Dominus Tecum - "The Lord is with Thee"
To know the weight of the words "God is with you" spoken to me by a stranger, I imagine the magnitude of sheer sweetness to hear the words "The Lord is with Thee" spoken by one of God's holy angels.
"My beloved, the most pleasing and consoling words for my Mother are 'Dominus Tecum' ['The Lord is with Thee']. In fact, as soon as they were pronounced by the Archangel, She felt the whole of the Divine Being, being communicated to Her, and therefore She felt invested with divine Power, in such a way that, in the face of the divine Power, Her own power dissolved; and so my Mother remained with the divine Power in Her hands." - Our Lord Jesus Christ to Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta
Christ tells us that the most consoling words to His Mother, are "The Lord is with Thee." These most consoling words to our Blessed Mother in the "Hail Mary" reverently spoken by Archangel Gabriel, should be most consoling to us as well. "The Lord is with Thee." What more could we possibly want? What more could we possibly need? God is with us, may that be enough for us. When faced with trials, temptations, and doubts, say to yourself "The Lord is with Thee" and let it sink into the deepest recesses of your soul, where the Holy Trinity dwells within. God is with us; what an exhilarating, comforting, and joyous thought when truly pondered upon.
"If God is for us, who could be against us?" - Romans 8:31
A great spiritual practice is to say the "Hail Mary" slowly, while meditating upon the depth of each word being prayed. When Archangel Gabriel addressed Mary to inform Her that She was to be The Mother of God, he addressed Her saying, “Hail Full of Grace, The Lord is with Thee." How pleasing these words must have been to the soul of our Heavenly Mother. For to have God as a baby, means to nourish divinity within the womb. He who created the stars rests in the womb of The Holy Virgin. The Lord is with Mary, to the highest degree. When a woman finds out she is pregnant, she is overjoyed and overcome with emotion. For a woman to find out she is with a child, is a blessing from above. Now let us ponder upon the emotion of She who became pregnant with God. The greatest pregnancy reveal there was and ever will be, happened in Nazareth, and was announced by an angel.
I remember being on a plane one time, a little frantic and anxious, and the elderly man sitting next to me turned to me unexpectedly and whispered "Don't worry, God is with you." These words were so consoling to me, that I felt as if God had compelled this man to let me know that He was with me, and watching over me. To know the weight of the words "God is with you" spoken to me by a stranger, I imagine the magnitude of sheer sweetness to hear the words "The Lord is with Thee" spoken by one of God's holy angels.
The words "The Lord is with Thee" are a comforting balm to the soul. May we contemplate upon this great consolation and know that just like our Heavenly Mother, The Lord is with us. For upon receiving Christ's Body and Blood in Holy Communion, we become living tabernacles reflecting our Blessed Mother. Our Lady was the first tabernacle; containing God incarnate within Her Holy Womb. For when Mary heard that The Lord was with Her, it filled Her soul with such unutterable delight. May we also be filled with delight knowing that The Lord is with us.
When faced with the various sufferings of life, we often feel like God has abandoned us and left us alone in a sea of trials. The good news is that Jesus has promised that He will never leave us. "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you or forsake you." -Deuteronomy 31:6
God is with us because God is within us. We are made in God's image and likeness, and as baptized Catholics, we have the indwelling of The Holy Trinity within us. Jesus is saying to each one of us "How can I abandon you if I live within you?”
May we never forget, Dominus Tecum. "The Lord is with Thee."
October 6th is The Feast day of Saint Bruno, founder of the Carthusian Order.
"While the world changes, the Cross stands firm." - Saint Bruno
Serviam.