10 Virtues of Mary (Part One of Eleven)
The 10 Virtues of Mary are what I like to say "makes Mary... Mary!" (Insert awkward laughter here)
But seriously, the ten virtues of Mary are something we should always keep close to our heart and try to imitate every day. Mary is one of our most perfect examples. Since she too was a woman, I often find myself running back to her and her life and asking her what I should do. What a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL example she is to us.
I don't hear the ten virtues of Mary being talked about often but I believe they are a good and most worthy topic. We talked about them a lot last year on our girls' retreat and I know that I definitely benefited from them (and continue to benefit - no doubt). So what are the virtues?
Well.. before we get a head of ourselves, why don't we review how the Catechism defines virtue. *Note: this is not the second edition but rather the edition that was still being used last summer... you know, the white one!
Profound humility -- Luke 1:26-30 , Luke 1:48
"There is true humility in the one who, when praised from the outside, is sad and troubled within..."
"The path that leads us to ultimate union with Christ is not the unfolding of our natural power and of wealth of our gifts, but our complete surrender and relinquishment of self."
We must choose among all devotions to our Blessed Mother the one which draws us most toward death to ourselves, which will be the best and most sanctifying. In our yearning to be transformed in Christ, let us pray, "Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like unto thine."
Ardent charity -- Luke 1:34,56
Be sensitive to those in distress - to the hungry, the poor, the homeless, the imprisoned, the sick and the sorrowful. Pray, forgive, and comfort and always lean toward the side of mercy which leads to ardent charity.
Continual mental prayer -- Luke 1:46-47 , Acts 1:14
Prayer is raising our minds and heart to God or requesting good things from God as our Blessed Mother asks for us and listening with our hearts to words He speaks to our inner-most being and responding with praise and thanksgiving.
True devotion must not stop with our devotional prayer life. True devotion involves thoughts and actions that flow from a heart of love for God and neighbor.
Divine wisdom -- Luke 2:15-19 , Luke 2:46-51
Let us never let our wisdom oppose the wisdom of God. Whatever God wishes is good. We must act according to Christian wisdom' to mortify all our inordinate inclinations and never attach our heart to vain, perishable goods of the world, to guard against sin, the practice virtue and good works and to love God above all things and with all of our heart.
Universal mortification -- Luke 2:33-35
In order to possess the grace of the cross, or of compassion for our crucified Lord and for His Virgin Mother, we must consider that this grace is not found in the land of those who live a carefee life. God uses sorrow in our lives to give us grace and strengthen our compassion for others. --> to die to self
-- At this point I'm not sure where the other notes on the remaining five virtues are exactly. Perhaps I missed the talk on the other five virtues or maybe we did not have time to cover them all in depth. My memory is failing me at the moment so I cannot be sure which it is. Either way, I had a couple of pages in the back of my notebook where I summarized, I'm sure with the help of one of our wonderful leaders, what each of the virtues is about. --
Profound humility: modesty
Continual mental prayer: He is our center and focus at all times even when attending to other tasks
Ardent charity: Christ-like love and refraining from evil actions
Divine wisdom: soul knowledge
Universal mortification: dying to self at all times
Divine purity: purity that comes from God - pure from sin, especially sexual sins
Blind obedience: obedience to the authority God puts into your life
Angelic sweetness: sweetness like the angels - stems from a prayer life that is constant - always being centered on God
Heroic patience: patience beyond measure that is practiced at all times in every situation
Lively faith: faith always active and moving with the Holy Spirit
Again, do look for posts in the coming days that dive deeper into each of these virtues.
So... if you had to choose one or two virtues to work on, which would they be? If I had to pray for help in a couple of the areas I would probably need to most focus on ... all of them. Haha. So hard to choose just one. Probably... profound humility, ardent charity, and heroic patience. (I know I picked three - so sue me.)
But seriously, the ten virtues of Mary are something we should always keep close to our heart and try to imitate every day. Mary is one of our most perfect examples. Since she too was a woman, I often find myself running back to her and her life and asking her what I should do. What a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL example she is to us.
I don't hear the ten virtues of Mary being talked about often but I believe they are a good and most worthy topic. We talked about them a lot last year on our girls' retreat and I know that I definitely benefited from them (and continue to benefit - no doubt). So what are the virtues?
Well.. before we get a head of ourselves, why don't we review how the Catechism defines virtue. *Note: this is not the second edition but rather the edition that was still being used last summer... you know, the white one!
CCC 1833: Virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do good.Okay.. now for the virtues of Mary...
10 Virtues of Mary as told by St. Louis de Monfort:What is to follow is from my notebook from the retreat last year... meaning lots of broken quotes and references. I will dive deeper into each one individually but for now I wish to only give what pieces I have in front of me.
"...profound humility, her lively faith, her blind obedience, her continual mental prayer, her mortification in all things, her surpassing purity, her ardent charity, her heroic patience, her angelic sweetness, and her divine wisdom..."
Profound humility -- Luke 1:26-30 , Luke 1:48
"There is true humility in the one who, when praised from the outside, is sad and troubled within..."
"The path that leads us to ultimate union with Christ is not the unfolding of our natural power and of wealth of our gifts, but our complete surrender and relinquishment of self."
We must choose among all devotions to our Blessed Mother the one which draws us most toward death to ourselves, which will be the best and most sanctifying. In our yearning to be transformed in Christ, let us pray, "Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like unto thine."
Ardent charity -- Luke 1:34,56
Be sensitive to those in distress - to the hungry, the poor, the homeless, the imprisoned, the sick and the sorrowful. Pray, forgive, and comfort and always lean toward the side of mercy which leads to ardent charity.
Continual mental prayer -- Luke 1:46-47 , Acts 1:14
Prayer is raising our minds and heart to God or requesting good things from God as our Blessed Mother asks for us and listening with our hearts to words He speaks to our inner-most being and responding with praise and thanksgiving.
True devotion must not stop with our devotional prayer life. True devotion involves thoughts and actions that flow from a heart of love for God and neighbor.
Divine wisdom -- Luke 2:15-19 , Luke 2:46-51
Let us never let our wisdom oppose the wisdom of God. Whatever God wishes is good. We must act according to Christian wisdom' to mortify all our inordinate inclinations and never attach our heart to vain, perishable goods of the world, to guard against sin, the practice virtue and good works and to love God above all things and with all of our heart.
Universal mortification -- Luke 2:33-35
In order to possess the grace of the cross, or of compassion for our crucified Lord and for His Virgin Mother, we must consider that this grace is not found in the land of those who live a carefee life. God uses sorrow in our lives to give us grace and strengthen our compassion for others. --> to die to self
-- At this point I'm not sure where the other notes on the remaining five virtues are exactly. Perhaps I missed the talk on the other five virtues or maybe we did not have time to cover them all in depth. My memory is failing me at the moment so I cannot be sure which it is. Either way, I had a couple of pages in the back of my notebook where I summarized, I'm sure with the help of one of our wonderful leaders, what each of the virtues is about. --
Profound humility: modesty
Continual mental prayer: He is our center and focus at all times even when attending to other tasks
Ardent charity: Christ-like love and refraining from evil actions
Divine wisdom: soul knowledge
Universal mortification: dying to self at all times
Divine purity: purity that comes from God - pure from sin, especially sexual sins
Blind obedience: obedience to the authority God puts into your life
Angelic sweetness: sweetness like the angels - stems from a prayer life that is constant - always being centered on God
Heroic patience: patience beyond measure that is practiced at all times in every situation
Lively faith: faith always active and moving with the Holy Spirit
Again, do look for posts in the coming days that dive deeper into each of these virtues.
So... if you had to choose one or two virtues to work on, which would they be? If I had to pray for help in a couple of the areas I would probably need to most focus on ... all of them. Haha. So hard to choose just one. Probably... profound humility, ardent charity, and heroic patience. (I know I picked three - so sue me.)
posted by Laura H. at 6/16/2006 11:25:00 AM
1 Comments:
Wow! This is a coincidence! You posted a lot more in detail, though.
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