Produced by Karina Aleksandrova, JoAnn Greenwood and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
(This file was produced from images generously made
available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
MATER CHRISTI
MEDITATIONS ON OUR LADY
_BY THE SAME AUTHOR_
With a Preface to each volume by the Rev. JOSEPH RICKABY, S.J.
SPONSA CHRISTI. Meditations on the Religious Life.
PASSIO CHRISTI. Meditations for Lent.
DONA CHRISTI. Meditations for Ascension-tide, Whitsun-tide,
and Corpus Christi.
LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
LONDON, NEW YORK, BOMBAY, CALCUTTA, AND MADRAS
MATER CHRISTI
MEDITATIONS ON OUR LADY
BY
MOTHER ST PAUL
HOUSE OF RETREATS, BIRMINGHAM
AUTHOR OF "SPONSA CHRISTI," "PASSIO CHRISTI," ETC.
WITH A PREFACE BY
REV. JOSEPH RICKABY, S.J.
_Mater Christi, ora pro nobis_
NEW IMPRESSION
LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO.
39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON
FOURTH AVENUE AND 30TH STREET, NEW YORK
BOMBAY, CALCUTTA, AND MADRAS
1920
All rights reserved
=Nihil obstat=
JOSEPHUS RICKABY, S.J.
_Censor deputatus._
=Imprimatur=
[+] EDUARDUS
_Archiep. Birmingamien._
_Die 31 Oct. 1918._
PREFACE
_JESUS CHRIST, yesterday and to-day, the same also for ever._ (Heb.
xiii. 8.) His salvation extends to all generations. _My salvation shall
endure for ever, and My righteousness shall not fail._ (Isaias li. 6.)
Also He says: _My words shall not pass away_. (Matt. xxiv. 35.) He is
the Teacher of all times, and that as well by His actions as by His
words, by what He said and by what He did. It was His _to do and to
teach_. (Acts i. 1.) It is ours, ours in this twentieth century, to
listen to what He says, and to mark what He does. It is ours to hear Him
and to see Him, spiritually. That we do by reading of His gospel, by
listening to sermons, and very particularly by meditation, or by what St
Ignatius calls "contemplation" of the mysteries of His life. To
"contemplate" in the Ignatian sense is to make yourself present at some
scene of our Saviour's life and behold it all, as it were, re-enacted
before your eyes. It is the process called in modern philosophy
"visualisation." These Meditations are composed on the Ignatian plan of
_visualising_ what Our Lord did, said, and suffered. _Blessed are they
who hear the word of GOD and keep it._ (Luke xi. 28.) Blessed are they
who take pains thus to _hear_ what their Saviour _says_, to
_contemplate_ and _visualise_ what He _does_. They are the persons most
likely, with Mary, to _keep all these words in their heart_ (Luke ii.
51), and in their measure to fulfil the teaching of the _Teacher of all
nations_. (Matt. xxviii. 19.)
JOSEPH RICKABY, S.J.
_20th October 1918._
_Dignare me laudare te, Virgo sacrata_
CONTENTS
PAGE
Prayers before and after Meditation 1
Meditations
1. Immaculate! 2
2. Mary's Birthday 6
3. Her Presentation in the Temple 9
4. Her Marriage 14
5. Hail Mary! 18
6. Mary's First Word. ("_How shall this be done?_") 23
7. Her Second Word. ("_Behold the Handmaid of the Lord_") 27
8. Her Third Word. (Her Salutation to Elizabeth) 30
9. Her Fourth Word. (The _Magnificat_) 35
10. Her Silence 38
11. Her Expectation 42
12. The Stable 45
13. The Circumcision of her Son 49
14. Her Purification 52
15. Wise Men and Babes 56
16. Egypt 60
17. Mary's Fifth Word. ("_Son, why hast Thou done so to
us?_") 65
18. Nazareth 68
19. Mary's Sixth Word. ("_They have no wine_") 74
20. Her Seventh Word. ("_Whatsoever He shall say to you,
do ye_") 77
21. "Who is My Mother?" 80
22. The Fourth and Fifth Dolours. (_Meeting JESUS with His
Cross, and The Crucifixion_) 84
23. The Sixth and Seventh Dolours. (_The Taking down from
the Cross and The Burial_) 88
24. The First Glorious Mystery 92
25. The Second and Third Glorious Mysteries 95
26. Mary's Exile 99
27. Her Death 104
28. Her Tomb 107
29. "Who is She?" (The Fourth Glorious Mystery) 110
30. Mary's Coronation. (The Fifth Glorious Mystery) 114
31. Salve Regina 118
MATER CHRISTI
PRAYERS
Before Meditation
O Holy Ghost, give me a great devotion and a great attraction towards
Mary, Thy spouse; a great support in her maternal bosom, and an abiding
refuge in her mercy; so that in her and by her Thou mayest form in me
JESUS Christ.
(_Blessed Grignon de Montfort._)
Memorare, O piissima Virgo Maria, non esse auditum a saeculo, quemquam ad
tua currentem praesidia, tua implorantem auxilia, tua petentem suffragia,
esse derelictum. Ego, tali animatus confidentia, ad te Virgo virginum,
Mater, curro. Ad te venio; coram te gemens peccator assisto. Noli, Mater
Verbi, verba mea despicere; sed audi propitia et exaudi. Amen.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that
anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, and sought thy
intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to
thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee I come; before thee I
stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not
my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
(_300 days, each time._)
After Meditation
My Queen and my Mother, to thee I offer myself without reserve; and to
give thee a mark of my devotion, I consecrate to thee during this day,
my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, and my whole person. Since then I
belong to thee, O my good Mother, preserve and defend me, as thy
property and possession. Amen.
(_100 days, once a day, if said morning and evening._)
Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, sancta Dei Genitrix! nostras
deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus nostris, sed a periculis
cunctis, libera nos semper Virgo gloriosa et benedicta.
We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of GOD. Despise not our petitions
in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious
and blessed Virgin.
Immaculate!
"_Thy Holy Tabernacle which Thou hast prepared from, the
beginning._" (Wisdom ix. 8.)
_1st Prelude._ A picture or medal of the Immaculate
Conception.
_2nd Prelude._ Grace to understand.
_Point I._--THE PREPARATION OF THE TABERNACLE
Why should Mary be called a Tabernacle? She tells us herself--for the
Church applies these words to Mary: "He that created me rested in my
tabernacle." (Ecclus. xxiv. 12.) He sojourned there for a time Who "was
made flesh and dwelt (_tabernacled_ the Greek word means) among us."
When did GOD begin to prepare His Tabernacle? Was it on the day of the
Holy and Immaculate Conception? Was it when He spoke to our first
parents of "the seed of the woman"? Was it just before the War in
Heaven, when He revealed His plans to the first creatures of His Hands?
Long, long before! "From the beginning," the Holy Tabernacle was being
prepared. And _He_ says this, Who had no beginning, with Whom is
"neither beginning of days nor end of life," (Heb. vii. 3), Who says of
Himself: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." (Apoc. i.
8.) From all Eternity, then, the Holy Tabernacle was being prepared in
the mind of GOD.
What care GOD took in the preparation of Mary, because she was to be the
Mother of His Son! And what care He takes in His preparation of me! I,
too, have always been in the mind of GOD. "From the beginning" He has
prepared me to fulfil the end for which He created me. Here on earth we
are very careful about the training of those who are destined to fill
certain offices, and the higher the office the more careful the
training. How carefully are princes of royal blood trained! How careful
is the preparation of a Priest, of a Religious! But GOD has been at work
at the preparation long before we begin ours, and He is training for a
most important office, namely, the salvation of the soul--the end for
which He created every single child of Adam. All the chequered picture
of the life of GOD'S child forms a part of His preparation--all the ups
and downs, and windings and turnings, and things that seemed at the
time, perhaps, so useless. Mistakes and failures--even sin itself, He
can, by means of the contrition which it causes, turn to good account,
as He did in the cases of St Mary Magdalen, of St Peter, and of
innumerable others. He knows how to bring good out of evil, and to make
all work together for good to those who love Him.
What have I got to do, then, in the matter? Do as Mary did, prove my
love to Him by _co-operation_ in His plans for me. There must be no
complaint about what He arranges. Faith must be strong enough to
believe that, not only now in the present, all things are working
together to enable me to fulfil the end for which GOD created me; but
that in the past, too--that past which I so often allow to disturb my
peace--GOD was working, and preparing me step by step for what He
intended me to be. It is want of faith, really, which is often at the
bottom of all my problems and difficulties. I will not believe that He
forgives and forgets and brings good out of the evil. This it is which
interferes in GOD'S preparation of me, and makes me unfit for the work
for which He has so patiently been preparing me. Let me think to-day of
Mary's perfect co-operation, and ask her to obtain for me more faith and
more love.
_Point II._--THE HOLY TABERNACLE
What was it? A human body and soul specially prepared by GOD to be the
Tabernacle where His Son should rest--a body, we may well believe, more
than usually beautiful, for that body from which He that was "fairer
than the sons of men" was to take flesh, must needs be fair too. "Thou
art _all_ fair." But it was the _soul_ which made the Tabernacle holy.
Here the preparation had been special and unique. Mary's soul had a
beauty all its own, for neither original sin nor any of its effects had
ever touched it. Not only was it sinless, as my soul was after Baptism,
but, instead of being prone to evil, it was upright, and ever aspiring
after good. Never once was there a wilful imperfection in Mary's soul.
It is probable, too, that her understanding was enlightened, and that
she had the full use of reason from the moment of her Conception, that
is, from the moment when her body and soul were joined together. In her
will there was no weakness, it was in perfect conformity with GOD'S
Will; and in her heart there was no concupiscence. Her body, too, shared
in this wondrous liberty, for it knew neither sickness nor corruption.
But are we not making Mary almost equal with her Son? No, for the gulf
between them is that between the Creator and the creature. Could any
gulf be wider? Her Son was GOD, and was impeccable _by nature_. Mary was
impeccable _by grace_. Mary was sinless because GOD her Creator chose to
make her so, so that at the moment of her conception He was able to say:
"Thou art all fair--there is no spot in thee."
Such was "the Holy Tabernacle prepared from the beginning."
And Mary is my model! Does it seem impossible? Does it almost weary me
to have such perfection given me to copy? Let me answer my question by
another: _Could_ GOD do otherwise? Would it be worthy of Himself if He
were to give me anything less than a _perfect_ copy? If for our pupils,
who are studying merely things of time, we seek ever the best models,
can we expect GOD, Who is training for eternity, to give His pupils a
copy that is less than perfect? And the task need not discourage us. GOD
is not a hard master expecting to reap where He has not sown. He does
not expect more than He has given; He does not expect perfection; but He
does expect generous efforts. He does expect fidelity, and
correspondence to the grace He has given. It was her constant
perseverance in these virtues which kept Mary always full of grace and
pleasing to GOD, not the privilege of her Immaculate Conception.
"O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee."
Pray that I, who with all a child's love and admiration desire to copy
my Mother, may never be discouraged, but may go on, ever aiming at
perfection, and never surprised at the want of it; full of faults and
failings always, but full, too, of love and confidence and conformity to
GOD'S Will. So shall I one day, with my Mother's prayers and help, be
presented "spotless before the presence of His glory with exceeding
joy." (Jude 24.)
_Colloquy._ "O GOD, Who by the Immaculate Conception of a
Virgin didst prepare a worthy habitation for Thy Son, we
beseech Thee that Thou, Who through the foreseen death of Thy
same Son didst preserve her from all stain of sin, wouldst
grant also to us through her intercession to come pure to
Thee." (_Collect for the Feast of the Immaculate
Conception._)
_Resolution._ To strive to copy my model.
_Spiritual Bouquet._ "Be diligent, that ye may be found
undefiled and unspotted to Him in peace." (2 Peter iii. 14.)
Mary's Birthday
"_In me is all grace._" (Ecclus. xxiv. 25.)
_1st Prelude._ A picture of Our Lady's Nativity. St Anne is
holding up her babe, just swaddled, and offering it to GOD;
the nurse is waiting to put the little one in its cradle. St
Joachim is coming into the room. A Dove is hovering over the
babe's head. Angels are looking on.
_2nd Prelude._ Grace to look on with the Angels, and try to
understand.
_Point I._--THE ANGELS
What does it all mean? Why are the Angels so full of interest? Was the
birth of this little one so different from any other? It was indeed
miraculous, but Joachim and Anne were by no means the only ones thus
favoured. No, there is something beyond this which is engaging the
interest of the Angels. They see in this little babe, whom Anne is
offering to GOD, a sight to make them wonder and adore--they see a soul
which has never been touched by original sin. They had seen Adam created
in grace; they had seen Jeremias, and later would see John Baptist, both
spotless from their birth, but spotless because they had been _cleansed_
from original sin before birth. In these souls, however, they saw no
more than they see in each little soul as it leaves the baptismal font,
grace having taken the place of original sin. But in Mary they see a
sight which they have never seen before--a soul whose sanctity surpasses
that of angels and of men, a soul which will glorify GOD more perfectly
than any other creature ever has done, or will do. No wonder the Angels
are lost in admiration!
They have known about the Incarnation ever since the War in Heaven; now
they see one of the steps by which it was to be accomplished. They see
the "tabernacle prepared," and at its side they will never cease to
wonder and praise GOD, as long as that pure soul stays in this land of
exile.
_Point II._--THE BABE
Mary was born with an end to fulfil, just as I was. She was created to
praise, reverence, and serve GOD, just as I was; created to save her
soul, just as I was. And because of her absolute purity, she understood
her end perfectly from the first moment of her existence, and followed
it always without swerving. While her mother was offering her to GOD,
she, with the full use of her reason (as many hold) offered herself to
fulfil the end for which she had been created. She did not know what the
_particular_ end was to be--GOD did not reveal to her till the day of
the Incarnation, that she was to be the Mother of GOD--but she offered
herself to do what GOD wished, she put herself at His disposal.
And this is what I must do every day of my life if I would fulfil the
end for which GOD has created me. Here I am, Lord, to do Thy bidding, to
do whatever Thou didst intend me to do to-day. I may not know, any more
than did the Immaculate babe in her cradle, what the _particular_ end is
for which He has destined me; but that does not matter. If I am found
faithfully doing my duty of the moment, whatever it may be--doing it,
that is to say, for GOD, praising, reverencing, and serving Him in it--I
shall not miss the important moment in my life when GOD calls me to the
special work for which He has destined me. I can, if I will, do each
little duty of my everyday life for GOD, with the pure motive of giving
Him pleasure. It is the surest way of making myself indifferent as to
whether or not the duty gives _me_ pleasure! And it ensures that, from
one point of view, _all_ duties will be a pleasure. I was created by GOD
to do this particular thing for Him at this particular moment, so I do
it. What an uplifting thought! It puts me at once on to another
plane--the supernatural plane--where the whole aspect is different. This
is the truth, which the little one whose birthday I am thinking about
to-day understood so perfectly. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord," was
her cry even then. It was because Mary understood the value of the
"Sacrament of the moment," as it has been called, that when _the_ moment
of her life came, and her great end was revealed to her, she was able to
say: "_Ecce ancilla Domini!_" She was used to saying it; it was the most
natural thing for her to say. And so will it be for me, if only I will
practise as Mary did. I shall bow to His Will in the _great_ crises of
my life--not naturally but supernaturally--because I have formed the
habit in all the _little_ things that make up my life.
_Point III._--THE DOVE
Overshadowing His spouse is the Holy Ghost. He it was Who filled her
with grace at the moment of the Immaculate Conception. He it is Who will
keep her "full of grace" at every moment of her life. Never for one
instant will He leave her. Never for one instant will she cease to be
the Temple of the Holy Ghost. (1 Cor. vi. 19.) Always will He be able to
say to her: "Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in
thee." (Cant. iv. 7.) Why? Because Mary will never "_extinguish_ the
Holy Spirit." (1 Thess. v. 19.) She will never "_grieve_" Him. (Eph. iv.
30.) And not only will she never resist a single one of His
inspirations, but she will never let _one_ pass by unnoticed. Her
correspondence to grace will be perfect.
Oh, what need I have to turn to the little one in her cradle to-day, and
say: "Pray for me _now_"! Pray that I may never extinguish the Holy
Spirit, but live always in a state of grace. Pray that I may never
grieve Him, Whose temple I am, by resisting His pleadings with me.
_Colloquy_ with the babe in her cradle.
_Resolution._ To make much of the "Sacrament of the moment"
to-day.
_Spiritual Bouquet._ "In me is all grace." (Ecclus. xxiv.
25.)
Mary's Presentation in the Temple
"_In the holy dwelling-place I have ministered before Him._"
(Ecclus. xxiv. 14.)
_1st Prelude._ The child on the Temple steps.
_2nd Prelude._ Grace to present myself to GOD.
_Point I._--MARY
At the age of three years, tradition tells us, Mary left her home to go
and live in the Temple--not merely, as other little girls of her time,
to attend the Temple school, but to dedicate herself to GOD, and to live
continually under the shadow of His Presence, as Samuel of old had done.
Her desire, even at that tender age, was to confirm her parents'
dedication of her at her birth, by giving herself up entirely to GOD, to
live a hidden life with Him away from everything, however lawful, that
might disturb her union with Him. She waited only for His call, and as
soon as it was given, she left all and followed--even her parents must
take a second place.
So, joyously and eagerly, did Mary fulfil her end of the moment. GOD
called her, and she went to Him. She did not know what He wanted her
for, nor did she seek to know. Sufficient for her that He wanted her,
and was calling. At once she presented herself before Him as the little
Samuel of old. "Here am I, for Thou didst call me. Speak, for Thy
servant heareth." (1 Kings iii. 9.) She was ready for anything that He
might want.
And this should be the attitude of all who would serve Him--a constant
presentation of themselves to Him for whatever He wants. This attitude
can only be arrived at by the spirit of sacrifice. To be always at
liberty for GOD'S service, the soul must be disentangled from all else,
free from all that would hold it back. And this means sacrifice. Mary,
presenting herself at the Temple, is specially, though not exclusively,
the model of those who are called to the Religious Life. But do not let
us make any mistake--a Religious is not _free_ to give himself to GOD
because he has left parents and home and possessions. He may go through
all these preliminaries, and yet not be, by any means, at GOD'S service.
The great work of disentangling the soul and setting it free is done
_inside_ the Cloister, while the Religious is learning that it is _self_
which stands in the way, and that until _that_ is crushed, he is not
able to render to GOD free and joyous service, such as Mary did. And
this lesson has to be learned by those outside the Cloister too, if they
would follow Mary in being always ready to answer GOD'S calls and do His
biddings. It is not their home and friends and possessions that they are
asked to quit, but _themselves_. GOD will constantly want them in the
midst of their busy lives, and they will never be too much occupied or
engrossed to answer His calls, if self is out of the question. "Present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto GOD, your reasonable
service." (Rom. xii. 1.) Present yourselves each day, each hour, each
moment, with each joy, each sorrow, each duty, each difficulty--present
all as an offering to Him, Who expects your reasonable service. This is
the lesson which the child on the Temple steps teaches us to-day--the
lesson of _self-sacrifice_.
_Point II._--JOACHIM AND ANNE
Her parents did not thwart her in her wish. They had made their
sacrifice three years before, and they were not likely to take it back
now. They had probably told Mary the story of their long, childless
years; of their earnest prayers to GOD; and of their promise to give the
child back to Him should He bless them with one. They would have told
her, too, that they had offered her to GOD at birth, and that, as soon
as she was old enough, she would present herself in GOD'S Temple, as
something dedicated to His service. And now, to-day, they accompany
their little one to the "holy dwelling-place" where she is to "minister
before Him," and watch her climbing the Temple steps, at the top of
which the Priest is waiting to receive her in GOD'S name. Desolate
though their home would now be, Joachim and Anne would rather have it so
than interfere in any way with the call of GOD to their child. They
recognised that GOD has _His_ rights, and that these must come first.
What an honour GOD shows to parents, when He gives a vocation to a child
of theirs; and what a blessing is thereby bestowed on the whole family!
And surely, if there is merit laid up for the one who, in answer to
GOD'S call, leaves father, mother, brother, sister, friend, to follow
Him, there is merit also for those who make perhaps an equally great
sacrifice, even if it is somewhat grudgingly made. GOD will not forget
the hearts and homes which have been made desolate because He has
ravished a heart there. He is never outdone in generosity. Those who
have given up their treasure on earth will find treasure in Heaven.
Children sometimes give themselves unnecessary pain by presuming too
readily that their parents' consent will be withheld. They will often
find their parents more ready than they think to make the sacrifice. It
is not likely that GOD would give a vocation in a family without making
_some_ sort of preparation there for it. His ways are not our ways, and
so it happens that there are many surprises.
_Point III._--MARY'S VOW
It is not known exactly when she made it--probably not on the day of her
Presentation. She would take then the _Temporary_ Vow of Virginity, as
all the pupils at the Temple school did till they left to be married.
But some time during her stay in the Temple, Mary, probably unknown to
anyone but GOD, Who inspired her, took a vow of _Perpetual_ Virginity.
She could keep nothing back from GOD; He must have all. She presented
herself "wholly acceptable unto GOD."
To understand what a strange thing this Vow of Mary's was, we must
remember that in those days _everyone_ married, even priests and High
Priests, and everyone hoped--and especially now that the expectation was
getting keener--that his would be the favoured family in which the
Messias was to be born. Mary had more reason to hope than many others,
for was she not of the tribe of Judah, and of the House of David? Yet
she took a vow which cut her off from all hope that this greatest of
blessings would be hers. Why? Because her sacrifice of self was perfect.
Self was laid entirely on one side, and, as a consequence, her humility
was so great that she never thought it possible that the honour of being
the Mother of the Messias could be hers, and she cut herself off from
all prospect of it. It was this very self-abnegation which was fitting
Mary for the destiny GOD intended for her. Her Vow of Virginity, made in
response to GOD'S inspirations, was the necessary means for the carrying
out of His plans. GOD'S ways are not our ways. "Behold a _virgin_ shall
conceive and bear a Son, and His name shall be called Emmanuel." (Is.
vii. 14.) But there were no virgins; and the fact that every Mother in
Israel was hoping to be the Mother of the Messias was a proof that this
"sign," which GOD Himself gave, was wholly ignored. It was contrary to
the spirit of the age. And this was GOD'S moment. Clearly He gave His
call: "Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear, and forget thy
people and thy father's house; and the King shall greatly desire thy
beauty." (Ps. xliv. 11, 12.) And as the little one, in answer to the
appeal, joyously mounted the Temple steps, the Angels were already
saluting her as _Queen of Virgins_. She was the first; how many would
follow in her train! "_After her_ shall virgins be brought to the King;
her neighbours shall be brought to Thee; they shall be brought with
gladness and rejoicing; they shall be brought into the Temple of the
King. Instead of thy fathers, sons shall be born unto thee." (Verses
15-17.)
May there not be a warning here for those who, having, in imitation of
Mary, taken the Vow of Virginity, desire too ardently to be the
"spiritual Mothers of children"? Mary had no such desires. Her whole
desire was for union with GOD--there was not a tinge of self in it. The
soul which thinks itself unworthy of being used is the one GOD uses, the
soul which is wrapped up in seeking after its own perfection, hiding
itself in its interior life, living its life in solitude with GOD and
for GOD. Blessed are the Mothers of spiritual children! Yes, but rather
blessed are they who hear the word of GOD and keep it. There should be
no limit to our zeal for souls, but it should be covered up by an
annihilation of self, and an unobtrusive humility--a humility which
teaches us to _act_, not to talk, as if _we_ could never be the ones
chosen by GOD to do His work. Humility, far from being an obstacle,
always makes it easier for GOD to carry out His plans.
_Colloquy._ "O Mary, Queen of Virgins, grant that by thy
intercession we may deserve to be presented one day to the
Most High in the Temple of His glory." (_Collect for the
Feast of the Presentation, B.V.M., Nov. 21._)
_Resolution._ To present myself often to GOD to-day.
_Spiritual Bouquet._ "Congratulate me, all ye that love the
Lord, because when I was a little one, I pleased the Most
High." (_Common Office of Our Lady._)
Mary's Marriage
"_Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born JESUS, Who is
called Christ._" (St Matt. i. 16.)
_1st Prelude._ Picture of the marriage of Our Lady and St
Joseph.
_2nd Prelude._ The grace of confidence in GOD.
_Point I._--MARY
Twelve years have passed since the little child mounted the Temple steps
to present herself to GOD. Never, during that time, has she taken back
the smallest part of her offering. Always has she been presenting
herself as a living sacrifice; always has she been _full_ of grace,
doing GOD'S will perfectly, glorifying Him by her every thought, word,
and action, as no human creature had ever glorified Him. How much Mary
added during those twelve years to the Treasury of merits from which the
Church was to draw, through all time, in answer to the appeals of her
children, who were anxious to make satisfaction for their sins! In
return for a little Indulgenced Prayer, or Act, the Church unlocks the
Treasury, and the superabundant merits of Mary, added to the infinite
merits of her Divine Son, are given to the suppliant, either to make
satisfaction for his own sins, or, if he will, to be applied to the
souls in Purgatory, and thus lessen the debt they owe to GOD, and
shorten the distance that lies between them and the Beatific Vision, for
which they so earnestly long.
Oh, blessed Treasury of merits! JESUS, Who poured into it His infinite
merits, has an interest in it. Mary, whose wondrous merits all went into
it, has an interest in it. The Saints, whose superabundant satisfactions
are stored up there, have an interest in it. The Holy Souls must watch
with the keenest interest for the moments when the Church, coming with
the keys, entreats from Him, Who alone has jurisdiction in Purgatory,
that her treasures may be handed to this or that particular soul; and
He, Whose justice, as well as His mercy, is infinite, will distribute
them as He will. And shall not I, too, take an interest in this wondrous
Treasury? Let me never forget to make use of it; and let my prayer every
morning be a fervent and a heart-felt one: "I desire to gain all the
Indulgences that I can this day."
But the time came when Mary had to leave the seclusion of the Temple,
and give herself in marriage. She was helpless to prevent this, for her
Vow was a secret, unknown even to her parents. All she could do was to
leave the matter in GOD'S Hands. It was to Him she had offered her
virginity, and she trusted Him to guard it. How simple and child-like
was her trust! The path pointed out to her _appeared_ to be directly
opposite to the one she had chosen, but it was pointed out by those whom
GOD had chosen to represent Himself to her--the priests of the Temple,
or her parents, or both. Her faith was great enough to believe that GOD
can make no mistakes, that He cannot call in two different directions,
that all will work together to fulfil His Will, if only His Will is put
_first_. What a lesson for us! How often in my life has something
happened, some way opened, which seemed to cut at the very root of some
cherished plan! And yet, on looking back, I see that had I not followed
GOD'S call along the path which _seemed_ to be leading the wrong way, I
should never have been able to carry out that plan which I had made for
His glory. Why was Abraham called the friend of GOD? Was it not because
of his confidence in GOD--confidence shown in his readiness to follow
wherever GOD called--even when He called him to sacrifice the child of
the promises? GOD loves to lead us about, by circuitous paths, and thus
to bring out our love and trust and obedience. Had Mary taken a line of
her own, and refused to marry because of her Vow, she would have
frustrated GOD'S plans for the Incarnation.
I do not want to frustrate His plans for me. Let me remember this the
next time I am tempted to turn a deaf ear to a call of His, which does
not fit in with my tastes and desires and hopes.
_Point II._--JOSEPH
The husband, chosen by GOD for this most delicate and most responsible
position, was our dear St Joseph. He was the one man in all the world of
whom GOD could be sure. He was "a just man," one who would put no
obstacle to GOD'S designs, but would, by his silence, tact,
self-sacrifice, and fidelity lend himself to further them.
Let me dwell for a little while on these qualities--qualities which GOD
values and looks for, when He wants someone to whom He can entrust His
work or His secrets; and perhaps I shall discover things which may help
me to be more zealous in His service, to be less for self and more for
Him.
Some have thought that Mary confided her secret to Joseph; and that he
showed his sympathy, and readiness to enter into all her interests, by
taking the Vow of Virginity too, thus preparing himself to be the
husband of Mary and the foster-father of JESUS.
_Point III._--THE MARRIAGE
And so this most beautiful marriage took place; and the Holy Spirit, Who
was ever watching over His spouse, blessed and sanctified the union of
these two virgin souls. It was a union in which the body was
forgotten--or rather, the spiritual life had reached such heights by
means of the body, that is, of the senses, that the soul was able to
live entirely in those heights. The soul was helped upwards by the body,
as GOD intended it to be. When the body is dead, the soul can grow no
more. The level of the spiritual life, at which I am found at death,
will be mine through all eternity. The converse of this truth is, that
the body is necessary for the growth of the spiritual life, and that the
soul grows in proportion to the help it gets from the body. These
thoughts will help me to understand how much the chaste marriage of
Joseph and Mary must have aided their spiritual life, and how the Angels
must have rejoiced at a union which savoured so much more of Heaven than
of Earth.
Now, all was ready. The Virgin who was to conceive and bear a child,
Whose name was to be Emmanuel--GOD with us--had got a guardian. GOD
could work His stupendous miracle, and keep it hidden, as He willed it
to be for the present, from the curious gaze of unbelievers. Mary, by
her self-abandonment, was supplying GOD with all He needed, never
thwarting Him, nor putting the least obstacle in His way.
And so we leave her, doing the work of the little cottage at Nazareth,
while her carpenter-husband labours to support her. Mary has changed her
abode; her outward circumstances have altered; but her union with GOD
suffers no change; it remains unbroken, undisturbed; nothing has the
power to disturb her thoughts of Him. And Mary is my model. What I have
to aim at, too, is a union with GOD so real and so close that the
changes and chances of this mortal life have no power to interrupt it.
This blessed lot will be mine when I have faith enough to see GOD'S Hand
in every circumstance of my life. If I know that He is there, why need I
trouble so much about the ups and downs? The sea of life is bound to
have waves. What I have to do is to see to it that my little barque
rides on the top of them in the most perfect security and peace. The
Master is at the helm, and I am _with Him_ in the boat. My thoughts,
surely, will be fixed on Him rather than on the changes in the weather!
_Colloquy_ with Our Lady, asking her to get me more faith.
_Resolution._ To let nothing interrupt my union with GOD.
_Spiritual Bouquet._ "Sancta Virgo virginum, ora pro nobis."
Hail Mary!
"_The Angel Gabriel was sent from GOD into a city of Galilee,
called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David; and the Virgin's name was
Mary. And the Angel, being come in, said unto her: Hail! full
of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among
women!_" (St Luke i. 26-28.)
_1st Prelude._ Gabriel saying the first _Hail Mary_.
_2nd Prelude._ Grace to say my _Hail Maries_ well.
When all was ready and GOD'S moment had arrived--"when the fulness of
the time was come" (Gal. iv. 4)--heaven opened, and one of GOD'S
messengers, Gabriel, an Archangel, was sent to Nazareth on a secret
errand to Mary. He knew her well, and he expressed his knowledge in the
first _Hail Mary_ that was ever said. Let us meditate on these familiar
words, and try to find a few thoughts which may help us to say our _Hail
Maries_ better.
_Point I._--HAIL!
Reverently he salutes her; for though she is not yet the Mother of GOD,
she is immaculate, and worthy of all honour; besides, he is in the
secret, and knows GOD'S designs. "Hail! full of grace."
What does it mean--this word "_Ave_," _Hail!_ with which Gabriel begins
his message? It is an expression of respect, honour, and reverence. It
was the salutation always given to the Roman Emperor: _Ave! Caesar
Imperator._ But it is not only a form of greeting; it implies also that
he who uses it is anxious to attract attention because he has something
to say or some favour to ask.
How often I say it!--_Hail Mary!_ What do I mean by it? I ought to mean
that I am saluting the Queen of Heaven with all respect, honour, and
reverence; and also that I, her child, am calling my Mother's attention.
When she hears my _Hail!_ she expects that I have something to say to
her, or that I want something. Is it so? And if Mary turned and said:
"Yes, my child, what is it?" should I know?
My _Hail!_ should be also to call my Mother's attention to the fact that
I am there if _she_ has anything to say to me, or if she wants anything.
Hail Mary! Your child is here, ready to do anything for you. When she
turns at my _Hail!_ to ask me for something, does she always get it? Or
is she disappointed to find that her child's thoughts are not really
with her at all?
What shall I do, for I know that I stand convicted; and much though I
should like each _Hail Mary_ that I say to mean all this, I know that it
does _not_? Would it be better not to say it at all, than to risk any
want of respect to that Mother whom I love so dearly?
Oh no. Does not a mother love to hear the voice of her babe in its
cradle, even though the sounds it makes are quite inarticulate, and it
cannot say what it wants? She always understands, and is able to
interpret the baby language, and will give it what is good for it,
though it may be all unconscious of its needs. None but the mother would
recognise that the babe was calling her attention--not even the babe
itself. Is not this something like my _Hail Maries_ carelessly and
lightly said? I say them because I am Mary's child; it is the most
natural thing to do; and she will interpret them as her Mother's heart
knows how. And, like the babe in its cradle, I love to feel that she is
at my side, because I have attracted her attention, even though I may
have done it almost from habit, and may not know exactly why.
Hail Mary! I will say the blest words as often as I can, putting into
them all the meaning and fervour of which I am capable, and leaving it
to my Mother to make up all deficiencies.
_Point II._--FULL OF GRACE
How is Mary full of grace?
1. Because she was conceived without sin: that is, her soul was full of
grace instead of original sin. She was full of grace always--even before
she was the Mother of the Author of grace.
2. Because of her correspondence to grace. She was always faithful to
grace. She never let one single opportunity pass by her unused. The more
faithful I am to the inspirations of grace, the fuller shall I be of
grace. It is a question of my fidelity, not of GOD'S generosity. He
never fails--the grace is always there waiting for me.
3. Because she was always meriting grace. Each correspondence to grace
entitled her to more, as it does me. It is by virtue of her merits that
she can obtain from her Divine Son all the grace that her children need.
Confidently may they appeal to her, for she is the "Mother of Divine
Grace."
"_In me is all grace of the way._" (Ecclus. xxiv. 25.) So Mary says to
her children, and she has all I need for the way--that is, for my
journey through life. The way is hard--it is the Highway of the Cross,
the way that JESUS trod before me. Let me never attempt to tread it
alone--not for a single hour, for the pitfalls are many; but let me ask
Mary to accompany me--Mary with her never-failing supply of grace. It
was JESUS Himself Who gave me His Mother, and He gave her also all the
grace that He knew I should need for the way. What a provision He has
made for me! If I drew upon my stores more confidently, I should be much
fuller of grace than I am.
_Hail Mary! full of grace_, thou art my Mother. Let me put my hands in
thine and keep close to thee. So shall the way have no terrors for me,
and so shall I be able to tread in the Footsteps of thy Son, along His
Own Highway of the Cross.
_Point III._--THE LORD IS WITH THEE. BLESSED ART THOU AMONG WOMEN
_The Lord is with thee._ These words were often said of or to those to
whom GOD was about to entrust some special work. He was "with Joseph"
while he was in Putiphar's prison, preparing him for the great work of
serving the nation during the famine. (Gen. xxxix. 21.) "I will be with
thee," GOD said to Moses at the burning bush, when He told him that it
was he who was to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. (Ex. iii.
12.) And to Josue, who had to bring the chosen people into the promised
land, He said: "As I have been with Moses, so I will be with thee. Fear
not, and be not dismayed: because the Lord thy GOD is with thee in all
things whatsoever thou shalt go to." (Jos. i. 5-9.) "The Lord is with
thee, O most valiant of men." This was the message the angel brought to
Gedeon at the threshing floor, for he was to leave his wheat and go to
deliver GOD'S people from idolatry and from their enemies. (Jud. vi.
12.)
And now when Mary is being singled out for the greatest work that was
ever entrusted to any child of Adam--that of being the Mother of Him Who
was to save not one nation only, but the whole world, GOD sends an
Archangel and bids him say to her: _The Lord is with thee_. GOD was with
Mary always; but now all three Persons of the Blessed Trinity are to be
with her in a very special way, to enable her to co-operate with GOD'S
designs for her. But the message goes further: "Blessed art thou among
women." Gabriel tells her that GOD'S message to her is that she is
blessed, and more blessed than all other women! It is praise indeed, and
praise from GOD Himself. But GOD can trust Mary with praise. She is full
of humility, for she is full of grace; and GOD knows that she will look
at things from His point of view--not from her own.
I may get some consolation from these words for myself. GOD sometimes
gives me work to do for Him. How blessed I am to be picked out and
chosen by Him! And I may be quite sure that He is _with me_ for it. It
is His own work, and He will look after it Himself; but He needs an
instrument. The workman is never far from his tools, unless he has
thrown them on one side as useless. "The Lord is with thee." If I see to
it that I am an instrument fit and ready for His service, I need have no
other anxiety. He will use me when He wants me; the responsibility of
the work will be all His, and He will be with me, doing His work by
means of me.
O Mary, my Mother, help me to see things from GOD'S point of view, as
thou didst. Obtain for me the grace to be full of confidence about any
work with which GOD may entrust me. And while I rejoice to be amongst
those _blessed_ ones whom He picks out to do His work, obtain for me the
grace of humility. And if the Workman should allow any words of praise
to be given to the instrument, may it be because He can count on the
humility of His instrument--because He knows that the praise will all be
passed on to Himself.
_Colloquy_ with my Mother as we walk along "the way"
together--a colloquy about correspondence to grace, about
being never alone in my work, about the blessedness of being
chosen by Him, about humility.
_Resolution._ To let my Rosary recall some of these thoughts
to-day.
_Spiritual Bouquet._ "Among the blessed she shall be
blessed." (Ecclus. xxiv. 4.)
Mary's First Word
"_And Mary said to the Angel: How shall this be done, because
I know not man?_" (St Luke i. 34.)
_1st Prelude._ A picture of the Annunciation.
_2nd Prelude._ That my love for GOD may be great enough to
separate me from all else.
_Point I._--MARY'S SILENCE
We do not know what Mary was doing when the heavenly visitor arrived
with his message. She is generally represented as kneeling in
contemplation. She may have been: or she may have been about her work.
In any case, she was engaged in prayer, for Mary's heart and mind were
ever lifted up to GOD; and that is prayer. And GOD can reveal His
secrets just as easily to those who are working as to those who are
given up to contemplation.
No wonder Mary's attention is arrested, for not only does she see one of
GOD'S Archangels, but it is to _her_ that he has come, to _her_ that he
is showing such reverence and honour, to _her_ that he is now delivering
his message: "Hail! ... full of grace; the Lord is with thee.... Blessed
art thou among women." Each sentence of the message seems more wonderful
and startling than the last. Mary does not speak, but she is _troubled_,
as she thinks within herself what manner of salutation this is. Her
intelligence is perfect, and she knows at once what the message means.
It means that she, the one woman who has cut herself off from every
prospect of being the Mother of the Messias; that she, who has felt
herself so utterly unworthy that legend tells us she used to pray that
she might be His Mother's _servant_; that _she_ has been singled out by
GOD as the one who was to be blessed among women. And she is _troubled_.
It is not the presence of the Angel nor the dignity of his message which
is disquieting her--her trouble goes deeper; but still she does not
speak--she waits in silence for GOD to explain Himself or to direct her.
How much wiser in _most_ cases it would be for me, if I kept silence,
for a time at any rate, when I am face to face with trouble, or
difficulty, or perplexity. Of one thing I may be sure--that the trouble
is a message from GOD, and if I wait patiently, He will reveal more to
me, and throw light upon what seems so obscure. Nothing is gained by
making complaints, and losing my calm and self-possession. Much is
gained by silence; for silence to man, at such times, generally means
converse with GOD, and to obtain this more intimate union with my heart
is one of His chief reasons for sending me His messages.
Gabriel, seeing that she is troubled, hastens to reassure her: "Fear
not, Mary." He is GOD'S messenger, and he is giving GOD'S consolation,
so he calls her by her name. Consolation is never far off when it is to
GOD alone that we turn for it. Gabriel then tells her quite plainly what
are GOD'S intentions concerning her, if she gives her consent and
co-operation--that she is indeed to be the Mother of the Messias; that
she is to call Him JESUS; that her Son is to be great, and is to be
called the Son of the Most High; that GOD will give Him a throne and a
kingdom; and that of His kingdom there shall be no end.
_Point II._--MARY'S FIRST WORD
She has pondered in her heart, and now she speaks: "_How shall this be
done?_" St Bernardine, who calls the seven recorded words of Our Lady,
"_Seven Flames of Love_," calls this first word "A Flame of _Separating_
Love" (_flamma amoris separantis_). Let us try to find out why.
"How shall this be done?" Her question shows clearly what is the cause
of her trouble. It is the thought of her vow of virginity--that precious
offering which, as a little child, she had made to GOD. This it is which
forces Mary, who so values silence, to speak. "How shall this be done,"
and yet my vow be left intact? To it at any cost I must be faithful.
Mary, by her first word, shows that her love for GOD is so intense that
it separates her from all else besides. It was out of love for Him that
she made that vow. It was a flame of separating love that burnt within
her, making a clear division between GOD and anything, however lawful
and even desirable in itself, which might hinder her union with Him. And
it is the same flame of love which now impels her to speak: "How shall
this be done?" seeing that I am separated, consecrated to GOD. Her love
so detaches her from all else that even the honour of being singled out
to be the Mother of GOD has no attraction for her in comparison with
keeping that contract made with GOD, by which she promised to be wholly
His.
Am I, like Mary, absolutely faithful to any contract that I may have
made with GOD? Do I say: "How can this be done?" seeing I have made that
promise, seeing I am a Christian, seeing I have been to Holy Communion,
seeing I have taken certain vows. All these are so many cords of love
which should separate me from the world. My contract with GOD must come
before everything else--all turns upon my fidelity to it. Mary was
troubled because she feared her vow was in danger; and her trouble was
pleasing to GOD.