Exodus Hymn Reflection- Agni Parthene (O Virgin Pure)

https://youtu.be/lZwIE955Zak?feature=shared

This is reflection is from day 56

Yesterday I attended a talk in a church organised by a local men’s group and the guest speaker, a priest from slightly further afield, spoke in length about two subjects: prayer and penance. These things that we ought to prioritise in our lives, and that we ought to prioritise them is something that has become more obvious to me over time.

Prayer needs to be consistent in our lives and should be a part of our everyday routine. It shouldn't be something we ram in as an afterthought into our schedules, but something we try to plan and make time for.

The priority should always be our relationship with the Lord.

Why do we think the Lord shouldn't be given the cream of the crop of our time? So often we take the best for ourselves, and dare I say I'm exposing myself when I say that I am often guilty of squandering that time when I am left to my own devices.

It took time to get through my dense skull that prayer was not for the Lord’s benefit but for mine. In a particular way, the human heart is very fickle and it either deliberately or subconsciously worships that which we spend time with most. That is why taking custody of our time is so valid. We must train ourselves to put the Lord first as nothing else is suitable. Like Able, we must give the first pickings to the Lord. When is this time for you? This is a subjective question. Personally, I think that the first thing in the day is probably it for me. The priest whose talk I attended yesterday also stated that he liked to pray first thing in the morning. Though for many this may be in their lunch break or the evening.

Another question is how do we pray? There is no correct answer here. There are as many ways to pray as there are people. We learn through praying and the school of experience as well as through listening to how others experience prayer.

There are many ways to pray. Some sing aloud to God, others sit in silence experiencing the presence of the Lord. Some say the rosary; some say the station of the cross. Some read the Bible academically; some pray Lectio Divina. Some read about the history of the church, others the life of the Saints. Many read spiritual writing, whilst others observe the beauty of creation as they gaze from the precipice of their window. Some sit in the town square with a coffee and watch the beauty of the Lord's creation as it goes by; some pray through their deeds seeking the Christ in those surrounding them, be it in those who seek knowledge, those seeking healing, or those who need love. Some practice penance and others pray for others. Some build prayers through their words, others, such as the sculptor, through their hands; whilst yet others make their very lives into prayer...Others write obnoxious essays for a WhatsApp group.

We all have such a unique relationship with the Lord that it would be arrogant to suggest that what works for me would work for others. Yet, I believe we need to experiment to know what it is that helps us build our relationship with the Lord. That isn't to say to freestyle it either. We need discipline, routine, and structure in our lives as much as anything else. But to be able to pray, we need to be open to the Lord's instruction in our lives as no amount of walking the proverbial walk will make up for the lack of being open to the marching orders from the Spiritual director divine.

I want to on this note in particular contrast two Biblical people in order to display what happens when we disregard the Lord's will in our own lives.

Jonah the prophet when he is initially tasked with his vocation has a very extreme reaction. Rather than stay put and not react, he chooses to act rashly; and rather than just ignore the voice of the Lord, he chooses to rebel against it. Jonah chooses to flee from God and only manages to get back on track through the Lord touching the heart of others as he pursues him.

Then we contrast it with the subject of today's hymn: Our Lady Immaculate, Mother of Christ. Someone who accepts the calling of Christ without hesitation; someone who knows the implications and the sorrow that will befall with saying yes to God's will but also the necessity of saying yes and the Glory that will come of it. Our Lady would have almost certainly known the fate that was to befall her son when she accepted God's offer to be his mother. Or do we think that Mary—a person with a Jewish upbringing—would have been unfamiliar with the Wisdom literature?

"He boasteth that he hath the knowledge of God, and calleth himself the son of God. He is become a censurer of our thoughts. He is grievous unto us, even to behold: for his life is not like other men's, and his ways are very different. We are esteemed by him as triflers, and he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness, and he preferreth the latter end of the just, and glorieth that he hath God for his father. Let us see then if his words be true, and let us prove what shall happen to him, and we shall know what his end shall be. For if he be the true son of God, he will defend him, and will deliver him from the hands of his enemies. Let us examine him by outrages and tortures, that we may know his meekness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a most shameful death: for there shall be respect had unto him by his words". —Wisdom 2:13-20, Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition.

Even if we deny her awareness of these words, it is still recorded that she received a prophecy in person from St. Simeon about how the sorrow of the Lord in his passion would pierce her heart (Luke 2: 33-35). Another person may have tried to prevent this fate and taken the opportunity to escape with their son to the other end of the world, but this was neither what the Lord wanted nor how Our Lady proceeded. She knew her son was on the proverbial train line tied down by the weight of humanity's sins and she could hear the train coming long before it was seen.

When we understand the love that Mary has for the Lord, then truly do we understand how hard her role was to play as she watched her only son get ripped to shreds and murdered before her eyes. Our Lady was able to do all this and more and perfectly able to fulfil her role and yet we seem to be unable to follow even the simplest instructions from the Lord.

Our Lady pray for us and help us your children. Guide us in our prayer. Teach us discipline and obedience, and enable us to love the Lord as you did. Help us to find the way that the Lord wants us to follow.

Amen

++++++++++++++++++++++++

O pure and virgin Lady,/ O spotless Theotokos r: Rejoice, O unwedded Bride! O Virgin Queen and Mother/ O dewy fleece most sacred O height transcending heaven above/ O beam of light most radiant O joy of chaste and virgin maids/ surpassing all the angels O brilliant light of heaven above/ most clear and most radiant Commanding chief of heavenly hosts/ O holiest of holies.

O ever-virgin Mary/ O Mistress of creation O Bride all-pure and spotless/ O Lady all-holy O holy Mary, Bride and Queen/ and cause of our rejoicing O Maiden Queen most hon'rable/ O Mother most holy More precious than the cherubim/ more glorious than the seraphim Surpassing principalities/ dominions, thrones and powers.

Rejoice, song of the cherubim/ Rejoice, hymn of the angels Rejoice, ode of the seraphim/ and joy of the archangels Rejoice, O peace; Rejoice, O joy/ and haven of salvation O bridal chamber of the Word/ unfading, fragrant blossom Rejoice, delight of paradise/ Rejoice, life everlasting Rejoice, O holy tree of life/ and fount of immortality.

I supplicate thee, Lady/ I humbly call upon thee O Queen of all, I beg thee/ to grant me thy favor O spotless and most honored maid/ O Lady all holy Hear me, immaculate one/ lady of the whole world O thou my help, deliver me/ from harm and all adversity And by thy prayers show me to be/ an heir of immortality.