Life of Mary - part 36
Marida Ignacio
now breathe their sighs of relief, since the following is the second to
the last part.
To those who sent me encouragement and support through email, please
accept my heartfelt gratitude. You all have been part of the efforts,
joy and inspiration in its completion.
Still, I may be posting tidbits of information on scientific, medical,
etc. investigations on Fatima as well as Medjugorje. Thus, to those
unhopeful for this, I say, "This is just the beginning." ;-)
His Peace through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
-Marida
P.S. JJ, thank you for your remarks. It shows you've been watching and
that's good enough for me.
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Since this is just a summary, it may not have a lot of important and
essential details on what happened. It is then best, for those
interested, to not depend on my narration and so, read the book themselves.
-Marida
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The Life of Mary as Seen by Mystics
Compiled by Raphael Brown
ISBN: 0-89555-436-4
TAN Books and Publishers, Inc.
P.X. Box 424
Rockford, Illinois 61105
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Chap.
36. The Dormition
After her 60th birthday, the Holy Trinity, wishing to reward the Blessed
Virgin's perfect generosity in doing the will of God throughout her life,
sent Archangel Gabriel to reveal to her when she was destined to die.
While Mary was praying prostrated in the form of a cross on the floor of
her oratory, the Archangel Gabriel, with many other angels came. When
Mary saw them, Gabriel greeted her with: "The Lord sends us to announce to
thee in His name the happy end of thy pilgrimage upon earth. Exactly 3
years from today, thou shalt be taken up and received into the everlasting
joy of Heaven.
The Blessed Virgin replied gratefully: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to they word."
Mary kept this secret but she incresed her devotion more than ever. She
wrote more inspiring words to the Apostles to strengthen them and zealously
instruct new converts on the teachings of the new Church.
Mary told her secret to St. John a few days later after its announcement
as: "My son and master, in His condescending mercy, the Lord has revealed to
me that there remain only 3 more years until my passage into eternal life.
I beseech you, my son, to help me during this short space of time to give
the Almighty some return for the immense blessings which I have received
from His generous love. And from the bottom of my heart I beseech you to
pray for me."
Unable to restrain his tears, John answered: "My Mother and my Lady, help
your poor child who is going to be left an orphan..."
Mary consoled his stricken heart by assuring him that she would remain his
Mother and Advocatae in Heaven.
St. John was only permitted to reveal the secret to St. James the Less, the
other Apostles and disciples received by divine inspiration that the Mother
of their Savior would not be with them much longer.
(exact qoute follows)
In fact, Almighty God filled the whole of creation with a mysterious sorrow
over the prospective death of its Queen. The light of the sun and stars
and planets lost some of its brightness during the last days of her life.
The birds of the air seemed to be especially affected, for often in the
presence of St. John, they surrounded Mary's oratory in great numbers and
sang sorrowful notes until she ordered them to praise their Creator with
joy as usual. And once while she was visiting the holy places, some wild
animals from the hills around Jerusalem came up to her, bowed their heads,
and uttered mournful sounds.
St. John became so grief-stricken that often he was unable to hide his
sorrow. Several times some of the Holy Women saw him weeping and in the end
- for the Lord did not wish to take His Mother from them without warning -
they persuaded John to disclose to them the cause of his grief. Thus the
tragic impending loss of the Church eventually became known to Mary's
closest friends, who henceforth begged her to take them with her or not to
forget them in Heaven. (end qoute)
Mary again increased her charity towards the poor and interceded for those
who needed strength or any help in the Church.
She promised the members of the Church, all the poor and new converts that
she would continue to help all Christians until the end of time.
The Lord visited His Mother often during the last days before her death, to
console her and assuring her that He would soon place her on a royal throne
in Heaven.
When the 3 years were nearly over, the Blessed Virgin asked St. John's
permission to visit the holy places for the last time. She sorrowfully went
along the Way of the Cross, and stayed long on Calvary that she would have
died then and there due to weakness if she had not been sustained by divine
power. The Savior appeared to her and said: "My Mother and Helper in the
work of human Redemption, I promise thee that I shall be most liberal with
men. In Heaven thou shalt be their Mediatrix and Advocate. And I shall
bestow My mercy on all those who obtain thy intercession."
Then He gave her His blessing upon her request before He went back to Heaven
She was so weak while St. John led her back to the Cenacle that he decided
to prepare a tomb for her. Mary herself selected a grotto in the valley
near the Garden of Gethsemani.
Alone in her oratory, the Mother of God sadly but gratefully bade a last
farewell in a prayer to the Church which she dearly loved and served as the
Mystical Body of Christ.
Then the Blessed Virgin, in the presence of the Blessed Trinity, made her
humble last will and testament as: "Highest Lord, Father, Son and Holy Ghost
of the goods of mortal life and of the world, I posses none that I can leave
for I have never possessed or loved anything besides Thee. Two tunics and
a cloak, I leave to John for disposal. My body I ask the earth to receive
again. My soul I resign into Thy hands, O my God. My merits I leave to the
Holy Church. I offer these merits for the Apostles and priests of the
present and future ages and for all those who turn to me in order to obtain
Thy protection. From this hour, I desire to continue my prayers for all the
sinning children of Adam as long as the world shall last."
The Mother of God's last will was ratified by the Savior as: "Let it be done
as thou wishest and ordainest."
The Blessed Virgin added, after thanking the Lord, that the Apostles might
be present at her death, such that they might give her their blessings and
prayers for her. Jesus replied that all of them are on their way to back to
Jerusalem as He sent angels to tell them of the Blessed Virgin's impending
death.
On the morning of Mary's death, all the Apostles, disciples and the Holy
Women were present around her in the Cenacle. The Mother of God was as poor
humble and lovely as ever while a celestial light seemed to enfold her.
Mary knelt and kissed St. Peter's feet then she asked each of the Apostles'
blessing and each gave it to her with sad farewell. The Blessed Virgin
asked St. John to give her few clothes to a servant and a poor girl who
often helped her.
Then Mary said to everyone present: "Dearest children, I have loved you with
that tender love and charity which was given to me by my divine Son, whom I
have seen in you, His chosen friends. My children, love the Church and love
one another."
Turning reverently to St. Peter, Mary said: "I commend my son John and all
the rest to thee, Peter."
And again to all: "I promise you that in Heaven, I will ever look upon you
as a Mother."
Everyone was weeping as Mary finished speaking. Then she asked everyone to
pray with her and for her in silence while St. Peter celebrated Mass at a
small altar in an adjoining room.
Absorbed in her contemplation, Mary saw Jesus accompanied by many saints
and angels and so she prostrated herself before Him and kissed His feet -
her last and most intense act of faith, love and humility in all her life.
Jesus blessed her and said to her: "My dearest Mother, the hour has come in
which thou art to pass into the glory of My Father. And since, by My power
and as My Mother, I have caused thee to enter the world exempt from sin,
therefore also death shall have no right to touch thee at thy exit from this
world. If thou wishest not to pass through it, come with Me now to partake
of My glory, which thou hast merited."
Mary replied joyfully: "My Son and my Lord, Thou didst suffer death without
being obliged to do so. It is proper therefore that as I have tried to
follow Thee in life, so I follow Thee also in death."
And so Jesus aproved her last, generous sacrifice.
While the angels softly sang verses of the Canticles of Canticles, St. Peter
gave Mary her last Holy Communion then annointed her with the oils of
Extreme Unction.
Then the presence of the Lord was revealed to the Apostles and the singing
of the angels were heard by many while the Cenacle was filled with marvelous
light and fragrance that everyone perceived.
(exact qoute follows)
Now the Mother of God had reclined on her couch. Her plain mantle and tunic
were neatly folded about her. Joining her hands in prayer, she kept her
eyes fixed on her divine and glorious Son. The intensity of her love for
Him and the fervor of her longing to be with Him completely transfigured her
radiant features. She seemed to become utterly inflamed with the fire of
her seraphic charity. On her beautiful face appeared an expression of
heavenly joy, and her lips parted in the sweet, gently smile of her youth.
Then, while a number of cherubic little angels hovered about her, and the
choir of angels and archangels were singing the verses of the Canticle:
"Behold, my beloved speaketh to me: 'Arise, make haste, my love, my dove,
my beautiful one, come, the winter has passed...' ", Mary whispered:
"Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit."
Then the eyes of the Mother of God gently closed and her soul, without
effort, left her body.
She died of love. (end qoute)
---
The Blessed Virgin to Ven. Mother Mary of Agreda:
"My daughter, I wish to inform thee of another privilege which was conceded
to me in the hour of my glorious Transition. It was this: that all those
devoted to me who shall call upon me at the hour of death, making me their
Advocate in memory of my happy Transition and of my desiring to imitate my
divine Son in death, shall be under my special protection in that hour and
shall experience my intercession.
"And since death follows upon life and ordinarily corresponds with it, the
surest pledge of a good death is a good life, a life in which the heart is
freed and detached from earthly love."
--
-Marida (mar...@ecs.comm.mot.com)