Quote of the day, 19 November: St. Raphael Kalinowski

Just as there is nothing greater than God, says Saint Thomas, so none can attain a higher dignity than the Mother of God. Mary, with her Maternity, is like a book in which the world can read the Eternal Word, Jesus, the Lord.

What can one say of the fullness of grace God bestowed on the Most Holy Virgin, to the limits of his power, giving her a dignity surpassing our capacity to understand? When a wise man was asked, “Who is God?” he answered, “If I could define who God is, either God would not exist or I myself would be God.”

Likewise, to the question “What is it to be the Mother of God?” one can only give a similar answer. “If anyone could comprehend this dignity, either Mary would not be the Mother of God, or the one claiming to understand such greatness would be superior to her whose dignity is immeasurable.”

Saint Raphael Kalinowski

Mother of God, Hope of the World, 6

Praskiewicz OCD, S 2016, Saint Raphael Kalinowski: An Introduction to his Life and Spirituality, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Virgin and Child is an oil on wood painting by Anthony Van Dyck (Flemish, 1599–1641) executed around 1620. It comes from the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Public domain).

#blessedVirginMary #jesusChrist #motherOfGod #stRaphaelKalinowski #understanding

Quote of the day, 7 November: Blessed Francis Palau

That same night, when I withdrew to my cave, I saw a shadow at my side; and the shadow had a form, and it represented a reality. The form was all illuminated like the light of the moon. And the shadow spoke to me, and said:

[The shadow:] “Am I the one you seek and call?”

[Francis:] “Ah, I cannot be content with forms and shadows.”

[The shadow:] “Yes, it is true,” she replied, “but reality comes to you represented through shadows, enigmas, images and forms; without them, it cannot come to you, nor can you see it while your eyes are of mortal flesh.”

[Francis:] “What a miserable condition!”

[The shadow:] “Yes, accept it.”

[Francis:] “Who are you?”

[The shadow:] “I am your Beloved.”

[Francis:] “A shadow! A form?”

[The shadow:] “Yes, the form of your Beloved.”

[Francis:] “Without reality?”

[The shadow:] “Do you believe in me?”

[Francis:] “Yes, I believe in you.”

[The shadow:] “If you believe in me, behind the shadow you will always see the reality; in the form, the thing represented; in the idea, the being; in the image and likeness, the immense beauty that has stolen all the affections of your heart. Faith in me is a light that, radiating upon your understanding, will reveal to you more and more, behind the shadows, ideas, forms and images of a woman ever-virgin, who I am, and my love for you.”

[Francis:] “Are you a woman?”

[The shadow:] “Yes, I am a woman appearing as a shadow, formed in your understanding. In your understanding I exist as the idea of woman; in your imagination, as a form; in heaven, as a reality.”

[Francis:] “You are a young woman, beautiful, without blemish or wrinkle, always chaste, always pure, always virgin. And are you in heaven?”

[The shadow:] “Yes, in body and soul, in glorified flesh.”

[Francis:] “What is your name?”

[The shadow:] “I am Mary, the Mother of God.”

Blessed Francis Palau y Quer

Mis relaciones con la Iglesia
Autograph manuscript, 14 April 1864

Note: Blessed Francis Palau y Quer was born to José Palau y Antonia Quer on 29 December 1811 in Aytona (Lerida) Spain. Founder of the “School of Virtue”—which was a model of catechetical teaching—at Barcelona, he suffered much during his life and ministry. While in exile at Ibiza in the Balearic Islands, often Blessed Palau would row to the rugged island of Es Vedra and pray in the solitude of a cave. He began to write his autobiographical journal, Mis relaciones con la Iglesia (My relations with the Church) in that solitude.

Palau y Quer, F 1977, Mis relaciones con la Iglesia, Carmelitas Misioneras, Rome, viewed 5 November 2025, https://www.carmelitasmisioneras.org/download/mis-relaciones-con-la-iglesia/#.

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Sister Vanesa Guerrero of the Purity of Mary Sisters looks out over the Balearic Sea at Valldemosa, Mallorca. Image credit: Vanesa Guerrero, rpm / Cathopic

#BlessedFrancisPalauYQuer #BlessedVirginMary #journal #MotherOfGod #mysticalExperience

Mariology

This is the Christian theological study of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. Mariology looks to relate doctrine/dogma about Mary to other doctrine of the faith, like those concerning Jesus & notions about redemption, intercession, & grace.

Christian Mariology looks to place the role of the historic Mary in the context of Scripture, tradition, & the teachings of the Church of Mary. In terms of social history, Mariology may be broadly defined as the study of devotion to & thinking about Mary throughout the history of Christianity.

There’s a variety of Christian, & non-Christian, views on Mary as a figure ranging from the focus on the veneration of Mary in Roman Catholic Mariology to criticism of “mariolatry” as a form of idolatry.

As a field of theology, the most substantial developments in Mariology, & the founding of specific centers devoted to its study. In recent centuries, it’s taken place within the Roman Catholic Mariology.

The Eastern Orthodox ideas, & veneration, of Mary are integral to the rite as a whole (theotokos). They’re mostly expressed in liturgy. The veneration of Mary is said to permeate, in a way, the entire life of the Church as a “dimension” of dogma, as well as piety, of Christology as well as of Ecclesiology.

While similar to the Roman Catholic view, barring some minor differences, the Orthodox don’t see a need for a separate academic discipline of Mariology, as the Mother of God is seen as the self-evident apogee of God’s human creation. Apogee is the highest point in the development of something.

A significant number of Marian publications were written in the 20th century. Theologians Raimondo Spiazzi & Gabriel Roschini produced 2,500 & 900 publications respectively.

Over the centuries, Roman Catholic Mariology has been shaped by various forces ranging from sensus fidelium to Marian apparitions to the writing of saints to reflection by theologians & papal encyclicals. Encyclicals are papal letters sent to all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church.

Eastern Orthodox theology calls Mary “the Theotokos” or the God bearer. The virginal motherhood of Mary is at the center of Orthodox Mariology. The title of Ever Virgin is/was given to Mary. The Orthodox Mariology approach emphasizes the sublime holiness of Mary, her share in redemption, & her role as a mediator of grace.

Eastern Orthodox mariological thought goes back as far as St. John Damascene, who in the 8th century, wrote on the mediative role of Mary & one the Dormition of the Mother of God. Dormition is from the Latin “dormine” meaning to sleep. This is in reference to the death & subsequent assumption into Heaven to Mary, the mother of Jesus, in Eastern Christianity & some other churches.

In the 14th century, Orthodox Mariology began to flourish among Byzantine theologians who held a cosmic view of Mariology. This puts Jesus & Mary together at the center of the cosmos & saw them as the goal of world history.

More recently, the Eastern Orthodox Mariology achieved a renewal among 20th century theologians in Russia. Mary is the heart of the Church & the center of creation. Unlike the Catholic approach, Eastern Orthodox Mariology doesn’t support the Immaculate Conception Mary. Before the 20th century, Eastern Orthodox Mariology was almost entirely liturgical. It didn’t have any systematic presentation similar to Roman Catholic Mariology.

Protestant views on Mary differ between different denominations. Focus is generally on interpretations of Mary in the Bible, the Apostles’ Creed (which professes the Virgin Birth), & the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431, which called Mary the Mother of God. Some early Protestants created Marian art & allowed limited forms of Marian veneration. Most Protestants today don’t share the veneration of Mary as practiced by Roman Catholics & Eastern Orthodox. Martin Luther, John Calvin, & Karl Barth’s views on Mary, & others have contributed to modern Protestant views.

Anglican Marian theology varies greatly from the Anglo-Catholic, which are very close to Roman Catholic views. The Anglican Church formally celebrates 6 Marian feast days: the Annunciation (March 25), Visitation (May 31), Day of Mary/Assumption or dormition (August 15), Nativity of Mary (September 8), Our Lady of Walsingham (October 15), & Mary’s Conception (December 8). Anglicans, with some other Protestants, teach the Marian dogmas of divine maternity & the virgin birth of Jesus. Even though there’s no systematic agreed upon Mariology among diverse parts of the Anglican Communion. The role of Mary as a mediator is accepted by some groups of modern Anglican theology.

Lutheran Mariology is informed by the Augsburg Confession & honors Mary as “the most blessed Mother of God, the most blessed Virgin Mary, & the Mother of Christ.” The Lutheran Churches, asserts the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary.

The Oriental Orthodox Churches regard Mary as the highest of saints & the Theotokos. They also celebrated a variety of Marian feast days.

In the Islamic perception of the Virgin Mary (known as Maryam in Arabic), she’s an extremely pious & chaste woman who miraculously gave birth, while still a virgin, to the prophet Jesus (called Isa in Arabic). Mary is the only woman named specifically in the Quran. The 19th chapter of the Quran, which is named after her, begins with 2 narrations of a “miraculous birth.”

The First Council of Ephesus, in 431, formally approved devotion to Mary as the Theotokos. Its use implies that Jesus, whom Mary gave birth to, is God. Nestorians preferred Christotokos, meaning “Christ-bearer” or “Mother of the Messiah”, not because they denied Jesus’ divinity. But because they believed that since God the Son, or Logos, existed before time & before Mary. Jesus took divinity from God the Father & humanity from His mom. So calling her “Mother of God” was confusing & perhaps heretical. Others at the council believed that denying the Theotokos title would carry with it the implication that Jesus wasn’t divine.

The Council of Ephesus also approved the creation of icons having the images of the Virgin & child. Devotion to Mary was already widespread before this point. This is reflected in the fresco depictions of Mother & child win the Roman catacombs.

Mary, as the 1st Christian saint & Mother of Jesus, was deemed to be a compassionate mediator between suffering mankind & her son, Jesus, who’s seen as a king & judge.

In the East, devotion to Mary blossomed in the 6th century under official patronage & imperial promotion of the Court of Constantinople. The popularity of Mary as an individual object of devotion only became in the 5th century with the appearance of apocryphal versions of her life, interest in her relics, & the 1st churches dedicated in her name. Like St. Maria Maggiore in Rome.

Since the writing of the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, various beliefs have circulated concerning Mary’s own conception. This led, eventually, to the Roman Catholic Church dogma. It was formally established in the 19th century of Mary’s Immaculate Conception. This exempts her from original sin. This story goes: When Mary’s mom got pregnant with her, it was an Immaculate Conception. So when Mary was born, she was free from original sin. After Mary was born, she was sent to the Temple to live, so she wouldn’t get corrupted by the world. So Mary could be pure to have Jesus.

Roman Catholic & Eastern Orthodox teaching also extends to the end of Mary’s life ending with the Assumption of Mary. This was formally established as dogma in 1950 & the Dormition of the Mother of God respectively.

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#19thCentury #20thCentury #431 #5thCentury #6thCentury #8thCentury #Anglican #AnglicanCommunion #Apocryphal #Apogee #ApostlesCreed #Arabic #Assumption #AssumptionOfMary #AugsburgConfession #August15 #bible #Bishops #Byzantine #ChristBearer #Christian #Christianity #Christotokos #Churches #CourtOfConstantinople #December8 #Dogma #Dormition #EasternOrthodox #Ecclesiology #EcumenicalCouncilOfEphesus #Encyclical #EverVirgin #FirstCouncilOfEphesus #GabrielRoschini #GodBearer #Idolatry #ImmaculateConception #Isa #Islam #Jesus #JohnCalvin #KarlBarth #King #Liturgy #Logos #Lutheran #March25 #Mariology #MartinLuther #MarySImmaculateConception #Maryam #May31 #MotherOfGod #MotherOfTheMessiah #Nativity #Nestorians #October15 #OrientalOrthodoxChurch #OriginalSin #Papal #PerpetualVirginityOfMary #Prophet #Protestant #Quran #RaimondoSpiazzi #relics #RomanCatholicChurch #Rome #Russia #Saint #Saints #SensusFidelium #September8 #StJohnDamascene #TheAnnunciation #TheProtoevangeliumOfJames #Theolgians #Theotokos #Veneration #VirginBirth #VirginMary #Walsingham

Marie du jour, 27 May: Holy Martyrs of Compiègne

Before mental prayer

My God, I offer unto Thee the prayer which I am now about to make, and I unite it to that which my Saviour ceaseth not to offer Thee for me in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. I beseech Thee to grant me the grace to make it in a manner worthy of Thee.

After mental prayer

My God, I give Thee thanks for the grace which Thou hast deigned to bestow upon me, in permitting me to abide in Thy holy presence. I implore Thy pardon, O my God, for all the distractions into which I have suffered myself to fall during this time of prayer. I offer unto Thee the resolutions which, by Thy mercy, Thou hast inspired within me. I entreat Thee to grant me the graces needful for their fulfillment, through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the intercession of the Most Holy Virgin, of Thy holy angels, and of all the saints.

Saint Teresa of St. Augustine and Companions

Prayers written on the inside cover of the Psalter of the Virgin

Note: These prayers appear to have been handwritten on the inside cover of a printed Psalter of the Virgin, possibly used by the Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne. These devotional books, often attributed to St. Bonaventure and widely printed in the 17th–18th centuries, offered a Marian framework for mental prayer and spiritual offering. According to Father Stéphane-Marie, o.c.d., the volume is preserved today in the Archives of the Carmelite Monastery of Le Havre (Archives du Monastère des Carmélites du Havre), where these prayers were found on the pages de garde.

Morgain, S 2023, Les Carmélites Martyres De Compiègne : Pour La Paix De L’église Et De L’état, Nouvelle édition revue et augmentée, Éditions du Carmel, Toulouse.

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Christ in dialogue with the Virgin Mary, illumination from the Chartres Bible, Chartres, 1146–1155. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Latin 116, fol. 12r. (Public domain). You can learn more from the British Library’s Medieval Manuscripts Blog.

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Which prayers do I habitually offer before and after my time of mental prayer? Or, what prayers might help me to begin practicing Carmelite mental prayer?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#MartyrsOfCompiègne #mentalPrayer #MotherOfGod #offering #StTeresaOfStAugustine #thanksgiving #vocalPrayer

Marie du jour, 23 May: St. Edith Stein

The image of the Mother of God demonstrates the basic spiritual attitude which corresponds to woman’s natural vocation; her relation to her husband is one of obedience, trust, and participation in his life as she furthers his objective tasks and personality development; to the child she gives true care, encouragement, and formation of his God-given talents; she offers both selfless surrender and a quiet withdrawal when unneeded.

All is based on the concept of marriage and motherhood as a vocation from God; it is carried out for God’s sake and under His guidance.

Saint Edith Stein

The Ethos of Women’s Professions
Lecture to the Association of Catholic Academics, Salzburg, 1 September 1930

Stein, E 2017, Essays On Woman, The Collected Works of Edith Stein, Book 2, translated from the German by Oben, F, ICS Publications, Washington D.C.

Featured image: The Rest on the Flight into Egypt (1615–1620), oil on canvas by Orazio Gentileschi (1563–1639). Birmingham Museums Trust (Public domain).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Do I see my relationships and responsibilities as a vocation entrusted to me by God?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#BlessedVirginMary #marriage #MotherOfGod #motherhood #StEdithStein #vocation #women

Marie du jour, 18 May: St. John Paul II

At the end of the daily Liturgy of the Hours, among the invocations addressed to Mary by the Church is the following:

“Loving Mother of the Redeemer, gate of heaven, star of the sea,
assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator!”

At the center of this mystery, in the midst of this wonderment of faith, stands Mary. As the loving Mother of the Redeemer, she was the first to experience it: “To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator”!

This is the invocation addressed to Mary, the “loving Mother of the Redeemer,” the invocation addressed to Christ, who through Mary entered human history. Year after year, the antiphon rises to Mary, evoking that moment which saw the accomplishment of this essential historical transformation, which irreversibly continues: the transformation from “falling” to “rising.”

The Church sees the Blessed Mother of God in the saving mystery of Christ and in her own mystery. She sees Mary deeply rooted in humanity’s history, in man’s eternal vocation according to the providential plan which God has made for him from eternity.

She sees Mary maternally present and sharing in the many complicated problems which today beset the lives of individuals, families, and nations; she sees her helping the Christian people in the constant struggle between good and evil, to ensure that it “does not fall,” or, if it has fallen, that it “rises again.”

Saint John Paul II

Papal Encyclical Redemptoris Mater, Conclusion
25 March 1987

John Paul II, St. 1987, Redemptoris Mater: On the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of the Pilgrim Church, Vatican, Rome. Available at: https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031987_redemptoris-mater.html.

Featured image: Madonna and Child, created by the workshop of Sassoferrato (Italian, 1609–1685), executed in oil on canvas (date unknown). Image credit: Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields (Public domain).

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How do I let Mary accompany me in the struggle between falling and rising?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#AlmaRedemptorisMater #BlessedVirginMary #encyclical #inspiration #MotherOfGod #MotherOfTheRedeemer #StJohnPaulII

Quote of the day, 18 May: St. John Paul II

Contemplation of the Virgin presents her to us as a loving Mother who sees her Son growing up in Nazareth (cf. Lk 2:40, 52), follows him on the roads of Palestine, helps him at the wedding at Cana (cf. Jn 2:5) and, at the foot of the Cross, becomes the Mother associated with his offering and given to all people when Jesus himself entrusts her to his beloved disciple (cf. Jn 19:26).

As Mother of the Church, the Blessed Virgin is one with the disciples in “constant prayer” (Acts 1:14); as the new Woman who anticipates in herself what will one day come to pass for us all in the full enjoyment of Trinitarian life, she is taken up into heaven from where she spreads the protective mantle of her mercy over her children on their pilgrimage to the holy mountain of glory.

Such a contemplative attitude of mind and heart prompts admiration for the Virgin’s experience of faith and love; she already lives in herself all that every believer desires and hopes to attain in the mystery of Christ and the Church (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 103; Lumen gentium, n. 53).

Therefore, Carmelites have chosen Mary as their Patroness and spiritual Mother and always keep before the eyes of their heart the Most Pure Virgin, who guides everyone to the perfect knowledge and imitation of Christ.

Thus, an intimacy of spiritual relations has blossomed, leading to an ever-increasing communion with Christ and Mary. For the members of the Carmelite Family, Mary, the Virgin Mother of God and mankind, is not only a model to imitate but also the sweet presence of a Mother and Sister in whom to confide.

St Teresa of Jesus rightly urged her sisters:  “Imitate Our Lady and consider how great she must be and what a good thing it is that we have her for our Patroness” (Interior Castle, III, 1, 3).

Saint John Paul II

Message of John Paul II to the Carmelite Family (excerpt)
25 March 2001

Note: Today, 18 May, marks the birthday of Saint John Paul II (1920–2005), whose love for the Blessed Virgin Mary shaped his entire papacy. In this excerpt from his 2001 message to the Carmelite Family, he reflects on Mary’s contemplative presence and her role as Patroness, Mother, and Sister to all who seek to follow Christ in the spirit of Carmel.

John Paul II 2001, Message to the Carmelite Family, Vatican.va, 25 March, https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/messages/pont_messages/2001/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_20010326_ordine-carmelo.html

Featured image: St. John Paul II is seen here during his pastoral visit to Cali, Colombia on 4–5 July 1986. Image credit: Hernan Valencia / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How does Mary accompany me as both Mother and Sister on my journey toward Christ?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#ChristAndTheChurch #contemplation #faith #love #mercy #MotherOfGod #StJohnPaulII #VirginOfCarmel

Marie du jour, 17 May: St. Thérèse

O beloved Mother, despite my littleness,
Like you, I possess The All-Powerful within me.
But I don’t tremble in seeing my weakness:
The treasures of a mother belong to her child,
And I am your child, O my dearest Mother.
Aren’t your virtues and your love mine too?
So when the white Host comes into my heart,
Jesus, your Sweet Lamb, thinks he is resting in you!…

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Why I Love You, O Mary!, PN 54, Stanza 5

Note: We rejoice together with the entire Carmelite family to mark the 100th anniversary of the canonization of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. In his Apostolic Letter Divini Amoris Scientia, which decreed that St. Thérèse is a Doctor of the Church, St. John Paul II wrote:

Pius XI, who considered Thérèse of Lisieux the “Star of his pontificate”, did not hesitate to assert in his homily on the day of her canonization, 17 May 1925: “The Spirit of truth opened and made known to her what he usually hides from the wise and prudent and reveals to little ones; thus she enjoyed such knowledge of the things above—as Our immediate Predecessor attests—that she shows everyone else the sure way of salvation” (AAS 17 [1925], p. 213).

Thérèse of Lisieux, S & Kinney, D 1995, The Poetry of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Copyright Natalie Ewert (All rights reserved), used by permission.

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
Do I live as a true child of Mary, confident that her love and virtues are offered to me too?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#BlessedVirginMary #canonization #Centenary #DiscalcedCarmelite #Eucharist #MotherOfGod #StJohnPaulII #StThérèseOfLisieux

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit

We unworthy ones will never be silent, O Theotokos, telling of Your miracles, for if You had not come before us praying, who would have delivered us from so many troubles? Who would have kept us free until now? We will not depart from You, O Lady, for You always save Your servants from all dangers.

Both now and ever and unto the ages of ages

Amen

#OrthodoxChristian #Prayer #VirginMary #MotherOfGod #Theotokos

Marie du jour, 14 May: St. Teresa of St. Augustine

O loving Queen, Mother of might most holy,
O deign to place us all within thy breast!
For in thy power, thy children all, though lowly,
Do set their hope, trusting in thy behest.

Saint Teresa of St. Augustine

Excerpt from a Christmas carol

Note: Saint Teresa of St. Augustine, the prioress of the martyred Discalced Carmelite nuns of Compiègne, was born Marie Madeleine Claudine Lidoine in Paris on 22 September 1752. When she presented herself as a candidate for formation in the Carmel of Compiègne, she lacked the necessary dowry that postulants were expected to provide to support the community’s needs.

At that time, the prioress of the Carmel of Saint-Denis was Venerable Mother Teresa of St. Augustine—lovingly remembered by her baptismal name, Madame Louise—the daughter of King Louis XV. Upon learning of the young candidate’s financial difficulty, Madame Louise generously supplied the remaining funds needed for Madame Lidoine’s admission.

In gratitude for her benefactor’s generosity, the novice took the same religious name: Teresa of St. Augustine. That generosity would be repaid in sanctity. As prioress of Compiègne, Mother Teresa of St. Augustine led her sisters joyfully and courageously to the scaffold in revolutionary Paris on 17 July 1794. On 18 December 2024, the Church declared them Saints by equipollent canonization.

Bush, W. 1999, To quell the terror: the mystery of the vocation of the sixteen Carmelites of Compiègne guillotined July 17, 1794, ICS Publications, Washington, D.C.

Featured image: Virgin and Child by Anthony van Dyck (Flemish, 1599–1641), oil on wood, ca. 1620. Image credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (Public domain)

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How can I entrust my hopes to Mary, asking her to hold me close within her heart?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#dowry #hope #MadameLouise #MartyrsOfCompiègne #MotherOfGod #QueenAndBeautyOfCarmel #StTeresaOfStAugustine #trust