On the Feast of Our Lady of Ransom

In the 13th century many Spanish Catholics were enslaved by the Saracens, often tortured as a way to get them to renounce their Faith.  St. Peter Nolasco worked for 15 years to ransom these captives, all the while imploring heaven's help for this task.  On August 1, 1218 the Blessed Mother, our Lady of Ransom, appeared separately to St. Peter Nolasco, his confessor St. Raymond of Penafort, and King James the I of Aragon, urging them to create an order bearing her name of mercy to carry out this great work of charity.  Thus the Order of our Lady of Mercy, or Mercedarians as it was later called, was established by King James, with the order's rules consisting of raising alms for the ransom of Catholics or even giving their lives for the exchange of those enslaved.  Their constitution states,
“to visit and to free Christians who are in captivity and in power of the Saracens or of other enemies of our Law… By this work of mercy… all the brothers of this Order, as sons of true obedience, must always be gladly disposed to give up their lives, if it is necessary, as Jesus Christ gave up His for us.”

In thanksgiving for Mary's help, a feast day was established and later extended throughout the whole Church by Pope Innocent XII.  Thus holy Mother Church honors Our Lady of Ransom on September 24.  Pope Leo XIII encouraged the devotion of this feast, especially encouraging remembrance of how our Lady ransoms us from the slavery of our sins.

"No other reason is needed than that of a Divine faith which, by a powerful and most pleasant impulse, persuades us towards Mary. Nothing is more natural, nothing more desirable than to seek a refuge in the protection and in the loyalty of her to whom we may confess our designs and our actions, our innocence and our repentance, our torments and our joys, our prayers and our desires. All men, moreover, are filled with the hope and confidence that petitions which might be received with less favor from the lips of unworthy men, God will accept when they are recommended by the most Holy Mother, and will grant with all favors."--Pope Leo XIII

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Prayer to Our Lady, Mother of Mercy

Blessed Virgin Mary, who can worthily repay you with praise and thanks for having rescued a fallen world by your generous consent! Receive our gratitude, and by your prayers obtain the pardon of our sins. Take our prayers into the sanctuary of heaven and enable them to make our peace with God.

Holy Mary, help the miserable, strengthen the discouraged, comfort the sorrowful, pray for your people, plead for the clergy, intercede for all women consecrated to God. May all who venerate you feel now your help and protection. Be ready to help us when we pray, and bring back to us the answers to our prayers. Make it your continual concern to pray for the people of God, for you were blessed by God and were made worthy to bear the Redeemer of the world, who lives and reigns forever. Amen.
--Saint Augustine of Hippo

God bless!

+JMJ+