LA PARAULA ARA A LES LECTURES MASSIVES
del 19 al 20 de desembre de 2014
de la Tercera Setmana d’Advent
Textos litúrgics aquí
L' La Immaculada Concepció de Maria és un dels miracles més bells de la història de la salvació després de l’Encarnació, tant, que els pares de la tradició oriental la celebren com “el Santíssim” (Panàgia) qui era…
... lliure de qualsevol taca de pecat, com si fos dissenyat per l’Esperit Sant i es formés com una nova criatura. -Catecisme de l'Església Catòlica, n. 493
Però si Maria és un "tipus" de l'Església, vol dir que nosaltres també estem cridats a convertir-nos en l'Església Concepció Immaculada també.
THE FIRST CONCEPTION
The Church has sempre taught that Mary was conceived without sin. It was defined as a dogma in 1854—not invented, but definit then. It should be easy for Protestants to accept this truth on logic alone. For instance, Samson was a type of the Messiah whom God sent to ‘deliver’ the Israelites. Listen to the demands the angel makes of his mother:
Though you are barren and have had no children, yet you will conceive and bear a son. Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink and to eat nothing unclean. (Friday’s first reading)
In a word, she was to be immaculate. Now, Samson was conceived through natural relations, but Jesus was to be conceived by the Holy Spirit. If God demanded that the mother of Samson be pure to prepare for the birth of their deliverer, would the Holy Spirit unite himself to one who is stained by sin? Would the Holy One, God-incarnate, take His very flesh and blood from one whose temple was defiled by original sin? Of course not. Thus, Mary was granted the “splendor of an entirely unique holiness… from the first moment of her conception.” [1]CCC, n. 492 Com?
…by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ. —PAPA PIUS IX, Ineffabilis Deus, DS 2803
That is, Mary was “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion” [2]CCC, n. 492 through the blood of Christ, which flows down one side of Calvary all the way to Adam, and down the other into the future, into eternity. Indeed, Jesus would some day pray Friday’s Psalm:
On you I depend from birth; from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
Mary needed to be “saved” first. Without Jesus, she would be eternally separated from the Father as well—but with Him, she has been granted a singular grace so as to be not only the worthy “mother of my Lord” [3]cf. Lluc 1:43 and a worthy mother of the Church, [4]cf. Joan 19:26 però també a signar i . of what the Church is and will be.
If any of you still doubt this great miracle, the archangel Gabriel has a simple answer for you in today’s Gospel:
…nothing will be impossible for God.
THE SECOND CONCEPTION
No, the Immaculate Conception does not cease with Mary. It is given also to the Church, albeit in a different mode. In Baptism, the stain of original sin is “taken away” [5]cf. Joan 1:29 and through the Holy Spirit, the baptized becomes a “new creation”. [6]cf. 2 Cor 5: 17
Mary is the sign, but here’s the plan: that you and I would become còpies of the Virgin Mary, conceiving Christ in our hearts and giving birth to Him once again in the world. This is and will be the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart, for Christ incarnate came into the world to destroy the power of death:
... espoliant els principats i els poders, en va fer un espectacle públic, conduint-los cap a dins triomf per ella. (Col 2:15)
While this grace has been given to the Church through the Sacraments for 2000 years, it has been reserved for these “last times” for the Blessed Mother to implore a special grace to descend upon the Church in order to blind and chain the “dragon”. [7]cf. Apocalipsi 20: 2-3 This special grace is a “new Pentecost”, when the “Flame of Love” of her Immaculate Heart (who is the Spirit of Christ), will be poured out upon the Church and the world. This grace, while “crushing” the head of the serpent, will be given amidst sufferings in order to also santificar and prepare the Bride of Christ for the end of time when Jesus will come in glory to take her to Himself for eternity…
... perquè es pogués presentar l'església amb esplendor, sense taques ni arrugues ni cap cosa així, perquè fos santa i sense imperfeccions. (Ef 5:27)
So we must first become that all-holy Bride—essentially a copy of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
L'Esperit Sant, trobant el seu estimat cònjuge present de nou en les ànimes, baixarà a elles amb gran poder. —St. Louis de Montfort, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, n.217, Montfort Publications
Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. (Today’s Psalm)
This is why Satan is attacking the puresa of the Church in these days with all the powers of hell. Because it is precisely the purity of Mary that drew…
…favor with God. (Today’s Gospel)
The darkness of our times is really just the last thrashings of a terrified fallen angel who sees already the “morning star” rising in the hearts of a remnant who will crush him. [8]cf. 2 mascota 1:19
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I write you today to encourage you to fight because God has chosen vostè to receive this pentecostal grace to become the Immaculada. Perhaps you are like Mary as you read this and say, “How can this be…?” [9]cf. Today’s Gospel as you prevue things from a purely natural perspective (and perhaps looking into your heart and seeing nothing but weakness, sin, and impurity.) The answer is this: nothing is impossible with God. If you are a sinner, then make haste to Confession where you will become a new creation once more! If you are weak, then hasten to the Holy Eucharist, Who will strengthen you against the wiles of the enemy! And if you are suffering, then make your own the prayer of Mary over and over again:
Que se’m faci segons la vostra paraula. (L'evangeli d'avui)
…and I assure you:
The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. (Today’s Gospel)
Can you hear the words in today’s Gospel of Gabriel once again? He is speaking them to you right now: No tinguis por!
Cap a la fi del món ... Déu Totpoderós i la seva Santa Mare han de criar grans sants que superaran en santedat la majoria dels altres sants, tant com els cedres del Líban, que es troben sobre petits arbusts. —Sant. Lluís de Montfort, Veritable devoció per Maria, Art. 47
Fills meus, pels quals torno a treballar fins que Crist es formi en vosaltres. (Gal 4:19)
LECTURA RELACIONADA
Magnificat of the Woman-Church
Gràcies per les vostres oracions i suport per això
ministeri a temps complet.
La nova i poderosa novel·la catòlica que sorprèn els lectors!
by
Denise Mallett
Cridar a Denise Mallett a una autora increïblement dotada és una eufemació. L'arbre és captivador i bellament escrit. Em segueixo preguntant: "Com pot algú escriure alguna cosa així?" Mut.
—Ken Yasinski, Ponent catòlic, autor i fundador de FacetoFace Ministries
Des de la primera paraula fins a l’última vaig quedar captivat, suspès entre temor i sorpresa. Com va escriure un personatge tan jove tan intricats, personatges tan complexos, un diàleg tan convincent? Com havia de dominar un simple adolescent l’ofici d’escriure, no només amb competència, sinó amb profunditat de sentiment? Com podria tractar temes profunds tan hàbilment sense la mínima predicació? Encara tinc por. És evident que la mà de Déu està en aquest do. De la mateixa manera que fins ara t’ha concedit totes les gràcies, que segueixi guiant-te pel camí que t’ha escollit des de l’eternitat.
-Janet Klasson, autora de El bloc de la revista Pelianito
