Prayers and Reflections

Mary: Virgin made Church

Opening Prayer/Hymn:

You are all fair O Mary
You are all fair O Mary
The stain of original sin is not in you.
You are the glory of Jerusalem.
You are the joy of Israel.
You are the honour of our people.
You are the Advocate of Sinners.
O Mary, O Mary.
Virgin Most Prudent
Mother Most Merciful
O pray for us,
Intercede for us with your Son Lord Jesus Christ.

Devotion to Mary has been strong in the Franciscan Order from its earliest days:

Celano writes: “Towards the mother of Jesus, Francis was filled with an inexpressible love, because it was she who made the Lord of Majesty our brother. He sang special Praises to her, poured out prayers to her, offered her his affections, so many and so great that the tongue of man cannot recount them. But what delights us most, he made her the advocate of the Order and placed under her care the sons he was about to leave (in death) that she might cherish them and protect them to the end. Hail Advocate of the poor! Fulfil toward us your office of protectress until the time set by the Father.”

(Celano, Second Life, Chapter CL)

The Franciscans at their General Chapter in Pisa in 1263 adopted the Feast of the Conception of Mary for the entire order.

Duns Scotus, a Franciscan theologian from Scotland, successfully defended his thesis on the Immaculate Conception in 1308.

Reflection:

Let us take time to reflect on the following quotations from scripture as we honour Mary:

A woman who heard God’s call and responded generously ... “I am the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38)

A woman of Faith … “Blessed are you who believed” (Luke 1:45)

A woman of Praise … “My heart praises God; my soul is glad because of God, my Saviour” (Luke 1:46)

A woman of Humility … “He has remembered me, his lowly servant” (Luke 1:48)

A woman of Sorrow … “And a sword shall pierce your heart” (Luke 2:35)

Pray:

This antiphon in honour of Mary was written by Francis to be said before and after the psalms in the Office of the Passion.

Holy Virgin Mary,
There is no one like you among women born into the world.
Daughter and Handmaid of the Most High Sovereign King,
Mother of our most holy Lord Jesus Christ,
Spouse of the Holy Spirit,
Pray for us
with Saint Michael the Archangel,
and with all the powers of the heavens
and with all the saints,
together with your most holy beloved Son,
Lord and Teacher.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Francis' Devotion to Mary:

Francis showed that he could think in a new way when he made the crib at Greccio and celebrated Christmas in a way that has captured Christian imagination ever since. He was also original when speaking of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It would be strange if Francis who was marked with the five wounds of Christ did not feel a special reverence for the Lord’s mother. Naturally, in the crib at Greccio, the virgin was a centre of attention and devotion.

In his Salutation to Mary, Francis coined a new expression when he called her “the Virgin made Church”. Francis was not attempting to write a new theology. What he meant by the words “made Church” is clear in the following words of the Salutation when he calls Mary the Lord’s Palace, His Tabernacle, His Dwelling, His Robe, His Servant and His Mother. Mary was the Palace, Tabernacle, Dwelling and Robe of Christ when he lived in her womb and, since Christ is the Head of the Church, Mary was “made Church”. But as a Servant of Christ she was a member of the Church and the Mother of the Head of the Church.

Addressing all the holy virtues present in Mary, Francis prayed, asking that all these virtues be “poured into the hearts of the faithful through the grace and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit”. Francis saw Mary as a model and person “in whom there was and is all fullness of grace and every good”.

(Campion Murray ofm, Franciscan Spirituality, p 52)

Pause to reflect

Pray:

Mary, in your own body you provided a Tabernacle, a place of safety and care for Jesus:

Pray for all pregnant women and that they may understand the value of the life they hold within them.

Holy Mother, you provided a Home for Jesus, not only in your body before his birth, but during his years of childhood and preparation for his public ministry:

Pray for all mothers that they may have the love, strength and wisdom they need to maintain a peace-filled home and raise children prepared for the vocation to which God will call them.

Mary, you were truly the willing Servant in the home of Jesus and Joseph:

Pray for us that we may be generous in respecting and serving one another and in promoting peace and harmony wherever we live and work.

Mary -- Mother, on the Cross Jesus gave us you to be our Mother also:

Help us each day to grow in our knowledge and love of Jesus, your Son.

Conclusion:

Pray Francis' “Salutation to the Blessed Virgin Mary”:

Hail, O Lady, Holy Queen,
Mary, Holy Mother of God!
You are the Virgin made Church
And the one chosen by the most holy Father in heaven.
You he consecrated with his most holy beloved Son
And with the Holy Spirit the Paraclete.
In you there was, and is, all the fullness of grace and every good.

Hail, his Palace!
Hail, his Tabernacle!
Hail, his Home!
Hail, his Robe!
Hail, his Servant!
Hail, his Mother!

And hail all you holy virtues
Which through the grace and light of the Holy Spirit
Are poured into the hearts of the faithful,
So that from their faithless state,
You may make them faithful to God.

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