From BeliefNet
A Mary Garden is a garden dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. In a Mary Garden, which can be as small as a clay pot or as large as a city block, a statue of Mary is surrounded by herbs and flowers related to her through legends or naming.
Your personal Mary Garden can grow in a secluded corner of your garden or backyard, or be open to the neighborhood in front of your house. It can be in a pot on your windowsill, on a patio, or on an indoor table.
A Mary Garden can be formal or wild, sunny or shady, and contain annuals and perennials, herbs, ground covers, and shrubs. It can be planted with bulbs to bloom in the early spring, flowering plants that continue into the fall, and evergreens that give color in winter.
Mary's image may be a statue, plaque, holy card, or icon. Ann Duffy of Annapolis, Md., painted the likeness of Mary's face from a holy card onto a piece of wood and waterproofed it for her outdoor garden. A large concrete statue of Mary, found in a garden-ornaments shop, graces my own Mary Garden.
The location, size, and soil of the site will determine what can be planted in an outdoor garden. After that, personal preference, and sometimes Divine Providence, is the guide. Since the Mary names of hundreds of flowers and herbs have survived--Our Lady's Shoes for columbines, Mary's Tears for lilies of the valley, and so forth (see the main story for more)--your garden may contain many of your favorite flowers, planted with the intention of honoring Mary and representing her many attributes. An indoor garden may be planted in a dish, planter, glass, or fishbowl.
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Although I do not know the original source, the following which goes into a little more detail, was shared by Kaylan of Catholic Community.
Mary Garden
The joy over the appearance of new plants and flowers in spring prompted man to attribute to them a special power of protection and healing. People planted special spring flower gardens; they brought branches of early-blossoming plants, like pussy willows, into their homes; they decorated themselves and their living rooms with wreaths of flowers and clusters of blossoms. A striking Christian variation of these nature rites was the medieval custom of planting "Mary gardens," which were made up of all the flowers and herbs that are ascribed by love and legend as a special tribute to the Blessed Virgin. This charming and inspiring tradition has been revived in many places in Europe and more recently in this country.
DIRECTIONS
In a typical Mary garden the statue of the Madonna occupies a place of honor, either in the center or in a grotto against the wall, with, usually, a birdbath or bubbling fountain built in front of it. Some of the more familiar plants of the many that belong in a typical Mary garden are:
Columbine and Trefoil are said to have sprung forth at the touch of Mary's foot, and consequently bear the popular names Our Lady's shoes or Our Lady's slippers.
Marigold (Mary's bud) has bell-shaped blossoms of vivid yellow. An old legend says, "Her dresses were adorned with Marigold." This flower was used to decorate her shrines for the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25) and during the month of May.
Lily-of-the-valley (Our Lady's tears). This delicate flower is still widely used in Germany, there it is called Maiglockchen (May bells), to decorate the Mary shrines in churches and homes during the Virgin's month (May).
Foxgloves thrive in moist and shaded places; they blossom in many colors and present a most attractive sight with their clusters of little bells, which were called Our Lady's thimbles in medieval times.
Snowdrop. This charming flower is the first herald of spring in Europe. It often blossoms as early as Candlemas (February 2) between batches of melting snow; hence the name. In Germany it is called "Snow bell" (Schneeglocklein). Little bouquets of snowdrops are the first floral tribute of the year at the shrines of the Madonna on Candlemas. It is a popular emblem of Mary's radiant purity and of her freedom from any stain of sin.
Lily. This stately and dignified flower has been associated from ancient times with Jesus and Mary, and is called Madonna lily in many parts of Europe. At Easter its brilliant and fragrant blossoms symbolize the radiance of the Lord's risen life. Later in the year it is used to decorate the shrines of Mary, especially on July 2, the Feast of the Visitation. It also is an old and traditional symbol of innocence, purity, and virginity.
Rosemary produces delicate and fragrant blossoms of pale blue color in early spring. according to legend, the plant originally bloomed in white; however, it turned blue (Mary's color) in reward for the service it offered when Our Lady looked for some bush on which to spread her Child's tiny garments after having washed them on the way to Egypt. The bushes do not grow very tall but as they grow older they spread out and thicken, forming a dense bush. There is an old superstition that "the rosemary passeth not commonly the height of Christ when he was on earth."
Violets are dedicated to Mary as symbols of her humility. They are said to have blossomed forth outside her window when she spoke the words, "Behold, I am a handmaid of the Lord." Leaving her, the angel of God blessed the little flowers in passing, thus endowing them with the tenderest and most beautiful fragrance of all plants.
Roses were associated with Mary from early times. Saint Dominic (1221) is credited with the spreading of the familiar devotion called the "Rosary (rosarium) of the Blessed Virgin Mary." The word "rosary" originally meant a rose garden but was later used in the sense of "rose garland." Three colors are especially consecrated to Mary: white roses as symbols of her joys, red roses as emblems of her sufferings, and yellow (golden) roses as heralds of her glories.
(Photos by Joey Gefroh)
Today at our parish church, our family, along with many other people, attended one of the loveliest May Crownings we have had the privilege of attending.
Thanks to the Legion of Mary, we were able to honor our Blessed Mother during the month dedicated to her, in a beautiful and heartwarming way.
Our blessed Mother must have been quite pleased with the beautiful music, songs as well as the Holy Rosary in which five decades were led by different groups of adults and children. The ceremony ended with a closing prayer by the Rev. Edwin J. Duffy, who has a great devotion to the Blessed Mother.
The top photo is the procession into the church with the statue of Our Lady.
The bottom photo is the statue of Our Lady after she was crowned with flowers and leis by all the people present.
Shared by Sue of Catholic Community
"The Church is very clear in Her documents that she desires that we would
receive Holy Communion on the tongue and not in the hand."
Monday September 10, 2001 Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Reading (Colossians 1:24-2:3) Gospel (St. Luke 6:6-11)
FATHER ROBERT ALTIER:
In the first reading today Saint Paul, in his Letter to the Colossians, talks
about how, in Christ, is hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge. This is
because He is almighty God; He is the Creator of the universe; He is the Savior
of the world; He is God, absolute and perfect. Saint Paul says at the beginning
of the reading that he makes up in his flesh for what is lacking in the
suffering of Christ, for the sake of Christ's body, the Church.
In Christ, now, there is no suffering, but only in the Mystical Body. But there
is one place, which I would like to address this morning, where I believe that
Our Lord is truly grieved. I want to challenge you in that area: That is, the
manner by which we receive Holy Communion.
The Church is very clear in Her documents that she desires that we would receive
Holy Communion on the tongue and not in the hand.
The bishops of America, as well as a few other countries in the world, have
allowed Communion in the hand as a dispensation. But the Church is very, very
clear that She does not want us receiving Communion in the hand.
Let me explain a little as to why. First of all, to receive is something that is
passive. The priest takes Holy Communion because the priest is the one who
offers the Victim in sacrifice. Therefore, the one who offers the Victim must
also take part in that Victim. But the people of God are to receive Holy
Communion. To take the Host from your hand and put It into your own mouth is to
take Communion, not to receive Communion; and so it is an active thing, not a
passive thing. The Lord desires to give Himself to you as a gift, not to be
taken by you. We need to be very careful that we do not lose the symbolism of
what is happening in the Blessed Sacrament.
Also, if you will notice, during Mass after the Consecration, my fingers remain
together because of the particles of the Host that are there. When we take Holy
Communion in the hand, there are particles of Our Lord that are on our hands and
on our fingers. That is why, after Communion, the priest will purify his fingers
- because of the particles of the Host. But how often the people of God, after
receiving Holy Communion, simply brush the particles onto the ground and walk on
Our Lord. Or they put their hands in their pockets, and Our Lord is right there
on their clothing. The abuses that this opens them up to are very grave. Not
that anyone is intentionally doing that, but I think it is something that we
need to consider exceedingly carefully.
What I always tell people is that you can look forward to the Day of Judgment
and ask yourself how you intend to approach Our Lord, because He is your Judge.
The same Lord you approach in Holy Communion is the same One you will approach
on the Day of Judgment. Do you assume that you will put your hand out to Our
Blessed Lord on the Day of Judgment?
Is your view of judgment that you will shake Our Lord's hand and tell Him how
wonderful it is to see Him? Or is your view that you will do great reverence to
Our Blessed Lord? My view is that I will be flat on my face - not shaking His
hand.
We do not put out our hand to God. Scripture says that God holds us in the palm
of His hand. We should not be holding God in the palm of ours. He created us; He
made us in His image and likeness. He is the Creator; we are the creature. We
must approach Him with the greatest reverence, the greatest respect.
If we simply look at the fruit that has been borne by Holy Communion being taken
in the hand, it is not good: the loss of reverence for the Blessed Sacrament,
the familiarity.
Thankfully it is not happening here, but go to most churches and ask yourself if
you see people praying before Mass or if they are chatting, goofing around, and
talking.
We have lost the reverence for the Real Presence because Jesus is just "our
buddy" when we put our hand out to Him; He is not our God when we do that. So we
need to be very careful.
But beyond that, we can look also at what has happened spiritually to the people
of God. Since we have been receiving Communion in the hand, we have lost sight
of the idea of going to Confession, of our own sinfulness, of the reverence we
must have for Our Lord. We have made Communion so easy a thing and so nonchalant
a thing that people have lost that sense of reverence, of awe, and of respect in
the Presence of Our Lord.
I challenge you to think very seriously about this issue. The bishops, like I
say, have allowed it; it is not a sin if you receive Holy Communion in the hand.
In some places in the early Church they did that; Saint Justin talks about it.
But the Church stopped it because of the abuses against the Blessed Sacrament
that were occurring. I ask you to really pray about that.
Look at Jesus in the Eucharist and ask yourself, "Do I really, truly believe
that this is God? That this is my Creator and my Redeemer? How, then, do I
desire to approach Him?" I really believe, if you pray that through, that there
is only one conclusion to which you can come.
Then, I beg you, do not remain silent about it. Tell your friends. Tell your
family. Bring that word to others because all those good people out there, I do
not think that they are willfully trying to do anything that would grieve Our
Lord; they are doing what they have been told to do.
But again, look at what has happened in the last forty years of this particular
practice and ask yourself if the fruit it has borne has been good. Obviously,
you love Our Lord: You are here at daily Mass; you are here every morning. The
love of Our Lord is evident in you. Bring that love of Jesus out from here. The
love that is in your heart, proclaim it to others and ask them in the same way
to consider their actions toward Our Lord.
Let us bring the reverence to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament back so that we
can give Him fitting worship and praise because He is God, in whom all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge are contained.
* This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.
Desert Voice
Thank you for sharing this Marcella.
When I got mad today and hit my child
"For his own good, " I reconciled,
and then I realized my plight...
Today, I taught my child to fight.
When interrupted by the phone,
I said, "tell them I'm not home."
And then I thought, and had to sigh...
Today I taught my child to lie.
I told the tax man what I made,
forgetting cash that was paid,
And than I blushed at this sad feat...
Today I taught my child to cheat.
I smugly copied a cassette,
To keep me from one more debt,
But now the bells of shame must peal...
Today I taught my child to steal.
Today I cursed another race,
Oh God, protect what I debase,
for now, I fear it is too late...
Today I taught my child to hate.
By my example, children learn
That I must lead in life's sojourn
In such a way they are led
By what is done and not what is said.
Today I gave my child his due
By praise for him instead of rue.
And now I have begun my guide;
Today I gave my child his pride.
I now have reconciled and paid
to IRS all that I have made.
And now I know that this dear youth,
Today has learned from me the truth.
The alms I give are not for show,
And yet, this child must surely know
That charity is worth the price:
Today he saw my sacrifice.
I clasp within a warm embrace
My neighbor of another race.
The great commandment from up above.
Today I taught my child to love.
Someday my child must face alone
This fearsome undertone,
But I have blazed a sure pathway:
Today I taught my child to pray.
-- Author Unknown
Thank you Sue of Catholic Community.
In a garden Mary stood when Springtime's radiant beauty
Wrapped the world in sunlight and filled her heart with joy.
Down the garden-path there ran a slender little Figure
Bringing her a gift of love - He, her God, her Boy!
Mary opened wide her arms to take her sheaf of lilies:
"Mother!" called her little Son, and never had she heard
In the angel's message, in brooklet, or in bird-song,
Music half so lovely as that one tender word.
On a hill-top Mary stood one sadder, later Springtime.
All the earth was wrapped in gloom beneath that blood-stained Cross;
Memories thronged about her, memories of His Childhood,
Adding to her loneliness, her pain, her sense of loss.
Mary opened wide her arms but His were nailed securely "
Mother!" breathed her dying Son, and never had she heard
In her sword-pierced heart that knew the very depths of sorrow
Anything approaching the pathos of that word.
"Mother! Mother Mary!" a million hearts are calling,
"Open wide again those arms, and in their warm embrace,
Take the children Jesus gave you on that darkened hill-top
When He named you Mother of the sin-stained human race."
Sr. Maryanna Robert, Cyril.
Our Lady's Praise in Poetry.
Poughkeepsie, New York: Marist Press, 1944.
Another excellent post by Sue of Catholic Community for those of us striving for sanctity.DYING TO SELFWhen you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ. THAT IS DYING TO SELFWhen your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take in all in patient, loving silence. THAT IS DYING TO SELFWhen you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any unpunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to- face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility-and endure it as Jesus endured. THAT IS DYING TO SELFWhen you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any raiment, any interruption by the will of God. THAT IS DYING TO SELFWhen you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love to be unknown. THAT IS DYING TO SELFWhen you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances. THAT IS DYING TO SELFWhen you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart. THAT IS DYING TO SELFAre you dead yet? In these last days, the Spirit would bring us to the cross."That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." Phil.3:10
Shared by my friend Marcella. Thank you Marcella!
A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his Mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said:
For cutting the grass: $5.00
For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00
For going to the store for you: $.50
Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: $.25
Taking out the garbage: $1.00
For getting a good report card: $5.00
For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00
Total owed: $14.75
Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on, and this is what she wrote:
For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me: No Charge
For all the nights that I've sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you: No Charge
For all the trying times, and all the tears that you've caused through the years: No Charge
For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead: No Charge
For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose: No Charge
Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is: No Charge.
When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you." And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: "PAID IN FULL". ~~Author Unknown
In 2002, I was interviewed for an article in England's National Association of Catholic Families's December issue of Catholic Family.
Esther C. Gefroh explains In Hawaiian, ‘ohana’ means ‘family’.
It is a very important word because life in Hawaii is centred on the family. We are blessed to be a
Catholic ohana in this beautiful state.
This year the Church celebrated 175 years in Hawaii. The date commemorates the arrival of
the Sacred Heart Fathers (the Order of St Damien de Veuster).
Before then, it was illegal to be Catholic; priests were expelled and people were arrested for being Catholic.
Today Catholicism is the majority religion; approximately 20% of the population is Catholic.
There are Catholic churches all over the islands and Mass attendance is high. This said, there is a shortage of priests in Hawaii and several parishes have had to be regrouped.
There are many devotions to help families to grow spiritually: the Rosary, recited prior to daily Mass; the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Angelus at noon; May processions, Benediction held once a month at most churches. There are also Catholic organisations such as the
Legion of Mary, Knights of Columbus and Respect for Life.
In our own family we began the year by enthroning the Sacred Heart of Jesus in our home. We
attend daily Mass as often as possible, praying the Rosary and wearing the brown Scapular faithfully.
We try to raise our 11-year-old son in a Catholic way of life, despite secular attacks on the faith.
A new group that calls itself Citizens for the Separation of Church and State has had crosses removed from a military base, the fish symbol removed from the doors of senators and the motto ‘In God We Trust’ taken out of the American flag. It is interesting that this same group
protested because some students at a local high school were not permitted to wear T-shirts promoting Satanism; they actually defended the students’ rights to express their views of their ‘religion’.
A few years ago, there was a move to legalise ‘same-sex’ marriage in Hawaii. As a result of the numerous prayers offered by Christians, 70% of the people voted against this motion.
Over 20 years ago, the state that used to hold the ohana in such high esteem was the first state of the Union to legalise abortion.
Catholic parents have a struggle to help their children lead good and moral lives in the current secular atmosphere.
State schools focus on teaching about contraceptives, how the world is over-populated and
‘alternative lifestyles’ to children as young as six. For this reason we have decided to homeschool our son.
Although there are Catholic parochial schools, the education is expensive and with the decline of
religious vocations, children in these schools are often taught by non-Catholic lay people.
Our son is a typical boy, who likes computers, baseball, basketball and other sports. But he is also a Catholic boy who is not self-conscious at crossing himself or saying Grace in public.
We hope that his strong faith, our own efforts and plenty of prayers may lead to a vocation to
the priesthood. Hawaii has need of strong witnesses to the faith.
(Thanks to my friend Francis Phillips of NACF)
On Divine Mercy Sunday of 2006, Bishop Clarence (Larry) Silva dedicated the diocese of Honolulu to the Divine Mercy. The dedication will took place during a ceremony and Mass on April 23 at Star of the Sea Church in Honolulu.
This news did not escape the eyes or ears of other Catholics as evidenced by the following blog entry.
http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2006/03/word-from-honolulu_24.html
BLESSINGS OF THE ROSARY
1. Sinners are forgiven.
2. Souls that thirst are refreshed.
3. Those who are fettered have their bonds broken.
4. Those who weep find happiness
5. Those who are tempted find peace.
6. The poor find help.
7. Religious are reformed.
8. Those who are ignorant are instructed.
9. The living learn to overcome pride.
10. The dead (the Holy Souls) have their pains eased by suffrages.
BENIFITS OF THE ROSARY
1. It gradually gives us a perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ.
2. It purifies our souls, washing away sin.
3. It gives us victory over all our enemies.
4. It makes it easy for us to practice virtue.
5. It sets us on fire with love of Our Lord.
6. It enriches us with graces and merits.
7. It supplies us with what is needed to pay all our debts to God and to our fellow men;
and finally, it obtains all kinds of graces for us from Almighty God
Source unknown
