Day 28: Mary Hidden in Advent-Flight into Egypt (Add for 28 days)

Flight into Egypt, Rembrandt

Day 28:  The Flight into Egypt
Add this day for a 28-day Advent season if you did not include Jonah.

     Read The Jesse Tree, pp. 89-91.  Hang ornament (pyramid or rosemary branch).
     The Holy Family flees from Herod's wrath by traveling at night into Egypt.
 
     Scripture reference:  Matthew 2:13-23

     Comment:  Our Lady and St. Joseph are awakened at night to take a sudden, urgent journey.  They are traveling on dangerous roads and with sorrowful hearts.  Whenever we must travel from home, we can be sure that God's holy angels are always with us.   We should ask Our Lady to pray that our journey would be safe and holy.  Just like Mary and Joseph, wherever we travel, Jesus will be with us.

Related Title:  Our Lady of the Highways

Our Lady of the Highways, Feruzzi
"In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favor, you shall reach the goal."
- Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Father and Doctor of the Church

O Lady of the Highway,

be with us on our journey, 

for all your ways are beautiful

and all your paths are peace. 

O God, who with unspeakable providence 

does rule and govern the world, 

grant unto us, your servants,

through the intercessions of our watchful mother, 

to be protected from all danger 

and brought safely to the end of our journey. 

Amen.

The history of Our Lady of the Highway shrine in Pennsylvania.

If you have enjoyed the artwork in these posts, you might like to view more.
Wonderful quotes on Mary from the saints can be read at this site.

Day 27: Mary Hidden in Advent-The Wise Men (Add for 27 days)

The Magi 

Day 25:  The Wise Men
Add this day for a 27-day Advent season.

     Read The Jesse Tree, pp. 85-88.  Hang ornament (star).
     Wise men follow a miraculous star to find the true King.

     Scripture reference:  Matthew 2:1-12

     Comment:  As the magi were guided by the star to find Christ, so God has given us, too, a miraculous guide.  If we will follow Our Lady, she will always lead us the Jesus.  Imitating her virtues will lead us to a life of holiness, imitating her silence will lead us to a life of prayer, imitating her constancy in suffering will lead us to the Cross of her Son, imitating her love of God will lead us finally home to the Father.  As a star guided the wise men, so our Lady guides us.

Related Title: Mary, Star of the Sea

Stained Glass Window of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, North Myrtle Beach, SC

“As mariners are guided into port by the shining of a star, so Christians are guided to heaven by Mary"
-Saint Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church

Ave Maris Stella

Hail bright star of ocean,
God's own Mother blest,
Ever sinless Virgin,
Gate of heavenly rest
Taking that sweet Ave
Which from Gabriel came,
Peace confirm within us,
Changing Eva's name.
Break the captives' fetters,
Light on blindness pour,
All our ills expelling,
Every bliss implore.
Show thyself a Mother;
May the Word Divine,
Born for us thy Infant,
Hear our prayers through thine
Virgin all excelling,
Mildest of the mild,
Freed from guilt, preserve us,
Pure and undefiled.
Keep our life all spotless,
Make our way secure,
Till we find in Jesus
Joy for evermore
Through the highest heaven
To the Almighty Three
Father, Son, and Sprit
One same glory be, Amen.

More on Our Lady, Star of the Sea at Wikipedia.

Day 26: Mary Hidden in Advent-The Birth of Christ

The Nativity, Giotto

Day 24:  The Birth of Christ

     Read The Jesse Tree 81-83.  You might want to finish up with pp.92-93, or you could read the last few stories between Christmas and Epiphany.  Hang ornament (baby Jesus).
     The Messiah is born in a stable in Bethlehem.  Shepherds come to worship Him.

     Scripture reference:  Luke 2:8-20

     Comment:  Here in a cold stable in Bethlehem, Mary gives birth to Jesus.  She becomes the Mother of Christ and the Mother of God.  She is our mother, too, because we are the adopted sons and daughter of God in Christ, and Jesus is our brother.  She will be called blessed by all generations.

NOTE:  The summary chart of all these posts will be up after Christmas, at which time I will also re-organize and re-number the posts to have include the extra lessons (to allow for a longer Advent season). If you wanted to print them out, that would be the best time to do it.  Have a blessed and joyful Feast of the Nativity!

Related Title: Mary, Mother of God

Theotokos

   Let, then, the life of Mary be as it were virginity itself, set forth in a likeness from which, as in a mirror, the appearance of chastity and the form of virtue is reflected.  From this you may take your pattern of life, showing, as an example, the clear rules of virtue:  what you have to correct, to effect, and to hold fast. The first thing which kindles ardour in  learning is the greatness of the teacher.  What is greater than the Mother of God? --St. Ambrose

 Sub Tuum

We fly to thy patronage,
O holy Mother of God;
despise not our petitions in our necessities,
but deliver us always from all dangers,
O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

(3rd Century; Oldest Known Prayer to Mary)

Have a holy and blessed Christmas!

     

Day 25: Mary Hidden in Advent--Journey to Bethlehem

Journey to Bethlehem, Joseph Brickey

Day 23:  Journey to Bethlehem

     Read The Jesse Tree, pp. 78-80.  Hang ornament (donkey).

     Mary and Joseph are forced to travel to Bethlehem because of a Roman census. When they arrive, they are refused room in the inn and are forced to stay with the animals.

     Scripture reference:  Luke 2:1-5

     Comment:   As once Mary traveled with Joseph to Bethlehem to fulfill God's purpose to send His Son for our salvation, so still Our Lady travels to many places around the world to bring Christ to all people.  God does not desire that anyone should be lost, and Our Lady always desires what God Himself desires.  She desires God's Will to be done because it is perfect, holy, and always just.  She loves God's Will because she loves God.  And so she visits many people, throughout time and place, to bring to them the Saviour she carries in her womb.  In the Americas, she appeared to St. Juan Diego bringing to the Aztec people a message of hope and salvation.

Related Title:  Our Lady of Guadalupe

Virgin of Guadalupe

   Hear me and understand well, my son the least, that nothing should frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything.--Our Lady to St. Juan Diego

Excerpt from Pope John Paul II's Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas, we pray to you for all the Bishops, that they may lead the faithful along paths of intense Christian life, of love and humble service of God and souls. Contemplate this immense harvest, and intercede with the Lord that He may instill a hunger for holiness in the whole people of God, and grant abundant vocations of priests and religious, strong in the faith and zealous dispensers of God’s mysteries.

Grant to our homes the grace of loving and respecting life in its beginnings, with the same love with which you conceived in your womb the life of the Son of God. Blessed Virgin Mary, protect our families, so that they may always be united, and bless the upbringing of our children.

Our hope, look upon us with compassion, teach us to go continually to Jesus and, if we fall, help us to rise again, to return to Him, by means of the confession of our faults and sins in the Sacrament of Penance, which gives peace to the soul.
We beg you to grant us a great love for all the holy Sacraments, which are, as it were, the signs that your Son left us on earth.

Thus, Most Holy Mother, with the peace of God in our conscience, with our hearts free from evil and hatred, we will be able to bring to all true joy and true peace, which come to us from your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.

 

For a complete novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, go to this site.

Day 24: Mary Hidden in Advent--St. Joseph

St. Joseph the Carpenter

Day 22:  St. Joseph 

      Read The Jesse Tree,  p. 74.  Hang ornament (Joseph or a staff).

      An angel comes to Joseph in a dream, commanding him to take Mary as his wife.  He obeys.

      Scripture reference:  Matthew 1:18-25 

      Comment:  Joseph was chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus.  He cared for Mary and Jesus.  St. Joseph was a just and godly man and is a great saint in Heaven, second only to Our Lady.
In the eyes of the world, Mary was the spouse of Joseph.  In reality, Mary's spouse was the Holy Spirit.  We, too, are the temples of the Holy Spirit and must strive, with God's help, to keep our bodies and minds pure.  Let us ask Mary, the pure Spouse of the Holy Spirit, to be our constant help and friend.

Related title:  Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit

Incarnation, Piero di Cosimo

Among creatures made in God's image, the union brought about by married love is the most intimate of all. In a much more precise, more interior, more essential manner, the Holy Spirit lives in the soul of the Immaculata, in the depths of her very being.  St. Maximilian Kolbe

Invocation to the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit,
come by means of the powerful intercession
of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Your well-beloved spouse.  

Prayer to Mary,  Spouse of the Holy Spirit 

     O MARY, thou spotless Bride of the Holy Spirit, 

thou art the glory of Jerusalem, the joy of Israel, the honor of our nation! 

Thou, as the Valiant Woman, didst crush the head of the serpent 

when thou didst offer thy Divine Son to the Heavenly Father,

in the love of the Holy Spirit, for the salvation of the world. 

Through the merits of this precious Sacrifice and through the sufferings of thy Son,

obtain for us the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

I thank the Holy Spirit that He has chosen thee as His Bride 

and constituted thee the dispenser of His graces. 

Look upon me with thy compassionate eyes; 

look upon my distress and needs. 

Help me, that I may never lose the grace of God 

nor defile the temple of the Holy Spirit,

but that my heart may ever remain His holy dwelling, 

and that with thee I may eternally praise

and bless the Holy Spirit in Heaven.

Amen.

  

 

More about Mary and the Holy Spirit.  
A wonderful in-depth article about Mary and the Holy Spirit, focusing on St. Maximilian Kolbe's teachings is available at Catholic Culture.
 

Day 23: Mary Hidden in Advent--The Visitation

The Visitiation, Giotto

Day 21:  The Visitation

     Read The Jesse Tree, pp.75-77.  Hang ornament (sandal).

     Mary travels to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, in the hill country of Judah.

     Scripture reference:  Luke 1:39-80

     Comment:  Our Lady is no longer so "hidden", is she?  Now, after waiting for thousands of years, we see her, walking down the dusty Judean roads, carrying the promised Messiah in her womb.  Even though she knows she has many trials ahead of her, she puts the needs of her kinswoman ahead of her own worries.  Mary is our example of charity and mercy to others in need.

 

Related Title:  Mary, Mother of Mercy

Icon of the Holy Mother of Mercy

Once, the confessor told me to pray for his intention, and I began a novena to the Mother of God. This novena consisted in the prayer "Hail, Holy Queen" recited nine times. Toward the end of the novena I saw the Mother of God with the Infant Jesus in her arms. ... I could not stop wondering at His beauty. ... I heard a few of the words that the Mother of God spoke. ... The words were: "I am not only the Queen of Heaven, but also the Mother of Mercy, and your Mother" (Diary of St. Faustina,330).

Hail, Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy

Our life, our sweetness, and our hope,

To thee do we cry, poor banished 

children of Eve, to thee do we send up

our sighs, mourning and weeping

  in this valley, of tears.

Turn, then, most gracious advocate, 

thine eyes of mercy toward us; and 

after this our exile show unto us 

the blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus;

O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God

That we may be made worthy of the
 promises of Christ.

Lots of information about St. Faustina and the Divine Mercy devotion here.
For an MP3 download of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy (traditional music), go to this site.

Day 22: Mary Hidden in Advent--The Annunciation

The Annunciation, El Greco

Day 20:  The Annunciation

     Read The Jesse Tree, pp. 72-73 (skip p. 74 for now; we'll cover it when we discuss Joseph).  Hang ornament (Mary).
     The angel Gabriel appears to Mary, bringing her the news that she will be the mother of the Messiah.

     Scripture reference:  Luke 1:26-38

     Comment:  For millenia those who love God have waited for the Messiah to come.  They have prayed, suffered, and died in this hope.  Constantly, they have looked for His appearing.  Now, the angel Gabriel is sent at last to the Virgin.  He brings a great announcement:  the Messiah will be conceived in her!  He will be the Son of the Living God!  He will reign forever on the throne of David!  Salvation is coming!  But, all along, through all of history, God has been preparing mankind for this great news.  Most importantly, He prepared Our Lady to be the holy, perfect tabernacle that would hold His holy, perfect Son, Jesus.  From the very instant of her conception, Mary was conceived without original sin--pure in body and soul.  Unlike us, Mary did not suffer from an attraction to sin, from a disordered desire to impurity (we call this disorder "concupiscence").  Throughout her life, she remained without any touch or trace of sin.  She was therefore created perfectly to carry the Most Holy God within her womb.

Related Title:  The Immaculate Conception

We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the first instant of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace of the Omnipotent God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind, was preserved immaculate from all stain of original sin, has been revealed by God, and therefore should firmly and constantly be believed by all the faithful.

—Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, December 8, 1854

Morning Prayer for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Father,
you prepared the Virgin Mary
to be the worthy mother of your Son.
You let her share beforehand
in the salvation Christ
would bring by his death,
and kept her sinless
from the first moment of her conception.
Help us by her prayers
to live in your presence without sin.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. 

Amen

“A soul that is consecrated to the Immaculate, even if it does not turn its thought in an explicit way to the Immaculate and offers the prayer, the work, the suffering or any other thing, directly to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that soul procures for the Heart of Jesus a pleasure that is incomparably greater than it would if it were not consecrated to the Immaculate.” St. Maximilian Kolbe

Many quotes from St. Maximilian Kolbe here.

Read more on the Immaculate Conception at  Women for Faith and Family

Day 21: Mary Hidden in Advent-John the Baptist

The Angel Gabriel Appears to Zacharias, William Blake

Day 19:  John the Baptist

     Read The Jesse Tree, pp. 69-71.  Hang ornament (angel or menorah).

     The angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah and tells him he will be the father of the herald of the coming Messiah.  Zechariah doesn't believe the angel and is struck dumb.

     Scripture reference:  Luke 1:5-25

     Comment:     Finally, after a long course of time, the promise God made to Eve to send a Redeemer is being accomplished.  John the Baptist is going to be born before Jesus; he is going to be the herald of the King, who will announce the King's coming to His people.  All of the prophets and patriarchs looked forward to this day; every young Jewish maiden prayed to be the mother of the Messiah.  Mary is the true Daughter of Zion, the one in whom all of the promises and prophecies will be finally fulfilled.

Related Title: Mary, Daughter of Zion

"Glorification of the Virgin, north transept, Chartres cathedral, France. The bottom lancets show Saint Anne holding the child Mary, flanked left to right by Melchizedek, David, Solomon and Aaron, who are standing on four bad kings: Nebuchadnezzar, Saul, Jeroboam and Pharaoh respectively. In the rose, the Virgin Mary and child Jesus are surrounded by some of Jesus's royal ancestors, as listed in Matthew 1:1-16 (from top clockwise by David, Solomon, Abijah, Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, Ahaz, Manasseh, Hezekiah, Jotham,
Jehoram, Asa, Rehoboam). In the outer circle are the minor prophets (from the top clockwise: Hosea, Amos, Jonah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Malachi, Haggai, Habbakuk, Micah, Obadiah, Joel)."

Akathist to the Theotokos, Daughter of Zion

 The Lord of Hosts came to dwell in your midst, O holy Virgin, just as He promised through the holy prophet Zechariah. Seeing this, you sang for joy and were glad, knowing many nations would join themselves to the Lord and become His People, and from all of us you hear this song:
Rejoice, for the Lord chose you for His own dwelling!
Rejoice, for the Almighty set up His royal dwelling in your flesh!
Rejoice, for he who touches you touches the apple of God’s eye!
Rejoice, for you abide under the Almighty’s protection!
Rejoice, O royal pavilion of the King!
Rejoice, O mystical courts of the Lord!
Rejoice, for through you Judah enters his inheritance!
Rejoice, for through you Israel receives the blessing of God!
Rejoice, for all flesh is silent before your fame!
Rejoice, for the Lord is roused up and has come to dwell in you!
Rejoice, for God is a wall of fire around you!
Rejoice, for He is the glory in your midst!
Rejoice O Theotokos, Virgin Daughter of Zion!

Read about Benedict XVI and Mary at this site.
Also, Pope Benedict wrote a book entitled Daughter Zion before his pontificate (under the name Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger)  which "explores the Biblical witness to the Church's Marian dogmas."

      

Day 20: Mary Hidden in Advent- Daniel in the Lion's Den

Daniel in the Lion's Den, Macha Chmakoff

Day 18:  Daniel in the Lion's Den

      

     Read the story today from the Bible or a Bible story book.  Hang ornament (lion).

     Daniel is saved by God from the fearsome lions and bears witness to the True God in a pagan land.

     Scripture references:  Daniel 6

     Comments:  Daniel served the king of Babylon.  He used his wisdom and his gifts as a prophet in service to his adopted country.  But more importantly, he remained constant in prayer and did not abandon his faith or God, even when his life was in danger.  Because he remained faithful, God preserved his life when the king threw him into a den of hungry lions.  The holy angels came to shut the lions' mouths.  Our Lady is the Queen of the Angels.  When we ask for her intercession, she sends the holy angels to us to guide us, instruct us, and guard us.  Let us always remember that the angels see all we do and let us always thank them for their daily care of us.

Related Title: Our Lady, Queen of Angels

Song of the Angels, William-Adolphe Bouguereau

According to Revelation, the angels who participate in the life of the Trinity in the light of glory are also called to play their part in the history of the salvation of man, in the moments established by divine Providence.  "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to possess salvation?,'' asks the author of the Letter to the Hebrews (1:14).

This is believed and taught by the Church, on the basis of Sacred Scripture, from which we learn that the task of the good angels is the protection of people and solicitude for their salvation.--Catechesis on the Holy Angels, John Paul II

Prayer to Our Lady, Queen of the Angels

August Queen of Heaven!
Sovereign Mistress of the angels!
Thou who from the beginning
hast received from God
the power and mission to crush the head of Satan,
we humbly beseech thee
to send thy holy Legions,
that, under thy command
and by thy power,
they may pursue the evil spirits,
encounter them on every side,
resist their bold attacks
and drive them hence into the abyss of eternal woe.

Amen

The Church's teachings on angels are given in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

If you would like to read extensively on the teachings of the magisterium, the Fathers, St. Thomas, and Scripture on angels, visit Raphael, a site dedicated to the teaching of the Catholic Church on the angels.

We Have a Winner!

   
     We have a winner for our giveaway contest!  With the help of my elves, I put all of your names into the PERFECT HAT:

...and DREW OUT  the WINNER--

Yes, Ginger, you won!!!  I'll email you for your address and as soon as I receive the print (they have sent it, but with Christmas mail volume it seems that it is traveling slowly...)  I'll sent it on to you.  Congratulations, and may all of you have a blessed Christmas!

Day 19: Mary Hidden in Advent-Tobias and St. Raphael

Raphael Healing Tobias, Domenico, The Hermitage Museum

Day 17:  Tobias and St. Raphael

     Read the story from the Bible (see below) or a Bible story book.  Hang ornament (fish).

     This story recounts the journey of Tobias and the angel Raphael (in disguise) which results in the marriage of Tobias to Sarah and the healing of his father Tobit's eyesight.  The miraculous events that occur in this tale are shown to be God's answers to the  desperate prayers of Sarah and Tobit.

     Scripture references:  Tobit 3; 4:1-10,19-21; 5:1-6; 6:1-17; 7:7-13; 8:1-3; 11:1-15

I listed all of these verses because they can be read together to recount a very abbreviated version of the story.

     Comments:  During the time of the Babylonian Captivity, the righteous man Tobit remains faithful to God.  But times are so hard that Tobit prays that God will let him die.  At the same time, a young widow named Sarah is being persecuted by an evil demon.  This demon has killed all of the seven different husbands she has married, one after another.  Sarah, too, longs for death.  God answers both their prayers by sending his angel Raphael to guide Tobit's son Tobias to Sarah and to instruct  both on how to defeat the demon and how to heal his father's eyesight.  Our Lady, too, comes to those who in their deepest griefs, illnesses, and depressions turn to God.  By her prayers, she who is the Queen of the Angels obtains the help of the holy angels and the grace and mercy of God to bring healing to those who suffer emotional and physical pain.  We see this ministry of Our Lady especially in her appearances to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France.  Here a multitude of pilgrims have been healed in both mind and body over the years.

Related Titles:  Mary, Health of the Sick; Our Lady of Lourdes

Salus Infirmorum, Jan Dismas Zelenka

When shall it be that we shall taste the sweetness of the Divine Will in all that happens to us, considering in everything only His good pleasure, by whom it is certain that adversity is sent with as much love as prosperity, and as much for our good? When shall we cast ourselves undeservedly into the arms of our most loving Father in Heaven, leaving to Him the care of ourselves and of our affairs, and reserving only the desire of pleasing Him, and of serving Him well in all that we can? -- St. Jane Frances de Chantal

Prayer to Our Lady, Health of the Sick

 

Our Lady, Health of the Sick,
I look to you for the comfort of a mother's love,
I pray to you on behalf of those who are suffering
and for my own healing needs.

Our Lady, Health of the Sick,
embrace all who are emotionally and physically ill
that they may return to good health
under your tender care.
And please intercede for my very special needs
(mention your needs here).

Mary,
your love strengthens me
and brings me peace.

And an extra prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes:

Novena Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

Be blessed, O most pure Virgin, for having vouchsafed to manifest your shining with life, sweetness and beauty, in the Grotto of Lourdes, saying to the child, St. Bernadette: "I am the Immaculate Conception." A thousand times we congratulate you upon your Immaculate Conception. And now, O ever Immaculate Virgin, Mother of mercy, Health of the sick, Refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, you know our wants, our troubles, our sufferings deign to cast upon us a look of mercy. 

By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your favors, and already many have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and physical. We come, therefore, with the most unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession. Obtain for us, O loving Mother, the granting of our request.
  (state your request)
 Through gratitude for your favors, we will endeavor to imitate your virtues, that we may one day share your glory.
Our Lady of Lourdes, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your divine son while upon earth. You have the same influence now in Heaven. Pray for us; obtain for us from your Divine Son our special requests if it be the Divine Will. 

Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

For the complete novena prayer, go to EWTN. 
To learn more about Our Lady of Lourdes, visit Women for Faith and Family.

Day 18: Mary Hidden in Advent- Elijah

Gerard Horenbout, 1510-20. The Getty Museum

Day 16: Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

     Read The Jesse Tree, pp. 61-65.  Hang the ornament (altar with fire).
     Elijah confronts the pagan prophets and demonstrates the mighty power of the One True God on Mt. Carmel.

     Scripture reference:  1 Kings 18:17-40

     Comments:  On Mt. Carmel, Elijah opposes all the priests of the pagan god Baal.  He demonstrates the mighty power of the True God of Israel and alone begins to restore the people of Israel to faith.  Mary is known as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in her role as the patroness of the Carmelite order.  Just as Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal through faith and prayer, so the Carmelites dedicate themselves to prayer and enter the mighty battle for the conversion of all souls.

Related Title: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

"Those who want to live their devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to the full must follow Mary into the depths of her interior life. Carmel is the symbol of the contemplative life, the life wholly dedicated to the quest for God, wholly orientated towards intimacy with God; and the one who has best realized this highest of ideals is Our Lady herself, 'Queen and Splendor of Carmel'." Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, OCD

Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

O most beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein that you are my Mother.

O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart, to succor me in this my necessity. There are none that can withstand your power. O show me herein that you are my Mother.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us that have recourse to thee. (3 times)

Women for Faith and Family have an article about the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
For more history, Wikipedia has a decent article.

Day 17: Mary Hidden in Advent-Solomon

Solomon, by Salvador Dali

 Day 15:  Solomon

     Read The Jesse Tree, pp. 57-60.  Hang ornament (crown).

     Solomon asks God for wisdom.  He builds the temple and decides difficult cases.

     Scripture reference:  1 Kings 3  

     Comments: Solomon, David's son, asked God for wisdom to rule his people.  God granted earthly wisdom to Solomon and he was able to establish peace in his kingdom and administer justice.   Even the Queen of Sheba came from the ends of the world to hear his wisdom and to this very day people benefit from the wisdom of God spoken by Solomon as it is recorded in the book of Proverbs.  Unfortunately, Solomon did not remain true to this wisdom.  Our Lady was the mother of Wisdom Himself.  She was always faithful to Him.  She expressed the perfect wisdom in her life when she abandoned her own will completely to the Will of God.

Related Title:  Mary, Seat of Wisdom

     If we really wish to obtain life everlasting let us acquire knowledge of Divine Wisdom; if we wish to reach perfect sanctity on earth, let us know Eternal Wisdom. If we wish to possess the root of immortality in our heart, let us have in our mind knowledge of Eternal Wisdom. To know Jesus Christ, Eternal Wisdom, is to know enough; to know everything and not to know him is to know nothing…

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.  St. Louis de Montfort

 

Prayer for a Student to Mary, Seat of Wisdom

 composed by St. Thomas Aquinas

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 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 could understand more quickly, 
retain more readily, and express myself more fluently. 
May the example of my life serve to honour you
and your Son, Jesus.

Amen.

 Read more about the title Mary, Seat of Wisdom.

Day 16: Mary Hidden in Advent-David before the Ark

David dancing before the Ark. Italian, Rome about 1660-65 Terracotta. Location:Victoria and Albert Museum.

Day 14: David before the Ark
 
     Read The Jesse Tree, pp 54-56.  Hang the ornament (ark of covenant).
     David finally brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.  As it enters the city, he dances for joy before it.

     Scripture reference:  1 Samuel 18:6-16, 1 Samuel 20,  2 Samuel 6:1-15
  
     Comment:  Today, I can't think of a better explanation than this one written by St. Ambrose in the fourth century:  “The prophet David danced before the Ark.  Now what else should we say the Ark was but holy Mary?  The Ark bore within it the tables of the Testament, but Mary bore the Heir of the same Testament itself.  The former contained in it the Law, the latter the Gospel.  The one had the voice of God, the other His Word.  The Ark, indeed, was radiant within and without with the glitter of gold, but holy Mary shone within and without with the splendor of virginity.  The one was adorned with earthly gold, the other with heavenly” (Serm. xlii. 6, Int. Opp., S. Ambrosii) (Blessed Virgin, p. 77).

     Related Title:  Mary, Ark of the Covenant

 "O noble Virgin, truly you are greater than any other greatness. For who is your equal in greatness, O dwelling place of God the Word? To whom among all creatures shall I compare you, O Virgin? You are greater than them all O [Ark of the] Covenant, clothed with purity instead of gold! You are the ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna, that is, the flesh in which divinity resides" St. Athanasius, (Homily of the Papyrus of Turin).

Excerpt from Marian Prayer by John Paul II

O Ark of the Covenant.

 O Mother of the Church,

in the midst of the disciples in the upper room

you prayed to the Spirit

for the new people and their shepherds;

obtain for the Order of Presbyters

a full measure of gifts,

O Queen of the Apostles.

Given in Rome, at St. Peter’s on March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, in the year 1992, the fourteenth of my Pontificate.

 

Many more wonderful quotes from the Church Fathers on Mary, Ark of the Covenant, as well as an in-depth article from Catholic Culture .

Day 15: Mary Hidden in Advent--David the Shepherd

The Annointing of David, Richard Serrin

Day 13:  David the Shepherd
   
     Read The Jesse Tree, pp. 50-53.  Hang ornament (slingshot).
     David is anointed king.  He faces the giant Goliath and defeats him.

     Scripture reference:  1 Samuel 16:1-13,17:1-58

     Comment:  David was "a man after God's own heart".  He was especially loved by God and chosen to be the greatest king Israel would ever have.  Even though he was just a young teen, he trusted in God and utterly defeated the terrifying giant Goliath.  Mary was also a young teen.  She trusted in God; she relied upon God to give her the victory through her Son Jesus over the ancient enemy of mankind, Satan.  Like David, Mary knew that "the battle is the Lord's".  In all of our spiritual and temporal battles, Mary is our constant help.

Related Title:  Our Lady of Perpetual Help

O my sovereign Lady, thou alone art the one whom God has appointed to be my solace here below; thou art the guide of my pilgrimage, the strength of my weakness, the riches of my poverty, the remedy for the healing of my wounds, the soother of my pains, the end of my captivity, the hope of my salvation! Hear my prayers, have pity on my tears, I adjure thee, O thou who art my queen, my refuge, my love, my help, my hope, and my strength. --St. Germanus

Prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help

 

O Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke thy most powerful name, which is the safeguard of the living and the salvation of the dying. O Purest Mary, O Sweetest Mary, let thy name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, O Blessed Lady, to help me whenever I call on thee, for, in all my needs, in all my temptations I shall never cease to call on thee, ever repeating thy sacred name, Mary, Mary.

Oh what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, what emotion fill my soul when I pronounce thy sacred name, or even only think of thee.  I thank God for having given thee, for my good, so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name.  But I will not be content with merely pronouncing thy name:  let my love for thee prompt me ever to hail thee, Mother of Perpetual Help.

 

Everything about the icon and its history is detailed here.

Go here to learn more about the novena and how it is prayed.

The Night is Flying!

Watchman on the walls of Hazor

     I wanted to share the lyrics of a little-sung Advent hymn which is one of my favorites. The tune is in the YouTube link on the right side of this blog. Which Advent hymn is your favorite?

"Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying"

Wake, awake, for night is flying,
The watchmen on the heights are crying,
Awake, Jerusalem, arise!
Midnight's solemn hour is tolling,
His chariot wheels are nearer rolling,
He comes; prepare, ye virgins wise.
Rise up with willing feet
Go forth, the Bridegroom meet; Alleluia!
Bear through the night your well-trimmed light,
Speed forth to join the marriage rite.

Zion hears the watchmen singing,
Her heart with deep delight is springing,
She wakes, she rises from her gloom;
Forth her Bridegroom comes, all-glorious,
In grace arrayed, by truth victorious;
Her Star is risen, her Light is come!
All hail, incarnate Lord,
Our crown, and our reward! Alleluia!
We haste along, in pomp and song,
And gladsome join the marriage throng.

Lamb of God, the heavens adore Thee,
And men and angels sing before Thee,
With harp and cymbal's clearest tone.
By the pearly gates in wonder
We stand, and swell the voice of thunder,
That echoes round Thy dazzling throne.
No vision ever brought,
No ear hath ever caught,
Such bliss and joy;
We raise the song, we swell the throng,
To praise Thee ages all along.

Text: Matthew 25: 1-13

Author: Philipp Nicolai, 1599

Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1863

Titled: "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"

Composer: Philipp Nicolai, 1599

Tune: "Wachet auf"

Adoration of the Lamb, Ghent Altarpiece, Jan Van Eyck

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus! 

ETA:  Found the lyrics that (almost) went with the video!

Day 14: Mary Hidden in Advent-Samuel

Samuel Called by God, Marc Chagall

Day 12: Samuel is Called by God

     Read The Jesse Tree pp 46-49.  Hang ornament (burning candle).
     God calls Samuel to be His prophet.  Samuel is the last judge of Israel and anoints David king.

     Scripture reference: 1 Samuel 3

     Comment:  God calls to Samuel in the dark of the night and Samuel rises and obeys the voice of God.  He presents himself to God and is prepared to do God's will; he listens to hear what God has to say and does what God commands him to do.  Our Lady also heard the Word of God when the world was in the darkness of sin.  She listened to the Angel who told her she was to be the Mother of the Messiah and replied in faith, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to  me according to your word."  (Luke 1:38)



Related Title:  Mary, the Handmaiden of the Lord

The Annunciation, Fra Angelico

 In the gospel according to Luke the Blessed Virgin twice describes herself as "the handmaid of the Lord": when she gives her consent to the message of the angel (see Luke 1:38), and when she proclaims the greatness of the Lord because of "the great things" he has worked in her (see Luke 1:49). To understand fully the meaning and force of her title of "handmaid of the Lord" we must read it in the light of the songs of the "Servant of the Lord" (see Isaiah 42:1-7; 49:1-9; 50:1-11; 52:1-53:12), and above all in the light of Jesus Christ as the one who fulfills the figure of the "Servant of the Lord": he "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for the many." (Mark 10:45)  Source: Excerpts from the introductory commentary to the Mass, Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Volume 1, Sacramentary, Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1992, p. 200.]

Excerpt from the Prayer of the Holy Father at the Conclusion of the Rosary

(Esplanade of the Basilica of the Rosary, August 14, 2004)

Hail Mary,
lowly handmaid of the Lord,
Glorious Mother of Christ!
Faithful Virgin,
holy dwelling-place of the Word,
Teach us to persevere
in listening
to the Word,
and to be docile
to the voice of the Spirit,
attentive to his promptings
in the depths

of our conscience
and to his manifestations
in the events of history.

Read here at EWTN the text of Pope John Paul II's remarks on Mary, the handmaid of the Lord.

Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him and if they were to allow His grace to mold them accordingly.--St. Ignatius of Loyola