Devotion for today: and through it all stood Mary…

(Apostles with Mary at her death, part of the great High Altar in St. Mary’s Basilica, Krakow)

"To give worthy praise to the Lord's mercy, we unite ourselves with Your Immaculate Mother, for then our hymn will be more pleasing to You, because She is chosen from among men and angels. Through Her, as through a pure crystal, Your mercy was passed on to us. Through Her, man became pleasing to God; through Her, streams of grace flowed down upon us." (Diary of St. Faustina, 1746)

- Our Lady to St. Faustina:"I am not only the Queen of Heaven, but also the Mother of Mercy."

Saint Maximilian Kolbe: “Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” "The Immaculate alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. She seeks souls that will consecrate themselves entirely to her, that will become in her hands forceful instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spread of God's kingdom."

“The conflict with Hell cannot be maintained by men, even the most clever. The Immaculata alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan.” (Martyrwhitelilyoftrinity.com)

Blessed John Paul II: Serpent and the New Eve.

5. Exegetes and theologians claim that the light of the New Eve, Mary, shines from the pages of Genesis onto the whole economy of salvation. In that text they already see the bond between Mary and the Church. Here we point out with joy that the term "woman", used in its generic form in the Genesis text, spurs women especially to join the Virgin of Nazareth and her task in the work of salvation, for they are called to take part in the fight against the spirit of evil.

Women who, like Eve, could succumb to Satan's seduction, through solidarity with Mary receive superior strength to combat the enemy, becoming God's first allies on the way of salvation.
(L'Osservatore Romano, Weekly Edition in English, 31 January 1996, page 11)

My friend told me today that she really enjoyed my series of blogs on Poland. Ah my dear friend, I am not finished, for as they say, I saved the best for last. What could top the Salt Mines, the trip to Auschwitz, the beautiful Cathedrals, Shrines, Sanctuaries, castles, and the food? Who united it all, made it all so loving, so familiar, so personal? Our Blessed Virgin Mother, captured in miraculous paintings, carved in salt, chiseled from wood and sculpted from marble welcomed us into every city and town along the way. From impressive Cathedrals to roadside shrines, the Polish people’s love for Mary was evident at every turn. She was carved into the outside walls of businesses and stood high above Churches and hills. As the unifying piece of fabric in a quilt, Mary wove through every part of our pilgrimage to Poland. We entered beautiful St. Mary’s Basilica in Krakow, and there was the high altar with intricately carved scenes from Mary’s life, all paid for by the hard working middle class of Krakow. Enter the Salt Mines in Wieliczka, and a lovely painting of Mary adorns one of the walls. It was painted by a miner, of course. Stand in front of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, built by local Catholics in honor of John Paul II’s survival of an assassination attempt, and a glorious statue of Mary awaits you. In the convent and chapel of St. Faustina, in the monastery of Maximilian Kolbe, in the baptismal Cathedral of John Paul II, May reigns in glory. She is honored for what she is: the Mother of God, and our Mother.  Our ‘Be Not Afraid’ Pope had as his motto, “Toto tuus” based on his total consecration to Mary. St. Faustina had visions of Mary where she was told to follow the instructions of Jesus, which she did so faithfully amidst trials and sorrows much like Mary herself (Here I am, Lord, I come to do Your will). St. Maximilian Kolbe had a vision where Mary appeared and offered him the crowns of purity and martyrdom, which he freely accepted (Can you drink the cup which I must drink?)

Our pilgrimage has ended, and we are now home and engrossed in the mundane tasks of daily living. Yet our hearts are on fire and our paths are clear. Just as in the miraculous image of Our Lady of Jasna Gora, where Mary is pointing to her Son, so we too are pointed to salvation by the only means possible. Mary loves us unconditionally.  She knows her Son better than any of the apostles or saints in heaven. She knows what we need to arrive at our final destination. Pray to Mary, seek her in your daily trials and temptations, and let her lead you to Jesus. She guided the three saints whom we honored on our pilgrimage; she performed many miraculous interventions on behalf of the Polish people, and she will do the same for us. Poland is a country consecrated to Mary. It is evident in the cities and Churches. Let it be as evident in our lives.

Mary, Mother of Mercy, pray for us.  

Hail, Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Amen.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God that we made by made worthy of the promises of Christ!