Part 2 - 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. 2. The Nativity of Mary
(As from chapter 1:
The Blessed Virgin to St. Bridget:
"...Sensuality was extinguished in them. Thus, my flesh was formed
through Divine Charity.")
God created Mary's immaculate soul with a unique beauty that the choir
of angels felt joyous upon seeing it.
St. Ann was filled by the Holy Ghost when Mary's soul was infused to
her body.
St. Ann received new graces and enlightenment concerning the mystery
of Jesus' Incarnation through these nine months and for the rest of her
life that she praised the Lord always in canticles of love.
In order to increased St. Ann's merit, God tried her during her
pregnancy.
Satan did not know that who she carries would be the Mother of the
Savior but Satan could feel some strong spiritual aura coming from
Ann.
Satan's temptations to St. Ann, all of which St. Ann handled with
perseverence, fortitude, patience and prayers, were: disturbance and
harm to her; attempted to bring down St. Joachim's house but angels from
heaven helped prevented this; insults from neighbors about her late
pregnancy. In the end, because of St. Anns amiability, they all
converted and became her good friends.
Early September, the Lord internally informed St. Ann that her daughter's
birth was near. St. Joachim, after knowing this, ordered finest lambs,
goats and bulls and prepared to offer these to the Temple.
St. Ann invited 3 closest relatives. She prayed until nearly midnight
and then woke her relatives and they all went to her oratory.
Taking a box of relics of the Patriarchs of Israel, she knelt before
her little altar. While she continued her prayers, a supernatural
light filled the room and surrounded Ann making her invisible. Meanwhile,
the relatives, upon seeing the light, threw themselves onto the floor,
and hid their faces in awe.
In a moment, St. Ann was seen again and in her hands was a beautiful,
spotless, radiant baby. She delivered her free from usual labor pains.
She prayed fervently, with love and joy, raising her eyes to heaven
and thanking God. She also asked how was she to treat the child?
God made her understand that St. Ann should give all her motherly
love and care, no outward show of reverence but inwardly, venerate her
as the future Mother of the Messias.
St. Joachim was called in after St. Ann and the baby retired to her
room and lay down on her bed. With tears flowing from the holy man's
eyes, he said, "Now, I am ready to die..."
On Mary's birth, the Almighty God gave her soul a mystical vision and
keen love for Him. Like the saints, though far greater degree, thus,
she perceived with affection her parents the moment she opened her
eyes and she also saw the angels God assigned to guard and protect
her throughout her life.
The Archangel Gabriel was sent to Limbo to announce the great news
of the birth of Mary to all the Prophets, Patriarchs and souls there.
And so, they rejoiced and praised God for His mercy towards mankind.
An unusual spiritual joy was felt in All Nature that day. Near the
Temple of Jerusalem, old Simeon was awakened by the shouts of an
evil-possessed man who cried, "I must flee - all must flee! A Virgin
has been born...". Simeon exorcised the devil from the man.
(A part I missed in chap. 1:
In the night of the day the Archangel Gabriel announced to St. Ann
that she would conceive the Mother of the Messias, she dreamt that
an angel wrote on a wall in her room, the name, MARY, in big
luminous letters. She awakened and saw the name on the wall and so
she remembered that that is to be her name.)
The Blessed Trinity announced to the choir of angels, "Our Chosen
One shall be called Mary, and this name is to be powerful in grace."
--
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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..."
*