Week 2, Day 6
Daily Prayer
The Angelus
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived by 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.
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary, etc.
V. And the Word was made Flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, etc.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Mary, Beloved of God
Scripture Reading from the Gospel of Luke 1:46-55 – The Magnificat
When Elizabeth sees Mary, she praises her, rejoicing in how much God has blessed Mary. When Mary hears Elizabeth’s praises, she sings a hymn, giving glory to God. How humble this is! Mary recognizes that God has blessed her, and she thanks Him by acknowledging that all of her blessings come from God. We can learn much from Mary’s humility.
Keeping a Pure Heart
When grace and charity enter your heart, your heart is purified. When God’s grace entered fully into Mary’s heart, it preserved her even from any inclination to sin. She is completely full of charity (God’s love), which enables her to give herself completely to God and to the child in her womb, Jesus.
What is an inclination? It is a tendency to like or prefer something.
What is grace? Grace is a gift from God to help your soul live according to His laws, so you can live in the perfect environment of love that is heaven. (For more on this, look at this article at Catholic Answers.)
God’s love is different than what many of us see in the world. God’s love is given freely and nothing is expected in return. God loves us even if we don’t love Him in return. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s love: He loves us freely no matter how badly we treat Him, or even if we completely reject His love. Mary too entered into this self-less kind of love and we are called to do the same.
Do you love your enemies? Our love should not be conditional. Love is a choice, not just a feeling. We choose to love another person because God loves him or her and wants what is best for him or her; and we should choose to love unconditionally too.
What actions can you do to show your enemies that you love them? Be kind to them even when they are mean to you. Do something nice for them. Pray for them. Always talk politely about them to others.
Selfishness is a roadblock on our way to God. When we put the needs of others first we begin to love as God loves us.
Daily Pious Practice Reminder
- Choose a verse from the Bible to read and think about each day.
Closing Prayer
Eternal and All-Powerful Father, the Virgin Mary is Mother of Fairest Love, the immaculate one. May she purify our hearts from everything that is not you, so that, freed from all that weighs them down, our hearts may burn with love for you, the only one we need. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Loving Our Enemies
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