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"He
has shown strength with His arm." - Luke 1:51
The
Greatest Power in the Universe
Just
north of Paris, in the town of Aubervilliers, the faithful gathered for
centuries at a shrine called Notre-Dame des Vertus, Our Lady of Powers, or Our
Lady of Virtues. The origins of the devotion reach back to the early medieval
period, when an image of Our Lady was enshrined in the parish church and the
surrounding community began to experience what they understood as miraculous
intervention.
By
the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, processions from Paris to Aubervilliers
had become a regular feature of the region's Catholic life. The city came to
the suburb. The grand came to the humble. All of them came for the same reason.
The
title of Power, or Virtues, speaks to something the world misunderstands about
Mary. She is not powerful in the way that armies are powerful, or wealth is
powerful, or influence is powerful. Her power is the power of intercession, the
power of a mother who loves, who prays, and who refuses to give up on anyone.
It
is a quiet power. It does not announce itself or make headlines. But it moves
the heart of God, and that is the greatest power in the universe.
Today's Gospel - John 16:5-11
Jesus
said the Spirit would come and "convict the world in regard to sin and
righteousness and condemnation." The Spirit works with power, but not the
power the world expects. Not force, coercion, or spectacle. The power of truth
spoken into hearts.
Our Lady of Power is aligned with that same kind of power. She convicts gently.
She intercedes persistently. She loves without giving up. Where worldly power
breaks things down, her power builds up.
The processions from Paris to Aubervilliers were not marches of triumph. They
were pilgrimages of need. People come with their weaknesses to ask for her strength
and find it.
A Prayer
Our
Lady of Power, whose strength is the strength of grace and love, strengthen me
today.
Give power to my prayers, which sometimes feel too small to matter. Give energy
to my charity, which sometimes runs dry. Give courage to my witness, which
sometimes shrinks from the easier path.
When the world measures power in wealth and force and influence, remind me of
the power of a mother who simply loves and prays and never gives up. That is
the power I want. That is the power worth having.
Our Lady of Power, pray for us. Amen.
Reflection
Our Lady's power is the power of persistent, loving intercession. It is quiet
and patient, and it moves heaven.
Is there someone in your life you have nearly stopped praying for, and you have
even stopped speaking with, someone whose situation seems like it really needs
prayer? Our Lady of Power has not stopped interceding for them. Will you pray
with her for them today?
Rosary Man Jim 🌹
Freely given. Freely shared.
