Honoring Mary with the Holy Father
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The perpetual virginity of Mary was taught by the ecumenical Second Council of Constantinople in , which described her as "ever virgin", and was expressed also, by the Lateran synod of October , [54] The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception states that from the first moment of her existence Mary was without original sin.
The dogma of the Assumption of Mary , defined by Pope Pius XII in , states that, at the end of her earthly life, she was assumed into heavenly glory body and soul.
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In the first three centuries the emphasis was on the veneration of martyrs , as a continuation of the yearly celebrations of their death, e. In the Eastern traditions Mariology developed through liturgical veneration within the framework of the feasts relative to the Incarnation.
The Roman Catholic liturgy is one of the most important elements of Marian devotions. Many Marian feasts are superior to the feast days of the saints. The liturgical texts of the Marian feast days all link Mary to Jesus Christ. Mary, as the mother of Jesus, is documented in Roman catacombs: Priscilla also has a depiction of the annunciation. This new freedom also permitted literary development of the veneration of Mary, Hippolytus of Rome being an early example. Marian veneration was theologically sanctioned with the adoption of the title Theotokos at the Council of Ephesus in The earliest known churches dedicated to Mary were built shortly after that date, among these the Church of the Seat of Mary Kathisma near Mar Elias Monastery , between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
The first Marian churches in Rome date from the 5th and 6th centuries: In the early Middle Ages, veneration of Mary was particularly expressed in monasteries, especially those of the Benedictines. Chants such as Ave Maris Stella and the Salve Regina emerged and became staples of monastic plainsong. The Carolingians encouraged Marian piety by the celebration of Marian feast days and the dedication of churches in her honor. From the year onward more and more churches, including many of Europe's greatest cathedrals were dedicated to Mary.
The 12th and 13th centuries saw an extraordinary growth of the cult of the Virgin in Western Europe, inspired in part by the writings of theologians such as Bernard of Clairvaux. At the height of the pilgrimage movement in the 11th and 12th centuries, hundreds of people were traveling almost constantly from one Marian shrine to the next. By the 14th century, Mary had become greatly popular as a compassionate intercessor and protector of humanity, and during the great plagues such as the Black Death her help was sought against the just judgment of God.
By the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation had introduced a tide against Marian venerations in Europe. The ensuing Marian pilgrimages have continued to date and the Marian Basilica on Tepeyac Hill remains the most visited Catholic shrine in the world. Marian culture continues to develop within the Catholic Church. In this document, which was subtitled For the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary Paul VI not only discussed the history of Marian devotions but also overviewed their rationale and provided suggestions for their future direction, emphasising their theological and pastoral value.
Roman Catholic devotions have relied on the writings of numerous saints throughout history who have attested to the central role of Mary in God's plan of salvation. Early saints included Irenaeus of Lyons in the 2nd century who was perhaps the earliest of the Church Fathers to write systematically about the Virgin Mary, and he set out a forthright account of her role in the economy of salvation. In the Middle Ages, Bernhard of Clairvaux highlighted her virginity and humility as the basis for her veneration. His approach of "total consecration to Jesus Christ through Mary" had a strong impact on Marian devotion both in popular piety and in the spirituality of religious institutes.
The earliest Christian feasts that relate to Mary grew out of the cycle of feasts that celebrated the Nativity of Jesus. By the 7th century a feast dedicated to Mary was celebrated just before Christmas in the churches of Milan and Ravenna in Italy. Catherine of Siena , adopted the custom of dedicating Saturday to Mary. These may include the singing of Marian anthems, crowning of statues of Mary with floral wreaths, readings from scriptures , a sermon , and or presentation by local choirs.
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The Roman Catholic Church celebrates three Marian solemnities which are also holy days of obligation in many countries during the liturgical year [98] in liturgical order:. A large number of titles to honor Mary or ask for her intercession are used by Roman Catholics. Titles used to refer to the Virgin Mary throughout history, at times reflect the changing attitudes towards her. Domina lady , Regina queen and Stella Maris star of the sea are some of the early titles of Mary, of which Regina is the earliest. Domina and Sella Maris are found in Jerome who perhaps originated the etymology of Mary as Stella Maris in the 5th century.
While the early emphasis in Stella Maris was on Mary as the Star that bore Christ, by the 9th century, the attention had focused on Mary herself, as indicated in the hymn Ave Maris Stella. By the 11th century, Mary herself had emerged as the star that acted as a guiding light. Among the most prominent Roman Catholic Marian titles are: The Liturgy of the Hours includes several offices to be sung, including Compline. At the close of this office, one of four Marian antiphons is sung.
These songs, Alma redemptoris mater , Ave Regina caelorum , Regina caeli , and Salve Regina , have been described as "among the most beautiful creations of the late Middle Ages". One of the earliest Marian compositions is the popular Salve Regina in Latin from a Benedictine monk, which exists in several Gregorian versions. Hermann of Reichenau July 18, — September 24, , composed the Alma redemptoris mater and hymns to Mary became part of daily life at monasteries such as the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny in France.
While the date of the composition of Ave Regina Coelorum is uncertain, conjecture that it antedates the fourth century seems to be without any warrant of external or internal evidence.
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It is found in the St. Alban's Book of the twelfth century. It is difficult to trace the beginning of non- Gregorian Marian liturgical music. Over the centuries, Marian master pieces have continued to appear, e. Mozart 's Coronation Mass. Some of the best poetry written in honor of the Blessed virgin comes from this period of the Middle Ages.
The earliest known Marian prayer is the Sub tuum praesidium , or Beneath Thy Protection , a text for which was rediscovered in on a papyrus in Egypt dated to c. Beneath your compassion, We take refuge, O Mother of God: The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary probably originated as a monastic devotion around the middle of the eighth century. During the 11th century, as the number of monasteries grew, so did Marian prayers.
There is little or no trace of the Hail Mary as an accepted devotional formula before about All the evidence suggests that it took its rise from certain versicles and responsories occurring in the Little Office or Cursus of the Blessed Virgin which just at that time was coming into favour among the monastic orders.
Two Anglo-Saxon manuscripts at the British Museum, one of which may be as old as the year , show that the words "Ave Maria" etc. Official recognition of the Ave Maria in its complete form was finally given in the Roman Breviary of Three Hail Marys is a traditional Roman Catholic devotional practice of reciting three Hail Marys as a petition for purity and other virtues. The practice of saying three Hail Marys in the evening somewhere about sunset had become general throughout Europe in the first half of the fourteenth century and it was recommended by Pope John XXII in The practice was observed by Franciscans and eventually developed into the Angelus prayer.
The Angelus is a prayer commemorating the Incarnation. It originated with the 11th-century monastic custom of reciting three Hail Marys during the evening, or Compline bell. It was traditionally recited in Roman Catholic churches, convents, and monasteries three times daily: In the 12th century Bernard of Clairvaux gave sermons De duodecim stellis , from which an extract has been taken by the Roman Catholic Church and used in the Offices of the Compassion and of the Seven Dolours.
Anselm of Lucca d. Bernard ; and also in the large book "De laudibus B.
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The mostly anonymous Middle English Lyrics of the Later Middle Ages show passionate forms of personal worship, known as affective devotion. The lyrics, reflecting the theology, depict Mary as not just the woman but also the ideal that all humanity should strive for. The term " devotions " is commonly understood to refer to those external practices of piety by which the faith of an individual finds expression.
A wide range of Marian devotions are followed by Catholics ranging from simple Rosary recitations to formalized, multi-day Novenas to activities which do not involve any prayers, such the wearing of scapulars or maintaining a Mary garden. Following their joint growth in the 18th and 19th centuries, by the early 20th century the Rosary and the devotional Scapular had gained such a strong following among Catholics worldwide that the Catholic Encyclopedia of stated: The Mariological basis of the Scapular devotion is effectively the same as Marian consecration, as discussed in the dogmatic constitution Lumen gentium of the Second Vatican Council , namely the role of the Virgin Mary as " the mother to us in the order of grace " which allows her to intercede for " the gift of eternal salvation ".
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary for insults that she suffers. The Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book approved by a Decree of , and published by the Holy See in includes a number of such prayers. These prayers do not involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair the sins of others against the Virgin Mary.
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For centuries, Marian devotions among Roman Catholics have included many examples of personal or collective acts of consecration and entrustment to the Virgin Mary; the Latin terms oblatio , servitus , commendatio , and dedicatio were used in this context. The Catholic Church makes it clear that " Individuals declaring their "entrustment" to Mary seek her intercession before God through her son Jesus Christ, for she herself has no divine power.
The official position of the Holy See is that while the Holy Office has approved a few apparitions of the Virgin Mary, Roman Catholics at large are not required to believe them. However, many Catholics express belief in Marian apparitions. As a historical pattern, Vatican approval seems to have followed general acceptance of a vision by well over a century in most cases. According to Father Salvatore M.
Perrella of the Mariunum Pontifical Institute in Rome, of the reported apparitions studied by the Holy See through the centuries only 12 have been approved, the latest being in May The tradition of honoring Mary by venerating images of her goes back to 3rd-century Christianity. A summary of the doctrine is included in the current Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols.
Indeed, "the honour rendered to an image passes to its prototype," and "whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it. Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God Incarnate. The movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends towards that whose image it is. No other image in either the Western or the Eastern Church permeates Christian art as much as the image of Madonna and Child.
The Virgin Mary has been one of the major subjects of Christian Art , Catholic Art and Western Art since Early Christian art and she has been very widely portrayed in iconic "portraits", often known as Madonnas , with the infant Jesus in the Madonna and Child , and in a number of narrative scenes from her life known as the Life of the Virgin , as well as scenes illustrating particular doctrines or beliefs: Marian art enjoys a significant level of diversity, e.
These depictions are not restricted to European art, and also appear in South American paintings. Throughout the centuries the devotion to and the veneration of the Virgin Mary by Roman Catholics has both led to, and been influenced by a number of Roman Catholic Marian Movements and Societies.
These societies form part of the fabric of Roman Catholic Mariology. The 18th and 19th centuries saw a number of missionary Marian organizations such as Company of Mary , the Marianists , the Marist Fathers , and the Marist Brothers. Some of these missionaries, e. Saint Peter Chanel , were martyred as they travelled to new lands. In the Roman Catholic Church a shrine is a church or sacred place which receives many faithful pilgrims for a specific pious reason.
The local ordinary must approve the shrine. Marian shrines account for major veneration centers and pilgrimage sites for Roman Catholics. According to Bishop Francesco Giogia, at the end of the 20th century, the most visited Catholic shrine in the world was that of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City. There are other Marian pilgrimage sites such as Medjugorje , which is not considered a shrine by the Holy See , but yet receives a large number of pilgrims every year.
Lourdes with a population of around 15, people, receives about 5,, pilgrims every year. A number of countries, cities, and professions consider the Blessed Virgin their patron saint. For a list, see Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary. An example of the cultural adaptation of perspective include the view of the Virgin Mary as a mother with humility rather than a heavenly queen as the Franciscans began to preach in China, and its similarity to the local Chinese motherly and merciful figure of Kuanyin , which was much admired in south China.
The clothing of the Virgin of Guadalupe image has been identified [ by whom? Other views, such as the Virgin Mary as a "miracle worker" have existed for centuries and are still held by many Catholics as of [update]. However, the Vatican has generally been reluctant to approve of modern miracles, unless they have been subject to extensive analysis and scrutiny.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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Give him many years to lead your Church after the example of St. May God give him the grace to lead the Church with courage and humility and in the peace of Jesus Christ. May he love you, the Mother of the Church, as did St. Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, you gave bishops, priests and deacons a share in your ministry. Grant them the grace to carry out their ministries with love, devotion, charity and apostolic zeal. Stir up in your ordained ministers, a great care for souls. Make them signs of your compassion, mercy, and reconciliation in the world today.
Mary, Consoler of the Afflicted, you comforted and exhorted the Church in its infancy, we ask you to pray with us for our bishops, priests and deacons. May they be given your gifts of humility and trust in your Son. Pray that they would come to love and honor you as their mother and consoler. May they daily conform their hearts to Jesus in all things.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Mary, Consoler of the Afflicted, we ask you to pray with us for our beloved sisters and brothers who have consecrated their lives to Christ Jesus as religious sisters, brothers and priests. May they be granted the grace of perseverance to their vowed commitment and a deepening of their love for Jesus.
May they love you and imitate your humility. God our Father, source of family life, we lift up our families to you. Keep them in your fatherly care: May our families love you with all of their hearts and truly become holy families.
Please pray that God would bless and protect our families and make them one in His love. Pray that He would heal divisions and broken relationships in our families and give us the courage both to forgive and accept forgiveness. May we come to love and respect each other after the example of you, Jesus and Joseph in your home in Nazareth. Lord Jesus, you are the Prince of Peace. We ask you to bring your peace to our lives, our families, our homes and those places in our world where peace does not reign. As your ambassadors of peace, help us to build your kingdom.
Mary, Consoler of the Afflicted, we ask you to pray with us to your Son for peace in the world. Holy Spirit, we come to you praying for our loved ones who have left our faith or who have stopped practicing any faith at all. We ask you to touch their hearts and minds with the joy and beauty of our faith. Fill them with the peace of knowing Jesus in His word, in prayer and in His Church.