The Catholic Artists Society – Advent Evening of Recollection

Last Thursday,  in the original cathedral of the New York Archdiocese , Fr. Austin Litke, O.P. , Assistant Chaplain at the Catholic Center at NYU,  gave a spiritual talk at an Advent evening of recollection sponsored by The Catholic Artists Society. The topic was the beauty of the Virgin Mary as evidenced by the Litany of Loreto. (Fr. Litke noted that  a Dominican Pope, St. Pius V, had tried to ban the Litany of Loreto in the 16th century, only to have a subsequent Franciscan Pope restore it).

Fr. Litke concentrated on three attributes of Mary.  First,  Domus Aurea.  The emperor Nero had also used this term for the extravagant palace he constructed in Rome after the Great Fire there – with a monstrous statue of himself as the centerpiece.  But God placed his own exact image – the Son – in the womb of the virgin, who shone with moral beauty.  Second,  Rosa Mystica.    The rose has always been considered a peculiarly beautiful flower reflecting the glory of God.  Mary is indeed the greatest of roses but she is also a “mystical” or hidden flower. She now intercedes for us even thought she is removed from our eyes. Third,  Mirror of Justice. “Justice” is used here in the sense of Justification or righteousness. Mary is the exact image of God – not by reason of her proximity to Him but out of her love or charity. Time for silent prayer and reflection, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction followed.

Afterwards, there was a reception in the rectory.