OCDS Constitution and References

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OCDS Constitution and References

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Rule of St. Albert 

OCDS Constitution and References

                              

Rule of  St Albert

OCDS Constitutions

Order of  Secular Discalced Carmelites ( Secular Carmelite Rule of Life )       Preface       Section 1      Our Identity, Values, and Committment        Section 11     Following Jesus                           in the Teresian Secular Carmel       Section 111    Witness to the experience of God       Section 1V     Serving God's Plan        Section V      With Mary, the Mother of Jesus       Section V1     Formation in the School of Carmel       Section V11    Organization and Government       Epilogue

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    10/2/12

Section V - With Mary, the Mother of Jesus

   

                    OCDS CONSTITUTIONS      

                                 Section V 

  

              WITH MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS

29. In the interior dynamism of following Jesus,   

      Carmel contemplates Mary 

        as Mother and Sister, 

        as “the perfect model of the disciple of the Lord”       [55]

                                                   [ 55] Marialis Cultus   37

      and, as such, a model for the life of the members of the Order.

MARIALIS CULTUS   37

Apostolic Exhortation Of His Holiness 
Paul VI

Marialis Cultus
For The Right Ordering And Development

Of Devotion To The Blessed Virgin Mary

37. 
Finally, we wish to point out 
that our own time, 
no less than former times, 
is called upon to verify its knowledge 
of reality with the word of God, 

and, keeping to the matter 
at present under consideration, 
to compare its anthropological ideas 
and the problems springing therefrom 
with the figure of the Virgin Mary 
as presented by the Gospel. 

The reading of the divine Scriptures, 
carried out under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, 
and with the discoveries of the human sciences 
and the different situations in the world today 
being taken into account, 
will help us to see how Mary can be considered 
a mirror of the expectations 
of the men and women of our time.

Thus, the modern woman, 
anxious to participate with decision-making power 
in the affairs of the community, 
will contemplate with intimate joy 
Mary who, taken into dialogue with God, 
gives her active and responsible consent,                 
    (102) 

    (102) Lumen Gentium, 56:
          II Vatican Council 
          Dogmatic Constitution 
          on the Church, 
          AAS 57 (1965), p. 60.

not to the solution of a contingent problem, 

but to that "event of world importance," 
as the Incarnation of the Word 
has been rightly called.   
    (103) 

    (103) Cf. St Peter Chrysologus, 
          Sermo CXLIII: 
          PL 52 583.

The modern woman will appreciate 
that Mary's choice of the state of virginity, 
which in God's plan 
prepared her for the mystery of the Incarnation, 
was not a rejection 
of any of the values of the married state 
but a courageous choice which she made 
in order to consecrate herself 
totally to the love of God. 

The modern woman will note with pleasant surprise 
that Mary of Nazareth, 
while completely devoted to the will of God, 
was far from being a timidly submissive woman 
or one whose piety was repellent to others; 

On the contrary, she was a woman 
who did not hesitate to proclaim 
that God vindicates the humble and the oppressed, 
and removes the powerful people of this world 
from their privileged positions                   
   (cf Lk. 1:51-53). 

The modern woman will recognize in Mary, 
who "stands out among the poor 
and humble of the Lord,"    
   (104)

   (104) II Vatican Council Dogmatic Constitution 
         on the Church, Lumen Gentium, 55: 
         AAS 57 (1965), pp. 59-60.

a woman of strength, 
who experienced poverty and suffering, 
flight and exile 
        (cf. Mt. 2:13-23). 

These are situations 
that cannot escape the attention of those 
who wish to support, with the Gospel spirit, 
the liberating energies of man and of society. 

And Mary will appear not as a Mother 
exclusively concerned with her own divine Son, 

but rather as a woman 
whose action helped to strengthen 
the apostolic community's faith in Christ
   (cf. Jn. 2:1-12), and 
whose maternal role was extended 
and became universal on Calvary. 
   (105) 

   (105) Cf. Paul VI 
         Apostolic Constitution, 
         Signum Magnum I: 
         AAS 59 (1967), pp. 467-468: 

         Roman Missal, 
         15 September, 
         Prayer over the gifts.


These are but examples, 
but examples which show clearly 
that the figure of the Blessed Virgin 
does not disillusion any 
of the profound expectations 
of the men and women of our time 
but offers them the perfect model 
of the disciple of the Lord: 

The disciple who builds up 
the earthly and temporal city 
while being a diligent pilgrim 
towards the heavenly and eternal city; 

The disciple who works 
for that justice 
which sets free the oppressed and 
for that charity 
which assists the needy; 

But above all, the disciple 
who is the active witness of that love 
which builds up Christ in people's hearts.


 

Lumen Gentium  # 54 - 62
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF GOD 

IN THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST AND THE CHURCH 

Dogmatic Constitution On The Church 

LUMEN GENTIUM


Solemnly Promulgated By His Holiness 
Pope Paul VI

On November 21, 1964 

CHAPTER VIII 
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF GOD 

IN THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST AND THE CHURCH 

53 
...Wherefore she is hailed 
as a pre-eminent and singular member of the Church, 
and as its type and excellent exemplar 
in faith and charity. 

The Catholic Church, taught by the Holy Spirit, 
honors her with filial affection and piety 
as a most beloved mother.

54. 
Wherefore this Holy Synod, 
in expounding the doctrine on the Church, 
in which the divine Redeemer works salvation, 
intends to describe with diligence 

both the role of the Blessed Virgin 
in the mystery 
of the Incarnate Word and the Mystical Body, 

and the duties of redeemed mankind 
toward the Mother of God, 
who is mother of Christ and mother of men, 
particularly of the faithful. 


It does not, however, have it in mind 
to give a complete doctrine on Mary, 
nor does it wish to decide those questions 
which the work of theologians 
has not yet fully clarified. 

Those opinions therefore may be lawfully retained 
which are propounded in Catholic schools 
concerning her, 
who occupies a place in the Church 
which is the highest after Christ 
and yet very close to us.     
      (4*) 

II. THE ROLE OF THE BLESSED MOTHER 
     IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION 

55. 
The Sacred Scriptures 
of both the Old and the New Testament, 
as well as ancient Tradition 
show the role of the Mother of the Saviour 
in the economy of salvation 
in an ever clearer light and draw attention to it. 

The books of the Old Testament describe 
the history of salvation, 
by which the coming of Christ into the world 
was slowly prepared.

These earliest documents, 
as they are read in the Church 
and are understood in the light 
of a further and full revelation, 
bring the figure of the woman, 
Mother of the Redeemer, 
into a gradually clearer light. 

When it is looked at in this way, 
she is already prophetically foreshadowed 
in the promise of victory over the serpent 
which was given to our first parents 
after their fall into sin.                                        
   (284) 

Likewise she is the Virgin 
who shall conceive and bear a son, 
whose name will be called Emmanuel.
   (285) 

She stands out 
among the poor and humble of the Lord, 
who confidently hope for 
and receive salvation from Him. 

With her the exalted Daughter of Sion, 
and after a long expectation of the promise, 
the times are fulfilled 
and the new Economy established, 
when the Son of God took 
a human nature from her, 
that He might in the mysteries of His flesh 
free man from sin.

56. 
The Father of mercies willed 
that the incarnation should be preceded 
by the acceptance of her 
who was predestined to be 
the mother of His Son, 
so that just as a woman contributed to death, 
so also a woman should contribute to life. 

That is true in outstanding fashion 
of the mother of Jesus, 
who gave to the world Him 
 Who is Life itself and 
 Who renews all things, and 
Who was enriched by God with the gifts 
which befit such a role. 

It is no wonder therefore 
that the usage prevailed 
among the Fathers 
whereby they called the mother of God 
entirely holy and free from all stain of sin, 
as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit 
and formed as a new creature.  
    (5*) 

Adorned from the first instant of her conception 
with the radiance of an entirely unique holiness, 
the Virgin of Nazareth is greeted, 
on God's command, 
by an angel messenger as "full of grace",  
    (286) 
and to the heavenly messenger she replies: 

"Behold the handmaid of the Lord, 
be it done unto me according to thy word".  
    (287) 

Thus Mary, a daughter of Adam, 
consenting to the divine Word, 
became the mother of Jesus, 
the one and only Mediator. 

Embracing God's salvific will 
with a full heart 
and impeded by no sin, 
she devoted herself totally 
as a handmaid of the Lord 
to the person and work of her Son, 
under Him and with Him, 
by the grace of almighty God, 
serving the mystery of redemption. 

Rightly therefore the holy Fathers 
see her as used by God 
not merely in a passive way, 
but as freely cooperating 
in the work of human salvation 
through faith and obedience. 

For, as St. Irenaeus says, 
she "being obedient, 
became the cause of salvation 
for herself and for the whole human race."   
    (6*) 
...
 
57. 
This union of the Mother with the Son 
in the work of salvation is made manifest 
from the time of Christ's virginal conception 
up to His death.

It is shown first of all when Mary, 
arising in haste to go to visit Elizabeth, 
is greeted by her as blessed 
because of her belief in the promise of salvation 
and the precursor leaped with joy 
in the womb of his mother. 
     (288) 

This union is manifest also at the birth of Our Lord, 
who did not diminish His mother's virginal integrity 
but sanctified it,  
     (10*) 
when the Mother of God joyfully 
showed her firstborn Son 
to the shepherds and Magi. 

When she presented Him to the Lord in the temple, 
making the offering of the poor, 
she heard Simeon foretelling at the same time 
that her Son would be a sign of contradiction and 
that a sword would pierce the mother's soul, 
that out of many hearts thoughts might be revealed.         
    (289) 

When the Child Jesus was lost 
and they had sought Him sorrowing, 
His parents found Him in the temple, 
taken up with the things 
that were His Father's business; 
and they did not understand the word of their Son. 

His Mother indeed kept these things 
to be pondered over in her heart.   
    (290)

58. 
In the public life of Jesus, 
Mary makes significant appearances. 

This is so even at the very beginning, 
when at the marriage feast of Cana, 
moved with pity, 
she brought about by her intercession 
the beginning of miracles of Jesus the Messiah.  
    (291) 

In the course of her Son's preaching 
she received the words whereby in extolling a kingdom 
beyond the calculations and bonds of flesh and blood, 
He declared blessed    
    (292) 
those who heard and kept the word of God, 
as she was faithfully doing. 
    (293) 

After this manner the Blessed Virgin 
advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and 
faithfully persevered in her union 
with her Son unto the cross, 
where she stood, in keeping with the divine plan,  
  (294) 
grieving exceedingly with her only begotten Son, 
uniting herself with a maternal heart 
with His sacrifice, 
and lovingly consenting to the immolation 
of this Victim 
which she herself had brought forth. 

Finally, 
she was given by the same Christ Jesus 
dying on the cross 
as a mother to His disciple with these words: 
"Woman, behold thy son".  
   (295) 
   (11*)


59. 
But since it has pleased God 
not to manifest solemnly 
the mystery of the salvation of the human race 
before He would pour forth the Spirit 
promised by Christ, 
we see the apostles before the day of Pentecost 
"persevering with one mind in prayer with the women 
and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and with His brethren",  
   (296) 

and Mary by her prayers 
imploring the gift of the Spirit, 
who had already overshadowed her 
in the Annunciation. 

Finally, the Immaculate Virgin, 
preserved free from all guilt of original sin,  
   (12*) 
on the completion of her earthly sojourn, 
was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory,  
   (13*) 
and exalted by the Lord as Queen of the universe, 
that she might be 
the more fully conformed to her Son, 
the Lord of lords  
   (297) 
and the conqueror of sin and death.    
   (l4*) 


III. ON THE BLESSED VIRGIN AND THE CHURCH 

60. 
There is but one Mediator 
as we know from the words of the apostle, 
"for there is one God 
and one mediator of God and men, 
the man Christ Jesus, 
who gave himself a redemption for all".
   (298) 

The maternal duty of Mary toward men 
in no wise obscures or diminishes 
this unique mediation of Christ, 
but rather shows His power. 

For all the salvific influence 
of the Blessed Virgin on men 
originates, not from some inner necessity, 
but from the divine pleasure. 

It flows forth from the superabundance 
of the merits of Christ, 
rests on His mediation, 
depends entirely on it and 
draws all its power from it. 

In no way does it impede, 
but rather does it foster 
the immediate union 
of the faithful with Christ.


61. 
Predestined from eternity 
by that decree of divine providence 
which determined the incarnation of the Word 
to be the Mother of God, 
the Blessed Virgin was on this earth 
the virgin Mother of the Redeemer, 
and above all others and in a singular way 
the generous associate and humble handmaid 
of the Lord. 

She conceived, brought forth and nourished Christ. 

She presented Him to the Father in the temple, 
and was united with Him by compassion 
as He died on the Cross. 

In this singular way she cooperated 
by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity 
in the work of the Saviour 
in giving back supernatural life to souls. 

Wherefore she is our mother in the order of grace.


62. 
This maternity of Mary in the order of grace 
began with the consent 
which she gave in faith at the Annunciation and 
which she sustained 
without wavering beneath the cross, 
and lasts until the eternal fulfillment 
of all the elect. 

Taken up to heaven 
she did not lay aside this salvific duty, 
but by her constant intercession 
continued to bring us 
the gifts of eternal salvation.  
    (15*) 

By her maternal charity, 
she cares for the brethren of her Son, 
who still journey on earth 
surrounded by dangers and cultics, 
until they are led into the happiness 
of their true home. 

Therefore 
the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church 
under the titles of 
Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix.  
    (16*) 

This, however, is to be so understood 
that it neither takes away from 
nor adds anything 
to the dignity and efficaciousness of Christ 
the one Mediator.     
    (17*)




284 Cf. Gen. 3:15.

285 Cf. Is 7:14; 
    cf. Mich. 5:2-3; 
        Mt. 1:22-23.

286 Cf. Lk. 1:28.

287 Lk. 1:38.

288 Cf. Lk. 1:41-45.

289 Cf. Lk. 2:34-35

290 Cf. Lk. 2:41-51.

291 Cf. Jn. 2:1-11.

292 Cf. Mk. 3:35; 
        Lk. 11:27-28.

293 Cf. Lk. 2:19, 51.

294 Cf. Jn. 19:25.

295 Cf. Jn. 19:26-27.

296 Acts 1:14.

297 Cf Rev. 19:16

298 1 Tim. 2:5-6.




SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES (*)
Chapter VIII

(4) Cfr. Paulus Pp. VI, 
     allocutio in Concilio, 
     die 4 dec. 1963: 
     AAS 56 (1964) p. 37.

(5) Cfr. S. Germanus Const., 
      Nom. in annunt. Deiparae: 
      PG 98, 328 A; 
      In Dorm. 2: col. 357. 
      Anastasius Antioch., 
      Serm. 2 de Annunt., 2:
      PG 89, 1377 AB; 
      Serm. 3, 2: col. 1388 
      C. S. Andrcas Cret. 
      Can. in B. V. Nat. 4: 
      PG 97, 1321 B. In B. V. Nat., 1: 
      col. 812 A. Hom. in dorm. 1: 
      col. 1068 C. - S. Sophronius, 
      Or. 2 in Annunt., 18: 
      PG 87 (3), 3237 BD.

(6) S. Irenaeus, Adv. Hacr. III, 22, 4: 
      PG 7, 9S9 A; Harvey, 2, 123.

(7) S. Irenaeus, ib.; Harvey, 2, 124.

(8) S. Epiphanius, Nacr. 78, 18: 
      PG 42, 728 CD; 729 AB.

(9) S. Hieronymus, Epist. 22, 21: PL 22, 408. 
      Cfr. S. Augwtinus, Serm. Sl, 2, 3: 
      PL 38, 33S; 
      Serm. 232, 2: col. 1108. - 
      S. Cyrillus Hieros., Catech. 12, 15: 
      PG 33, 741 AB. - S. Io. Chrysostomus, 
      In Ps. 44, 7: 
      PG SS, 193. - S. Io. Damasccnus, Nom. 2 
      in dorm. B.M.V., 3: 
      PG 96, 728.

(10) Cfr. Conc. Lateranense anni 649, 
      Can. 3: Mansi 10, 1151. S. Leo M., 
      Epist. ad Flav.: 
      PL S4, 7S9. - Conc. Chalcedonense:  
      Mansi 7, 462. - 
      S. Ambrosius, De inst. virg.: 
      PL 16, 320.

(11) Cfr. Pius XII, 
      Litt. Encycl. Mystici Corporis, 
      29 iun. 1943: 
      AAS 35 (1943) pp. 247-248.

(12) Cfr. Pius IX, 
      Bulla Ineffabilis 8 dec. 1854: 
      acta Pii IX, I, I, p. 616; 
      Denz. 1641 (2803).

(13) Cfr. Pius XII, 
      Const. Apost. Munificensissimus, 
      1 no. 1950: 
      AAS 42 (1950) ú Denz. 2333 (3903). 
      Cfr. S. Io. Damascenus, Enc. in dorm. 
      Dei gcnitricis, Hom. 2 et 3: 
      PG 96, 721-761, speciatim col. 728 B. -  
      S. Germanus Constantinop., 
      in S. Dei gen. dorm. 
      Serm. 1: PG 98 (6), 340-348; 
      Serm. 3: col. 361. - S. Modestus Hier., 
      In dorm. SS. Deiparae: 
      PG 86 (2), 3277-3312.

(14) Cfr. Pius XII 
      Litt. Encycl. Ad coeli Reginam, 
      11 Oct. 1954: 
      AAS 46 (1954), pp. 633-636; 
      Denz. 3913 ss. 
      Cfr. S. Andreas Cret., 
      Hom. 3 in dorm. SS. Deiparae: 
      PG 97, 1089-1109. - 
      S. Io. Damascenus, 
      De fide orth., IV, 14: 
      PG 94, 1153-1161.

(15) Cfr. Kleutgen, 
      textus reformstus 
      De mysterio Verbi incarnati, 
      cap. IV: Mansi 53, 290. 
      cfr. S. Andreas Cret., 
      In nat. Mariac, sermo 4: 
      PG 97, 865 A. - 
      S. Germanus Constantinop., 
      In annunt. Deiparae: 
      PG 98, 321 BC. In dorm. 
      Deiparae, III: col. 361 
      D. S. Io. Damascenus, 
      In dorm. B. V. Mariae, 
      Hom. 1, 8: PG 96, 712 BC-713 A.

(16) Cfr. Leo XIII, 
      Litt. Encycl. Adiutricem populi, 
      5 sept. 1895: 
      ASS 15 (1895-96), p. 303. - S. 
      Pius X, Litt. Encycl. 
      Ad diem illum, 2 febr. 1904: 
      Acta, I, p. 154- Denz. 1978 a (3370) . 
      Pius XI, 
      Litt. Encycl. Miserentissimus, 
      8 maii 1928: 
      AAS 20 (1928) p. 178. 
      Pius XII, Nuntius Radioph., 
      13 maii 1946: 
      AAS 38 (1946) p. 266.

(17) S. Ambrosius, 
      Epist. 63: PL 16, 1218.


 

The Virgin of the Magnificat 

       proclaims the break with the old order and 

       announces the beginning of a new order

          in which God 
              casts the mighty down from their thrones 

                    and 
              exalts the poor. 

Mary places herself on the side of the poor 

             and 
        proclaims how God acts in history. 

For Secular Carmelites, 

Mary is a model of total commitment to God’s Kingdom. 

She teaches us 

       to listen to God’s Word in Scripture and in life, 

       to believe in it in every circumstance in order to live its demands. 

All this she did, 

       without understanding many things; 

       pondering all in her heart     ( Lk 2:19, 

                                                   Lk 2:50-51 ) 

until light dawned through contemplative prayer.

Lk 2: 18 - 19

18 
And all that heard, wondered; 
and at those things 
that were told them 
by the shepherds
                               
19 
Mary kept all these words, 
pondering them in her heart.

 

Lk 2: 48 - 51

48 
And his mother said to him: 
Son, why hast thou done so to us? 
Behold thy father and I 
have sought thee sorrowing. 

49 
And he said to them: 
How is it that you sought me? 
Did you not know, 
that I must be 
about my father's business? 

50 
And they understood not the word 
that he spoke unto them.

51 
And he went down with them, 
and came to Nazareth, 
and was subject to them. 
And his mother kept all these words 
in her heart. 

 

30.  Mary is also an ideal and inspiration for the Secular Carmelite.

      She lived close to people and their needs, 

      being concerned about them 

               ( Lk  1:39-45; 

                 Jn  2:1-12; 

                 Ac  1:14 ). 

Lk  1:39-45

39 
And Mary rising up in those days, 
went into the hill country with haste 
into a city of Juda.

40 
And she entered 
into the house of Zachary, 
and saluted Elizabeth. 

41 
And it came to pass, that 
when Elizabeth heard 
the salutation of Mary, 
the infant leaped in her womb. 
And Elizabeth was filled 
with the Holy Ghost: 

42 
And she cried out with a loud voice, 
and said: 
Blessed art thou among women, and 
blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

43 
And whence is this to me, 
that the mother of my Lord 
should come to me?

44 
For behold 
as soon as the voice of thy salutation 
sounded in my ears, 
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

45 
And blessed art thou that hast believed, 
because those things shall be accomplished 
that were spoken to thee by the Lord. 

 

Jn  2:1-12

1  
AND the third day, 
there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee: 
and the mother of Jesus was there.

2  
And Jesus also was invited, 
and his disciples, to the marriage.

3  
And the wine failing, 
the mother of Jesus saith to him: 
They have no wine.

4  
And Jesus saith to her: 
Woman, 
what is that to me and to thee? 
My hour is not yet come.

5  
His mother saith to the waiters: 
Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye.

6  
Now there were set there 
six waterpots of stone, 
according to the manner 
of the purifying of the Jews, 
containing two or three measures apiece.

7  
Jesus saith to them: 
Fill the waterpots with water. 
And they filled them up to the brim.

8  
And Jesus saith to them: 
Draw out now, and carry 
to the chief steward of the feast. 
And they carried it.

9  
And when the chief steward had tasted 
the water made wine, 
and knew not whence it was, 
but the waiters knew who had drawn the water; 
The chief steward calleth the bridegroom,

10 
And saith to him: 
Every man at first setteth forth good wine, 
and when men have well drunk, 
then that which is worse. 
But thou hast kept the good wine until now.

11 
This beginning of miracles 
did Jesus in Cana of Galilee; 
and manifested his glory, 
and his disciples believed in him. 

12 
After this he went down to Capharnaum, 
he and his mother, 
and his brethren, and his disciples: 
and they remained there not many days. 

 

Ac  1: 9 - 14

9   
And when he had said these things, 
while they looked on, 
he was raised up: 
and a cloud received him 
out of their sight.

10 
And while they were beholding him 
going up to heaven, 
behold two men stood by them 
in white garments.

11 
Who also said: 
Ye men of Galilee, 
why stand you looking up to heaven? 

This Jesus 
who is taken up from you into heaven, 
shall so come, 
as you have seen him going into heaven. 

12  
Then they returned to Jerusalem 
from the mount 
that is called Olivet, 
which is nigh Jerusalem, 
within a sabbath day's journey.

13  
And when they were come in, 
they went up into an upper room, 
where abode Peter and John, 
James and Andrew, 
Philip and Thomas, 
Bartholomew and Matthew, 
James of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, 
and Jude the brother of James.

14 
All these were persevering 
with one mind in prayer 
with the women, 
and Mary the mother of Jesus, 
and with his brethren. 

 

  She, the “most perfect image 

    of freedom and of the liberation 

    of humanity and of the universe,”       [56]

                               [56] Redemptoris Mater  37

     helps us understand the meaning of mission.

Redemptoris Mater 37

IOANNES PAULUS PP. II

REDEMPTORIS MATER


On the Blessed Virgin Mary

in the life of the Pilgrim Church

   
37. 
The Church, which from the beginning 
has modelled her earthly journey 
on that of the Mother of God, 
constantly repeats after her 
the words of the Magnificat. 

From the depths of the Virgin's faith 
at the Annunciation and the Visitation, 
the Church derives the truth 
about the God of the Covenant: 

the God who is Almighty 
and does "great things" for man: 
   "holy is his name." 

In the Magnificat 
the Church sees uprooted 
that sin which is found at the outset 
of the earthly history of man and woman, 
the sin of disbelief 
and of "little faith" in God. 

In contrast with the "suspicion" 
which the "father of lies" 
sowed in the heart of Eve the first woman, 
Mary, whom tradition is wont to call 
the "new Eve"  
    [91] 
and the true "Mother of the living,"  
    [92] 
boldly proclaims the undimmed truth about God: 

the holy and almighty God, 
who from the beginning 
is the source of all gifts, 
he who "has done great things" in her, 
as well as in the whole universe. 

In the act of creation 
God gives existence to all that is. 

In creating man, 
God gives him the dignity 
of the image and likeness of himself 
in a special way 
as compared with all earthly creatures. 

Moreover, in his desire to give,
God gives himself in the Son, 
notwithstanding man's sin: 

"He so loved the world 
 that he gave his only Son"     
    (Jn. 3:16). 

Mary is the first witness 
of this marvelous truth, 
which will be fully accomplished 
through "the works and words" of her Son              
    (cf. Acts 1:1)
and definitively through his Cross and Resurrection. 

The Church, 
which even "amid trials and tribulations" 
does not cease repeating with Mary 
the words of the Magnificat, 
is sustained by the power of God's truth, 
proclaimed on that occasion 
with such extraordinary simplicity. 

At the same time, 
by means of this truth about God, 
the Church desires to shed light 
upon the difficult and sometimes tangled paths 
of man's earthly existence. 

The Church's journey, therefore, 
near the end of the second Christian Millennium, 
involves a renewed commitment to her mission. 

Following him who said of himself: 
"(God) has anointed me 
 to preach good news to the poor" 
    (cf. Lk. 4:18), 
the Church has sought 
from generation to generation 
and still seeks today 
to accomplish that same mission. 

The Church's love of preference for the poor 
is wonderfully inscribed in Mary's Magnificat. 

The God of the Covenant, 
celebrated in the exultation of her spirit 
by the Virgin of Nazareth,
 is also he who 
 "has cast down the mighty from their thrones, 
  and lifted up the lowly, 
  ...filled the hungry with good things, 
  sent the rich away empty, 
  ...scattered the proud-hearted
  ...and his mercy is from age to age 
  on those who fear him." 

Mary is deeply imbued 
with the spirit of the "poor of Yahweh," 
who in the prayer of the Psalms 
awaited from God their salvation, 
placing all their trust in him 
    (cf. Pss. 25; 31; 35; 55). 

Mary truly proclaims the coming 
of the "Messiah of the poor" 
    (cf. Is. 11:4; 61:1). 

Drawing from Mary's heart, 
from the depth of her faith 
expressed in the words of the Magnificat, 
the Church renews ever more effectively in herself 
the awareness that 
the truth about God who saves, 
the truth about God who is the source of every gift, 
cannot be separated from the manifestation 
of his love of preference for the poor and humble, 
that love which, celebrated in the Magnificat, 
is later expressed in the words and works of Jesus. 

The Church is thus aware
  - and at the present time 
    this awareness is particularly vivid -
not only that these two elements of the message 
contained in the Magnificat cannot be separated, 
but also that there is a duty to safeguard carefully 
the importance of "the poor" 
and of "the option in favor of the poor" 
in the word of the living God. 

These are matters and questions intimately connected 
with the Christian meaning of freedom and liberation. 

"Mary is totally dependent upon God 
and completely directed towards him, 
and at the side of her Son, 
she is the most perfect image 
of freedom and of the liberation 
of humanity and of the universe. 

It is to her as Mother and Model 
that the Church must look in order to understand 
in its completeness 
the meaning of her own mission."    
   [93]



91 Cf. for example Saint Justin, 
     Dialogus cum Tryphone ludaeo, 100: 
     Otto II, 358; 
     Saint Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses III, 22, 4: 
     S. Ch. 211, 439-445; 
     Tertullian, De carne Christi, 17, 4-6: 
     CCL 2, 904f


92 Cf. Saint Epiphanius, Panarion, III, 2; 
     Haer. 78, 18: PG 42, 727-730.

93 
     Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 
     Instruction on Christian Freedom and Liberation 
     (22 March 1986), 97.

 

 She, Mother and Sister, 

 who goes before us 

       in a pilgrimage of faith and 

in following the Lord Jesus, 

 keeps us company 

 so that we may imitate her life 

        hidden in Christ and

        committed to the service of others.

31. While giving life to Teresian Carmelite spirituality, 

       Mary’s presence also shapes its apostolate. 

      As a result, the Secular Carmelite is committed 

       to knowing Mary better, daily, through the Gospel 

       to communicate to others an authentic Marian devotion

          leading to imitating her virtues. 

     Guided by the outlook of faith, 

     members of the Secular Order will celebrate and promote 

       the liturgical devotion to the Mother of God 

       in light of the mystery of Christ and the Church.  

     They will practice, in faith and love,

      the devotional exercises in her honour.  

31 - a)
In the Teresian Carmel
   love of Mary, Mother and Queen,     
       is united with
   love of her spouse, Saint Joseph.

The Father also gave him,   "a just man "
                 (Mt 1:19),

Mt 1:19

18  
Now the generation of Christ 
was in this wise. 

When as his mother Mary 
was espoused to Joseph, 
before they came together, 
she was found with child, 
of the Holy Ghost.

19  
Whereupon Joseph her husband, 
being A JUST MAN, and 
not willing publicly to expose her, 
was minded to put her away privately.

20  
But while he thought on these things, 
behold the angel of the Lord 
appeared to him 
in his sleep, saying: 

Joseph, son of David, 
fear not to take unto thee 
Mary thy wife, 
for that which is conceived in her, 
is of the Holy Ghost. 

21      
And she shall bring forth a son: 
and thou shalt call his name JESUS. 

For he shall save his people 
from their sins. 


22  
Now all this was done 
that it might be fulfilled 
which the Lord spoke by the prophet, 
saying: 

23     
Behold a virgin shall be with child, 
and bring forth a son, 
and they shall call his name Emmanuel, 
which being interpreted is, 
God with us. 

24  
And Joseph rising up from sleep, 
did as the angel of the Lord 
had commanded him, 
and took unto him his wife.             
             
                

 

guardianship of his Son Jesus Christ
   in the mystery of the Incarnation.


Following the example of St. Teresa,
  members can find in St. Joseph
        a role model for a life
          of humble adoration
             and prayerful communion with Jesus,
        as well as
        a master of prayer                                  [57]
             and silence .

              [57] Cf. St. Teresa of Jesus,
                           Life, 6,6‐8;

Life, 6,6‐8; 
  
I began by having Masses 
and prayers said for my intention
 — prayers that were highly sanctioned; 

for I never liked those other devotions 
 which some people, especially women, 
make use of
with a ceremoniousness to me intolerable, 
but which move them to be devout.

I have been given to understand 
since that they were unseemly and superstitious; 

and I TOOK FOR MY PATRON AND LORD 
THE GLORIOUS ST. JOSEPH, 
and recommended myself earnestly to him. 

I saw clearly that both 
out of this my present trouble, and 
out of others of greater importance, 
relating to my honour and the loss of my soul, 
this MY FATHER AND LORD delivered me, 
and rendered me greater services than I knew
how to ask for. 

I cannot call to mind 
that I have ever asked him at any time 
for anything which he has not granted; 

and I am filled with amazement 
when I consider 

the great favours 
which God hath given me 
through this blessed Saint; 

the dangers 
from which he hath delivered me, 
both of body and of soul. 

To other Saints, 
our Lord seems to have given grace 
to succour men in some special necessity; 

BUT TO THIS GLORIOUS SAINT,
I know by experience, 
to help us in all: 

and our Lord would have us understand
that as He was Himself subject to him upon earth
  — for St. Joseph having the title of father, 
    and being His guardian, could command Him —
so now in heaven He performs all his petitions. 

I have asked others 
to recommend themselves to St. Joseph, 
and they too know this by experience; 

and   there are many who are now of late 
devout to him,127 
having had experience of this truth. 

-

I used to keep his feast 
with all the solemnity I could, 
but with more vanity than spirituality, 
seeking rather too much splendour and effect, 
and yet with good intentions.

I had this evil in me, 
that if our Lord gave me grace 
to do any good,
that good became full of imperfections 
and of many faults; 

but as for doing wrong, 
the indulgence of curiosity and vanity, 
I was very skilful and active therein. 
Our Lord forgive me! 

-

Would that I could persuade  ALL MEN 
TO BE DEVOUT TO THIS GLORIOUS SAINT; 

for I know by long experience 
what blessings he can obtain 
for us from God.

I have never known any one 
who was really devout to him, and 
who honoured him by particular services, 
who did not visibly 
grow more and more in virtue; 

for he helps in a special way those souls 
who commend themselves to him. 

It is now some years 
since I have always on his feast 
asked him for something, 
and I always have it. 

If the petition be in any way amiss, 
he directs it aright for my greater good. 

-

If I were a person who had authority to write, 
it would be a pleasure to me to be diffusive 
in speaking most minutely of the graces 
which this glorious Saint has obtained 
for me and for others. 

But that I may not go beyond the commandment 
that is laid upon me, 
I must in many things be more brief 
than I could wish, 
and more diffusive than is necessary in others; 

for, in short, 
I am a person who, in all that is good, 
has but little discretion. 

But I ask, for the love of God, 
that he who does not believe me 
will make the trial for himself

  — when he will see by experience 
    the great good that results 
    from commending oneself 
    to this glorious patriarch, 
    and being devout to him. 



Those who give themselves to prayer 
should in a special manner 
have always a devotion to St. Joseph;

for I know not how any man can think 
of the QUEEN OF THE ANGELS, 
during the time that she suffered so much 
with the Infant Jesus, 
without giving thanks to ST. JOSEPH 
for the services he rendered them then. 

HE WHO CANNOT FIND ANY ONE TO TEACH HIM 
HOW TO PRAY, 
LET HIM TAKE THIS GLORIOUS SAINT 
FOR HIS MASTER, 
and he will not wander out of the way. 

-

May it please our Lord 
that I have not done amiss in venturing 
to speak about St. Joseph; 

for, though I publicly profess 
my devotion to him, 
I have always failed in my service to him 
and imitation of him. 

He was like himself 
when he made me able to rise and walk, 
no longer a paralytic; 

and I, too, am like myself 
when I make so bad a use of this grace. 


127   
Of the devotion to St. Joseph, 
F. Faber 
says that it took its rise in the West, 
in a confraternity in Avignon. 
(The Blessed Sacrament, bk. ii. p. 199, 3rd ed.)

"Then it spread over the church. 
 Gerson was raised up 
 to be its doctor and theologian, 
 and St. Teresa to be its Saint, and 
 St. Francis of Sales to be 
 its popular teacher and missionary. 

 The houses of Carmel 
 were like the holy house of Nazareth to it; 
 and the colleges of the Jesuits, 
 its peaceful sojourns in dark Egypt."

(Peers translation
 Christian Classics Ethereal Library)

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/teresa/
life.viii.vii.html        

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~    

"I begin to attend Mass and
 to recite devotional prayers 
 that were highly approved..."

Institute of Carmelite Studies
Copyright © 1976 by Washington Province 
of Discalced Carmelite Friars, Inc 
 
                      

 

              [57] Cf. St. Teresa of Jesus,
                           Life, 33,12.

LIFE 33,12
             
Once when I was in one of my difficulties, 
not knowing what to do, 
unable to pay the workmen, 
ST. JOSEPH, MY TRUE FATHER AND LORD,
appeared to me, 
and gave me to understand 
that money would not be wanting, 
and I must hire the workmen. 

So I did, though I was penniless; 

and our Lord, in a way 
that filled those 
who heard of it with wonder, 
provided for me. 

The house offered me was too small,
  — so much so, 
    that it seemed as if 
    it could never be made 
    into a monastery,-
and I wished to buy another, 
but had not the means, 
and there was neither way nor means to do so. 

I knew not what to do. 

There was another little house 
close to the one we had, 
which might have formed a small church. 

One day, after Communion, our Lord said to me, 
'I have already bidden thee to go in anyhow.'

And then, as if exclaiming, said: 
'Oh, covetousness of the human race, 
thinking that even the whole earth 
is too little for it! 
how often have I slept in the open air, 
because I had no place to shelter Me!'  
   [490]

I was alarmed, and saw 
that He had good reasons to complain. 

I went to the little house, 
arranged the divisions of it, 
and found that it would make 
a sufficient, though small, monastery. 

I did not care now 
to add to the site by purchase, 
and so I did nothing 
but contrive to have it prepared
in such a way that it could be lived in. 

Everything was coarse, and
nothing more was done to it 
than to render it not hurtful to health
  — and that must be done everywhere. 


490   
St. Luke ix. 58:

"Filius autem hominis non habet ubi 
caput reclinet."

"The Son of man has nowhere 
to lay His head"

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/
teresa/life.viii.xxxiv.html                

 

              [57] Cf. John Paul II,
                         Redemptor Custos, 25. 27.

Redemptor Custos, 25. 27
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION 
REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF
JOHN PAUL II
ON THE PERSON AND MISSION OF 
SAINT JOSEPH 
IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST AND OF THE CHURCH            

III 
A JUST MAN A HUSBAND 
...
IV 
WORK AS AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE 
...
V 
THE PRIMACY OF THE INTERIOR LIFE 

25. 
The same aura of silence
that envelops everything else about Joseph 
also shrouds his work as a carpenter 
in the house of Nazareth. 

It is, however, a silence 
that reveals in a special way 
the inner portrait of the man. 

The Gospels speak exclusively 
of what Joseph "did." 

Still, 
they allow us to discover in his "actions" 
 - shrouded in silence as they are - 
an aura of deep contemplation. 

Joseph was in daily contact 
with the mystery 
"hidden from ages past," 
and which "dwelt" under his roof. 

This explains, for example, 
why St. Teresa of Jesus,
the great reformer of the Carmelites, 
promoted the renewal of veneration 
to St. Joseph in Western Christianity.

27. 
The communion of life between Joseph and Jesus
leads us to consider once again 
the mystery of the Incarnation, 
precisely in reference to the humanity of Jesus 
as the efficacious instrument of his divinity 
for the purpose of sanctifying man: 

"By virtue of his divinity, 
Christ's human actions were salvific for us, 
causing grace within us, 
either by merit or by a certain efficacy."
    (39)

Among those actions, 
the gospel writers highlight those 
which have to do with the Paschal Mystery, 
but they also underscore the importance 
of physical contact with Jesus for healing 
    (cf. for example, Mk 1:41), 
and the influence Jesus exercised 
upon John the Baptist 
when they were both in their mothers' wombs
    (cf. Lk 1:41-44).

As we have seen, 
the apostolic witness did not neglect 
the story of Jesus' birth, his circumcision, 
his presentation in the Temple, 
his flight into Egypt and
his hidden life in Nazareth.

It recognized the "mystery" of grace 
present in each of these saving "acts," 
inasmuch as they all share 
the same source of love: 
the divinity of Christ.

If through Christ's humanity 
this love shone on all mankind, 
the first beneficiaries were undoubtedly those 
whom the divine will had most intimately 
associated with itself: 

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, 
and Joseph, his presumed father.
   (40)

Why should the "fatherly" love of Joseph 
not have had an influence 
upon the "filial" love of Jesus? 

And vice versa 
why should the "filial" love of Jesus 
not have had an influence 
upon the "fatherly" love of Joseph,
thus leading to a further deepening
of their unique relationship? 

Those souls most sensitive 
to the impulses of divine love 
have rightly SEEN IN JOSEPH 
A BRILLIANT EXAMPLE OF THE INTERIOR LIFE.

Furthermore, in Joseph, the apparent tension 
between the active and the contemplative life 
finds an ideal harmony 
that is only possible for those 
who possess the perfection of charity. 

Following St. Augustine's well-known distinction
between the love of the truth 
   (caritas veritatis) 
and the practical demands of love 
   (necessitas caritatis),
   (41) 
we can say that Joseph experienced both

love of the truth
 - that pure contemplative love 
   of the divine Truth 
   which radiated from the humanity of Christ -

and the demands of love 
 - that equally pure and selfless love 
   required for his vocation 
   to safeguard and develop the humanity of Jesus, 
   which was inseparably linked to his divinity. 

39. Ibid., III, q. 8, a. 1, ad 1. 

40. Cf. Pius XII, 
     Encyclical Letter Haurietis aquas 
     (May 15, 1956), III: 
     AAS 48 (1956), pp. 329f. 

41. Cf. St. Thomas, 
     Summa Theol. II-IIae, 
     q. 182, a. 1, ad 3. 

                
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/ 
john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/
documents/
hf_jp-ii_exh_15081989_redemptoris
-custos_en.html

 

Patron of the interior life,
   he is an example
        of faith and
        of being "constantly attentive to God,
   open to the signs of God’s presence
        and
   receptive to God’s plans”.                                [58]

              [58] Francis,
                     Homily for the inauguration of his Pontificate,
                     19 March 2013.

Homily for the inauguration of his Pontificate
  
"... In the Gospel we heard that 
“Joseph did as the angel of the Lord 
commanded him and took Mary as his wife” 
    (Mt 1:24). 

These words already point to the mission 
which God entrusts to Joseph: 

he is to be the custos, the protector. 

The protector of whom? 

Of Mary and Jesus; 

but this protection is then extended 
to the Church, 
as Blessed John Paul II pointed out:

“Just as Saint Joseph 
 took loving care of Mary 
 and gladly dedicated himself 
 to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, 
 he likewise watches over and protects
 Christ’s Mystical Body,  the Church, 
 of which the Virgin Mary
 is the exemplar and model” 
 (Redemptoris Custos, 1).


How does Joseph exercise 
his role as protector?

Discreetly, humbly and silently, 
but with an unfailing presence 
and utter fidelity, 
even when he finds it hard to understand. 

From the time of his betrothal to Mary 
until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus
in the Temple of Jerusalem, 
he is there at every moment with loving care. 

As the spouse of Mary, 
he is at her side in good times and bad, 
on the journey to Bethlehem for the census 
and in the anxious and joyful hours 
when she gave birth; 
amid the drama of the flight into Egypt
and during the frantic search for their child 
in the Temple; 
and later in the day-to-day life 
of the home of Nazareth, 
in the workshop 
where he taught his trade to Jesus.

How does Joseph respond to his calling 
to be the protector 
of Mary, Jesus and the Church? 

By being constantly attentive to God, 
OPEN TO the signs of GOD’S PRESENCE 
and RECEPTIVE TO GOD’S PLANS, 
and not simply to his own. 

This is what God asked of David, 
as we heard in the first reading. 

God does not want a house built by men, 
but FAITHFULNESS TO HIS WORD, 
TO HIS PLAN. 

It is God himself who builds the house, 
but from living stones sealed by his Spirit. 

Joseph is a “protector” 
because he is ABLE TO HEAR GOD’S VOICE 
AND BE GUIDED BY HIS WILL; 

and for this reason he is 
all the more sensitive to the persons 
entrusted to his safekeeping. 

He can look at things realistically, 
he is in touch with his surroundings, 
he can make truly wise decisions. 

In him, dear friends, 
we learn how to respond to God’s call, 
readily and willingly, 
but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, 
which is Christ! 

Let us protect Christ in our lives, 
so that we can protect others, 
so that we can protect creation!

The vocation of being a “protector”, however,
is not just something involving us Christians alone; 

it also has a prior dimension which is simply human,
involving everyone. 

It means protecting all creation, 
the beauty of the created world, 
as the Book of Genesis tells us and 
as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. 

It means respecting each of God’s creatures 
and respecting the environment in which we live.

It means protecting people, 
showing loving concern 
for each and every person, 
especially children, the elderly, those in need, 
who are often the last we think about. 

It means caring 
for one another in our families: 
husbands and wives first protect one another, 
and then, as parents, 
they care for their children, 
and children themselves, 
in time, protect their parents. 

It means building sincere friendships 
in which we protect one another 
in trust, respect, and goodness. 

In the end, 
everything has been entrusted to our protection, 
and all of us are responsible for it. 

Be protectors of God’s gifts!

Whenever human beings fail 
to live up to this responsibility, 
whenever we fail to care for creation 
and for our brothers and sisters, 
the way is opened to destruction 
and hearts are hardened. 

Tragically, in every period of history 
there are “Herods” who plot death, 
wreak havoc, 
and mar the countenance of men and women.

Please, I would like to ask all those 
who have positions of responsibility 
in economic, political and social life, 
and all men and women of goodwill: 

let us be “protectors” of creation, 
protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, 
protectors of one another and of the environment. 

Let us not allow omens of destruction and death 
to accompany the advance of this world! 

But to be “protectors”, 
we also have to keep watch over ourselves! 

Let us not forget that hatred, envy 
and pride defile our lives! 

Being protectors, then, 
also means keeping watch 
over our emotions, over our hearts, 
because they are the seat 
of good and evil intentions:

intentions that build up and tear down! 

We must not be afraid 
of goodness or even tenderness!

Here I would add one more thing: 
caring, protecting, demands goodness, 
it calls for a certain tenderness.

In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as 
a strong and courageous man, 
a working man, 
yet in his heart we see great tenderness, 
which is not the virtue of the weak 
but rather a sign of strength of spirit 
and a capacity for concern, for compassion, 
for genuine openness to others, for love. 

We must not be afraid 
of goodness, of tenderness!

Today, 
together with the feast of Saint Joseph, 
we are celebrating the beginning 
of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, 
the Successor of Peter, 
which also involves a certain power. 

Certainly, 
Jesus Christ conferred power upon Peter, 
but what sort of power was it? 

Jesus’ three questions to Peter about love 
are followed by three commands: 
feed my lambs, feed my sheep. 

Let us never forget 
that authentic power is service, 
and that the Pope too, when exercising power, 
must enter ever more fully into that service
which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. 

He must be inspired 
by the lowly, concrete and faithful service 
which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, 
he must open his arms 
to protect all of God’s people and
embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, 
especially the poorest, the weakest, 
the least important, 
those whom Matthew lists 
in the final judgment on love: 
the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, 
the naked, the sick and those in prison 
    (cf. Mt 25:31-46). 


Only those who serve with love 
are able to protect!

In the second reading, 
Saint Paul speaks of Abraham, 
who, “hoping against hope, believed” 
    (Rom 4:18). 

Hoping against hope! 

Today too, amid so much darkness, 
we need to see the light of hope and 
to be men and women 
who bring hope to others. 

To protect creation, 
to protect every man and every woman, 
to look upon them with tenderness and love, 
is to open up a horizon of hope;

it is to let a shaft of light 
break through the heavy clouds; 
it is to bring the warmth of hope! 

For believers, for us Christians, 
like Abraham, like Saint Joseph, 
the hope that we bring 
is set against the horizon of God, 
which has opened up before us in Christ. 

It is a hope built on the rock which is God.

To protect Jesus with Mary, 
to protect the whole of creation, 
to protect each person, 
especially the poorest, 
to protect ourselves: 

this is a service that the Bishop of Rome 
is called to carry out, 
yet one to which all of us are called, 
so that the star of hope will shine brightly. 

Let us protect with love 
all that God has given us!

I implore the intercession of the Virgin Mary, 
Saint Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, 
and Saint Francis, 
that the Holy Spirit may accompany my ministry, 
and I ask all of you to pray for me! 

Amen."
           
                
http://w2.vatican.va/content/
francesco/en/homilies/2013/
documents/
papa-francesco_20130319_
omelia-inizio-pontificato.html

 

Being a chaste and faithful spouse,
he is the model
   of a father solicitous in care of the family,
        and
   of a responsible laborer
        who considers his work as an "expression of love".     [59]

              [59] John Paul II,
                     Redemptoris Custos, 22‐23.

Redemptoris Custos, 22‐23
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION 
REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF
JOHN PAUL II
ON THE PERSON AND MISSION OF 
SAINT JOSEPH 
IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST AND OF THE CHURCH       

IV 
WORK AS AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE 

22. 
Work was the daily expression of love 
in the life of the Family of Nazareth. 

The Gospel specifies the kind of work Joseph did 
in order to support his family: 
he was a carpenter. 

This simple word sums up Joseph's entire life. 

For Jesus, these were hidden years, 
the years to which Luke refers 
after recounting the episode 
that occurred in the Temple: 

"And he went down with them 
 and came to Nazareth, 
 and was obedient to them" 
     (Lk 2:51). 

This "submission" or obedience of Jesus 
in the house of Nazareth
should be understood as a sharing 
in the work of Joseph. 

Having learned the work 
of his presumed father, 
he was known as "the carpenter's son." 

If the Family of Nazareth is an example 
and model for human families, 
in the order of salvation and holiness, 
so too, by analogy, is Jesus' work 
at the side of Joseph the carpenter. 

In our own day, the Church has emphasized this 
by instituting the liturgical memorial 
of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1. 

Human work, and especially manual labor, 
receive special prominence in the Gospel. 

Along with the humanity of the Son of God, 
work too has been taken up 
in the mystery of the Incarnation, 
and has also been redeemed in a special way. 

At the workbench 
where he plied his trade together with Jesus, 
Joseph brought human work closer 
to the mystery of the Redemption.


23. 
In the human growth of Jesus 
 "in wisdom, age and grace," 
the virtue of industriousness played a notable role, 
since "work is a human good" 
which "transforms nature" 
and makes man "in a sense, more human."
   (34)

The importance of work in human life demands 
that its meaning be known and assimilated 
in order to "help all people 
to come closer to God,
the Creator and Redeemer, 
to PARTICIPATE IN HIS SALVIFIC PLAN 
for man and the world, 
and to deepen...
friendship with Christ in their lives, 
by accepting, through faith, 
a living participation in his threefold mission 
as Priest, Prophet and King."
    (35)


34. 
Cf. Encyclical Letter Laborem Exercens 
(September 14, 1981), 9: 
AAS 73 (1981), pp. 599f. 

35. 
Ibid., 24: 
loc. cit., p. 638. 

The Popes in recent times 
have constantly presented 
St. Joseph as the "model" 
of workers and laborers; 

Cf., for example, 
Leo XIII, Encyclical 
Epistle Quamquam pluries
(August 15, 1889): loc. cit., p. 180; 

Benedict XV, Motu proprio Bonum sane
(July 25, 1920): loc. cit., pp. 314-316; 

Pius XII, Discourse 
(March 11, 1945), 4: 
AAS 37 (1945),   p. 72: 

Discourse (May 1, 1955): 
AAS 47 (1955), p. 406; 

John XXIII, Radio Address (May 1, 1960): 
AAS 52 (1960), p. 398. 

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/
john_paul_ii/
apost_exhortations/documents/
hf_jp-ii_exh_15081989_
redemptoris-custos_en.html      
                

 

In communion with the Church and the Order,
    who venerate him
  as their "provident Protector",   [60]

              [60] Constitutions of the OCD Friars, 52;

              [60] cf. Constitutions of the Discalced Carmelites, 59.


members of the Secular Order
  find in Saint Joseph an incomparable protector
    to whom they can entrust
           the hopes, the struggles and
           the work of every day.                               [61]

              [61]
                     “St. Joseph is the model of those humble ones
                      that Christianity raises up to great destinies;

                      … he is the proof that in order to be
                            a good and genuine follower of Christ,
                      there is no need for great things

                       – it is enough to have the common,
                             simple and human virtues,
                       but they need to be true and authentic.”

                       ( Paul VI Insegnamenti VII, 1969,
                         cited in John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos, 24 ).

  _________________________________________________________________________________

 Additional  Readings 

VERBUM DOMINI  27 

Mary, “Mother of God’s Word” 
and “Mother of Faith”

Pope Benedict XVI
POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION

VERBUM DOMINI


OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI

TO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY, CONSECRATED PERSONS 
AND THE LAY FAITHFUL

ON THE WORD OF GOD 
IN THE LIFE AND MISSION OF THE CHURCH


Mary, “Mother of God’s Word” 
and “Mother of Faith”

27. 
The Synod Fathers declared 
that the basic aim of the Twelfth Assembly was 
“to renew the Church’s faith 
in the word of God”. 

To do so, we need to look to the one 
in whom the interplay 
between the word of God and faith 
was brought to perfection, 
that is, to the Virgin Mary, 

“who by her ‘yes’ 
 to the word of the covenant and her mission, 
 perfectly fulfills the divine vocation 
 of humanity”.    
    [79] 

    [79] Propositio 55.
          

The human reality created through the word 
finds its most perfect image 
in Mary’s obedient faith. 

From the Annunciation to Pentecost 
she appears as a woman 
completely open to the will of God. 

She is the Immaculate Conception, 
the one whom God made “full of grace” 
   (cf. Lk 1:28) 

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    Lk 1:28
 
    And the angel being come in, 
    said unto her: 
    Hail, full of grace, 
    the Lord is with thee: 
    Blessed art thou among women.

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

and unconditionally docile to his word              
   (cf. Lk 1:38). 

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    Lk 1:38

    And Mary said: 
    Behold the handmaid of the Lord; 
    Be it done to me 
    according to thy word

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Her obedient faith shapes her life 
at every moment before God’s plan. 

A Virgin ever attentive to God’s word, 
she lives completely attuned to that word; 
She treasures in her heart 
the events of her Son, 
piecing them together 
as if in a single mosaic   
 (   cf. Lk 2:19,51).   
     [80]

     [80] Cf. Benedict XVI, 
          Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation 
          Sacramentum Caritatis 
          (22 February 2007), 33: 
          AAS 99 (2007), 132-133.


     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

     Lk 2:18 - 19

     18 And all that heard, wondered; 
         and at those things 
         that were told them 
         by the shepherds. 

     19 But Mary kept all these words, 
         pondering them in her heart

     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

     Lk 2: 48 - 51

     48 And seeing him, they wondered. 
         And his mother said to him: 
         Son, why hast thou done so to us? 
         Behold thy father and I 
         have sought thee sorrowing.

     49 And he said to them: 
         How is it that you sought me? 
         Did you not know, that I must be 
         about my father's business? 

     50 And they understood not the word 
         that he spoke unto them.

     51 And he went down with them, 
         and came to Nazareth, 
         and was subject to them. 

         And his mother kept all these words 
         in her heart. 

     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In our day the faithful need to be helped 
to see more clearly the link 
between Mary of Nazareth 
and the faith-filled hearing of God’s word. 

I would encourage scholars as well 
to study the relationship 
between Mariology and the theology of the word. 

This could prove most beneficial 
both for the spiritual life 
and for theological and biblical studies. 

Indeed, what the understanding of the faith 
has enabled us to know about Mary 
stands at the heart of Christian truth. 

The incarnation of the word 
cannot be conceived apart 
from the freedom of this young woman 
who by her assent decisively cooperated 
with the entrance of the eternal into time. 

Mary is the image of the Church 
in attentive hearing of the word of God, 
which took flesh in her. 

Mary also symbolizes openness to God and others; 
an active listening 
which interiorizes and assimilates,
one in which the word becomes a way of life.

28. 
Here I would like to mention Mary’s familiarity 
with the word of God. 

This is clearly evident in the Magnificat. 

There we see in some sense 
how she identifies with the word, 
enters into it; 

In this marvellous canticle of faith, 
the Virgin sings
the praises of the Lord in his own words: 

“The Magnificat 
 – a portrait, so to speak, of her soul – 
is entirely woven 
from threads of Holy Scripture, 
threads drawn from the word of God. 

Here we see how completely at home Mary is 
with the word of God, 
with ease she moves in and out of it. 

She speaks and thinks with the word of God; 
The word of God becomes her word, 
and her word issues from the word of God. 

Here we see 
how her thoughts are attuned 
to the thoughts of God, 
how her will is one 
with the will of God. 

Since Mary is completely imbued 
with the word of God, 
she is able to become 
the Mother of the Word Incarnate”.   
     [81]

     [81] Id., Encyclical Letter 
           Deus Caritas Est 
           (25 December 2005), 41: 
           AAS 98 (2006), 251.


Furthermore, 
in looking to the Mother of God, we see 
how God’s activity in the world 
always engages our freedom, 
because through faith, 
the divine word transforms us. 

Our apostolic and pastoral work 
can never be effective 
unless we learn from Mary 
how to be shaped by the working of God within us: 

“devout and loving attention to the figure of Mary 
 as the model and archetype of the Church’s faith 
 is of capital importance 
 for bringing about in our day 
 a concrete paradigm shift 
 in the Church’s relation with the word, 
 both in prayerful listening 
 and in generous commitment 
 to mission and proclamation”.  
     [82]

     [82]Propositio 55.
         (see Proposition 55 
         in its textbox below)


As we contemplate in the Mother of God 
a life totally shaped by the word, 
we realize that we too are called 
to enter into the mystery of faith, 
whereby Christ comes to dwell in our lives. 

Every Christian believer, 
Saint Ambrose reminds us, 
in some way interiorly conceives 
and gives birth to the word of God: 

Even though there is only one Mother of Christ 
in the flesh, 
in the faith Christ is the progeny of us all.          
    [83] 

    [83] Cf. Expositio Evangelii 
          secundum Lucam, 2, 19: 
          ( Commentary on the Gospel 
          according to Luke )
          PL 15, 1559-1560.


Thus, what took place for Mary 
can daily take place in each of us, 
in the hearing of the word and 
in the celebration of the sacraments.
  

 

Proposition 55
Maria, Mater Dei and Mater Fidei

Proposition 55  


Maria Mater Dei  Mary, Mother of God  

Mater Fidei      Mother of the Faith



The Synod, which aims above all 
to renew the Church's faith in the Word of God, 
looks to Mary, 
the Virgin Mother of the Incarnate Word, 
who with her yes to the Word 
of the Covenant and its mission,
perfectly fulfills the divine vocation of humanity . 

The Synod Fathers suggested to spread 
among the faithful 
praying the Angelus, 
daily commemoration of the Incarnate Word, and 
the Rosary.
 

The New Testament Church lives 
where the Word  Incarnate is 
welcomed, loved, and served 
with complete openness to the Holy Spirit. 

Mary's faith is developed in the love 
with which she accompanies  
the growth and mission of the Incarnate Word. 

Beneath the Cross of the Son,
faith and love become the hope 
with which she agrees 
to become the Mother of the beloved disciple 
and redeemed humanity.



The Devoted and loving attention 
to the figure of Mary
as model and archetype of the faith of the Church
is  of paramount importance for achieving today 
a real paradigm shift in the relationship 
of the Church with the Word,
the attitude of prayerful listening, 
and the generosity of commitment 
to mission and proclamation.



The Synod Fathers, 
united with the Holy Father in prayer 
that the synod "will bear 
the fruit of authentic renewal 
in every Christian community" 

(Benedict XVI, Angelus in Pompeii, 
 October 19, 2008), 
invites pastors and the faithful 
to direct our gaze to Mary 
and ask the Holy Spirit  
for the grace of a lively faith 
in the Word of God made flesh.

   
    . . . . . . . . . 
 From Foot Note # 79 and # 82 of VERBUM DOMINI
  [79] Propositio 55.
  [82] Propositio 55.

http://www.vatican.va/news_services
/press/sinodo/documents
/bollettino_22_xii-ordinaria-2008
/01_italiano/b37_01.html

( Translated from the Italian  
  by http://translate.google.com/  )
     . . . . . . . . . . 
 

SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS    #33

ON THE EUCHARIST AS THE SOURCE AND SUMMIT

OF THE CHURCH'S LIFE AND MISSION

The Eucharist and the Virgin Mary   #33
  
 . . . . . . . . . 
From Foot Note # 80  of VERBUM DOMINI
[80] 
Cf. Benedict XVI, 
Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation 
Sacramentum Caritatis 
(22 February 2007), 33: 
. . . . . . . . . .


Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation 
SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS

Of The Holy Father Benedict XVI

To The Bishops, Clergy, Consecrated Persons

And The Lay Faithful


On The Eucharist 
As The Source And Summit

Of The Church's Life And Mission

THE EUCHARIST AND THE VIRGIN MARY

33. 
From the relationship between the Eucharist 
and the individual sacraments, 
and from the eschatological significance 
of the sacred mysteries, 
the overall shape of the Christian life emerges, 
a life called at all times 
to be an act of spiritual worship, 
a self-offering pleasing to God. 

Although we are all still journeying towards 
the complete fulfilment of our hope, 
this does not mean 
that we cannot already gratefully acknowledge 
that God's gifts to us 
have found their perfect fulfilment 
in the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother. 

Mary's Assumption body and soul into heaven 
is for us a sign of sure hope, 
for it shows us, 
on our pilgrimage through time, 
the eschatological goal 
of which the sacrament of the Eucharist 
enables us even now to have a foretaste.

In Mary most holy, 
we also see perfectly fulfilled 
the "sacramental" way 
that God comes down to meet his creatures 
and involves them in his saving work. 

From the Annunciation to Pentecost, 
Mary of Nazareth appears as someone 
whose freedom is completely open to God's will. 

Her immaculate conception is revealed precisely 
in her unconditional docility to God's word. 

Obedient faith in response to God's work 
shapes her life at every moment. 

A virgin attentive to God's word, 
she lives in complete harmony with his will; 

she treasures in her heart the words 
that come to her from God 
and, piecing them together like a mosaic, 
she learns to understand them more deeply     
   (cf. Lk 2:19, 51); 

Mary is the great Believer 
who places herself confidently in God's hands, 
abandoning herself to his will.                              
   (102) 

   (102) Cf. Benedict XVI, 
          Homily (8 December 2005): 
          AAS 98 (2006), 15-16.

This mystery deepens 
as she becomes completely involved 
in the redemptive mission of Jesus. 

In the words of the Second Vatican Council, 
"the blessed Virgin advanced 
in her pilgrimage of faith, 
and faithfully persevered 
in her union with her Son 
until she stood at the Cross, 
in keeping with the divine plan                     
   (cf. Jn 19:25), 
suffering deeply with her only-begotten Son, 
associating herself with his sacrifice 
in her mother's heart, 
and lovingly consenting to the immolation 
of the victim who was born of her. 

Finally, 
she was given by the same Christ Jesus, 
dying on the Cross, 
as a mother to his disciple, 
with these words: 
‘Woman, behold your Son."'           
     (103) 

     (103) Dogmatic Constitution 
            on the Church 
            Lumen Gentium, 58.


From the Annunciation to the Cross, 
Mary is the one who received the Word, 
made flesh within her 
and then silenced in death. 

It is she, lastly, 
who took into her arms 
the lifeless body of the one 
who truly loved his own "to the end" 
   (Jn 13:1).

Consequently, 
every time we approach 
the Body and Blood of Christ 
in the eucharistic liturgy, 
we also turn to her 
who, by her complete fidelity, 
received Christ's sacrifice 
for the whole Church. 

The Synod Fathers rightly declared that 
"Mary inaugurates the Church's participation 
in the sacrifice of the Redeemer."  
    (104) 

    (104) Propositio 4.

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    Propositio 4

    "...Under the cross, 
    the Most Holy Virgin unites herself completely 
    to the Savior's sacrificial gift. 
    By her immaculate conception 
    and fullness of grace, 
    Mary inaugurates the participation of the Church 
    in the Redeemer's sacrifice."

    - Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist    
      October 2005 

      http://www.vatican.va/news_services/
      press/sinodo/documents/
      bollettino_21_xi-ordinaria-2005/01_italiano/
      b31_01.html

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She is the Immaculata, 
who receives God's gift unconditionally 
and is thus associated with his work of salvation. 

Mary of Nazareth, icon of the nascent Church, 
is the model for each of us, 
called to receive the gift 
that Jesus makes of himself in the Eucharist.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi
/apost_exhortations/documents
/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_
sacramentum-caritatis_en.html
               

 

Deus Caritas Est  #41, 42
ON CHRISTIAN LOVE

. . . . . . . . .
From Foot Note # 81 of Verbum Domini
[81] Id., Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est 
(25 December 2005), 41: 
. . . . . . . . . .

Encyclical Letter

DEUS CARITAS EST

Of The Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI


To The Bishops Priests And Deacons

Men And Women Religious And All The Lay Faithful


On Christian Love

41. 
Outstanding among the saints is Mary, 
 Mother of the Lord and 
 Mirror of all holiness. 

In the Gospel of Luke we find her engaged 
in a service of charity to her cousin Elizabeth, 
with whom she remained for “about three months” 
   ( Lk 1:56) 
so as to assist her 
in the final phase of her pregnancy. 

“Magnificat anima mea Dominum”, 
she says on the occasion of that visit, 
“My soul magnifies the Lord” 
    (Lk 1:46). 

In these words she expresses 
her whole programme of life: 

Not setting herself at the centre, 
but leaving space for God, 
Who is encountered both 
in prayer and in service of neighbour

  — only then does goodness enter the world. 

Mary's greatness consists in the fact 
that she wants to magnify God, not herself. 

She is lowly: 
her only desire is 
to be the handmaid of the Lord 
  (cf. Lk 1:38, 48). 

She knows that she will only contribute 
to the salvation of the world 
if, rather than carrying out her own projects, 
she places herself completely at the disposal 
of God's initiatives. 

Mary is a woman of hope: 

Only because she 
believes in God's promises and 
awaits the salvation of Israel, 
can the angel visit her 
and call her to the decisive service 
of these promises. 


Mary is a woman of faith: 
“Blessed are you who believed”, 
Elizabeth says to her 
   (cf. Lk 1:45). 

The Magnificat
  — a portrait, so to speak, of her soul —
is entirely woven from threads of Holy Scripture, 
threads drawn from the Word of God. 

Here we see how completely at home Mary is 
with the Word of God, 
with ease she moves in and out of it. 

She speaks and thinks with the Word of God; 
The Word of God becomes her word, and 
her word issues from the Word of God. 

Here we see 
how her thoughts are attuned to the thoughts of God, 
how her will is one with the will of God. 

Since Mary is completely imbued 
with the Word of God, 
she is able to become 
the Mother of the Word Incarnate. 

Finally, Mary is a woman who loves. 

How could it be otherwise? 
As a believer who in faith 
thinks with God's thoughts and 
wills with God's will, 
she cannot fail to be a woman who loves.

We sense this in her quiet gestures, 
as recounted 
by the infancy narratives in the Gospel. 

We see it in the delicacy with which she recognizes 
the need of the spouses at Cana 
and makes it known to Jesus. 

We see it in the humility 
with which she recedes into the background 
during Jesus' public life, 
knowing that the Son must establish a new family 
and that the Mother's hour will come 
only with the Cross, 
which will be Jesus' true hour 
   (cf. Jn 2:4; 13:1). 

When the disciples flee, 
Mary will remain beneath the Cross    
   (cf. Jn 19:25-27); 

Later, at the hour of Pentecost, 
it will be they who gather around her 
as they wait for the Holy Spirit      
   (cf. Acts 1:14).


42. 
The lives of the saints are 
not limited to their earthly biographies 
but also include their being 
and working in God 
after death. 

In the saints one thing becomes clear: 
Those who draw near to God 
do not withdraw from men, 
but rather become truly close to them. 

In no one do we see this more clearly 
than in Mary. 

The words addressed by the crucified Lord 
to his disciple
 — to John and through him to all disciples of Jesus: 
   “Behold, your mother!” 
   (Jn 19:27)   —
are fulfilled anew in every generation. 

Mary has truly become the Mother of all believers. 

Men and women of every time and place 
have recourse to her motherly kindness 
and her virginal purity and grace, 
in all their needs and aspirations, 
their joys and sorrows, 
their moments of loneliness and 
their common endeavours. 

They constantly experience 
the gift of her goodness and 
the unfailing love which she pours out 
from the depths of her heart. 

The testimonials of gratitude, 
offered to her from every continent and culture, 
are a recognition of that pure love 
which is not self-seeking but simply benevolent. 

At the same time, 
the devotion of the faithful shows 
an infallible intuition 
of how such love is possible: 

It becomes so as a result 
of the most intimate union with God, 
through which the soul is totally pervaded by him
  — a condition which enables those 
    who have drunk from the fountain of God's love 
    to become in their turn 
    a fountain from which 
    “flow rivers of living water”  
        (Jn 7:38). 

Mary, Virgin and Mother, shows us 
what love is and 
whence it draws its origin 
and its constantly renewed power. 

To her we entrust the Church and her mission 
in the service of love:


Holy Mary, Mother of God,

you have given the world its true light,

Jesus, your Son – the Son of God.


You abandoned yourself completely 
to God's call

and thus became a wellspring of the goodness 
which flows forth from him.


Show us Jesus. 

Lead us to him.

Teach us to know and love him,

so that we too can become capable of true love

and be fountains of living water

in the midst of a thirsting world.


 

Luke 1: 39 - 47

39 
And Mary rising up in those days, 
went into the hill country with haste 
into a city of Juda. 

40 
And she entered 
into the house of Zachary, 
and saluted Elizabeth. 

41 
And it came to pass, 
that when Elizabeth 
heard the salutation of Mary, 
the infant leaped in her womb. 

And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

42 
And she cried out with a loud voice, 
and said: 
Blessed art thou among women, and 
blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

43 
And whence is this to me, 
that the mother of my Lord 
should come to me?

44 
For behold 
as soon as the voice of thy salutation 
sounded in my ears, 
the infant in my womb leaped for joy

45 
And blessed art thou that hast believed, 
because those things shall be accomplished 
that were spoken to thee by the Lord. 

46 
And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. 

47 
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 

 

Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam, 2, 19: 

( Commentary on the Gospel 
  according to Luke )  
  - St Ambrose

     . . . . . . . . . 
 From Foot Note # 83  of Verbum Dei 
 [83]Cf. Expositio Evangelii 
     secundum Lucam, 2, 19: 
     . . . . . . . . . .

Commentary on the Gospel according to Luke 
 - St Ambrose

"Notice the contrast and the choice of words. 

Elizabeth is the first to hear Mary’s voice, 
but John is the first to be aware of grace. 

She hears with the ears of the body, 
but he leaps for joy 
at the meaning of the mystery... 

Elizabeth is filled with the Holly Spirit 
after conceiving John, 
while Mary is filled with the Holy Spirit 
before conceiving the Lord. 

Elizabeth says: 
Blessed are you because you have believed. 

You also are blessed 
because you have heard and believed. 

A soul that believes 
both conceives and brings forth 
the Word of God 
and acknowledges his works.

Let Mary’s soul be in each of you 
to proclaim the greatness of the Lord.
 
Let her spirit be in each to rejoice in the Lord. 

Christ has only one mother in the flesh, 
but we all bring forth Christ in faith. 

Every soul receives the Word of God 
if only it keeps chaste, 
remaining pure and free from sin, 
its modesty undefiled. 

The soul that succeeds in this proclaims 
the greatness of the Lord, 
just as Mary’s soul magnified the Lord 
and her spirit rejoiced in God her Savior. 

In another place we read: Magnify the Lord with me. 
The Lord is magnified, 
not because the human voice can add anything to God 
but because he is magnified within us. 

Christ is the image of God, 
and if the soul does what is right and holy, 
it magnifies that image of God, 
in whose likeness it was created 

and, in magnifying the image of God, 
the soul has a share in its greatness and is exalted.
              
 

Proposition 58 : 
MARY, THE STAR OF THE NEW EVANGELIZATION


XIII ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY

OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS

7-28 OCTOBER 2012
The New Evangelization for the Transmission 
of the Christian Faith


Proposition 58 : 
MARY, THE STAR OF THE NEW EVANGELIZATION


Vatican Council II presented Mary 
in the context of the Mystery 
of Christ and of the Church 
(cf. Lumen gentium, 52-68). 

Pope Paul VI declared her 
the “Star of Evangelization.” 

She is therefore the model of faith, hope and love. 

She is the first helper 
who brings disciples to the Master 
   (cf. Jn 2). 

In the Upper Room 
she is the Mother of the believers 
   (cf. Acts 1:14).


As Mother of the Redeemer, 
Mary becomes a witness of God’s love. 

She freely fulfills God’s will. 

She is the strong woman, who along with John, 
remains at the foot of the Cross. 

She always intercedes for us and accompanies the faithful 
in their journey as far as the cross of the Lord.


As Mother and Queen 
she is a sign of hope for suffering and needy peoples. 

Today she is the “Missionary” who will aid us 
in the difficulties of our time 
and with her nearness 
open the hearts of men and women to the faith.


We fix our gaze on Mary. 

She will help us to proclaim 
the message of salvation 
to all men and women, 
so that they too may become 
agents of Evangelization. 

Mary is the Mother of the Church. 

Through her presence, 
may the Church become a home for many 
and Mother of all peoples.

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press
/sinodo/documents
/bollettino_25_xiii-ordinaria-2012/
02_inglese/b33_02.html


 

FULGENS CORONA   #24

Encyclical Of Pope Pius XII

Proclaiming A Marian Year To Commemorate 
The Centenary Of The Definition 
Of The Dogma Of The Immaculate Conception


To Our Venerable Brethren, The Patriarchs, 
Primates,
Archbishops, Bishiops, 
And Other Local Ordinaries

In Peace And Communion With The Apostolic See

24. 
And it seems to Us that the Blessed Virgin, 
who throughout the whole course of her life 
  - both in joys, which affected her deeply, 
    as in distress and atrocious suffering, 
    through which she is Queen of Martyrs - 
never departed from the precepts and example 
of her own Divine Son, 

it seems to us, We say, 
that she repeats to each of us those words, 
with which she addressed the servers 
at the wedding feast of Cana, 
pointing as it were to Jesus Christ: 

"Whatsoever He shall say to you,  do ye"  
   (John. 2. 5).

 

_____________________________________________

Rule of  St Albert

OCDS Constitutions

Order of  Secular Discalced Carmelites ( Secular Carmelite Rule of Life )       Preface       Section 1      Our Identity, Values, and Committment        Section 11     Following Jesus                           in the Teresian Secular Carmel       Section 111    Witness to the experience of God       Section 1V     Serving God's Plan        Section V      With Mary, the Mother of Jesus       Section V1     Formation in the School of Carmel       Section V11    Organization and Government       Epilogue