Mary's Garden

"You are an enclosed garden, my sister, my bride, an enclosed garden, a fountain sealed. Arise, north wind! Come, south wind! Blow upon my garden that its perfumes may spread abroad." Song of Solomon 4:12,16

Mary's Garden is a garden, filled with flowers, plants and trees named for Mary and Jesus. It is designed to be a place of beauty that reminds us of our Lord and Our Lady, to experience God's creation, and to invite prayer and contemplation.

During the Middle Ages, people saw reminders of Mary, the Mother of God, in the flowers and herbs growing around them. Violets were symbols of her humility, lilies her purity and roses her glory. They called her “Flower of Flowers,” and named plants after her. Marigolds were Mary’s Gold, clematis was the Virgin’s Bower and lavender was Our Lady’s Drying Plant.

Devoted to Mary, people decorated her altars with flowers on her feast days. Poets and popes praised her in hymns, as in this 15th-century Ave Maria:

Heil be thou, Marie, that aff flour of all
As roose in eerbir so reed.

In the last century, people also honored Mary with flowers. May crownings were the tradition in Catholic schools during Mary’s month of May, and makeshift home altars bearing an image of Mary were decorated with the choicest home-grown blossoms. Those traditions have almost disappeared, but the medieval custom of finding reminders of Mary’s attributes, glory and sorrows in flowers and herbs has left a legacy that can enrich our lives in this millennium. In medieval times, legends about flowers and herbs, some of them dating from the first century, were used to instruct people, as well as entertain them. Those legends, as well as the Mary names of flowers, can still inform and delight us.

Reflecting on the flower names, we can honor Mary and find relevance for our own lives. We model Mary’s humility as we gaze upon the humble violet, sing her praises with petunias and share her sorrows as we behold the purple blossoms and sword-like leaves of the blue flag iris. Flower and herb legends tell us about important moments in Mary’s life. The Madonna Lily was carried by the Angel Gabriel when he visited Mary to tell her God had chosen her to be the mother of the Savior. Our Lady’s Bedstraw, Holy Hay and other herbs became radiant in the humble manger where Mary gave birth to Jesus. Carnations and the Christmas Rose bloomed on that night.

More than 30 flowers and herbs bear legends about Mary’s life. Many of the plants can be easily grown in your own Mary Garden, a garden dedicated to Mary and containing her image and plants associated with her by name or legend. They are found in Mary Gardens throughout the world, should you want to make a pilgrimage in Mary’s honor. The legends and reflections which follow can take us, in spirit and in our hearts, on a virtual journey with Mary.

Lily of the Valley Convalleria majalis Mary’s Tears.
It was said that when Mary wept at the foot of the Cross, her tears fell to the ground and turned into the tiny fragrant blossoms of this early spring plant. In England it had the name “Our Lady’s Tears” because when viewed from a distance the white flowerets gave the appearance of teardrops falling. The lily of the valley was a symbol of the Virgin Mary because of its pure white flowers, sweet smell and humble appearance. It symbolized Mary’s Immaculate Conception and represented the purity of body and soul by which Mary found favor with God.

Reflection The sacred text does not speak of your tears, Mary, as our legend does. It tells us instead that you stood by the cross and you were not alone. Other women and John were also there. We wonder at the sorrow, the bitterness, the pain of this little community standing by. Fragrant tiny white lily-bells, a thousand quiet tears bowing before the still-cold winter winds, teach me of springtime and the Resurrection just beyond the stone-cold tomb.
Excerpt from Mary's Flowers by Vincenzina Krymow and M. Jean Frisk, illustrations by A. Joseph Barrish, S.M.

O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the Heavens, Queen of the May. Make our hearts a garden of prayers for these little ones and their families.

He restores my soul. Psalm 23:3

"Look at the sweetness of the tender fruit, the spotless Lamb, the seed sown in Mary as in a lovely field!...Our rational will has been made even stronger by God's union with humanity. I beg you in Christ gentle Jesus to lift your love, your affection, your desire up high. Take hold of the tree of the most holy cross and let it be planted in the garden of your soul, because this is a tree laden with fruits, the true solid virtues. For you see very well that beyond God's union with his creature, He has joined Himself to the Most Holy Cross. And He wills, He insists, that we too join ourselves to this sweet tree in love and desire. Then our garden cannot help producing sweet and tender fruit."  Saint Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church



He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.  Psalm 23:3

It is so important to continually acknowledge God's Presence and pray because He restores our souls. He guides us in the paths of righteousness for His glory, so that we will lead others to Him too.

We were created to be living souls for God.
We cannot let the "ways of this world" cause distress in our souls. We must learn to reach out to the Lord, and let Him restore us. He will help us to see beyond all the problems around us and to see His glory. When our hearts and souls ache, we need to reach out to God. Only God can restore our souls. Let us place our trust in Him. He wouldn't make us this way, if He didn't want us this way. When we feel threatened, or we stumble or fall, God is always there to help us. God is always there to restore our souls but we must want Him to do it, and allow Him to do it. God can and does make a difference in our lives so that we can make a difference in our world.

Jesus, You are our Comforter and Counselor. We trust in You. Blessed Mother Mary, we entrust all our prayer intentions into your loving care.

We remember our fallen heroes...

I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.  John 14:18

On Memorial Day, today we honor all those who have given their lives for our freedom. As we look at the images, we remember our fallen heroes, their families and especially their children.

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.  In green pastures He makes me lie down; to still waters He leads me;  He restores my soul.  He guides me along right paths for the sake of His name. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff comfort me.

 

You set a table before me in front of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the Lord for endless days.  Psalm 23

The Miraculous Medal

The proper name is the Medal of the Immaculate Conception.  It was called this name from the beginning until people were so pleased with the wonders it worked, they called it the Miraculous Medal. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is portrays Mary crushing the head of the serpent, a reference to Genesis 3:15,   "I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed; she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel." 
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

THE MEANING OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

The Front Side - On the front of the Miraculous Medal, Mary stands on a globe, representing the earth, with a crushed snake under her feet. This image represents Mary's role as "Queen of Heaven and Earth". The snake represents Satan, who was defeated by Mary's obedience to God. The rays coming from her hands symbolize the graces Mary gives to those who ask her. The year 1830 commemorates the year that the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Catherine Laboure.

The Reverse Side - On the reverse side of the Miraculous Medal is a cross and the letter "M". The cross represents Christ's sacrifice for our salvation, while the bar under the cross stands for the Earth. The "M" stands for "Mary" and her true devotion both to Jesus and to her children on Earth. The two hearts are the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The entire image is surrounded by twelve stars. The stars can represent both the twelve Apostles and the verse from the Book of Revelation, "a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars." Revelation 12:1 

THE PROMISES OF THE MEDAL
 
During Our Lady's visit to Catherine on November 27, 1830, rays of light flowed from rings on her fingers that were made of precious stones.  However, some of the stones on the ring did not shine. Mary explained:

"These rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them. The gems from which rays do not fall are the graces for which souls forget to ask."

Mary then spoke of the medal with these words:

"All who wear it will receive great graces; they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for persons who wear it with confidence."

The medal is simply a visible sign of the inner devotion the wearer has for Mary and  her Son, Jesus.

The miraculous medal apparition was for all mankind.  Our Lady is concerned with each individual and the medal is a personal link between Our Lady and all who wear the medal.  When she appeared to Saint Catherine of Laboure, she did not call for pilgrimages nor the building of a shrine, simply to wear the medal. 

O Mary, the Immaculate Conception, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Reflection: Grace and Mercy...Roses and Thorns

Every week, I have the blessing of going to Eucharistic Adoration and seeing Jesus through the eyes of a little child.  She knows she is with Him.  She climbs up to stand on the kneeler before the altar.  She looks at Jesus and talks to him.  Recently, a small gold cross was placed on the altar.  She reached out and held the little cross in her hands and kissed Jesus.  She looked at it and asked what was on His head.  I told her it was a crown of thorns.  She had a pained look and asked, "Why?"  She knows about thorns because she loves roses, but not the thorns.  I told her some people did not love Jesus and wanted to hurt Him.  She could not comprehend why.

This sacred moment gave me a glimpse of how little children teach us so much.  A rose is a beautiful flower and the thorns are part of it.  I have been reflecting on this beautiful encounter with an innocent child.  Thorns and trials are a part of our lives.  It is through them that Jesus makes something as beautiful as a rose.  It is through the trials and suffering in my life that the Lord made beauty.  How does Jesus do that?  When we turn to Him, He draws us close to His Sacred Heart.  We hear Him in the silence of Eucharistic Adoration and in quiet, contemplative prayer.

Saint Therese of Lisieux, described herself as a little flower for Jesus.  She said,

"Take heart, Jesus hears even the last echo of our pain."

"I do not have any other means to prove my love to you, but to throw flowers, that is to let no little sacrifice, no look, no word pass, to take advantage of all the littlest of things and to do them out of love... Hence, I pluck every flower I find on my way, for Jesus. And then as I strew my flowers before Him I desire to sing, although I have had to pluck them among thorns. And the sharper and longer the thorns, the sweeter is my song."  She had much suffering.  "My joy is to love suffering. I smile shedding tears.  I accept with gratitude the thorns mixed with the flowers."

Our Blessed Mother Mary knew suffering and unbearable pain.  She appeared to the shepherd children in Fatima and showed her heart encircled with thorns. 

On December 10, 1925, Lucia saw an apparition of the Blessed Virgin, accompanied by the Child Jesus on a little cloud.  Lucia recounted that Mary rested her hand on her shoulder, while showing her a heart encircled by thorns in her other hand.

The Child Jesus spoke first: "Have pity on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother. It is covered with the thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to remove them with an act of reparation."

Then Mary said:  "My daughter, look at My Heart surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console me, and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months go to confession and receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary and keep me company for a quarter of an hour while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."

On June 13, 1929, Lucia saw another important apparition involving Mary as she was making a Holy Hour in the convent chapel at Tuy in Spain, as was her custom on Thursday nights from eleven to twelve. She was alone, praying the prayers of the Angel in the dim light of the sanctuary lamp when,

"Suddenly the whole chapel was illumined by a supernatural light, and above the altar appeared a Cross of light, reaching to the ceiling. In a brighter light on the upper part of the Cross, could be seen the face of a man and his body as far as the waist; upon his breast was a dove of light; nailed to the Cross was the body of another man. A little below the waist, I could see a chalice and a large Host suspended in the air, onto which drops of blood were falling from the Face of Jesus Crucified and from the wound in His side.  These drops ran down onto the Host and fell into the chalice. Beneath the right arm of the Cross was Our Lady and in her hand was her Immaculate Heart.  It was Our Lady of Fatima, with her Immaculate Heart in her left hand, without sword or roses, but with a crown of thorns and flames. Under the left arm of the Cross, large letters, as if of crystal clear water which ran down upon the altar, formed these words: 'Grace and Mercy.' "  Lucia explained that she understood the apparition was a representation of the Holy Trinity.

Let us ponder the crown of thorns on the Sacred Head of Jesus and the crown of thorns that encircled and pierced the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Two hearts united.  Let us ask them for the grace to be like a little child.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, Immaculate Heart of Mary, we unite our sufferings to you and ask you to make something beautiful.

Mary Undoer of Knots

This devotion is a favorite of Pope Francis.

How did the devotion begin?
To show us the mission granted to the Virgin Mary by Her Son, an artist painted Mary Undoer of Knots with great grace. Since 1700, his painting has been venerated in the Church of St. Peter in Perlack, Germany. It was originally inspired by a meditation of Saint Irenaeus (Bishop of Lyon and martyred in 202) based on the parallel made by Saint Paul between Adam and Christ. Saint Irenaeus, in turn, made a comparison between Eve and Mary, saying:

“Eve, by her disobedience, tied the knot of disgrace for the human race; whereas Mary, by her obedience, undid it”.

What are the knots?
There are the problems and struggles we face for which we do not see any solution. knots of discord in your family, lack of understanding between parents and children, disrespect, violence, the knots of deep hurts between husband and wife, the absence of peace and joy at home. There are also the knots of anguish and despair of separated couples, the dissolution of the family, the knots of a drug addict son or daughter, sick or separated from home or God, knots of alcoholism, the practice of abortion, depression, unemployment, fear, solitude, the knots of our life! How they suffocate the soul, beat us down and betray the heart’s joy and separate us from God.

The devotion to Mary Undoer of Knots is more than 300 years old and is becoming more and more known in many different countries. The Novena has been printed in 19 languages, as well as in Braille. Pilgrims travel from all over the world to the Sanctuary of Mary Undoer of Knots.

"We are living in difficult times where the problems, the knots, the temptations, the lack of peace and the evils are all around us. Like a roaring lion your adversary, the devil, prowls around, looking for someone to devour."  1 Peter 5, 8

Mary undoes the knots.  She was chosen by God to crush the evil with Her feet and she comes to us. She comes to provide jobs, good health, to reconcile families, because she wants to undo the knots of our sins which dominate our lives, so that as sons and daughters of the Lord, we can receive the promises reserved for us from eternity. She comes with promises of victory, peace, blessings and reconciliation. 

Mother of the Rising Sun, Immaculate, our Advocate, Helper in moments of affliction, Mother of God and our Mother, Mary, Undoer of Knots, Queen of Mercy, pray for us.

Our Lady, Undoer of knots, pray for us and all the intentions we receive through this ministry.

I am the Lady of the Rosary.

Our Lady appeared in Fatima between May 13th and October 13th, 1917 to three shepherd children, Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco. Mary, the Mother of God, told the children that God had sent her with a message for every man, woman and child. At the time, there was war and violence in many parts of the world, much as it is today. Mary told the children to pray the rosary daily. The Blessed Mother appealed to all to pray hard so that the war would cease. On many occasions, the children were asked to tell the people to pray the rosary daily for personal conversion and world peace. Mary warned that people would suffer the consequences of war, hunger and persecution of the Church if they disobeyed God's Will.

The saintly Pope Pius XII, on July 7, 1952, consecrated Russia to the Blessed Virgin. Pope John Paul II consecrated the entire world to the Virgin Mary in 1984, a year after the assassination attempt on him. John Paul II believed that he was saved because of the protection of Our Lady of Fatima. Thus, after consecrating the world to her Immaculate Heart, the Pope placed the bullet that hit him on the crown of Our Lady.

Let us pray to Our Lady of Fatima and ask her intercession to unite our families in love and to heal our relationships. Let us entrust our nation and the whole world to Our Blessed Mother's care and guidance. Her message at Fatima is that of world peace and reconciliation to God. May all men and women heed the call of love and peace of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Our Lady wants us to consecrate ourselves to her Immaculate Heart, a consecration in which we make a complete surrender of self to our Mother, promising her that we will: Say her Rosary every day. Offer the little daily sacrifices that come our way for the conversion of sinners. Make the five Communions of Reparation on the first Saturdays of five consecutive months. In the last apparition at Fatima Our Lady appeared as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, holding the Scapular in her outstretched hand. The Scapular is the sign of our consecration to Mary's Immaculate Heart. Daily it should remind us of the promise we have made to Mary.

"I am the Lady of the Rosary."
In this manner did the Mother of God identify herself to the shepherd children of Fatima. Repeatedly during Our Lady's series of apparitions to the children, she exhorted the praying of the daily Rosary. And even more, "to pray the Rosary well," with meditation on the mysteries. The Queen of Heaven held out the Rosary to mankind as a means of obtaining the salvation of souls, the conversion of sinners, true world peace, and the conversion of Russia. Let us, as devout Christians and faithful disciples of Jesus and Mary use this spiritual treasure.

Our Lady of Fatima, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, we entrust all the names we receive to your loving care.

A Mother's love ...

Today is Mother's Day. A young mother describes her experience as the mother of Christian, a baby born with severe disabilities, including no eyes. Christian's Mom deflects cruel taunts with love. This video shows the love she has for her child, her miracle. Christian and his Mom and Dad are love.

"In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him." 1 John 4:9-16

"Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth." 1 John 3:18

Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of the Angels, we entrust to you all these special Moms and their precious little ones.

John 10:10 I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

This prayer ministry was consecrated to Our Lady of the Rosary on the first day of her month of May 2010.

"The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium. It is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb. With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer."  Apostolic Letter of Pope John Paul II Rosarium Virginis Mariae (the Rosary of the Virgin Mary)

This prayer ministry began on May 1, 2010, praying  for a baby, Lily Grace. There were medical problems with the baby and we began praying the novena to Saint Anne that "Lily Grace would have abundant life." Through the intercession of Saint Anne, mother of Our Blessed Mother and grandmother of Jesus, Lily Grace was born in November 2006. We give thanks for all the prayers for this precious little baby.

Over these years, as we pray each day, we have received other names to include in our novena prayers to Saint Anne. We have hundreds of names to pray for now. We pray for unborn babies and for children who are healthy, sick or disabled. We pray for pregnant women, couples who are trying to become pregnant, couples who want to adopt, mothers who have had miscarriages. We pray for parents who have suffered the death of a baby or a child. We pray for grandparents and their grandchildren. We pray for mothers and fathers who have had an abortion or considered having one. We pray for parents who are struggling to accept their disabled child, as well as parents who embrace their disabled child and see, in that child, the beauty that was created by God.

We invite you to send prayer requests. If you would like to be a prayer partner of the John 10:10 Prayer Ministry, pray the Memorare every day for all the names we have received and all the names we will receive.

SWEET VIDEO



Our Lady of the Rosary, we entrust all the names we have received to your most loving care.