Fruits of the Spirit

Come, O Divine Spirit, fill my

heart with Thy heavenly fruits,

Thy charity, joy, peace, patience,

benignity, goodness, faith, mildness,

and temperance, that I may

never weary in the service of God,

but by continued faithful

sumbission to Thy inspiration may

merit to be united eternally with

Thee in the love of the Father and

the Son.  Amen.

The Gift of Counsel

The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence,

enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must be done,

especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the

principles furnished by Knowledge and Understanding to the

innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our

daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and Christian

citizens.  Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasurein the quest of salvation. "Above all these things, pray to the Most High, that He may direct thy way in truth."

Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all ways, that I

may always do thy will.  Incline my heart to that which is good;

turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of Thy commandments to that goal of eternal life for which I Long.  Amen.

Devotion to Mary

	The Essential Practice of the Devotion to Mary It is not enough to give ourselves just once as a slave to Jesus through Mary; nor is it enough to renew that consecration once a month or once a week. That alone would make this just a passing devotion. It would not raise the soul to the level of holiness which it is capable of reaching. It is easy to enroll in a confraternity; it is easy to make an act of consecration, or to say every day the few vocal prayers prescribed. The chief difficulty is to enter into the spirit of this devotion, which requires adopting an interior trustful dependence on Mary, total confidence in her, and the ardent desire to act, and to behave in such a way that we really do honor her as a slave of love. To this end, we strive to honor and obey Christ as King. Thus, we actually do keep his commandments as slaves of love through Mary. I have met many people who, with admirable zeal, have set about exteriorly practicing this holy devotion to Jesus through Mary, but I have met only a few who have actu ally understood the secret of its interior spirit of total dependence, and fewer still who have persevered in it.  The essential practice of this devotion is to perform all our actions with Mary. We adopt her as the model for all we do. Before undertaking anything, we must forget self and abandon our own views. We must consider ourselves as a mere nothing before God, as being personally incapable of doing anything supernaturally worthwhile or anything conducive to our salvation.  We then have recourse to our Lady, intentionally adopting her intentions as our own to the best of our ability. Certainly we do not always know exactly what her specific intention is, but that does not matter for we are serving her unconditionally as slaves of love. By adopting Mary's spirit, we supernaturally adopt the intentions of Jesus in a far more perfect manner than if we acted without her. We have consecrated ourselves to be an instrument in Mary's hands, for her to act in us and do with us what she pleases, for the greater glory of her Son; and through Jesus for the greater glory of the Father. This is the way we pursue our interior life. We make our spiritual progress precisely by cultivating total confidence in her, and d ependence on her... Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort The Secret of Mary 44-46

The Maternal Role of Mary

The Maternal Role of Mary Fosters the Union of the Faithful with Christ

There is but one mediator as we know from the words of the apostle: “For there is only one God and there is only one mediator between God and humanity, himself a human being, Christ Jesus, who offered himself as a ransom for all” (1Tm 2:5-6).

The maternal duty of Mary toward men in no wise obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows His power. For all the salvific influence of the Blessed Virgin on men originates, not from some inner necessity, but from the divine pleasure.

It flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on His mediation, depends entirely on it and draws all its power from it. In no way does it impede, but rather does it foster the immediate union of the faithful with Christ.

Council Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, § 60

Consecration to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

O Virgin Mother of God, Mary

Immaculate, we dedicate and consecrate

ourselves to thee under the title of Our Lady of

the Miraculous Medal.  May this Medal be for

 each of us a sure sign of your affection for

us and a constant reminder of our duties toward

thee.  Ever while wearing it, may we be blessed

by your loving protection and preserved in the

grace of your Son.  O most powerful Virgin

Mother of our Savior, keep us close to thee

every moment of our lives.  Obtain for us, your

children, the grace of a happy death; so that, in

union with thee, we may enjoy the bliss of

heaven forever. Amen.

O Mary, conceived without sin,

Pray for us who have recourse to thee. (3 times)

Mary's Tenderness and Joy

In Mary's Tenderness and Joy

Therese Cornille (May 13, 1917- December 4, 1989) was the foundress of the Claire Amitié Homes for struggling young woman workers and of the Claire Amitié Homes for single mothers. Her desire was to help young women — especially those who hadn't grown up with affection and tenderness — know that they had an attentive Mother who loved each one of them personally.

“The more time we spend with God of Love and Mary Tender Mother, the more we will be able to spread happiness around us, in our team, in our homes, and in all of our relationships. And young people will be attracted as if by a magnificent fire that burns, lightens and gives warmth.” (Annunciation 1974)

“Let us strive to have infinite tenderness in our heart; the Lord will reign there or, to be more precise, let us put our heart inside his heart and inside Mary's maternal heart, so that we may possess within us the joy of the Trinity and be able to share it with all our daughters, with all who witness the way we live.” (Christmas 1976)

“Young women will understand that Mary is their mother if, on the day that we celebrate December 8th - the feast of the Immaculate Conception - the anniversary day of the opening of their home, we prepare a very beautiful celebration.” (December 8-18, 1973)

This is how a young woman from one of the homes summed up the situation: “The holidays we spent together changed me somehow. In that atmosphere, I asserted myself and came out of my shell. Even if someone hurts me today, I feel strong enough to speak to the person later and forgive her, instead of going off by myself and suffering all alone.”

by Lucienne Salle

Possibilites

Only those who risk going too far

can possibly find out how far one can go.

by T.S. Eliot