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Helen
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| Posted: March 04 2010 at 12:59pm | IP Logged
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For Lent, it might be helpful to delve into Our Lady's practice of Universal Mortification.
I've begun these threads by looking at a PDF available from the Society of Our Lady of the Trinity.
SOLT - Fomation guide for Virtues , a PDF on the virtues of Our Lady.
For Universal Mortification it suggests looking at:
Luke 2:33-35
Mary knew Isaiah’s Prophecy— ―Like a lamb led to the slaughter, He opened not His mouth...‖
To help practicing Universal Mortification, the pamphlet suggests:
Listen with patient endurance, even when accused unjustly.
Could you share ways that Our Lady's example has helped you this Lent?
Have you come across spiritual reading which has enlightened you to the meaning of Our Lady's Universal Mortification?
Do you have a prayer which you turn to?
Do you have another experience which gives honor to Our Lady's example or intercession?
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Ave Maria!
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Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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Helen
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| Posted: March 05 2010 at 6:50pm | IP Logged
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When reflecting on the meaning of universal mortification, I first focused on the word Universal.
Universal = At every moment of every day
Being mortified = Having control over your inclinations.
If at every moment, you can deny yourself something (even if it is a good) for the benefit of another and for the love of God, you are practicing a holy penance, a holy mortification.
I don't think that Mortification necessarily means an extreme denial or poverty. Our Lady did experience a great poverty in the cave of Bethlehem and on the flight to Egypt and the years in Egypt. (The length of stay in Egypt varies among saintly authors. I personally favor the seven year theory.) I believe the focus of Universal Mortification is the ability in the present moment to choose another over oneself for the love of God.
This ties in beautifully with St. Therese’s Little Way. She did not aspire to be a big saint in the eyes of the world rather she choose a constant, mini martyrdom. It’s good to remember that St. Therese was a Carmelite and so she wore the clothing of Our Lady, the beloved Scapular. I think we can say that St. Therese’s Little Way is a Marian way to Jesus.
Living in the moment is key to living with God. We do not have tomorrow and yesterday is gone. Living in the moment connects us to God. Responding to His Will in the moment leads to union with Him. Union with Him leads to holiness.
Thinking about Our Lady’s Universal Mortification sets a concrete example for us to follow. As I write this, I can’t help but think of Our Lady’s message at Fatima. Our Lady teaches us how to be Universally Mortified. She gave the instructions to the children at Fatima. Offer sacrifices for the conversion of sinners and say
For the love of God, for the conversion of sinners and sins against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. At Fatima, Our Lady teaches us to become like her.
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Ave Maria!
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Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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Helen
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| Posted: March 06 2010 at 8:43am | IP Logged
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I think this might be an example of the practice of Universal Mortification from a real life example from a convent.
The sisters live completely on donations. They wear Our Lady’s habit. They keep a vegetable garden to supply their needs and they grow flowers for the altar. Once a mystery flower was donated to the sisters. They didn’t know what it was or where it came from. They planted it in the garden. It turned out to be the most vile, repulsive smelling flower. It was ugly too.
I would have torn the offensive plant out. I was mad that someone sent these sisters such a horrible plant. To me, it was clearly a bad joke.
The sisters decided to keep it. It came to them through the loving Providence of God. I suppose the Mother Superior thought this was a good way to practice virtue. The smell reminded the sisters to pray for the people who sent the gift. It’s quite an effort to walk by the plant and not ruffle your nose. The plant offered the opportunity to guard your tongue from complaining, as St. James says, the tongue is the most difficult member to tame. To avoid its discussion during recreation (while the foul odor wafts through the windows.) To thank God for His Providence…as Job says, We accept good thing from the Lord should we not also accept evil?
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Ave Maria!
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Helen
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| Posted: March 23 2010 at 9:31am | IP Logged
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As we draw closer to Holy Week, does anyone have some more thoughts or considerations regarding Our Lady's Universal Mortification?
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Ave Maria!
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Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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Helen
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| Posted: March 24 2010 at 5:24pm | IP Logged
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On the eve of the Annunciation, when Our Lady became the Mother of God, and a week before Holy Week, I thought this was a good quote from John Paul II's apostolic Letter Salvifici Doloris on suffering.
The Holy Father ties together Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of each and every one of us with uniting ourselves to Our Lord on the Cross.
wrote:
| This is not all: the Divine Redeemer wishes to penetrate the soul of every sufferer through the heart of his holy Mother, the first and the most exalted of all the redeemed. As though by a continuation of that motherhood which by the power of the Holy Spirit had given him life, the dying Christ conferred upon the ever Virgin Mary a new kind of motherhood—spiritual and universal—towards all human beings, so that every individual, during the pilgrimage of faith, might remain, together with her, closely united to him unto the Cross, and so that every form of suffering, given fresh life by the power of this Cross, should become no longer the weakness of man but the power of God. |
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paragraph 26
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Ave Maria!
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: March 24 2010 at 5:52pm | IP Logged
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Thank you Helen. I don't have much to observe about Mary's mortification because I so poorly imitate it myself, but it is helpful to be reminded of it during lent, especially.
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Lindsay
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[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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organiclilac
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| Posted: March 26 2010 at 3:21pm | IP Logged
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I feel the same as Lindsay - this is an area in my life that needs a lot of work, and you have given me much to think about.
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Tracy, wife to Shawn, mama to Samuel (4/01) and Joseph (11/11), and Thomas (2/15)
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Christine
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| Posted: March 26 2010 at 11:57pm | IP Logged
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Somehow, I missed this thread when it first began. It's interesting that you decided to focus on Our Lady's Universal Mortification during Lent. Thanks to someone's blog, I learned about the book A Year with the Saints and subsequently found it in its entirety on Google Reader. The month of March, which begins on page 87, focuses on the virtue of mortification. Thank you for linking this virtue to our Blessed Mother. She provides us with a truly wonderful example of this virtue.
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Christine
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Helen
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| Posted: March 27 2010 at 7:41am | IP Logged
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Love, love, love this book Christine!!
It's fantastic.
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Ave Maria!
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Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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BrendaPeter
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| Posted: April 14 2010 at 3:27pm | IP Logged
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Helen wrote:
Love, love, love this book Christine!!
It's fantastic. |
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Can't believe I've just learned about this book recently. What a total gem! It's become my most favorite book.
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Blessings,
Brenda (mom to 6)
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aussieannie
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I've been on the lookout for a book such as this, they're out there but they might not always suit your own spirituality as you would like it, so this comes as a good recommendation to me ~ thank you!
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4Real Forums : Hidden Treasure
Topic: Mary's Virtue: Universal Mortification
