Saint Francis Novena | Day Seven: Mary

Hail, holy Lady,
Most Holy Queen,
Mary, Mother of God,
Ever Virgin;
Chosen by the most holy Father in heaven,
Consecrated by him,
With his most holy beloved Son
And the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
On you descended and in you still remains
All the fullness of grace
And every good.
(Salutation of the Blessed Virgin)

Reflection

Francis of Assisi had a great devotion to Mary because he saw in her the model disciple, the person who kept saying throughout her life, “Let it be done to me according to your word.” Mary knew exactly who she was before God. The truth about her life was never a threat to her, something that needed to be covered up or enhanced.

Such internal freedom encourages the same freedom in all of us—if we put away the mistaken idea that we cannot show the same openness to God’s grace that she did. Mary lived according to God’s values so long and so deeply that eventually they made much more sense to her than any counterfeit freedom or values.

We become whatever we choose on a regular basis. Mary became a model disciple because she consistently made the choices that led her toward that goal.

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Saint Francis on…

Mary: “Our Lord Jesus Christ is the glorious Word of the Father, so holy and exalted, whose coming the Father made known by St Gabriel the Archangel to the glorious and blessed Virgin Mary, in whose womb he took on our weak human nature. He was rich beyond measure and yet he and his holy Mother chose poverty.”

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Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, your mother, Mary, was the most
genuinely free person who has ever lived. And yet
many people find that hard to believe. She did not
use her freedom to gain wealth, political power, or
high social standing. Knowing that she was doing your
will as best she could was always enough for her. May
we follow her example single-heartedly.

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