[Prayer] Saint Mary, Virgin of Time
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Saint Mary, Virgin of the Morning
Grant us the joy to discern, even amidst the mists of dawn, the hopes of a new day. Inspire us with words of courage.
Let us not let our voices tremble when, in the midst of so much evil and sin that ages the world, we dare to proclaim that better days are coming.Do not permit lament to predominate over wonder in our lips, nor does despair override diligence, nor does cynicism crush enthusiasm, and let not the weight of the past prevent us from trusting in the future.Help us to bet with bolder audacity on the youth, and preserve us from the temptation to flatter them with the cunning of sterile words, aware that only through our choices of authenticity and consistency will they be willing to be charmed once more.Multiply our energies so that we know to invest them in the only still profitable venture in the market of civilization: preventing new generations from the atrocious evils that today suffocate the earth. Give our voices the rhythm of Easter alleluia.Moisture our deserts of realism with dreams. Make us cultivators of the warm utopias whose cracks let hope flow over the world.Help us to understand that pointing out the shoots that sprout on the branches is more valuable than lamenting the leaves that fall.And instill in us the certainty of him who already sees the east ignite with the first rays of the sun.Saint Mary, Virgin of MiddayGrant us the intoxication of light. We have experienced too much already of the extinguishing of our lanterns, the decline of power ideologies, and the lengthening of crepuscular shadows on the narrow paths of the earth, to not miss the sun at midday.Deliver us from the desolation of abandonment and inspire in us the humility of the search. Quench our thirst for grace in the shell of your hand.Lead us back to the faith that another Mother, poor and good like you, transmitted to us when we were children, and that perhaps we once tried to sell for a miserable portion of lentils.You, the beggar of the Spirit, fill our amphoras with the oil intended to burn before God: we have burned enough before idols in the desert.Make us capable of superhuman abandon in God. Moderate our carnal pride.Let the light of faith, even when it takes on the tones of prophetic denunciation, not make us arrogant or presumptuous, but grant us the joy of tolerance and understanding.Above all, however, deliver us from the tragedy that our belief in God remains alien to the concrete choices of each moment, be they public or private, and risks never becoming flesh and blood on the altar of daily life.Saint Mary, Virgin of TwilightMother of the hour when we return home, and savor the joy of being welcomed by someone, and experience the inexpressible happiness of sitting at the table with others, grant us the gift of communion.We pray this for our Church, which also does not seem indifferent to the temptations of fragmentation, parochialism, and closure within the boundaries marked by the shadow of the bell tower.We pray this for our city, which so often the spirit of division transforms into a disputed land, and sometimes seems to become a no-man’s land.We pray this for our families, so that dialogue, crucified love, and the serene living of domestic affections make them privileged places for Christian and civil growth.We pray this for all of us, so that, far from the excommunications of egoism and isolation, we may always be by life’s side, wherever it is born, grows, or dies.We pray this for the whole world, so that solidarity among peoples is no longer lived as one of the many moral obligations, but rediscovered as the sole ethical imperative on which to found human coexistence.And may the poor be able to sit, with equal dignity, at the table of all.And may peace become the goal of our daily commitments.Saint Mary, Virgin of the NightWe implore that you be close to us when pain threatens us, when trial breaks out, when the wind of despair howls, and the black sky of distress, the chill of disillusionment, or the severe shadow of death hangs over our existence. Deliver us from the chills of darkness.At the hour of our Calvary, you who experienced the eclipse of the sun, spread your mantle over us, so that, enveloped by your breath, the long wait for freedom becomes more bearable.Soften, with your motherly caresses, the suffering of the sick. Fill with friendly and discreet presences the bitter time of those who are alone.Soothe homesickness in the hearts of sailors and offer them your shoulder on which to rest their heads.Guard from all evil our loved ones who are fighting in distant lands and console, with the moving light of your eyes, those who have lost faith in life.Sing still today the Magnificat and announce waves of justice to all the oppressed of the earth. Do not leave us alone in the night to murmur our fears.On the contrary, if you place yourself by our side in moments of darkness and whisper to us that you too, Virgin of the Advent, are waiting for the light, the sources of tears will dry on our faces.And together we will wake up the dawn. So be it.Venerable D. António Bello (d. 1993)Recommended reading: Marialis Cultus (Paul VI), apostolic exhortation on Marian devotion.Deepen your studies: explore Mariology, Theology Mariana, Marian Apparitions, and the Post-Graduate in Mariology.The Locus Mariologicus Institute is the world’s academic reference in Mariology. Discover our resources on Theology Mariana, Marian Apparitions, and the Post-Graduate in Mariology.
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