Devotion to the Madonna: the journey of Mary and her seven pains

Da Paolo Tessione - June 3, 2019

THE WAY OF MARY

Modeled on the Via Crucis and flourished from the trunk of devotion to the "seven sorrows" of the Virgin, this form of prayer germinated in the century. XVI progressively imposed itself, until it reached its present form in the century. XIX. The founding theme is the consideration of the trial journey lived by Mary, in her pilgrimage of faith, along the life span of her Son and exposed in seven stations:

1) the revelation of Simeon (Lk 2,34-35);
2) the flight to Egypt (Mt 2,13-14);
3) the loss of Jesus (Lk 2,43: 45-XNUMX);
4) the encounter with Jesus on the way to Calvary;
5) the presence under the cross of the Son (Jn 19,25-27);
6) the welcome of Jesus laid down from the cross (cf Mt 27,57-61 and par.);
7) the burial of Christ (cf Jn 19,40-42 and par.)

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Introduction rites

V. Blessed be God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ:
praise and glory to him over the centuries.

R. In his mercy he regenerated us to a hope
live with the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Brothers and sisters
The Father who did not spare his only-begotten Son the passion and death to reach the Resurrection, did not soothe his beloved Mother the abyss of pain and the torment of trial. "The Blessed Virgin Mary advanced in the pilgrimage of faith and faithfully preserved her union with the Son to the cross, where not without a divine plan, she suffered deeply from it with her Only Begotten and associating herself with a motherly soul to his sacrifice, lovingly consenting to the immolation of the victim generated by her; and finally, from the same Jesus dying on the cross was given as a mother to the disciple with these words: "Woman, behold your son" "(LG 58). We contemplate and live the pain and hope of the Mother. The faith of the Virgin illuminates our life; may her maternal protection accompany our journey to meet the Lord of glory.

Short pause for silence

Let's pray.
O God, wisdom and infinite piety, that you love men so much that you want to share them with Christ in his eternal plan of salvation: let us relive with Mary the vital force of faith, which made us your children in baptism, and with her we await the dawn of the resurrection.

For Christ our Lord. Amen

First station
Mary accepts Simeon's prophecy in faith

V. We praise and bless you, Lord.
R. Because you have associated the Virgin Mother with the work of salvation.

GOD'S WORD
From the Gospel according to Luke. 2,34-35

When the time of their purification came according to the Law of Moses, they brought the child to Jerusalem to offer him to the Lord, as it is written in the Law of the Lord: every firstborn male will be sacred to the Lord; and to offer in sacrifice a pair of turtle doves or young pigeons, as prescribed by the Law of the Lord. Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon, a righteous and God-fearing man, waiting for the comfort of Israel; the Holy Spirit who was above him had foretold that he would not see death without first seeing the Messiah of the Lord. Moved therefore by the Spirit, he went to the temple; and while the parents brought the child Jesus to fulfill the Law, he took him in his arms and blessed God: Now, Lord, let your servant go in peace according to your word; because my eyes have seen your salvation, prepared by you before all peoples, light to illuminate the people and glory of your people Israel ». Jesus' father and mother were amazed at the things they said about him. Simeon blessed them and spoke to Mary, his mother: «He is here for the ruin and resurrection of many in Israel, a sign of contradiction for the thoughts of many hearts to be revealed. And also to you a sword will pierce the soul ».

THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH

The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple shows him as the Firstborn who belongs to the Lord. In Simeone and Anna it is all the expectation of Israel that comes to the encounter with its Savior (the Byzantine tradition thus calls this event). Jesus is recognized as the long-awaited Messiah, "light of the people" and "glory of Israel", but also as a "sign of contradiction". The sword of pain foretold to Mary announces the other offering, perfect and unique, that of the cross, which will give salvation "prepared by God before all peoples".

Catechism of the Catholic Church 529

MEDITATION

After recognizing in Jesus the "light to illuminate the people" (Lk 2,32), Simeon announces to Mary the great test to which the Messiah is called and reveals her participation in this painful destiny. Simeon predicts to the Virgin that she will take part in the fate of the Son. His words predict a future of suffering for the Messiah. But Simeone combines Christ's suffering with the vision of Mary's soul pierced by the sword, thus sharing the Mother with the painful destiny of the Son. Thus the holy old man, while highlighting the growing hostility that the Messiah is facing, underlines the repercussion of it on the heart of the Mother. This maternal suffering will reach its climax in passion when it joins the Son in the redemptive sacrifice. Mary, in reference to the prophecy of the sword that will pierce her soul, says nothing. He silently accepts those mysterious words that foreshadow a very painful trial and place in its most authentic meaning the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. Starting from Simeon's prophecy, Mary unites her life in an intense and mysterious way with the painful mission of Christ: she will become the faithful cooperator of the Son for the salvation of mankind.

John Paul II, from the Catechesis of Wednesday, 18 December 1996

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
You are blessed among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen

LET'S PRAY

O Father, may the virgin Church always shine, bride of Christ, for her uncontaminated fidelity to the covenant of your love; and following the example of Mary, your humble servant, who presented the Author of the new law in the temple, keep the purity of faith, nourish the ardor of charity, revive hope in future goods. For Christ our Lord.
For Christ our Lord. Amen

Second station
Mary flees to Egypt to save Jesus

V. We praise and bless you, Lord.
R. Because you have associated the Virgin Mother with the work of salvation

GOD'S WORD
From the Gospel according to Matthew. 2,13 to 14

[The magi] had just left, when an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said to him: «Get up, take the child and his mother with you and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I warn you, because Herod is looking for the boy to kill him. " When Joseph woke up, he took the child and his mother with him in the night and fled to Egypt, where he remained until the death of Herod, to fulfill what was said by the Lord through the prophet: From Egypt I called my son .

THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH

The flight to Egypt and the massacre of the innocent demonstrate the opposition of darkness to light: "He came among his people, but his people did not welcome him" (Jn 1,11:2,51). The whole life of Christ will be under the sign of persecution. His family share this fate with him. His return from Egypt remembers the Exodus and presents Jesus as the definitive liberator. During most of his life, Jesus shared the condition of the vast majority of men: a daily existence without apparent greatness, a life of manual work, a Jewish religious life subject to the Law of God, life in the community. Regarding this whole period, it is revealed to us that Jesus was "submissive" to his parents and that "he grew in wisdom, age and grace before God and men" (Lk 52-XNUMX). In the submission of Jesus to his mother and to his legal father, perfect observance of the fourth commandment is realized. This submission is the image over time of filial obedience to his heavenly Father.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 530-532

MEDITATION

After the visit of the Magi, after their homage, after offering the gifts, Mary, together with the child, must flee to Egypt under Joseph's caring protection, because "Herod was looking for the child to kill him" (Mt 2,13:1,45) . And until Herod's death they will have to stay in Egypt. After Herod's death, when the holy family returns to Nazareth, the long period of hidden life begins. She who "believed in the fulfillment of the words of the Lord" (Lk 1,32:3,3) lives the content of these words every day. Daily beside her is the Son, to whom Jesus gave the name; therefore. Certainly in contact with him she uses this name, which moreover could not arouse wonder in anyone, having been in use for a long time in Israel. However, Mary knows that the one who bears the name Jesus has been called by the angel "Son of the Most High" (Lk XNUMX:XNUMX). Mary knows that she conceived and gave birth "not knowing man", by the work of the Holy Spirit, with the power of the Most High who spread her shadow over her, just as in the time of Moses and the fathers the cloud veiled the presence of God. Therefore, Mary knows that the Son, given to her virginally, is precisely that "saint", "the Son of God", of whom the angel spoke to her. During the years of Jesus' hidden life in the house of Nazareth, Mary's life is also "hidden with Christ in God" (Col XNUMX: XNUMX) by faith. Faith, in fact, is a contact with the mystery of God. Mary constantly, daily is in contact with the ineffable mystery of God who became man, a mystery that surpasses all that has been revealed in the Old Covenant.

John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater 16,17

LET'S PRAY

Faithful God, who in the blessed Virgin Mary fulfilled the promises made to the fathers, give us to follow the example of the Daughter of Zion who pleased you for humility and with obedience cooperated in the redemption of the world. For Christ our Lord. Amen

Third station
Most Holy Mary looks for Jesus who remained in Jerusalem

V. We praise and bless you, Lord.
R. Because you have associated the Virgin Mother with the work of salvation

GOD'S WORD
From the Gospel according to Matthew. 2,34 to 35

The child grew and strengthened, full of wisdom, and the grace of God was above him. His parents went to Jerusalem every year for the Easter feast. When he was twelve, they went up again according to the custom; but after the days of the feast, while they were on their way back, the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, without his parents noticing. Believing him in the caravan, they made a day of travel, and then they started looking for him among relatives and acquaintances; not having found him, they returned in search of him to Jerusalem. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them and questioning them. And everyone who heard it was full of amazement at its intelligence and responses. They were amazed to see him and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us?" Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously. " And he said, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must take care of the things of my Father? » But they did not understand his words. So he left with them and returned to Nazareth and was subject to them. Her mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom, age and grace before God and men.

THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH

The hidden life of Nazareth allows every man to be in communion with Jesus in the most ordinary ways of daily life: Nazareth is the school where we began to understand the life of Jesus, that is, the school of the Gospel. . . In the first place it teaches us silence. Oh! if the esteem of silence was reborn in us, an admirable and indispensable atmosphere of the spirit. . . It teaches us how to live in the family. Nazareth reminds us what the family is, what the communion of love is, its austere and simple beauty, its sacred and inviolable character. . . Finally we learn a working lesson. Oh! home of Nazareth, home of the "Son of the carpenter"! Here above all we wish to understand and celebrate the law, severe certainly, but redeeming human fatigue. . . Finally we want to greet the workers from all over the world and show them the great model, their divine brother [Paul VI, 5.1.1964 in Nazareth,]. The finding of Jesus in the Temple is the only event that breaks the silence of the Gospels on the hidden years of Jesus. Jesus lets you glimpse the mystery of his total consecration to a mission that derives from his divine filiation: "Didn't you know that I must deal with the things of my Father? " (Lk 2,49). Mary and Joseph "did not understand" these words, but accepted them in faith, and Mary "kept all these things in her heart" (Lk 2,51) over the years in which Jesus remained hidden in the silence of an ordinary life.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 533-534

MEDITATION

For many years Mary remained in intimacy with the mystery of her Son, and advanced in her journey of faith, as Jesus "grew in wisdom ... and grace before God and men" (Lk2,52). More and more the predilection that God had for him was manifesting in the eyes of men. The first of these human creatures admitted to the discovery of Christ was Mary, who lived with Joseph in the same house in Nazareth. However, when, after being found in the temple, when the mother asked: "Why did you do this to us?", The twelve year old Jesus replied: "Didn't you know that I have to deal with the things of my Father?", The evangelist adds: " But they (Joseph and Mary) did not understand his words "(Lc2,48). Therefore, Jesus was aware that "only the Father knows the Son" (Mt 11,27:3,21), so much so that even she, to whom the mystery of divine filiation, the mother, had been revealed more deeply, lived in intimacy with this mystery only by faith! Being at the side of the Son, under the same roof and "faithfully preserving her union with the Son", she "advanced in the pilgrimage of faith", as the Council underlines. And so it was also during the public life of Christ (Mk XNUMX:XNUMX) in which the blessing pronounced by Elizabeth in the visitation was fulfilled day by day: "Blessed is she who believed".

John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater 1

LET'S PRAY

O God, who in the Holy Family you have given us a true model of life, let us walk through the various events of the world through the intercession of your Son Jesus, the Virgin Mother and St. Joseph, always oriented towards eternal goods. For Christ our Lord. Amen

Fourth station
Most Holy Mary meets Jesus on the Via del Calvario

V. We praise and bless you, Lord.
R. Because you have associated the Virgin Mother with the work of salvation

GOD'S WORD
From the Gospel according to Luke. 2,34-35

Simeon spoke to Mary, his mother: «He is here for the ruin and resurrection of many in Israel, a sign of contradiction for the thoughts of many hearts to be revealed. And to you too a sword will pierce the soul »... His mother kept all these things in her heart.

THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH

By her full adherence to the Father's will, to the redemptive work of her Son, to every motion of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary is the model of faith and charity for the Church. «For this reason she is recognized as a supreme and completely singular member of the Church» «and she is the figure of the Church». But its role in relation to the Church and to all humanity goes even further. «She has cooperated in a very special way in the work of the Savior, with obedience, faith, hope and ardent charity to restore the supernatural life of souls. For this reason she was the Mother in the order of grace for us ». «This motherhood of Mary: in the economy of grace it continues without stopping from the moment of consent given in faith at the time of the Annunciation, and maintained without hesitation under the cross, until the perpetual crowning of all the elect. In fact, assumed into heaven she did not lay down this mission of salvation, but with her manifold intercession she continues to obtain the gifts of eternal salvation ... For this the blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church with the titles of advocate, auxiliary, rescuer, mediator " .

Catechism of the Catholic Church 967-969

MEDITATION

Jesus has just got up from his first fall, when he meets his Most Holy Mother, on the side of the road he was traveling on. Mary looks at Jesus with immense love, and Jesus looks at his Mother; their eyes meet, each of the two hearts pours its pain into the other. Mary's soul is submerged in bitterness, in the bitterness of Jesus. All of you who pass by the way. consider and observe if there is a pain similar to my pain! (Lam 1:12). But nobody notices it, nobody notices it; only Jesus. Simeon's prophecy has been fulfilled: A sword will pierce your soul (Lk 2:35). In the dark solitude of the Passion, Our Lady offers her Son a balm of tenderness, union, fidelity; a "yes" to the divine will. By giving Mary's hand, you and I also want to console Jesus. Always and in all accepting the Will of his Father, of our Father. Only in this way will we taste the sweetness of the Cross of Christ, and embrace it with the power of Love, carrying it in triumph for all the ways on earth.

St. Josmaria Escriva de Balaguer

LET'S PRAY

Jesus, who turns his gaze to the Mother, give us, in the midst of suffering, the audacity and joy of welcoming you and following you with confident abandonment. Christ, source of life, give us to contemplate your face and see in the folly of the Cross the promise of our resurrection. You who live and reign forever and ever. Amen

Fifth station
Most Holy Mary is present at the crucifixion and death of the Son

V. We praise and bless you, Lord.
R. Because you have associated the Virgin Mother with the work of salvation

GOD'S WORD
From the Gospel according to John. 19,25 to 30

His mother, his mother's sister, Mary of Cleopa and Mary of Magdala were at the cross of Jesus. Then Jesus, seeing the mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, said to the mother: «Woman, here is your son!». Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother!" And from that moment the disciple took her into his home. After this, Jesus, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, said to fulfill the Scripture: "I am thirsty". There was a jar full of vinegar there; therefore they placed a sponge soaked in vinegar on top of a cane and placed it close to his mouth. And after receiving the vinegar, Jesus said: "Everything is done!". And, bowing his head, he expired.

THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH

Mary, the all Holy Mother of God, always Virgin, is the masterpiece of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit has prepared it, the Father finds the Dwelling where his Son and his Spirit can dwell among men. In this sense the Tradition of the Church has often read referring them to Mary the most beautiful texts on Wisdom: Mary is sung and represented in the Liturgy as "Seat of Wisdom". In her begin the "wonders of God", which the Spirit will accomplish in Christ and in the Church. The Holy Spirit prepared Mary with his grace. It was fitting that the Mother of Him in whom "the whole fullness of Divinity dwells bodily" was "full of grace" (Col 2,9: XNUMX). By sheer grace she was conceived without sin as the humblest and most capable creature to accept the ineffable gift of the Almighty. Rightly the angel Gabriel greets her as the "Daughter of Zion": "Rejoice". It is the thanksgiving of the whole People of God, and therefore of the Church, which Mary elevates to the Father, in the Spirit, in her canticle, when she carries within herself the eternal Son.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 721, 722

MEDITATION

On Calvary there was almost absolute silence. At the foot of the Cross there was also the Mother. Here she is. Standing. It is only love that sustains it. Any comfort is absolutely unnecessary. She is alone in her unspeakable pain. Here it is: it is motionless: true statue of pain carved by the hand of God. Now Mary lives for Jesus and in Jesus. No creature has ever approached the divine like her, no one knows how to suffer divinely like her. Disconcerting pain, more than human, that passes all the measures. His burning eyes contemplate the tremendous vision. See it all. He wants to see everything. He has the right: it is His Mother. It's his. He recognizes it well. They have made a mess of it, but it recognizes it. Which mother would not recognize her child even when he was deformed by beatings or disfigured by an unexpected blow from the blind forces? It is yours and belongs to you. She has always been close to him in the times of his childhood and adolescence, as in the years of manhood as long as he could… .. It is a miracle if it does not fall to the ground. But the greatest miracle is that of his love that sustains you, that keeps you standing there until He is dead. As long as he lives, you won't be able to die! Yes, Lord, I want to stay here next to you and your mother. This great pain that unites you on Calvary is my pain because it is all for me. For me, great God!

St. Josmaria Escriva de Balaguer

LET'S PRAY

O God, who in your mysterious plan of salvation wanted to continue the passion of your Son in the wounded limbs of his body, which is the Church, do that, united with the Sorrowful Mother at the foot of the cross, we learn to recognize and serve with love Christ is attentive, suffering in his brothers.
For Christ our Lord. Amen

Sixth station
Most Holy Mary welcomes the body of Jesus taken from the cross in her arms

V. We praise and bless you, Lord.
R. Because you have associated the Virgin Mother with the work of salvation

GOD'S WORD
From the Gospel according to Matthew. 27,57 to 61

When evening came, a rich man from Arimatea, named Joseph, who had also become a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered that he be handed over to him. Joseph, taking the body of Jesus, wrapped it in a white sheet and placed it in his new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock; then rolled a large stone on the door of the tomb, he went away. They were there, in front of the sepulcher, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary.

THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH

Mary's role towards the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and derives directly from it. "This union of the Mother with the Son in the work of the Redemption is manifested from the moment of the virginal conception of Christ until his death". It is particularly manifested in the hour of her Passion: The Blessed Virgin advanced on the path of faith and faithfully preserved her union with the Son up to the cross, where, not without a divine plan, she stood upright, suffered deeply with her Only begotten son and associated with a motherly soul to his sacrifice, lovingly consenting to the immolation of the victim generated by her; and finally, from the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross was given as a mother to the disciple with these words: "Woman, behold your son" (Jn 19:26).

Catechism of the Catholic Church 964

MEDITATION

The association of the Virgin with the mission of Christ reaches its climax in Jerusalem, at the time of the Passion and death of the Redeemer. The Council underlines the profound dimension of the presence of the Virgin on Calvary, recalling that she "faithfully preserved her union with the Son to the cross" (LG 58), and points out that this union "in the work of redemption is manifested from the moment of virginal conception of Christ until his death "(ibid., 57). The adhesion of the Mother to the redemptive passion of the Son is accomplished in participation in her pain. Let us return again to the words of the Council, according to which, in the perspective of the resurrection, at the foot of the cross, the Mother "suffered deeply with her Only Begotten and associated herself with a motherly soul to the sacrifice of Him, lovingly consenting to the immolation of the victim by Her generated "(ibid., 58). With these words the Council reminds us of the "compassion of Mary", in whose heart all that Jesus suffers in soul and body is reflected, underlining his will to participate in the redemptive sacrifice and to combine his motherly suffering with the priestly offering. of the Son. In the drama of Calvary, Mary is sustained by faith, strengthened during the events of her existence and, above all, during the public life of Jesus. The Council recalls that "the Blessed Virgin advanced on the path of faith and faithfully preserved her union with the Son to the cross "(LG 58). In this supreme "yes" of Mary the confident hope shines in the mysterious future, which began with the death of the crucified Son. Mary's hope at the foot of the cross contains a light stronger than the darkness that reigns in many hearts: in front of the redeeming sacrifice, the hope of the Church and of humanity is born in Mary.

John Paul II, from the Catechesis of Wednesday, April 2, 1997

LET'S PRAY

O God, who in order to redeem mankind, seduced by the deceptions of the evil one, you associated the Sorrowful Mother with the passion of your Son, make all the children of Adam, healed by the devastating effects of guilt, participate in the renewed creation in Christ. Redeemer. He is God, and lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen

Seventh station
Most Holy Mary lays the body of Jesus in the sepulcher awaiting the resurrection

V. We praise and bless you, Lord.
R. Because you have associated the Virgin Mother with the work of salvation

GOD'S WORD

From the Gospel according to John. 19,38 to 42

Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to take the body of Jesus. Pilate granted it. Then he went and took the body of Jesus. Nicodemus, the one who had previously gone to him at night, also went and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloe of about a hundred pounds. They then took the body of Jesus, and wrapped it in bandages together with aromatic oils, as is the custom for the Jews to bury. Now, in the place where he had been crucified, there was a garden and in the garden a new sepulcher, in which no one had yet been laid. There they therefore laid Jesus, because of the preparation of the Jews, because that tomb was near.

THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH

"By the grace of God, he" proved "death for the benefit of all" (Heb 2,9). In his plan of salvation, God ordered that his Son not only die "for our sins" (1Cor 15,3) but also "prove death", that is, know the state of death, the state of separation between his soul and his Body for the time between the moment in which he expired on the cross and the moment in which he rose from the dead. This state of dead Christ is the mystery of the sepulcher and of the descent into hell. It is the Mystery of Holy Saturday in which Christ deposited in the sepulcher manifests the great sabbatical rest of God after the fulfillment of the salvation of men that puts the whole universe in peace. The permanence of Christ in the tomb constitutes the real link between the state of passibility of Christ before Easter and his present glorious state of risen. It is the same Person of the "Living" who can say: "I was dead, but now I live forever" (Ap 1,18). God [the Son] did not prevent death from separating the soul from the body, as naturally occurs, but he again reunited them with the Resurrection, in order to be himself, in his Person, the meeting point of death and life, stopping in itself the decomposition of nature caused by death and becoming itself the principle of meeting for the separate parts [San Gregorio di Nissa, Oratio catechetica, 16: PG 45, 52B].

Catechism of the Catholic Church 624, 625

MEDITATION

Very close to Calvary, Giuseppe d'Arimatea had a new sepulcher carved out of the rock in a garden. And being the eve of the great Passover of the Jews there they lay Jesus. Then, Joseph, having rolled a large stone on the door of the sepulcher, went away (Mt 27, 60). Without anything of his own, Jesus came into the world and without anything of his own - not even the place where he rests - he left us. The Mother of the Lord - my Mother - and the women who followed the Master from Galilee, after having carefully observed everything, also return. Night falls. Now everything is over. The work of our Redemption is completed. We are now children of God, because Jesus died for us and his death redeemed us. Empti enim estis pretio magno! (1 Cor 6:20), you and I have been bought at a great price. We must make the life and death of Christ our life. To die by means of mortification and penance, because Christ lives in us through Love. And therefore to follow in the footsteps of Christ, with the longing to accompany all souls. Give life for others. Only in this way is the life of Jesus Christ lived and we become one with him.

St. Josemaria Escrivà de Balaguer

LET'S PRAY
Holy Father, who in the paschal mystery you established the salvation of mankind, grant to all men with the grace of your Spirit to be included in the number of children of adoption, which Jesus dying entrusted to the Virgin Mother. He lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen