THE FOUR OF MARY

D A I L Y P R A Y E R S M A Y 1 1 T H - M A Y 1 5 T H 2 0 2 0 THE Monday, May 11th

The month of May is dedicated to our Blessed Mother Mary. To honour her, this week we will look at the four dogmas of Mary. A is a special teaching of the Church that has revealed as being true. Catholics trust in and believe in the Church's dogmas. Each day we will learn about a different dogma of Mary. The first one is The Immaculate Conception.

In the , immaculate means "to be free from sin". Many people mistakenly believe that the Immaculate Conception refers to how was conceived in Mary's womb by the power of the . Although Jesus was born without sin and lived a sinless life - because He was God - the Immaculate Conception actually refers to Mary's conception. When Mary's parents, Sts.

The Immaculate Conception by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1767-1769 and Anne, conceived Mary, God kept Mary's soul free from Original Sin so tha t she could later be the mother of God. We celebrate God's gift of our Immaculate Mary on December 8th.

Each day this week we will pray the Hail Mary. You are asked to offer this prayer for any special intention that you have in the secret of your heart.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit;

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; Amen

MARY, MOTHER OF GOD Tuesday, May 12th

Today we look at the second dogma of Mary, Mary the Mother of God. We know that Mary loved God very much and so she said 'yes' to God and became the mother of Jesus. The prophet Isaiah, foretold the birth of Jesus 700 years before it happened! Isaiah wrote, "therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14). This means that the Blessed Virgin Mary was chosen to be the mother of God and live out a divine motherhood.

Also - Since Jesus was both fully human and fully God, He humbled himself to be born of a human mother. Latin is the

Madonna of the Streets by Roberto Ferruzzi, 1897 Catholic Church's official language. In Latin, Mary is known as the "Mater Dei" which means, Mother of God.

Remember that as you pray the Hail Mary, o ffer this prayer for any special intention that you have in the secret of your heart.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit;

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; Amen

MARY'S PERPETUAL VIRGINITY

Wednesday, May 13th

Today we look at the third dogma of Mary, Mary's Perpetual Virginity. Through the Church, God teaches us that Mary remained a virgin before, during and after Jesus' birth. Just as the prophet Isaiah mentions that the mother of God will be a virgin, Luke's Gospel also makes it clear that Mary, a virgin, will be the mother of Christ. The Gospel says, "... God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary." The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with Virgin in Prayer by Sassoferrato, 17th Century you” (Luke 1:26-28). This is one of the many reasons why we call her, The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Today as you pray the Hail Mary, remember to pray for the special intention that you have in the secret of your heart.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit;

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; Amen

THE

Icon of the Dormition of Mary Thursday, May 14th

Finally, we will learn about the fourth and final dogma of Mary, her Assumption. Tradition teaches us that Mary lived for many years after Jesus' Ascension into . When God called Mary up to heaven she experienced the dormition, or the falling asleep. During her dormition she was spared from the sufferings and decay of death and then was assumed body and soul into heaven. The Assumption of Mary is one of the oldest Traditions of the Catholic Church. Did you know you can learn a lot about the Catholic faith from religious art? As you can see from the classic above, The Dormition of Mary, as Mary's life on earth comes to an end, she is honoured in all glory by both the apostles, the saints, and the angels. Jesus is shown holding a miniature Mary, who is dressed in white to show her purity. Christ holds her this way to mirror how she would hold the infant Jesus. Her son comes down from heaven to greet His mother and He takes her in His arms where He now cares for her in His kingdom just as she did for Him on earth. The Church celebrates Mary's Assumption on August 15th.

To day as you pray the Hail Mary, remember to pray for the special intention that you have in the secret of your heart. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit;

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; Amen

MARY, THE MOST PERFECT SAINT

Friday, May 15th

This week we have learned about the dogmas of Mary - the truths that help us come to know, honour, and love her more. Catholics all over the world gather together to celebrate the important moments of her life. We must never forget that, although she is the mother of God, she is also our spiritual mother and so we should always look to her for prayers, guidance and comfort. Never forget that she loves her children very much. Through God's grace, she is exalted above all humans and angels and so she is the greatest saint. Remember when you honour and love Mary she, in turn, leads you to her of the Virgin, by Diego Velázquez son - the greatest gift she could have given us!

As we end our week learning about Mary, we will pray the Hail Mary. Remember to pray for the special intention that you have in the secret of your heart.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit;

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; Amen

G O D

B L E S S & H A V E A G R E A T W E E K E N D !