Mary as the new Eve

Saint Irenaeus was one of the most important Church Fathers of the 2nd century AD. Today we celebrate his feast day. Irenaeus was bishop of Lyons, in Southern France, though he appears to have grown up in Smyrna, in Modern day Turkey. There, he had personal contact with Saint Polycarp, one of the Apostolic Fathers who in turn knew the Apostle John, son of Zebedee. He was a pastor and a missionary. Before becoming bishop, Irenaeus studied in Rome where he was influenced by Saint Justin Martyr. His major work, Against Heresies, which appeared around the year 185 AD, exposed the absurdities of the Gnostic cults of the day and included a strong presentation and defense of Catholic Christianity. His heroic writing in defense of the church cost him his life. It is said that he received the martyr's crown around the year 200. He gave up his life for the Lord. He upheld the truth and always sought to foster unity and peace.

Excerpt from Saint Irenaeus' classic second century work, Against Heresies
The Lord, coming into his own creation in visible form, was sustained by his own creation which he himself sustains in being. His obedience on the tree of the cross reversed the disobedience at the tree in Eden; the good news of the truth announced by an angel to Mary, a virgin subject to a husband, undid the evil lie that seduced Eve, a virgin espoused to a husband.

As Eve was seduced by the word of an angel and so fled from God after disobeying his word, Mary in her turn was given the good news by the word of an angel, and bore God in obedience to his word. As Eve was seduced into disobedience to God, so Mary was persuaded into obedience to God; thus the Virgin Mary became the advocate of the virgin Eve.

Christ gathered all things into one, by gathering them into himself. He declared war against our enemy, crushed him who at the beginning had taken us captive in Adam, and trampled on his head, in accordance with God’s words to the serpent in Genesis: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall lie in wait for your head, and you shall lie in wait for his heel.

The one lying in wait for the serpent’s head is the one who was born in the likeness of Adam from the woman, the Virgin. This is the seed spoken of by Paul in the letter to the Galatians: The law of works was in force until the seed should come to whom the promise was made. He shows this even more clearly in the same letter when he says: When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman. The enemy would not have been defeated fairly if his vanquisher had not been born of a woman, because it was through a woman that he had gained mastery over man in the beginning, and set himself up as man’s adversary.

That is why the Lord proclaims himself the Son of Man, the one who renews in himself that first man from whom the race born of woman was formed; as by a man’s defeat our race fell into the bondage of death, so by a man’s victory we were to rise again to life.

Eve was visited by a fallen angel and Mary was visited by an angel of the Lord. Eve, by her disobedience, brought sin and death to the human race; whereas Mary, by her obedience, brought salvation and new life to all humanity.



O Mary, you are the New Eve, the Sanctuary of God, the first Tabernacle of Jesus, Our Comforter, Our Blessed Mother. We offer our prayers to you this day.

The Mysteries of the Rosary

Blessed Rosary of Mary, sweet chain linking us to God

"The family that prays together stays together. The Holy Rosary, by age old tradition, has shown itself particularly effective as a prayer which brings the family together. Individual family members, in turning their eyes towards Jesus, also regain the ability to look one another in the eye, to communicate, to show solidarity, to forgive one another and to see their covenant of love renewed in the Spirit of God."

"As a prayer for peace, the Rosary is also, and always has been, a prayer of and for the family. At one time this prayer was particularly dear to Christian families, and it certainly brought them closer together. It is important not to lose this precious inheritance. We need to return to the practice of family prayer and prayer for families, continuing to use the Rosary."

"Many of the problems facing contemporary families, especially in economically developed societies, result from their increasing difficulty in communicating. Families seldom manage to come together, and the rare occasions when they do are often taken up with watching television. To return to the recitation of the family Rosary means filling daily life with very different images, images of the mystery of salvation: the image of the Redeemer, the image of his most Blessed Mother. The family that recites the Rosary together reproduces something of the atmosphere of the household of Nazareth: its members place Jesus at the centre, they share his joys and sorrows, they place their needs and their plans in his hands, they draw from him the hope and the strength to go on."
Excerpts from Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Pope John Paul II, October 16, 2002



The Mysteries of the Rosary are the events that occurred during the lives of Jesus and Mary. Meditating on the mysteries makes the rosary a powerful devotion.

O Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, pray for us.

Our Father who art in heaven

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

An intimate love letter from Father God to you



From the Catechism of the Catholic Church; 2761
"The Lord's Prayer "is truly the summary of the whole gospel." "Since the Lord...after handling over the practice of prayer, said elsewhere, 'Ask and you will receive,' and since everyone has petitions which are peculiar to his circumstances, the regular and appropriate prayer (the Lord's Prayer) is said first, as the foundation of further desires."

Heavenly Father, we entrust all the names we receive through this ministry to You, Almighty God, and to Your Beloved Son Jesus, and to our Blessed Mother Mary. We ask through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Two Holy Hearts Sacred Heart of Jesus Immaculate Heart of Mary

The heart of a precious baby
This prayer ministry began more than five years ago, praying for an unborn baby, Lily Grace. Before she was born, doctors discovered she would need heart surgery. So many prayers were offered for her during the pregnancy and after her birth. The heart surgery was performed when she was three months old and she weighed about five pounds. She was born with only two chambers in her heart. Four chambers are needed in a human heart. Doctors placed a little plastic wall between each chamber, creating four chambers out of two. They literally created a new heart in her. These doctors are truly the Hands of God, performing such miraculous surgery on the heart of such a tiny baby.

The human heart was created to know love and to live by love. This is a love that gives life. Of all creation, only the human heart can love. We can love because we are "of God" and we can freely choose to live according to our dignity in the image and likeness of God.



Today is the Feast Day of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

"One of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a lance, and at once there flowed out blood and water." John 19:34
The Heart of Jesus is pure love. The revelation of the Heart of Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque showed the mark of the piercing and the purifying flame of love with the cross within it, which crowns the Divine Heart. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is surrounded by the crown of thorns to signify the entire Passion by which He poured out His life for us.

Tomorrow is the Feast Day of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

"Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart." Luke 2:19
It was the Heart of Mary which expressed her "yes" to God. This was her response to the message sent through the angel at the Annunciation. By her loving consent, Mary first conceived Christ in her heart and then in her womb.
"Jesus wishes to use you in order to make me known and loved. He wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world. I promise salvation to those who embrace it; and these souls will be beloved of God like flowers arranged by me to adorn His throne." Our Lady of Fatima

Prayer of Consecration to “Two Hearts”

Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary, I consecrate my entire self to the Most Holy Love of Your Two Hearts. I wish to make reparation for all the sins of the world including my own. I offer these things for the love of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

I will keep my mind on beauty and turn my thoughts from evil things. I will hold my temper and bear the mistakes of others with love and a forgiving heart. I will admit when I am wrong and ask others to forgive me. I will not show off but remain humble. I will offer up all my sufferings, sickness and hurts. I will seek God’s will not my own. I will show appreciation for all the kindness, the blessings that I receive, and thank God for all things. I will do everything in my life for love of God. And I will love others as God has loved me.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, receive the offering and consecration I now make of my self to You. Keep me faithful unto death. Bring me one day to the happy home in heaven. I desire to live forever with God the Father and the Most Holy Spirit and You my Jesus together with your Most Immaculate Mother Amen.



Let us consecrate the names we receive through this prayer ministry to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, entrusting them into their loving care and protection.

Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint of Miracles

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Anthony of Padua, titled the Evangelical Doctor, Wonder-Worker and Hammer of Heretics. He is renowned for his personal holiness. His sanctity and wisdom flowed from his profound, penetrating love for the Immaculate Virgin Mary. Heroically he followed Saint Francis of Assisi, whose tender love for the poor, humble Virgin was comparable only to that of Christ Himself. As a true friar minor Saint Anthony praised and glorified the Queen of the Angels from the pulpit, where with simple yet lofty doctrine he moved multitudes to savor the sweet name of Mary. Furthermore, he imitated Her with such perfection that he became, as it were, an extension of the Virgin Mother on earth.

Her littleness, for "in the word of humility, 'Behold, the handmaid of the Lord' (Lk 1:38), She became the Queen of Heaven." As a result of Her "humility of body and heart... She is brilliant in Her heavenly splendor." She is "exalted above the choirs of angels" and "sits upon a starry throne," crowned by Her divine Son, precisely because She humbled Herself below any other creature.



The Queen of the Angels is also our Queen and Mother. Saint Anthony declares that "the Blessed Mother will not run away from any sinner. She is appropriately called the Mother of Mercy since She welcomes any sinner who approaches Her, offering solace to the afflicted and hope to the despairing." When approaching this tender Mother and sovereign Queen with confidence "we are filled with every good thing, we have everything, we are blessed." Therefore he exclaims: "Through You, Paradise has entered our world!"

Eucharistic Miracle
In the region of Tolosa blessed Anthony, having vehemently argued with a hardened heretic about the redeeming sacrament of the Eucharist, had nearly convinced and attracted him to the Catholic faith, except that, after many arguments in which he tried to back out, he added these words:

"Let's cut the chat and come to the facts. If you, Anthony, can prove with a miracle that in the Eucharist of believers there is, however hidden it may be, the true body of Christ, I will renounce every heresy and submit myself to the Catholic faith".

The Lord's servant replied with great faith: "I trust in my saviour Jesus Christ that, for your conversion and for that of others, thanks to His mercy I will obtain what you ask". The heretic stood up and, asking for silence with a gesture of his hand, said: "I'll keep my beast of burden locked up for three days and I will starve him. After three days, in the presence of other people, I'll let him out and I'll show him some prepared fodder. You, on the other hand will show him what you believe to be the body of Christ. If the starving animal, ignoring the fodder, rushes to adore his God, I will sincerely believe in the faith of the Church". The saint agreed straight away. The heretic then exclaimed: "Listen well, everyone!".

Why delay with many words? The day of the challenge arrived. people arrived from far and wide and filled up the square. Christ's servant, Anthony, was present surrounded by a crowd of faithful. The heretic too, with a number of his accomplices. God's servant entered a nearby chapel, to perform the rites of the Mass with great devotion. Once finished, he exited where the people were waiting, carrying reverently the body of the Lord. The hungry mule was led out of the stall, and shown appetising food.

Finally, asking for silence the man of God said to the animal with great faith: "In the name of virtue and the Creator, who I, although unworthy, am carrying in my hands, I ask you, o beast, and I order to come closer quickly and with humility and to show just veneration, so that the malevolent heretics will learn from this gesture that every creature is subject to the Lord, as held in the hands with priestly dignity on the altar". God's servant had hardly finished speaking, when the animal, ignoring the fodder, knelt down and lowered his head to the floor, thus genuflecting before the living sacrament of the body of Christ.

The faithful were filled with uncontrollable joy, the heretics and non-believers were filled with sadness and humiliation. God was praised and blessed, the Catholic faith was honoured and exalted; heretical depravity was shamed and condemned with everlasting insults. The heretic, renounced the his doctrine in front of all present, and from then on was obedient to the precepts of the holy Church.

Saint Anthony, glorious saint and Doctor of the Church, found great delight and strength in invoking the "sweet name of Mary," the "New Eve" and "Star of the Sea," with all Her sacred privileges. However, his devotion to the poor, humble Virgin led him to perfectly imitate and mirror Her in Her poverty, littleness and purity of Heart. He became, as it were, the presence of Mary in the world by his holy life.

Saint Anthony, pray for us and all the intentions we receive through the powerful intercession of Mary.

Our Lady of the Eucharist

The gift of the Eucharist is the Real Presence of Jesus. Let us pray for our priests who bring the Eucharist to us. Lord, bless them and keep them holy. Blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of the Eucharist, keep our priests under your mantel of protection always.



Totally yours
Immaculate Conception, Mary, my Mother. Live in me. Act in me. Speak in and through me. Think your thoughts in my mind. Love, through my heart. Give me your dispositions and feelings. Teach, lead and guide me to Jesus. Correct, enlighten and expand my thoughts and behavior. Possess my soul. Take over my entire personality and life. Replace it with yourself. Incline me to constant adoration and thanksgiving. Pray in me and through me. Let me live in you and keep me in this union always. Pope John Paul II

Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, one of the greatest theologians of the 2nd century, is best known for refuting the Gnostic heresies in his writings, Against Heresies, 180 A.D He wrote teachings on the Eucharist:

"Christ has declared the cup, a part of creation, to be his own Blood, from which he causes our blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as his own Body, from which he gives increase to our bodies."

"For just as the bread which comes from the earth, having received the invocation of God, is no longer ordinary bread, but the Eucharist, consisting of two realities, earthly and heavenly, so our bodies, having received the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, because they have the hope of the resurrection."

Our Blessed Mother is the Mother of the Eucharist.

Love of Our Lady and the Eucharist are central to the life of Catholics. This is symbolized powerfully by the great Polish Dominican Saint Hyacinth. When the Tartars invaded the city, he went forth to meet them, leading the procession of novices with the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance. Our Lady called out from her alabaster statue, "Take me with you." Saint Hyacinth responded that the statue was heavy and Our Lady answered, "My Son will make it light." Saint Hyacinth was able to carry the statue of Our Lady. He was armed and he walked through the Tartar danger unscathed. And so will we if, armed with the love of Our Lord in the Eucharist and the love of His Mother, we will find that nothing can take us from God. We need the Eucharist. We need the Our Mother.

She is the tree of life to them that lay hold on her, and he that shall retain her is blessed. Proverbs 3:18

O Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, pray for us and stay with us always.

Corpus Christi

Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all thanksgiving, be every moment thine.

Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me." Luke 22:19



John 6:51-58
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."

For we are members of His Body, of His flesh and of His bones. Ephesians 5:30

O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all thanksgiving, be every moment thine.

Our Lady Undoer of Knots

How this devotion started?
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”.

But what are these 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.

Day after day, people kneel to pray to Mary, the Mother of the Fair Love. Many families have become reconciled! Many diseases have been healed! Many spouses have returned to the Church! Many jobs have been given! Many conversions have taken place! Many Catholics have been on their knees praying and giving thanks for graces received from our sweet Mother.

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

For that reason, Mary who undoes the knots, who was chosen by God to crush the evil with Her feet, comes to us to reveal Herself. 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 King, we can receive the promises reserved for us from eternity. She comes with promises of victory, peace, blessings and reconciliation.

Then, free from our knots, filled with happiness, we can be a testimony of the Divine Power in this world, like pieces of God’s heart or small bottles of perfume exhaling mercy and love to our neighbor. Like ambassador of Jesus Christ and the Virgin of the fair love, we can rescue those who cry without any consolation, those who are lonely, tied with knots, who have no God, no Father nor Mother.

Mother of the Rising Sun, Immaculate, our Advocate, Helper in moments of affliction, Mother of God and made by Him our Mother, this is how Mary, Undoer of Knots is presented. Above all, She comes as the Queen of Mercy, the one who knows all about us, who has compassion for us and hurries to rescue us, praying for each one of us to Her beloved Jesus.

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

Sacred Heart Novena

June is the month of the Sacred Heart.
"Do not ever lose heart when the tempest rages; place all your trust in the Heart of the most gentle Jesus. Pray and I might add, devoutly pester the divine Heart." Saint Padre Pio

What Padre Pio advised the souls he guided along the paths of high spiritual ascents, he was the first to put into practice and more than anyone else lived this intense devotion. When the storms raged in his life which was filled with crosses, and to those who recommended themselves to his prayers, he placed all his hope and all his trust in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The fervent animation and expression of his confidence was the devout daily recitation of a prayer called the "Irresistible Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus." Why irresistible? Because it was founded on three solemn statements and promises of Jesus in the Gospel, promises that are unconditional when concerning graces of a spiritual order; and that are conditional for graces of a temporal order, if they are in accord with the plans and the Will of our Lord for our good.

O my Jesus, who said: "Truly I say to you, ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened for you," behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O my Jesus, who said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, He will give it to you," behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of...

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O my Jesus, who said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away," encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of...

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your and our tender Mother.

Say the Hail Holy Queen and add:
Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.

You receive special graces from the Sacred Heart of Jesus by praying the Irresistible Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the month of June

Who should say this novena? Everyone, especially people who need help in serious family troubles. or those struggling with vice or addiction. It is called the Irresistible Novena because it is so effective in getting results: graces and answers to hard problems and always through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Saint Padre Pio used to pray it everyday!



Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us. Saint Padre Pio, pray for us.

Immaculate Lily of the Holy Trinity

Heaven opened by the practice of The Three Hail Marys for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son." John 3:16 "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:5

Devotion of the Three Hail Marys was revealed by our Blessed Mother herself to the Benedictine mystic, St. Mechtilde (13th Century) with the promise of a good death, if she was faithful to it, every day. In the Book of Revelations of St. Mechtilde we read:

While Mechtilde was beseeching the glorious Virgin to assist her in her hour of death, Our Lady appeared to her and said: I will certainly. But I also want you to say three special Hail Mary's to me every day.

The first will be in honor of God the Father, Whose omnipotence raised my soul so high above every other creature that, after God, I have the greatest power in Heaven and on earth. In the hour of your death, I will use that power of God the Father to keep any hostile power far from you.

The second Hail Mary will be said in honor of the Son of God, Who communicated His inscrutable wisdom to me. In the hour of your death, I will fill your soul with the light of that wisdom, so that all the darkness of ignorance and error will be dispelled.

The third Hail Mary will be in honor of God the Holy Ghost, Who filled my soul with the sweetness of His love and tenderness and mercy. In your last hour, I will then change the bitterness of death into divine sweetness and delight."

It is written in St. Gertrude’s revelations: "While this Saint sang the Hail Mary, at the matins of the Annunciation, she suddenly saw spring out from the Heart of the Father and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, three bright flames which penetrated the Heart of the Holy Virgin." Then she heard the following words: "After the Power of the Father, the Wisdom of the Son and the merciful Tenderness of the Holy Spirit, nothing approaches the Power, the Wisdom and the merciful Tenderness of Mary."

During prayer she saw our Blessed Mother in the form of a white lily with three branches before the Most Blessed Trinity. This revelation confirmed the title of "the Immaculate Lily of the Most Holy Trinity", which saints had given to Her. The saint learned on that occasion that the blinding whiteness of the lily signified the immaculate purity of the Holy Mother of God which was never stained with even the slightest venial sin. The three branches signified Our Lady's participation in the omnipotence of the Father, the wisdom of the Son, and the charity of the Holy Ghost. Then Our Blessed Mother spoke to St. Gertrude and said:

"To any soul who faithfully prays the Three Hail Marys, I will appear at the hour of death in a splendor so extraordinary that it will fill the soul with heavenly consolation."

Immaculate Lily of the Holy Trinity, Our Lady of the Three Hail Marys, we pray to you in honor of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Pray for us and for all those for whom we pray through this ministry.