• =?UTF-8?Q?August_26th_=E2=80=93_Our_Lady_of_Czestochowa?=

    From rich@1:396/4 to All on Sat Aug 25 10:06:56 2018
    From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

    August 26th =E2=80=93 Our Lady of Czestochowa
    Also known as=E2=80=A2 Black Madonna of Czestochowa, Czarna Madonna, Hodegetria, Imago thaumaturga Beatae Virginis Mariae Immaculatae
    Conceptae, Matka Boska Czestochowska, One Who Shows the Way.

    Our Lady of Czestochowa is a revered icon of the Virgin Mary housed at
    the Jasna G=C3=B3ra Monastery in Cz=C4=99stochowa, Poland. Several Pontiffs=
    have
    recognised the venerated icon, beginning with Pope Clement XI who
    issued a Canonical Coronation to the image on 8 September 1717 via the
    Vatican Chapter. Patron of Poland.

    According to tradition, the icon of Jasna G=C3=B3ra (Bright Mountain) was painted by Luke the Evangelist on a tabletop built by Jesus himself
    and the icon was discovered by St Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine
    and collector of Christian relics in the Holy Land. The icon was then
    enshrined in the imperial city of Constantinople, according to the
    legend, where it remained for the next 500 years.

    In 803, the painting is said to have been given as a wedding gift from
    the Byzantine emperor to a Greek princess, who married a Ruthenian
    nobleman. The image was then placed in the royal palace at Belz, where
    it remained for nearly 600 years.

    History first combines with tradition upon the icon's arrival in
    Poland in 1382 with a Polish army fleeing the Tartars, who had struck
    it with an arrow.

    Legend has it that during the looting of Belz, a mysterious cloud
    enveloped the chapel containing the image. A monastery was founded in Cz=C4=99stochowa to enshrine the icon in 1386 and soon King Jagiello built
    a cathedral around the chapel containing the icon.

    However, the image soon came under attack once again. In 1430,
    Hussites (pre-Reformation reformers) attacked the monastery, slashed
    the Virgin's face with a sword, and left it desecrated in a puddle =
    of
    blood and mud.

    It is said that when the monks pulled the icon from the mud, a
    miraculous fountain appeared, which they used to clean the painting.
    The icon was repainted in Krakow, but both the arrow mark and the
    gashes from the sword were left and remain clearly visible today.

    The miracle for which the Black Madonna of Cz=C4=99stochowa is most famous occurred in 1655, when Swedish troops were about to invade
    Cz=C4=99stochowa. A group of Polish soldiers prayed fervently before the
    icon for deliverance and the enemy retreated. In 1656, King John
    Casimir declared Our Lady of Cz=C4=99stochowa =E2=80=9CQueen of Poland=E2= =80=9D and made
    the city the spiritual capital of the nation.
    The Virgin again came to the aid of her people in 1920, when the
    Soviet Russian Red Army gathered on the banks of the Vistula River,
    preparing to attack Warsaw. The citizens and soldiers fervently prayed
    to Our Lady of Cz=C4=99stochowa and on September 15, the Feast of Our Lady
    of Sorrows, she appeared in the clouds above Warsaw. The Russians were
    defeated in a series of battles later dubbed the =E2=80=9CMiracle at the Vistula.=E2=80=9D

    During Nazi occupation, Hitler prohibited pilgrimages to Jasna G=C3=B3ra
    but many still secretly made the journey. In 1945, after Poland was
    liberated, half a million pilgrims journeyed to Czestochowa to express
    their gratitude. On September 8, 1946, 1.5 million people gathered at
    the shrine to rededicate the entire nation to the Immaculate Heart of
    Mary. During the Cold War, Jasna G=C3=B3ra was a centre of anti-Communist resistance. Czestochowa is regarded as the most popular shrine in
    Poland, with many Polish Catholics making a pilgrimage there every
    year. A pilgrimage has left Warsaw every August 6 since 1711 for the
    nine-day, 140-mile trek. Elderly pilgrims recall stealing through the
    dark countryside at great personal risk during the German Nazi
    occupation. Pope John Paul II secretly visited as a student pilgrim
    during World War II. He was a fervent devotee of the Virgin Mary and
    of her icon at Czestochowa. As pope, he made pilgrimages to pray
    before the Black Madonna in 1979, 1983, 1991 and 1997.

    The four-foot-high painting displays a traditional composition well
    known in the icons of Eastern Christians. The Virgin Mary is shown as
    the =E2=80=9CHodegetria=E2=80=9D (=E2=80=9COne Who Shows the Way=E2=80=9D).=
    In it the Virgin directs
    attention away from herself, gesturing with her right hand toward
    Jesus as the source of salvation. In turn, the child extends his right
    hand toward the viewer in blessing while holding a book of gospels in
    his left hand. The icon shows the Madonna in fleur-de-lis robes.

    Saint Quote:
    =E2=80=9CHe who does not acquire the love of God will scarcely persevere in
    the grace of God, for it is very difficult to renounce sin merely
    through fear of chastisement.=E2=80=9D
    --Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

    Bible Quote:
    22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a
    sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the
    heart. (1 Pet 1:22) RSVCE


    <><><><>
    Prayer to Our Lady of Czestochowa
    Our Lady of Czestochowa,
    Queen of Poland, pray for us.
    Holy Mother of Czestochowa,
    you are full of grace, goodness and mercy.
    I consecrated to you all my thoughts,
    words and actions =E2=80=93 my soul and body.
    I beseech your blessings
    and especially prayers for my salvation.
    Today I consecrate myself to you, good Mother, totally =E2=80=93
    with body and soul amid joy and sufferings,
    to obtain for myself and others,
    your blessings on this earth
    and eternal life in heaven. Amen
    --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
    * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)