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DD EXPRESS October 2020
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Mary in our Daily Life
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DD EXPRESS October 2020 Mary our Guardian of Hope
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Mother as Our Guide
ehind every person’s choice is a mother as a guide. As children we would usually go to our mothers for every thing; even to make decisions we normally ask our mother. No matter how small or big the decisions we have to make in life, our mothers are ever ready to guide us.
We see in the Bible that it was at the prompting of Rebecca, the mother of Jacob, that Jacob steals Esau’s blessings from Isaac. (Gen. 27: 5-10) Likewise in the case of Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, at her behest he became the king of Israel. (1 Kings 1: 5-17) Our mothers know what is best for us. She has kept us for nine months within her womb and even after we are born she nurses us till we are strong enough. She is the only one who knows us through and through. It is close to impossible to hide anything from our mothers! When we look at Our Lady we see that in spite of her knowing what will happen to her son, she lets him go. She knows that what he is doing is beyond her grasp of understanding. But, when Jesus gave his mother to be the mother of us all, she understood that she was meant to help all those who come to her and lead them to Jesus.
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Like all mothers she too, knows that our needs are many and she satisfies not only our physical but spiritual needs as well. She knows that we lack certain things spiritually. So she like a guide, is there to lead us to her son Jesus who quenches our spiritual desires. Let us therefore look at Mary as our heavenly Mother ever ready to guide us on the right path.
Cl. Gerard Maria
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Mary the Mother of God M
ary the Mother of God is the first Solemnity we celebrate on 1 st January, at the beginning of every year. This solemnity was instituted by Pope Paul VI in 1970. It is the oldest feast of the Mother who brought the redeemer of the world, in the Calendar of the Church of the Roman rite. The Second Vatican Council in the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium affirmed Mary as the Mother of God. The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the Word of God in her heart and in her body thus brought the Light of the World to us. Due to this she is acknowledged and honoured as being truly the Mother of God and the Mother of the Redeemer. She was saved from sin from the first moment of her conception; because she was chosen to give birth to the Son of God. His conception and birth were virginal and because of the bodily bond with her son, she was exalted to heaven after her life. The Church in 430 AD faced stiff opposition and protected the truth about Mary's divine motherhood which was denied by Nestorius, the patriarch of Constantinople. Nestorius claimed that Mary only gave birth to the human Jesus, but not the divine Jesus and therefore should not be called the Mother of God. This statement essentially makes Jesus into two persons rather than one person. You can see how distorting the truth about Mary, even more importantly distorts the truth about Jesus and his divinity. Pope Celestine I excommunicated Nestorius.
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy To counter his wrong teachings a dogma proclaiming Mary's Divine motherhood was announced at the 2nd Council of Ephesus in 431 AD of the various names that are used to describe Mary's role as mother of Jesus. The title “Mother of God” which translates the more accurately stated Greek term “Theotokos” or “Birth-giver of God” was attributed to her. Thus the 2 nd Council of Ephesus attributed to Mary the title, Mother of God. Since Jesus is God, and Mary is Jesus’ mother, Mary is the Mother of God. Mary, therefore, is the “Ark of the New Covenant.” The Old Ark carried the stone tablets of the law, the Ten Commandments, the New Ark carries the God himself. The Old Ark carried the staff of Aaron the High Priest, the New Ark carries the Eternal High Priest. The Old Ark carried manna from the desert, the New Ark carries the Bread of Life. Thus Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant and truly the Mother of God.
Cl. Aegidius Periera
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A Dream for Us: a Marian Perspective H
e woke up and found his hand and fist swollen because of the blows he had given. Along with the fight, he also remembered what She said, “In due time you’ll understand everything.” This was the dream that actually set the foundation of our society. It was the dream that gave Don Bosco the mission, to lead the young to Jesus and now we see how this mission has increased with 15,000 Salesians working in over 130 countries. The mission that Don Bosco received did not die with him but continues in us. We are the ones now who are to lead the young people to God. I call this “A dream with a Marian perspective.’
In the first place, we must remember, that all changes happens not because of us. All changes, for the good, happen around Jesus. This will help us realize that there is nothing to be proud of. We may upload beautiful videos like a chess game on Instagram and YouTube or may put our youth Mass online or make a short movie, Naragam, but we are not the ones who are going to change the young or anyone for that matter. Changes can happen only if Jesus works in us or if we allow Jesus to work through us. Having this first point clear in our minds, we can go ahead with other important aspects of the dream.
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Has it ever come across to you, why Jesus gave Mary to be our teacher and guide? Why did he choose Mary and not some other saints? Of all the choices that he had, Jesus chose Mary as our guide and teacher, "I will give you a Teacher under whose guidance you will learn and without whose help all knowledge becomes foolishness." Now let us dwell deeper on this point.
“Let it be done unto me according to your word”. Mary conceived Jesus and for nine months she carried the “word made flesh” in her womb. In this way, we can say that Mary knew Jesus, who is God Himself and just like any mother she had a very deep relation with her son. She had a deep relation with God that no one had experienced. Mary journeyed together with Jesus even to Calvary. She saw her son being scourged, being condemned and being crucified and yet she accepted the fate of her Son. Her faith is not only once but it is again and again to the end of her life.
Mary was, so to say, the first Christian and she continues to be with us. We can see in all her apparition how she leads the people to God, in order that the wrath of God might not befall. She said in the apparition at Garabandal “The cup is already filling up, and if we do not change, a very great chastisement will come upon us.” But she pleads to God for us. Having seen who Mary was and is, we see that Mary is the most apt teacher and guide. That’s why Jesus gives Mary, his mother, as our guide and teacher. She is the one who will lead the young to Jesus. Shout Mary and the echo will be
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Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy Jesus is a very famous quote. Jesus gave to us Mary so that through her we’ll be able to lead the young to him.
“Every brick in it is the work of Our Lady Help of Christian”, said Don Bosco after the Basilica of Mary Help of Christian was completed. Again Don Bosco said, “have devotion to our Lady, you’ll see what miracles are”. After the dream, at the age of 9, Mary became the teacher and guide but what is more important Johnny Bosco surrendered himself to her. This is the most important aspect that we too need to imbibe. In everything that we do, let us approach our mother and ask for her guidance for with her we can do marvelous deeds.
Cl. Biangjinsuk Dkhar
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Mary in our Daily Life
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Mary, the Guardian of Hope
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ast year, I was traveling by bus to my place of summer ministry. The conductor of the bus was a woman. I assumed that she was a single mother because she brought her child to her work. Considering my assumption to be true, the woman I guess had to handle a double-role of being a conductor and a mother every day. The day I was on that trip, I noticed something different. Though the woman had to carry out her role as a bus conductor, she never once let her child feel isolated or alone. She was able to harmoniously balance her professional and family role. The child may have not noticed the sacrifices his mother was making. Maybe he would realize it when he grew up; we wouldn’t know. However, one thing is certain. The child had unconsciously put all his hope on his mother to sustain him throughout his childhood. This was the woman he first loved.
H-O-P-E. This four-letter word is the basis of our Christian faith, and more importantly, it is our life-line. Cultural historian and anthropologist Yuval Noah Harari published a book in 2011 entitled Sapiens: A History of Humankind. In the book, he describes the survival story of the homo sapiens. He holds that the cause of survival for the homo sapiens was their ability to coordinate and their superiority in intelligence. However, our emotional, spiritual, and mental anchor for survival is hope. A life lived without hope isn’t worth living. This is true as seen in the reasons for many suicide cases. When we live a life without hope, we
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Philosophy live in mere emptiness with no optimism, positivity, or joy in our experiences. It is 'hope' that reinvigorates our reason for living.
In Christus Vivit, Pope Francis says that we desire that the light of hope never fails. He adds that Mary is our guardian of hope, watching over us, her children, as we journey through life. Mary has always been the guardian of hope. We see this particularly in the Gospel narrative of the miracle at the wedding feast at Cana. While being the mediator between the hosts and Jesus, she also plays the role of a protector. The hosts realize that they are running out of wine to serve the guests. Their honor and self-respect is at stake. It feels as if all life is drained out of them. It is at this time that Mary enters the scene. She comes to the aid of the family and re-ignites the light of hope that seemed to be fading. What follows is the first miracle of Jesus that initiates his public ministry.
In this time of crisis, we seem to be just like the family at the wedding feast at Cana. Yet, Mary continues to guard our hope in a situation that seems beyond our control. What began in one part of the world has spread all over. The novel coronavirus has been infecting people exponentially. Humankind has gone into lockdown to protect itself from the virus. But, that hasn’t stopped its spread. Doctors have been working tirelessly to find a cure, a vaccine, or a way to curb its spread. However, all attempts seem to be in vain. Some have even lost hope,
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy certain that this virus will wipe out humanity from the face of the earth. Whatever be the case, we cannot let the light of hope be blown out. Amid this pandemic, we are called to turn to Mary our guardian of hope. During these times of spiritual weariness, anxiety, and tension let us pray to our Mother Mary to watch over us her children. Like the allegory of the bus conductor and the child, let us put all our hope in our Blessed Mother to guard us during these horrid times, and intercede to Jesus for us.
Cl. Ethan Fortes
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Behold the handmaid of the Lord “Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled, and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Mt. 23: 12).
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ary was the epitome of humility. Her whole life was a humble oblation offered to God. And fulfilling the words of Jesus God did exalt her crowning her as the queen of heaven and earth and the mother of all mankind. As St. Alphonsus Ligouri says: “Mary could not have humbled herself more than she did humble herself in the incarnation of the WORD, and God, on the other hand, could not have exalted her more than He did exalt her.” St. Antonius puts it this way: “The sweet odour of Mary’s humility ascending to heaven so to say, awakened the divine Word, reopening in the bosom of the Eternal Father, and drew Him into her virginal womb.” But he, for the greater glory and merit of this Mother, would not become her Son without her precious consent. Hence, when this humble virgin was in her poor little cottage seeking God more fervently than ever, behold the Archangel Gabriel arrives and salutes her saying, “Hail full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women.” But Mary was only troubled by this salutation. Her trouble arose entirely from her humility, which was disturbed at the sound of praises so far exceeding her own lowly estimate of herself. Not that Mary considered herself a sinner – for humility is truth as St. Theresa remarks – and Mary knew that she had never offended God. Nor was it that she
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy did not acknowledge that she had received greater graces from God than all other creatures, for a humble heart always acknowledges the special favours from the Lord to humble herself more. It was just that, being so full of humility, she abhorred every praise of herself Her only desire was that her creator the giver of all should be glorified, as she herself revealed to St. Bridget. The Blessed Virgin was already well aware from the Sacred Scripture that the time foretold by the prophets for the coming of the Messiah had arrived and that a virgin was to be the Mother of the Messiah. Yet the praise-filled salutation of the angel did not even give a vague impression that she was to be the mother of God. Her profound humility did not even admit such an idea. But when the angel comforts and encourages her saying that the Most High having pleased in her profound humility had raised her even to the dignity of being His mother, Mary accepts the divine will humbling herself further. As St. Alphonsus Liguori would say, “Wholly annihilated within herself, yet all inflamed at the same time by the ardour of her desire to unite herself thus still more closely to God, and abandoning herself entirely to the divine will, she answers, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord’ as if she meant to say: ‘May the goodness of God alone be praised, and not his slave: since it is all his goodness, that he fixes eyes on so lowly a creature as I am, to make her so great.” The higher she saw herself raised, the more she humbled herself. As St. Jerome says: “God chose her to be his mother more on account of her humility than all her
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Philosophy sublime virtues.” Mary herself also assured St. Bridget of the same thing that she had already declared in her canticle, “He has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.” St. Francis de Sales observes, “Mary did not mean to praise the virtue of her own humility, but she meant to declare that God had regarded her nothingness and that out of his pure goodness, He had been pleased thus to exalt her.” “Mary’s humility,” says St. Augustine, “became a heavenly ladder, by which God came into the world.” To know how much God exalted Mary it is sufficient to say simply that God made this Virgin His mother. Arnold of Chartres, then rightly asserts that God, by becoming the Son of the Blessed Virgin, established her in a rank far above that of all saints and angels. The nearer a thing approaches its author, the greater is the perfection that it receives from him; and therefore Mary, being of all creatures the nearest to God, more than all others, has partaken of His graces, perfection, and greatness. As Bl. Albert the Great would say, “to be the Mother of God is the highest dignity after that of being God. Mary could not have been more closely united to God than she was without becoming God.” He again says: “In bestowing on Mary the maternity of God, God gave her the highest gift of which a pure creature is capable.” Thus calling this humble virgin to be His own mother, God fulfilled His promise to her. Mary always had a very humble opinion of herself, not only when she was a poor ignorant girl in Nazareth but even when God raised her above everyone else, even the angels. She rightly acknowledged everything as free gifts from God’s abundant goodness and never even thought that she merited them. She never wished herself be praised but God, her creator and redeemer in his goodness did so. She considered herself as a servant of the Lord and served her fellow beings without considering her dignity or difficulties. Imbibing this humility
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy of the Holy Mother will gain us a place at the lap of God and the unconditional love of the Father. May our mother be our help.
Cl. Jins Joseph
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Mary and Feminism esus was standing over the woman caught in adultery and challenged the crowd saying “He who is without sin, cast the first stone.” Suddenly, a rock hits the back of his head. Jesus turns and exclaims, “Mom!”
Mary and Feminism. These two topics may seem to be opposites but they are more similar than they seem. To talk about Feminism today brings about a lot of feelings – mostly negative – from many people (excluding feminists of course). I remember conversing with my feminist friends and how they were so angry and defensive about issues like homosexuality and abortion. To understand properly their connection between Mary and Feminism, let us first understand what Feminism really is. In the simplest possible terms, Feminism is the belief and the struggle for equality of the sexes. It is the view that females are not better than males but are equal and deserve equal opportunity and representation. Feminists today are fighting for a variety of noble causes for women’s rights like equal wages, right to vote, to own property, to receive education, to have equal rights within marriage and have been moderately successful, though a lot still has to be achieved. For Ages, all over the world, women have been regarded as the second sex; the one who was created second. Even in the book of Genesis, we see woman being
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy created out of man. This view was also prevalent among the Jews, and in many ways Mary is still seen as a woman who submitted to God’s will. She is seen as passive and submissive, always in the background and possibly not a good model for today’s independent and free woman. So is Mary capable of being a good model for feminists and women today?
If we examine the life of Mary, we see that in reality she was a very strong woman. She was a leader, resilient and a survivor. She made decisions for herself and stood by them. After the angel told her that she would bear a son through the Holy Spirit, she didn’t get scared and worried about her reputation but took charge of her life, no matter the consequences. We can see this even in the Wedding Feast when she almost forces her son to help the party. Saying yes to God’s will was her way of taking an active part in the Divine Plan and thus having a valuable role in the salvation of all people. Thus, Mary was not a quiet, submissive background figure but a fighter, an optimist and a woman in the full sense of the word. Thus Feminism certainly has a lot to gain when they take Mary as a model of a woman. We thank God for blessing us with such a powerful woman to be our guide. Let us hope that Feminism continues to gain equal opportunities for women especially in India under the guidance of Mary.
Cl. Alfred Menezes
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Mary the Morning Star
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here is no title in the entire litany more descriptive of Mary than “Morning Star.” She is called the morning star because just as the morning star announces the coming of the day, appearing in the sky and reflecting the light of the sun, Mary appeared on the horizon of the salvation history before Christ, and now shows us the way to Him. She reflects the light of the Creator and Redeemer and exalts His glory. In short, this title reveals and emphasizes Mary’s great role in our salvation as our intercessor, and as the mediatrix of all graces. The title “Morning Star” has always had a special application to Mary. The Church interprets the verse in the Canticle of Canticles as descriptive of her. “Who is She that comes forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun?” In old cathedrals, Our Lady’s altar was situated behind the choir and the high altar, and to the extreme east, as the symbol of her as the morning star. We read in an old book of the 16 th century: “Like the morning comes before the sun rising, and divides the night from the day, so the Virgin Mary rose as the morning before the Sun of justice, and divided the state of grace from the state of sin, the children of God from the children of darkness. Whereupon the Church sings to her praise that Her glorious life gave light to the world and illumined all the Church and congregation of faithful people.” So a solemn mass was sung everyday at early dawn in her honour, and the bell for rising was called “St. Mary’s Bell.” St. Bridget of Sweden calls her, “the star preceding the sun.” The most common ‘star’ figure which all the spiritual writers have used is to describe Mary, “Star of the sea,’ the guide of the men sailing on the sea of
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy life. St. Bernard, as many others, interpreted ‘Miriam,’ the Hebrew for ‘Mary,’ as meaning ‘star of the sea’ and thus explains it: “without loss of its own integrity, a star sends forth its rays and so Mary brought forth Jesus. She is therefore the noble star risen out of Jacob, whose ray illuminates the whole earth, whose splendour both shines above and pierces the nether darkness, enlightening the earth and giving heat rather to souls than to bodies, nourishing virtues, expelling vices. Mary is the excellent, bright star lifted up necessarily above this great and wide ocean, shining with merits, illuminating with examples.” St. Ephraim calls her “the safe harbour of all sailing on the sea of the world.” The same expression was also used by Pope Leo XIII “safe harbour of travellers.” Drawing lesson from this, St. Thomas tells, “She is blessed among women because She alone has removed the curse of Adam, brought blessing to mankind, and opened the gates of Paradise. Hence She is called Mary, which signifies Star of the Sea, for as sailors steer their ship to port by watching the stars, so Christians are brought to glory by the intercession of Mary.” As Dante would say, “If thou follow but thy star, thou canst not miss at last a glorious haven.” Any description of our Blessed Mother as the Star of the Sea would be incomplete without a reference to St. Bernard. In one of his classics, he writes exhorting us to seek refuge in this gracious Mother. “O thou who feel thouself tossed by the tempest in midst of the shoals of this world, turn not away thine eyes from the Star of the Sea, if thou should avoid shipwreck. If the winds of temptations blow, if tribulations rise up like rocks before thee – look at the Star,
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Philosophy send a sigh towards Mary! If anger, avarice, or love of pleasure toss thy fragile bark – seek the eyes of Mary. If horror of thy sins, trouble of conscience, or dread of the judgment of God begins to plunge thee into the gulf of sadness, the abyss of despair attach thy heart to Mary. In dangers, in sufferings, in doubt – think of Mary and invoke Her aid. Let Mary be always in your heart and often upon your lips. To obtain Her help in death follow Her example in life. In following Her, you will not go astray; by praying to Her you will not despair; if you cling to Her, you will not go wrong. With Her support, you fall not; under Her protection you have no fear; under Her guidance you do not grow weary; if She is gracious to you, you will reach the port. Thus you will experience how rightly it is said: ‘And the virgin’s name was Mary.’” A true devotion implies 3 things: knowing, loving, and imitating the saintone is devoted to. Of course, we all know a lot about Mary. Sadly though, this knowledge has caused us to look at her only as the Mother of God and a great saint. We tend to forget that she too was a human being like all of us and that we too can become like her, if only we follow her example in our life. Like St. Bernard said, “to obtain her help in death we must follow her example in life.” And that is precisely why she is called the Morning Star or the Star of the Sea, for she is the ‘star’ that we must follow in order to see Jesus and to reach heaven. This should be the goal of every Marian devotion: to love her deeply and to imitate her in our lives. May the morning star, our dear mother, help us all.
Cl. Jins Joseph
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Mary in our Daily Life
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Mary the Guiding Star
oined the Aspirantate at Lonavla. There, I continued to deepen my devotion to Mary something that I had already developed at home. I would recite every prayer that I had learnt at home to Our Lady. When I would stand in front of the big and beautiful statue of MHOC in the center square, I would feel, like a child - perfectly at peace, I would experience serenity with Mary. As I grew older in life, knowledge and rationality crept in and I began to have doubts regarding my Marian devotion. Are these devotions really important? Slowly, praying in front of Mother Mary lost its meaning. I felt I was merely speaking to a statue. Was the consolation that I received at prayer just a product of my state of mind? With such thoughts and doubts, my devotion to Mary decreased. Many a time I doubted whether prayers and devotions were just practices which were being followed for ages. I asked myself whether a real relationship with Mary was actually possible! I entered the pre-novitiate. I carried these thoughts with me. During that year, I prayed the rosary, celebrated Marian feasts, participated in the Marian month but it was only because of the time table. Perhaps it didn’t stem from within. It was in my Novitiate year that I began to feel that something was missing in my life. At the end of the year, I would have to take a major decision. As per the advice of my Novice Master I fervently began praying to Mary and honoring her in different ways. Problems in my family and relationships among friends lowered my spirits and decreased my fervor. During those days I realized that it was only prayers and the powerful intercession of Mother Mary that would help me get out of those difficulties. I found the way and took the necessary steps towards making my first religious profession. After doubting and
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Philosophy learning about my faith in Mary I have now realized how Mary is my guide. As the stars guide sailors on their voyage, Mary has been my star and guide who is there by my side on my journey towards Jesus. Just as stars help ships to move in the right direction, so too our mother helps me live a good Christian life. The title ‘Mary the star of the sea’ gets its name from the North Star which is a trustworthy guide for sailors. During the Middle Ages, however, the North Star went by the name, Stella Maris. Stella Maris is Latin for “star of the sea.” The name Stella Maris was actually a reference to the Virgin Mary. In the middle ages when the sailors were caught up in storms or had lost their way, the North Star showed them the way towards safe shores. Just like the sailors who received help from the north star, whenever I have been worried, down and out, and shattered, I have received consolation and direction from Mary my mother. Whenever we turn to her in our lives for guidance and follow her example, the ships of our lives will surely reach the shore safely that is Jesus. Even though we live in these difficult times when the future looks scarier than the present; even if the vaccine is not found, the guardian of our hope will guide us through these extraordinary moments and lead us safely to Jesus. All that we need to do is keep our eyes fixed on her so that we may not lose the way and fall apart, but continuously be guided by her virtues and accompanied by her intercessions. Keeping our attention on her will fulfill all that God has planned for us and we will live in his love and mercy.
Cl. Gaurav Sansare
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Mary dares to take a risk W
hen someone wants to make big decisions in life, one pleads to God to help him. Why does one make such a plea? Because, in making a decision, there is always a risk involved. Therefore, one prays until one finds oneself staring at two paths, both good, and still not knowing for certain which path God wants us to take. In today’s world, many people panic when they have to take major decisions in life. God does not want us to panic. It is in moments of fear and panic that we can learn much from our mother. Throughout her life, she exhibited different approaches to panic situations. Among the many approaches, we first see the annunciation, when the angel Gabriel was sent to tell Mary that she was to be the mother of the Lord, and the Holy Spirit came upon her and overshadowed her with the power of the Most High. On the one hand, she was totally confused and on the other hand, she was encouraged by the words of angel. And then, she said, ‘yes’. She took a faithful risk to bear the son of man in her womb. We ought to get inspired by the strength of the young Mary’s ‘yes’ - the strength visible in the words, ‘be it done’. This was not merely a passive acceptance, or a faint ‘yes’, as if to say, well let’s give it a try and see what happens. Mary did know the meaning of those words. In other words, she did not know the consequences of
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Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy her decision. She was determined and she said ‘Yes’ without thinking twice. Hers ‘yes’ was that of someone’s yes who prepared to be committed, or someone willing to take up a risk, ready to face anything. She dared and took up a risk with no security, with no one to protect her. Since she chose to bring the Son of God to this earth, she is seen upon as a strong and a courageous woman. It was about two thousand years ago when that little humble “yes” was proclaimed. From that moment we witness, hear, sense and realize the power of Mary’s intercession, the miracles that she lets happen, the love that she has for her children affords her blessings and love for each one of us. Her love is immense. That’s why she could give it to all humankind with no partiality. When we look at the annunciation vividly, the point that strikes all of us is: why did Mary say those words? Is it because of fear of the Lord? Or is it because she wanted to fulfill God’s will and to be mother of all humankind? My answer to this is that she was a courageous woman who understood her important role in the salvation history. In addition, we can see her immense love for all humankind through her miracles and apparitions in various places. Mary is an example of courage and humility becoming a unique model of hope for us. Here, I would like to share one of my experiences. When I was doing my schooling, I was taught to pray Hail Marys by my assistant (Bro. Soosai Adimai) before climbing the stage to perform anything. I did that. Each time I prayed the Hail Marys, I would feel lighter and would gain courage. I would then perform or speak well on stage. The problem with us is that while we are aware of Mary’s example we fail to follow this in our daily living. Our weakness hinders our growth. If we were to continue with courage and humility, having complete trust and faith in God without any second thought, I’m sure our lives would be beautiful in its own way. The last but the most important example that Mother Mary sets for us is to dare to do God’s will. It was courage that made her mother to all. Young saint
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy Joan of Arc would say, “Courage to do God’s will.” Mother Mary gives testimony to this ‘courage’ and is an example that we are called to follow as children of this loving mother and take a faithful risk.
Cl. Alex P.
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Mary’s role in our life through our mothers “If you ever feel distressed during your day, call upon our lady. Just say this simple prayer: ‘Mary, mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now’. I must admit: this prayer has never failed me”, says Mother Teresa.
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ary, the Mother of Jesus, is the greatest of all mothers. Motherhood has always been a sacred and noble vocation, but Mary raised it to even greater heights when she became the Mother of God. As the mother who is “Blessed among women” (Lk 1:42), Mary gives us the clearest and most inspiring picture of what the ideal mother should look like, and every Christian mother would be wise to take her cues from the one who excelled at motherhood like none other.
Mary played a very vibrant role in Jesus’s life. She was the one who taught Jesus to pray. This motherly teaching made so much of an impact in Jesus’ life that later He taught this not only to His twelve disciples but to many more. He is the inspiration for all of us to pray. All this comes from His devout Mother Mary for she was the one who constantly supported Jesus in His mission. She is the model for all the mothers. Had it not been for Mary’s request, we do not know when Jesus would have performed His first miracle. Like every child, Jesus too required Mary’s encouragement as He ventured into something new in life. Mary too like a simple and a loving mother stood by her child in every pleasing
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy or difficult event that Jesus went through from His first moments of glory at Cana to the peak of suffering at Calvary, Mary was Jesus’ strength.
Mamma Margaret was a very prayerful woman. She was the one who put within Don Bosco a heart of prayer and taught him to have a greater devotion to the mother of all i.e. Mother Mary, even when he was a priest. She used to take her children to Mass whenever it was possible and she was even their catechism teacher at home. She always urged Don Bosco to go for confession and to receive communion and did her best in helping him to prepare for the same. On the occasion of his first communion she did not allow him to work but rather asked him to pray and read the Word of God to prepare himself well to receive Jesus in his heart. Mamma Margaret made sure that children said their prayers before meals. This made such an impact on Don Bosco that one day when a guest did not say the prayers before meals; he refused to sit with him. When he was asked for the reason he said he didn’t want to sit with an animal. She was the one who supported him and encouraged him to go ahead and join the seminary and become a priest. In fact she was the one who interpreted his dream at the age of nine saying, “Who knows but you’ll become a priest.”
My mother was the one who taught me to pray. When I was a kid I remember my mother making me repeat prayers as she was doing her daily chores. Most of the time my mother was seen praying. She used to gather our family
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Philosophy every evening at 7 o’clock to pray the rosary. This is because we believed that during that time of the day Mary would come in to the house and pray along with us. She did not like anyone to getting sleepy or getting distracted during that time. She used to always urge me to be prayerful. Every morning she used to accompany me for mass and also for the rosary service during the Marian month. She is the foundation of my life. As I conclude, I want to stress that my mother was my great support as Mamma Margaret was to Don Bosco and Mother Mary was to Jesus. I believe that Mother Mary was and is present in every mother’s life. She puts in them many good qualities which enable them to do so much good in our lives. So let us thank God and pray for our mothers who have helped us, guided us, supported us and pray for us to this day. But we should not forget to thank our beloved Mother Mary, who takes care of us, provides for us abundantly and loves us as her own son or daughter.
Cl. Winston Pinto
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Mary in our Daily Life
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To Live and Love like Mary
T
o live and love like Mary is the theme of my article. Here, I would like to highlight two verbs ‘Live’ and ‘Love’. To live a life like somebody or to imitate someone we need to know the way of life the person lives. So to live like Mary we need to know her way of life. I will highlight to you some qualities of our Blessed Mother which we can imbibe as Religious and Christians.
The first quality that I was impressed with as I looked at the life of Mary was that she was a woman of contemplation and meditation. How do we know that Mary was a contemplative? St. Luke does give us some indications. First at the scene of the Annunciation, Mary pondered on the greetings of the angel Gabriel, who is the messenger of God. The evangelist writes: “she was much perplexed by His words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be (Lk1:29).” The second incident was at the birth of Jesus when the shepherds came and visited the new born babe in the manger, they made known to Mary what had been told about the child by the angel. Mary on hearing this ‘treasured the word and pondered it in her heart’ (Lk2:19). The third incident was the scene when the boy Jesus was lost in the temple of Jerusalem and was found amidst the teachers of the temple (Lk2:41-52). Mary treasured all that was said by Jesus in her heart (Lk2:51b).
By sensitive here I mean care and concern for others. Mary was concerned
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Philosophy about the needs of others. As soon as she heard the news of her cousin’s pregnancy, ‘she went with haste’ (Lk1:39) to Judea, to help her cousin Elizabeth and stayed there for three months. Mary was concerned about the feelings of others. We can see this in the gospel according to St. John chapter 2:1-12. In this scene, we see that Mary was concerned about the feelings of the family. When she came to know that there was no more wine, she immediately interceded to her son Jesus because she did not want the family to be embarrassed since wine was the most important thing in the Jewish celebration. Mary saved this family from such embarrassment.
Humility was one of the most spoken topics by Jesus. I think this is what he learnt from his mother. Being the Mother of God was a privilege for Mary and if I was in her place I would have told people to adore me but Mary would not do that. Instead she praised God and accepted his will with humility. We can see this clearly at the visitation scene. When Elizabeth acclaimed her as the Mother of God, she immediately lifted up her heart to God.
She is a woman of faith. She surrendered her own will to God and did God’s will by trusting Him. In fact, with respect to the incidents that happened in Mary’s life, Mary responded with an act of Faith. Mary was faithful and
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy truthful to her vocation that she received from God i.e. to be the Mother of the Saviour of the world. From the annunciation till fleeing to Egypt, from Bethlehem till Mount Calvary, from the Resurrection till she was assumed into Heaven, Mary remained a faithful servant of God. She was also faithful to her Jewish culture and religious traditions.
This quality sums up all the other qualities of Mary. She was and is our Loving Mother. What would a loving mother do? A loving mother would sacrifice for the sake of her children, would take tender and loving care of her children, would always guide and protect her children. She has been, she is and will continue to be the Mother of the Church and of us all.
As children of this loving and caring mother, we are all called to be like her and imitate her in our Christian and Religious life. What are these values? To be contemplative and treasure the word of God in our hearts, as the psalmist says: ‘I treasured your word in my heart that I may not sin against you.’ To be more sensitive to the needs of others as well as sensitive to their feelings. To be humble in life and praise God whatever the situation may be. In life sometimes we lose faith in God due to our impatience, and different experiences in life. Mary teaches us to trust and have faith in God and be faithful to the call we’ve received and to do his will not our own will. To be faithful to the teachings of the Church.
Mary invites us to be loving like her. Jesus, our Lord and Master himself teaches us to be loving and caring let us recall to mind the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ and the greatest Commandment of God; to love one another. Let us ask the spirit to give us this charism to love like Mary for this is the greatest gift
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Philosophy of the spirit. Let us pray for this grace that we may be able to imbibe her qualities and love like her and make our lives a blessing for others so that like her we can pray:� My soul rejoices in God my Savior.�
Cl. Arkidon Derek Kharmawphlang
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Mary in our Daily Life
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No To Waves and Yes to Storm
T
he human person is a being unto choice. He/She goes through lots of ‘YES’s and ‘NO’s. Each and every ‘yes’ and no speaks of past, de-
cides present and affects his future. A girl
who was just in her teenage years said ‘NO’ to all except the ONE necessary. In other words her YES to the ONE made her say NO to all the other things. Who will say ‘no’ to all the calm that comes their way and ‘yes’ to the storm that takes away everything? She did it! She did it with the full 100% . Mary was bethroated to marriage. She said ‘no’ to her present without giving it a thought. She said ‘no’ to the will of her loved ones. Because she said YES
to the ONE most important. This ‘yes’ made her a mother. This ‘yes’ gives the courage to others to say yes to the ONE. Can we say YES to the ONE just as she did? Our mother did it
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy and we, her children too can do it with her help and guidance. Let us say ‘NO’ to
the waves and say ‘YES’ to the storm that will challenge our lives.
Cl. Dhayala Raj
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I
Devotion to our lady
am reminded of a friend of mine named Mario, who is born on the same day as the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady. He told me that he is lucky to be born on that day as it is the day where throughout the world various commemorations are celebrated like Girl Child Day, World Literacy Day and the Church also celebrates Mother’s Day. But most importantly it is the birthday of our Lady.
“Mary has done many things in my life” he says. He recounts how once when traveling home one night his whole family narrowly missed death in a road accident. “It was because of my heavenly mother working through my earthly mother who saved us otherwise I would not be here today.” When I speak to him, he looks cheerful but I know that on the inside there are lots of storms and difficulties that he faces and when I ask him how he manages to be cheerful all the time he says, “I know that Mary is always there. God will always listen to her and she knows what is right for us. She will help us overcome this problem.” When I look at my friend and see how much Mary has done in his life I cannot fail to see the things Mary has done in my life. Though my devotion to Mary is
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy small I believe that this little devotion is more than enough to go closer to Jesus and to God. May Mary always intercede for us and may our love for Mary grow.
Cl. Shaun Fernandes
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Your Will Be Done
T
he disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray!” and He taught them the “Our Father”. In this prayer, we pray ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ which is a sign of our humble surrender before God’s holy will. Mary expresses the same surrender when she said to the angel, “Let it be done to me according to your word.” What would Mary teach us about prayer if we ask her, “Mary, teach us to pray?” In reality ours has been much of an intercessory prayer, pleading God for favors. Thus for instance, parents would pray, ‘Lord, provide our family with health and financial support’, a student would pray, ‘Lord, help me pass my exams’, a patient would pray, ‘Lord, please heal me’, and so on. If we realize therefore, we are actually praying for our own will to be done (and not God’s will) in our lives.
Quite contrary to this is Mary’s prayer. At the wedding feast at Cana, She did not say, ‘Jesus, change the water into wine’ or ‘Give them wine’ etc., instead, She only presented to Jesus the situation of the hosts saying, ‘They have no more wine!’ and she let the rest be done according to Jesus’ will.
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy Perhaps this is what Mary teaches us about prayer: that we need to present to God our own situations and problems (rather than ask for solutions and favors). God who knows us best will respond to us according to his best plans for us.
Cl. Hubert Tynshain Lyngdoh
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Mary the God Bearer to the World In Need W
hen the angel Gabriel came to Mary with the news that she was to be the mother of God, Mary had a choice before her: a choice to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’; to accept or to reject the request that he brought. Yet, Mary accepts the invitation to become the God-bearer to the world and makes it possible for creation in its entirety to witness its creator. At times many people come to us with different requests hoping that we will do our best to fulfil them. Many times we fulfil the requests but it depends on the person who makes it. St. Augustine reminds us that our hearts are made for God and they are restless until it rest in Him. God is the greatest source of our happiness and there is nothing else that could take that happiness away from us. Mary is the channel that brings to us the happiness of God’s presence in our lives. At the wedding feast at Cana, the family had nearly lost hope and were preparing themselves for a great embarrassment, it was Mary who brought them Jesus and asked Him to perform the first miracle of his public ministry. Mary brings the hope of God’s presence at the time when we require it the most. Our world today needs God’s blessings the most in these difficult days. Some may argue that if God really existed he would wipe the Coronavirus and save us from this difficult time. And some believers see it as a sign of the last days when God will judge everyone according to their deeds. But in my opinion we can still hope that our mother continues to intercede for us. We all know that
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy every time Don Bosco faced a difficult situation or could not pay some of his debts, he would ask his boys to pray to our mother so that through her intercession Divine Providence would come to his aid. Don Bosco asked his boys to keep their trust in Mary help of Christians when the cholera broke out in Turin, and I guess today he would still ask us to place our trust in her. Because our Mother still brings us God’s comfort and love through her intercession. Mary continues to bring God’s love to us just the way she brought the Son of God into the world when she was asked by the angel. Just as Don Bosco taught us the power of Mary’s intercession when he was most in need, we too must trust that no matter how difficult times are, Mary continues to be a bearer of God’s love to us. She intercedes and will bring God’s healing to us. It is in her intercession that we have learnt to place our hope and she will never fail. We too like Mary can be bearers of God’s love and protection to the young people we encounter in our lives.
Cl. Sanket Chauhan
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Poetry
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy
Please Lead the Way O magnificent one dressed in blue Teach me how to pray God was just a little child Please lead the way O Jesus did you enjoy the moments When you were dandled on her knee Just like my mother once did for me? Simple games have you ever tried? Did she comfort you when you cried? Did you ever hide Behind those angelic magnificent wings? Did your mother remind you Of all the little things? Mary were you there When Jesus felt low? Did you kiss him good night And let your love show? O lady be with me as my mother This is what I pray Jesus is your loving child Please lead the way. Cl. Alan Manuel
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Loving Her Straight form the heart of the fire Comes white hot, smoking and gleaming Its burnt off all else, no more I desire My love all bare, it’s font now sleeping Stronger and stronger – my love for her is the one, she who taught me to dream through the dark and lonely nights, to kiss the tree bloody, though reality may not seem.
When I find myself slipping below she teaches me how far I can go towards whilst wearing the crown before I wake and count my woes Mothers will always be Mothers Mary, how about me for a son? The best is always kept for the rupture yes, Mary tell me – am I the one?
Cl. Alfred Menezes
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Mary in our Daily Life
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A Marian Poem When I was a kid, You told me of love: To hold on to your finger, Taught me to walk beside. Love, you did build, Love, you did live, Love, you had in a manger, Love, you had as a guide. Love you, love you ever forever You always with your love me cover You taught me how to smile You taught me how to live You taught me how to love O Mother Mary, I love you‌ Love you, love you ever for ever forever You always with your love me cover
Cl. Dhayala Raj
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Let’s Know the ABCD of Mary Ann and J oaquim were gifted to bear her Bethlehem was blessed due to her visit Cana saw the fir st mir acle because of her
Did not doubt God’s plan Every wor d she spoke, was spoken for other s Fir st woman to become the Mother of God
Gentle mother of the whole ear th Humble ser vant of God Intelligent girl, who said ‘Yes’
Joyfully nur tured the infant J esus Kind in guiding her children Lovely counsellor of all who are in problems Most Chaste Woman in the whole world Negativity never exists in her Only relied on God’s word Pillar of the Catholic Church
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy Quick in r eaching out to the poor
Reflected over all that happened in life Silent mir acle wor ker Teacher of the young Upper room was strengthened by you Venerable Queen of the Wor ld Wor ld stands in need of your intercession X-mas is celebrated because of your availability You are the Queen of Heaven and Ear th Zealous fir st disciple of Chr ist Drawing by Cl. Gerard
Cl. Gerard Maria
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Mother the Mediatrix Listen to the cry of thy children Mary, Men who are fallen seek thy mercy. Hear our prayers O dearest Mother, For your children scattered away. Mary teach us to ponder over the word Mary teach us to follow thy Son Light for the dark and guide for the wanderer Mary teach us to follow the way. When your children cry you are there at our behest When your children sleep you are there with your mantle When your children pray you are there with us Mary, our hope, guard us and lead us. Drawing by Cl. Santosh
Cl. Santosh
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Mary in our Daily Life
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Philosophy
Mary Our Model of Faith Immaculate life you did live Queen of heaven and Queen of earth You gave us joy by your yes to Him And now we ask you to be our guide Mary, show us the way Mary, lead us to heaven’s gate Mary, guide our faith Be our model of faith The angel of God came down to you And gave unto you, the message of God You said your yes to Him and became The mother of God, the mother of all
Cl. Alan D’Silva
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The Wedding at Cana On the third day morn the symphony of cymbals and harps filled the air at the wedding in Cana of Galilee
Amidst the rejoicing the Mother heard the stewards murmuring, "The wine is running out." This was a bad omen indeed, which would destroy, that which God had united The Mother turned to her Son, whose hour had not yet come. At her behest, He turned the water into wine, and revealed that day, His glory divine. And thus the cross was laid on him since that time. At that solemn wedding was God’s bounteous Heart revealed, full love like the overflowing finest wine, which from then on would fill man’s heart with joy divine. Pray for us dear Mother, when our life’s wine runs out, And that we may join thee, at the Marriage of the Lamb and his Church above. Cl. Samson Rebeiro
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Mary in our Daily Life
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Philosophy
You together till Forever Alone, only us, we can walk so much; But with You together, We can walk till forever.
Times without number, We collided, With something, more than us stronger. It’s those moments That makes us realized; It’s too way beyond us, With us from You divided.
Drawing by Cl. Santosh
The road is not always straight, Neither it is always plain; Yet, in all these ups and turns, We have to carry along with our troubles and pains.
At times, we are led down by our very strength. The ones who promise to always care, just stare. Left to ourselves we turn to despair; We sank into hopelessness, We drown into the ocean of sorrowful tears, All that's left is meaningless meaning.
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Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy Leave us not lest we be lost forever. Hold us, Lead us, Guide us, Else we die before we cease to breathe.
Alone, only us, we can walk so much; But with You together, We can walk till forever.
Cl. Jokim Manar
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Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
Philosophy
“To Mary” Dear Mary, there is an invitation That is compulsory for everyone. It’s about writing a poem on you! I love you and I love writing poems too; But I won't write now, unlike other times; Yet here’s a letter, I’m wording it in rhymes. The obliged invitation sounds like a test: “For love of Mary: who can love her best?” Will the best poet be the best lover? I doubt! I wish to decline the offer. I wish to love you without condition, Without winning any competition! I just want to tell: I’ll love you freely! Thank you so much! Yours faithfully! From: Me.
Cl. Hubert Lyngdoh
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Numero-Logos Mary If A=1, B=2, C=3,‌.., Z=26, then what do the Gospel writers want to tell us in these codes below: a. 8,1,9,12
13,1,18,25
b. 2,5,8,15,12,4
c. 2,12,5,19,19,5,4 25,15,21,18
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6,21,12,12
25,15,21,18
9,19
15,6
7,18,1,3,5
13,15,20,8,5,18
20,8,5
6,18,21,9,20
15,6
23,15,13,2
Mary in our Daily Life
Divyadaan Salesian Institute of
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d. 1 19,23,15,18,4 25,15,21,18
23,9,12,12
16,9,5,18,3,5
8,5,1,18,20
e. 13,25 19,15,21,12
13,1,7,14,9,6,9,5,19
20,8,5
12,15,18,4
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Kriss-Kross Mary Observe the crossword puzzle carefully and search for the words either attributed or related to Mary (Hint: There are only 13 words to be found)
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Mary in our Daily Life
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1
Mary in our Daily Life