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A true child of Mary | Thy Sins are forgiven
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A true child of Mary

Friends in Christ.  today is Saturday, the day of Our Lady.[i] Many of the great saints have said that devotion to Mary  is a sign of predestination – of salvation.  St. Augustine, St. Ephraim, Cyril, Germanus, Anselm, St. Bernard, and so many others have said this.  That to love Mary is a sign that we will go to heaven.  
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But to win the heart of the Blessed Virgin, it is not sufficient to honor her statue, or wear the scapular, or say that we are consecrated to her, no.  External things are only secondary to devotion.  
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Gentilucci says, it would be a grave error to suppose that devotion to Mary is more efficacious for salvation than obedience to her Son. Obedience to her Son is what Mary wants. Unless we pray, and do penance, help the needy,  forgive our neighbor, receive the sacraments, –  unless we observe God’s law,  we will end up like the Pharisees whom Christ criticized for their superficial life.  
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Our devotion to the Blessed Virgin must consist in a life  that tries to imitate her and her Son in the way we live. Mary shows us: humility, purity, charity, her obedience –  all the virtues.  
A child who said that he loves his mother, but then listens to none of the advice she gives  and remains a bad – how can this be honoring his mother?   
But if we honor Mary with the intention of having her as our model; seeking to be more and more like her Son – then we will infallibly arrive at the safety of heaven.   
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As guilty as a sinner may be,  whatever are the disorders of his life –  let him put his confidence in the Blessed Virgin; by going to this Mother and trying to please her, he will be turned from sinner into saint.  The sinner must only bring a desire to change, to repent, and with this, Mary will certainly help him.   
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A child of the Blessed Virgin should be making every effort to avoid sin and act with heroic virtue.  In that movie ‘The Passion of the Christ,’  there is the scene when Our Lord is being brutally scourged. He starts to weaken and slump down, getting discouraged; but then Jesus sees his Mother watching and praying for him, and with this one glance of hers, he is filled with renewed courage.   
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An athlete may be losing heart during a game, the fatigue is overwhelming him – but if he looks in the stands, and sees his mother there cheering for him, well – it’s a game changer.  He gives him new strength to persevere.  
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Living out our life, trying to be other ‘christs,’ under the watchful, motherly gaze of Mary is a game-changer.  It is our salvation.

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[i] ideas and quotes from ‘Life of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Gentilucci, p. 500

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