Virgo Potens

Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 26th TWELVE METHODS OF PRACTISING THIS DEVOTION (continued) 12. The twelfth means of honoring the admirable Heart of the Mother of Our Saviour is to celebrate its feast, or rather its feasts, with particularly marked devotion. I say "feasts" for there are several feasts of the most august Heart of our Heavenly Queen. (continued)

ANTIPHONS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY From Trinity Sunday to the Last Sunday after Pentecost Salve Regina MOTHER of mercy, hail, O gentle Queen ! Our life, our sweetness, and our hope, all hail ! Children of Eve, To thee we cry from our sad banishment ; To thee we send our sighs, Weeping and mourning in this tearful vale. Come, then, our Advocate ; Oh, turn on us those pitying eyes of thine : And, our long exile past, Shew us at last Jesus, of thy pure womb the fruit divine. O Virgin Mary, mother blest ! O sweetest, gentlest, holiest ! ~ A Collection of Hymns in Use at the Oratory of St Philip Neri at Birmingham (1850)

Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 25th TWELVE METHODS OF PRACTISING THIS DEVOTION (continued) 11. (continued) Finally, it is the Heart of our great Queen, our most bountiful Sister and our most amiable Mother, to whom all power is given in heaven and on earth and who holds in her hands for distribution to men all the treasures of her beloved Son, cui vult, quando vult, et quomodo vult, says St. Bernard; "to whomever she wills, whenever she wills, and however she wills." ~ Saint John Eudes, The Admirable Heart of the Most Holy Mother of God (1680)

Our Lady of Bethlehem, Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Río Carmelo, or Carmel Mission. Founded in 1771 by Father Junípero Serra, it was the second of 21 missions to be established in Alta California. Our Lady accompanied Fr. Serra from Mexico when he set out on his journey to bring the light of faith and truth to the native peoples. She now resides in a side chapel at the mission where she is very accessible to visitors. Our Lady of Bethlehem, ora pro nobis.

Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 24th TWELVE METHODS OF PRACTISING THIS DEVOTION (continued) 11. (continued) Mary's Heart is constantly mindful of us and the little things that concern us. Her Heart is so filled with kindness, meekness, mercy and genrosity that never has anyone been known to invoke this Mother of Goodness in humility and confidence without receiving comfort in her presence. It is a Heart full of wisdom and enlightenment which possesses a perfect understanding of all our needs and of all that is most fitting for us to have. It is a most generous Heart, strong and mighty to fight our enemies, to repulse and crush whatever oppresses us, to obtain from God whatever it asks of Him, and to shower us with all kinds of blessings. ~ Saint John Eudes, The Admirable Heart of the Most Holy Mother of God (1680)

Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 23rd TWELVE METHODS OF PRACTISING THIS DEVOTION (continued) 11. In all your affairs, necessities, perplexities and afflictions, have rescourse to the most benign Heart of Mary, regarding it as your refuge in every need, and as a refuge, fortress and safeguard which God has given you as a shelter in the midst of all the miseries engulfing man in this valley of tears, this place of exile and banishment. Yes, the most bountiful and gentle Heart of Mary is truly solarium exiIii nostri, "The solace and comfort of our exile." Whoever has recourse to it with respect and confidence will feel the marvellous effects of its incomparable goodness. There glows in the maternal Heart of our most charitable Mother more love than in all the hearts of the fathers and mothers of all time past, present and yet to come. ~ Saint John Eudes, The Admirable Heart of the Most Holy Mother of God (1680)

August 22nd ~ Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Traditional (1944 - 1969) Le coeur de Marie nous aime comme elle aima Jésus. Aimons-la comme Jésus l’aimait. The Heart of Mary loves us as she loved Jesus. Let us love her as Jesus loved her.

Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 22nd TWELVE METHODS OF PRACTISING THIS DEVOTION (continued) 10. Pay some special honor daily to the royal Heart of the sovereign Lady of the universe. This may be done through an act of devotion or a prayer offered for that intention, in imitation of Blessed Herman of the Order of St. Dominic, who each day used to recite an Ave Maria in greeting to the most amiable Heart of Mary. Even though, following the example of this holy religious, you were to say only one Ave Maria each day in honour of the admirable Heart of the Mother of God, you would be doing something highly pleasing to her and most advantageous to your own soul, since the great Suarez, that wonder of learning and piety, said that he would rather lose all his knowledge than lose the merits of a single Ave Maria. ~ Saint John Eudes, The Admirable Heart of the Most Holy Mother of God (1680)

Quoi de plus doux que de remettre, tout son cœur entre les mains de la Bienheareuse Vierge Márie. What could be sweeter than to place one’s whole heart into the hands of the Blessed Virgin Mary. ~ P. Besson

2 of 2 Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 21st To this end strive earnestly, at least at the beginning of your principal activities, to renounce yourself entirely and to give yourself to Jesus so that you may become united with His divine Heart, which is one and the same with the Heart of His Holy Mother; thus may you enter into its love, charity, humility and holiness, so that you may do all things in the holy dispositions which have always filled it. ~ Saint John Eudes, The Admirable Heart of the Most Holy Mother of God (1680)

Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 21st TWELVE METHODS OF PRACTISING THIS DEVOTION (continued) 9. Our Saviour has given us His divine Heart, together with the holy Heart of His Blessed Mother, not only to be our rule, but also to be our very Heart, so that as members of Jesus and children of Mary we may share but one heart with our adorable Head and our incomparable Mother. This privilege should help us to perform all our actions with the Heart of Jesus and Mary, that is, in union with the holy intentions and dispositions that motivated Jesus and Mary in all their actions. (continued)

Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 20th TWELVE METHODS OF PRACTISING THIS DEVOTION (continued) 8. Remember what has been said above: that Our Saviour has given us His own divine Heart, along with the most holy Heart of His Blessed Mother, to be the model and rule of our lives. Make a careful study of this divine rule, therefore, in order to follow and keep it faithfully. ~ Saint John Eudes, The Admirable Heart of the Most Holy Mother of God (1680)

2 of 2 Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 19th from Part 7, Chapter III The Holy Spirit has also inspired many saints to show forth by word and example a most special devotion to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is true that every saint belongs to the court of the Queen of all Saints; nevertheless there are certain ones who stand out as being very closely associated with the royal Heart of Mary, their sovereign Lady. First, of course, is St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, incomparably dear to her holy Heart. Even her parents, St. Anne and St. Joachim, cannot dispute the first place of St. Joseph in her heart, having conceded it during their lifetime, when they entrusted the Virgin Mary to his care. Then comes St. John the Baptist, truly the eldest son of Mary in the life of grace. St. Gabriel the Archangel had the inestimable privilege of being the Guardian Angel of the immaculate Mother of God. And what can we say of St. John, the disciple most dear to the heart of Our Lord, to whom Our Saviour entrusted the life and heart of His Beloved Mother from the cross? St. Luke the Evangelist also belongs to the Heart of Mary because he was chosen by her to reveal the sublime secret to mankind, that “she kept all those words in her heart.” There are many saints who have consecrated themselves under the special designation of spouse of the Queen of Angels. Among these I name as examples St. Edmund of Canterbury, St. Robert, St. Stephen, St. Alberic, Founder of the Cistercian Order, St. Bernard, St. Dominic and his disciple Blessed Alanus, Blessed Herman the Premonstratensian, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Bernardine of Siena, and so many others whose names are inscribed in the Book of Life. St. Mecthilde and St. Gertrude, noted daughters of St. Benedict, in the revelation of their surpassing devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, have shown most clearly the beauties and mysteries of devotion to the loving Heart of the Mother of Our Lord and Saviour. ~ Saint John Eudes, The Admirable Heart of the Most Holy Mother of God (1680)

Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 19th TWELVE METHODS OF PRACTISING THIS DEVOTION (continued) 7. Cultivate particular devotion to all the saints who enjoyed some special relationship with the most lovable Heart of the Mother of God, for example, those mentioned in Part Seven, Chapter Three. (continued)

Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 18th TWELVE METHODS OF PRACTISING THIS DEVOTION (continued) 6. The greatest joy that we can afford the admirable Heart of Mary, all aflame with love for the souls which cost the Precious Blood of her Son, is to work zealously and devotedly for their salvation. If the hearts of the angels and saints in heaven rejoice for each conversion of a sinner on earth, the Queen of Angels and saints derives infinitely more joy from it than that of all the denizens of heaven combined because her heart possesses more love and charity. ~ Saint John Eudes, The Admirable Heart of the Most Holy Mother of God (1680)

Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 17th TWELVE METHODS OF PRACTISING THIS DEVOTION (continued) 5. Assist the poor, widows, orphans and strangers, protect the helpless, console the afflicted, visit the sick and imprisoned, and perform other similar works of mercy. All these acts are most highly pleasing to the most merciful Heart of the Mother of Grace. ~ Saint John Eudes, The Admirable Heart of the Most Holy Mother of God (1680)

Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ August 16th TWELVE METHODS OF PRACTISING THIS DEVOTION (continued) 4. Offer your heart frequently to the Queen of all hearts consecrated to Jesus, and implore her to take full and complete possession of your heart so that Mary may give it entirely to her Son, fill it with supernatural sentiments to adorn it with virtues, and mould it according to the Heart of the Divine Son and His Blessed Mother. ~ Saint John Eudes, The Admirable Heart of the Most Holy Mother of God (1680)