Seton Magazine Catholic Homeschool Articles, Advice & Resources
Today, September 8th, we celebrate the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was given the unique gift of being conceived without Original Sin. She was born full of grace. Nevertheless, she still had a free will, just as we do. Unlike us, however, Mary remained faithful throughout her life.
Artistic works of Mary as a little girl show her with her head uplifted, listening to Good Saint Anne as she learns the Old Testament stories and the predictions about a Messiah. St. Anne wanted her daughter to have the benefit of learning more about God from the Temple priests, and so enrolled her in the Temple school.
The beautiful miraculous painting Mother Most Admirable shows the young Virgin sitting in the Temple with her spinning staff at one side and the spindle in her hand, faithful to her domestic duties. With her hands at rest and her head gently bowed, she seems to be in quiet meditation as she offers herself to obey God’s will.
When the angel Gabriel appeared to her, she wanted to be faithful to her duty in the Temple and faithful to her vow to remain a virgin. When the angel Gabriel spoke to her, she realized instantly that God was calling her to be faithful to His Will, to His plan, and not to her own will. Yet she was able to remain a virgin and become the Mother of God, as He willed.
The Most Faithful Blessed Virgin Mary remained faithful as she made the difficult trip to Bethlehem, followed by the difficult trip to Egypt. She and Joseph were faithful in teaching their God-Son, not only by good example but also by living out God’s Will in their family. Jesus grew in experiential knowledge, wisdom, and grace before God and Man.
The Most Faithful Virgin stood at the foot of the Cross during the terrible sufferings of her Son. She remained faithful to the Apostles and disciples after the crucifixion and was with them on Pentecost Sunday.
The Most Faithful Virgin has remained with us, her Son’s present-day disciples, for more than two-thousand years, appearing many times to children and adults, priests and laypeople, monks and nuns, soldiers and housewives!
We homeschooling Catholic mothers and fathers pray to the Blessed Mother Virgin Most Faithful, to help us be faithful to Jesus and to the graces we received at the Sacrament of Matrimony. We pray to the Virgin Most Faithful to help us be faithful to our primary duty as parents, to teach our children to be faithful to the Christ-given teachings of the Catholic Church. God will not be outdone and will be faithful to His promises by repeating to us the words “Well done, good and faithful servant. Because you have been faithful over a few things, I will place you over many. Enter into the joy of the Lord.”
Virgin Most Faithful, pray for us and our children! Amen.
