Saint Anne Conceiving the Virgin Mary by Jean Bellegambe

O God
Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin
didst make her a worthy habitation for Thy Son
and didst by his foreseen death
preserve her from all stain of sin,
grant, we beseech Thee,
that through her intercession
we may be cleansed from sin
and come with pure hearts to Thee. Amen

- Benedictine Monastic Diurnal

Here are  my son’s readings  in preparation for Advent and the making of an Advent wreath.

Jesus, You are the King of kings - You are sovereign in all situations. You conquer earthly kings and kingdoms and spiritual rulers of darkness; You have made us seated with You in the heavenly places. Jesus, You are the King of creation. Jesus, You are King of the universe.   Glory to You, Lord Jesus, You are Christ the King and You must reign till You have put all enemies under Your feet; till every evil force, every sickness and every sin is conquered.

- Praises to the Lord Jesus Christ

From Today’s Gospel :

Then he said,
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
He replied to him,
“Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in Paradise.”

- Luke 23: 42-43

With Advent just around the corner, we are reminded once again of the four weeks devoted in preparation for Christmas. A way to prepare ourselves for a start is to do some reading on what Advent is all about and its importance to us as Christians. Family members, especially children  can participate in the preparation of the Advent Wreath , as we all know , the candles symbolize Jesus , the Light of the world ; the evergreens symbolize everlasting light ; the nuts and cones symbolize resurrection and the fruits symbolize  the fruitfulness of Christian life. Prayers are said every evening when the Advent wreath  is lit.  Most importantly, we should look at Advent  as a holy and pentitential season, always remembering , He is the reason for the Season.

Come , all believers , and praise her who alone is without blemish , whom the prophets foretold , who was brought into the temple. From all eternity , she was predestined to be Mother. And in these last times , she has been revealed as Mother of God. Lord , by her prayers , give us your peace and abundant mercy.

For all the saints
Whom no one thought to name
No litany of bliss
For their praise proclaims

For the homely saints
No halo aglow
Favored by the Lord
But to us so so

For the ruined saints
Who craved no boardroom glee
But offered their arms
And gave without fee

For the tattered saints
Who found no rest at home
But served in patient woe
And shrank in hearts alone

For the silent saints
Captured by their pain
Offering it to Him
For salvation’s gain

For the saint unseen
By power or by peer
The crownless heir of love
Raised on Christ’s bier

The lumpen hump of flesh
Draped across bench
Whose spit is his smile
And bouquet his stench

For the blithering saint
Whose strings of words bemuse
His blank stare runs counter
To the civil use

For the stunted saints
No worldly stature given
Graced by a shrug
And through neglect shriven

For the hidden saints
Caught in His eye
Reflections of God’s love
In ordinary guise

The humble face of saints
Uncanonized
Lies in the dust
By Him only prized

For these great saints
We have yet to know
Celebrate today!
Feast on crow.

No evil shall befall you, nor shall affliction come near your 
tent, for to His Angels God has given command about you, that 
they guard you in all your ways. Upon their hands they will 
bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone 

- Psalm 91: 10-12 

Today’s Readings

Exodus 23:20-23

 Gospel Reading . . . .

” The disciples came to Jesus and asked, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?Jesus called a child, whom he put among them, and said, Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.  Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. “

- Matthew 18:1-5, 10

  Angel Facts

1. They really exist. Not just in our minds, or our myths, or our symbols, or our culture. They are as real as your dog, or your sister, or electricity.

2. They’re present, right here, right now, right next to you, reading these words with you.

3. They’re not cute, cuddly, comfortable, chummy, or “cool.” They are fearsome and formidable. They are huge. They are warriors.

4. They are the real “extra-terrestrials,” the real “Supermen,” the ultimate aliens. Their powers are far beyond those of all fictional creatures.

5. They are more brilliant minds than Einstein.

6. They can literally move the heavens and the earth if God permits them.

7. There are also evil angels, fallen angels, demons, or devils. These too are not myths. Demon possessions, and exorcisms, are real.

8. Angels are aware of you, even though your can’t usually see or hear them. But you can communicate with them. You can talk to them without even speaking.

9. You really do have your very own “guardian angel.” Everybody does.

10. Angels often come disguised. “Do not neglect hospitality, for some have entertained angels unawares” — that’s a warning from life’s oldest and best instruction manual.

11. We are on a protected part of a great battlefield between angels and devils, extending to eternity.

12. Angels are sentinels standing at the crossroads where life meets death. They work especially at moments of crisis, at the brink of disaster — for bodies, for souls, and for nations.

Thy birth , O Virgin Mother of God ,

heralded joy to all the world.

For from thou hast risen the Sun of justice,

Christ our God.

Destroying the curse , He gave blessing ;

and damning death , He bestowed on us

life everlasting.

Blessed art thou among women

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

For from thou hast risen of Sun of justice,

Christ our God.

- The Divine Office , Matins (Morning Prayer)

The Most Holy Virgin  Mary Crowned Queen of Heaven

El Lucero de la Grada Monastery of  Carmel, Cuenca de los Andes, Ecuador

“Remember , My children, come to My Mother ; for Her memory of Her human days  upon earth, She  above all humans created - sinless, without the stigma of sin, a perfect life upon earth without sin, and assumed into Heaven, body and spirit - She above all  can direct you because She is your Mother ; She is the Queen of Heaven, and the Mother of every human being upon earth. “

- Jesus , August 14 , 1979

Almighty, ever-living God, You raised  to eternal glory the body and soul of the immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Your Son. Grant that our minds may always be directed heavenward and that we may deserve to share in her glory. Amen

The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother follows the tradition of recognizing Mary’s death and resurrection.

This holiday has been celebrated for many years by Christians. Some believe the date of August 15 was set to coincide with popular pagan harvest festivals of the time. It wasn’t  for many centuries of popular request , before Pope Pius XII declared Mary’s assumption to be a dogma or a fundamental belief of Catholics. The declaration occurred on November 1, 1950.