OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP BLOG

  Several days before the Blessed Virgin's birth , Anna had told Joachim that the time was approaching for her to be delivered. She sent messengers to Sephoris, where her younger sister Maraha lived; to the widow Enue (sister of Elizabeth) in the valley of Zabulon; and to her niece Mary Salome at Bethsaida, asking these three women to come to her.  I saw them on their journeys. The widow Enue had a serving lad with her; the other two women were accompanied by their husbands who, however, went back on approaching Nazareth. I saw that on the day before Anna was delivered Joachim sent his many menservants out to the herds, and among Anna's new maidservants he kept in the house only those who were needed. He, too, went out into his nearest pasture. I saw that Anna's firstborn daughter, Mary Heli, looked after the house. She was then about nineteen years old and was married to Cleophas, one of Joachim's chief shepherds, by whom she had a little daughter, Mary Cleophas , now ...

  Joachim was far from handsome. St. Joseph, though no longer young, was in comparison a very handsome man. Joachim was short and broad and at the same time thin, and though he was a wonderfully pious, holy man, I can't help laughing when I think of his appearance. Joachim was poor. He was related to St. Joseph in the following way: Joseph's grandfather was descended from David through Solomon and was called Matthan.  He had two sons, Jacob and Joses. Jacob was the father of Joseph. When Matthan died, his widow married as her second husband Levi (descended from David through Nathan), and by him had Matthat, the father of Heli, also called Joachim. [20]Wooing was in those days a very simple affair. The suitors were quite awkward and bashful, and when the young people spoke to each other, they accepted the idea of marriage as something that had to be. If the bride-to-be said yes, the parents were glad, but if she said no and had reason for it, they were just as satisfied. If eve...

  I had a vision of the creation of Mary's most holy soul and of its being united to her most pure body. In the glory by which the Most Holy Trinity is usually represented in my visions I saw a movement like a great shining mountain, and yet also like a human figure; and I saw something rise out of the midst of this figure towards its mouth and go forth from it like a shining brightness.  Then I saw this brightness standing separate before the Face of God, turning and shaping itself-- or rather being shaped, for I saw that while this brightness took human form, yet it was by the Will of God that it received a form so unspeakably beautiful.  I saw, too, that God showed the beauty of this soul to the angels, and that they had unspeakable joy in its beauty. I am unable to describe in words all that I saw and understood. When seventeen weeks and five days after the conception of the Blessed Virgin had gone by (that is to say, five days before Anna's pregnancy was half accomp...

Loving Our Lady is an honor for us as Catholics as we devote time to get to know her heart and what is important to her as the Mother of Jesus. Below are simple ways to pray and devote yourself more to her as we reflect and meditate more deeply on her life during the month of May and October. PRAY THE ROSARY The greatest prayer to Mary is the holy Rosary. For Catholic families, offering a nightly or weekly Rosary is a beautiful way to love Our Lady in the greatest of ways. Perhaps pick one or two nights a week when every member of the family can participate in praying the Rosary together . The Rosary is praying through the Gospel, as each mystery reveals something about the life of Christ and the Paschal Mystery. You will be blessed as a family when you make it a point to offer this prayer to the Blessed Mother and pray for her intentions as well as your own. TALK TO OUR MOTHER MARY OFTEN We have to get into the habit of talking to Mary, our dearest Mother, very often. To confide in he...

There was never a soul on earth that practiced in so perfect a manner as the Blessed Virgin, the great lesson taught by our Saviour. "That we ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Lk 18:1). From no one, says St Bonaventure, can we better take example and learn how necessary is perseverance in prayer than from Mary.  Mary did not autonomously conduct her life: she waits for God to take the reins of her path and guide her where He wants. She is docile, and with her availability she prepares the grand events in which God takes part in the world. The  Catechism   recalls her constant and caring presence in the benevolent design of the Father throughout the course of Jesus’s life (see   CCC , 2617-2618).  . Our Lady of Good Counsel Mary was praying when the Archangel Gabriel came to bring his message to her in Nazareth. Her small yet immense “Here I am”, which makes all of creation jump for joy at that moment, was preceded throughout salvation history by many othe...

St. Lious de Monfort h ighlights the many attributes that make the Mother of God so special and includes patience as one of her main virtues. Patience is the virtue that enables us to endure all the wrongs and misfortunes of life without discouragement, but instead with hope and trust in God. Heroic patience means sitting with life’s questions until God decides to answer them (one at a time). We want all the answers to our vocations and future today.  “Lord show me what to do now and then tell me what to do for tomorrow, and while you’re at it, five years from now! Who will I marry? Where will I live? What will I do?”   Today we want instant answers to every question.  A question comes up at dinner, and out come the cell phones. We search and answers are instant. But it’s not that way with in the spiritual life.  Heroic patience is a call to wait on the Lord to reveal the next step, the next stage of the journey, when He knows the time is right.  It means ...

The Almighty God made it clear to us through His word that Obedience is better than sacrifice. Obedience means to be submissive to the will of God. Through Mary, who is called " most obedient ," we learn how we are called to glorify Him with our lives by being His obedient servant. Moreover, we learn that such submissiveness can come easily when we truly love and trust Him like Mary did. In regards to obedience, the  Rule of the Ten Evangelical Virtues  states, "The Virgin Mary was always most obedient not only to God, but for God's sake, also to men." At the Annunciation, her obedience begins with a choice — her choice to cooperate in God's plan. In obedience, she conceived God's only Son, forsaking her own plans for her life. And indeed, for the sake of God, she remained obedient to the laws and customs of the day. For instance, by undertaking the long journey to Bethlehem in obedience to the decree of the Emperor Caesar Augustus, she gave birth to t...

Poverty carries a social stigma. It suggests failure; its a badge of dishonor. Yet, our Lord Jesus issues this invitation: "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor... and come, follow me" (Mt 19:21) Consider Mary, His most perfect disciple, who indeed imitated His example. Some authors even are of the opinion that Mary made a vow of poverty.  Jesus was raised in a much different environment than this. His mother lived in great poverty, yet she received riches altogether different than the ones many of us seek. Namely, the riches of eternal salvation. Indeed, through her poverty, we discover the joy in possessing God alone as the greatest treasure imaginable. How poor was she? When she was ready to give birth, she and Joseph were forced to take shelter in a stable. She had nothing but cheap swaddling clothes to keep Jesus warm. As for a crib, she fashioned one out of a feeding trough for animals. Yet Mary knows full well the way God works. Her wo...