Day 1: Mary Hidden in Advent-Creation

Creation by Lewis Bowman

     I have wanted for quite a while to develop a series of lessons relating Our Lady to the stories of salvation history as told through the devotion of a Jesse Tree.  As we go through Advent this year, I will post the very short! daily lessons we are doing here, along with links for further reading for Mom, Dad, or older students.
      Our spine will be The Jesse Tree by Geraldine McCaughrean.  We also are using several felt ornaments from this Jesse Tree kit, but we will also be making some others to correlate with the stories in the book.  I'll post pictures of our homemade ornaments as I make them.  I'll also link to a pdf file with a summary of the daily stories, the Scripture reference, the Marian title, and a few comments when I finish this series.

Day 1:  Introduction and Creation
     Read pp. 10-12   of The Jesse Tree.  Hang up the ornament (the sun).
     This first day recounts the Creation of the world at the beginning of time.

     Scripture reference:  Genesis 1:1-31

    Comment:  From the beginning of creation, God had always in mind its goal and final end.  He knew that His Son, Jesus Christ, would come to be the Redeemer of Creation and its King.  He knew, too, that Mary, the Mother of God, would become the Queen-Mother of all creation.

 


     Related Title of Mary:  Queen of Creation

     "[On] 22 August, the Church observed the memorial of the Queenship of Mary. The Mass used is that of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of All Creation: In 1954 the feast of the Queenship of Mary was instituted by Pius XII, to be celebrated on 31 May. In 1969 Paul VI, promulgating the new General Roman Calendar, appropriately transferred the feast to 22 August, the octave of the Assumption. The royal dignity of our Lady is part of the mystery of her full glorification and perfect conformity with her Son, the King of all the ages. In the words of the Second Vatican Council, "the Immaculate Virgin.... when she had completed her earthly life, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven and exalted as the queen of all creation, so that she might be more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords (see Revelation 19:16) and victor over sin and death" (LG, no. 59).
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. 218.

Collect:
Father,
you have given us the mother of your Son
to be our queen and mother.
With the support of her prayers
may we come to share the glory of your children
in the kingdom of heaven.
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.

And for more, visit Women for Faith and Family.  
Here you can read some short comments by Pope Benedict XVI on our relationship to creation.