DAY NINE – Fr. Ivel Mendanha, CSsR, reflects on “The Perpetual Help, Mary leads us to Jesus” скачать в хорошем качестве

DAY NINE – Fr. Ivel Mendanha, CSsR, reflects on “The Perpetual Help, Mary leads us to Jesus”

The Perpetual Help The Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help testifies to the fact that God was the first to love us, to choose us and to reveal himself to us, so as to invite us, in his immeasurable mercy, to enter into eternal friendship with him. It is He who comes forward to meet us in this Icon; it is His infinite Help (salvation) that is real in this Icon, in the arms of Mary, Jesus the Christ. Jesus is Our Perpetual Help. Mary is beautiful because she reflects in herself the perpetual, eternal help of God Almighty, Jesus, whom she brought forth and presents to the believer. The Holy Image Mary is indeed perpetual help for the faithful contemplating her, most importantly through her transforming presence in the icon. She is constantly accessible to the faithful praying before her holy image, watches over them, and covers them with her mantle of understanding and comfort. She is also the exemplar of what we become by contemplating her icon, and of what we will be in glory thanks to her intercession. She is a luminous example of the acceptance of the Word of God, of becoming transparent to the Word, so that it may reside within us and radiate to all of creation. Mary is always a help to us, for she guides us towards her Son, points Him out to us and teaches us how to be true to him, for HE is our Perpetual Help. Only he has life in Himself; indeed, He is life itself, only He is the Way to the Father, and so only in this way will we find our true happiness. He, who is most truly Our Perpetual Help and His Mother assists us by leading us to Him.