We wish all the readers of this blog of the Province a very happy feast of Mary Help of Christians. Mary comes to our aid whenever we call on him. She is actively present in the lives of everyone of us. Turn to her, and she will draw close to us. Continue reading Happy Feast of Mary Help of Christians
Mary, the Mother who cared for Jesus, now cares with maternal affection and pain for this wounded world. Just as her pierced heart mourned the death of Jesus, so now she grieves for the sufferings of the crucified poor and for the creatures of this world laid waste by human power. Completely transfigured, she now lives with Jesus, and all creatures sing of her fairness. She is the Woman, “clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Rev 12,1). Carried up into heaven, she is the Mother and Queen of all … Continue reading Ninth Day with Mary Help of Christians
Jesus’ gift to his people On the cross, when Jesus endured in his own flesh the dramatic encounter of the sin of the world and God’s mercy, he could feel at his feet the consoling presence of his mother and his friend. At that crucial moment, before fully accomplishing the work which his Father had entrusted to him, Jesus said to Mary: “Woman, here is your son”. Then he said to his beloved friend: “Here is your mother” (Jn 19,26-27). These words of the dying Jesus are not chiefly the expression of his devotion and concern for his mother; rather, they are a … Continue reading Eighth Day with Mary Help of Christians
From the relationship between the Eucharist and the individual sacraments, and from the eschatological significance of the sacred mysteries, the overall shape of the Christian life emerges, a life called at all times to be an act of spiritual worship, a self-offering pleasing to God. Although we are all still journeying towards the complete fulfilment of our hope, this does not mean that we cannot already gratefully acknowledge that God’s gifts to us have found their perfect fulfilment in the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother. Mary’s Assumption body and soul into heaven is for us a sign of … Continue reading Seventh Day with Mary Help of Christians
“Mater Verbi et Mater laetitiae” The close relationship between God’s word and joy is evident in the Mother of God. Let us recall the words of Saint Elizabeth: “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord” (Lk 1,45). Mary is blessed because she has faith, because she believed, and in this faith she received the Word of God into her womb in order to give him to the world. The joy born of the Word can now expand to all those who, by faith, let themselves be changed by God’s word. The Gospel of Luke … Continue reading Sixth Day with Mary Help of Christians
Mary, Star of Hope With a hymn composed in the eighth or ninth century, thus for over a thousand years, the Church has greeted Mary, the Mother of God, as “Star of the Sea”: Ave Maris Stella. Human life is a journey. Towards what destination? How do we find the way? Life is like a voyage on the sea of history, often dark and stormy, a voyage in which we watch for the stars that indicate the route. The true stars of our life are the people who have lived good lives. They are lights of hope. Certainly, Jesus Christ is the … Continue reading Fifth Day with Mary Help of Christians
Mary is Mother of Mercy because her Son, Jesus Christ, was sent by the Father as the revelation of God’s mercy (cf. Jn 3,16-18). Christ came not to condemn but to show mercy and forgiveness (cf. Mt 9,13). The greatest mercy of all is that he is present in our midst, calling us to meet him and to confess with Peter that he is “the Son of the living God” (Mt 16,16). No human sin can erase the mercy of God, or prevent him from unleashing all his triumphant power, whenever we only call upon him. Indeed, sin itself makes even more … Continue reading Fourth Day with Mary Help of Christians
Mary is the Mother and Help of the Church. She has a special love for the young, “the most delicate and most precious part of human society” (Const. 1). Through her motherly intercession, she raised up Don Bosco and the Salesian Congregation for their salvation. Don Bosco was convinced of this: “We owe everything to Mary” (BM XVII, 471). The faith, devotion and trust of Don Bosco for the Help of Christians are the faith, devotion and trust of every Salesian. We “believe that Mary is present among us and continues her mission as Mother of the Church and Help of Christians” (Const. 8). … Continue reading Third Day with Mary Help of Christians
Don Bosco assures us that the Virgin Mary, Help of Christians imparts a special blessing on those who take care of youth (cf. BM XVI,186). Just as Jesus showed signs of particular affection and tenderness for the young, so too is Mary’s maternal kindness focused on them. For this reason, when the Lord first revealed to John Bosco his unique call for the salvation of the young, in the prophetic dream which he had at nine years of age, he assured John that: “I will give you the Teacher”; and Mary, taking John kindly by the hand, referred to all the children in that dream … Continue reading Second Day with Mary Help of Christians
Goodnight talk by Fr. Biju Michael SDB, Regional Councillor for South Asia. Dimapur: We are preparing ourselves for the feast of Mary Help of Christians (MHC) with nine days of novena. The great celebration will be on 24 May 2020. Our Lady has been always at the side of humanity particularly when she is needed most. During this pandemic caused by Covid-19, let us turn to her invoking her intercession that this epidemic may be soon wiped away from the face of the earth and bring back that joy and normalcy to the entire world. Let us remember socially all … Continue reading First Day of Novena in Honour of MHC
Salesians of Dimapur Province (IND) 