Seat of Wisdom (Sedes Sapientiae)
Our Lady has long been referred to as the "Seat of Wisdom" because she bore in her womb the Son of God, who St. Paul calls the "wisdom of God."
Blog
We Need Your Help!
Blog Posts
Our Lady of Knock - Feast day August 21
When Our Lady appeared outside St. John the Baptist Church in Knock, Ireland on August 21,1879, she uttered not a single word, but the way she chose to appear spoke volumes.
Our Lady of Guadalupe - Feast Day December 12
The year was 1531, only 12 years after the Conquistadors arrived in Mexico to find the native Aztec-Nahuatl people still sacrificing tens of thousands of people a year to the gods of Sun and Night who they believed had the power to keep the sun in the sky.
Our Lady of Akita – Feast Day, June 12
In the Japanese town of Yuzawadai located less than 90 miles from the city of Sendai, the site of the March 11, 2011, tsunami, is the site of the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Akita and the apparitions of Our Lady that took place there.
Feast of Our Lady of Fatima
Between May and October of 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children on the 13th day of every month in Fatima, Portugal in a field called the Cova da Iria.
Virgin of the Poor - Our Lady of Banneux - Feast Day January 15
"I am the Virgin of the poor," Our Lady told 11 year-old Mariette Beco on the evening of January 19, 1933. It was the third of eight apparitions that Mariette would experience in the yard outside her home in Banneux, Belgium.
Mystical Rose or Rosa Mystica-Feast Day, July 13
"How did Mary become the Rosa Mystica, the choice, delicate, perfect flower of God's spiritual creation? It was by being born, nurtured and sheltered in the mystical garden or Paradise of God," Blessed John Henry Newman once explained.
Star of the Sea (Stella Maris) - Feast Day, September 27
Mary's title "Star of the Sea" is thought to derive from the account in 1Kings 18:41-45 which refers to a little cloud appearing above the sea as a sign of hope that rain would soon come to water the parched earth.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart – Feast Day, May 31
The story behind this title of the Blessed Mother seems to prove true the maxim, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Jules Chevalier, an assistant priest at Issoudun, France, had a burden on his heart. He desired to start a new religious order of missionaries who would make known and inspire devotion to the loving compassion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by exhibiting that love through acts of compassion, understanding and respect toward others. John 13:34 was his inspiration. When Jules shared his dream with another priest, they prayed a novena asking God to give them a sign that they should move forward. The novena closed on December 8, 1854, and their prayer was soon answered. They received word that a person of good intention had donated twenty thousand francs for them to begin a charitable work. With this confirmation, Jules and his priest friend sought approval of the new Order from the Archbishop who denied their request. He told the priests he would withhold approval until the priests were able to show they would have a continuing income. Undaunted, the priests sought the intercession of the Blessed Mother whose feast of her Immaculate Heart was nine days away. They promised her they would dedicate the new Order to the Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and make them known throughout the world. Our Lady responded. At the end of the nine days, a charitable person pledged to give the priests one thousand francs per year for them to live on. Once again Jules and his priest friend approached the Archbishop. He was satisfied, but his Council was not. The Council said the two priests were too young to start such an Order and doubted they could make a go of it. Though he was told to drop the idea, Jules continued to seek the intercession of the Blessed Mother. And again, she responded. The Archbishop decided to reject the advice of his Council and authorized the two priests to begin the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. In gratitude to Our Lady, Father Jules developed a devotion tying together the Sacred Heart of Jesus and our Blessed Lady under the title of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
For Reflection:
How do I respond to disappointment? Do I demonstrate perseverance and hope or do I give in to discouragement and doubt? Why do you think God sometimes makes us wait for a desire to be fulfilled? Think of a time from your own history when something you felt you were called to do didn’t happen as quickly as you would have liked. What did you learn from the experience? How can this help you in the future?
Our Lady of La Salette – Feast Day, September 19
As we have seen, Our Blessed Mother is concerned with the spiritual and temporal well-being of her children. Her many titles and apparitions indicate that she desires the ultimate good for each of us – eternal salvation. And so, on September 19, 1846, she appeared to 14 year old Melanie Mathieu and 11 year old Maximin Giraud, two young cowherds from the parish of La Salette in the French Alps. Our Lady appeared to them in a bright light, seated, with her head in her hands, and spoke to them beseechingly. She told them that if unless people repented, crops would fail, there would be a famine and much misery would enter the world. She beseeched the children to tell the people that she could not hold back the hand of her Son much longer. She appealed to all the people of God and delivered this message:
"I make an urgent appeal to the earth. I call on the true disciples of the living God who reigns in Heaven; I call on the true followers of Christ made man, the only true Saviour of men; I call on my children, the true faithful, those who have given themselves to me so that I may lead them to my divine Son, those whom I carry in my arms, so to speak, those who have lived on my spirit. Finally, I call on the Apostles of the Last Days, the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ who have lived in scorn for the world and for themselves, in poverty and in humility, in scorn and in silence, in prayer and in mortification, in chastity and in union with God, in suffering and unknown to the world. It is time they came out and filled the world with light. Go and reveal yourselves to be my cherished children. I am at your side and within you, provided that your faith is the light which shines upon you in these unhappy days. May your zeal make you famished for the glory and the honor of Jesus Christ. Fight, children of light, you, the few who can see. For now is the time of all times, the end of all ends."
The Basilica of La Salette was built on the site of Mary’s apparition in 1879.
For Reflection:
Reread Mary’s message to the children. What suggests that it is a prophetic word? Do you consider yourself to be a “true follower of Christ,” and a child of Mary? If so, what instruction is Our Lady giving to you through these words? How can you begin to follow through? Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate your heart and mind and journal your insights.
We Need Your Help!
Living His Life Abundantly International, Inc.® / Women of Grace® has provided inspiring and informational content for FREE through our blog for more than twenty years. To continue our mission, we need your help. We are seeking a one-time contribution or a monthly donation to support the continued growth and expansion of this free resource. We are abundantly grateful for your support.
