Subj : December 18th - The Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary To : All From : rich Date : Mon Dec 17 2018 08:07:02 From: rich December 18th - The Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary =C2 We, too, expectantly wait for the grace and joy of Our Lord and Savior, born on Christmas day. We remember that Jesus was =E2=80=9Cpre-born= =E2=80=9D at the moment of the Incarnation, that the Word became flesh when Our Blessed Mother assented to God's plan, as she spoke to the Archange= l Gabriel at the Annunciation. That feast, on March 25, predates today=E2=80= =99s feast by nearly nine months. We can try to imagine what those nine months were like for The Blessed Virgin, knowing that the Lord grew within her, was one with her. We can only begin to understand the patience she had to possess, looking forward to both the glory and joy of the divine birth. We experience these same feelings=E2=80=94albeit to a lesser extent, no doubt=E2=80=94dur= ing this Advent season of preparation. We examine our lives, and look forward to the saving grace of our Lord, as mediated by Our Blessed Mother. While the Lord's plan was first enacted at the moment Mary was conceived without sin, and made manifest to the Blessed Virgin at the Annunciation, it was made evident to the world at the moment of the Nativity. Prior to that, Mary had seen and heard what others had not, and she had only one more week to anticipate the arrival of her son, Our Lord, the Redeemer of the World! Our Blessed Mother was the original tabernacle, in which the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Saint Augustine wrote that Mary conceived the Word in her heart before she conceived the Word in her flesh=E2=80=94that as she anticipated the birth of Jesus, her faith grew simultaneously. The second Vatican Council declared that during the time of her pregnancy, the heart of the Incarnate Word beat gently below her immaculate heart: two immaculate hearts, beating silently and prayerfully as one. We can imagine Mary's nine-month journey as one of wonder and anticipation, but given the circumstances she found herself in, we also know of her difficult journey, the doubts of Saint Joseph, the anxiety that she must have experienced during that time. But Our Blessed Mother demonstrated not only patience, but also forbearance and deep trust in the Lord. She knew the road would not be easy=E2=80=94in fact, that her joy would almost certainly be linked to suffering throughout her life=E2=80=94but in hope and confidence placed her life in t= he Lord's hands. As she prepared for the birth of Jesus, Mary emptied herself, allowing her body and soul to be filled with the grace and spirit of the Lord. During Advent, we pray for a similar experience, that we might approach the birth of Our Savior with hope and confidence. - Saint Quote: Three things upset the balance of the body's temperament: lack of restraint in our diet, a change in the weather, and the touch of the demonic powers. --St. Thalassios the Libyan Bible Quote: And we know that to them that love God all things work together unto good: to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints. (Romans 8:28 ) DRB <><><><> O God who didst will that Thy Word should, by the message of an Angel, take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant unto us, we beseech Thee, that all we who do believe her to be in very deed the Mother of God, may be holpen by her prayers in Thy sight. Amen. <><><><> Rejoice, O Mary, by whose mighty hand the Church hath victory over her foes [every heresy] achieved, since thou to Gabriel's word of quickening power in lowliness hast listened, and believed =E2=80=94 thou, still a virgin, in thy blessed womb hast God Incarnate of thy flesh conceived, and still, in heaven, of that virginity remainest after childbirth unbereaved. V. Blessed art thou that hast believed, for there is a performance of those things which were told thee from the Lord. --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .