(Editor: The Month of October is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and the Rosary)
Continued from Part 1
Mary was the first teacher in Jesus’ life from the moment He was born till He began His public ministry. Today, she continues that role for us, who are her children. The Blessed Virgin will use the graces that God has given her to surround us, and at the same time, use the privileges that God has given her to consecrate us, making us excellent children of God.
Let’s recall the story of how Rebecca covered Jacob’s hands with wool. It is the story of Jacob receiving the blessing of his father Isaac through the care and skill of his mother.
Mary and the Story of Jacob
Years after the elder son, Esau, sold his birthright to Jacob, their mother, Rebecca, who loved her second child deeply, obtained this blessing for him by her own skill.
Seeing that he was old, Isaac wanted to bless his children before he died. He called and told Esau, his beloved son, to hunt and bring him something to eat, before he would bless him. On learning this, Rebecca immediately told Jacob what was going on and sent Jacob to fetch two young goats from the family’s herd. When Jacob gave them to his mother, she cooked them the way Isaac liked and served him the dish. She then dressed Jacob in Esau’s clothes and covered his hands and neck with goat skin. Isaac, who was blind and despite hearing Jacob, thought it was Esau when he touched the skin of his hand.
But he was surprised on hearing a voice he thought was Jacob’s and summoned him to come nearer. Isaac felt the hairs that covered Jacob’s hands and said although the voice was indeed Jacob’s the hand was Esau’s. After he finished eating and drinking, Isaac kissed Jacob, thinking it was Esau and smell the scent of Jacob’s clothes. He blessed the younger son and asked him to pour down upon him the dew of heaven and the fruit of the earth. He made Jacob the master of all his brothers and ended with these words: ‘Woe to those who curse me and blessed to those who bless me’.
This story (Gen 25:19-34) helps us to understand the importance of the intervention of Rebecca, Isaac’s wife, in blessing their second son. With her guidance and support, Jacob was blessed by his father. This also helps us to understand the meaning and role of Mother Mary in interceding with God to ask Him to bless us as her children.
Mary will know how to adorn us with the privileges she has, and it is through this splendid adornment that we will go forth courageously and proudly before the presence of God. He will then pour out countless blessings on our lives. It is, for this reason, Saint Louis de Montfort encouraged and suggested that we consecrate ourselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He explained clearly and convincingly how to practise devotion to her in his work, True Devotion to Mary. This devotion has been openly endorsed by many Popes (see below) in the Catholic Church.
Before I officially consecrated myself to Mary, I had the opportunity to read Saint Louis’ work in the Vietnamese language and that book had a great influence on me. He helped me see the importance of the act of consecration to Mary because through it she will lead us directly to Jesus, her beloved Son. At the same time, Mary will also give us, her children, the privileges she has received from God in order to sanctify us and to make us most perfectly like Jesus. This is the safest and most secure path to holiness that Saint Louis wants to teach us.
Our Mother in Heaven has God’s ears
Before I decided to escape from Vietnam in November 1981 in the hope of continuing my vocation, I prayed to Mother Mary. I asked her to grant me three special petitions:
1. Please allow me to escape from Vietnam successfully
2. Please let me become a priest
3. Please let my brother-in-law, Tran Dinh Viet, who was at the Vinh Phu’s concentration Camp in the North, be released and reunited with his family.
All three of my petitions were answered by Mother Mary. She granted my first petition because I successfully escaped Vietnam to Malaysia on a small wooden boat. Despite the big waves and strong winds, and fierce storms, the boat finally landed safely at Pulau Bidong, Malaysia, after 5 days at sea. For us, those who were present on the rickety boat, this was a great miracle from God to manifest His mighty power to rescue us from all our troubles and give us a chance to survive and rebuild our lives.
The Mother of God also granted my second petition as I was ordained a priest in July 1994, almost 12 years since arriving in Australia.
The final petition the Blessed Virgin granted came in 1984. After the communist government put my brother-in-law in a concentration camp in Vinh Phu province for nearly 10 years, they finally released him to be reunited with his family. This was a great joy for our family, especially for my eldest sister, his wife.
Read also:
The Rosary: A powerful weapon against evil
Hail, Full of Grace
The power of the Hail Mary
Mary’s immense love for all of us
For me, these were clear signs of Mother Mary’s kindness and immense love for me, because she granted me everything I had asked of her. Needless to say, I was extremely happy and will always be eternally grateful to Mary and God.
Whatever she has given me, I consider them gifts from her generosity, because I do not dare to ask her for more favours. Only in recent years, I have secretly thought and wanted to tell her the one last thing I have been dreaming of and this is to please come and take me to heaven when I close my eyes to leave this world.
This is probably my deepest and last dream. I hope that Mother Mary will answer my petition.
My prayer to Our Blessed Mother
O Mary, my beloved Mother. You know how much I love you. My life is happy because you are always with me. You saved me from death on my journey across the ocean. You also helped me overcome many hardships and difficulties when so many times I wanted to give up, as I felt these things were beyond my capacity. Your love has supported me throughout my life, and you have given me the grace to be able to do the things that I want to do. Everything I have is yours and I acknowledge that You have done everything in my life. May I always belong to you, and love you till the end of my life.
I would also like to thank God with all my heart for He has loved me immensely, despite my sinfulness. May I always be faithful to you, my dearest Mother Mary till the end of my life.
Your beloved son,
Fr Peter Hung Tran
THE POPES ON TRUE DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN
Pope Saint Pius X (1903–14): “I heartily recommend True Devotion to The Blessed Virgin, so admirably written by [Saint] De Montfort, and to all who read it grant the Apostolic Benediction … There is no surer or easier way than Mary in uniting all men with Christ.”
Pope Benedict XV (1914–22): “A book of high authority and unction.”
Pope Pius XI (1922–39): “I have practiced this devotion ever since my youth.”
Pope Pius XII (1939–58): “God Alone was everything to him. Remain faithful to the precious heritage, which this great saint left you. It is a glorious inheritance, worthy, that you continue to sacrifice your strength and your life, as you have done until today.”
Pope St Paul VI (1963–78): “We are convinced without any doubt that devotion to Our Lady is essentially joined with devotion to Christ, that it assures a firmness of conviction to faith in Him and in His Church, a vital adherence to Him and to His Church which, without devotion to Mary, would be impoverished and compromised.”
Pope St John Paul II (1978–2005): “The reading of this book was a decisive turning point in my life. I say ‘turning-point,’ but in fact it was a long inner journey . . . This ‘perfect devotion’ is indispensable to anyone who means to give himself without reserve to Christ and to the work of redemption.” . . .” It is from Montfort that I have taken my motto: ‘Totus tuus’ (‘I am all yours’). Someday I’ll have to tell you Montfortians how I discovered De Montfort’s Treatise on True Devotion to Mary, and how often I had to reread it to understand it.”
SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL ON MARY (1962-1965)
‘The maternal duty of Mary toward men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. All her saving influence on men originates not from some inner necessity, but from the divine pleasure. It flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on His mediation, depends entirely on it and draws all its power from it.’ . . . ‘The practices and exercises of devotion to her recommended by the Church in the course of the centuries [are to] be treasured.’ (Lumen Gentium: 60, 67).
