OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP

by Linda O'Brien, FTI on June 27, 2007 · 0 comments

OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP

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In this ancient icon, the child Jesus flees to the comforting arms of His mother in such haste that He nearly loses a sandal. He clings to her for reassurance as He looks with apprehension over His shoulder.

The Archangels Gabriel and Michael hover in the background, bearing the instruments of the Passion. On the left, St. Michael holds the jar filled with sour wine, the reed tipped with a sponge and the lance that would later pierce His side. On the right, St. Gabriel brings the Cross.

Jesus is clothed as an adult, not as a child. He wears a rich cloak, called a himation, which is symbolic of His divine royalty. The Virgin Mary wears a maphorion, or cloak and a veil over her dress. Jesus’ halo includes the letters “I AM,” symbolizing His divinity and referring to His words, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” The Greek letters “IC XC” are the abbreviation for “Jesus Christ” and “MP ØY” are the abbreviation for “Mother of God.”

The Greek letters above the Archangels are the abbreviations for their names. Mary's face is calm but expresses sadness, as if recalling Simeon’s words, “… and a sword will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:35). Also known as “Our Mother of Sorrows,” Christians have venerated this icon for centuries.

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, you have been blessed and favored by God. You became not only the Mother of the Redeemer but the Mother of the redeemed as well. We come to you today as your loving children. Watch over us and take care of us. As you held the child Jesus in your loving arms, so take us in your arms. Be a mother ready at every moment to help us. For God who is mighty has done great things for you, and his mercy is from age to age on those who love him. Our greatest fear is that in time of temptation, we may fail to call out to you, and become lost children. Intercede for us, dear Mother, in obtaining pardon for our sins, love for Jesus, final perseverance, and the grace always to call upon you, Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Amen.

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June 27th is also the feast of St. Cyril of Alexandria

st cyril

St. Cyril defended the Dogma of Mary as Mother of God at the council of Ephesus and against the heresies of Nestorius. The Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours today is this:

(Heavenly) Father,

the bishop Cyril courageously taught

that Mary was the Mother of God.

May we who cherish this belief receive salvation

through the Incarnation of Christ Your Son,

Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit

One God, forever and ever.

Amen.

By Linda O'Brien

OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP

by Linda O'Brien, FTI on May 7, 2007

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The Meaning behind the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Frightened by the vision of two angels showing Him the instruments of the Passion,

 the child Jesus has run to His Mother, almost losing, in His haste, one of His sandals.

Mary holds Him in Her arms reassuringly and lovingly. Notice Her eyes.

They look not at Jesus, but at us.

Is this not a touch of genius?

 How better to express Our Lady’s plea to us to avoid sin and love Her Son?

Jesus’ little hands, are pressed into Mary’s as a reminder to us that, j

ust as on earth He placed Himself entirely in Her hands for protection,

so now in Heaven He has given into Her hands all graces,

to distribute to those who ask Her.

This is the principal message of the icon.

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A Prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help:

O Mother of Perpetual Help, I invoke your powerful name which is the safeguard of the living and the salvation of the dying. O purest and sweetest Mary, hear me when I call upon you for help in all my physical and spiritual needs. I offer myself into your hands… Hold me close to your heart as your would your Son Jesus and ask the angels, Michael and Gabriel, to keep watch over me always in times of trouble and temptation. Amen.

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 Prayer to Our Mother of Perpetual Help

O Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke your most powerful name, which is the safeguard of the living and the salvation of the dying. O Purest Mary, O Sweetest Mary, let your name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, O Blessed Lady, to help me whenever I call on you, for, in all my needs, in all my temptations I shall never cease to call on you, ever repeating your sacred name, Mary, Mary. O what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, what emotion fill my soul when I pronounce your sacred name, or even only think of you. I thank God for having given you, for my good, so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely pronouncing your name: let my love for you prompt me ever to hail you, Mother of Perpetual Help. 

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By Linda O'Brien

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

by Fr. William Saunders on July 7, 2006

What is the story behind the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help?



The icon (about 54 x 41.5 centimeters) depicts our Blessed Mother Mary under the title “Mother of God,” holding the Child Jesus. The Archangels Michael and Gabriel, hovering in the upper corners, hold the instruments of the Passion: St. Michael (in the left corner) holds the spear, the wine-soaked sponge and the crown of thorns, and St. Gabriel (in the right corner) holds the cross and the nails. The intent of the artist was to portray the Child Jesus contemplating the vision of His future Passion. The anguish He feels is shown by the loss of one of His sandals. Nevertheless, the icon also conveys the triumph of Christ over sin and death, symbolized by the golden background (a sign of the glory of the resurrection) and the manner in which the angels hold the instruments, i.e. like trophies gathered up from Calvary on Easter morning.

In a very beautiful way, the Child Jesus grasps the hand of the Blessed Mother. He seeks comfort from His mother as He sees the instruments of His passion. The position of Mary’s hands — both holding the Child Jesus (who seems like a small adult) and presenting Him to us — convey the reality of our Lord’s incarnation, that He is true God who became also true man. In iconography, Mary here is represented as the Hodighitria, the one who guides us to the Redeemer. She also is our Help, who intercedes on our behalf with her Son. The star painted on Mary’s veil, centered on her forehead, highlights her role in the plan of salvation as both the Mother of God and our Mother.

According to popular tradition, a merchant acquired the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help from the island of Crete and had it shipped to Rome towards the end of the 15th century. During the voyage, a terrible storm arose, threatening the lives of all on the ship. The passengers and crew prayed to our Blessed Mother and were saved.

Once in Rome, the merchant, dying, ordered that the image should be displayed for public veneration. His friend, who retained the image, received further instructions: in his little daughter's dream, the Blessed Mother appeared and expressed the desire for the image to be venerated in a church between the Basilicas of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran in Rome. The image consequently was housed at the Church of St. Matthew, and became known as “The Madonna of St. Matthew.” Pilgrims flocked to the church for the next 300 years, and great graces were bestowed upon the faithful.

After Napoleon’s troops destroyed the Church of St. Matthew in 1812, the image was transferred to the Church of St. Mary in Posterula, and remained there for nearly 40 years. There, the image was neglected and forgotten.

By divine providence, the forgotten image was rediscovered. In 1866, Blessed Pope Pius IX entrusted the image to the Redemptorists, who had just built the Church of St. Alphonsus, down the street from St. Mary Major. As a boy, the Holy Father had prayed before the image in the Church of St. Matthew. He ordered the public display and veneration of the image, and fixed the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help as the Sunday before the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. In 1867, when the image was being carried in a solemn procession through the streets, a young child was cured, the first of many recorded miracles attributed to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

To this day, the Church of St. Alphonsus displays the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and welcomes pilgrims for prayer. May each of us never hesitate to invoke the prayers and intercession of Our Blessed Mother in time of need.

Fr. Saunders is pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Potomac Falls and a professor of catechetics and theology at Notre Dame Graduate School in Alexandria. If you enjoy reading Fr. Saunders's work, his new book entitled Straight Answers (400 pages) is available at the Pauline Book and Media Center of Arlington, Virginia (703/549-3806).

(This article courtesy of the Arlington Catholic Herald.)

By Fr. William Saunders

Fr. Saunders is pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Potomac Falls and a professor of catechetics and theology at Notre Dame Graduate School in Alexandria. If you enjoy reading Fr. Saunders's work, his new book entitled Straight Answers (400 pages) is available at the Pauline Book and Media Center of Arlington, Virginia (703/549-3806).