Around Tuesday, May 21, my three websites were hacked. In case you were affected, I’m so sorry that this website was redirecting to spam sites. Thanks be to God, the restoration work went well. May the good Lord cover this site and you, dear readers, under our Lady’s mantle of protection.
Since May is Mary’s month, here is a beautiful prayer dedicated to our Blessed Mother:
A Marian Prayer by Saint Cyril of Alexandria
Hail, Mother and Virgin, Eternal Temple of the Godhead, Venerable Treasure of Creation, crown of virginity, support of the true faith, on which the Church is founded throughout the whole world.
Mother of God, who contained the Infinite God under your heart, Whom no space can contain: through you the most Holy Trinity is revealed, adored, and glorified, demons are vanquished, Satan cast down from heaven into hell, and our fallen nature again assumed into heaven.
Through you the human race, held captive in the bonds of idolatry, arrives at the knowledge of Truth. What more shall I say of you? Hail, through whom kings rule, through whom the Only-begotten Son of God has become the Star of Light to those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. Amen.
“Dear children! In this time of grace, I am calling you to prayer with the heart. Little children, create prayer groups where you will encourage each other to the good and grow in joy. Little children, you are still far away. That is why [you must] continue to convert anew and choose the way of holiness and hope so that God may give you peace in abundance. Thank you for having responded to my call.” -Our Lady of Medjugorje, in private revelation given to Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti, on May 25, 2024
An excerpt from “Fatima for Today: The Urgent Marian Message of Hope” by Father Andrew Apostoli:
Like the present day, when our Lady was making her appearances in Fátima, many people were abandoning faith in God. They were trusting solely in their own intelligence and resources; as a result, their faith decreased greatly and grew cold. Yet faith is the very beginning of eternal life: we must believe in order to have God’s life in us, as the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us: “My righteous one shall live by faith” (Hebrews 10:38a).
Since faith had grown weak, people were no longer adoring God. Instead, they were making idols of the riches of this world, the pleasures of the flesh, and the exultation of their own egos. As a result of these distortions of life’s purpose, coupled with the ongoing sorrow and suffering of World War I, many people were losing hope. They no longer trusted in God’s help and promises; instead, they were falling into despair.
Finally, the spiritual emptiness of the time diminished the greatest gift God gave His people, namely, His love. Jesus said that the time would come when sin would so abound that the love of many would grow cold. This was one such age. Prayer and sacrifice would be necessary to stir God’s love into flame again!
Dearest Mother, I thank you for the gift of your Rosary—where we may receive a meditative glimpse into the life of your Son, and share in the peace that flows from Jesus’ merciful Heart. You directly lived these mysteries, so please be our teacher and guide.
O Holy Spirit, we beg for Your fire to burn within us, making us pure of heart and fervent in devotion, like Your beautiful, blessed spouse. And may the gift of wisdom, which You fully bestowed upon Your spouse, find good reception within us too.
O Father, how pleased You must be with Your crown jewel of Immaculate Mary—the New Eve and the appointed Mother for Your Incarnate Son, and consequently, for all mankind. She is the woman of prophecy, in the books of Genesis and Revelation. May Your Holy Will be done, so that all generations may call her blessed.
Her Heart was pierced more than anyone else’s besides Your Son’s, but in Your Divine plan, O Father, suffering can bring forth heavenly glory and redemptive grace. We would do well to imitate her Immaculate Heart’s movements and aspirations, its beating and even bleeding out for love. This Heart most conformed to the Sacred Heart of Jesus will be our safe road to Him.
O Jesus, we give ourselves completely to You. But You shared Your Mother with us on the Cross, so this consecration to You would not be as acceptable without our dear Mother’s intercession, her understanding, care, and assistance.
All the hidden moments between You and Your beloved Mother, we can only imagine and hope to hear about someday. May we respect her all the more though, for the joys she celebrated with You, and for the consolations that she offered to You in Your great suffering.
Perfect union seems so distant and impossible, but our faithful and persevering Mother has paved the way forward. Let us walk the joyful, sorrowful, glorious, luminous roads together, and not be anxious or afraid. With every Rosary, I pray that the Blessed Mother holds our hands, as we present her our prayers like many roses. May she, in turn, present us to You, O Most Holy Trinity, every day of our lives, at the time of our death, and in eternal beatitude in the age to come. Amen.
