Archicofradia del Sagrado Carazon de Maria or Immaculate Heart of Mary
St. Mary of the Visitation Feast/ Diocese of Austin 70th Anniversary
The Society of the Archicofradia had the election of officers last week.
The new officers
President-Juanita Perales/ Vice President-
Stella Limas
Secretary-Dalia Sanchez/
Treasure-Diane Delgado
The next meeting is March 1st @ 9 AM in Cry Room. New members are welcomed to attend.
The new officers
President-Juanita Perales/ Vice President-
Stella Limas
Secretary-Dalia Sanchez/
Treasure-Diane Delgado
The next meeting is March 1st @ 9 AM in Cry Room. New members are welcomed to attend.
What is the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary? The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the visit of Mary with Elizabeth as recorded in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 1:39-56). It is also the name of a Christian feast day commemorating this visit, celebrated on May 31 in the West and March 30 in the East. Mary visits her relative Elizabeth; they are both pregnant. Mary is pregnant with Jesus and Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary left Nazareth immediately after the Annunciation and went “into the hill country…into a city of Judah” (Luke 1:39) to attend her cousin Elizabeth. There are several possibilities as to exactly which city this was, including Hebron, south of Jerusalem, and Ein Karem. The journey was about 100 miles, and Elizabeth was in the sixth month before Mary came (Luke 1:36). Mary stayed three months and departed just before John was born.
Catholics believe that the purpose of this visit was to bring divine grace to both Elizabeth and her unborn child. Even though he was still in his mother’s womb, John became aware of the presence of his Divine Saviour; he leapt for joy as he was cleansed from original sin and filled with divine grace. Elizabeth also responded and recognized the presence of Jesus. Thus Mary, now for the first time, exercised her function as mediatrix between God and man.
Elizabeth remarks to Mary: “And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb. And whence [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed [is] she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord (Luke 1:42-55)”
It is also at this point, in response to Elizabeth’s remark, that Mary proclaims the Magnificat (My soul doth magnify the Lord), (Luke 1:46-55), for which reason this canticle had traditionally been reserved for this feast day.
If you are interested in joining Archicofradia please call Juanita Perales @ tjperales14@gmail.com. New members welcome.
Catholics believe that the purpose of this visit was to bring divine grace to both Elizabeth and her unborn child. Even though he was still in his mother’s womb, John became aware of the presence of his Divine Saviour; he leapt for joy as he was cleansed from original sin and filled with divine grace. Elizabeth also responded and recognized the presence of Jesus. Thus Mary, now for the first time, exercised her function as mediatrix between God and man.
Elizabeth remarks to Mary: “And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb. And whence [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed [is] she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord (Luke 1:42-55)”
It is also at this point, in response to Elizabeth’s remark, that Mary proclaims the Magnificat (My soul doth magnify the Lord), (Luke 1:46-55), for which reason this canticle had traditionally been reserved for this feast day.
If you are interested in joining Archicofradia please call Juanita Perales @ tjperales14@gmail.com. New members welcome.
Prayer:
O Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, We dedicate and consecrate ourselves to you under the title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. May this Medal be for each one of us a sure sign of your affection for us and a constant reminder of our duties toward you. 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 you every moment of our lives. Obtain for us, your children, the grace of a happy death; so that in union with you, we may enjoy the bliss of Heaven forever. Amen.
O Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, We dedicate and consecrate ourselves to you under the title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. May this Medal be for each one of us a sure sign of your affection for us and a constant reminder of our duties toward you. 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 you every moment of our lives. Obtain for us, your children, the grace of a happy death; so that in union with you, we may enjoy the bliss of Heaven forever. Amen.
The Miraculous Medal has been called “a summary of the Church’s teaching on Our Lady, a mini-catechism of the faith for everyone.” Indeed, the Marian vision that inspired the medal included some important symbolism!
For starters, the reference to Mary’s having been conceived without sin on the medal, shown in its original French in the photo above, was defined as a Dogma by the church in 1854. (Note that this refers to Mary’s conception, not to Jesus’ birth, a common misconception!)
Note also that Mary is shown in the photo standing on a globe crushing the head of a serpent. This is in line with scripture, from Genesis 3:15, which foretells Satan’s ultimate defeat at the hands of her Son. (Granted, this is not readily visible here or indeed on many Miraculous Medals, particularly small ones!)
On the back of the medal (the picture on the right above) we see symbols of Jesus and Mary, in the Cross (the symbol of her Son’s victory over sin and death for us at Calvary) with the Letter “M” for Mary right underneath it. Directly underneath that are two hearts, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, both filled with great love for each other and for us too!
We see their sadness over our sins as well in this depiction. On the left side are the thorns of our indifference and ingratitude piercing our Lord’s Sacred Heart even while it burns with love for us. On the right side we see a sword piercing Mary’s heart, which is filled with sorrow as well as love (as described here). Surrounding these poignant images we see twelve stars symbolizing the twelve apostles. On the front of the medal (left) we see our Lady’s hands outstretched with rays of light, symbolizing grace, streaming from her fingers. (Again, granted, this may be hard to see on a small medal!) We are reminded here of St. Louis de Montfort’s reference to her as the “treasurer and dispenser of God’s graces.”
For starters, the reference to Mary’s having been conceived without sin on the medal, shown in its original French in the photo above, was defined as a Dogma by the church in 1854. (Note that this refers to Mary’s conception, not to Jesus’ birth, a common misconception!)
Note also that Mary is shown in the photo standing on a globe crushing the head of a serpent. This is in line with scripture, from Genesis 3:15, which foretells Satan’s ultimate defeat at the hands of her Son. (Granted, this is not readily visible here or indeed on many Miraculous Medals, particularly small ones!)
On the back of the medal (the picture on the right above) we see symbols of Jesus and Mary, in the Cross (the symbol of her Son’s victory over sin and death for us at Calvary) with the Letter “M” for Mary right underneath it. Directly underneath that are two hearts, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, both filled with great love for each other and for us too!
We see their sadness over our sins as well in this depiction. On the left side are the thorns of our indifference and ingratitude piercing our Lord’s Sacred Heart even while it burns with love for us. On the right side we see a sword piercing Mary’s heart, which is filled with sorrow as well as love (as described here). Surrounding these poignant images we see twelve stars symbolizing the twelve apostles. On the front of the medal (left) we see our Lady’s hands outstretched with rays of light, symbolizing grace, streaming from her fingers. (Again, granted, this may be hard to see on a small medal!) We are reminded here of St. Louis de Montfort’s reference to her as the “treasurer and dispenser of God’s graces.”
