Happy feast of the Mother of Good Counsel! This is my favorite title of the Blessed Mother and it is under her patronage by this title that I have frequent recourse. I grew up in a parish named after her and I think the impact of the image of Good Counsel high above the original high altar always moved me to greater devotion to the Blessed Mother.
The original of the miraculous “flying icon” and still my favorite.
If you are unfamiliar with the story behind this feast, watch the video below. There is also a wonderful connection between Good Counsel and St. Rita of Cascia as it is the Augustinians who have been responsible for promoting the devotion throughout the centuries.
This evening I sat near the fire pit in my driveway, warming myself while also working my way through the plentiful devotions afforded me during this Advent. The Lord IS coming and He has given to me to keep Watch in prayer. I jokingly complain that I’m “novena’ed out” but the truth is that this is exactly what I must do – pray and pray without ceasing. Our Lord Himself gave that command.
So tonight, while praying the third day of the Guadalupe novena, I read a line that I will paraphrase (since I already put the novena books back on the shelf).
“The Blessed Mother then said to Juan Diego, ‘Go and tell the bishop of Mexico all that I have instructed you. I desire a temple built on this spot as a refuge of sinners where I may hear their afflictions and offer my consolation.’ Juan Diego replied, ‘My dearest Lady, I will do what you have commanded.’”
The humble servant, Juan Diego, immediately vowed to do what she commanded. He knew it would be difficult. He knew he would likely win no human respect. He would be laughed at and scorned. He would wear out his feet running with joy to the bishop. But he would do all for his Blessed Lady.
Humility. Devotion. Filial Love. These are the hallmarks of true charity of any good son toward his mother.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Santa Fe, NM
Flash forward 438 years.
If what Malachi Martin recalls is even remotely correct – and we have truly no reason to believe it isn’t – Papa Roncalli opened an envelope in his apartment in the Vatican, the same quarters Bergoglio refuses to occupy because he is not the Vicar of Christ, and read the contents. The same Blessed Mother who asked Juan Diego to relay a simple request to the bishop had commanded John XXIII to reveal a new message to the world. His words are chilling.
“This is not for our time.”
When Juan carried out his duties with love and joy and faith, he was acting as a man should. The love in his heart for the Blessed Virgin shielded him from the threats of derision that would befall him if her message was not well received. He trusted her. And what isn’t to trust?
When John XXIII refused her request, he was exhibiting the most severe form of effeminacy. Fearful that his precious council would be derailed, he simply ignored the message from the Mother of Our Savior.
Juan’s actions brought about the mass evangelization of two continents. John’s actions brought about the mass apostasy from the faith worldwide.
The moral here? Listen to your mother and do not be afraid.
It has been a whirlwind of a few days for me. Between company going and coming and going again, and all the multiple airport runs that entails, I have been caught up in a beautiful festivity.
This day just passed was the feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Mother. This happens to be a feast on the “old” calendar that was stripped from the new. I cannot for the life of me figure out why a hierarchy that seems to detest motherhood (let alone authentic women) would want to suppress such a feast. Remember when he said our mothers needn’t “breed like rabbits”? What a vile and vulgar man…
Todays Mass from my hand missal.
I remember in seminary when our weekly rector’s conference was replaced one week by an aging couple who appeared at the pulpit in our chapel to teach us seminarians all about the joys of natural family planning. Oh they checked all the boxes of NuChurch fabulosity. They kind of reminded me of Bob and Penny Lord but without the charm. Plastered smiles and helmeted hair… Keep in mind that Aquinas was nowhere on our reading list; but NFP? They made sure we knew every in and out and, well, mostly out. It seemed to me that the number one priority of a priest was to teach couples how not to create souls for God.
My brother texted me this evening. “Did you celebrate John XXIII?” My reply, “Gross,” apparently was not what he was expecting. No, instead I started the day at the start of the day – midnight – in Adoration and singing 35 minutes of Marian hymns with other parishioners as a gift to Our Mother. I rounded out the day with my 15 decades and a sung Mass.
While I was kneeling during the canon, incense still billowing through the sanctuary, a thought came to me. Our Lord gave us this Mass because he loves us. He loves us enough to have died for us. And he loves us enough to give me – a degenerate and faithless sinner – a way to tell Him I love Him too. This Mass, this liturgy is His. It is His gift to us for it is His sacrifice but also because it is not an invention of man. Read the Fathers. Read Fortescue. Read the seers and visionaries and all the Catholic prophecies. Christ Himself showed us how to worship Him. This is in stark contrast to the New Order Mass written by Freemasons on a napkin in a cafe.
And then it really hit me. This is all possible because Mary is a mother. She was the living tabernacle of the Son of God. She suffered with Him in His sacrifice that I now kneel before. And He brought her body and soul to His glory. My Mother, your Mother is queen of Heaven and Earth because she is a mother.
Moms out there, let that sink in next time you doubt your vocation.
Tomorrow is the first Saturday of the month of the Holy Rosary!
I can never share this information enough so if you’ve read this one before, please consider sharing the contents. Do not feel compelled to share the post per se. I could care less if people are reading my writing. But the content comes from Our Lady. So tell a friend or several friends. The goal is heaven.
In your fraternal charity, would you also consider praying for my intentions? Thank you in advance.
First Saturday Devotion
In 1925, Our Blessed Mother, Mediatrix of All Grace, revealed to Sr. Lucia that she wished men to make acts of reparation to her Immaculate Heart, specifically in the devotion of the five first Saturdays. Click here for the full list from the Fatima Center, but the act involves confession, Mass, rosary, and meditation. The last one always seems hardest to me as my mind wanders easily.
Madonna and Child, plaster statue, Priory of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Canons Reg. Of the New Jerusalem), Charles Town, WV
For so simple a task – really an act of love – Our Blessed Mother promises so much in reward., not least of which is her sweetest consolation at the hour of death. Remember, in this act we are given to console her. She suffered more for the human race – and for each of us individually – than anyone save her Son. Now she offers to assist us at the most torturous moment of our existence when the soul is torn from the body and appears before her Son in judgment. That terrible day will be mitigated because she will stand by and advocate for us.
Today we celebrated the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and a blessed feast to all of you!
I was struck by the Gospel at Holy Mass today. It was taken from John 19 – the Passion of Our Lord.
We know who stood by the cross of Jesus. Sheen tells us that Mary, Mary Magdalene, and John represent to us the “three figures ever to be found beneath the cross of Our Lord: Innocence, Penitence, and Priesthood.”
Leaving aside Magdalene for the moment… I have so many sins I could spend the rest of eternity offering penance. And I should.
High altar, Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, Jersey City, NJ. Photo credit: Jon Stulich Photography (submitted by a reader and parishioner)
But let us focus just on the Mother and the Disciple whom Jesus loved. John here also represents all of us – the Church. Our Lord was giving His Mother to us to be our Mother too.
“And from that hour, the disciple took her into his home.”
Is it that simple? I believe it is. He gave her to us. She is our Mother now. And we must, especially in these times when the Church is in terrible eclipse, abandoned by all the Apostles while Our Lord’s Body writhes in agony and dies an ignominious death for us, we MUST immediately take her into our homes.
If your family’s abode is not a Marian shrine, if she is not welcomed and loved and honored; well then, I cannot help you. And for the times when that image of her Immaculate Heart on my wall was so often neglected by me as I walked past in haste, not stopping to acknowledge my loving Mother, I must learn from Magdalene, casting myself at His feet and weeping.
Folks, I got off all that social media nonsense a while ago. Sorry but I'm not on Twitbook, Facepalm, YouHu, WingWang or any of the others. Maybe an event will happen to make me change my mind like Peter and Paul coming down with flaming swords and commanding it be so. Until then, read the blog and if you feel a comment is in order or you feel like sharing a tip or suggestion for a topic, email me at harvey@harveymillican.com.
Harvey Millican's Blog: Musings of a Trad Dad 