St. Bonaventure declared the name of Mary “cannot be pronounced without bringing some grace to him who does so devoutly.” The Church links the feast of the Holy Name of Mary with that of her Nativity, celebrating it within the octave of the Nativity. The most holy name of Mary, joined to that of Jesus, possesses a hidden power which puts to flight the demon, and fills the soul of him who utters it in loving faith, with consolation and hope.
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“Knight of the Immaculata” No. 36
It is difficult to describe the benefits of prayer. “My Lord, teach me what you want me to tell you,” cried St. Margaret Mary. It is a great grace to be able to see God first of all in prayer. This is how the saints pray. As for us, we think of ourselves too often. The saints began with adoration of God. To conceive of prayer as a petition alone is not the whole truth about prayer, but only a small part of it.
Prayer, as understood by the Church and her Most Holy Sons, is not only a humble supplication to God to hear our requests, it is not only the recitation of oral formulas. Prayer is stopping and communing with God.
Prayer, then, is a confidential conversation with God, similar to a conversation between a servant and a master, a disciple and a master, a child and his parents.
“Knight of the Immaculata” No. 35
The fundamental disposition of St. Joseph’s soul was one of complete confidence and abandonment to God, which had its source in his faith. No creature, after the Blessed Virgin, has lived as much by faith as St. Joseph. In fact, having spent his whole life within the orbit of the mystery of the Incarnation, he necessarily had to pass through all the obscurities which surrounded the accomplishment of the great mystery. So Joseph needed deep faith, a faith continually nourished by suffering and tempered through anguish.
“Knight of the Immaculata” No. 34
Although Holy Scripture does not tell us anything about the presentation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple, this belief is based upon evidence authorized by a very ancient Christian tradition, and the Church has given it official recognition by making it the object of a special Marian feast. Our Lady is truly the privileged one among all creatures.
Let us ask Mary, presented in the Temple, to take our poor offering into her maternal hands, to purify and complete it by her offering, so pure, so perfect; to include and hide it in hers, so great and so generous, that being thus purified and renewed, it may be agreeable to God.
“Knight of the Immaculata” No. 33
Mary under her most beautiful title and in her most glorious prerogative: Mother of God. This title and prerogative were solemnly proclaimed by the Council of Ephesus, to oppose the Nestorian heresy. Today the Church congratulates Mary for this supreme dignity, which raises her above all other creatures, even to the threshold of infinity, and makes her Queen, not only of men, but also of angels.
“Knight of the Immaculata” No. 32
The Church teaches us to invoke Mary as Mediatrix of all graces. This title summarizes what the Blessed Virgin is for us, in our relations with her beloved Son: the Mediatrix of grace, of mercy, the treasurer of all the graces which Jesus merited for us.
As Mediatrix, Mary also leads men to Jesus by teaching them the way to her Son and by showing them how to please Him. We are always poor little children incapable of making presentable gifts to God, but Mary our Mother, with maternal delicacy, arranges and embellishes our gifts, our acts, our prayers and sacrifices, and offers them with her own hands to her divine Son.
“Knight of the Immaculata” No. 31
Mary stands at the wellspring of grace. Jesus Christ, God’s gift to man, the source of our life, is Mary’s gift also. Over and over in the incidents of the Gospel we are made to understand this law of love of the spiritual life: that Jesus gives Himself through Mary.
In each issue of Knight of the Immaculata we desire simply to show that Our Lady give birth and life to Jesus within us; that it is she who gives us the spirit of Jesus; who makes us know Him in His mysteries and in His sacrifices, and who impels us to imitate Him. Through her we fulfil our Christian vocation: we receive the “adoption of children of God through Jesus Christ” (Eph. 1:5).
“Knight of the Immaculata” No. 30
With her powerful intercession before her Lord and Spouse, Mother Church seeks to help all those who are still in Purgatory, so that they may soon reach the fellowship of the blessed. A day of the Church’s loving care for the dead. It is a compassionate and active love.
The Church knows that she can help the Poor Souls in Purgatory through her intercession, especially through the sacrifice of the Holy Mass. On the 1st of November the Church allows every priest to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice three times, so that the flood of graces may flow down from the altars in the fullest possible measure and so that as many souls as possible may enter Heaven today. On the 2nd of November, the Church gives the faithful the power to grant an unlimited number of plenary indulgences to the souls in Purgatory.
Director’s Letter No. 18 — “The Final Means of Salvation”
Letter No. 18 “The Final Means of Salvation” (June 2022)
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Continue reading “Director’s Letter No. 18 — “The Final Means of Salvation””
“Knight of the Immaculata” No. 29
Those who wear the Scapular have a special right to Our Lady’s assistance in life, at the moment of death and after death.
The Scapular by reason of its history, which has made it for so long a universal means of intimate Marian devotion, is also a marvellous instrument of the Blessed Virgin’s singular protection, and for this reason too it is a distinctive reminder of consecration to her.
Moreover, the Scapular which, worn continually, is a figure of the sweet and light yoke of Christ, and is as a shield in all dangers, especially on the day of death. By recalling constantly the remembrance of Mary, the Scapular nourishes our sense of belonging to her; it makes us realize that our close alliance with her keeps us always under her protection.
“Knight of the Immaculata” No. 28
Pope Pius XII set the 31st of May as the feast of the Kingdom of Mary. The Holy Father combined the proclamation of the feast of the Kingdom of Mary with the Coronation of the Miraculous painting. Placing the crown on the head of Christ, the Pope prayed: “As with our hands we crown you on earth, so deign to crown us with honour and glory in Heaven”. Crowning Mary’s head with a diadem of twelve stars he said: “As we crown you with our hands, so may we be crowned in Heaven with honour and glory by Jesus, your Son”.
“Knight of the Immaculata” No. 27
We offer a new issue of the “Knight of the Immaculata”.
Time passes and does not return. God has assigned to each of us a definite time in which to fulfil His divine plan for our souls; we have only this time and shall have no more. Time ill spent is lost forever. Our life is made up of this uninterrupted, continual flow of time, which never returns. In eternity, on the contrary, time will be no more; we shall be established forever in the degree of love which we have reached now, in time.
Flyer “After death…”
Whether I like it or not, death awaits me, and often sooner than I expect… Not thinking about it will not change anything.
Whether I believe it or not, I have an immortal soul, which gives life to my body and allows me to think, to want freely, unlike animals. At the moment of death, the soul separates from the body, but continues to live, to receive from God its Creator the reward or punishment for its actions. And since the soul cannot cease to exist, this reward or punishment will last forever.
This judgment of my life will take place one day, and refusing to believe in it will not change anything. So let’s try now to give ourselves the best chance to make it happen.
Director’s Letter No. 17
We must not fall asleep, especially not now!
Dear Knights of the Immaculata!
Events are precipitating. From all sides the adversary seems to launch the general attack. Whoever does not know in these times through whom certain victory will come, is lost.
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On the 16th of October 2021 is again the anniversary of the founding of the M.I. On this day we want to renew our consecration to Mary as instruments in her immaculate hands, not only to gain a plenary indulgence, but above all to ask the Immaculata to widen our hearts and fill them with her own zeal for the salvation of souls, her beloved children.
“Knight of the Immaculata” No. 26
This issue of Knight of the Immaculata reaches you, dear Knights, in October, the month of the Rosary. In this year, October is special, because we celebrate the 450th Anniversary of one of the famous victories of the Rosary: the Lepanto battle. Please read very carefully the text in this issue of Knight — pages 9–18.
You will learn the power of the Rosary. Father Maximilian and many other saints have written about how great a weapon it is. Many of us have become convinced of the power of the Rosary.
We warmly encourage you to pray the Rosary every day. If you cannot pray the whole Rosary or the five decades, please pray at least one decade, but with faith in Mary’s help and with great fervour, praising her glory. This is very important!