2012년 2월 23일 목요일

Our Lady Courageous

De Maria, numquam satis.

It is easy to think Our Lady would have been just a good housewife who ticked boxes for a good Jewish mummy and not being very vocal about anything. We do not hear of Our Lady in the Gospel "fighting" for anything at all. Even for Her Son's Death, She quietly stood by that life-restoring tree where the Prince of Glory died. But was She just a timid, passive little lady?

Our Lady, Immaculately conceived, is capable of loving perfectly due to the fact that She was free from original sin. And since Charity without Truth is no Charity at all but "niceness" or some other liberal gibberish, I think She would have been very vocal about the cause for Truth. Same goes with unjust law. An unjust law is no law at all, says St Augustine. For example, a law that not only fails to promote justice and common good but also permits women to abort their children, I think should be called an unjust law. A law that denies food and water to a dying patient out of a "charitable cause" I think should be called an unjust law, too. There are a number of other laws that I have seen being passed that I would have thought unjust but I will not bother to enumerate them.



We know we are on the winning side. Truth will win out in the end. Because that is the very nature of Truth; it silences false. And Our Lady as the Queen of Angels, will join us in Her prayers whilst we ask God to be with us when we unify ourselves in prayer. Look at Her in that picture; She is standing on the serpent and it can barely breathe. You do not mess with Mater Dei. "If God be with us, there is no one else left to fear." said St Philip Neri.

So this Lent, I am going to take it to the streets and join in with 40 days for life.
I would humbly ask all of you to pray for the group for they really do make contribution for the cause for life. They do not dictate, they do not condemn, they hardly say anything but prayers. The media's depiction of them is entirely false. I have met some of the most dedicated Catholics (and an evangelical as well!) at 40 days for life and they were really nice people, too. I have provided a youtube link to 40 days for life England and I have met some of the people at the interviews. They do not look like religious fanatics, do they? Plus they say a lot of Rosaries which adds nicely to your Rosary mileage for Lent. The passers-by are probably going to call us names and give us guilt trips and all sorts of things. A lovely girl I met from 40 days for life (and her contribution towards it is epic!) was told "You should have been aborted!" but in her gentleness she apparently replied "...Yes! You have a nice day, too!"

But hey, Catholicism is not about making false peace with the secular society, right?

p.s. It is absolutely laudable to pray for the cause for life in your personal prayers and it will be even better if you could ask your parish priest to add it in the intentions for Mass, although Mass is always said for the entire world and that is, strictly speaking, not necessary. This blog post is not about nudging people to come to 40 days for life.

A parting gift for today is Sub tuum praesidium.
It is known to be the oldest Marian hymn from 3rd Century. It is very short and I think it is a good prayer to add in your Marian devotion.

Sub tuum praesidium, confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias, in necessitatibus nostris, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper. Virgo gloriosa et benedicta.

 In the audio, the monks seem to have a slight accent. I cannot quite tell whether it is the classical pronunciation or just German. They say "confughimus" and "ghenetrix". Any ideas? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPEXrrFEf5A

40 days for life England http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXG57MA4ocE        http://www.40daysforlife.com/london/

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