Week 5, Day 5
Daily Prayer
Ave Maris Stella (Hail Star of the Sea)
Hail, bright star of ocean,
God’s own Mother blest,
Ever sinless Virgin,
Gate of heavenly rest.
Taking that sweet Ave
Which from Gabriel came,
Peace confirm within us,
Changing Eva’s name.
Break the captives’ fetters,
Light on blindness pour,
All our ills expelling,
Every bliss implore.
Show thyself a Mother;
May the Word Divine,
Born for us thy Infant,
Hear our prayers through thine.
Virgin all excelling,
Mildest of the mild,
Freed from guilt, preserve us,
Pure and undefiled.
Keep our life all spotless,
Make our way secure,
Till we find in Jesus,
Joy forevermore.
Through the highest heaven
To the Almighty Three,
Father, Son and Spirit,
One same glory be. Amen.
Jesus, Son of the Father
Scripture Reading from Revelation 14:1-7
The 144,000 had the Father’s name written on their foreheads. When do we have something written on our foreheads? At Baptism (and again at Confirmation), our heads are anointed with chrism and marked with the sign of the Cross. Our foreheads are marked with ashes on Ash Wednesday.
Follow the Lamb with Mary
In order for the Lamb, Jesus, to be most perfectly in our lives, we must ask the Lamb’s mother, Mary, to be part of our lives as well. Mary is the perfect example of how to follow Jesus, because she is present from the Annunciation through the Passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus. There are no sufferings that she avoids; she embraces all that the Father sends to her. Mary lived for Jesus alone, and she received perfect joy from God.
Mary perfectly followed Christ through his mission in this world. She was faithful to God through the good times and the bad times, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer. She dedicated her life to helping God accomplish His plans for the world through her son, Jesus.
Where do we also hear the words above (through good times and bad etc)? During a wedding ceremony, the love of God is what we practice through the sacrament of Christian Marriage. Marriage is a training ground for loving as God loves.
When did the Holy Family have riches? When they received gold from the Wise Men.
When did the Holy Family experience sickness? When Joseph died, and during the Passion of Jesus.
To follow Christ, the Lamb of God, we try to do what God wants us to do in all things. God is perfect love and His ways are higher than our ways. He knows us best, He knows what will bring us true joy and not just temporary pleasures. If we rely on Him and follow His will, we too will find the perfect joy that Mary found.
How can we know what God wants us to do? Read scripture, pray, frequent reception of the Sacraments, and by being quiet and listening for God’s voice.
What can we do to show love to others? Open the door for someone, clean the kitchen when no one has asked. Do nice things for others, tell your parents and grandparents you love them.
Daily Pious Practice Reminder
- Visit Christ in the Blessed Sacrament once per day.
Closing Prayer
Father, source of all goodness, your beloved Son, the Lamb of God, calls us to follow him. Grant, we beg you, that, following the example of the Virgin Mary and with her help, we may follow the Lamb wherever he goes. Through Christ, our Lord, Amen.
Follow the Lamb with Mary
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