In Search of Mary

By Clinton R. LeFort

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Forward
When we say we are searching for Mary what do we mean? It is not that we can walk over next door and say hello to her, yet she is closer to us than the person next door. We cannot pick up pen and pencil and write her a letter, yet she is always addressing us thru the Church. We cannot pick our iPhone and instant dial her to speak with her, yet she is always in dialogue with us, thru prayer and the sacraments. So, what does it mean to search for Mary? We will first look at some traditional ways that the Saints and the Church have found helpful in walking in Marys ways. Next, we will look at ways we can find Mary thru prayer and the Mysteries of Faith. Following these chapters well also look at our own personal response to Mary and how it can benefit our individual growth and devotion to her; lastly, we will take some time to look into the effect of Marys Immaculate Conception anyhow it benefits our success in finding her as the perfect person to lead

us to Jesus. I hope in these reflections to bring our different ways we search for Mary as Catholics, as Christians, as followers of her Son, Jesus Christ. In one sense when we search for Mary we are searching for the truth about ourselves. Mary is the Mother of Truth and she will see us live the truth. How can we live the Truth? How can we be set free?

Part I Searching For Mary Ask and You Shall Receive

Where Do We Begin?
I Told You So When I was growing up my Father would always joke with me when I was learning something new, like cutting the grass with the new riding lawn mower or learning how to separate the real shrimp from the rock shrimp on the deck in the Gulf of Mexico. When I think that I had learned something significant or come to some great insight and I would share it with him, he would say , I told you so. I always felt overshadowed by his experience and understanding of the most simple things. I can hear him now probably telling one of the angles of God the same thing. Regardless of how I responded to him at these times, he seemed to always be telling me one day youll understand. It is true with primal relationships with our parents. It is amazing how many things: words, actions, comments, corrections, clear up in time. What we see and understand as children becomes more compelling as teens; what we struggle with as

teens becomes so much easier as an adolescent; finally, our preoccupations as adolescence seems foolish when we reach mid life.

The Advantage Point

We are always seeking some kind of advantage or vantage point in life, where we have the upper hand. We see in Mary a perfect acceptance of her circumstances, despair he vulnerability to being entrenched in the weaknesses, pettiness and sins of those around her. It is an absolute Miracle that a woman with so much grace could only offer up a Canticle of praise to God; that is, her Magnificat. Mary welcomed all of her material and spiritual environment, yet it didnt keep her from remaining the immaculate Mother of God. That selfless movement towards God and away form self-interest was the ultimate gift of God at her birth. The Church teaches us that God worked these wonders from the first moment of her conception in view of the merits of the Incarnate Word she would bear. We are called onto the Way of Mary, which is the Way, the Truth, the Life of Jesus. There is no other way by which we can be saved. We can rejoice with Mary in this Way Jesus has revealed to us.

To Seek Mary
What Does it Mean to Seek Mary? What does it mean to seek Mary? It does mean to search out what hasnt been found, yet we have been found by the Church and Mary. In one sense we have found Mary thru a common faith; on the other hand, each of the faithful search for Mary individually, yet never separated from the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Jesus pointed out Mary to John at the foot of the Cross, Behold, your Mother. (Jn. 19:26) The Redeemer pointed out the disciple to Mary, Woman, behold your son.(Jn. 19:26) John was already close to Mary before the crucifixion. He was there at the wedding of Cana in Galilee with Jesus. He witnessed to the Incarnate Word who grew in wisdom age and grace, before God and men (Lk. 2:52) during his public ministry. He gave witness to Moses and Elijah that appeared to Jesus at the Transfiguration; the religious ancestors of Mary, Joachim and Anne. John was part of that sacred history that Mary was perfecting by her obedience.

What was different in this fullness of time? What was different was the last request of Jesus before his death on the Cross. Jesus could have waited until after he had arisen form the dead to give this privilege to John, but he chose to give it from the Cross. In my own opinion, I believe it means to us that as disciples of Jesus, devoted to his will, we are to take Mary in to our hearts. Just as we are adopted children of God, have responsibility for the house of God, so I believe we are to take responsibility for the Mother of God.Jesus said, this is the work of God, believe in the One he has sent;(Jn. 6:29) what work is so great as to believe in the Mother he has chosen for himself, that the father has chosen for his Son; finally, that the Spirit has chosen to overshadow and bring about the Incarnation of the Incarnate Word.

Finding Mary in the Mysteries of Faith

I believe we are to find Mary thru the Mysteries of Faith; there is no more refund way to find her than by the word of God and the author of the sacred scriptures, the Holy Spirit. I also believe that just as God used both word and sign in the Old and New Testament to reveal himself, so it is also possible for God to use not only his word in our lives, but also signs1 that confirm his Word. For example many of the spiritual writers say that devotion to the Word of God, the Rosary, acts of consecration, frequent reception of the sacraments, mental prayer, are all signs of a soul desirous to do Gods will. Because the spiritual life has many obstacles the Church recommends a spiritual director as a great aid. St. Catherine of Siena and St. Teresa of Avila are perfect examples. Both reaped may benefits by revealing their interior life to their spiritual directors. Just to give one example of the havoc that can be wrought thru spirits opposed to Christ listen to St. Teresa of Avila:2

10

I told you elsewhere how the devil frequently fills our thoughts with great schemes, so that instead of putting our hands to what work we can do to serve our Lord, we may rest satisfied with working to preform impossibilities. (Interior Castle, 7th Mansion,ch. iv, 21)

11

Spiritual Direction
Qualities of A Spiritual Director St. Teresa gives four qualities of a spiritual director,3 which we will briefly mention here: prudent, pious, theologically learned and kind. The Church will always have its share of good spiritual directors, sufficient to lead souls towards the heights of perfection. Mary was privileged in this regard, since the Holy Spirit was the director of her soul. There are many ways that God can use to lead a soul to perfection. The normal ways are different from extraordinary ways. Most spiritual directors would hold that it is better to start off walking before running in the ways is spiritual perfection. If there comes a time that a person doesnt need the ordinary ways, it will become evident thru working with a spiritual director in the ordinary ways first.

Humble Submission to Gods Will All we see is humble submission to the will of God. Jesus was the same and nothing was able to deter them from accomplishing the perfect will of God in the midst of the world. I dont dare say that we do not have temptations to believe that we have figured it all out and we havent struggles with integrating faith with the rest of our lives; that is, outside of private prayer times. What I do believe is that our union with Jesus and Mary, thru the Holy Spirit, does give us a vantage point in arriving at coming always closer to what that perfect submission to Gods will is. St. Paul, with all of his shortcomings, which he was bold enough to proclaim as a blessing, said that all of these imperfections worked together for the good God had in store for him. Jesus and Mary followed that straight and narrow (Matt. 7:14) path to perfection. We cannot claim to seek any other path to Jesus Christ. St. Paul called everything outside of that path rubbish, since he wanted one thing in life, to suffer and rise with Christ. In the end, that great Apostle had the true understanding. Only by walking

13

in the light will we obtain what we are looking for in life. The darkness offers nothing. As Jesus said, the flesh offers nothing, it is the Spirit that gives life. (Jn. 6:63)

14

Learning from Marys Counsel

Learning from Marys counsel produces the same inspiring response from her as it did my Father teaching me. The example of Mary as we encounter them in the bible and that comes down to us in the Tradition of the Church is the model of the perfect Christian attitude and disciple of Christ. We cant expect to comprehend the fullness of that example, but only strive to absorb what we can in order to stand before God with a clear conscience as Mary did. For example, one night I was kneeling by my bedside saying my prayers to Mary and my guardian angel as was my custom. I never doubted that relationship, simply because it was just an accepted fact of life. As I was kneeling there, I got the sense that someone was listening to my prayers. Of course that is what faith is, isnt it? Which brings me back to the semithesis in this book, what does it mean to search for Mary? I believe it means first of all, being faithful. Being faithful is the very beginning of our relationship with God. The author of the letter to the

15

Hebrews says without faith it is impossible to please God. Anyone wishing to come to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who search for him. (Heb. 11:6)

16

Letting Mary Rule in our Heart

Marys privilege as Mother of the Lord gives her special entrance into our interior life. We know, thru faith, that her interest in us is for our eternal salvation. Even the Trinity witnessed her fidelity for all ages to come at the Annunciation. Her becoming the Mother of God was not new to God, but new to us. It is the New Testament to us, but it is the eternal truth to God. The Almighty chose to do good things for her. She brought about the praise that is due his name. Our ground rule in searching for Mary should be fidelity, since there is no other creature, who was more faithful than Mary.4 As a creature like all of us, yet conceived without sin, Mary adds a different dimension to our piety. We learn thru the example God gives thru Mary, what God makes possible thru grace.

The Cost of Finding Mary

Everyone has dreams and aspirations of some kind. In our devotions and desire to remain faithful we want to have the confidence that comes about when we know we are doing our best to live a sinless life and one that is pleasing to God. Mary is our perfect model of fidelity and grace. To follow Mary means that we have to keep the model of her life before us. Unfortunately, when we begin to compare ourselves to her, we find how far surpassing is the grace that she has been given to ourselves. This is not meant to be a deterrent to our efforts to follow her to Jesus, but a great mean to developing confidence in she in whom God has done great things. Her blessings have become for us a great treasure of blessings that she is happy to share with us.

Be-Attitudes
How do we avail ourselves of such a great person? The cost to us is to leave ourselves and to cling to the faith that has been given to us so freely. It is not something that we have earned or will earn, but we should put on the mind of Christ, so that her Beattitudes become ours. St. Augustine when speaking of the infused gifts of God; that is, fear, piety, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, understanding and wisdom gave this definition of virtue: a good quality of the mind which makes us live righteously, which God works in us without us and which cannot be put to bad use. In other words, just as the virtues and gifts were perfectly given to Mary at her Immaculate Conception, so in the same way, the infused virtues come to us as free gifts of grace. We can be confident of that. We are under the same infinitely loving hand of God who guides our lives towards our final beatitude. Mary is already there enjoying this blissful state, yet she in turn intercedes for us so that we can join her one day. In short, we have been given the same charity of the Holy Spirit. Unlike Jesus who is

19

True God and True Man, Mary is closer to us, since she shares our humanity more fully as creatures. Mary is truly the adopted child of God turn Mother of God. Mary knows what it is like to be human and to be a creature of God, despite her role as Mother of God. Unlike Jesus who is word made flesh, Mary is like us in all things except she was given the privilege of being free from sin from the first moment of her conception. She can truly identify with our weakness called to share in his strength.

20

Costly Grace
Several years ago I read a book by the well known German Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer titles Costly Grace. Costly grace doesnt mean that grace was not first a free gift, just as is our relationship with the Mother of God, but that it costs us our very lives to live the life of grace. Searching for Mary in our lives means that we want to learn more and more about the person we love. We want to be pleasing to her and learn to relate to her in everything we do. In relationship to the Mother of God, Bonhoeffer had a profound insight into the meaning of the Christian life. On the other hand, we have St. Louis Marie DeMontfort5 who write in his True Devotion that his method of becoming a slave to Mary is such a work of grace promised and given to us by the Holy Trinity that it is only thru Mary that we can truly become the children of God and become imitators of the God-Man Jesus Christ. This knowledge is not a knowledge of the textbook, but a knowledge gained by the heart. It is being won over by grace in our relationship to Mary, obedient to her desires in our own lives, that

21

we become the children of God. That is the costly grace because it strikes at the heart, as DeMontfort says, at our own corrupt nature.

22

Learning to Leave Ourself

Even the leaving of ourselves can never become a work that we can call our own work. It is without a doubt the work of grace, yet, when done in union with Mary is a sweet surrender. The grace she gains for us over ourselves could only be done thru the direct work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Yet, as DeMontfort say so clearly, Mary is so humble that she always is pointing us towards the Incarnate Word. In short, Mary is the Mirror thru which we become united to Jesus and learn to call God Our Father. Searching for Mary in our lives is a true searching for Jesus, essentially, profoundly, intensely, eternally. Finding Mary and Jesus is both a work and the deepest consolation: come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest. (Matt. 11:28)

Escaping the Corruption of the World

We will learn to escape the corruption of the world by searching for ways to become classy united to Mary, since she will lead us to a sinless lifestyle. She will place in us a terse for the heavenly realities which are the very foundation of our eternal life. She will teach us the ways of God and the fear of God. Mary will share her virtues and gifts with us, so that we can become more confident in rejecting the unreasonable demands of our own nature and the spirit that rules the air, as St. Paul says, so that we can always keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the ruler and perfecter of our faith.(Heb. 12:2) We will not become afraid of our weaknesses and our faults, but we will surrender them to her to transform them into the service of God. Marys love for the unity of the Church will be rationed to us and according to our capacity to receive. There are many gifts, but the same Lord who works in all. (1Cor.12:4) We need Mary to strengthen us in the fight, for the devil is

24

prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith.. (1Pet. 5:8-9)

25

Our Own Spiritual Backyard

We will begin in our own backyard;6 Mary has always been the person who has watched7 us grow up in Christ. Thru our parents, family and friends. Sometimes these appearances may not have been so perfect as what weve imagined. They werent encounters like Juan Diego or Bernadette Soubirous, yet they were real. Every time we were obedient to our parents, did our duties at home and school on time, and acted according to our conscience, so that we could feel good about ourselves and our faith. On the other hand, the times we were not so faithful and obedient, she didnt abandon or scold us, she remained the person who drew us to Christ.

Mary, Our Mother

As Catholics we BELIEVE that Mary is our Mother, even as she was Mother to Christ. In Mary, we didnt have to leave home to be at home, we didnt have to hide from our family to be ourselves, we didnt have to pretend to be someone else in the fear of the rejection that came with being ourselves. Mary has always encouraged us to say with Jesus: Did you not know I must be in my Fathers house? (Lk. 2:49) She watched us advance in wisdom, age and favor before God and men. (Lk. 2:52) Not because of anything we had done, but because he had chosen us before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before him in love (Eph. 1:4) Honestly we can say, Mary is a Mother to us. (LG, 8,63) We, both she and us,8 were eternally part of his plan of eternal salvation for mankind.

A Temple of God
What was that house?9 That house was the mystery of our eternal vocation in Christ. That house is the one we are living in now, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 6:19) Mary, thru the Holy Spirit, was always there, drawing us into Christ life so that we could make our words the words of her own:The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. (Lk. 1:49) She has always called us to grow in the praise and thanksgiving to God in our life. Mary is not concerned just with our looking good but in being good; she is not concerned with just our worldly success but our union with the will of God. She helps us look bend the passing reality of this valley of tears, to be without fear that we might worship him in holiness and righteousness before him all of our days. (Lk. 1:74-75) In other words, being the first disciples of Christ, she wishes for us what she she wishes for herself. (Matt. 7:21)

28

29

Defining Mary In Our Life

Who is Mary to us? A central question I ask myself is: If Mary is so great, being the Mother of God, why does she want to pay attention to what Im doing with my life? More or less we have this burning question which is not easy to answer. On the one hand, we look around ourselves we see all the great works that are being done to honor God, the Church and the world, but maybe we cant see that our work can make a difference. The difference we are seeking is the difference of dimensional qualities like number, weight, and measure. On the other hand, we see all the possible works that lie ahead which we may or may not be part of. Ouch! Where do I fit in all of this? As a matter of self-preservation we look at the only thing we can count on and that is the love of God that has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The essential point we need to consider is that we are Gods children. We are in him and he in us and by his choice we have been made inheritors of the

30

Kingdom of Heaven. Lastly, despite all odds against us, who can be against us? (Rom. 8:31b)

31

Mary is pleased with who we are, are we?

Mary is pleased with who we are, because God has made us in his image and likeness. Who could not be happy with being made in the image and likes of God? As you know it is not as easy to live in the presence of God as it is to say that we are made in his image and likeness. The second one is an incontestable fact that is based on the the Word of God and divine revelation, while the first is dependent upon our willingness to cooperate with the grace of God and the will of God. It is one thing to receive baptism and be initiated in the Kingdom of God, yet it is quite another to live in that Kingdom .

Marys Care For Us

In order to better understand Mary care for us in Gods plan of eternal salvation, I believe we need to understand a Mothers heart. In order to understand Marys heart, is to understand a Mothers heart.How can we understand this? Compassion. That is the one word that describers Mary. Of course we are speaking simply. Let us be more precise. Let us turn our attention to the wedding feast of Cana. There we see Jesus who is on the edge of his public ministry. His disciples are with him. He and his disciples with his Mother are guests of the wedding couple. We have read or listened to this Gospel many times in our lives. It is the first miracle of Jesus public ministry:
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. (Jn. 2:1-2)

The Gospel Message

We can grasp some essential notes of the Gospel by the way he revealed this event to us. First he says, when (the third day) and where(Cana in Galilee) and who (the mother of Jesus) was at the wedding. Immediately, the St. John says thatJesus and his disciples were also there, since they were also invited to the wedding. I believe that the connection between Jesus and his Mother was spiritually unique among all creation. We know that Mary was there providentially to inaugurate the public ministry of Jesus. I believe that Mary is also in our lives, too when we are undergoing important events in our lives. Why? Marys purpose is to form Jesus in us. Marys role as Mother of the Church is to lead us to become followers of Jesus Christ, the light of the world:
He who follows me will not walk in the darkness but will have the light of life. (Jn. 8:12)

Mary Forms Christ in us

Mary desires nothing more for us than to be like Jesus. When I say to be like Jesus, I do not mean in some metaphorical sense; what I mean that by the life we live, others may come to know Jesus is alive. First, that he is alive in us; secondly, that he lives in us so that others may also live in him thru us. In the same way that when we approach Mary thru contemplating and imitating her life, we find the image of Jesus in her life, so in the same way, we are call dot reflect the life of Jesus and others will want to Know Jesus.10 Just as she enjoys the beatific joy today in beholding Jesus in perfectly accomplishing the Fathers will for all eternity, so her joy for us is to help us accomplish Gods perfect will in our own lives. We can do this thru the Holy Spirit given to us. Jesus told his disciples, the Spirit of truth will remain with you, who will be in you. (Jn. 14:17) Just as Jesus was formed by the overshadowing of the Spirit at the Annunciation, so Mary forms Jesus in us thru the

35

same Spirit of truth (Lk. 1:35) who will be with you always.(Jn. 14:16)

36

Part Two

Finding Mary Seek and You Shall Find

How Can We Find Mary?

Thru Private Prayer We can find Mary in our lives thru prayer. When we get on our knees and say our prayers at night we can speak to Mary, who will receive us in faith. The Holy Spirit will guide our prayer, just as he guided the prayer of Mary at the Annunciation, the wedding feast of Cana, losing Jesus in the temple, the Crucifixion. We can be assured that she will hear our prayer. All we need is to voice our needs, thanks, blessings, praise to her. Do we want to be more intimate with Christ, but are afraid to ask? Go to Mary. Are we worried about an interview, a new job, a friend who is in sorrow? Go to Mary. Are we concerned about our future? Money? Career? Place where will live? Go to Mary! Mary is our Mother.11 Like any Mother she listens to their needs and joys.

Thru Communal and Liturgical Prayer

Are there times when you come together with others to pray to Mary: Meals at home, Christmas, Rosary with a a prayer group, how about a book club where you may read a particular book. Any of these ways to get together with others to share your prayers, reflections and expressions about Mary is a good way to create a more fine tuned understanding of who Mary is in your life. Being together with others of the same faith in order to share the faith with one another, is a tremendous way to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary and to come to understand how she effects the lives of those in the Church. There are many traditional ways that have been popular among the faithful to honor Mary: First Saturdays, Pilgrimage of the Fatima statue to parishes, Feast days in the Church throughout the year, Check your local diocesan paper for special guest speakers to your parish or cathedral who are lecturing on a Marian topic. Another way is to attend the Mass of a Saint who was know to have been very

39

devoted to Mary during their lives.

40

Personal Reading & Study12

Among the most helpful means of arriving at perfection is the use of personal reading and study. The Church encourages the study of Marian themes in Scripture. An excellent place to start if you have access to the internet is the Marian Page at the internationally recognized Marian Institute at Dayton University. The Institute was established as a affiliation of the Pontifical University the Marianum in Roma, Italy. At the Mary Page you will find references to Scripture passages, Church documents, art, literature and other amazing information on the life of Mary in our lives and in the Church. Another great source of research and study on Marys life is the Catholic Encyclopedia. The Catholic Encyclopedia was put together for the very purpose of providing exceptional knowledge on Catholic topics. You can now access the entire Encyclopedia, in its full content online. All searching is free.

We Believe in You
Come, Holy Spirit, grant me the words to speak my heart to my Mother in Heaven. Grant me the words to know how to speak to the Mother of Jesus Christ. Mary, thank you for being with me in my life. It is hard to understand this mystery I have been brought into; the mystery of grace and divine adoption. I believe you understand the mystery that my words have difficulty speaking clearly. The path God has led me on is one of faith and it requires me to see what cannot be seen with the bodily eyes. Many times Ive satiated my natural sense to try to find happiness, but again and again Ive found that they leave my inner self empty of true happiness. Even when I try my best to stay on this narrow path, others who value less the eternal city, try to pull me off the narrow path to one that is wide and leads to eternal destruction. I try not to bear offensive thoughts against them, but try to lean surrender to the grace that God gives to me at this moments. I cannot change those who deny the truth, but I can

42

only try to change myself by the grace given to me to remain faithful. When the Father revealed your Son to me I began to realize what true happiness is and what it meant to attain it. I do not know why others try to keep me away form Jesus and the eternal life promised to me, since they seem not to see the things I see thru the faith given to me. Perhaps they want to make light of this eternal truth before me. All I know is I have to obey my conscience and live the truth. Now, after many years of attempting to follow Jesus, I understand that all is a gift.

43

Accepting Gods Gift

Why is it so hard for me to accept this gift? At times it seems easier to give what Ive received than to receive what God wants to give. What I mean is that Jesus wants me to continually open myself to the one simple gift, but I keep falling back to seeing it as many small gifts along a way. I know that is not the truth, but that is all I can attain to in my own weakness, my limited ability to comprehend the simplicity of it all. Mary, you care for me more that I can understand. I believe this to be the case because of the truth that I hold about you, which the Church has given to me, which the Saints have taught me, and the Holy Scriptures have revealed to me. Most of all, because you are the Mother of the Word Incarnate.

The Body of Christ

Mary, I have tried to contemplate this truth before, but the closest I can come to it is like when I receive the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion in faith. I know this is an eternal privilege to share the same faith you had when you lived on earth. Now, you see clearly what then you only saw in faith, you are there in heaven in body and soul, having been assumed into heaven by the power of God. Here I am speaking to you, but my speech is not just a babbling of words, for all that I say is regarding my eternal soul and its destiny in God and in you. Jesus said, on that day you will realize that I am in the Father, and you are in my and I in you. Already you realize this and you pray that we too will realize it with you one day. That is our final and lasting joy. One that will go on eternally. I only hope for this thru the gift of God and not from something I can do to accomplish it. The Holy Spirit has revealed to you who are your children. I hope that this same

45

Spirit which bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, will lead us to you and to your Son, Jesus Christ. May I never stray from the obedience of faith and the charity of the Holy Spirit. May I reflect Jesus to others in all I do.

46

The Immaculate Conception

With our the Stain of Original Sin We know that one thing is most prominent about Mary in our relationship with her; Mary was immaculately conceived without the stain of original sin. Pope Pius IX said in Ineffabilis13:
The Most Holy Virgin Mary was, in the first moment of her conception, by a unique gift of grace and privilege of Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of mankind, preserved free from all stain of original sin. (D 1641).

In everything we say and do in relationship with the Mother of God, she is enfolded in a Mystery with an eternal depth equal to her dignity and predestination as Mother of God. Reverence is a word that is so appropriate for our relationship with her, yet at the same time we are allowed to call her Mother. For years I felt that I couldnt even lift my heart to Mary, since there were so many things I couldnt comprehend about my relationship with her within the Church. I had always been taught prayers in honor of her, especially the Memorare, the Magnificat, the Rosary, and the Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. One thing that couldnt be taught to me was my own

47

relationship with the Mother of Jesus. I must admit that it is difficult to presume too much.

48

Thanks for Catechism

If I had not been taught from an early age that she was Mother of God and I had a place in her heart, Im almost sure it would have been more difficult to change once I became older. Then again, no one can underestimate the power of grace to transform the human heart. Over the past twenty years Ive witnessed converts to the Catholic faith, professing their faith and embracing devotion to the Mother of God. This has always inspired me. To celebrate Easter Sunday with new converts gives hope to the Churchs future and to a world that seems to have gone astray. In my own private devotion Ive meditated on this great Mystery of Marys singular gift of being Immaculately conceived from the first moment of her conception. This is where I really believe I have found Mary in my life. Only a person so pure and so filled with the charity of God could have so much power over our hearts for centuries and untold ages. The spiritual space or concentric circles of

49

contemplation that surround this Mystery have no end and only the mind and heart of God himself can comprehend this immaculateness of Mary. Is it wrong to feel overly confident in the face of this Mystery? I feel a strong attraction towards Mary and her immaculateness, but at the same time I feel a sacred silence inside myself that retreats at her presence. Marys presence to me means the entirety of the faith that the Church has handed down to us, in her teaching and in her practices.

50

My Soul Proclaims
At the same time that Im kept back from approaching Mary because of this reverence I have for her and the dignity of her relationship with God, I feel an irresistible spiritual-gravitational attraction to her role as Mother of the children of God. I sense in my faith that we are One Body in this family that God has created us. Mary has this love for all of the children of God. In other words,inside myself I sense the Mystery calls me into God and awakens the gifts of the Spirit inside myself. Im both called into the Mystery of contemplation of the Mystery of the love of God in Mary, but at the same time to awaken inside myself a greater devotion and contemplation of what has yet been understood. Mary told Elizabeth at the Visitation, My souls proclaims the greatness of the Lord. St. Thomas Aquinas when speaking of the Mystery of the Incarnation tells his readers that:
I answer that, To each thing that is befitting which belongs to it by reason of its very nature; thus, to reason befits man, since this belongs to him because he is of a rational nature. But the very nature of God is goodness, as is clear from Dionysius (Div. Nom. i.).

51

Hence, what belongs to the essence of goodness befits God. But it belongs to the essence of goodness to communicate itself to others, as is plain from Dionysius (Div. Nom. iv.). Hence it belongs to the essence of the highest good to communicate itself in the highest manner to the creature, and this is brought about chiefly by His so joining created nature to Himself that one Person is made up of these threethe Word, a soul and flesh, as Augustine says (De Trin. xiii.). Hence it is manifest that it was fitting that God should become incarnate.14

52

The Incarnation
The Incarnation, as Aquinas says here, revealed the goodness of God by communicating himself in the highest manner to the creature. Mary was the Mother of that communication to mankind. In other words, it is in this infinitely gracious communication of God to mankind, and from his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, (Jn. 1:14-15)and it is this grace and truth that has come to us in Jesus Christ, that fills us with confidence to approach the throne of grace. (Heb. 4:16) In other words, by searching for Mary thru her Immaculate Conception we come to realize just how infinitely good God has been to us and she is the Mother of Goodness. God not only communicates his goodness directly thru his Son (Heb. 1:1-2) but also thru the Mother of the Incarnate Son, The greatness of the Lord. (Lk. 1:46) For Mary to be Mother is to give the Son to the world, even when her heart was being pierced by a sword or she had to bear standing by and watching

53

him give his life in sacrifice for sinners and enemies. She humbly accepted her role as Mother and gave us an example of selfless charity when Jesus was saying, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do. (Lk. 23:34)

54

In Search of Mary
Interior Search So far we have shown how Mary can come to be know in our lives: thru prayer, study, striving to lead a perfect life. All of these have been concerned with a spiritual searching for Mary. Our concern has been to strengthen our faith in the teachings of the Church on Mary; surrender more to the grace of private and public prayer in honor of Mary; lastly, to remain open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, thru his gifts conferred on us in confirmation, to gain a greater understanding and devotion to the Mother of God. There is still another means we can use to discern the person of the Blessed Virgin Mary in our lives and that is the to study how Mary searched for God in her life.

Marys Reading of the Prophets

How did Mary understand what it means to search for God? What did the Old Testament tell us about her?
A lamp from the LORD is the breath of man; it searches through all his inmost being.15 (Prov. 20:27)

Mary knew that God was constantly searches for the inmost being of a person. At the Annunciation she said My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord. This was her happiness and joy to be lled with God in her life. There was no other joy for Mary. She even questioned the Archangel that came to her. How can this be, since I do not know man? Her moral purity was immaculate.

Everything Works Together

We cannot expect for everyone and everything to follow the path that the Holy Spirit has marked out for us. It is highly unlikely that the world will have a 100% agreement with our search for Mary. Actually, in 1974, when Blessed John Paul II visited with us in New Orleans, I was fortunate enough to be present with several friends in the Cursillo movement in the SuperdomeAgainst Selshness. John Paul II told us that if we are to follow Christ we would be following a prophetic vocation and that we will be called out of it, not tting in. He said that the world wants to deceive us into thinking that following Christ is the wrong way, that we cannot be successful in a worldly sense. The sense that I received at that heartto-heart talk he gave to us is that Jesus wants to suffer thru us in order to free us from deception and untruth; the things that kill our relationship with Christ. The Old Testament speaks about the Holy Spirit eeing deceit and those under the debt of sin:
For the holy spirit of discipline ees deceit and withdraws from senseless counsels; and when injustice occurs it is rebuked. (Wis. 1:5)

57

It is within that Spirit of discipline that we must guard our hearts from the spirit that come to us to rob us of our imitation of Mary in our lives. If we can imagine how Mary must have own the slightest imperfection by faithfully surrendering to the grace of God placed in her. This is the way she wants her children to live in the world. She doesnt wish us to ee or run form the world, but to overcome it by the grace of God in our lives:
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. (Jn 16;13)

58

Total Consecration
St. Louis Marie De Montfort found that a total consecration thru Mary to Jesus was the perfect means to both nd Mary and nd Jesus. By using Mary we come to Jesus; however, De Montfort saw that this consecration required ones complete devotion to Mary. It is so great of an act that the person is willing to sacrice all of ones temporal and eternal merits to Mary to do with them as she will, so that the person can become a true slave of Mary. St. Louis Marie De Montfort saw the heart of this consecration having four parts, which all worked to make this union with Mary perfect. The person must place all of his actions with, in, thru and for Mary. In order to become a true servant of Mary, means total dedication. Perhaps we are only wanting to come to Mary at certain times in our lives for help; at other times, we want to take the reigns of our lives in our own hands. De Montfort, and the Church has canonized him, wanted the faithful to know how great this love between servant and Mary could be by his True Devotion.

59

Another Saint, living in our own times is St. Maximilan Kolbe, who also started the Militia of the Immaculata. The Militia consecrated their lives to Mary also and thru this consecration they hoped to help transform society; they become the instruments of Mary holiness working in the Church. These are two great and wonderful ways that we can make a total gift of ourselves to Mary. Her grace will not be diminished by our generosity. She greatly rewards her servants in many ways.

60

Old Testament Understanding of Search The Old Testament has several terms for seeking, which Mary would have been familiar with. The word was hapas meant to search, to examine as something precious and desirable. In the sense of the Old Testament meaning of hapas the person begins to conduct a search for someone. It is that hope of finding the one he is searching for that is given here. Proverbs gives a perfect sense in which we are leading:
If you seek her like silver, And like hidden treasures search her out. (Prov. 2:4)

This is the way in which the Wisdom of God is to be sought by a person. It is in at this earnest Spirit that we find Mary living our her life as a humble servant of God in Bethlehem and Nazareth:
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. (Lk. 2:19)

Equal Footing
St. Thomas says that assent and cogitation are on an equal footing; that is, they both are equal in the intellects search for truth.16 In this assent of the will to what is given to it in faith, moved by charity, the person assents to the truth because it is revealed by God who promises eternal life to those who believe, while the understanding remains still in the darkness of faith, since the finite understanding of the intellect cannot comprehend the fullness of the revelation set before it. The continuation of the assent produces a greater understanding, especially when lifted above its natural aptitude thru grace and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Again, the soul is drawn even deeper into the thicket17 of love for God. St. John of the Cross explains this thicket in this way. He says that the Mystery and knowledge of God is so immense, that the soul never can get to the end of it:
This thicket of Gods wisdom and knowledge is so deep and immense that no matter how much the soul knows she can always enter it further; it is cast and its riches incomprehensible, as St. Paul exclaims: O height of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how incomprehensible are His judgements and unsearchable His ways. (Rom. 11:33)

62

63

Mystery of God
St. John Chrysostom speaks very eloquently of this Mystery of God in his book On the Incomprehensible Nature of God.18 His XII homilies are addressed to the Eunomians who believed they could understand God. The three Saints, Aquinas, Chrysostom, and John of the Cross taught the truth about the divine light exceeding all of the natural potential of mankind. As we mentioned earlier in another book, the Church teaches that not only isGods nature is incomprehensible to men, (Ott, 20) but that Gods essence is also incomprehensible to the blessed in heaven.19 Both of these statements are DeFide; that is, have the highest certainty in which the Church teaches. DeFide statements are the highest level of certainty because they are derived from God revealing them. For example, when Joseph was in the service of the King of Egypt his brothers came to visit him, when they left a precious gold chalice was placed in their bags. When the King noticed it was missing, he went in search for it. It was finally found in the bags

64

of Benjamin. (Gen. 44:12) In the New Testament, Jesus speaks about a merchant who went in search of fine pearls, when he found one, he sold everything that he had so that he could buy the field where this fine pearl was. In the same way, the cost of our finding Mary in our lives amounts to the degree that we desire to find her. We know she is the most hidden treasure we could find in the filed of Gods house.

65

Couldnt Find..
The Septuagint uses one word which is the same word used in the New Testament, which is heurisko. It simply means to find. In Genesis the man is given the job of naming the wild beast of the earth. It goes on to say that he was able to name all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man. (Gen. 2:20) What do we learn thru this about our search the Blessed Virgin Mary in our lives? It means that when we search for Mary, remaining in the fear of God and walking in the Spirit as Mary did, we are bond to come across things which will cannot be proved to be the suitable partner for for the desires of our heart and the enlightenment of our intellects about the truth of who Mary is. We should at that point simply name those things and go about our search for Mary:
Those who love me I also love, and those who seek me find me. (Prov. 8:17)

To Learn
The New Testament use several words which means to learn. For example, the author to the Acts of the Apostles says in reference to searching for God:
So that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far form any of us. (Acts. 1:27)

This first word is heurisco: to learn something previously not known, frequently involving an elements of surprise- to learn, to find out, to discover. (Louw & Nida, 326) In20 order to find something or someone previously not know we must set out in their direction and become familiar with their life, their habits, their way of thinking. The more we become familiar with someone and engage in their thoughts, words and deeds, we can emulate and imitate them. This is the whole importance of the Imitation of Christ. In the case of Mary she is the supernatural model of our union with Jesus, so it is in earnest that we keep her life before us.

67

68

Works Cited
Catholic Biblical Association of America, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, and Bishops Committee. The New American Bible. New York: Benziger, 1970. Documents of Vatican II. Vatican Council II,IntraText, November 21, 1964. le:///Users/clintonlefort/Desktop/ ENG0037V01IXTCT/2VatCoun.IXT/_index.htm. Roten, J. The Mary Page. Encyclopedic. Marian Library of University of Dayton, 1975. http:// campus.udayton.edu/mary/aboutus.html. Catholic Church, and John E Rotelle. Little Ofce of the Blessed Virgin Mary. New York: Catholic Book Pub. Co., 1988. Tanquerey, Adolphe, and Herman Branderis. The Spiritual Life [microform]; a Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology. Tournai (Belgium): Society of St. John the Evangelist, Descle, 1932. http://archive.org/details/ MN41530ucmf_5. Grenier, Henri, and J. P. E OHanley. Thomistic Philosophy. Charlottetown, Canada: St. Dunstans University, 1950. Ott, Ludwig. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder Book Co., 1964. Grignion de Montfort, Louis-Marie. A Treatise on the True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. New York: P.J. Kenedy, 1909. Poulain, Aug, and J. V Bainvel. The Graces of Interior

69

Prayer (Des Grces Doraison) A Treatise on Mystical Theology. St. Louis: Herder, 1950. Louw, J. P, and Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, 1989. VanGemeren, Willem. New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Pub. House, 1997. Thomas, McGlynn, and Robert William Schmidt. Truth. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Co., 1994. John of the Cross. The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross. Washington, D.C.: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1979. John Chrysostom. On the incomprehensible nature of God. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 1984. Woytyla, Karol. Meeting with the Young People of New Orleans. Vatican Publishing, September 12, 1987. http:// www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1987/ september/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19870912_giovaninew-orleans_en.html.

70

Texts
Lumen Gentium 63. By reason of the gift and role of divine maternity, by which she is united with her Son, the Redeemer, and with His singular graces and functions, the Blessed Virgin is also intimately united with the Church. As St. Ambrose taught, the Mother of God is a type of the Church in the order of faith, charity and perfect union with Christ.(18*) For in the mystery of the Church, which is itself rightly called mother and virgin, the Blessed Virgin stands out in eminent and singular fashion as exemplar both of virgin and mother. (19*) By her belief and obedience, not knowing man but overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, as the new Eve she brought forth on earth the very Son of the Father, showing an undeled faith, not in the word of the ancient serpent, but in that of God's messenger. The Son whom she brought forth is He whom God placed as the rst-born among many brethren,(299) namely the faithful, in whose birth and education she cooperates with a maternal love. (Lumen Gentium 8,63) Catechesis Tredendae (1979) She in turn was the rst of His disciples. She was the rst in time, because even when she found her adolescent Son in the temple she received from Him lessons that she kept in her heart. (cf. Lk 2:51) She was the rst disciple above all else because no one has been "taught by God" (cf. Jn 6:45) to such depth. She was "both mother and disciple," as St. Augustine said of her, venturing to add that her discipleship was more important for her than her motherhood. (cf. Sermo 25, 7; PL 46, 937-938) 73

71

Marian Library Psalm 127:1 Unless the LORD build the house, they labor in vain who build. Unless the LORD guard the city, in vain does the guard keep watch. Mary, our Mother She is our mother- the mother of our life, the mother of our incarnation, the mother of our light. As the Apostle says of our Lord, he became for us by Gods power our wisdom and justice, and holiness and redemption. She then, as mother of Christ, is the mother of our wisdom and justice, of our holiness and redemption. She is more our mother than the mother of our esh. Our birth form her is better, for from her is born our holiness, our wisdom, our justice, our sanctication, our redemption. Praise the Lord in his holy ones, say the Scriptures. If our Lord is to be praised in those holy ones through whom he brings to being deeds of power and miracles, how much more is he to be praised in her in whom he fashioned himself, who is wonderful beyond all wonders. (St. Aelred)

72

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND CANADA MEETING WITH THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF NEW ORLEANS ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II "Louisiana Superdome" Stadium Saturday, 12 September 198721 Part I
Dear Young People of New Orleans, Dear Young People of America, 1. Listening to what you are telling me by your presence and through your representatives, I know that you are very much conscious of having a special mission in this world, of being partners in the mission of the Church. I also know that in fulfilling your mission you are willing to give, you are willing to share, and you are willing to serve. And you are willing to do all this, together, not alone! In this you are like Jesus: Jesus gave and he served and he was never alone. He tells us: "The one who sent me is which me. He has not left me alone" (Io. 8, 29). Be aware of deception in the world Yes, dear young

73

people, I too want to speak about your mission, the reason for your life on earth, the truth of your lives. It is extremely vital for you to have a clear idea of your mission, to avoid being confused or deceived. In speaking to the Christians of his time, Saint Paul explicitly urged them: "Let no one deceive you in any way" (2 Thess. 2,3). And today I say the same to you, young people of America: "Let no one deceive you in any way" about your mission, about the truth, about where you are going. Let no one deceive you about the truth of your lives. 2. But what is the opposite of deception? Where can you turn to find answers that satisfy, answers that will last? The opposite of deception is truth the person who tells the truth, the person who is the truth. Yes, the opposite of deception is Jesus Christ, who tells us: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (Io. 14, 6). Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He reveals the truth of God. But he is also man. He shares in our humanity and came into the world to teach us about ourselves, to help us discover ourselves. You young people are proud to live in a free country and you should be grateful to God for your freedom. But even though you can come and so as you like, and do what you want, you are not really free if you are living under the power of error or falsehood, or deceit or sin. Only Jesus Christ can make you fully free through his truth. And that is why he said: "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (Ibid. 8, 32. 36). And that is why he added: "if the Son frees you, you will really be free". Dear young people: the whole message of Jesus in the Gospels and through his Church helps

74

you to discover who you really are, to discover all the dimensions of your lives. 3. Each of us is an individual, a person, a creature of God, one of his children, someone very special whom God loves and for whom Christ died. This identity of ours determines the way we must live, the way we must act, the way we must view our mission in the world. We come from God, we depend on God, God has a plan for us a plan for our lives, for our bodies, for our souls, for our future. This plan for us is extremely important so important that God became man to explain it to us. In Gods plan we are individuals, yes, but we are also part of a community. The Second Vatican Council emphasized the fact that God did not call us to share his life merely as unrelated individuals. Rather he wanted to mould us into a people as his sons and daughters (Cfr. Ad Gentes, 2). This aspect of our being a community, of our sharing Gods life as a people is part of our identity who we are, what we are, where we are going. Right away we can see that as persons we have responsibilities and that these responsibilities are part of our freedom. The Vatican Council went so far as to say that "man is defined first of all by his responsibilities towards his brothers and sisters and towards history" (Gaudium et Spes, 55). To understand ourselves as members of a community, as individuals linked together to make up the People of God, as persons with responsibility for others is a great insight an insight that is necessary for fulfilling our mission properly.

75

4.Against Selfishness As Christians you have these insights and Christ today wants to reinforce them in you. You speak about "being partners", of sharing and serving and working together. And all of this is linked to Gods plan, according to which we are brothers and sisters in Christ brothers and sisters who belong to the People of God and who are made to live in community, to think about others, to help others. Dear young people of America: in the Church there are many different gifts. There is room for many different cultures and ways of doing things. But there is no room in the Church for selfishness. There is no room in the world for selfishness. It destroys the meaning of life; it destroys the meaning of love; it reduces the human person to a subhuman level. When we speak about the need of being open to others, of taking into account the community, of fulfilling our responsibilities to all our brothers and sisters, we are actually talking about the whole world. Your mission as young people today is to the whole world. In what sense? You can never forget the interdependence of human beings wherever they are. When Jesus tells us to love our neighbor he does not set a geographical limit. What is needed today is a solidarity between all the young people of the world a solidarity especially with the poor and all those in need. You young people must change society by your lives of justice and fraternal love. It is not just a question of your own country, but of the whole world. This is certainly your mission, dear young people. You are partners with each other, partners with the whole Church, partners with Christ.

76

5. In order, however, to accomplish this great work, to be in a condition to change the world in the name of Jesus, you yourselves must actually be living according to your own identity according to Gods plan for your lives. Once again it is the world of Jesus that directs your lives and tells you what that plan is. You remember how much Jesus insisted on the commandment of love, how much he insisted on living according to certain norms called the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the meek... Blessed are the merciful... Blessed are the clean of heart... Blessed are the peacemakers". All of this is part of the plan. When Saint Paul says, "Let no one deceive you", he is in effect saying: Do not believe anyone who contradicts Jesus or his message which is transmitted to you by the Church, Jesus speaks to you young people and tells you the value of meekness, mercy and humility. Other voices in the world will immediately shout out: "weakness!". In the Gospel Jesus emphasizes the value of honesty, uprightness, justice and fairness. But when you practice these virtues, you are liable to be accused of being "naive". Jesus and his Church hold up to you Gods plan for human love, telling you that sex is a great gift of God that is reserved for marriage. At this point the voices of the world will try to deceive you, with powerful slogans, claiming that you are "unrealistic", "out of it", "backward", even "reactionary". But the message of Jesus is clear: purity means true love and it is the total opposite of selfishness and escape.

77

A person who is seriously seeking to discern the progress he is making in the spiritual life would be wise to obtain a spiritual director who is learned and faithful to the teachings of the Church to accompany him on his spiritual journey. All the major spiritual writers as well as the Church recommend such a perfect means to accompany his spiritual growth.
2

Poulain, Aug, and J. V Bainvel. The Graces of Interior Prayer (Des Grces Doraison) A Treatise on Mystical Theology. St. Louis: Herder, 1950,pg. 379. #1.
3 4

Ibid., CH. XXVI. We do not need to mention the Word Incarnate, since he was True God and True Man.
5

Grignion de Montfort, Louis-Marie. A Treatise on the True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. New York: P.J. Kennedy, 1909.
6

Sincerely, we do not have to go up to Heaven to find Mary,the book of Wisdom says, Those who love me I also love, those who seek me find me. (Prov. 8:17) 7 Two considerations separate our understanding of Marys care. Bodily and Spiritual. 8 See. Eph. 1:4+ 9 Ps. 127:1 Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord guard the city, in vain does the guard keep watch. 10 Im not referring to those who have chosen to walk in the darkness, and who have chosen to remain apart form Jesus, despite GOds call to them. We can only hope to give a good example despite what those who follow the liar as Jesus called him do or think of us.
11

Catholic Church, and John E Rotelle. Little Ofce of the Blessed Virgin Mary. New York: Catholic Book Pub. Co., 1988, pg. 19-20.

78

12

Tanquerey, Adolphe, and Herman Branderis. The Spiritual Life [microform]; a Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology. Tournai (Belgium): Society of St. John the Evangelist, Descle, 1932. http://archive.org/details/ MN41530ucmf_5, pg. 276. 13 Ott, Ludwig. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder Book Co., 1964, pg. 199. 14 Saint Thomas Aquinas and Fathers of the English Dominican Province, Summa Theologica, Complete English ed. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009),Pt. III,Q.1,a1. 15 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Board of Trustees, Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference. Administrative Board, The New American Bible: Translated from the Original Languages With Critical Use of All the Ancient Sources and the Revised New Testament, Pr 20:27 (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 1996). 16 Thomas, McGlynn, and Robert William Schmidt. Truth. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Co., 1994, Vol. 2, pg. 211. 17 John of the Cross. The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross. Washington, D.C.: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1979, pg. 548-49. 18 John Chrysostom. On the incomprehensible nature of God. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 1984.
19 20

Ott,Ludwig,Fundamentals, pgs.20,23.

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida, Editors

79

Copyright 1988, 1989 by the United Bible Societies, New York, NY 10023 Second Edition. Used by permission. Electronic text hypertexted and prepared by OakTree Software, Inc. Version 4.0, pg. 326-27. 21 Woytyla, Karol. Meeting with the Young People of New Orleans. Vatican Publishing, September 12, 1987. http:// www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/1987/ september/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19870912_giovaninew-orleans_en.html.

80