Part 22 - Life of Mary
Marida Ignacio
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.
=============================================================
>From the book:
The Life of Mary as Seen by Mystics
Compiled by Raphael Brown
TAN Books and Publishers, Inc.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary:
Chap. 22. The Hidden Life in Nazareth
Being gone for 3 days, Jesus was welcomed with a banquet prepared by 33
of His friends and their relatives. During this meal of fruits and bread
rolls, Little Jesus told His companions about a wedding at which water
would be changed to wine and then about another wedding as a living
bond until the end of the world at which wine would be changed into blood
and bread into flesh. Then he told His young cousin, Nathanael, who
was also present, that one day He would attend his wedding.
Jesus was acknowledged leader of these boys. He spent much time talking
with them and teaching them many practical lessons including knowledge
about God and love for Him.
Jesus spent more time helping St. Joseph at his carpentry work. At the
age of 18, He became His foster father's regular assistant and this consoled
and pleased St. Joseph.
St. Joseph made Jesus a wooden couch for a bed. Jesus used only one blanket
and a small woolen pillow made by Mary. He rested by sitting on it. He
never stretched out on this bed and His reply to His mother who asked Him
was that the only couch He was to be stretched out would be His Cross.
Mary and St. Joseph seldom caressed Jesus now that He had become older.
Jesus also began to show seriousness, majesty and divinity in His conduct
and conversation with them. Yet, He still maintains His humility,
obedience and love for them.
The Holy Family prayed together everyday in Mary's plain and poorly
furnished holy room, where the Annunciation had taken place.
Young Jesus continued to visit the poor and the sick and He also secretly
helped many both physically and spiritually.
(exact qoute follows)
Throughout these years of His hidden life, Jesus spent much time teaching
His Mother all that she must know and do later for His Church. Soon after
the return from Jerusalem when He was twelve, the eternal Father said to
Mary: "We have resolved to make you the closest image and likeness of My
only-begotten Son. Be mindful therefore that a great preparation is
required of you."
Henceforth, Jesus instructed his Mother thoroughly in the new Law of His
Gospel and all the mysteries and doctrines of the Catholic religion. Day
after day, he taught her the meaning and value of the Sacraments and dogmas
of the Church, and He described to her the whole history of His Church
until the end of the world, together with all its saints and martyrs and
doctors and prelates. He also showed her how to apply this knowledge
in a practical way to her daily life, so that she might be well prepared
to serve Him and his Mystical Body the Church as Divine Providence planned.
Mary received these inspiring instructions with profound humility, reverence,
gratitude and fervent love, which reached a climax when Jesus explained to
her the mysteries of the Holy Eucharist and the Mass. Then she exclaimed:
"My Lord and Life of my soul, shall I be so fortunate as to bear Thee once
more within my body and soul?"
And Jesus answered:
"My beloved Mother, you shall receive Me many times in the Blessed Sacrament
and after My death and Ascension it will be your consolation, for I shall
choose your sincere and loving heart as My most pleasing and delightful
resting place."
>From that hour, Mary humbly and gratefully began to prepare herself in all
her thoughts and actions for the time when she could receive Holy Communion,
and she prayed fervently that all men might know and appreciate this
greatest of all the Sacraments.
By a special privilege granted to the Blessed Virgin by God, after she
reached the age of 33 - during the hidden life in Nazareth, Jesus being
18 - her beautiful physical appearance and perfection remained unchanged
during all the rest of her long life. She now strikingly resembled in
features and complexion the unique beauty of Christ during His last years
on earth, and the Lord allowed Mary to keep that perfection in order that
His likeness might be preserved in her as long as she lived. (end qoute)
---
Speaking of the Hidden Life, The Blessed Virgin told St. Bridget of Sweden:
"As the Gospel says, my Son was subject to His parents and He acted like
other children until He grew up. Nothing unclean ever touched Him nor was
the least disorder even seen in His hair. When he grew older, He was
constantly in prayer. His features and His words were so wonderful
and so pleasing that many persons when in trouble used to say, "Let us
go to Mary's Son. He will console us!' As He grew in age, He worked with
His hands, and He talked with us so inspiringly about God that we were
continually filled with indescribable joy. And when we were in fear,
in poverty, and in trouble, He did not produce gold and silver for us, but
urged us to be patient and we were marvelously protected. What we needed
was sometimes given to us by compassionate and devout persons, and sometimes
came from our work, so that we had what we needed to live on, but nothing
superfluous, for we sought only to serve God. At home, with friends, who
visited us, He talked familiarly about the Law of God and its meanings
and types. He also openly disputed with learned men so that they were
astonished and used to say, 'Joseph's Son instructs the scribes - there
is a great spirit in Him!'
"He was also so obedient that when Joseph said to Him: 'Do this' or 'Do
that', He did it at once, for He concealed the power of His Divinity in
such a way that it could only be perceived by myself and at times by
Joseph. Very often we saw Him surrounded by a wonderful light and heard
angels' voices singing over Him. We also observed that unclean spirits,
which could not be cast out by official exorcists, fled at the sight
of my Son's presence. Keep this always in your memory, my daughter,
and offer sincere thanks to God that He chose to reveal His childhood
to others through you."
--
___ ___
(__ \/ ) 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..."
*