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which all can find safety, no matter
what crime they have committed. Mary
frees sinners from the violence of their
passions, breaks the chain of their vices
and evil habits, and delivers them from
the slavery of the devil.
During life, we are called upon to wage
a grueling warfare. If we are victorious,
eternal life awaits us; if we succumb,
eternal death and torment is our lot.
He that perseveres in Mary’s service, will
not be lost! Our salvation is in her hands.
Therefore, let us serve, labor, venerate
and love Mary, and then we may lay
aside all fear of losing our souls. Mary’s
love for us continues even after our
death.
At the judgement, Mary defends us;
in Purgatory, She brings us relief;
and after God, She will constitute
our happiness for all eternity!
With Mary to defend us, we need not
fear to appear before the judgement
of God. We must guard against the
least thing that would displease her.
We must invoke her in every danger
and difficulty, and imitate her in all
her virtues. Lovers of Mary will learn
to suffer patiently and efficiently, and
even joyfully.
There is an instinctive longing placed
in every heart by God for its Mother.
We need a Mother in life and in death,
gentle and pure, who will take us into
her arms with all our faults and failings,
and will not criticize but embrace us
with her love. Let us join in the heartrending
cry of mankind to Mary: “To
thee, do we cry poor banished
children of Eve; to thee, do we
send up our sighs, mourning and
weeping, in this valley of tears.”
According to the Fathers of the Church,
before Mary conceived Jesus in her
womb, She conceived Him in her
heart! From the Annunciation on,
Mary conceived all of us, as members
of Christ, in her heart and showered us
with her motherly love. We are in the
Heart of Mary! In order for that grace
to become real to us, it is necessary
that we be completely conscious of it
and joyfully accept it. At the foot of
the Cross, Mary’s motherly love for
her Divine Son was consummated and
She became the Mediatrix of all supernatural
life. Through St. John, all the
redeemed were given to Mary as her
children. At the hour of His greatest
humiliation, Mary alone remained
true to Jesus in lively faith, pervaded
by perfect hope and charity! After the
death of Christ, the Faith found a safe
dwelling place and happy abode in
the Heart of Mary!
Again and again in our present Age,
we are tempted to be scandalized by
the folly of the Cross. Considering all
the faults and sins in the bold betrayal
of members of the Church, especially in
ourselves, we often find it hard to keep
the Faith. The tormenting questions arise: “How is it possible that God can
allow these things to happen within
the Church of Christ? How can He
allow them to take place in our own
family?”
The Heart of Mary is our Refuge!