Our Lady's Qualities and Virtues and How We can Imitate Them

By -

Our Lady is such a perfect model to imitate! We need look no further than on her many virtues...so many good qualities that we can follow if we only ask for her help. For some of us, it will not be so easy a task but it will be well worth it because in doing so, our dear blessed Mother will lead us to her beloved Son and keep us close to Him.

Imitation has its paradoxes. First, you cannot grow in Mary’s likeness unless you simultaneously dislike what makes you unlike her! Once a novice admitted to St. Therese: “I know there are many things I still have to acquire.” The Little Flower responded: “Say rather ‘have to lose!’ For Jesus will fill your soul with splendors in the measure that you disencumber it from its imperfections.”
Quotation source

There are countless ways we can be more like our Lady. Some of the virtues we should imitate are:


- Her Humility

- Her Docility

- Her Silence

- Her Faithfulness to God

- Her Gentleness

- Her Kindness

- Her Compassion

- Her Joyfulness

- Her Purity

- Her Modesty

- Her Holiness

- Her Wisdom

- Her Patience

- Her Obedience

- Her Mercy

- Her Perseverance

- Her Motherly love

- Her Generous Spirit

- Her Simplicity

- Her Spirit of Poverty

- Her Prudence

- Her total abandonment to God's Will

We can start imitating Our Lady's examples first within our homes...with our own families! What a better place to start practicing these virtues then with those we love so much and are so dear to us but who we probably take for granted...Defer to your spouse's will... Keep silent to avoid arguments...  Gently correct your children... Say a prayer when doing housework, especially if it is a chore you dislike...  Praise God every moment you have...  Ask our Lady to help you love our Lord more, especially when things are going wrong and you feel like no one understands your pains and sorrows.  There are many ways to follow our Lady's example in our homes.   Let us being today on this Saturday, the day dedicated to Our Blessed Mother.

Dear Blessed Mother, epitome of all that is good,
help me to follow your loving example in every aspect of my life,
so that I may learn to love your son more deeply.
Amen

Comments

  1. Autumn6:02 pm, September 17, 2011

    Thank you, Esther, for a lovely, and for me a timely post reminding me of my priorities!
    Autumn xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mary N.7:49 pm, September 17, 2011

    Did you ever notice that it's more difficult to practice virtues with your own family than with others? Or maybe it's just me. Thanks, Esther, this post is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. EC Gefroh9:43 pm, September 17, 2011

    Thank you dear ladies. You give me encouragement that I am not alone in my struggles to be good :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Manny10:29 pm, September 17, 2011

    Beautiful.

    @mary333 - no it's not just you. I have realized the same. I am much more sinful to my own family than to strangers. Every time I reflect on that, it really hurts internally.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Valerie8:03 am, September 18, 2011

    Beautifully thoughts...thank you!

    Yes, I agree Marry333 and Manny. It is so painful to reflect on the times that I have been less than charitable towards my own loved ones.

    I do remember someone once telling me..."Would Mary have spanked Jesus?" I know...an oversimplification. But her point was that how Mary parented should be used as a role model to us.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem
Read more

The Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary

By -
Image
This is the image most often associated with the writings of the Belgian mystic Berthe Petit. She promoted devotion to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. During my preparation for the retreat I am giving at the end of the month in Pantasaph, North Wales, I began reading a book by the late John Haffert (once the lay leader of the Blue Army of Fatima). His theory in the book, which speaks of God's "last effort" to convert the world before the coming chastisement, is that we are now living in the third or fourth "day" of the Fatima week. At this time, according to Haffert, we should be promoting devotion to The Immaculate Heart of Mary. I also consulted another book by Dr. Courtnay Bartholomew (whom I have been privileged to meet) which also speaks of the importance of this devotion, linking it with the writings and visions of the mystic Berthe Petit, and the importance of the full title of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. These things will feature in
Read more

Why Modesty Is Not Subjective

By -
Image
Hi there, ya'll!  The modest fashion world is one very diverse place.  Even among Catholics, the definition of "modest apparel" can vary greatly from person to person.  Recently I joined a Facebook group that advertised itself as a haven for Catholic women of all ages to share ideas for modest style and makeup and was hoping to learn more about modesty from my fellow Catholic sisters.  After a few days of being a member, though, I sadly left the group feeling a bit discouraged.  No two members seemed to agree on ANY aspect of modesty whatsoever, and the prevailing theme of the whole group was that modesty is subjective, it means something different for each woman and each woman gets to decide what she considers is "modest".  One woman very emphatically declared that she wears bikinis every summer to the beach and doesn't feel that this violates the virtue of modesty in the least.  The same woman also announced that she was never going to caution her d
Read more