Sabine du Mesnil by • bm Confide in Mary Our Mother in Heaven
Confide in Mary Sabine du Mesnil by • bm Under the direction of Romain Lizé, President, Magnificat Editor, Magnificat: Isabelle Galmiche Editor, Ignatius: Vivian Dudro Proofreader: Kathleen Hollenbeck Artistic Designers: Armele Riva, Thérèse Jauze, Gauthier Delauné Production: Thierry Dubus, Audrey Bord Scripture quotations are from Revised Standard Version of the Bible—Second Catholic Edition (Ignatius Edition) copyright © 2006 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Original French edition: Confie-toi à Marie © Mame, Paris, 2022 © 2021 by Magnificat, New York • Ignatius Press, San Francisco All rights reserved ISBN Magnificat 978-1-63967-036-9 • ISBN Ignatius Press 978-1-62164-621-1
Contents A Channel of Grace.......................................................................................................................... 26 An Elevator to Heaven...............................................................................................................28 The Little Ones .......................................................................................................................................30 Living with Mary................................................................................................................................... 32 Talking to Mary....................................................................................................................................... 34 Consecration to Mary.................................................................................................................. 36 The Marvels of God . ......................................................................................................................38 Hail Mary........................................................................................................................................................... 42 Through Mary, to Jesus............................................................................................................ 44 All Yours, Mary.........................................................................................................................................46 Blessed Dina Bélanger...............................................................................................................48 Knights of the Immaculata................................................................................................50 Mary Appears to Little Ones........................................................................................... 52 Magnificat!...................................................................................................................................................... 54 Star of the Sea...........................................................................................................................................55 • Part 3 • Devotion to Mary God among Us............................................................................................................................................ 8 The Annunciation.............................................................................................................................. 10 The Visitation.............................................................................................................................................12 The Nativity....................................................................................................................................................14 The Wedding at Cana..................................................................................................................16 The Cross.............................................................................................................................................................18 The Coming of the Holy Spirit.....................................................................................20 The Assumption.................................................................................................................................... 22 • Part 1 • The Life of Mary • Part 2 • The Little Marian Way
• Part 1 • The Life of Mary
8 9 Long ago, long before the birth of Jesus, men climbed the holy mountains to listen to God. It was the time of the patriarchs and the prophets. On Mount Sinai, God gave Moses his law of love. The Ten Commandments of God were engraved on tablets of stone and kept in a chest covered with gold: the Ark of the Covenant. From then on, God traveled with his people. The Ark of the Covenant was carried from camp to camp on an ox cart and rested inside the Tent of Meeting. When the Ark was brought to Jerusalem, King David danced with joy before it, to the sound of instruments. Later, his son Solomon built a house for God: the magnificent Temple, made as strong and precious as could be, with the finest stone and wood. But God wanted to be even closer to his people. He wanted to dwell among us, as one of us. To do this, God preparedMary of Nazareth, in Galilee, to be the Mother of his Son. Her parents, Anne and Joachim, marveled at this girl with a pure heart. Did they know that God also marveled at her, because he had chosen her to be his new sanctuary? Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king comes to you. Zechariah 9:9 God among Us
10 11 God sent the angel Gabriel toMary. In Hebrew, Gabriel means “God is my strength.” The angel announced: “Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you! God has chosen you to be the Mother of his Son.” Mary trusted the messenger of God. She knew how great was this news: the promised Messiah, so long awaited by the Hebrew people, was coming. “How can this be?” asked Mary. “TheHoly Spirit will come upon you,” the angel replied, “and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” For with God nothing will be impossible. Luke 1:37 The Annunciation
12 13 After the angel left, Mary set off through the hills to visit her cousin Elizabeth. She walked quickly, and her heart overflowed with joy. She was eager to help Elizabeth, who was pregnant in her old age—another beautiful miracle announced by the angel! Elizabeth welcomed Mary with words that have echoed to this day: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” And Elizabeth’s baby jumped for joy inside his mother! What a wonderful encounter! In her Magnificat (see page 54), Mary sang the praises of the Lord with all her heart. Together, the two cousins were exultant, for truly God accomplishes great things! He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Luke 1:49 The Visitation
14 15 The birth of Jesus was drawing near. Mary and Joseph, her husband, were ordered by the Roman emperor to be registered in Bethlehem. The journey was long and tiring, but Joseph watched over Mary every step of the way. There was no room for them at the inn, and so Jesus was born in a stable. Mary had little to give her baby, the King of Kings. But she had a heart filled with tenderness. She did not knowwhat was to come, yet she was flooded with joy as she smiled in wonder at her newborn. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, as she would wrap every moment of his life in her love. Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. Luke 2:19 The Nativity
Confide in Mary God filled Mary with his Holy Spirit, the source of life and grace. He chose her to be his Mother and our Mother too. Ages 7 and up With tender words and illustrations, Confide in Mary helps children to entrust their prayers to their heavenly Mother. Confide in Mary Our Mother in Heaven
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