​Hello Everyone:
I have posted this article on March 23rd but updated it to reflect the fact that we are now going to celebrate this great Feast Day! Since the Feast of the Annunciation  fell on Palm Sunday it will therefore be celebrated on Monday;, April 9th. The Easter days took precedence over this Feast. It is an important feast in the Church and therefore is transferred to the date following the days of Easter.  It is an amazing feast as it celebrates The Son of God becoming Incarnate in the womb of Mary – the very first tabernacle!

St. Louis deMontfort chooses this day, The Annunciation, as the best day for the Consecration to Jesus through Mary. It is the day Jesus came on earth and was placed in the womb of Our Dear Blessed Mother. May we pray for the grace to place both their Hearts on the throne of our own heart.

It was God’s plan to be born among the children of men, to choose a mother among the daughters of Eve and to share our humanity so that we might be partakers of His Divinity and co-heirs of His eternal Home – Heaven – our destiny!

The angel said to the Virgin Mary: “The Holy Spirit shall come upon Thee… and therefore the Holy One that is born of Thee shall be called the Son of God.” In these words, the angel made known that the Son of the Most High God had chosen a woman among the daughters of Eve, and that this humble Virgin Mary had received the incomparable office and dignity of becoming the Mother of God. Jesus is true God and true man, therefore His Mother is truly the Mother of God and therefore the Mother of us all for He is the Head of the Mystical Body and we are the members.

A little digression here --- Once, when I was a young mother of 26 years of age, I came to the January 1st Mass at my parish in the mid-1980’s and heard the pastor say: “Just think – if Mary did not say yes to God, He may still be asking a woman to take on this duty!”  WOW – I was floored. Even at 26 I knew this was crazy! What seminary did he go to!  Thank you Vatican II for not giving The Mother of God Her own Document! We now have shepherds and sheep who know nothing about Her.  (I did write to this pastor with all humility to explain the teachings of the Church on this matter and received as usual – NO RESPONSE – he did put in the next bulletin which I felt was for me an article about people who come to Mass and just complain – It was titled – “Same Truth – Different View Points”.  VERY SAD!

Her position was a singular honor and this is why from the moment of her own conception, She was conceived Immaculate and endowed with supernatural gifts and grace immeasurable beyond those of any creature on Earth or in Heaven. She is the Immaculate Conception for the Church. It was God’s Will for Her to be the Mother of God and the Mother of us all; but She had to give her consent and She did of her own free will to this holy duty as well as choose to remain spotless always. Eve was spotless but chose to sin. Mary was never tainted with sin – NEVER!

Mary responded to the angel, “He that is mighty has done great things to me… and from henceforth all generations shall call Me blessed.”  Does anyone believe that God could be born of a woman who was for an instant the slave of the devil? She was kept spotless and pure with singular graces so that His Tabernacle could be pure. We are talking about God – the same God that people think they can receive in their hand at Holy Communion! Only the anointed hands of a priest can touch the Sacred Host!  How can anyone think that Mary was a woman born with original sin.

This is why we honor Our Lady in a particular way. She was not only chosen to bring Him into the world physically. St. Louis deMontfort says that She continues to bring Christ into the world to us spiritually. It is the will of God that all graces flow to us through Her. It is a teaching and Tradition of the Catholic Church taught by the doctors of the Church. She occupies a special role in the work of redemption. She is intimately beside her divine Son in waging war against the powers of darkness. Their Hearts beat together. Her will is perfectly in union with God.

For more information on our Lady - there is a beautiful encyclical written by Pope St. Pius X - Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum. Here it is for your review.

May we thank the Eternal Father for this great gift of Jesus’ Incarnation and for the gift of Our Queen and Mother who suffered with Christ then and continues to suffer now over the sins of mankind.

Holy Mary, Mother of God - pray for us now and at the hour of our death!

Tomorrow starts the Novena, March 10th, to St. Joseph whose feast day is March 19th. Since this is a Carmelite website, we are very happy to share that St. Teresa of Avila was a great devotee of St. Joseph. She was privileged to know that St. Joseph helps us grow in holiness through devotion to him.

She states, “I have never known anyone who was truly devoted to him and honored him by particular services who did not advance greatly in virtue, for he helps in a special way those souls who recommend themselves to him.”

His great help is even more than asked for or expected, she explained: “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 favors which God hath given me through this blessed saint, the dangers from which he hath delivered me, both of body and of soul.”
 
And who knows better than the Spouse of St. Joseph – The Virgin Mary! The following are very important words of Our Blessed Mother, Herself, to Ven. Mary of Agreda reported in her famous book Mystical City of God:

“The whole human race has much undervalued the privileges and prerogatives conceded to my blessed spouse and they do not realize what his intercession with God is able to do. I assure you, my dear child, that he is a greatly favored personage in the divine presence and has immense power to stay the arms of the divine vengeance. 

I desire that you be very thankful to Divine Goodness for vouchsafing you so much light and knowledge regarding this mystery, and also for the favor which I am making you by revealing this. From now on, during the rest of your mortal life, see that you advance in devotion and in hearty love for my spouse, and that you thank the Lord for having thus favored him with such high privileges and for having given me such great joy in the knowledge of all his excellences. 

In all your necessities you must avail yourself of his intercession. You should encourage many to venerate him and see that your own religious daughters distinguish themselves in their devotion to him. Whatever my spouse asks of the Lord in Heaven is granted upon the earth, and on his intercession depend many and extraordinary favors for men, if they do not make themselves unworthy of receiving them. 

All these privileges were to be a reward for the amiable perfection of this wonderful Saint and for his great virtues; for the divine clemency is favorably drawn forth by them and looks upon Saint Joseph with generous liberality, ready to shower down its marvelous mercies upon all those who avail themselves of his intercession. “

So after these very uplifting and encouraging words of Devotion to St. Joseph, may we start our Novena tomorrow and possibly keep his seven sorrows and seven joys in our hearts during this entire month of March just before Easter.

Below is a recommended prayer to be used as well as the seven sorrows and seven joys. There are many prayers written to St. Joseph so I encourage you to look for these and make some of them your favorite.

Good St. Joseph – pray for us now and at the hour of our death!
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