Fragrance of God’s Grace, Mama

Entrusting My Words to the Holy Spirit

Linda Mary Liotino

With the fall of man to sin, the Garden of Eden lost its beauty and the original order God wanted.  His plan was a place for man and beast to live in perfect peace and harmony.  It was to be a place where God himself could walk and commune with man.  The fall of Adam to sin in the Garden of Eden brought the destruction of the Garden because peace, harmony, and the place where God commune with man forever gone because of sin. Not all that God wanted in the Garden of Eden and His relationship with man could survive once sin entered into the Garden.  However, God being God gave us another Garden His Mother.

Today the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.  In 1854 Pius IX gave the infallible statement: The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin. [American Catholic.org]

Mary’s freedom from all sin is the most beautiful fruit of the work of redemption accomplished by her Son.  Chosen as Mother of the Savior, Mary received the benefits of salvation from the moment of her conception.  Christ came to take away the sin of the world; he did not allow that sin to contaminate Mary.  In her sanctity, our Blessed Mother is a model for all Christians.  We should seek her intercession in our own struggles with sin.  Mary is the patroness of the United States under the title of the Immaculate Conception. [Daily Roman Missal]

Mama pick by Papa God, overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and carry within her womb the son of God Jesus stands to reason she is free of any stain of sin for God cannot abide where sin resides.  She a creature of God was free [by the will of God] from sin thus immaculately conceived.  Nothing is impossible with God.

Therefore, each of us has the beauty and fragrance of the first Garden where the beauty of God’s creation is and where God resides within our Mama.  She has not only the ear of her Son our Beloved Lord but also He readily listens to her and denies her nothing.  Therefore, her being our advocate allows us to go to the front of the line.  Our Beloved Lord sees His spotless Mother, as we peer from behind her mantel. 

Let our prayer be for today and everyday dear Mama obtain for us the grace to fight pride, jealousy, insecurity, sexual sin, compromise, unforgiveness, slothfulness, discouragement, covetousness, and fear.  Mama as we avoid sin may we imitate your virtues of deep humility, lively faith, ready obedience, continuous prayer, universal mortification, Divine purity, ardent charity, heroic patience, angelic sweetness and heavenly wisdom.  [virtues by St. Louis de Montfort]

I end with this last thought:  Luke 1:28

And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

May the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Bless you.

DEDICATED:  To you my Beloved Mama…I love you so very dearly. 

MARY, MOTHER OF GOD

Solemnity

Canticle of Mary

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
My Spirit rejoices in God my Saviour
For He has looked with favour on His lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
The Almighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His Name.

He has mercy on those who fear Him
In every generation.

He has shown the strength of His arm,
He has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
And has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of His servant Israel
For He has remembered His promise of mercy,
The promise He made to our fathers,
To Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning.
is now, and will be forever.

Amen.

May the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Bless all who read this.

Linda Mary Liotino

Patroness of the Americas

Definition: Our Lady of Guadalupe, Memorial of

In December of 1531, Our Lady appeared to an Aztec farmer named Juan Diego near a native Aztec shrine in Tepeyac, near present-day Mexico City. She told Juan to go to the bishop and ask that a church be built in that place. When the bishop demanded a sign, Mary instructed Juan to take with him the roses that were blooming there, even though it was December. Returning to the bishop’s house, Juan removed his coarse cloak and found that the image of Our Lady was emblazoned on it.

The cloak with its image is still viewed today inside the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe by pilgrims from around the world. Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared the “Patroness of the Americas” by Pope Pius XII in 1954, and again recently by Pope John Paul II. She is widely revered throughout our hemisphere and receives special affection from Native Americans and Hispanic communities. The feast is celebrated on December 12.

Source: Youth Update Glossary, St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2002.

Honoring Mama on this day in love, devotion, and with great respect. Mama you are my heart and always loved by me your daughter.

May the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Bless all who read this.

Linda Mary Liotino

Immaculate Conception of the

Blessed Virgin Mary

I honor you Mother this day your day. It is with deep affection and love my life is yours. You are Mama the guiding force that brings me to your Son in confidence and trust. My heart and soul I entrust to your prayers Mama. It is in your gentle love I am always safe and unafraid. My life’s journey is always with you, in you and for you; it is on this road I can pick up my cross and follow your Son. As I live my life I keep ever before me your life as my example to emulate. I always remember your yes, which brought forth the Messiah, my Lord God, the great I Am, salvation itself Jesus Christ. This yes of yours open the Gates of Heaven to me and the paying of my sins. Thank you Mama for everything.

Your daughter,

Linda

May the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Bless all who read this.

Copyright 2007 Linda Mary Liotino MTH

Holy Day of Obligation

On this day October 7 is The Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary and this celebration is carried through the whole month of October. I would like to share my testimony on my journey in praying the rosary. On October 16, 2002-October 2003 Pope John Paul II declare this as the year of the rosary (Pope John Paul II)
and this would be a new journey in my praying the rosary.

I have for the most part of my life prayed the rosary with some sense of regularity. The meditation on the scriptural events on the rosary was not well practiced by me while in prayer. It was when I became ill in 1999 and disable that I took the time to not only to pray in the mysteries, but to memorize them as well and the days on which the mysteries are prayed. I also found a way that work for me to say the rosary if something pressing needed to be done while in the middle of the prayers. I also found praying the rosary not to be tedious or chore like to me anymore. I really was enjoying the prayer and meditations. It was also in The Year of The Rosary the Luminous Mysteries were added by Pope John Paul II Rosarium Virginis Mariae.

It was in The Year of The Rosary in 2002 I was pressed in my heart to say the complete rosary daily all the mysteries The Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and the Glorious. I embraced this calling without hesitation. I had in my care my three year old grandson Ayezeyah whom I was raising and by virtue of his age needed a lot of my attention. The option of being able to pray the rosary in one sitting was never going to work. I devised a plan that work for me I would start out with the joyful mysteries and when I was finish I would stop and tend to the needs surrounding the boy. Later when I had free time I would pray the next set of mysteries etc. until I had completed the whole rosary. I never closed out the rosary with its ending prayers until all the mysteries were prayed. This method work for me and it was a joy in my hectic day to have the 20 minutes or so to recharge with Mother. I prayed this method for years.

Now that my grandson is in school I am able to pray the total rosary in the a.m. at one time. I am a morning person so I am at my best especially for prayers in the a.m. by days end I am tired. I tend not to be able to pray for long at the end of my day so, evening prayer and examining of conscience is my best effort for the close of my day.

I know any effort put into praying the rosary is a door that opens and Mother takes over from there. She directs us and gently prods us in praying her rosary. For she know best that in praying the rosary your are entering into the life of Christ having a mini scripture time with our Lord when we meditate on His life. Let us not get crazy about the meditation part of the rosary because our efforts no matter how meager they are, are given a shot of Divine Grace from God for us to pray deeper within the rosary.

We are called to be like “Little Children” and like “Little Children” we start out with a small effort as Mother takes us to her heart, encourages us along in the beauty of her love and joy as we try our best. Pray the Rosary

May the Hearts of Jesus and Mary Bless You.

Copyright 2007 Linda Mary Liotino MTH

Dear Mother,

I send my love to you in a heart of white roses in celebration of your day under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Mother, your daughter is close to your Immaculate Heart where I find refuge and rest. I am always confident of your prayers and guidance for which I am so thankful. You keep an ever-gentle hand on me as I journey through this Valley of Tears.

I wear the Brown Scapular as a sign of my fidelity and devotion to you. I am under your protection and being a good and loving Mother, you keep an ever-watchful eye over me. My prayers to you Mother are received within your Immaculate Heart and treated tenderly.

Mother your life I try to emulate as I journey home. Your love is my assurance and your prayers keep me ever close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. My refuge of Mercy you Mother, always brings me to the fount of Mercy your Son. Amen

May the hearts of Jesus and Mary Bless You

Copyright 2007 Linda Mary Liotino