Part 19 - 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. 19. The Holy Family in Egypt
In Jerusalem, King Herod realized that he was deceived by the 3 Magi.
So, he ordered the "Slaughter of the Innocents". In a large courtyard
of the palace, he summoned all mothers their infants. The infants
were slaughtered right in front of the screaming and despaired mothers.
In Egypt, Mary and Jesus perceived what went on in Jerusalem. They
prayed for the salvation of the children's soul and consolation for
the grieving parents. This event signified the first fruit of
Jesus' Passion and He requested that St. Joseph reward such with the
crown of martyrdom.
Mary knew from Jesus that St. Elizabeth with her son escaped Herod.
She also obtained permission from Him to send her angels to bring
John and his mother some provisions in the cave where they stayed.
St. Elizabeth died when John was 4 years old. He lived in the wilderness
and he was occasionally visited by a holy hermit. He made friends with
wild animals in the desert and he lived his life in ever-increasing
prayers and mortifications.
Infant Jesus drove away the demons from the pagan idols in the temples
of Egypt. He offered Egypt's people to God and asked for their salvation.
St. Joseph found a 3-room house for them not far from the town. As
usual, Mary kissed the ground of the home with humility and prayed to
God. Then she proceeded to clean it.
The Holy Family was destitute on the first 3 days of stay in this house.
Then St. Joseph found an employer of his carpentry trade. This employer
treated him with discrimination as a foreigner and sometimes he did not
pay St. Joseph after a day's work. St. Joseph made a couch for Mary
and a crib for Jesus as furnituress in their empty house.
One of the 3 rooms was Joseph's bedroom; another his workshop and the
last was Mary's and Jesus'.
Poverty was accepted calmly and with joy by the Holy Family and Jesus
was pleased to see this from Mary and Joseph.
Mary decided to help in earning for their living. She did needlework
and her skills and good quality work became popular that she had lots
of offers. She sewed during the day while Baby Jesus stayed in a crib
beside her. She spent most of the night in prayers and meditation.
Jesus wished to lessen Mary's labor and so one day, He gave her a
schedule saying: "My Mother, I wish to make a rule for your daily life
and work. From nightfall you will take some sleep and rest. From
midnight until dawn We will praise the Eternal Father together.
Then prepare the necessary food for yourself and Joseph, and afterwards
give Me food and hold Me in your arms until noon, when you will place
Me in the arms of your husband, to give him some refreshment in his
labors. Then retire and return to your work until it is time to prepare
the evening meal. And pray continually to the Eternal Father for sinners."
Both Mary and St. Joseph were always consoled by Jesus, even just by
holding Him in their arms. They gladly accepted all the trials that
accompanied their life because of love of Him.
The 1st anniversary of Annunciation and later the Nativity were
celebrated by the Holy Family. Mary prayed and prostrated herself on
the ground in the form of a cross before the Infant Jesus, 9 days
prior to each anniversary.
All this time, Jesus only spoke to His Mother. At one year of age,
He decided to break His silence to His foster father. One day, when
Mary and St. Joseph were talking about the marvels of God, Jesus, who
was in Mary's arms spoke to Joseph: "My Father-"
Joseph was overwhelmed with joy, love and gratitude upon hearing this
that he fell on his knees before Jesus and prayed to Him to give him
more enlightenment and in all matters in fulfillment of God's Will.
So Jesus continued, "I have come from Heaven upon this earth in oder
to be the Light of the world and in order to rescue it from the
darkness of sin, to seek and to know My sheep, as a good shephered,
to give them the nourishment of eternal life, to teach them the
way to Heaven, and to open its gates, which had been closed by their
sins. And I desire that you both be children of the Light which
you have so close to you."
As Mary placed Jesus in His cradle, she asked Him what garments might
she make for Him in place of His swaddling clothes. Jesus responded:
"My Mother, on account of the love which I bear toward men, the
swattings of My childhood have not seemed irksome to Me, for when
I shall be grown up I shall be bound and delivered to My enemies
to be put to death. I wish to possess only one garment during all My
life, for I seek nothing more than what is sufficient to cover Me.
Clothe Me, My Mother, in a tunic of a lowly and ordinary color. This
alone will I wear and it shall grow with Me. Over this garment, they
shall cast lots at My death...Men shall see that I was born and wish
to live poor and destitute of visible things which, being earthly,
oppress and darken the heart of man. I shall not have anything to
do with visible things except to offer them up to the Eternal Father,
renouncing them for His love, and making use of only so much as
sufficient to sustain My natural life, which I will afterward yield
up for man's sake. By this example, I wish to impress upon the
doctrine that I must love poverty and not despise it." (of which
we mortals, go the other way in contrary to Jesus' example)
Mary replied,
"My Son and my Lord, Thy Mother has not the heart to allow Thee to
go barefoot at this tender age. Permit me, my Love, to provide some
kind of covering to protect Thy feet. I also fear that the rough
garment which Thou askest of me will wound Thy tender body if Thou
wearest no linen beneath."
Jesus said,
"My Mother, I will permit a slight and ordinary covering for My
feet until the time of My public preaching for I must do that
barefooted. But I do not wish to wear linen."
Mary proceeded and wove the clothing material for Jesus' tunic and
a half tunic for undergarment. She also made Him a pair of strong
sandals.
Afterwards, she asked Jesus' permission to clothe Him with what
she made. They all fitted perfectly even if Mary did not make any
previous measurements.
(exact qoute follows)
...Our Lord never took off this robe until His executioners tore
it off at the Scourging and the Crucifixion, for by divine power
it continually grew with Him, adjusting itself to His body.
Nor did it even become worn in appearance or lose its color, and
it always remained spotlessly clean.
Then Mary gently placed the Infant God on His feet for the first
time, and He took His first steps on this earth. He was by far,
the most beautiful Child who has ever lived. Upon seeing him
standing there in His plain and humble robe, the angels marveled
while Mary and Joseph were filled with new love and joy.
The Mother of God continued to nurse her Son until He was a year
and a half old. Then He began to take frugal meals of broth
mixed with oil, and some fruits and fish. He never asked for food,
and later He ate all His meals with His Mother and foster father.
Then Mary always waited for Him to give the blessing at the beginning
and thanks at the end of each meal. (end qoute)
Jesus made a lot of friends in their neighborhood. The children
were won by His kindness to them and His good sense of leadership.
Jesus also let them drink clear water from a fountain that Mary
discovered behind their house.
Jesus had been very thoughtful to Mary. While Mary prayed, little
Jesus would bring a pitcher He filled with water from the fountain to
Mary without her telling Him to do so.
Jesus helped St. Joseph in his workshop by handing him his tools and
some pieces of wood.
When Jesus grew older, He brought His Mother's needlework to her
customers in town and he brought back some bread. One time, Jesus
wept over the sufferings He saw in town. Soon Mary and Jesus
visited the sick and poor in the hospitals to cheer and console
them. They gave Jesus some gifts in return which He refused or
accepted only to be given to other poor.
Mary comforted the sick, changed the bandages of those with sores and
ulcers, and she healed the poor. St. Joseph was also given power to
cure some of them.
The Holy Family helped the victims of a severe pestilence that devastated
the town.
(exact qoute follows)
As a result, the Holy Family became very popular among the people,
especially among the poor, and a large number of men and women came to
them for advice and instruction. In order to honor His Mother, Jesus
told her to teach them the laws of the one true God. Speaking therefore
to each individual in a waya suited to his or her personality and problems,
she urged them to give up their sinful ways for living in order to serve
and worship the Lord in purity and in truth. Her gentle and modest
manner and her penetrating messages were so moving and inspiring that
many of her listeners were converted to a better life and eventually
became Christians. St. Joseph also helped in instructing the men in his
own plain and sincere way. Thus the Holy Family sowed in Egypt the
spiritual seed that was later to develop into many generations fo holy
Christians, saints, martyrs and hermits. (end qoute)
---
The Blessed Virgin to Venerable Mother Mary of Agreda:
"My daughter, I came into Egypt, where I knew no relations or friends,
in a land of foreign religion, where I could offer no home or protection
or assistance to my Son, whom I loved so much. It can easily be
understood, then, what tribulations and hardships we suffered.
Thou canst not understand with what patience and resignation we accepted
then. It is true, I grieved much to see my husband in such necessity
and want, but at the same time I blessed the Lord to be able to suffer
for Him. In this noble patience and joy of spirit, I wish thee to
imitate me whenever the Lord offers thee an opportunity. My most
holy Son chose poverty and taught it by word and by example. This
same doctrince I taught, I practised during all my life. I wish thee
to love and diligently to seek after this poverty."
--
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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..."
*