Fall-Winter 2013-2014

motherhood with us! He is not a selfish God. On the contrary, as a most loving Son, He is so proud of His mother that He wants her to be everyone’s mother. Thus, He made her the spiritual mother for all who are adopted into His sonship. God’s perfect daughter … perfect spouse But let’s take it even a step farther. Similar to the Word (Jesus) creating His own mother, God the Father also created His most perfect daughter. If You were God the Father and could fashion Your own daughter, would You not want Your daughter to be the most beautiful, pure, and lovely girl of all? I know I would. Every good father wants to guard his daughter and protect her from anything that could harm her. And this is exactly what God the Father did in creating the mystery of Mary. She is a princess. This princess has received a plentitude of His grace. She is “full of grace” (Lk 1:28). And there’s one last step in understanding the Trinitarian masterpiece that is Mary. The Holy Spirit, in creat- ing Mary, fashioned the perfect bride. Mary is the perfect spouse of God. Once again, if you or I could create our own spouse, we would create a spouse without any flaws or imperfections — one good and virtuous and worthy of praise. As a man, I would create a mas- terpiece of feminine beauty. She would be the woman of my dreams. Angels would bow down in her presence, and everyone would be subject to her, sing songs about her, and praise her loveliness and unique beauty. My lady would be the best! Mary is the masterpiece of God. She is the perfect mother, daughter, and spouse. She is the per- fect woman. She is the perfect creation, and no other created thing compares to her. She is the Immaculata. God made her. God lives in her, and through her and with her, He crushes the darkness. God’s triumph through the Immaculata How appropriate it is then that when we see images of the Immaculate Virgin, she is marian.org/13th 1-800-671-2020 ■ Be remembered in a special Mass on the 13th of each month in Fatima. ■ Unite in praying the Rosary with the Marian Fathers and the other members of this special prayer community. ■ Find ways to enrich your devotion to Mary and her Son, Jesus, through a monthly newsletter. “There is always something new to discover about Mary, especially how she has helped us and wants to keep helping us to grow closer to her Son, Jesus.” – Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC Spiritual director of the club Honor Our Lady of the Rosary A ssociation of Marian Helpers • Eden Hill • Stockbridge , Massachusetts 01263 JOIN To order Under the Mantle by Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC, go online to shopmercy.org/b20 or call 1-800- 462-7426. The product code is B20- UTM. The price is $19.95. M ARIAN P RESS