every woman in America designs a weekly menu, goes shopping with a specific list of ingredients, and has a square meal on the table, complete with matching dishes, every night at 6:00. Not so with most women I encounter on a daily basis. At baseball, which we go to between 5 and 8 PM a few nights per week, women are chattering about “What will I make for dinner tonight?” or mentioning McDonald’s as a stop on the way home.

I like to think I have a happy medium. My meals are simple but nutritious. We eat each of our three major meals at roughly the same time each day. By bedtime, I have taken the meat out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator to defrost. If we have evening activities, I am typically starting to cook at around 2:00 in the afternoon, and serve dinner at 4:00. Fruits and vegetable are there for the taking as snacks throughout the day, and “snack attacks” are very rare.

As a family of six, we are now eating approximately 1.5 pounds of pasta as a side dish nightly. One night I could not find two boxes of matching “shapes”. I decided to mix-and-match. The result was delightful and fun, with a variety of textures a pleasure to the palate. Pictured is a pound of Barilla’s Celentanni, coupled with a pound of Barilla’s Tri-Color Fiori, tossed with 1.5 tablespoons of butter. (Feel free to substitute soy, margarine, or olive oil.)

Today’s gospel speaks about Mary and Martha, and our priest underscored the fact that both spiritual and material needs must be attended to. As mothers, prioritizing is a constant battle. Remember both to give yourself time to attend to your spiritual needs, and sit down to eat with your family.

“Give us this day our daily bread…”