Part 34 - Life of Mary
Marida Ignacio
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DISCLAIMER: This compilation was based on saints, blesseds,
visionaries (4 in all) accounts of the "Life of Mary" as
"revealed" to them. It is NOT officially approved by the
Church as essential to our faith and belief. It is up to
individual reader's discretion to believe it or not.
This is here for simple contemplation on what "Holy life of
Our Blessed Virgin Mother" was and what virtues we can derive
from it.
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>From the book:
The Life of Mary as Seen by Mystics
Compiled by Raphael Brown
TAN Books and Publishers, Inc.
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Summary:
Chap. 34. Pentecost and the Early Church - 1
During the Ascension of Christ, with God's will and power, Mary's soul was
raised with her Divine Son in Heaven. There, God gave Mary two choices:
Remain in Heaven then or return to the world to guide and assist the new
Church. Mary saw the pitiful and bewildered condition of the Apostles just
after the Lord's Ascension and so prostrating herself before the Blessed
Trinity and with deep compassion for the Apostles and all of mankind, she
said:
"Eternal God, I accept this task, and for the time being I renounce the
peace and the joy of Thy presence. I sacrifice it to further the love which
Thou hast for men. Accept this sacrifice, my Lord, and let faith in Thee
be spread, and let Thy holy Church be enlarged!"
Thus in her own free choice, Mary returned to earth to help in founding the
Church Militant.
In the next 9 days prior to the Pentecost, Mary retreated in the Cenacle with
the Apostles. She prepared with them for the coming of the Holy Spirit by
explaining for one hour to each of the Apostles the great mysteries of the
Christian religion as Jesus taught her before. The Apostles gradually
realized that their Master left them an ideal guide in His modest and holy
Mother. Mary and the Apostles were united in heart, soul and mind during
this 9-day novena.
About 120 people, comprised by the Apostles, disciples and Holy Women
together with Mary, gathered very early on Pentecost morning. They did not
know how the Holy Spirit of God would manifest Itself to them. Mary and
the Apostles stayed in the Last Supper hall while the disciples and Holy
Women stayed in the other rooms of the Cenacle. They all engaged in fervent
prayers and soon all the rooms were filled with silence.
(exact qoute follows)
Toward dawn, yet before sunrise, a luminous silvery cloud descended from
Heaven and covered the entire city of Jerusalem, particularly Mt. Sion and
the Cenacle, over which an enormous mass of light seemed to condense and
become transparent, like a sun throwing out its flames in all directions.
Suddenly the sound of a violent wind arose, as though a cyclone were
approaching from above and the air resounded with a tremendous roaring that
filled the whole house. Then this disturbance gave way to a display of light
a soft murmur, and a warm, healing breeze. From out of the cloud appeared
rays which intercrossed seven times a fiery rainbow and fell like burning
drops onto the Cenacle.
At this moment, the building and everything in it was flooded with a dazzling
light. The Apostles and especially the Blessed Virgin seemed to be blazing
with a mystical transparent luminosity. In the rapture of their ecstasy,
they simultaneously raised their heads and opened their mouths as though
thirsting for heavenly grace. Then into each mouth there fell a jet of fire,
a small parted tongue of live flame of varying degrees of intensity and
color, in which the Holy Spirit came to them, filling each person with
divine inspiration and grace and wisdom.
In the holy Mother of God these effects were altogether supernatural. She
was utterly transformed and exalted in God.
The Apostles were also filled with a marvelous increase of grace, which they
were never to lose. Into all of them, according to each individual's
condition, were infused the 7 Gifts of the Holy Ghost: Wisdom, Understanding,
Knowledge, Piety, Counsel, Fortitude and Fear. By this wonderful blessing,
the 12 were transformed into truly apostolic founders and missionaries of
the Church of Christ. (end qoute)
Within that day after the Pentecost nearly 3,000 people heard the word and
were converted by the Apostles while the Blessed Virgin stayed in her room
in the Cenacle and prayed for this.
St. Peter introduced the new converts to the Mother of God as he said: "My
brethren, this is the Mother of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, whose faith you
have received. She bore Him, remaining a Virgin before, during and after His
birth. Receive her as your Mother and Intercessor, for through her we shall
receive light, guidance and release from our sins and miseries.
Mary also revealed and instructed the new converts on the mysteries of this
new religion and she became a good example to the women in the practice of
charity to the poor and sick.
On the 7th day after the Pentecost, there were 5,000 additional new converts
and Mary prayed to her divine Son that all of them might receive the
purifying Sacrament of Baptism and celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass by the Apostles in order that the Bread of Life might be distributed to
these new children of the Church. And the Lord said to her: "My beloved Dove
let what thou wishest be done."
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(__ \/ ) His Peace through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marida
* )XxXx/
* | / "Human-kind: Where protection of valuable life starts and
* ) / takes off."
* \/ Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you..."
*