Friday After Ash Wednesday
Ejaculatory prayer to pray all day, "Come Holy Spirit."
First Meditation
Pray the Lord's Prayer on the beads separating the decades of your Rosary.
Second Meditation
Look at this picture of a statue of Mary. What do you think of her facial expression? What does her cross say? Why is she dressed as she is? Make up a story of why Mary is posed as she is.
Third Mediation
When you have the time read this story behind the statue.
This statue of Mary is representing Mary's apparition in Pontmain, France, in the nineteenth century. She is dressed in the fashion of the time. The people there refer to this Marian apparition as Our Lady of Hope.
In the village of Pontmain, France, on a cold winter evening, January 17, 1871, the Virgin Mary appeared to four children above a barn on the farm of the Barbadette family. Eugene, age 12, and his brother Joseph, age 10, were the first to see her in the sky. They described a beautiful lady in a dark blue dress covered with stars. She wore a black veil with a golden crown on her head. Two little girls, Francoise Richer, age 11, and Jeanne Marie LeBosse, age 9, also saw her in the sky.
It was war time and the invading Prussians were near. The village people, strong in their faith, had been praying for a miracle to save them from the enemy. Our Lady appeared over a nearby barn. A written message appeared on a large white banner which unrolled beneath the feet of Our Lady. A message was given to the people that God had heard their prayers and that He would answer their needs shortly. The single apparition lasted three hours. Within eleven days, Prussia had mysteriously withdrawn its troops. An Armistice was signed and the war was over -- Pontmain and France had been spared.
Within a year, the Bishop of Laval Diocese, Bishop Wicart, authorized devotion at the site. Today the Basilica of Our Lady of Hope welcomes approximately 200,000 pilgrims a year, who come there to ask for her intercession.
Prayer to Our Lady of Pontmain
Mother of Hope, Our Lady of Peace
Most gracious Virgin Mary,
by your apparition at Pontmain,
you remind us of the importance of prayer.
You fortified in our hearts hope and trust in God,
and you gave us peace.
Listen now with favour to our fervent prayers,
so that peace may be restored in our hearts,
in our famlies, in our country and in all nations:
PEACE, the fruit of justice, truth and charity.
Inflame in our souls the wish to fully live
our Christian faith without any compromse,
in all circumstances of our life.
Help us to understand our brethen
and to love them in God,
from the depth of our hearts.
Amen
End the day with "Come Holy Spirit," and the examen.
End your day with an examination of conscience--even in bed.
Come Holy Spirit
What good did I do today?
Where did I fail?
How can I do better?
The first thing the pope did when he returned home to Rome, from the United States was not crash into bed. He brought flowers to the statue of Mary in a church in Rome. This must be his favorite statue and favorite church. It reminded me of Han. Han is a Vietnamese/American. She has a story.
Han's grandmother told her to keep praying to Mary, ask her to protect you. On Han's boat, every single female was raped, except Han. And Han was a teenager. It was like she was invisible.
