There’s No Place Like Home 🏠

The second week of Advent this year is a BIG one for Mother Mary!

💙 Go Team Mary! 💙

We celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on Monday (Lucys’ birthday!), Our Lady of Guadalupe on Thursday (my MIL’s birthday), and a day that I’m just starting to learn more about and LOVE, Our Lady of Loreto on Tuesday. Maybe you’ve heard of it, but maybe not, as it was only in 2019 that Pope Francis declared December 10th the optional Feast Day for Our Lady of Loreto.

If you’ve ever watched The Wizard of Oz, then you’re familiar with flying houses, but what if I told you it can happen in real life? 

Some believe angels transported Mary’s childhood home, which eventually became the Holy Family’s home, from Nazareth all the way to Loreto, Italy.

This is the same humble home in which Mary said yes to Angel Gabriel, her beautiful fiat, and where Joseph and Mary raised Jesus when they were back in Nazareth. If you’re feeling skeptical about this mystical happening, think about it this way: if God can raise his own son from the dead, then relocating a 31×13 foot home from one place to another seems like an easy day. (Here’s a helpful article to learn more about this.)

It’s not a short trip. I checked the Maps app and the trip from Nazareth to Loreto would’ve been well over 2,500 miles (which would take 35+ hours by car on an interstate going 65 mph). That’s a significant move for such a fragile building before highways and semi-trucks. Whether it was moved by angels or by other means, I believe God orders all things and can do all things.

It’s in Italy now for a reason. In fact, it is recorded that over 200 canonized saints have made pilgrimages to Loreto, including Ignatius of Loyola, Charles Borromeo, Thérèse of Lisieux, Frances Xavier Cabrini, Louis de Montfort, François de Sales, and John Paul II (twice!).

I was first introduced to Our Lady of Loreto by praying the Litany of Loreto through the Hallow app. (Btw, our family HIGHLY recommends this Catholic prayer app! We all use it daily and have heard the founder speak at a conference about the mission, which is solid).

The Litany of Loreto is stunning. It speaks to my soul!! Dating back to 1587, it is now known as the most famous litany. It was first approved for use in the Shrine of the Holy House of Loreto in Italy.

The Litany of Loreto, also called the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, contains many BEAUTIFUL titles and invocations for Mary. Here are a few that make my heart skip a beat with awe & wonder…

♡ Mother of Hope ♡

❤️‍🩹 Comforter of the Afflicted ❤️‍🩹 

💛 House of Gold 💛

💙 Refuge of Sinners 💙

𐃡 Vessel of Honour 𐃡

🤍 Gate of Heaven 🤍

⭐️  Morning Star ⭐️ 

🏠 Ark of the Covenant 🏠

🌹 Mystical Rose 🌹

And here I thought our youngest daughter Virginia Rose went by a lot of different names. (Virginia, Rose, Ro, Ginny, to start. Then there’s Roey, Ro-digs, and Virgy, which she allows me to call her once a day.)

These aren’t just cute nicknames, though. They are titles and attributes that help us wrap our hearts and minds around all that Mother Mary was, is, and will be forever.

I invite you to join me in praying the Litany of Loreto in the stillness of your Advent prayer time. I love to pick a part that stands out and sit in the quiet of my heart with it for a while.

For instance, Mystical Rose 🌹. So many images come to mind, but this week I think about the humble little leaf, the “tail end” (his words) St. Juan Diego, and the incredible miracle he received when Mary graciously provided him with a tilma full of roses on December 12, 1531, right when he needed a miracle. But, the roses weren’t the only gift she shared that day – what a surprise she had for him! What a Mystical Rose Mary is!

I hope the Litany of Loreto brings you even closer to our Holy Mother as continue our journey this Advent.

If it’s ordained by God, anything is possible, including roses in December, imprinted images on tilmas, and flying houses.

May we always remember that there’s no place like home – in Mary’s loving mantle. 💙

Holy Mother of God, Holy Virgin of virgins, Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church, Mother of mercy, Mother of divine grace, pray for us!

P.S. I watched an awesome video by Chris Stefanick this week about Our Lady of Guadalupe that provided historical context for her arrival in Mexico that helped me to understand more fully what a big deal this was for the conversion of Christianity in Mexico and the (now) deep devotion to Catholicism found there. Hope you check it out!