The “Offering of Self” Prayer from St. Ignatius of Loyola
Pray this short prayer to make an offering of Self from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Pray this short prayer to make an offering of Self from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Who is the Virgin Mary, and what role does she play in salvation history? Why did God send us His son as a helpless infant to be born in poverty of a holy virgin named Mary?
What if the Virgin Mary said no to God?
To understand Mary’s role in salvation history we must come to understand how our first mother, Eve, caused us to be separated from God through original sin. Eve was created without original sin, but she freely chose to disobey God and eat of the forbidden fruit because she was tempted to sin and acquiesced. With Adam at her side, they both ate of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. As a result, Adam and Eve were both banished from communion with God in the perfect paradise of the Garden of Eden, and were separated from Him to suffer throughout the ages. As their offspring we too are banished and separated as “poor banished children of Eve.”
The Virgin Mary is the New ‘Eve’
The Virgin Mary is the new Eve. She was created, by the grace of God, to be a pure, blameless, sinless creature that would wish to be the spouse of the Holy Spirit and do the will of God the Father in perfect love. God created her to bring forth into the world his Son, the messiah, who is Christ the King.
The Virgin Mary is also the new ark of the Covenant. Her role as the new ark of the Covenant is vital in the salvation of the world.
“God the Holy Spirit overshadowed and then indwelled the Ark. The Ark became the dwelling place of the presence of God.” Exodus 40:34-35
“God the Holy Spirit overshadowed and then indwelled Mary. At that time Mary’s womb became the dwelling place of the presence of God.” Luke 1:35
Mary is our Mother
We can pray and ask Mary to help us to worship and love God as we should. God the Father is a loving God who has given mankind free will, and through our freedom we have been given the right to choose Him or reject Him. We are made in God’s image and likeness and only through our surrendering our free will in perfect union with God do we find peace, joy, and perfect charity.
We can do this through prayer in adoration to God and also by asking for Mary to intercede for us to grow in holiness and do His will. She was the first Christian and also was given to the apostle John by Jesus on the cross during the crucifixion. She is also our mother and when we ask her to pray for us she intercedes and helps us to become more holy and receive grace.
Pray the five Fatima prayers sent from Heaven in a miracle in 1917 by the Angels and by the Virgin Mary.
The Rosary is the weapon of our time. Our Lady of Fatima told the shepherd children we must pray the rosary daily.
Our Lady of Sorrows, also known as the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary, or the 7 Dolors of Mary, is a meditation on the lamentations of Mary.
Pray the whole rosary, all 20 mysteries of the rosary, every day using these meditations. This devotion will help you overcome anxiety, despair, and habitual sin.
