In Seach of Mary

7/27/2019 In Seach of Mary

1/80

In Search of MaryBy

Clinton R. LeFort

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.


2/80

2

Forward

When we say we are searching for Mary what do

we mean? It is not that we can walk over next doorand say hello to her, yet she is closer to us than the

person next door. We cannot pick up pen and pencil

and write her a letter, yet she is always addressing us

thru the Church. We cannot pick our iPhone and

instant dial her to speak with her, yet she is always in

dialogue with us, thru prayer and the sacraments. So,

what does it mean to search for Mary?

We will first look at some traditional ways that

the Saints and the Church have found helpful in

walking in Marys ways. Next, we will look at ways we

can find Mary thru prayer and the Mysteries of Faith.

Following these chapters well also look at our own

personal response to Mary and how it can benefit our

individual growth and devotion to her; lastly, we will

take some time to look into the effect of Marys

Immaculate Conception anyhow it benefits our

success in finding her as the perfect person to lead


3/80

3

us to Jesus.

I hope in these reflections to bring our different

ways we search for Mary as Catholics, as Christians,

as followers of her Son, Jesus Christ.

In one sense when we search for Mary we are

searching for the truth about ourselves. Mary is the

Mother of Truth and she will see us live the truth.

How can we live the Truth? How can we be set free?


4/80

Part I

Searching For Mary

Ask and You ShallReceive


5/80

5

Where Do We Begin?

I Told You So

When I was growing up my Father would always

joke with me when I was learning something new,

like cutting the grass with the new riding lawn mower

or learning how to separate the real shrimp from the

rock shrimp on the deck in the Gulf of Mexico. When

I think that I had learned something significant or

come to some great insight and I would share it withhim, he would say , I told you so. I always felt over-

shadowed by his experience and understanding of the

most simple things. I can hear him now probably

telling one of the angles of God the same thing.

Regardless of how I responded to him at these times,he seemed to always be telling me one day youll

understand. It is true with primal relationships with

our parents. It is amazing how many things: words,

actions, comments, corrections, clear up in time.

What we see and understand as children becomes

more compelling as teens; what we struggle with as


6/80

6

teens becomes so much easier as an adolescent;

finally, our preoccupations as adolescence seems

foolish when we reach mid life.


7/80

The Advantage Point

We are always seeking some kind of advantage

or vantage point in life, where we have the upper

hand. We see in Mary a perfect acceptance of her

circumstances, despair he vulnerability to being

entrenched in the weaknesses, pettiness and sins of

those around her. It is an absolute Miracle that a

woman with so much grace could only offer up a

Canticle of praise to God; that is, her Magnificat.

Mary welcomed all of her material and spiritual

environment, yet it didnt keep her from remaining

the immaculate Mother of God. That selfless

movement towards God and away form self-interest

was the ultimate gift of God at her birth. The Church

teaches us that God worked these wonders from the

first moment of her conception in view of the merits

of the Incarnate Word she would bear. We are called

onto the Way of Mary, which is the Way, the Truth,

the Life of Jesus. There is no other way by which we

can be saved. We can rejoice with Mary in this Way

Jesus has revealed to us.


8/80

8

To Seek Mary

What Does it Mean to Seek Mary?

What does it mean to seek Mary? It does mean

to search out what hasnt been found, yet we have

been found by the Church and Mary. In one sense we

have found Mary thru a common faith; on the other

hand, each of the faithful search for Mary individually,

yet never separated from the One, Holy, Catholic, and

Apostolic Church. Jesus pointed out Mary to John at

the foot of the Cross, Behold, your Mother. (Jn.

19:26) The Redeemer pointed out the disciple to

Mary, Woman, behold your son.(Jn. 19:26)

John was already close to Mary before the crucifixion.

He was there at the wedding of Cana in Galilee with

Jesus. He witnessed to the Incarnate Word who

grew in wisdom age and grace, before God and

men (Lk. 2:52) during his public ministry. He gave

witness to Moses and Elijah that appeared to Jesus at

the Transfiguration; the religious ancestors of Mary,

Joachim and Anne. John was part of that sacred

history that Mary was perfecting by her obedience.


9/80

9

What was different in this fullness of time? What

was different was the last request of Jesus before his

death on the Cross. Jesus could have waited until

after he had arisen form the dead to give this

privilege to John, but he chose to give it from the

Cross. In my own opinion, I believe it means to us

that as disciples of Jesus, devoted to his will, we are

to take Mary in to our hearts. Just as we are adopted

children of God, have responsibility for the house of

God, so I believe we are to take responsibility for the

Mother of God.Jesus said, this is the work of God,

believe in the One he has sent;(Jn. 6:29) what work

is so great as to believe in the Mother he has chosen

for himself, that the father has chosen for his Son;

finally, that the Spirit has chosen to overshadow and

bring about the Incarnation of the Incarnate Word.


10/80

10

Finding Mary in the Mysteries

of Faith

I believe we are to find Mary thru the Mysteries of

Faith; there is no more refund way to find her than by

the word of God and the author of the sacred

scriptures, the Holy Spirit. I also believe that just as

God used both word and sign in the Old and New

Testament to reveal himself, so it is also possible for

God to use not only his word in our lives, but also

signs1 that confirm his Word. For example many of

the spiritual writers say that devotion to the Word of

God, the Rosary, acts of consecration, frequent

reception of the sacraments, mental prayer, are all

signs of a soul desirous to do Gods will. Because

the spiritual life has many obstacles the Church

recommends a spiritual director as a great aid. St.

Catherine of Siena and St. Teresa of Avila are perfect

examples. Both reaped may benefits by revealing

their interior life to their spiritual directors. Just to

give one example of the havoc that can be wrought

thru spirits opposed to Christ listen to St. Teresa of

Avila:2


11/80

11

I told you elsewhere how the devil frequently fills our

thoughts with great schemes, so that instead of putting

our hands to what work we can do to serve our Lord, we

may rest satisfied with working to preform

impossibilities.

(Interior Castle, 7th

Mansion,ch. iv, 21)


12/80

Spiritual Direction

Qualities of A Spiritual Director

St. Teresa gives four qualities of a spiritual director,3

which we will briefly mention here: prudent, pious,

theologically learned and kind. The Church will always

have its share of good spiritual directors, sufficient to

lead souls towards the heights of perfection. Mary

was privileged in this regard, since the Holy Spirit was

the director of her soul. There are many ways that

God can use to lead a soul to perfection. The normal

ways are different from extraordinary ways. Most

spiritual directors would hold that it is better to start

off walking before running in the ways is spiritual

perfection. If there comes a time that a person

doesnt need the ordinary ways, it will become

evident thru working with a spiritual director in the

ordinary ways first.


13/80

13

Humble Submission to Gods Will

All we see is humble submission to the will of

God. Jesus was the same and nothing was able to

deter them from accomplishing the perfect will of God

in the midst of the world. I dont dare say that we do

not have temptations to believe that we have figured

it all out and we havent struggles with integrating

faith with the rest of our lives; that is, outside of

private prayer times. What I do believe is that our

union with Jesus and Mary, thru the Holy Spirit, does

give us a vantage point in arriving at coming always

closer to what that perfect submission to Gods will is.

St. Paul, with all of his shortcomings, which he was

bold enough to proclaim as a blessing, said that all of

these imperfections worked together for the good

God had in store for him. Jesus and Mary followed

that straight and narrow (Matt. 7:14) path to

perfection. We cannot claim to seek any other path to

Jesus Christ. St. Paul called everything outside of that

path rubbish, since he wanted one thing in life, to

suffer and rise with Christ. In the end, that great

Apostle had the true understanding. Only by walking


14/80

14

in the light will we obtain what we are looking for in

life. The darkness offers nothing. As Jesus said, the

flesh offers nothing, it is the Spirit that gives life. (Jn.

6:63)


15/80

15

Learning from Marys Counsel

Learning from Marys counsel produces the same

inspiring response from her as it did my Father

teaching me. The example of Mary as we encounter

them in the bible and that comes down to us in the

Tradition of the Church is the model of the perfect

Christian attitude and disciple of Christ. We cant

expect to comprehend the fullness of that example,

but only strive to absorb what we can in order to

stand before God with a clear conscience as Mary did.

For example, one night I was kneeling by my bedside

saying my prayers to Mary and my guardian angel as

was my custom. I never doubted that relationship,

simply because it was just an accepted fact of life. As

I was kneeling there, I got the sense that someone

was listening to my prayers. Of course that is what

faith is, isnt it? Which brings me back to the semi-

thesis in this book, what does it mean to search for

Mary? I believe it means first of all, being faithful.

Being faithful is the very beginning of our

relationship with God. The author of the letter to the


16/80

16

Hebrews says without faith it is impossible to please

God. Anyone wishing to come to God must believe

that he exists and that he rewards those who search

for him. (Heb. 11:6)


17/80

Letting Mary Rule in our Heart

Marys privilege as Mother of the Lord gives her

special entrance into our interior life. We know, thru

faith, that her interest in us is for our eternal

salvation. Even the Trinity witnessed her fidelity for

all ages to come at the Annunciation. Her becoming

the Mother of God was not new to God, but new to

us. It is the New Testament to us, but it is the eternal

truth to God. The Almighty chose to do good things

for her. She brought about the praise that is due his

name. Our ground rule in searching for Mary should

be fidelity, since there is no other creature, who was

more faithful than Mary.4 As a creature like all of us,

yet conceived without sin, Mary adds a different

dimension to our piety. We learn thru the example

God gives thru Mary, what God makes possible thru

grace.


18/80

The Cost of Finding Mary

Everyone has dreams and aspirations of some

kind. In our devotions and desire to remain faithful

we want to have the confidence that comes about

when we know we are doing our best to live a sinless

life and one that is pleasing to God. Mary is our

perfect model of fidelity and grace. To follow Mary

means that we have to keep the model of her life

before us. Unfortunately, when we begin to compare

ourselves to her, we find how far surpassing is the

grace that she has been given to ourselves. This is

not meant to be a deterrent to our efforts to follow

her to Jesus, but a great mean to developing

confidence in she in whom God has done great

things. Her blessings have become for us a great

treasure of blessings that she is happy to share with

us.


19/80

19

Be-Attitudes

How do we avail ourselves of such a great person?

The cost to us is to leave ourselves and to cling to the

faith that has been given to us so freely. It is not

something that we have earned or will earn, but we

should put on the mind of Christ, so that her Be-

attitudes become ours. St. Augustine when speaking

of the infused gifts of God; that is, fear, piety,

knowledge, counsel, fortitude, understanding and

wisdom gave this definition of virtue: a good quality

of the mind which makes us live righteously, which

God works in us without us and which cannot be put

to bad use. In other words, just as the virtues and

gifts were perfectly given to Mary at her Immaculate

Conception, so in the same way, the infused virtues

come to us as free gifts of grace. We can be confident

of that. We are under the same infinitely loving hand

of God who guides our lives towards our final

beatitude. Mary is already there enjoying this blissful

state, yet she in turn intercedes for us so that we can

join her one day. In short, we have been given the

same charity of the Holy Spirit. Unlike Jesus who is


20/80

20

True God and True Man, Mary is closer to us, since

she shares our humanity more fully as creatures.

Mary is truly the adopted child of God turn Mother of

God.

Mary knows what it is like to be human and to

be a creature of God, despite her role as Mother of

God. Unlike Jesus who is word made flesh, Mary is

like us in all things except she was given the privilege

of being free from sin from the first moment of her

conception. She can truly identify with our weakness

called to share in his strength.


21/80

21

Costly Grace

Several years ago I read a book by the well

known German Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer titles

Costly Grace. Costly grace doesnt mean that grace

was not first a free gift, just as is our relationship with

the Mother of God, but that it costs us our very lives

to live the life of grace. Searching for Mary in our lives

means that we want to learn more and more about

the person we love. We want to be pleasing to her

and learn to relate to her in everything we do. In

relationship to the Mother of God, Bonhoeffer had a

profound insight into the meaning of the Christian life.

On the other hand, we have St. Louis Marie

DeMontfort5 who write in his True Devotion that his

method of becoming a slave to Mary is such a work of

grace promised and given to us by the Holy Trinity

that it is only thru Mary that we can truly become the

children of God and become imitators of the God-Man

Jesus Christ. This knowledge is not a knowledge of

the textbook, but a knowledge gained by the heart. It

is being won over by grace in our relationship to

Mary, obedient to her desires in our own lives, that


22/80

22

we become the children of God. That is the costly

grace because it strikes at the heart, as DeMontfort

says, at our own corrupt nature.


23/80

Learning to Leave Ourself

Even the leaving of ourselves can never become

a work that we can call our own work. It is without a

doubt the work of grace, yet, when done in unionwith Mary is a sweet surrender. The grace she gains

for us over ourselves could only be done thru the

direct work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Yet, as

DeMontfort say so clearly, Mary is so humble that she

always is pointing us towards the Incarnate Word. In

short, Mary is the Mirror thru which we become

united to Jesus and learn to call God Our Father.

Searching for Mary in our lives is a true searching for

Jesus, essentially, profoundly, intensely, eternally.

Finding Mary and Jesus is both a work and the

deepest consolation: come to me all you who labor

and are burdened and I will give you rest. (Matt.

11:28)


24/80

24

Escaping the Corruption of the

World

We will learn to escape the corruption of the

world by searching for ways to become classy united

to Mary, since she will lead us to a sinless lifestyle.

She will place in us a terse for the heavenly realities

which are the very foundation of our eternal life. She

will teach us the ways of God and the fear of God.

Mary will share her virtues and gifts with us, so that

we can become more confident in rejecting the

unreasonable demands of our own nature and the

spirit that rules the air, as St. Paul says, so that we

can always keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the ruler

and perfecter of our faith.(Heb. 12:2) We will not

become afraid of our weaknesses and our faults, but

we will surrender them to her to transform them into

the service of God. Marys love for the unity of the

Church will be rationed to us and according to our

capacity to receive. There are many gifts, but the

same Lord who works in all. (1Cor.12:4) We need

Mary to strengthen us in the fight, for the devil is


25/80

25

prowling around like a roaring lion looking for

someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in

faith.. (1Pet. 5:8-9)


26/80

Our Own Spiritual Backyard

We will begin in our own backyard;6 Mary has

always been the person who has watched7 us grow

up in Christ. Thru our parents, family and friends.

Sometimes these appearances may not have been so

perfect as what weve imagined. They werent

encounters like Juan Diego or Bernadette Soubirous,

yet they were real. Every time we were obedient to

our parents, did our duties at home and school on

time, and acted according to our conscience, so that

we could feel good about ourselves and our faith. On

the other hand, the times we were not so faithful and

obedient, she didnt abandon or scold us, she

remained the person who drew us to Christ.


27/80

Mary, Our Mother

As Catholics we BELIEVE that Mary is our

Mother, even as she was Mother to Christ. In Mary,

we didnt have to leave home to be at home, wedidnt have to hide from our family to be ourselves,

we didnt have to pretend to be someone else in the

fear of the rejection that came with being ourselves.

Mary has always encouraged us to say with Jesus:

Did you not know I must be in my Fathers

house? (Lk. 2:49) She watched us advance in

wisdom, age and favor before God and men. (Lk.

2:52) Not because of anything we had done, but

because he had chosen us before the foundation of

the world to be holy and without blemish before him

in love (Eph. 1:4) Honestly we can say, Mary is a

Mother to us. (LG, 8,63) We, both she and us,8 were

eternally part of his plan of eternal salvation for

mankind.
http://www.usccb.org/bible/ephesians1:4http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/2http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/2http://www.usccb.org/bible/ephesians1:4http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/2http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/2http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/2


28/80

28

A Temple of God

What was that house?9 That house was the

mystery of our eternal vocation in Christ. That house

is the one we are living in now, which is the temple

of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 6:19) Mary, thru the Holy

Spirit, was always there, drawing us into Christ life so

that we could make our words the words of her

own:The Mighty One has done great things for me,

and holy is his name. (Lk. 1:49) She has always

called us to grow in the praise and thanksgiving to

God in our life.

Mary is not concerned just with our looking good

but in being good; she is not concerned with just our

worldly success but our union with the will of God.

She helps us look bend the passing reality ofthis

valley of tears, to be without fear that we might

worship him in holiness and righteousness before him

all of our days. (Lk. 1:74-75) In other words, being

the first disciples of Christ, she wishes for us what she

she wishes for herself. (Matt. 7:21)
http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/7/12http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/1:74http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/1http://www.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/6http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/7/12http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/7/12http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/1:74http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/1http://www.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/6


29/80

29


30/80

30

Defining Mary In Our Life

Who is Mary to us?

A central question I ask myself is: If Mary is so

great, being the Mother of God, why does she want to

pay attention to what Im doing with my life? More or

less we have this burning question which is not easy

to answer. On the one hand, we look around

ourselves we see all the great works that are being

done to honor God, the Church and the world, but

maybe we cant see that our work can make a

difference. The difference we are seeking is the

difference of dimensional qualities like number,

weight, and measure. On the other hand, we see all

the possible works that lie ahead which we may or

may not be part of. Ouch! Where do I fit in all of this?

As a matter of self-preservation we look at the only

thing we can count on and that is the love of God

that has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy

Spirit. The essential point we need to consider is that

we are Gods children. We are in him and he in us and

by his choice we have been made inheritors of the


31/80

31

Kingdom of Heaven. Lastly, despite all odds against

us, who can be against us? (Rom. 8:31b)


32/80

Mary is pleased with who we

are, are we?

Mary is pleased with who we are, because God

has made us in his image and likeness. Who could not

be happy with being made in the image and likes of

God? As you know it is not as easy to live in the

presence of God as it is to say that we are made in

his image and likeness. The second one is an

incontestable fact that is based on the the Word of

God and divine revelation, while the first is dependent

upon our willingness to cooperate with the grace of

God and the will of God. It is one thing to receive

baptism and be initiated in the Kingdom of God, yet it

is quite another to live in that Kingdom

.


33/80

Marys Care For Us

In order to better understand Mary care for us in

Gods plan of eternal salvation, I believe we need to

understand a Mothers heart. In order to understand

Marys heart, is to understand a Mothers heart.How

can we understand this? Compassion. That is the one

word that describers Mary. Of course we are speaking

simply. Let us be more precise. Let us turn our

attention to the wedding feast of Cana. There we see

Jesus who is on the edge of his public ministry. His

disciples are with him. He and his disciples with his

Mother are guests of the wedding couple. We have

read or listened to this Gospel many times in our

lives. It is the first miracle of Jesus public ministry:

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee,

and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his

disciples were also invited to the wedding. (Jn. 2:1-2)


34/80

The Gospel Message

We can grasp some essential notes of the

Gospel by the way he revealed this event to us. First

he says, when (the third day) and where(Cana inGalilee) and who (the mother of Jesus) was at the

wedding. Immediately, the St. John says thatJesus

and his disciples were also there, since they were

also invited to the wedding. I believe that the

connection between Jesus and his Mother was

spiritually unique among all creation. We know that

Mary was there providentially to inaugurate the public

ministry of Jesus. I believe that Mary is also in our

lives, too when we are undergoing important events

in our lives. Why? Marys purpose is to form Jesus in

us. Marys role as Mother of the Church is to lead us

to become followers of Jesus Christ, the light of the

world:

He who follows me will not walk in the darkness but will

have the light of life. (Jn. 8:12)


35/80

35

Mary Forms Christ in us

Mary desires nothing more for us than to be like

Jesus. When I say to be like Jesus, I do not mean in

some metaphorical sense; what I mean that by the

life we live, others may come to know Jesus is alive.

First, that he is alive in us; secondly, that he lives in

us so that others may also live in him thru us. In the

same way that when we approach Mary thru

contemplating and imitating her life, we find the

image of Jesus in her life, so in the same way, we are

call dot reflect the life of Jesus and others will want to

Know Jesus.10

Just as she enjoys the beatific joy today in

beholding Jesus in perfectly accomplishing the

Fathers will for all eternity, so her joy for us is to help

us accomplish Gods perfect will in our own lives. We

can do this thru the Holy Spirit given to us. Jesus told

his disciples, the Spirit of truth will remain with you,

who will be in you. (Jn. 14:17) Just as Jesus was

formed by the overshadowing of the Spirit at the

Annunciation, so Mary forms Jesus in us thru the


36/80

36

same Spirit of truth (Lk. 1:35) who will be with you

always.(Jn. 14:16)


37/80

Part Two

Finding Mary

Seek and You ShallFind


38/80

How Can We Find Mary?

Thru Private Prayer

We can find Mary in our lives thru prayer. When

we get on our knees and say our prayers at night we

can speak to Mary, who will receive us in faith. The

Holy Spirit will guide our prayer, just as he guided the

prayer of Mary at the Annunciation, the wedding feast

of Cana, losing Jesus in the temple, the Crucifixion.

We can be assured that she will hear our prayer. All

we need is to voice our needs, thanks, blessings,

praise to her. Do we want to be more intimate with

Christ, but are afraid to ask? Go to Mary. Are we

worried about an interview, a new job, a friend who is

in sorrow? Go to Mary. Are we concerned about our

future? Money? Career? Place where will live? Go toMary!

Mary is our Mother.11 Like any Mother she listens

to their needs and joys.


39/80

39

Thru Communal and Liturgical

Prayer

Are there times when you come together with

others to pray to Mary: Meals at home, Christmas,

Rosary with a a prayer group, how about a book club

where you may read a particular book. Any of these

ways to get together with others to share your

prayers, reflections and expressions about Mary is a

good way to create a more fine tuned understanding

of who Mary is in your life.

Being together with others of the same faith in

order to share the faith with one another, is a

tremendous way to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary and

to come to understand how she effects the lives of

those in the Church. There are many traditional ways

that have been popular among the faithful to honor

Mary: First Saturdays, Pilgrimage of the Fatima statue

to parishes, Feast days in the Church throughout the

year, Check your local diocesan paper for special

guest speakers to your parish or cathedral who are

lecturing on a Marian topic. Another way is to attend

the Mass of a Saint who was know to have been very


40/80

40

devoted to Mary during their lives.


41/80

Personal Reading & Study12

Among the most helpful means of arriving at

perfection is the use of personal reading and study.

The Church encourages the study of Marian themes in

Scripture. An excellent place to start if you have

access to the internet is the Marian Page at the

internationally recognized Marian Institute at Dayton

University. The Institute was established as a

affiliation of the Pontifical University the Marianum in

Roma, Italy. At the Mary Page you will find references

to Scripture passages, Church documents, art,

literature and other amazing information on the life of

Mary in our lives and in the Church.

Another great source of research and study on

Marys life is the Catholic Encyclopedia. The Catholic

Encyclopedia was put together for the very purpose of

providing exceptional knowledge on Catholic topics.

You can now access the entire Encyclopedia, in its full

content online. All searching is free.
http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Curricula:_Mariologyhttp://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Curricula:_Mariologyhttp://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Curricula:_Mariologyhttp://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Curricula:_Mariologyhttp://campus.udayton.edu/mary/aboutmary2.htmlhttp://campus.udayton.edu/mary/aboutmary2.html


42/80

42

We Believe in You

Come, Holy Spirit, grant me the words to speak

my heart to my Mother in Heaven. Grant me the

words to know how to speak to the Mother of Jesus

Christ.

Mary, thank you for being with me in my life. It

is hard to understand this mystery I have been

brought into; the mystery of grace and divine

adoption. I believe you understand the mystery that

my words have difficulty speaking clearly. The path

God has led me on is one of faith and it requires me

to see what cannot be seen with the bodily eyes.

Many times Ive satiated my natural sense to try to

find happiness, but again and again Ive found that

they leave my inner self empty of true happiness.

Even when I try my best to stay on this narrow path,

others who value less the eternal city, try to pull me

off the narrow path to one that is wide and leads to

eternal destruction. I try not to bear offensive

thoughts against them, but try to lean surrender to

the grace that God gives to me at this moments. I

cannot change those who deny the truth, but I can


43/80

43

only try to change myself by the grace given to me to

remain faithful.

When the Father revealed your Son to me I

began to realize what true happiness is and what it

meant to attain it. I do not know why others try to

keep me away form Jesus and the eternal life

promised to me, since they seem not to see the

things I see thru the faith given to me. Perhaps they

want to make light of this eternal truth before me. All

I know is I have to obey my conscience and live the

truth. Now, after many years of attempting to follow

Jesus, I understand that all is a gift.


44/80

Accepting Gods Gift

Why is it so hard for me to accept this gift? At

times it seems easier to give what Ive received than

to receive what God wants to give. What I mean is

that Jesus wants me to continually open myself to the

one simple gift, but I keep falling back to seeing it as

many small gifts along a way. I know that is not the

truth, but that is all I can attain to in my own

weakness, my limited ability to comprehend the

simplicity of it all.

Mary, you care for me more that I can

understand. I believe this to be the case because of

the truth that I hold about you, which the Church has

given to me, which the Saints have taught me, and

the Holy Scriptures have revealed to me. Most of all,

because you are the Mother of the Word Incarnate.


45/80

45

The Body of Christ

Mary, I have tried to contemplate this truth

before, but the closest I can come to it is like when I

receive the Body and Blood of Christ in HolyCommunion in faith. I know this is an eternal privilege

to share the same faith you had when you lived on

earth. Now, you see clearly what then you only saw in

faith, you are there in heaven in body and soul,

having been assumed into heaven by the power of

God.

Here I am speaking to you, but my speech is not

just a babbling of words, for all that I say is

regarding my eternal soul and its destiny in God and

in you. Jesus said, on that day you will realize that I

am in the Father, and you are in my and I in you.

Already you realize this and you pray that we too will

realize it with you one day. That is our final and

lasting joy. One that will go on eternally. I only hope

for this thru the gift of God and not from something I

can do to accomplish it. The Holy Spirit has revealed

to you who are your children. I hope that this same


46/80

46

Spirit which bears witness with our spirit that we are

the children of God, will lead us to you and to your

Son, Jesus Christ. May I never stray from the

obedience of faith and the charity of the Holy Spirit.

May I reflect Jesus to others in all I do.


47/80

47

The Immaculate Conception

With our the Stain of Original Sin

We know that one thing is most prominent

about Mary in our relationship with her; Mary was

immaculately conceived without the stain of original

sin. Pope Pius IX said in Ineffabilis13:The Most Holy Virgin Mary was, in the first moment ofher conception, by a unique gift of grace and privilege of

Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, theRedeemer of mankind, preserved free from all stain oforiginal sin. (D 1641).

In everything we say and do in relationship with the

Mother of God, she is enfolded in a Mystery with an

eternal depth equal to her dignity and predestination

as Mother of God. Reverence is a word that is so

appropriate for our relationship with her, yet at the

same time we are allowed to call her Mother. For

years I felt that I couldnt even lift my heart to Mary,

since there were so many things I couldnt

comprehend about my relationship with her within

the Church. I had always been taught prayers in

honor of her, especially the Memorare, the Magnificat,

the Rosary, and the Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

One thing that couldnt be taught to me was my own


48/80

48

relationship with the Mother of Jesus. I must admit

that it is difficult to presume too much.


49/80

49

Thanks for Catechism

If I had not been taught from an early age that

she was Mother of God and I had a place in her

heart, Im almost sure it would have been more

difficult to change once I became older. Then again,

no one can underestimate the power of grace to

transform the human heart. Over the past twenty

years Ive witnessed converts to the Catholic faith,

professing their faith and embracing devotion to the

Mother of God. This has always inspired me. To

celebrate Easter Sunday with new converts gives

hope to the Churchs future and to a world that seems

to have gone astray.

In my own private devotion Ive meditated on

this great Mystery of Marys singular gift of being

Immaculately conceived from the first moment of her

conception. This is where I really believe I have

found Mary in my life. Only a person so pure and so

filled with the charity of God could have so much

power over our hearts for centuries and untold ages.

The spiritual space or concentric circles of


50/80

50

contemplation that surround this Mystery have no end

and only the mind and heart of God himself can

comprehend this immaculateness of Mary. Is it wrong

to feel overly confident in the face of this Mystery? I

feel a strong attraction towards Mary and her

immaculateness, but at the same time I feel a sacred

silence inside myself that retreats at her presence.

Marys presence to me means the entirety of the faith

that the Church has handed down to us, in her

teaching and in her practices.


51/80

51

My Soul Proclaims

At the same time that Im kept back from

approaching Mary because of this reverence I have

for her and the dignity of her relationship with God, I

feel an irresistible spiritual-gravitational attraction to

her role as Mother of the children of God. I sense in

my faith that we are One Body in this family that God

has created us. Mary has this love for all of the

children of God. In other words,inside myself I sense

the Mystery calls me into God and awakens the gifts

of the Spirit inside myself. Im both called into the

Mystery of contemplation of the Mystery of the love of

God in Mary, but at the same time to awaken inside

myself a greater devotion and contemplation of what

has yet been understood.

Mary told Elizabeth at the Visitation, My souls

proclaims the greatness of the Lord. St. Thomas

Aquinas when speaking of the Mystery of the

Incarnation tells his readers that:I answer that, To each thing that is befitting whichbelongs to it by reason of its very nature; thus, to

reason befits man, since this belongs to him because heis of a rational nature. But the very nature of God isgoodness, as is clear from Dionysius (Div. Nom. i.).


52/80

52

Hence, what belongs to the essence of goodness befitsGod. But it belongs to the essence of goodness tocommunicate itself to others, as is plain from Dionysius(Div. Nom. iv.). Hence it belongs to the essence of thehighest good to communicate itself in the highestmanner to the creature, and this is brought about chieflyby His so joining created nature to Himself that onePerson is made up of these threethe Word, a soul and

flesh, as Augustine says (De Trin. xiii.). Hence it ismanifest that it was fitting that God should become

incarnate.14


53/80

53

The Incarnation

The Incarnation, as Aquinas says here, revealed

the goodness of God by communicating himself in

the highest manner to the creature. Mary was the

Mother of that communication to mankind. In other

words, it is in this infinitely gracious communication of

God to mankind, and from his fullness we have all

received, grace in place of grace, (Jn. 1:14-15)and it

is this grace and truth that has come to us in Jesus

Christ, that fills us with confidence to approach the

throne of grace. (Heb. 4:16) In other words, by

searching for Mary thru her Immaculate Conception

we come to realize just how infinitely good God has

been to us and she is the Mother of Goodness.

God not only communicates his goodness

directly thru his Son (Heb. 1:1-2) but also thru the

Mother of the Incarnate Son, The greatness of the

Lord. (Lk. 1:46)

For Mary to be Mother is to give the Son to the

world, even when her heart was being pierced by a

sword or she had to bear standing by and watching


54/80

54

him give his life in sacrifice for sinners and enemies.

She humbly accepted her role as Mother and gave us

an example of selfless charity when Jesus was saying,

Father, forgive them, they know not what they

do. (Lk. 23:34)


55/80

In Search of Mary

Interior Search

So far we have shown how Mary can come to be

know in our lives: thru prayer, study, striving to lead a

perfect life. All of these have been concerned with a

spiritual searching for Mary. Our concern has been to

strengthen our faith in the teachings of the Church on

Mary; surrender more to the grace of private and

public prayer in honor of Mary; lastly, to remain open

to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, thru his gifts

conferred on us in confirmation, to gain a greater

understanding and devotion to the Mother of God.

There is still another means we can use to discern the

person of the Blessed Virgin Mary in our lives and that

is the to study how Mary searched for God in her life.


56/80

Marys Reading of the Prophets

How did Mary understand what it means to

search for God? What did the Old Testament tell us

about her?

A lamp from the LORD is the breath of man;

it searches through all his inmost being.15 (Prov. 20:27)

Mary knew that God was constantly searches for the

inmost being of a person. At the Annunciation she

said My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord.

This was her happiness and joy to be filled with God

in her life. There was no other joy for Mary. She even

questioned the Archangel that came to her. How can

this be, since I do not know man? Her moral purity

was immaculate.


57/80

57

Everything Works Together

We cannot expect for everyone and everything

to follow the path that the Holy Spirit has marked out

for us. It is highly unlikely that the world will have a

100% agreement with our search for Mary. Actually, in

1974, when Blessed John Paul II visited with us in

New Orleans, I was fortunate enough to be present

with several friends in the Cursillo movement in the

SuperdomeAgainst Selfishness. John Paul II told us

that if we are to follow Christ we would be following a

prophetic vocation and that we will be called out of

it, not fitting in. He said that the world wants to

deceive us into thinking that following Christ is the

wrong way, that we cannot be successful in a

worldly sense. The sense that I received at that heart-

to-heart talk he gave to us is that Jesus wants to

suffer thru us in order to free us from deception and

untruth; the things that kill our relationship with Christ.

The Old Testament speaks about the Holy Spirit

fleeing deceit and those under the debt of sin:

For the holy spirit of discipline flees deceitand withdraws from senseless counsels;and when injustice occurs it is rebuked. (Wis. 1:5)


58/80

58

It is within that Spirit of discipline that we must

guard our hearts from the spirit that come to us to rob

us of our imitation of Mary in our lives. If we can

imagine how Mary must have flown the slightest

imperfection by faithfully surrendering to the grace of

God placed in her. This is the way she wants her

children to live in the world. She doesnt wish us to

flee or run form the world, but to overcome it by the

grace of God in our lives:But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide youto all truth. (Jn 16;13)


59/80

59

Total Consecration

St. Louis Marie De Montfort found that a total

consecration thru Mary to Jesus was the perfect

means to both find Mary and find Jesus. By using

Mary we come to Jesus; however, De Montfort saw

that this consecration required ones complete

devotion to Mary. It is so great of an act that the

person is willing to sacrifice all of ones temporal and

eternal merits to Mary to do with them as she will, so

that the person can become a true slave of Mary. St.

Louis Marie De Montfort saw the heart of this

consecration having four parts, which all worked to

make this union with Mary perfect. The person must

place all of his actions with, in, thru and for Mary. In

order to become a true servant of Mary, means total

dedication. Perhaps we are only wanting to come to

Mary at certain times in our lives for help; at other

times, we want to take the reigns of our lives in our

own hands. De Montfort, and the Church has

canonized him, wanted the faithful to know how great

this love between servant and Mary could be by his

True Devotion.


60/80

60

Another Saint, living in our own times is St.

Maximilan Kolbe, who also started the Militia of the

Immaculata. The Militia consecrated their lives to

Mary also and thru this consecration they hoped to

help transform society; they become the instruments

of Mary holiness working in the Church.

These are two great and wonderful ways that we

can make a total gift of ourselves to Mary. Her grace

will not be diminished by our generosity. She greatly

rewards her servants in many ways.


61/80

Old Testament Understanding of Search

The Old Testament has several terms for

seeking, which Mary would have been familiar with.

The word was hapas meant to search, to examine as

something precious and desirable. In the sense of the

Old Testament meaning of hapas the person begins to

conduct a search for someone. It is that hope of

finding the one he is searching for that is given here.

Proverbs gives a perfect sense in which we are

leading:

If you seek her like silver,And like hidden treasures search her out. (Prov. 2:4)

This is the way in which the Wisdom of God is to be

sought by a person. It is in at this earnest Spirit that

we find Mary living our her life as a humble servant of

God in Bethlehem and Nazareth:

And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them inher heart. (Lk. 2:19)


62/80

62

Equal Footing

St. Thomas says that assent and cogitation are

on an equal footing; that is, they both are equal in

the intellects search for truth.16 In this assent of the

will to what is given to it in faith, moved by charity,

the person assents to the truth because it is revealed

by God who promises eternal life to those who

believe, while the understanding remains still in the

darkness of faith, since the finite understanding of the

intellect cannot comprehend the fullness of the

revelation set before it. The continuation ofthe

assent produces a greater understanding, especially

when lifted above its natural aptitude thru grace and

the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Again, the soul is drawn

even deeper into the thicket17 of love for God. St.

John of the Cross explains this thicket in this way. He

says that the Mystery and knowledge of God is so

immense, that the soul never can get to the end of it:This thicket of Gods wisdom and knowledge is so deepand immense that no matter how much the soul knowsshe can always enter it further; it is cast and its richesincomprehensible, as St. Paul exclaims: O height of the

riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, howincomprehensible are His judgements and unsearchableHis ways. (Rom. 11:33)


63/80

63


64/80

64

Mystery of God

St. John Chrysostom speaks very eloquently of

this Mystery of God in his book On the

Incomprehensible Nature of God.18 His XII homilies

are addressed to the Eunomians who believed they

could understand God. The three Saints, Aquinas,

Chrysostom, and John of the Cross taught the truth

about the divine light exceeding all of the natural

potential of mankind. As we mentioned earlier in

another book, the Church teaches that not only

isGods nature is incomprehensible to men, (Ott, 20)

but that Gods essence is also incomprehensible to

the blessed in heaven.19 Both of these statements

are DeFide; that is, have the highest certainty in

which the Church teaches. DeFide statements are the

highest level of certainty because they are derived

from God revealing them.

For example, when Joseph was in the service of

the King of Egypt his brothers came to visit him,

when they left a precious gold chalice was placed in

their bags. When the King noticed it was missing, he

went in search for it. It was finally found in thebags


65/80

65

of Benjamin. (Gen. 44:12) In the New Testament,

Jesus speaks about a merchant who went in search of

fine pearls, when he found one, he sold everything

that he had so that he could buy the field where this

fine pearl was. In the same way, the cost of our

finding Mary in our lives amounts to the degree that

we desire to find her. We know she is the most hidden

treasure we could find in the filed of Gods house.


66/80

Couldnt Find..

The Septuagint uses one word which is the

same word used in the New Testament, which is

heurisko. It simply means to find. In Genesis the man

is given the job of naming the wild beast of the earth.

It goes on to say that he was able to name all the

cattle, all the birds of the air, and all the wild

animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner

for the man. (Gen. 2:20) What do we learn thru this

about our search the Blessed Virgin Mary in our

lives? It means that when we search for Mary,

remaining in the fear of God and walking in the Spirit

as Mary did, we are bond to come across things

which will cannot be proved to be the suitable

partner for for the desires of our heart and the

enlightenment of our intellects about the truth of who

Mary is. We should at that point simply name those

things and go about our search for Mary:Those who love me I also love, and those who seek mefind me. (Prov. 8:17)


67/80

67

To Learn

The New Testament use several words which

means to learn. For example, the author to the Acts

of the Apostles says in reference to searching for

God:So that people might seek God, even perhaps grope forhim and find him, though indeed he is not far form anyof us. (Acts. 1:27)

This first word is heurisco: to learn something

previously not known, frequently involving an

elements of surprise- to learn, to find out, to

discover. (Louw & Nida, 326)

In20 order to find something or someone

previously not know we must set out in their direction

and become familiar with their life, their habits, their

way of thinking. The more we become familiar with

someone and engage in their thoughts, words and

deeds, we can emulate and imitate them. This is the

whole importance of the Imitation of Christ. In the

case of Mary she is the supernatural model of our

union with Jesus, so it is in earnest that we keep her

life before us.


68/80

68


69/80

69

Works Cited

Catholic Biblical Association of America, Confraternity of

Christian Doctrine, and Bishops Committee. The New

American Bible. New York: Benziger, 1970.

Documents of Vatican II. Vatican Council II,IntraText,

November 21, 1964. file:///Users/clintonlefort/Desktop/

ENG0037V01IXTCT/2VatCoun.IXT/_index.htm.

Roten, J. The Mary Page. Encyclopedic.Marian Library

of University of Dayton, 1975. http://

campus.udayton.edu/mary/aboutus.html.

Catholic Church, and John E Rotelle.Little Office of the

Blessed Virgin Mary. New York: Catholic Book Pub.

Co., 1988.

Tanquerey, Adolphe, and Herman Branderis. The Spiritual

Life [microform]; a Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical

Theology. Tournai (Belgium): Society of St. John theEvangelist, Descle, 1932. http://archive.org/details/

MN41530ucmf_5.Grenier, Henri, and J. P. E OHanley. Thomistic Philosophy.

Charlottetown, Canada: St. Dunstans University, 1950.

Ott, Ludwig. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. St. Louis,

Mo.: B. Herder Book Co., 1964.

Grignion de Montfort, Louis-Marie.A Treatise on the True

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. New York: P.J. Kenedy,

1909.Poulain, Aug, and J. V Bainvel. The Graces of Interior


70/80

70

Prayer (Des Grces Doraison) A Treatise on Mystical

Theology. St. Louis: Herder, 1950.

Louw, J. P, and Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New

Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, 1989.

VanGemeren, Willem.New International Dictionary of Old

Testament Theology & Exegesis. Grand Rapids, Mich.:

Zondervan Pub. House, 1997.Thomas, McGlynn, and Robert William Schmidt. Truth.

Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Co., 1994.

John of the Cross. The Collected Works of St. John of the

Cross. Washington, D.C.: Institute of Carmelite Studies,

1979.

John Chrysostom. On the incomprehensible nature of God.

Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of AmericaPress, 1984.

Woytyla, Karol. Meeting with the Young People of New

Orleans. Vatican Publishing, September 12, 1987. http://

www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1987/

september/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19870912_giovani-

new-orleans_en.html.


71/80

71

TextsLumen Gentium63. By reason of the gift and role of divine maternity, bywhich she is united with her Son, the Redeemer, and withHis singular graces and functions, the Blessed Virgin isalso intimately united with the Church. As St. Ambrosetaught, the Mother of God is a type of the Church in theorder of faith, charity and perfect union with Christ.(18*)For in the mystery of the Church, which is itself rightlycalled mother and virgin, the Blessed Virgin stands out ineminent and singular fashion as exemplar both of virginand mother. (19*) By her belief and obedience, notknowing man but overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, asthe new Eve she brought forth on earth the very Son of

the Father, showing an undefiled faith, not in the word ofthe ancient serpent, but in that of God's messenger. TheSon whom she brought forth is He whom God placed asthe first-born among many brethren,(299) namely thefaithful, in whose birth and education she cooperates witha maternal love. (Lumen Gentium 8,63)

Catechesis Tredendae (1979)

She in turn was the first of His disciples. She was the firstin time, because even when she found her adolescent Sonin the temple she received from Him lessons that she keptin her heart. (cf. Lk 2:51) She was the first disciple aboveall else because no one has been "taught by God" (cf. Jn6:45) to such depth. She was "both mother and disciple,"as St. Augustine said of her, venturing to add that her

discipleship was more important for her than hermotherhood. (cf. Sermo 25, 7; PL 46, 937-938) 73
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_16101979_catechesi-tradendae_en.htmlhttp://%22%22%22http//63.%20By%20reason%20of%20the%20gift%20and%20role%20of%20divine%20maternity,%20by%20which%20she%20is%20united%20with%20her%20Son,%20the%20Redeemer,%20and%20with%20His%20singular%20graces%20and%20functions,%20the%20Blessed%20Virgin%20is%20also%20intimately%20united%20with%20the%20Church.%20As%20St.%20Ambrose%20taught,%20the%20Mother%20of%20God%20is%20a%20type%20of%20the%20Church%20in%20the%20order%20of%20faith,%20charity%20and%20perfect%20union%20with%20Christ.(18*)%20For%20in%20the%20mystery%20of%20the%20Church,%20which%20is%20itself%20rightly%20called%20mother%20and%20virgin,%20the%20Blessed%20Virgin%20stands%20out%20in%20eminent%20and%20singular%20fashion%20as%20exemplar%20both%20of%20virgin%20and%20mother.%20(19*)%20By%20her%20belief%20and%20obedience,%20not%20knowing%20man%20but%20overshadowed%20by%20the%20Holy%20Spirit,%20as%20the%20new%20Eve%20she%20brought%20forth%20on%20earth%20the%20very%20Son%20of%20the%20Father,%20showing%20an%20undefiled%20faith,%20not%20in%20http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_16101979_catechesi-tradendae_en.htmlhttp://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_16101979_catechesi-tradendae_en.htmlhttp://%22%22%22http//63.%20By%20reason%20of%20the%20gift%20and%20role%20of%20divine%20maternity,%20by%20which%20she%20is%20united%20with%20her%20Son,%20the%20Redeemer,%20and%20with%20His%20singular%20graces%20and%20functions,%20the%20Blessed%20Virgin%20is%20also%20intimately%20united%20with%20the%20Church.%20As%20St.%20Ambrose%20taught,%20the%20Mother%20of%20God%20is%20a%20type%20of%20the%20Church%20in%20the%20order%20of%20faith,%20charity%20and%20perfect%20union%20with%20Christ.(18*)%20For%20in%20the%20mystery%20of%20the%20Church,%20which%20is%20itself%20rightly%20called%20mother%20and%20virgin,%20the%20Blessed%20Virgin%20stands%20out%20in%20eminent%20and%20singular%20fashion%20as%20exemplar%20both%20of%20virgin%20and%20mother.%20(19*)%20By%20her%20belief%20and%20obedience,%20not%20knowing%20man%20but%20overshadowed%20by%20the%20Holy%20Spirit,%20as%20the%20new%20Eve%20she%20brought%20forth%20on%20earth%20the%20very%20Son%20of%20the%20Father,%20showing%20an%20undefiled%20faith,%20not%20in%20


72/80

72

Marian Library

Psalm 127:1

Unless the LORD build the house,

they labor in vain who build.

Unless the LORD guard the city,

in vain does the guard keep watch.

Mary, our MotherShe is our mother- the mother of our life, the mother ofour incarnation, the mother of our light. As the Apostlesays of our Lord,he became for us by Gods power our wisdom

and justice, and holiness and redemption.

She then, as mother of Christ, is the mother of ourwisdom and justice, of our holiness and redemption. Sheis more our mother than the mother of our flesh. Ourbirth form her is better, for from her is born our holiness,our wisdom, our justice, our sanctification, ourredemption.

Praise the Lord in his holy ones, say the Scriptures. Ifour Lord is to be praised in those holy ones through

whom he brings to being deeds of power and miracles,how much more is he to be praised in her in whom hefashioned himself, who is wonderful beyond all wonders.(St. Aelred)
http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/127/1http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/resources/documents/docs2-4.html


73/80

73

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY

TO THE UNITED STATES OF

AMERICA AND CANADA

MEETING WITH THE YOUNG

PEOPLE OF NEW ORLEANSADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN

PAUL II

"Louisiana Superdome" Stadium

Saturday, 12 September 198721

Part I

Dear Young People of New Orleans,Dear Young People of America,

1. Listening to what you are telling me by yourpresence and through your representatives, I know

that you are very much conscious of having a specialmission in this world, of being partners in the missionof the Church.I also know that in fulfilling your mission you arewilling to give, you are willing to share, and you arewilling to serve. And you are willing to do all this,together, not alone! In this you are like Jesus: Jesusgave and he served and he was never alone. He tells

us: "The one who sent me is which me. He has notleft me alone" (Io. 8, 29).Be aware of deception in the world Yes, dear young


74/80

74

people, I too want to speak about your mission, thereason for your life on earth, the truth of your lives. Itis extremely vital for you to have a clear idea of yourmission, to avoid being confused or deceived. Inspeaking to the Christians of his time, Saint Paulexplicitly urged them: "Let no one deceive you in anyway" (2 Thess. 2,3). And today I say the same to you,

young people of America: "Let no one deceive you inany way" about your mission, about the truth,about where you are going. Let no one deceive youabout the truth of your lives.

2. But what is the opposite of deception? Where canyou turn to find answers that satisfy, answers that willlast? The opposite of deception is truth the person

who tells the truth, the person who is the truth. Yes,the opposite of deception is Jesus Christ, who tells us:"I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (Io. 14, 6).Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He reveals the truth ofGod. But he is also man. He shares in our humanityand came into the world to teach us about ourselves,to help us discover ourselves. You young people areproud to live in a free country and you should begrateful to God for your freedom. But even thoughyou can come and so as you like, and do what youwant, you are not really free if you are living underthe power of error or falsehood, or deceit or sin. OnlyJesus Christ can make you fully free through his truth.And that is why he said: "you will know the truth, andthe truth will set you free" (Ibid. 8, 32. 36). And that

is why he added: "if the Son frees you, you will reallybe free". Dear young people: the whole message ofJesus in the Gospels and through his Church helps


75/80

75

you to discover who you really are, to discover all thedimensions of your lives.

3. Each of us is an individual, a person, a creature ofGod, one of his children, someone very special whomGod loves and for whom Christ died. This identity ofours determines the way we must live, the way we

must act, the way we must view our mission in theworld. We come from God, we depend on God, Godhas a plan for us a plan for our lives, for our bodies,for our souls, for our future. This plan for us isextremely important so important that God becameman to explain it to us. In Gods plan we areindividuals, yes, but we are also part of a community.The Second Vatican Council emphasized the fact that

God did not call us to share his life merely asunrelated individuals. Rather he wanted to mould usinto a people as his sons and daughters (Cfr.AdGentes, 2). This aspect of our being a community, ofour sharing Gods life as a people is part of ouridentity who we are, what we are, where we aregoing. Right away we can see that as persons wehave responsibilities and that these responsibilitiesare part of our freedom. The Vatican Council went sofar as to say that "man is defined first of all by hisresponsibilities towards his brothers and sisters andtowards history" (Gaudium et Spes, 55).To understand ourselves as members of a community,as individuals linked together to make up the Peopleof God, as persons with responsibility for others is a

great insight an insight that is necessary for fulfillingour mission properly.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.htmlhttp://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651207_ad-gentes_en.htmlhttp://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.htmlhttp://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651207_ad-gentes_en.htmlhttp://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651207_ad-gentes_en.html


76/80

76

4.Against Selfishness As Christians you have theseinsights and Christ today wants to reinforce them inyou. You speak about "being partners", of sharing andserving and working together. And all of this is linkedto Gods plan, according to which we are brothers andsisters in Christ brothers and sisters who belong tothe People of God and who are made to live in

community, to think about others, to help others.Dear young people of America: in the Church thereare many different gifts. There is room for manydifferent cultures and ways of doing things. But thereis no room in the Church for selfishness. There is noroom in the world for selfishness. It destroys themeaning of life; it destroys the meaning of love; itreduces the human person to a subhuman level.

When we speak about the need of being open toothers, of taking into account the community, offulfilling our responsibilities to all our brothers andsisters, we are actually talking about the whole world.Your mission as young people today is to the wholeworld. In what sense? You can never forget theinterdependence of human beings wherever they are.When Jesus tells us to love our neighbor he does notset a geographical limit. What is needed today is asolidarity between all the young people of the world a solidarity especially with the poor and all those inneed. You young people must change society by yourlives of justice and fraternal love. It is not just aquestion of your own country, but of the whole world.

This is certainly your mission, dear young people. Youare partners with each other, partners with the wholeChurch, partners with Christ.


77/80

77

5. In order, however, to accomplish this great work, tobe in a condition to change the world in the name ofJesus, you yourselves must actually be livingaccording to your own identity according to Godsplan for your lives. Once again it is the world of Jesusthat directs your lives and tells you what that plan is.

You remember how much Jesus insisted on thecommandment of love, how much he insisted onliving according to certain norms called theBeatitudes: "Blessed are the meek... Blessed are themerciful... Blessed are the clean of heart... Blessedare the peacemakers". All of this is part of the plan.When Saint Paul says, "Let no one deceive you", he isin effect saying: Do not believe anyone who

contradicts Jesus or his message which is transmittedto you by the Church, Jesus speaks to you youngpeople and tells you the value of meekness, mercyand humility. Other voices in the world willimmediately shout out: "weakness!". In the GospelJesus emphasizes the value of honesty, uprightness,justice and fairness. But when you practice thesevirtues, you are liable to be accused of being "naive".Jesus and his Church hold up to you Gods plan forhuman love, telling you that sex is a great gift of Godthat is reserved for marriage. At this point the voicesof the world will try to deceive you, with powerfulslogans, claiming that you are "unrealistic", "out of it","backward", even "reactionary". But the message ofJesus is clear: purity means true love and it is the

total opposite of selfishness and escape.


78/80

78

1 A person who is seriously seeking to discern theprogress he is making in the spiritual life would be wiseto obtain a spiritual director who is learned and faithfulto the teachings of the Church to accompany him on hisspiritual journey. All the major spiritual writers as well asthe Church recommend such a perfect means to

accompany his spiritual growth.2 Poulain, Aug, and J. V Bainvel. The Graces of Interior

Prayer (Des Grces Doraison) A Treatise on Mystical

Theology. St. Louis: Herder, 1950,pg. 379. #1.3 Ibid., CH. XXVI.4 We do not need to mention the Word Incarnate, sincehe was True God and True Man.5 Grignion de Montfort, Louis-Marie.A Treatise on the

True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. New York: P.J.

Kennedy, 1909.6 Sincerely, we do not have to go up to Heaven to findMary,the book of Wisdom says, Those who love me Ialso love, those who seek me find me. (Prov. 8:17)7 Two considerations separate our understanding ofMarys care. Bodily and Spiritual.8 See. Eph. 1:4+9 Ps. 127:1 Unless the Lord build the house, they laborin vain who build it. Unless the Lord guard the city, invain does theguard keep watch.10 Im not referring to those who have chosen to walk inthe darkness,and who have chosen to remain apartform Jesus, despite GOds call to them. We can onlyhope to give a good example despite what those whofollow the liar as Jesus called him do or think of us.11

Catholic Church, and John E Rotelle.Little Office of theBlessed Virgin Mary. New York: Catholic Book Pub. Co.,

1988, pg. 19-20.


79/80

79

12 Tanquerey, Adolphe, and Herman Branderis. The

Spiritual Life [microform]; a Treatise on Ascetical and

Mystical Theology. Tournai (Belgium): Society of St. Johnthe Evangelist, Descle, 1932. http://archive.org/details/

MN41530ucmf_5, pg. 276.13 Ott, Ludwig. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. St.

Louis, Mo.: B. Herder Book Co., 1964, pg. 199.14 Saint Thomas Aquinas and Fathers of the English

Dominican Province, Summa Theologica, Complete

English ed. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software,

2009),Pt. III,Q.1,a1.15 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Board of Trustees,

Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops

and United States Catholic Conference. AdministrativeBoard, The New American Bible: Translated from the

Original Languages With Critical Use of All the Ancient

Sources and theRevised New Testament, Pr 20:27

(Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 1996).16 Thomas, McGlynn, and Robert William Schmidt. Truth.

Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Co., 1994, Vol. 2, pg. 211.17

John of the Cross. The Collected Works of St. John of theCross. Washington, D.C.: Institute of Carmelite Studies,

1979, pg. 548-49.18 John Chrysostom. On the incomprehensible nature of

God. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America

Press, 1984.19 Ott,Ludwig,Fundamentals, pgs.20,23.20

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based onSemantic Domains Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida,

Editors


80/80

Copyright 1988, 1989 by the United Bible Societies,

New York, NY 10023 Second Edition. Used by

permission.

Electronic text hypertexted and prepared by OakTree

Software, Inc.

Version 4.0, pg. 326-27.21

Woytyla, Karol. Meeting with the Young People of NewOrleans. Vatican Publishing, September 12, 1987. http://

www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1987/

september/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19870912_giovani-

new-orleans_en.html.

In Seach of Mary

Documents

Transcript of In Seach of Mary