St. Francis Youth Group

Happy Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary! Today we remember the Gospel of Luke, when Mary rushed to the house of her cousin, Elizabeth, to help her during her pregnancy.  Upon entering the house, the baby in Elizabeth's womb, John the Baptist, leaped! Filled with the Holy Spirit, he could feel the presence of Our Lord inside Mary's womb. Read more about this great feast HERE! Here is a wonderful painting of this JOYFUL moment! Joy...that is what this feast today is all about! :)

From Father Piotr W. Wiśniowski (cyber-missionary) - Click on his name for his Facebook page!

Mary then proclaims this beautiful prayer, which we now call the Magnificat, as it is all about magnifying the Lord and His great works for human salvation! Take time, right now, to pray this today! It is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke - Luke 1:46-55.

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever."

Amen!

Also today, is our final day for our Month of Mary meditations.  These can be used for any day of the year, so if you feel the need, scroll back through the days and repeat them.  Mary is always there for us to turn to, to pray for us and to lead us to her Son.  Or! Get yourself a copy of the "Handbook of Prayers: Student Edition" published by the Midwest Theological Forum! It's a great little book of prayers! Our final meditation, again, comes from this book:


May 31st
Mary: The Visitation of Mary Sings of the Love of God
"God is interested in even the smallest events in the lives of His creatures - in your affairs and mine - and He calls each of us by name. This certainty that the faith gives enables us to look at everything in a new light. And everything, while remaining exactly the same, becomes different, because it is an expression of God's love. Our life is turned into a continuous prayer, we find ourselves with good humor and a peace that never ends, and everything we do is an act of thanksgiving running through all our day. 'My soul magnifies the Lord,' Mary sang, 'and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior."

Let us offer to our Mother today: The Holy Rosary said with concentration and affection.

Pray the Rosary often! But especially today. I would recommend the Joyful mysteries, for the Visitation :)


Become a Saint!