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The Couples for Christ is bringing more couples closer and dearer to Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In my parish alone, there is a great transformation. More and more husbands are coming to church with their families and so many are getting married in church during the CLPs. I encourage all Cathjolic couples to join
this movement.
-- Fr. Damaso Argel of St. Joseph Parish, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
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Letters of Aquila and Priscilla
Posted by: CamoteQ on Sunday, July 12, 2009 - 12:21 AM
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Volume 8, Issue 6 Reflections of Jun and Jean Uriarte June 2009
Together with Mary the mother of Jesus
Acts 1:14
A few weeks ago, we joined a team from CFC Bangkok to conduct the first English-language Christian Life Program in Phuket, Thailand. Our team of four couples left Bangkok in a van early Friday morning for the twelve-hour drive to Phuket. We returned on Sunday for another twelve-hour drive back to Bangkok. On Saturday, we completed the first three talks of the first module. After the third talk, a couple shared about the conversion of their family to Christianity. It started when their son brought home from school a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of Perpetual Help. Although they were Buddhists, they sent their son to a Catholic school because of its high quality of education. After their son brought home a picture of the Mother of Perpetual Help, they became interested in his school and started meeting with the priests that operate and manage the school. One thing led to another and soon they found themselves attending catechism classes. After two years of catechism, they were baptized into the Catholic Church.
Brothers and sisters, we know and believe that the Holy Spirit is the Agent of Evangelization and Mary the Star of Evangelization since she is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God (Lk 1:35). For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people of their sins (Mt 1:20-21). During Incarnation, Mary received the Holy Spirit in a very special way.
Then at Pentecost, the birth of the Church, Mary again was “filled with the Holy Spirit” together with the apostles: When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers…When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim…He (Peter) testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day (Acts 1:13-2:41).
Mary was silently praying with the apostles when the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost. Thus as Mary nurtured the infant Jesus in Bethlehem, she also nurtured the infant Church in Jerusalem. In Bethlehem she was a silent witness to the power of God to draw shepherds from the field and wise men from afar to pay homage to her newborn Son. In Jerusalem she was a silent witness to the power of the Holy Spirit, manifested in Peter, to draw three thousand people to become followers of her Son. And today, even just the silent witness of her image or picture can lead the Holy Spirit to act powerfully to draw families to Christ. This is because Mary carried Jesus for nine months in her womb. Having the physical presence of Jesus in her womb for nine months is the equivalent today of having the Eucharist constantly present within a person for nine months. This divine presence causes a constant sanctification of its human tabernacle day and night. Only Mary had been given this extraordinary privilege. Only Mary had the crucial role in Jesus' taking on human nature to become our Savior. Only Mary had an interior and essential participation in the miracle of Incarnation.
It is for this reason that the Blessed Virgin rightly receives a singular and unique place of special devotion in the Church which is higher than that of the saints and angels, but always humbly below the adoration due to God alone. This is summarized in the words of Vatican II: Joined to Christ the head and in communion with all his saints, the faithful must in the first place reverence the memory "of the glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Lumen Gentium, No. 52). Mary has by grace been exalted above all angels and men to a place second only to her Son, as the most holy mother of God who was involved in the mysteries of Christ: she is rightly honored by a special devotion in the Church (Lumen Gentium, No. 66).
Brothers and sisters, an outward sign of devotion to Mary is the wearing of the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. On 16 July 1251, the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Simon Stock, the Superior General of the Carmelite Order, and told him, “Take this scapular: it will be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger and a pledge of peace. Whoever dies wearing this garment shall not suffer eternal fire.” Since then millions of Catholics all over the world have worn the brown scapular with reverence. It has served as a visible mark of their love for the Blessed Mother and confidence in her generous and loving pledge of protection. For many Catholics, it has become a sign of salvation. As St. Therese of the Child Jesus once remarked, “I am so happy that you are wearing the blessed scapular; it is a sign of predestination.”
Many miracles have been associated with the wearing of the brown scapular. The scapular of St. John Bosco and St. Alphonsus were found perfectly preserved although everything else in their tombs had turned to dust. When the remains of Pope Gregory X were exhumed in 1839, over 500 years after his death, his scapular was also found perfectly intact. It has been reported that there are over 300 books written to record and report the innumerable miraculous events associated with the brown scapular.
During the miracle of the sun in Fatima on 13 October 1917, the Blessed Virgin appeared to Lucia as Our Lady of Mount Carmel holding out the brown scapular to the world. Many years later, in 1951, Sister Lucia was asked why in her view Our Lady appeared with the scapular in the last vision. She replied, “She meant that all Catholics should wear the scapular as part of the Fatima message. One could not follow this message unless he or she wore the brown scapular.”
In 1951, during the commemoration of 700 years of the scapular, Pope Pius XII wrote the following words addressed to the faithful: “Take this scapular which Our Lady has given as a sign of consecration to her Immaculate Heart. Go out and convince the world that it must be dedicated to the Blessed Virgin if it will find peace. Go out and through this scapular re-dedicate families to the Holy Mother of God, who has shown her graces so abundantly through this scapular.”
Brothers and sisters, as we prepare for the regional conference on the Blessed Mother in December this year, during which we hope to confer scapulars on those desiring to wear them, we encourage everyone to pray the most ancient complete Marian prayer recorded dating back to 250 A.D called Sub Tuum Praesidium (Under Your Protection):
We fly to your patronage,
O Holy Mother of God,
despise not our petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us from all danger,
O ever glorious and blessed Virgin.
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