THE REDEDICATION OF ENGLAND AS MARY'S DOWRY

WHAT DOES THIS REDEDICATION OF ENGLAND AS THE DOWRY OF MARY MEAN?    IN 1381 ENGLAND WAS DEDICATED TO MARY AND SET APART FOR HER AMONG THE NATIONS AND NAMED THE DOWRY OF MARY.    WE HAD MANY NATIONAL SHRINES TO OUR LADY IN ENGLAND, WALSINGHAM BEING THE MOST POPULAR , BUT THERE WAS ALSO ONE IN BASINGSTOKE.   BUT WHAT WAS THIS DOWRY TO BE OFFERED MARY.    IT WAS NOT TH E FIELDS AND THE HILLS, BUT THE FAITH THAT PEOPLE HAD IN THE INTERCESSION OF MARY WITH HER SON.  THEY STOPPED DURING WORK IN THE FIELDS TO SAY THE ANGELUS, THEY TALKED AND PRAYED TO MARY, THEY WERE DEVOTED TO HER.    THAT WAS THE DOWRY.  AND THE CALL OF THE REDEDICATION IS FOR A RETURN TO THAT FAITH.   THE BISHOP WILL BE REDEDICATING ENGLAND AND HIS DIOCESE AT THE CATHEDRAL, IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK US TO REDEDICATE OUR PARISH AND OUR FAMILIES HERE AT ST JOSEPHS.

SOME WILL  SAY 'WELL THAT WAS IN MEDIEVAL TIMES.  DEVOTION TO MARY WAS NOT IN THE EARLY CHURCH'   ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS TO HAPPEN TO ME WAS TO FIND THAT THROUGH THE INTERNET I CAN GO BACK TO THE EARLY CHURCH AND SAY 'YES IT WAS'.    FROM THE BEGINNING THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH SAW MARY AS THE NEW EVE.   WHEREAS THE OLD EVE WAS UNFAITHFUL AND BROUGHT DEATH, THE NEW EVE WAS FAITHFUL AND BROUGHT LIFE.   THIS MEANT TO THEM THAT MARY WAS BORN IMMACULATE, SO WHEN LUKE WAS DESCRIBING THE ANNUNCIATION HE WROTE THAT THE ANGEL SAID 'HAIL FULL OF GRACE' .    ST JUSTIN MARTYR IN 150 AD, WROTE THAT WITHOUT MARY THERE COULD HAVE BEEN NO JESUS FOR SHE HAD BEEN ESPECIALLY CREATED FOR HIM.

I BEG YOU TO SAY SOME  PRAYERS FOR THE SUCCESS OF THIS VENTURE.   YOUR CHILDREN NEED THE LOVE OF MARY.   IF YOU CAN, SAY JUST ONE DECADE OF
 THE ROSARY WITH THEM EVERY DAY.   I DELIGHT IN WATCHING SO MANY PARENTS TAKING THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN TO THE STATUE OF MARY, LIGHTING A CANDLE AND SAYING A PRAYER.   IT DELIGHTS MARY BECAUSE SHE LOVES THEM SO MUCH.  


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