Many of the protestant evangelical brothers think the Holy Rosary is more about Mary and less about Jesus. And that the primary focus is always of Mary that we (Catholics) fail to realize the dreaded “repetition†of words attributed to it in the Gospel of Mathew 6:7; KJV “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.â€
The Repetition Argument Against Rosary
At first glance of this verse our fundamentalist brothers seem correct on their allegations against Catholics practicing this form of prayers. Catholics with less faith can easily be convinced and subverted of their original positions and allegiance to their Church. The “repetition†argument proves damaging to those who have less faith but to those who have faith on its effect and miraculous results (praying the Holy Rosary), many are willing to be called blind followers or fanatics in the name of Mary and the Holy Rosary.
Does repeating a prayer to God violate Jesus teaching? Our protestant brothers said, definitely, because Mathew 6:6-8 said so; KJV- 6 “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.â€
Will examine the alleged malpractices charge to us by our protestant brothers if that “repetition’’ argument on its broader context does not contradict Jesus teaching.
In Mathew 6:7; KJV- 7 “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.†To arrive to a better conclusion of this text we should examine also why Jesus language and message was thrown in this manner. 2 “Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.â€Â 5 “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.â€
These two verses (2&5) have a connection to verse 6 to help us understand its broader context of the messages. The connection can be glaringly seen by the used of the words “hypocrites and synagogues†as have been the practice of the Pharisees during that time. Jesus often called the Pharisees hypocrites (Mat 15:7; 16:3; 22:18; 23:23,25,27,29; Mk 7: 6). …. 8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us’? … 8: 11 in Matthew 21:13; “According to scripture He said my house will be called a house of prayer; this indicates that at least part of the above was for His time.
Jesus Himself Repeats Prayers
Now we shall expound if repetitive prayers violate or contradict Jesus teaching.
Mathew 26:38-45 KJV- “38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.†39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.†40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?†he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.â€
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.â€43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. 45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.â€
See how Jesus himself repeats prayers, such as at Matthew 26:44, and in three instances he repeated a prayer to His Father. Protestants such as Martin Luther have employed this verse to attack Catholic practices such as the use of praying the Holy Rosaries. This is a clear manifestation proponent against repetitive prayer erred in interpreting Mt.6:6-8 because Jesus would surely not contradict His teaching with His action in Mt.26:44; “So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.†The old familiar saying was correct that “Action speaks louder than Wordsâ€. Jesus practice repetitive prayer (41) “so that we will not fall into temptation†as suggested by the very verse in that episode.
One of my letter exchanging (Christian) mates in the mary forum sent me letter addressed this way: Comment #1301
“I must point out that the topic of this post is titled – SHOULD WE PRAY TO VIRGIN MARY? – people till date have post argument for and against. Well.. no body has considered what the RC Church actually says in its official teachings of the Catechism (CCC). The surprising answer is that the RC Church officially does only state that Virgin Mary and saints can only be “honoured†and not prayed to or worshipped.â€
Precisely, you have correctly indicated that Catholics do honored Mary and the Saints and not prayed to or worshipped! Thank you sir for helping us Catholic shared your personal view to our dear protestant brothers.
The word “prayer†means to ask, not “to worshipâ€. People who pray to Mary are only asking for her to pray to Jesus WITH them. Mary is not “between†us and God, but is rather “alongside†of us in her prayers. Mary was not only the first Christian; she was also the first Evangelist. And by all indications the real first-born from above (again) Christian.
Why we pray to Mary, maybe what they mean is the Holy Rosary? First and foremost, my dear brothers the Rosary is not a prayer of words but of meditation…meditated the entire gospel, the incarnation, birth, life, suffering, death, resurrection, and glory of our Lord Jesus the Christ. The Rosary is also called “angelic salutationâ€, it is the summary about the Blessed Virgin and his Son’s life on earth and it consists of two parts, that of praise and petition.
The key to properly saying the rosary is to concentrate on the Hail Mary, and more emphasis on the MEDITATION of the MYSTERIES. In that way, you are properly reliving the entire GOSPEL in your heart and soul. (Hebrew 8:10) “I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people.†This is the quickest and surest way to please the Holy Trinity as told to us by St. Domininic in his book the secret of the Holy Rosary.
Vocal Prayer: (Biblical)
Let us prove if the Rosary is more Mary than Jesus; let us do some accounting:
1) Begin: Creed; 1 Father – 1 Jesus (Son) – 1 Holy Spirit 1 Hail Mary
2) Our Father 1 our Father –
3) For Faith 1 Hail Mary – 1 Jesus (SON) –
4) For Hope 1 Hail Mary – 1 Jesus (SON) –
5) For Charity 1 Hail Mary – 1 Jesus (SON) –
6) Glory be & 1 Father – 2 Jesus (SON) – 1 Holy Spirit - Oh, my Jesus
7) Mystery of day 1 our Father –
8) Hail Mary each 10 Hail Mary – 10 Jesus(SON)- of the ten beads
9) Glory be & 1 Father – 2 Jesus(SON) – 1 Holy Spirit - Oh my Jesus
10) Mystery of day 1 Father –
11) Hail Mary each 10Hail Mary – 10 Jesus(SON) of the ten beads
12) Glory be & 1 Father – 2 Jesus(SON) – 1 Holy Spirit - Oh my Jesus
13) Mystery of day 1 Father –
14) Hail Mary each 10Hail Mary – 10 Jesus(SON) of the ten beads
15) Glory be & 1 Father – 2 Jesus(SON) – 1 Holy Spirit – Oh my Jesus
16) Mystery of day 1our Father
17) Hail Mary each 10Hail Mary – 10 Jesus(SON) of the ten beads
18) Glory be & 1 Father – 2 Jesus(SON) – 1 Holy Spirit – Oh my Jesus
19) Mystery of day 1our Father –
20) Hail Mary each 10Hail Mary – 10 Jesus(SON) – of the ten beads
21) Glory be & 1 Father – 2 Jesus(SON) – 1 Holy Spirit - Oh my Jesus
22) Hail Holy Queen 2 Mary 1 Jesus(SON) –
23) Oh God 1 Father (GOD) 1 Jesus(SON) -Â 1 Mary
_________________________________________________
13 Our Father; 57 Mary 68 Jesus(Son) – 7 Holy Spirit
Vocal layer results:
* From its decade there were 13 refers to Father.
* From its decade there were 57 refers to Mary.
* From its decade there were 68 refers to Jesus.
* From its decade there were 07 refers to Holy Spirit.
* Combine Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit equals 88 lines.
* Mary has 57 lines divided into 88 lines composing the Trinity.
* Resulting to 0.353% more on Mary and 0.647% on Trinity /Jesus.
About The Mysteries
For each decade of the Rosary focuses on passages of scripture as a meditation. These are called the mysteries. Out of 20 meditation decades (5 are done each day) 18 of them follow Jesus through the Bible and two are related to Mary (Assumption and Coronation).
Conclusion
My simple accounting proves that the Rosary is more of Jesus (TRINITY) than of Mary. PLUS meditating the sorrowful mysteries in each bead is much more beneficial, from the agony in the garden to the crucifixion in death on the cross would be the best sign that we can show and share His passion carrying the (our own) cross.
Matthew 19: NIV-23 “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their CROSS DAILY AND FOLLOW ME.†Through DAILY recitation and MEDITATION of whole mysteries of the ROSARY we surely shared His cross (also ours) and assured we FOLLOW Jesus right path to our salvation.
Jesus king of mercy I trust in you. Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee! Ave Maria!
– – – written by Christine Marie
What are the origins of the rosary? Even Fr William Saunders says its origins are at best “sketchy” (http://www.ewtn.com/library/answers/rosaryhs.htm) though he claims there were used in pre-christian times (no proof). The debate on Catholicforums.com is also with diverse views (http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=545158)
Question: “Is praying the rosary Scriptural?”
Answer: While much of what the prayer of the rosary contains is scriptural, the whole second half of the “Hail Mary†and portions of the “Hail, Holy Queen†are blatantly unbiblical. While the first part of the Hail Mary is almost a direct quotation from Luke 1:28, there is no scriptural basis for (1) praying to Mary now, (2) addressing her as “holy†Mary, or (3) calling her “our life†and “our hope.â€
Is it right to call Mary “holy,†by which the Catholic Church means that Mary never sinned nor had any taint of original sin? The believers in the Bible were called “saints,†which can be interpreted as “set-apart ones†or “holy ones,†but the understanding of Scripture is that the righteousness that believers in Christ have is an imparted righteousness from Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21) and that while in this life, they are not yet sanctified from sin in practice (1 John 1:9-2:1). Jesus is called our Savior repeatedly in Scripture because He saved us from our sin. In Luke 1:47, Mary calls God her “Savior.†Savior from what? A sinless person does not need a Savior. Sinners need a Savior. Mary acknowledged that God was her Savior. Therefore, Mary was acknowledging that she was a sinner.
Jesus said that He came to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21). The Roman Catholic Church claims that Mary was saved from sin differently from everyone else–that she was saved from sin through the immaculate conception (her being conceived free of sin). But is this teaching scriptural? The Roman Catholic Church openly admits that this teaching is not found in Scripture. When a young man addressed Jesus as “good Master†(Matthew 19:16-17), Jesus asks why he calls Him “good†since there is none good but one, God. Jesus was not denying His own deity, He was trying to make the young man aware that he was using the term too loosely without thinking about what he was saying. But Jesus’ point is still valid or He would not have said it–there is none good but God. This excludes all but God, including Mary! This ties in with Romans 3:10-23; Romans 5:12; and countless other passages that stress the fact that in God’s eyes no one measures up. Never is Mary ever excluded from such all-encompassing statements!
What of the question of praying to Mary or to anyone else besides God? We are never told in the Bible whether anyone else in heaven can even hear us. We do know that God alone is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present. Even the angels, with whatever great abilities they may have, seem to have their limitations and can’t always make it to help us as they might like (Daniel 10:10-14). When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He gave them what is commonly called the “Our Father.†He teaches us to address our prayer to God. Whenever prayer is addressed to anyone, it is done to God! Never can you find a single example of someone praying to any “saint†or angel or anyone else (besides prayers to false gods). Further, any time that any pious person prostrates himself (in a religious setting) to honor someone else besides God (chiefly to the apostles or angels), he is told to get up, to stop it (Acts 10:25-26; Acts 14:13-16; Matthew 4:10; Revelation 19:10; Revelation 22:8-9). The Roman Catholic Church states that it worships God alone but that it “venerates†Mary and the saints. What is the difference? A person praying the rosary spends more time calling out to Mary than to God! For every one praise of God in the rosary, there are 10 praises of Mary!
The Bible states that Jesus is our Redeemer (Galatians 3:13; 4:4-5; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 5:9). The “Hail, Holy Queen†calls Mary our “most gracious advocate,†but the Bible calls Jesus our Advocate to the Father (1 John 2:1) and our one Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). The only time in Scripture that the title “Queen of Heaven†is found it is in a negative way (Jeremiah 7:17-19; 44:16-27). The whole of Scripture teaches us to pray to God alone. Never once can you find an example or admonition to pray to anyone else! The only basis for the idea of getting to God through Mary is the biblical story of Mary coming to Jesus to ask for his help at a wedding feast (John 2). But in light of all of the other verses, including Jesus’ own instruction on how we are to pray, is it taking this passage in context to use it to teach that we ought to continue to go through Mary to get to God?
Likewise, is it appropriate to call Mary our “life†and “hope� Again, these are terms that are used of God alone in Scripture, particularly God the Son, Jesus Christ (John 1:1-14; Colossians 3:4; 1 Timothy 1:1; Ephesians 2:12; Titus 2:13). Thus, the practice of saying the rosary goes contrary to Scripture in a number of ways. Only God can hear our prayers. Only God can answer our prayers. The Bible nowhere instructs Christians to pray through intermediaries, or to petition saints or Mary (in Heaven) for their prayers.
Christianity of all denominations is firmly based on the Word which is supposed to be God given and inviolable.But Mother of God existed before the word came into existence and the Judaic religions founding on the Word.She said to me Kingdom of God is in Power but not in the Word.1Cor:4:20.She is the Goddess of Power but not of Word.Devotion to her is the right way to reach the Kingdom of Heaven though she is sidelined in the Bible.In spite of many apparitions and miracles world doesn’t see her.
I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY SOME PROTESTANTS LIKE TO CRITICIZE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.
IF YOU KNOW THE TRUTH OF THE HOLY TRINITY,YOU WONT EVEN GET A DOUBT WHETHER CATHOLICS WORSHIP MARY OR NOT.CATHOLIC NEVER STANDS AGAINST THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.ITS REALLY UTTER OUT OF SPIRIT FILLED MIND TO CRITICIZE MARY,TELLING WE WORSHIP HER. EVEN LUCIFER KNOWS THE TRUTH,THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE GOD.
WHOEVER IS AGAINST CATHOLICS ARE ACTUALLY REFLECTING THE LIES OF SATAN.AS SATAN IS THE PRINCE OF LIES AND IT HATES AND FEARS MOTHER MARY LIKE ANYTHING,AS SHE HAS THE POWER TO CRUSH SATAN,AS THE NEW EVE.
FIRST OF ALL THERE SHOULD BE A CLEAR KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY TRINITY.
FATHER,SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE ONE TRUE LIVING GOD.
FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT WE COME TO KNOW THE NAME OF THIS TRUE LIVING GOD,WHICH IS JESUS CHRIST.
SO JESUS IS THE LORD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT,HE IS THE FATHER GOD,HE IS THE SON WHO HUMBLED HIMSELF AND CAME DOWN TO EARTH TO SAVE HIS BELOVED CHILDREN,IN THE FORM OF A TRUE MAN,THROUGH MARY.
The Virgin Mary is the living shrine of the Word of God, the Ark of the New and Eternal Covenant.It’s easy to miss the parallel between the Holy Spirit overshadowing the ark and the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary, between the Ark of the Old Covenant as the dwelling place of God and Mary as the new dwelling place of God.
God was very specific about every exact detail of the ark (Ex. 25-30). It was a place where God himself would dwell (Ex. 25:8). God wanted his words — inscribed on stone — housed in a perfect container covered with pure gold within and without. How much more would he want his Word — Jesus — to have a perfect dwelling place! If the only begotten Son were to take up residence in the womb of a human girl, would he not make her flawless?
In fact, St. Luke’s account of the annunciation of the angel to Mary nicely incorporates the images of the tent of meeting with God in Sinai and of the temple of Zion. Just as the cloud covered the people of God marching in the desert (cf. Num. 10:34; Deut. 33:12; Ps. 91:4) and just as the same cloud, as a sign of the divine mystery present in the midst of Israel, hovered over the Ark of the Covenant (cf. Ex. 40:35), so now the shadow of the Most High envelopes and penetrates the tabernacle of the New Covenant that is the womb of Mary (cf. Luke 1:35).
A TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY COMES ONLY THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT.IF YOU FEEL DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW THE TRUTH THEN PLEASE DON’T ASSUME IT AS A FALSE.CATHOLIC TEACHES THE TRUTH. MARY IS THE MOTHER OF GOD,A LIVING GOD.SHE HAS REALLY PLEASED THE HOLY TRINITY.BY HER ‘YES’ TO FATHER GOD,AS OBEDIENCE AND TOTAL SURRENDER,SHE BECAME THE SPOUSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THEREFORE SHE GAVE BIRTH TO JESUS,SON OF A LIVING GOD..
WE DON’T WORSHIP HER BUT WE LOVE HER FROM OUR HEART,AS SHE KNOWS JESUS MORE THAN ANY SAINTS AND ANGELS AND ALSO WE CATHOLICS AND OBVIOUSLY MUCH MORE THAN PROTESTANTS AND OTHER DENOMINATION. NO ONE CAN EVER IMAGINE HOW MUCH LOVE SHE HAD TO JESUS.THAT’S WHY JESUS DIDN’T ALLOW HER BODY TO CORRODE IN THIS WORLD,HE TOOK HER TO HEAVEN BODY AND SOUL.NO ONE ELSE OTHER THAN JESUS AND MARY HAVE GONE TO HEAVEN WITH BODY AND SOUL AFTER RESURRECTION. IF YOU BELIEVE JESUS IS ALIVE TODAY,WE HAVE TO ALSO BELIEVE MARY IS ALIVE BECAUSE ITS THE TRUTH.
SHE IS MY DIVINE MOTHER. I WILL VENERATE HER TILL THE HOUR OF MY DEATH. I LOVE THE TRUTH.
MARY DRAWS ME CLOSER TO JESUS EVERYDAY.
PLEASE I BEG YOU NOT TO CRITICIZE MY JESUS MOTHER.HER LOVE FOR YOU IS IMMENSE.SHE IS WAITING TO EMBRACE YOU IN HEAVEN.
AMEN.I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY SOME PROTESTANTS LIKE TO CRITICIZE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.
IF YOU KNOW THE TRUTH OF THE HOLY TRINITY,YOU WONT EVEN GET A DOUBT WHETHER CATHOLICS WORSHIP MARY OR NOT.CATHOLIC NEVER STANDS AGAINST THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.ITS REALLY UTTER OUT OF SPIRIT FILLED MIND TO CRITICIZE MARY,TELLING WE WORSHIP HER. EVEN LUCIFER KNOWS THE TRUTH,THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE GOD.
WHOEVER IS AGAINST CATHOLICS ARE ARE ACTUALLY REFLECTING THE LIES OF SATAN.AS SATAN IS THE PRINCE OF LIES AND IT HATES AND FEARS MOTHER MARY LIKE ANYTHING,AS SHE HAS THE POWER TO CRUSH SATAN,AS THE NEW EVE.
FIRST OF ALL THERE SHOULD BE A CLEAR KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY TRINITY.
FATHER,SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE ONE TRUE LIVING GOD.
FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT WE COME TO KNOW THE NAME OF THIS TRUE LIVING GOD,WHICH IS JESUS CHRIST.
SO JESUS IS THE LORD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT,HE IS THE FATHER GOD,HE IS THE SON WHO HUMBLED HIMSELF AND CAME DOWN TO EARTH TO SAVE HIS BELOVED CHILDREN,IN THE FORM OF A TRUE MAN,THROUGH MARY.
The Virgin Mary is the living shrine of the Word of God, the Ark of the New and Eternal Covenant.It’s easy to miss the parallel between the Holy Spirit overshadowing the ark and the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary, between the Ark of the Old Covenant as the dwelling place of God and Mary as the new dwelling place of God.
God was very specific about every exact detail of the ark (Ex. 25-30). It was a place where God himself would dwell (Ex. 25:8). God wanted his words — inscribed on stone — housed in a perfect container covered with pure gold within and without. How much more would he want his Word — Jesus — to have a perfect dwelling place! If the only begotten Son were to take up residence in the womb of a human girl, would he not make her flawless?
In fact, St. Luke’s account of the annunciation of the angel to Mary nicely incorporates the images of the tent of meeting with God in Sinai and of the temple of Zion. Just as the cloud covered the people of God marching in the desert (cf. Num. 10:34; Deut. 33:12; Ps. 91:4) and just as the same cloud, as a sign of the divine mystery present in the midst of Israel, hovered over the Ark of the Covenant (cf. Ex. 40:35), so now the shadow of the Most High envelopes and penetrates the tabernacle of the New Covenant that is the womb of Mary (cf. Luke 1:35).
A TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY COMES ONLY THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT.IF YOU FEEL DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW THE TRUTH THEN PLEASE DON’T ASSUME IT AS A FALSE.CATHOLIC TEACHES THE TRUTH. MARY IS THE MOTHER OF GOD,A LIVING GOD.SHE HAS REALLY PLEASED THE HOLY TRINITY.BY HER ‘YES’ TO FATHER GOD,AS OBEDIENCE AND TOTAL SURRENDER,SHE BECAME THE SPOUSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THEREFORE SHE GAVE BIRTH TO JESUS,SON OF A LIVING GOD..
WE DON’T WORSHIP HER BUT WE LOVE HER FROM OUR HEART,AS SHE KNOWS JESUS MORE THAN ANY SAINTS AND ANGELS AND ALSO WE CATHOLICS AND OBVIOUSLY MUCH MORE THAN PROTESTANTS AND OTHER DENOMINATION. NO ONE CAN EVER IMAGINE HOW MUCH LOVE SHE HAD TO JESUS.THAT’S WHY JESUS DIDN’T ALLOW HER BODY TO CORRODE IN THIS WORLD,HE TOOK HER TO HEAVEN BODY AND SOUL.NO ONE ELSE OTHER THAN JESUS AND MARY HAVE GONE TO HEAVEN WITH BODY AND SOUL AFTER RESURRECTION. IF YOU BELIEVE JESUS IS ALIVE TODAY,WE HAVE TO ALSO BELIEVE MARY IS ALIVE BECAUSE ITS THE TRUTH.
SHE IS MY DIVINE MOTHER. I WILL VENERATE HER TILL THE HOUR OF MY DEATH. I LOVE THE TRUTH.
MARY DRAWS ME CLOSER TO JESUS EVERYDAY.
PLEASE I BEG YOU NOT TO CRITICIZE MY JESUS MOTHER.HER LOVE FOR YOU IS IMMENSE.SHE IS WAITING TO EMBRACE YOU IN HEAVEN.
AMEN.
JESUS COMMENTS ON THE OUR FATHER AND HAIL MARY —
Message given on Nov. 8, 1944
JESUS :
You are all so weighed down by your humanity that you never know how to pray by rising above the human, and you give the words of the prayer [only] a relative sense. But prayer opens up infinite horizons, O sons. Those horizons will be your dwelling, after returning to God —if you have known how to keep your spirit in God, and God in your spirit.
Even when you reflect on what you say—and it is already much if you do this—you give yourselves the limited range of the Earth and the flesh. With much difficulty do you raise your mind beyond the [present] moment and your daily needs.
You do not immerse yourselves in the Light.That Light is for you [only] a distant and halting reflection, like that of the sun in a Nordic winter. It is a glimmer—not even light—but only a twilight. So [too] is that Light which shines in you, because you do not open your doors to the Light which asks to plunge Itself into you, to instruct you and fortify you against the Darkness. Do not shut your spirit up within the opaqueness of material things. Your spirit is of God. And it should see God, know God, live from God, in God. He is Life for your spirit. And if you separate yourself from God with a [grave] fault, you kill your spirit; if you keep it far from God, you make it feeble and quench it like a lamp deprived of oil.
With your progress you can [now] substitute [this progress] for anything. But not for that which is life for the spirit. There is nothing that can keep your heart saintly if it is not fused with the Saint of Saints. Science, country, affections, works, become discouraging things [which are] served with wretched service, if you take away from yourselves that agent which makes you perfect in your sentiments and in your labors: union with God.
What is more admirable than a scientist, a jurist, a governor, a father, a husband, a son, an artist, a soldier—who are really Christians, and who are sincerely sons of God? Oh, do not fear! They will never know how to betray and do harm. From them will come only actions worthy of every blessing.
From what does the world weep, now? From its society cut off from God. Here is the cause of your world’s undoing, of your national ruin, of so much weeping in families, and of so much shame even in families.
As inhabitants of this globe—who come from only a single stock and from only one Creator—you hate each other among yourselves. As citizens of a single Fatherland you are hostile among yourselves—as if you were of a different race. As relatives and spouses you are egotistical and unfaithful. And why? Because you have forgotten God, Who does not crush you under the avalanche of your copious human laws and human instruction, but [Who] summarizes all His law and His perfect instruction in these words only: “Love God with your whole self and your neighbor as yourself” [Mt 22:35-40]. This is the summary of the whole Divine Law and the font of every good of earth and beyond the earth. But you do not put it into practice. And from that come the chastisements which strike you.
Maria—you who love the Divine Light more than yourself, and feel you are happy the more it penetrates into you—today I want you to know the supernatural meaning of a phrase that you say, but do not understand well.
As t