As a means of further introducing myself and what I'm about, I thought I should share about my love for Our Lady. So many people are turned off to her because of the wackadoodles out there who act as though she is some kind of superstitious good luck charm. Who she really is/was is a tremendously holy woman, filled with grace, whose womb bore Christ, our Savior. In short, I want to be like her, especially as a mother.
I have noted that I was part of a 'household' at the Franciscan University of Steubenville known as Theotokos. In Greek that is Θεοτοκος . I find that I am not always the best at explaining things especially those that come from Greek, so I found this page to help http://orthodoxwiki.org/Theotokos Our household had a particular devotion to Our Lady, Theotokos (God-bearer) . The oldest known prayer to Mary dates back to the 3rd century and was written in Greek. You can find it below with the English translation. I love this prayer for it's simplicity and also for the honor it gives Our Lady.
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When I studied abroad, I noted pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary everywhere. She is not only found in Churches and Cathedrals, but in museums and along city streets. In Italy, you could find a depiction of her (usually holding the Christ Child, as she was highly revered as the Mother of God throughout history) in nearly every piazza (the city squares). I marveled at the many images to be found of her all over Europe. I love so many varied portrayals of The Blessed Mother, but icons are among my very favorites. It is my hope to obtain a beautiful icon of the Theotokos to grace our home someday. Here are some that I love (in addition to the one displayed on my home page and the others in this post)...
Something I read (which I LOVE and have since incorporated into my personal prayer life) on that website is addressing Mary by the title,
Our All-holy, immaculate, most blessed and glorified Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
Each day that I am a mother, I find myself more and more drawn to Our Lady and invoking her help. An ancient Church hymn proclaims "He whom the entire universe could not contain was contained within your womb, O Theotokos." . Wow! What an amazing gift she possessed.
Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty has this to say about (all) mothers, "She has built something more magnificent than any Cathedral -a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body" This quote humbles me, and causes me to be even more in awe of Our Lady, because her body housed God in the person of Jesus Christ.
This week I am beginning a new challenge- that of actually praying my Rosary daily. The Rosary is such a beautiful prayer focusing on the life of Christ, and I get so easily distracted with being a mother that I don't make the time for it. Usually I do bits and pieces here and there, but my plan is to
say the Fr. Scallon and Dana version on CD or via youtube.
I love Icon paintings of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it's among my favorite of all Christian Artwork. For Lent, I have been praying the Rosary daily, it really brings you closer to God, our Father and to Mary, our Mother. With the Rosary, your faith becomes rich in prayer. I would like to continue praying the Rosary every day after lent as well. In the end Mary is God’s Secret Recipe to holiness. And such holiness, in the words of St. Maximilien Kolbe, is not a luxury, but a duty. However, we must also keep in mind that Contemplative Prayer is just as, if not, more important than then praying Rosary. Saint Augustine once wrote: "There is this place of undisturbed quietness where love is not deserted; see how things pass away and give place to others; fix your dwelling firmly there.
ReplyDeletePut your trust, my soul, in whatever it is you have received from him. Entrust to him whatever comes to you; for you shall lose nothing." To begin to achieve stillness in your daily life, centering prayer or lectio divina is a great place to start. Blessings!
yep, the Rosary is something that I go back and forth with as a part of my daily prayer life. every time I add another kid or something else, it seems i need to re-prioritize my life to fit it back in.
DeleteI love it, it's such a beautiful prayer! Thanks for sharing your journey Laura, I would love to be your support. ♥
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