Our Lady of Perpetual Help
The Greek inscriptions read MP-ΘΥ (Μήτηρ Θεοῦ, Mother of God), ΟΑΜ (Ὁ Ἀρχάγγελος Μιχαήλ, Michael the Archangel), ΟΑΓ (Ὁ Ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριήλ, Gabriel the Archangel) and IC-XC (Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Jesus Christ), respectively.
The Blessed Virgin Mary wears a dress of dark red under her blue veil. In Byzantine iconography, red is the color of the empress, the Queen.
The subject shows Mary looking towards the faithful, while pointing at her son, Jesus Christ who from legend ran into the arms of His Mother frightened by the the instruments of His Passion presented to him by Angels, losing a shoe in the process.
The left side is Saint Michael the Archangel — carrying the lance and the sponge of the Crucifixion
On the right side is Saint Gabriel the Archangel carrying a 3-bar cross and nails.
The Virgin Mary has a star on her head signifying her role as Star of the Sea while the cross on the side has been claimed as referring to the Greek monastery which produced the icon.
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The Story Behind The Image
The Image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help or Our Lady of Perpetual Succour as she is sometimes called, is an icon. This icon is the most popular of all Mary's images. it is the only icon Our Lady has named, and the only one often described as "miraculous." It has been reproduced more than any other picture in existence.
Regarded as a faithful copy of a painting of Our Blessed Lady attributed to St. Luke, it was brought from Crete to Rome in 1499. and since then wonders of grace and nature have accompanied it.
In Rome, Our Lady came to a little child and said, "Tell your mother that Holy Mary of Perpetual Help requests her icon to be placed in the Church of St. Matthew."
When Our Lady's wish was granted, people flocked to her icon, and for 300 years, "Holy Mary of Perpetual Help" was venerated in St. Matthew's, till Napoleon occupied Rome, destroying St. Matthew's in the process.
The Icon however was not destroyed. It was rescued by the youthful Brother Augustine Orsetti and brought to a Monastery of Irish Augustinians, St. Mary's in Posterula. Here, Brother Augustine kept the secret of the Icon to himself, till after fifty years, he alone of all the world remembered the story and power of the miraculous Icon.
To St. Mary's Monastery each day, to serve the morning Mass, came a boy of ten, Michael Machi. One day, Brother Augustine brought Michael to the Icon and confided him a secret, -
"Michael, Michael, do not forget it, this is the original Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual help. It is extraordinary, Michael. It is miraculous. Everyone has now forgotten. Do not you forget."
Michael did forget, and Brother Augustine died.
Years later, Pope Pius IX requested the Redemptorists to build a Monastery in Rome, and the site they chose was near the ruin of St. Matthew's Church. To their surprise, information came to light about the power and prestige of an ancient Icon which Our lady herself had named and requested to be honored on this very site.
"It was possibly destroyed," concluded the Redemptorists, when Napoleon destroyed St. Matthew's."
"It was not destroyed, and I know where it is," said one of them. He was Father Michael Machi.
The boy of years before had become a Redemptorist, and now it all came back to him; "Michael, Michael, do not forget it. It is extraordinary. It is miraculous". He went to St. Mary's Monastery, saw the icon again, and sensed the immensity of the secret Brother Augustine had entrusted to him.
The story came to the notice of Pope Pius IX. Realizing that Our Lady was entrusting herself to the care of the Redemptorists, he said, "Place Mary's Icon where she wants it to be, in your new Church of St. Alphonsus near the site of old St. Matthew's. Moreover I command you, make her known under her chosen title throughout the world."
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.
That is why the Redemptorists love her. That is why they bring her Icon everywhere, and consider it their privilege to make her known as "Mother of Perpetual Help."
The Icon's Meaning
Every picture tells a story. Every Icon proclaims a message. This Icon proclaims the message that Mary, able to comfort Christ in His sufferings, is able to comfort us in ours. Christ is the Redeemer whose sorrow is perpetually present to Him. Mary is the Mother whose help is perpetually present to us.
The Icon proclaims Mary as Mother of God, - the Greek letters near Mary's crown mean"Mother of God." The Icon also proclaims the place of Angels in Redemption. The Greek letters near the Angel with a lance, reed and sponge mean, "Archangel Michael," Those near the Angel with a Cross and nails mean, "Archangel Gabriel." Beside Our Lord are the Greek initials for "Jesus Christ."
Jesus disturbed by a Vision of His future death, runs to His Mother's arms for help. He is shown in a state of agitation. Mary is shown in a state of calm. Jesus is so agitated He turns His Head from side to side, only to realize that on each side is the inescapable Vision of Calvary presented in a dignified frightening way by the Angels of Redemption, Michael and Gabriel.
Jesus begins to tremble, and the trembling loosens the strap of His sandal, which remains attached to His foot by a single strand Placing His hands in Mary's, He clings to her, reminding us that a soul shaken by fear or temptation can be saved from despair by the single strand of confidence in Mary.
Our Lady's eyes look, not at the Cross or nails, but at us. Her EYES speak and say, "I give my Child for your Redemption. Do not be afraid. Place your hands, as Jesus does, in mine. He and I are with you always. He has made me His Mother, that I may be your Mother of Perpetual Help. My Icon is the place on earth where I meet you in every need. How can you ever fear?"
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.
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A Prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Oh Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I
may ever invoke your powerful name, the protection of the living and
the salvation of the dying. Purest Mary, let your name henceforth be
ever on my lips. Delay not, Blessed Lady, to rescue me whenever I call
on you. In my temptations, in my needs, I will never cease to call on
you, ever repeating your sacred name, Mary, Mary. What a consolation,
what sweetness, what confidence fills my soul when I utter your sacred
name or even only think of you! I thank the Lord for having given you
so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with
merely uttering your name. Let my love for you prompt me ever to hail
you Mother of Perpetual Help.
Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for me and grant me the favor I confidently ask of you. (mention your petition)
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Our Lady of Perpetual Help - Picture in Glass Frame,
This picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help ( below) was awarded to my younger brother for 2nd Prize in Standard 1, around 1952, by the Sisters of Mercy at St. Patrick's Primary School, Bryndwr, Christchurch, New Zealand
The picture was held by my mother after my brother's death in 1974, which she then passed on to me around 2004
The picture was printed in Switzerland
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| The picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in glass frame (6x4") |
Up till recently I hadn't given much significance to this picture of Our Lady, and only had a vague idea of its significance and over time somehow this picture ended up on my mantle piece which serves as our home altar in the lounge, probably as sentimental value in respect to my diseased younger brother, and it wasn't until recently, that by chance, looking through some holy picture cards, I came across a small leaflet, which I have based this blog on, describing the image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, and the very same picture that had been awarded to my brother some 70 years ago!
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This video is well worth watching even though it is a couple of years old.
A Brief Summary of the Video
On October 13, 2016, antipope Francis spoke to a group comprised of Lutherans and people who claim to be Catholic. In his speech he uttered another astounding heresy. Francis condemned proselytism/ trying to convert people again as he so often does, and was reported as saying, "It's not right to convince someone of your faith." "Proselytism is the strongest venom against the path of ecumenism."
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Latest developments with the virus (COVID) and another variant surfaces only to add more confusion
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And the latest on the truth about the COVID vaccine
REPORT: Pfizer Vaccine Confirmed To Cause Neurodegenerative Diseases – Study
"In a shocking new report on the COVID-19 vaccines, it has been discovered that the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine may have long term health effects not previously disclosed, including 'ALS, Alzheimer’s, and other neurological degenerative diseases.'
'The current RNA based SARSCoV-2 vaccines were approved in the US using an emergency order without extensive long term safety testing,' the report declares. 'In this paper the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was evaluated for the potential to induce prion-based disease in vaccine recipients.' Prion-based diseases are, according to the CDC, a form of neurodegenerative diseases, meaning that the Pfizer vaccine is potentially likely to cause long term damage and negative health effects with regards to the brain.
This is especially concerning since the Pfizer vaccine is an mRNA vaccine, an untested type of vaccine which creates new proteins and can actually integrate into the human genome, according to a report from the National Library of Medicine. In other words, degenerative brain conditions may appear at any time in your life after receiving the vaccine.
'The RNA sequence of the vaccine as well as the spike protein target interaction were analyzed for the potential to convert intracellular RNA binding proteins TAR DNA binding protein (TDP-43) and Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) into their pathologic prion conformations,' explains the report. TDP-43 is a protein known to cause dementia, ALS and even Alzheimer’s, according to Alzpedia. Similarly, the FUS protein is known to cause ALS and Hereditary Essential Tremors, according to the Human Genome Database.
The experiment done for the report was to determine whether or not these two harmful proteins embed themselves into our DNA, as an mRNA vaccine is expected to do. The report determined that 'the vaccine RNA has specific sequences that may induce TDP-43 and FUS to fold into their pathologic prion confirmations,' meaning that both proteins have the potential to embed themselves into our DNA and cause harmful neurological diseases.
The report’s abstract summary concludes that 'The enclosed finding as well as additional potential risks leads the author to believe that regulatory approval of the RNA based vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 was premature and that the vaccine may cause much more harm than benefit.' The report itself ends with this warning: 'The vaccine could be a bioweapon and even more dangerous than the original infection.'
National File actually reached out to the CDC to inquire as to why the Pfizer vaccine is still being distributed despite these credible allegations. No response was received prior to publication."
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WOW!
HEATHROW PRISON CLIP IS CRAZY!
June 17, 2021
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