Light to My Lamp
Remember, even those who live justly do so not through human merits but
through divine helps. No persons live justly unless they have been made
just;
and humans are
made just by him who can never be unjust.
As a lamp is not lighted by itself, so the human soul does not give light
to
itself but calls out to
God: "You indeed, O Lord, give light to my lamp."
- Commentary on Psalm 110, 2
Prayer. You will light my lamp, Lord my God. I stand in the darkness of my
sins,
but my shadows
will be dispelled by the beam of your wisdom and your face will shine upon
me.
Augustine- Commentary on Psalm 66, 4
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March 6th - Our Lady of Nazareth (Nazaré)
The chronicles of the old Portugal report this episode that took place in
the
year 1182, on the day of the exaltation of the Holy Cross. Dom Fuas
Roupinho, a
knight and vassal of King Alphonse Henriques, was out hunting on a foggy
day. He
was pursuing a deer when it came to an unexpected precipice and fell to
its
death into the sea below.
The horse, which was in close pursuit, reared on the very edge of the
cliff,
and
it seemed certain that Dom Fuas would follow the deer to his death.
Knowing
that
a little distance to his left was a cave with the statue of the Virgin of
Nazareth, Dom Fuas immediately invoked her protection. He was saved, and
in
thanksgiving he built a small "chapel of memory" (Ermida da Memória) over
the
cave in her honor.
According to a document found with it, the little statue of the Virgin had
been
venerated in Nazareth in the times of early Christianity. When the
iconoclast
heresy started in Constantinople and the heretics were destroying all the
statues, a monk called Ciriaco took it to a monastery in Spain in the
proximity
of Merida.
In 714, when the Saracens invaded the Iberian Peninsula, King Rodrigo fled
with
Friar Germano to the Atlantic coast, bearing the statue with them. They
hid
the
statue in a small cave off the coast of the site that was later to become
Nazaré, where it remained until it was found by a shepherd in 1179.
After Our Lady miraculously saved the life of Dom Fuas, the devotion to
Our
Lady
of Nazareth spread broadly through the country and was the source of
countless
graces for the people. In 1377 King Fernando ordered a Church to be built
near
the little chapel, and the statue is venerated there now.
Comments of late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira: (died 1995)
The fact is full of grandiose memories from History. Dom Fuas Roupinho was
one
of the great heroes in the battles that marked the birth of Portugal and
its
independence from Spain.
The scene is superb: a noble hunting on a foggy day near the ocean. The
deer
he
is chasing falls to a sudden death from a precipice. His horse rears at
the
edge
of the cliff, and it seems certain he will die. He prays to Our Lady in a
nearby
cave, and she intervenes. The horse recovers and the noble is saved.
The statue of Our Lady is one that was venerated in Nazareth at the
beginning of
Christianity. How many crooked lines Divine Providence used to make this
statue
be there to save a Portuguese noble, right at the very time when Portugal
was
being founded. The episode is very poetic. It also shows the diverse ways
Our
Lady uses to foster a devotion.
The statue was venerated in Nazareth. Then, in flight during a
persecution,
it
went to Spain. There it made a profound impression on the King, who took
it
with
him when he was also obliged to flee. He and his companion, a friar,
placed
the
image in a cave. Later it was found by a shepherd, and the devotion
continued,
although it was barely surviving. It would, however, grow enormously after
Our
Lady saved Dom Fuas Roupinho.
When devotion began to diminish in the Middle East, Our Lady made her
statue
go
to Spain. When the devotion began to cool in Spain, she inspired a King to
bring
her to a place that would be part of a new country, Portugal. From there,
the
devotion would spread throughout that land and to other countries for the
good
of many people. Two hundreds years ago, the same devotion came from
Portugal
to
Brazil, to the city of Belém do Pará. The sanctuary of Our Lady of
Nazareth
there is a center of pilgrimage year round. On the day of her feast, more
than
one million people go to venerate her.
The story reveals the way Our Lady often works her wonders. It reminds me
of
that principle of the theology of History-residuum revertetur [the remnant
will
return]. When everything seems to be near an end, when only a remnant
remains
faithful, then everything is reborn from it. A series of failures followed
by
rebirths-this is often found in the ways of Our Lady.
Her ways are the royal ways of a Queen. She permits everything to almost
disappear, and then she proves that she can re-establish everything. She
restores what was there before and even more from only a remnant.
This is the rhythm History follows: we had the apogee of the Catholic
spirit
in
the Middle Ages. Now we have its complete failure and the apogee of the
revolutionary spirit. A remnant remains faithful fighting to destroy the
Revolution and make the Reign of Mary, which will be built and reach an
apex
still higher than the Middle Ages.
The decadence of the Reign of Mary will bring, in its turn, another epoch
that
will represent the victory of the Antichrist. Then also, a remnant will
remain
faithful to fight the evil. The fidelity of that remnant will be rewarded
with
the second coming of Our Lord and His final triumph, along with the
triumph
of
Our Lady.
This grandiose historical law also applies to our individual spiritual
lives.
When we experience an apparent failure, we should confide and pray to Our
Lady
because often it will be the re-starting of a new step in our devotion to
her.
Saint Quote:
Look then on Jesus, the author and preserver of faith: in complete
sinlessness
he suffered, and at the hands of those who were his own, and was numbered
among
the wicked. As you drink the cup of the Lord Jesus (how glorious it is!),
give
thanks to the Lord, the giver of all blessings.
May the God of love and peace set your hearts at rest and speed you on
your
journey; may he meanwhile shelter you from disturbance by others in the
hidden
recesses of his love, until he brings you at last into that place of
complete
plenitude where you will repose for ever in the vision of peace, in the
security
of trust, and in the restful enjoyment of his riches.
-from a letter by Saint Raymond
Bible Quote:
That he was caught up into paradise, and heard secret words, which it is
not
granted to man to utter. For such an one I will glory; but for myself I
will
glory nothing, but in my infirmities. (2 Corinthians 4-5)
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A prayer to Our Lady of Divine Providence:
Mary, Immaculate Virgin and Mother of divine Providence
keep my soul with the fullness of thy grace: do thou govern
my life and direct it in the way of virtue to the fulfillment of the
Divine Will. Obtain for me the pardon and remission of all my
sins; be thou my refuge, my protection, my defense and my
guide in my pilgrimage through the world; comfort me in the
midst of tribulation; bring me safe through every danger; in
the storms of adversity afford me thy sure protection. Obtain
for me, O Mary, the renewal of my heart within me, that it may
become a holy dwelling place for thy divine Son Jesus; keep
far from me, who am so weak and miserable, every kind of
sin, negligence, lukewarmness, cowardice and human
respect. Dear Mother of divine Providence, turn thy motherly
gaze upon me, and if through weakness or malice, I have
provoked the threats of the eternal Judge and saddened the
Sacred Heart of my dear Jesus, do thou cover me with the
mantle of thy protection and I shall be safe. Thou art the
Mother of Providence; thou art the Virgin of pardon; thou art
my hope on earth. Grant that I may have thee as my Mother
in the glory of heaven. Amen.
Hail Mary... (thrice)
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