Blogs
Mary in the News: Aug. 8, 2018
By Michael Duricy
Read recent items about Mary in both Catholic and secular news. Also, see International Marian Research Institute news and updates.
Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute Features
Updates
- Marian Pilgrimage
- To celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of his ordination, Father Lambert Ulinzwenimana visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Kibeho in Rwanda.
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Mary in Media: Books, Films, Music, etc.
New Book on the Rosary
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Do you struggle with praying the rosary: finding time; fighting distractions? In Praying the Rosary Like Never Before, Edward Sri offers helpful tips to make the rosary a constant companion. You will also find biblical reflections on the twenty mysteries of the rosary, such as the Transfiguration.
For a limited time, this book is 30% off from Franciscan Media with the discount code TRANSFIGURATION.
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From the Marian Treasure Chest
Brother John Samaha, S.M., sent us the text below with the following comments: "Blessings for the feast of Mary's Assumption!"
Mary's Assumption Pertains to Us by Brother John Samaha, S.M.
Like every doctrine of faith, Mary's Assumption into heaven body and soul is about us too. Mary is our model in faith, charity, and perfect union with Christ. She teaches us how to live in a faith-filled and loving way.
Mary's Assumption teaches us how to live with hope even in dying, how to anticipate our eternal destiny. The Solemnity of the Assumption, observed on August 15, celebrates the completion of Mary's transformation by the Holy Spirit, being taken to heaven not only in soul but also in body.
Mary's Assumption brings us hope because it reminds us that what happened to Mary is our destiny too. The Preface of the Mass declares that the Assumption is "the beginning and the image of Your Church's coming to perfection and a sign of sure hope and comfort for Your people."
We are the Church. Mary's bodily assumption is a harbinger of what will happen to us. What God has done for Mary gives us hope and comfort in what He will do for us.
St. Paul reminds us that even in this life believers are already being transformed into the image of Christ. "All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory as from the Lord who is Spirit." (2 Cor 3:18) This transformation affects not only our souls but also our bodies.
" ... we groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies." (Rom 8:23) Our bodies will be conformed to the body of Christ. "He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorious body by the power that enables Him also to bring all things into subjection to Himself." (Phil 3:21) This transformation results from Jesus' victory over the power of sin and death in His own death and Resurrection.
The opening prayer for the August 15 Eucharistic Liturgy asks that "always attentive to the things that are above, we may merit to be sharers of her glory." Living in tune with God as Mary did, we will also undergo the transformation of both our souls and our bodies.
The post communion prayer requests that "through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom you assumed into heaven, we may be brought to the glory of the Resurrection."
When celebrating the Solemnity of Mary's Assumption in 2010 Pope Benedict XVI offered this clear description in his homily.
" ... the Mother of God is inserted to such a degree in the mystery of Christ that she shares in the resurrection of her Son with her whole being already at the end her life, she lives what we hope for at the end of time...."
While admiring Mary in her glorious destiny, we are invited to recognize that the loving Lord has willed for our final destiny to live through faith in perfect union with Him.
Our predecessors in faith professed their firm hope in "the resurrection of the body" in the Apostles Creed and in the Nicene Creed. We rarely think about the resurrection of our bodies. Yet this article of faith greatly encourages us, comforts us at the death of loved ones, and raises our awareness of the value of our bodies.
The Assumption of Mary vividly reminds us that our lives have a special destiny with God.
Marian Events
Event: Fatima USA 2018
Location: Spiritual Center of Maria Stein, 2365 Saint Johns Road, Maria Stein, Ohio 45860
Date: August 10, 2018
Holy Mass with Rev. Father Alexander Witt begins at 7:30 pm. After dark, a candle-lit rosary will take form on the grounds as each prayer is recited. The program will conclude with a candle light procession around the grounds.
More information is available at facebook.com/Fatima.usa.mass
Mary in the Catholic Press
Medjugorje: Retired Archbishop Begins Second Mandate (Zenit) July 23, 2018
Archbishop Henryk Hoser, retired Archbishop of Warsaw-Prague in Poland, on July 22, 2018, began his second assignment in Medjugorje, having been appointed by Pope Francis as Apostolic Visitor to St James Parish in the village. He inaugurated his ministry with solemn Mass in the evening and has invited all of the faithful and pilgrims present to participate, according to Vatican News.
His first mandate to the community came in February 2017, when Pope Francis assigned him to go to Medjugorje as Special Envoy of the Holy See....
Mary in the Secular Press
The director and editors of All About Mary under the auspices of the International Marian Research Institute do not necessarily endorse or agree with the events and ideas expressed in this feature. Our sole purpose is to report on items about Mary gleaned from a myriad of papers representing the secular press.
'Crying' Virgin Mary Statue Studied (Coast to Coast) July 17, 2018
An investigation into a Virgin Mary statue seen crying at a church in New Mexico has produced more questions than answers. The sculpture, located at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in the town of Hobbs, made headlines back in May after members of the congregation noticed that it appeared to be weeping. As is often the case with such potentially miraculous events, word of the crying statue soon spread, the site was swamped with visitors, and church officials promised to look into the matter to see if they could determine what caused the weird weeping.
However, in something of a departure from what we've seen with other crying statue stories, the results of the promised investigation have come to light and they are rather remarkable. A test of the 'tears' by the Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces reportedly determined that they were composed of scented olive oil akin to the kind used for various church ceremonies such as confirmations and baptisms. While more cynical observers may declare that the findings prove the tears were fabricated by someone within the church, investigators say that such a scenario, while possible, is pretty doubtful....