she also made an essential contribution to her son's growth and development. A mother is not only a woman who gives birth to a child, but one who brings him up and teaches him; indeed, we might well say [...] her a model to follow and imitate and an example of perfect love for God and for his brothers and sisters. Along with Mary's motherly presence, Jesus could count on the paternal figure of Joseph, a just [...] Although occurring by the work of the Holy Spirit and a Virgin Mother, the birth of Jesus, like that of all human beings, went through the phases of conception, gestation and delivery. In addition, Mary's

the heart of the Virgin of Nazareth when she pronounced her "fiat". From then on, under the special influence of the Holy Spirit, this heart, the heart of both a virgin and a mother, has always followed [...] The little Virgin of Nazareth holds an exceptional place in God’s plan of salvation . Her unique destiny in the history of humanity has been proclaimed since man’s beginnings, and her work continues until [...] moment of the “fullness of time”, her “yes” allowed the Incarnation of God in the flesh of men, at Nazareth (this event is related by the Gospel accounts of the Annunciation). Father Rene Laurentin writes

Contemporary Meditations on the Annunciation Modern times have seen the formation of a vast movement called the French School, whose theological and spiritual doctrine is centered around the mystery of [...] Sub-chapter: Contemporary Meditations on the Annunciation Bérulle: The Covenant of March 25th, Nazareth

your national soul" (#5). He saw a double potential in their typically Marian, popular religious expression: one for evangelization, the other for social liberation. A potential for evangelization: "Mary [...] down the mighty from their thrones ? and raised up the lowly' (cf. Lk 1:52)." (# 6) A potential for peace and justice: A violent socio-economic and military situation has been plaguing the Colombian peasants [...] Either seeing it as an "obstacle to the demands of justice and prosperity." - Or using it "as a resource for a merely human project of liberation that would quickly prove illusory." (# 9) And, referring

frescos in Rome 's catacombs witness to a very early devotion to the Virgin: The catacombs of Priscilla, for example, show the Madonna and Child with Balaam who points to a star with his hand, symbol of the [...] offer a pictorial Gospel. For example, the fish is the symbol of Christ ( Ichtus means fish in Greek but is also an acronym for “Jesus, the Christ , Son of God, Savior”). The Good Shepherd holding a lamb [...] Domitila. The Latin expression "ad catacumbas" referred to the Saint Sebastian cemetery located near a ravine (in Greek kumbos means ravine and kata near) along the Via Appia. When, in the sixteenth century

Look up to the Family of Nazareth! At a time when the extended family has less and less importance, you, Christian parents, take seriously your duty to educate your children on a human and Christian level [...] you can give them: a righteous conscience, a Christian life, and the ability to be useful and prepared members of society and their country. Raise your eyes towards the Family of Nazareth! Look at the hidden [...] will truly be a "domestic Church" (LG 11), a fertile ground for the various vocations that society and the Church need, to sprout and grow. Fathers and mothers! Sometimes this vocation is a total gift of

been, ever since her conception, the fruit of a long awaited and marvelous expectation, and of a miracle of God. ________________ [1] See article "Is Mary a Daughter of David ?" [...] tribe, and that they descended from the illustrious family of King David. Joachim owned a flock of sheep, in Nazareth, in Galilee. Tradition also reveals that Joachim and Anne remained childless during many

first sign and his disciples believed in him. It is a capital passage, a revelation of Jesus' identity, of Mary's role and her maternal mediation. A prototype of Jesus' signs. We must read this passage [...] persecution. One of the summits of this encouragement is given when a "great sign" appears in the sky, "a woman clothed with the sun" (Rv 12), a sign we shall have to interpret... F. Breynaert [...] 1:18-25. Announcement to Joseph. The Incarnation is the new Covenant. At the beginning we find a man and a woman. Joseph's Yes is reflected by his actions: he does what the angel tells him to do. Gospel

Mercies” at Bahia (or Baia), following the apparition of the Virgin Mary in the 1530s to a young Indian girl married to a Portuguese. The much-loved Queen of the Brazilian people We should also mention (near [...] Brazil: A land born in the Blessed Virgin’s arms Brazil is the largest Catholic country in the world, as Pope John Paul II reminded us during the centenary celebrations for the crowning of Our Lady of [...] born in the arms of Mary After placing itself under Mary’s maternal protection, and attending Mass at a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Bethlehem, the Portuguese fleet, commanded by Pedro Alvarez Cabral left

God and to others. At her death in 1879, her body was buried in a chapel in the garden. Found intact in 1909, it has rested since 1925 in a crystal coffin in the chapel of St Gildard. Many pilgrims and tourists [...] of all nationalities come to see Bernadette each year. _________________________________ Marie de Nazareth Team See official website