Tag Archives: Mary

“Mondays with Mary” – Benedict XVI on the Annunciation of the Lord

Posted on by
Reply

Today we commemorate the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the great announcement that began with the Protoevangelium (First Gospel) in Genesis 3:15 and traveled throughout the Old Testament Scriptures reaching this point in Luke 1 (and Matthew 1). The heavens opened and the Angel Gabriel after 450 years (read Dn 9) came to Mary declaring this wonderful news of the Birth of the Messiah.

Pope Benedict XVI's Weekly General AudienceBeing that I am huge fan and supporter of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and having read lots of his writings, it is my opinion that many Catholics in the Church don’t appreciate the giant theologian that we have in our presence today. I, along with many others, think we have one of the greatest theological minds the Catholic Church has seen in centuries – yes, I said centuries! Reading Benedict gives me great love for Biblical Theology, but it also teaches me that I have much to learn.  I take it upon myself to provide you with some of his words on the Annunciation from his book – Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives. With that being said, I give you some excerpts on the Annunciation from the man himself –

“Let us turn now to the promise. Mary is to bear a child, to whom the angel assigns the titles “Son of the Most High” and “Son of God.” Moreover, it is promised that God, the Lord, will give the throne of his father David. He will rule over the house of Jacob for ever, and his kingdom (his reign) will have no end…”The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (Lk 1:35).”

“…In terms of the language used, it belongs to the theology of the Temple and of God’s presence in the sanctuary. The sacred cloud – the shekinah – is the visible sign of God’s presence. It conceals the fact that God is dwelling in his house, yet at the same time points to it. The cloud that casts its shadow over come men comes back later in the account of the Lord’s transfiguration (cf. Lk 9:34; Mk 9:7). Again it is a sign of God’s presence, of God’s self-revelation in hiddenness. So the reference to the overshadowing by the Holy Spirit brings us back to the Zion theology of the salutation. Once again Mary appears as God’s living ten, in which he chooses to dwell among men in a new way.”

Annunciation

Speaking about the Fiat of Mary, her “Yes”, Benedict says,

“In one of his Advent homilies, Bernard of Clairvaux offers a stirring presentation of the drama of this moment. After the error of our first parents, the whole world was shrouded in darkness, under the domain of death. Now God seeks to enter the world anew. He knocks at Mary’s door. He needs human freedom. The only way he can redeem man, who was created free, is by means of a free “yes” to his will. In creating freedom, he made himself in a certain sense dependent upon man. His power is tied the unenforceable “yes” of a human being. So Bernard portrays heaven and earth as it were holding its breath at this moment of the question addressed to Mary. Will she say yes? She hesitates…will her humility hold her back? Just this once – Bernard tells her – do not be humble but daring! Give us your “yes”!…It is the moment of free, humble yet magnanimous obedience in which the loftiest choice of human freedom is made.”

“Mary becomes a mother through her “yes.” The Church Fathers sometimes expressed this by saying that Mary conceived through her ear – that is to say: through her hearing. Through her obedience, the Word entered into her and became fruitful in her. In this connection, the Fathers developed the idea of God’s birth in us through faith and baptism, in which the Logos comes to make us ever anew, making us God’s children.”

As we commemorate this great and holy solemnity, let us pray that we can always have the ability to say “Yes” to Our Lord when He knocks at our door. Let us always have a Marian disposition to our souls and lives as Catholic Christians. Like Mary who questioned the angel, not with doubt, but with awe – let us pray that we can come to know God’s will for our lives without doubting him. Lord – help us to align our wills with your will, as Mary humbly aligned her will with your will.

“Mondays with Mary” – Mary, Seat of Wisdom

Posted on by
Reply

In the book, Maria – Pope Benedict XVI on the Mother of God, the Holy Father collects many of his homilies, speeches, and prayers together along with many great photos of his early travels in his Pontificate. It’s a great book for any home library, but it’s really set up as a coffee table book. The photos are quite amazing and inspiring to view. A few weeks ago I wrote a post for “Mondays with Mary” – The Most Holy Name of Mary. In that post, I listed the many titles of Mary. One of the titles I listed was Mary, Seat of Wisdom. On September 14, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI gave an address on the preparation for Christmas and this special title of Mary tothe teachers and students of Roman Universities at St. Peter’s Basilica. Below is the last part of his speech to the academic institutions of Rome -

 “Learn from the Virgin Mary, the first person to contemplate the humanity of the incarnate Word, the humanity of Divine Wisdom. In the Baby Jesus, with whom she had infinite and silent conversations, she recognized the human Face of God, so that the mysterious Wisdom of the Son was impressed on the Mother’s mind and heart. So it was that Mary became the “Seat of Wisdom” and with this title is venerated in particular by the Roman Academic Community.

A special icon is dedicated to the Sedes Sapientiae [located below]. From Rome it has already visited various countries on a pilgrimage to university institutions. It is present here today, so that it may be passed on from the delegation which has come here from Bulgaria to the one which has come from Albania.

I greet with affection the representatives of both these nations and express the wish that per Mariam their respective academic communities may advance ever further in their search for truth and goodness, in the light of Divine Wisdom.

Sedes Sapientiae…Ora Pro Nobis!

Coming in the month of October – “Mondays with Mary” will feature The Most Holy Rosary. Tell your family and friends to subscribe to Tom Perna’s blog or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.

“Mondays with Mary” – In a Time of Crisis…Mary Should Not Be Forgotten

Posted on by
1

As I was thinking about what do for this week’s “Mondays with Mary”, I came upon in my class notes from my course in graduate school on Mary – Six Reasons Why We Should Not Forget About Mary In A Time of Crisis by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). Initially this was an interview Cardinal Ratzinger gave back in 1984, but I think it proves to be as essential today, if not more, then when it was first published. Cardinal Ratzinger said that Mary is the fundamental, the most important remedy when the Church is dealing with those who either don’t understand her [that is the Church] or have a false pretense of what she proposes; when there is a great crisis of morality – such as today with the evils of abortion and attacks on marriage, especially recently with the push for same-sex marriage; and finally when women seem to be in crisis. The “state-run” media has hijacked this last point along with the current U.S. Administration in the sense that they are using women as a means to push their agenda against the Church and against Religious Freedom with the announcement of the HHS Mandate. This mandate is a crushing blow to all people, especially women. If there was ever a time in U.S. History that Mary is needed, it certainly is now!

You can read the actual interview provided above if you wish, but I will summarize the six points Cardinal Ratzinger gave in his interview as well as give my own commentary on the points. 

First, the Four Existing Dogma’s (Theotokos, Perpetual Virginity, Immaculate Conception, and Assumption into Heaven) protect the original faith of Jesus Christ in his Hypostatic Union (true God and true Man). It has been my experience that Christology has its foundation in Mary. When you say something wrong about Mary, you are usually saying something wrong about Christ. We see this when Nestorius attacked Mary and called her Christotokos (Mother of Christ) instead of Theotokos (Mother of God). She was declared Theotokos in 431 A.D at the Council of Ephesus. I will explain the false claims and this Dogma in a future “Mondays with Mary.”

Second, the Four Dogma’s are founded in Scripture “like a seed that grows and bears fruit in the life of Tradition.” Although the Four Dogma’s are found in Scripture, it is through Sacred Tradition (Church Fathers & Saints of the Church) and the Magisterium that assist in the definition and explanation of these Dogma’s. They grow organically just as the Church has grown organically through the centuries.

Third, in her very person, Mary unites the faiths of Judaism and Christianity in her Fiat (YES!) in the Gospel of Luke and fulfills the Old and New Testaments. She is the New Ark of the Covenant. “In her we live the unity of Scripture in its entirety.” This means that she unites the people of the Old Testament and New Testament as one. She understands both the synagogue and the Church.

Fourth, man is not merely reason nor merely feeling, but both. As Cardinal Ratzinger said, “The head must reflect with lucidity and heart must feel warmth.” Devotion to Mary protects a proper integration of head and heart. The Rosary is the perfect integration of head and heart. As I tell my students all the time, theology is both heart and mind or philosophically, faith and reason. Mary had a great faith in God, but she never checked her reason at the door and she was never pure emotion. We see this clearly at the Wedding Feast at Cana and during the Crucifixion of Jesus. She is always in control of her thoughts and pondered all events in her heart. 

Fifth, Mary is a figure “image” and “model” of the Church. Cardinal Ratzinger said, “Beholding her the Church is shielded against the aforementioned masculinized model that views her as an instrument for a program of social-political action.” This is something that dissident “Catholics” often accuse the Church of these days. They claim that the Church is not the Church that Christ established, that Jesus is the religion and not the Church and that the Church is a masculine group of old men. They obviously don’t have a clear understanding that Jesus left the Church in his stead (you know that guy Simon Peter? He was given Authority by Jesus a few different times in the Scriptures…look it up!). The Church isn’t to be a checklist organization, but is called to be radical lovers, almost foolish lovers. It is Mary our Mother who keeps the Church as radical lovers. Man can be so project orientated (I know I am). The Catholic Church is first Marian before she is Petrine. “If Mary no longer finds a place in many theologies and ecclesialogies the reason is obvious. They have reduced faith to an abstraction and abstraction does not need a Mother.” Not only does she point us to her Son, but she protects our relationship with Him as well, as a good Mother should.

Sixth, in a time when womanhood and femininity are being threatened like never before, it’s Mary as both Virgin and Mother who projects the ideal light meant for women of all times and cultures.  Mary, as Icon, is the perfect idea of radical feminism. She should be viewed as the arch-type of femininity. It’s through her quiet presence in the Scriptures that allow her to be a woman of obedience and courage. We often think of Mary floating on a cloud three feet off the ground, but she is one tough Jewish woman. She travels up to the hill country to visit Elizabeth alone, she rides a donkey nine months pregnant to Bethlehem as Joseph leads her and she stands at the foot of the Cross and watches Jesus be crucified. If that is not radical feminism, then I don’t know what is. When I think of femininity, I think of the woman from Proverbs 31. Mary is the fulfillment of Proverbs 31 and the perfect model for women…and men.

May – The Month of Mary

Posted on by
Reply

Last weekend when I was home for my niece’s Baptism into the Catholic Church, I decided to wait to get her presents at the King’s House, a Catholic religious store, in Scottsdale, Arizona. As I was walking around the store, I noticed a small cart with books marked for sale. By the way, this is a great method to build up your personal library too – see Brandon Vogt’s blog on building up a library. As I looked through the books, one text caught my attention immediately! The text is a collection of documents on the Blessed Virgin Mary called Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church published by Pauline Press. As I picked up the text and started to flip through the pages, I noticed there were many documents that I had read before, but there was one that really caught my attention – The Month of May (Mense Maio), which was promulgated on April 30, 1965 by Pope Pius VI.

This encyclical on the “Occasion of the First May” is written about the importance of the month of May and how Mary through her intercession and throne brings mercy to all of God’s people in a magnitude of great abundance (remember: the mercy comes from God as she intercedes for us). I would suggest reading 1 Kings 2:19-21 to see where the Tradition of Mary as Queen began. During the month of May, it is my hope to write on her Queenship and I will start with this scripture verse.

A good chunk of Mense Maio focuses on the importance of World Peace. It was written at a time in the mid 1960’s when so much turmoil was occurring around the world in many countries (see paragraphs 5-9). In light of the HHS Mandate and threats on religious liberty, I would encourage you to read this document (it’s super short!), take it to heart and contact your local and state politicians. In paragraph 6, His Holiness Paul VI states, “we beg all who hold responsibility in public life not to remain deaf to the unanimous desire of mankind which wants peace…continue at all times to foster and encourage conversations and negotiations at all levels…let efforts be made to single out for recognition every true and sincere yearning for justice and peace.” He is talking about justice as defined by St. Thomas Aquinas and Pope Pius XI (Social Justice), not that distorted idea of social justice that the world and Catholics who don’t understand the true meaning of this term promote. I will touch on this topic in the months ahead.

Beginning tomorrow and the three subsequent Monday’s of May, I will write a post on Mary – The Blessed Mother of God. This short series will be known as MONDAYS WITH MARY. For this series to continue after the Month of May will be contingent on the response I receive overall from my blog followers and Twitter followers. Is Mariology (the theology of Mary) important to you? Do you have a desire to have a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ and do you think knowing his Blessed Mother will help? Are there things about Mary that you don’t know? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then let me know about it in the comment section of each of the posts or you can email me at catholictom@gmail.com to express your desire to know more about the Blessed Virgin Mary.

I will tell from my personal experience, since I took an entire semester course on the Blessed Mother in college, that once you attain more knowledge (academic and intellectual) about Our Lord’s beautiful Mother, you heart will be hers forever. There is a reason Jesus gave her to all of us through John the Apostle while he was being crucified on the Cross.

With that being said, I will conclude the post with some of the writings from Pope Paul VI on the Blessed Mother in his encyclical, Mense Maio –

“This pious practice, by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is honored and the Christian people enriched with spiritual gifts, gladdens and consoles us. Mary remains ever the path that leads to Christ. Every encounter with her can only result in an encounter with Christ himself” (MM 2).

“…the Church has always prayed from her earliest days, and in a special way calling on the intercession and protection of the Virgin Mary, who is the Queen of Peace” (MM 9).

“…let our prayers ascend to Mary in this month of hers, to implore her graces and favors with increased fervor and confidence” (MM 10).

“…do not fail to lay careful stress on the saying of the rosary, the prayer so dear to Our Lady and so highly recommended by the Supreme Pontiffs” (MM 11).

St. Joseph – Patron of the Universal Church

Posted on by
1

Today we celebrate one of my favorite saints – St. Joseph. I have always had a devotion to him since my middle name is Joseph, and for Italians, he is one of the big saints we celebrate. It’s funny that most Italians think he is Italian because of the pastries that are made in his honor and name. It’s been told to me that the Poles also think he is Polish and honor him as the Italians do. In reality, St. Joseph, as we should know, was a faithful and practicing Jewish man. He is the husband of Mary and the foster-father of Jesus Christ. All we know of St. Joseph is what we read about him in the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels. From the small excerpts in the Gospels, we read how much he loved both Mary and Jesus and he would protect them from the enemies that threatened their lives.

The two words that come to mind when I think of St. Joseph are – FAITH and OBEDIENCE.  Not only was he faithful to Mary, but his faith in God was of astronomical proportions. When the angel of Gabriel appeared to him in the dreams and told him to take Mary as his wife and to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt, he woke up and did exactly that. We should all look to St. Joseph for the great examples of Faith and Obedience. As men, we should want to be St. Joseph and women should look towards their men or for a man that wants to be like St. Joseph.

When I was in graduate school, I read the book, Joseph of Nazareth by Federico Suarez (he also has book named Mary of Nazareth).  Federico Suarez was a priest in Opus Dei. The book is not a theological treatise on St. Joseph, but a text of reflections revealed from Revelation. I picked up both of these books (for spiritual reading) in a used bookstore in Steubenville, Ohio. Many people have never heard of the book so below are excerpts that speak about St. Joseph. I hope you enjoy some of these powerful quotes from Federico Suarez on the Patron of the Universal Church.

“His figure could, in a certain sense then, appear to the eyes or in the estimation of some as that of the man-in-the-street, so ordinary that little could usefully be said of him to those who would come after.”

“…words of Mgr J. Escriva: “He did exactly what Our Lord wanted him to do, in each and every event that went to make up his life. That is why Scripture praises Joseph as ‘a just man’ (Matt 1:19).””

“The words of Isaiah (30:15) could well be applied to Joseph: “in silentio et in spe erit fortitudo vestra”, in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”

“Joseph love Our Lady, not with a brotherly love but with a pure conjugal love. It was so deep that any carnal relation was made totally superfluous. So refined was it that he became not only a witness of Mary’s virginal purity – virgin before birth, in birth and after birth as the Church teaches – but he became its custodian.”

“He was there to be of service to Him and to his Mother, to be at their beck and call. He took his responsibility so seriously that he was never far from them.”

“So Joseph, although he was not a priest, was the first to offer to God a holy and perfect sacrifice, the Word become incarnate in the womb of Mary, his spouse, an offering of infinite value such as the world had never seen.”

In regards to obedience…”The best sort of obedience is this”, says St. John Chrysostom: “not to start searching around in quest of reasons for doing what we are asked to do, but simply to do it.”

“Jesus did not deny the title “father” which Mary had given to Joseph. For biological fatherhood is not the only kind of fatherhood there is. And, indeed, it is often inferior in degree to other kinds.”

“He was the head of a family and a poor man. As head of a family, the responsibility of maintaining his dependents properly fell on him.”

“With Saint Joseph, the christian learns what it means to belong to God and fully to assume one’s place among men, sanctifying the world. Get to know Joseph and you will find Jesus. Talk to Joseph and you will find Mary, who always fills that attractive workshop in Nazareth with peace.”