Part 3 - 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.
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>From the book:
The Life of Mary as Seen by Mystics
Compiled by Raphael Brown
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Summary:
Chap. 3. Infancy
Naming of the baby was done eight days after birth as was the custom then.
The mother was not allowed to attend the ceremony.
St. Joachim placed his daughter in the hands of the richly robed priests
from Nazareth who lifted her up as if offering her to heaven. Then this
leader wrote Mary's name on a parchment and placed it on her chest. The
ceremony ended after singing of some psalms.
Part of the custom was purification of the mother after giving birth and
so St. Ann went through this ceremony.
St. Ann renewed her vow to offer Mary to God in services to the
Temple. Mary, the baby, was impressed with the grandeur of the Temple
building when her mother brought her there during the purification
ceremony. Mary wished to prostrate herself on the floor to kiss the
ground but since she couldn't as a baby, she just prayed to God to
accept her services in the Temple according to His will.
God granted their prayers and a bright beam of light shone down from
Heaven on both mother and baby while angels sang hymns of praise to
the Almighty God.
The holy man, Simeon, while watching the mother and baby, perceived
such light and asked himself if these women were perhapps the parents
of the Messias?
The Devil had been studying the actions of St. Ann in the Temple but
decided that she was just an ordinary pious woman after seeing that
St. Ann followed the usual procedures and regulations of the priests.
In the first 3 years of Mary's life, she was treated as other children
although she never cried or caused anybody any trouble. She ate less,
slept less than the ordinary kids and whenever she could, she prayed
and meditated and performed interior acts of love for God. She always
prayed for others such that God would reward them whenever she received
any benefit or service from anyone.
>From birth, Mary possessed all faculties to be able to talk clearly
and intelligibly but out of modesty and submission to the will of God,
she deliberately refrained from speaking until she was 1 1/2 years old.
In secret, when alone, she conversed with her guardian angels and also
prayed verbally to the Lord.
Although she was filled with light and mysteries from God, Mary judged
herself as the least of all His creations and to be the last place of all.
At 18 months, God told her that it was now time for her to converse with
others and urged her to pray many times every day. Though Mary wished to
keep silent for all her life, God insisted and told her that He would
assist her in directing her words to His service and glory.
So, one day, she talked to her parents and also showed them that she
could walk by herself.
The next 1 1/2 years before she went to the Temple, Mary spoke very little.
St. Ann could only convince her to talk if they engaged in sweet
conversations about God and holy things.
St. Ann never told Mary the secret that she was to be the Mother of the
Redeemer. Still, mother and daughter are joyous in thinking and praying
for the fortunate maiden who was to be the mother of the Savior of mankind.
Eager to express to God how she sees herself as the least, Mary always
helped in the household chores.
She asked her mother only for ash-gray cloth of cheap and coarse material
for her dress. St. Ann yielded to the color but not the material.
God revealed to Mary how sins offend Him. Mary would go to her room,
prostrate herself on the floor and beg for mercy for poor sinners.
She practised penances and mortifications so hard that she taxed her
bodily strength.
At the age of two, Mary began charity towards the poor. She begged alms
from her parents and gave them to the poor. She shared parts of her meals
to them. She kissed their hands and if she was alone, their feet.
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The Blessed Virgin said to Venerable Mother Mary of Agreda:
"At the first sight of the Highest Good, my heart was wounded with love
and I gave myself entirely to Him.
I underwent the hardships of infancy like other children. I felt hunger,
thirst, sleepiness and other infirmities of the body. In all the
difficulties which I endured after I was born into the world, I was
resigned and contented, since I had merited none of God's gifts.
Be very devout toward my most sweet name."
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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..."
*