during the forty days that His glorified Body still lingered in this
world of ours, as though He were loath to leave it. He was bracing her
up for the time of exile that lay before her, filling her with stores of
consolation upon which she would be able to draw in her times of
desolation. She probably knew that the fortieth day was the last, and
that, when He led His little flock out "as far as Bethania," it was His
last walk with them. She knew of the "mountain appointed" where He
wished all His brethren to assemble--"more than five hundred at once."
(1 Cor. xv. 6.) She heard His last words, heard Him charge His
_witnesses_: "Going, therefore, teach (_make disciples of_) all nations:
and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the
world." (St Matt. xxviii. 19, 20.) She was not to be a witness--though
she was ever the silent witness of His Humanity--but it was only fitting
that she should hear all the orders that were given to her children. She
heard of the promise of the Father, and that they were to stay in the
city till it was fulfilled. She saw Him lift up His hands in
blessing--the last blessing; she watched with the rest His glorified
Body raised up from their midst--watched till "a cloud received Him out
of their sight," then she knelt in humble acquiescence to GOD'S will and
kissed the ground where He had just stood--the favoured bit of earth
which was the last to be touched by His blessed Feet. When she looked
up, it was to see two angels asking the astonished disciples why they
were gazing into Heaven, and telling them that the same JESUS who was
taken up from them into Heaven would so come again as they had seen Him
go. It was not to _her_ that the angels were speaking--_she_ was not
gazing up. She _knew_ the lesson that the others were being taught, knew
that her Son was already in Heaven, sitting at the right hand of GOD.
(St Mark xvi. 19.) When the Apostles realised sufficiently what had
happened, they, "adoring, went back to Jerusalem with joy," (St Luke
xxiv. 52), and Mary led them to the Cenacle to "wait for the promise of
the Father," as her Son had bidden them.
Thus she taught them the lesson she would teach all her children--that
the only thing to do in times of desolation and sorrow is to follow
closely the commands of JESUS: "Whatsoever He shall say to you, do ye."
It is no use to stand gazing after what has gone; this is no time for
regrets; He gave a clear command: "Go to Jerusalem and wait." We shall
always find that there is no balm for sorrow like fidelity to duty. It
costs something; human nature longs to stay and hug its sorrow; but it
is far wiser to turn away from the loved spot and go bravely hand in
hand with the Mother of Sorrows to do the next thing to which duty--that
is the voice of JESUS--calls us.
_Point II._--MARY ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST
Nine days they spent with Mary the Mother of JESUS, persevering with one
mind in prayer, (Acts i. 14), and going constantly to the Temple to
praise and bless GOD. (St Luke xxiv. 53.) It was a Novena of prayer and
thanksgiving. It was Mary's first official act as Mother of the Church.
She kept the little flock together, kept them close to her Son by
obedience to His last command, by intercession for the great gift that
He had promised to send them, and by thanksgiving for all that He had
been to them and done for them. It was the first Retreat, and they made
it with Mary, the Mother of GOD.
What must Mary's prayers have been during those nine days! She was now
more united than ever to her Son; her eye of faith saw Him at the Right
Hand of GOD in Heaven; she saw eye to eye with Him; she knew all His
interests and intentions; she had still a Mother's right to command Him;
she knew that nothing in their relationship was changed, and that He
would not refuse her behests in Heaven any more than He had done on
earth. And so, as her eyes swept the wide horizon which was now hers,
the Mother of the Church made a Novena for Pentecost, praying with all
her knowledge and all her power, for the Holy Ghost to come down upon
her children--to come and fill that Church of which she was the Mother,
that Church which her Son had founded, for which He had given His life.
These first Retreatants had no books. They needed none--their lives were
so closely bound up with the life of JESUS; the Holy Spirit prayed
within them; and Mary was ever with them directing, and setting them an
example. In proportion as these things are true of us are we independent
of _exterior_ help in our prayers. And the more we are able to dispense
with exterior help, the more interior and real will be our prayers.
Then "when the days were accomplished"--when the Novena was over--the
Holy Ghost came down as JESUS had promised that He should--came down as
a tongue of fire upon each one: a proof that He had entered into each
one of those expectant, faithful souls, filling each according to his
capacity, and giving each the power needful to carry on the work that
was appointed for him to do.
What, then, must have been the measure with which Mary was "filled with
the Holy Ghost," for what was the Apostles' work compared with hers? She
had always been "full of grace"--she had long been the spouse of the
Holy Ghost, ever since He had overshadowed her at the Incarnation, and
He had always been filling her according to her ever-increasing
capacity. We have seen how, under her Son's training, her horizon was
ever enlarging--how much wider it became on Calvary, how pain and joy
had dilated her heart, how her intercourse with her Divine Son during
those forty days had still more widened her outlook; and now, with all
the fresh territory over which she was to reign, in her mind and in her
heart, she had been praying--the Holy Ghost had been praying within
her--for Him to come and overshadow her once again, and fill her with
grace that she might be able to meet all her new responsibilities as
Mother of the Church. Mary had more need of the Holy Ghost than any of
the hundred and twenty souls gathered in the Cenacle; her desire to
receive Him too was greater than theirs; and so we may well believe that
she received Him in a fuller measure. She had no need of the gifts of
tongues and miracles, which were a necessity to the Apostles, to help
them in the beginning of their difficult work. Her work during the
remaining years of her life was that of intercession, and it was to be
carried on in secret and obscurity. The gifts she needed from the Holy
Ghost were those of hiddenness, patience, humility, conformity to GOD'S
will. She needed Him in all His plenitude to pray within her with
"unutterable groanings" for all the needs of the Church throughout all
time. Her work was still, as it ever had been, to _ponder_ in her
heart--to meditate and hold colloquies with her Divine Son, through the
agency of the Holy Spirit, about all the interests which they had in
common.
_Colloquy._ "Our Lady of Light, Spouse of the Holy Ghost, I
offer thee my whole heart, my soul and my body, to keep for
JESUS, that I may be His for ever. Our Lady of Light, pray
for me." (_Prayer of Blessed Grignon de Montfort._)
_Resolution._ To think more of the Holy Spirit praying within
me.
_Spiritual Bouquet._ "Sacrarium Spiritus Sancti, ora pro
nobis." (Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit, pray for us.)
Mary's Exile
"_Woe is me that my sojourning is prolonged._" (Ps. cxix. 5.)
_1st Prelude._ A statue or picture of Our Lady.
_2nd Prelude._ Grace to learn how an exiled child of Eve
should live.
_Point I._--MARY'S EXILE
Tradition tells us that St John took the Holy Mother to his house in
Jerusalem, and that it was there that she died, though she spent some of
the time of her exile at Ephesus. In solitude and silence she pondered
over all the wonderful mysteries of her life; she interceded for her
new-born child, the Church, which had already so many needs; and she
helped the Apostles by her prayers. They were soon scattered in
different directions, "making disciples of all nations," as their Master
had bidden them; and it would only be at rare intervals that they could
come and see their Mother, and talk over their difficulties, and get the
advice of her who saw eye to eye with her Son. But what a comfort and
strength it must have been to them to know that she was always there,
telling her Divine Son of their needs!
And during those long years--according to some opinions fifteen, to
others, twenty-three--what was Mary's strength? The same as it had ever
been--union with her Son. Every day, tradition tells us, she received
Him in the Blessed Sacrament at the hands of St John. What Communions
must those have been, when Mary said again: _Ecce ancilla Domini, fiat
mihi secundum verbum tuum_, and her GOD was again incarnate within her!
What made those Communions so intense? The fact that His love and desire
in coming were _reciprocated_. The love and desire are never wanting on
His side, but unfortunately there is so little of either on ours! It
takes more than one to make a good Communion. _A joining together_ of
two is the meaning of the word. If the union is to be strong, fervent,
real, lasting, each must do his part. Oh, teach me, dear Mother, how to
receive thy Son in Holy Communion. Thy whole life was centred in Him;
thy every thought was with Him; everything thou didst was done for Him;
every moment of thy exile gladly borne for Him; every sigh a spiritual
Communion; and when each day the glad moment of actual Communion came,
it was just His embrace--He pressed thee to His Heart for a few minutes,
telling thee it would not be long before thy exile would be over, and
thou wouldst see His Face again. Thy Communions were an ecstasy of
love--help me to put a little more love into mine; teach me to regard
them as the Bread from Heaven sent specially for the exile; teach me to
make them the centre of my life; teach me to live my whole life with
Him, so that my Communion may never be interrupted. This should be the
aim, surely, of every communicant; it is the ideal life; it is the life
that JESUS intended when He said: "He that eateth Me, he shall live by
Me." It is possible; but oh, how far I come short!
_Point II._--THE REASON FOR MARY'S EXILE
Why did her Son leave her behind to suffer so intensely, as He well knew
she would, from the separation? Would not the Beatific Vision in Heaven
have been better than her Communions on earth? Could not her
intercession for the Church have been even more effectual had she been
close to her Son's throne in Heaven? Could she not have been the Mother
of Good Counsel in Heaven for those who had to guide the Church in its
infancy, as she has been ever since?
We can think of many reasons why JESUS left her in exile for a time:--
1. She had to _nurse the new-born Church_ by strengthening and
encouraging the Apostles with her example, so like that of the Master
Himself, and by supplying the Evangelists with many details of His life,
which they could not have learnt from any lips but hers.
2. She had to _establish her position_ as Mother of the Church--the
tradition was to be handed down by the Apostles that it was _she_ who
guided, and tended, and cared for the Church during the early and tender
years of its existence; that it was to her they turned in times of
perplexity and doubt; that her constant intercession for them was their
strength. This could not have been so had she left the earth with her
Son. During those long years of exile the new child learnt to regard
Mary as its Mother, and when she was taken away into Heaven, it was
quite natural to it still thus to regard her, and to teach all who came
after to do the same.
3. Our Lord would give her still more time to _increase her merits_ by
suffering. He wanted her crown to be the most beautiful possible, and
even for the Mother of GOD there was only one way to make it so--the way
of suffering, which intensified her love and humility and submission to
GOD'S will.
4. May not another reason have been in order that she might be the
_better able to sympathise_ with the exiled children of Eve (_exules
filii Evae_)? Had He taken her with Him, they would surely have felt that
their Mother could not quite understand their position. And what is such
an effectual barrier to sympathy as the feeling that we are not
understood?
So Mary was left in exile to gain much that she could not have gained
otherwise.
I am one of the exiled children of Eve. What have _I_ got to do as an
exile?
1. _I have to establish my position._ There is a certain place prepared
for me in Heaven, which _may_ be mine through all eternity. What is to
decide whether I get it or not? The way I "pass the time of my
sojourning" here. By the time my exile is over, I must so have lived
that there must be no doubt about it that I belong to the Heavenly land;
that I am a child of GOD and an heir to His Kingdom; that I seek not the
things of earth but those which are above; that Heaven is my Home. And
what will be my position there? Mary earned her position as Queen of
Angels, of Patriarchs, Prophets, Martyrs, Virgins, as Mother of the
Church. What position shall I earn? That depends, as Mary's did, on my
fidelity to grace. I shall have just that degree of glory and merit to
which I have attained when I am called hence to give an account of my
stewardship--no less and no more. The position I have to establish,
then, during my exile, is that of being known by all the inhabitants of
Heaven--all the Angels and Saints--as one who is sure to join them one
day. "Make your calling and election _sure_."
2. _I have to suffer._ One of the actual reasons for my being here on
earth is that I may _suffer_--not that suffering is in itself good, but
it gives me the means--perhaps the greatest means--of developing the
virtues which must be mine if I am to enter the Kingdom one day. Our
Lord chose for Himself and for His Mother a life of suffering, to make
us understand and to show us how suffering may aid us--yes, the very
same suffering which hardens the sinner. What is the secret, then, of
suffering? That by means of it, and because of it, we may make Acts of
Love and Contrition and Submission to GOD'S Will. Suffering is too
powerful an instrument to leave our human nature untouched by it; we
_must_ do something under it--either _curse_ GOD and die, as Job's wife
advised him to do, or _bless_ Him all the more fervently, as Job did.
Let me remember, then, that one of the things I have to do as an exile
is to see to it that GOD gets, out of each piece of suffering that He
sends me, the extra _love_ that He expected would result from it.
3. _To do the work GOD wants me to do_; to work in my little corner of
His vineyard; to co-operate with Him in His great work of the salvation
of souls; and to show sympathy and kindness to my fellow-exiles.
_Colloquy._ _The Salve Regina_:--"Hail, holy Queen, Mother of
Mercy; hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee
do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send
up our sighs, mourning, and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy
towards us; and after this our exile, show unto us the
blessed Fruit of thy womb, JESUS: O clement, O loving, O
sweet Virgin Mary." (_Anthem from Trinity to Advent._)
_Resolution._ To learn the exile's lessons.
_Spiritual Bouquet._ "For we have not here a lasting city,
but we seek one that is to come." (Heb. xiii. 14.)
Mary's Death
"_They that work by me shall not sin._" (From the Epistle for
the Vigil of the Assumption, Ecclus. xxiv. 30.)
_1st Prelude._ A picture of Mary's death.
_2nd Prelude._ To prepare for death by living "by Mary."
_Point I._--"THE STING OF DEATH IS SIN" (1 Cor. xv. 56)
Sin had never touched Mary; there was therefore for her no sting in
death. She had no penalty to pay, neither had she to die for others as
her Son died. Why, then, should Mary die?
1. Because she had a mortal nature. She belonged to the great human
race, and it was therefore appointed unto her to die. (Heb. ix. 27.)
2. Because she chose to die (the Fathers say her Son gave her the
choice) that she might be conformable in all things to her Son, and also
that she might be the better able to help, and pray for, and sympathise
with her children, who throughout all time would be constantly saying:
"Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death."
3. Because Our Lord wanted her to have a specially chosen death--one
that came neither from old age nor sickness, but simply from _love_. Her
love for Him was so great that her body could no longer hold her soul
captive.
4. Because GOD would not deprive her of the inestimable privilege of
making the sacrifice of her life to Him, and such a life! This practice
it is which makes the death of His Saints precious in the sight of the
Lord. (Ps. cxv. 15.)
Let us learn two lessons:--
1. To _choose_ to be in all things conformable to JESUS, even though
this choice means death to self.
2. How precious a thing in GOD'S sight is the sacrifice of their lives
to Him by His children! Let us resolve to make Him this sacrifice often
beforehand--at least every night before we take from His Hands the
precious gift of sleep which "He giveth His beloved."
_Point II._--MARY'S PREPARATION FOR DEATH
We are told that some little while before her death an Angel (probably
Gabriel) was sent to tell her that her time was at hand. She answered:
_Ecce ancilla Domini_ ("Behold the handmaid of the Lord"), and made once
again the sacrifice of her life. She then told the news to John, who
made it known to the faithful. How great their sorrow must have been at
the prospect of losing such a Mother! St Denis tells us that Our Lord
brought all the Apostles and missionaries, who were scattered all over
the world, to witness her death. She blessed them, and encouraged them
to continue their work, saying that she would help them powerfully in
Heaven. Her joy was full because the time, which was to unite her to her
Son, had come at last; but Mary was not selfish in her joy any more than
she had been in her grief. She did not forget the sorrow of her
children; they were still to be exiles, but exiles with a Mother in the
Homeland--a Mother who would be there to befriend them and take an
interest in all they were doing.
Do I realise this--that while I am an exile here I have a Mother in
Heaven who is taking the keenest interest in all that concerns me, in
all that is preparing me for my Home; a Mother who is waiting there for
me, ready to welcome me?
_Point III._--HOW MARY DIED
There was no sickness, no wearing out nor decay of that beautiful body,
no effects in it of original sin. Of what, then, did Mary die? Of two
things--_love_ and _desire_; and these were so intense that even _her_
body, strong and perfect though it was, had not the power to detain the
soul captive any longer. Mary died of love, as her Son had died of
grief--a grief which was the outcome of an immense love. Did Mary
receive the Last Sacraments? The Sacrament of Penance was out of the
question for her sinless soul; we may doubt about Extreme Unction; but
with what intensity of love and desire must she have received her
Viaticum! And when JESUS came with all His court to fetch her immaculate
soul, we are told that she said: "Thy will be done; for a long time I
have sighed after Thee, my Son and my GOD; nothing can be more
delightful than to join Thee and be where Thou art for ever."
Then the Angels began to sing--all who were present heard them--and
while they sang, Mary said her _Fiat_ and died, and her most pure soul
began its eternal happiness in the sight of the Beatific Vision. The
Eternal Trinity gave it the glory which was its due--the reward of her
love so pure, so generous, so constant. She had a higher degree of glory
and a clearer vision of GOD than all the Saints, because glory depends
on grace, virtue, and merit, of which she had far more than any of them.
What does Mary's death say to me? "They that work by me shall not sin."
You cannot be sinless, as I was, you cannot die of love, as I did, (St
Theresa and St Philip of Neri did), but you can, by keeping close to me,
and doing all your work at my side, keep from all wilful sin, and you
can thus love JESUS so much that when He comes to fetch you, death will
have no terrors for you, and you, too, will be able to say: _Ecce
ancilla Domini_, Here I am, Thy servant, doing Thy work. "Blessed is
that servant whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching"; and the
best way to watch is to work at Mary's side.
And let me never forget that my degree of glory in Heaven will be
according to the amount of grace and merit that I have at the moment of
my death. How thankful I should be that I still have power to increase
these! And how eager and zealous to use my time to the best advantage!
Death cometh when no man can work--when no more merit, no more
reparation will be possible. The point I have then reached will be mine
through all eternity. "As the tree falls, so will it lie." Holy Mary,
Mother of GOD, pray for me now and at the hour of my death.
_Colloquy_ with Mary, my Mother in Heaven, who is pleading
for me; who is letting me do all my work close to her side;
and who will be there at the hour of my death, to put me back
into the Hands of her Son, Who gave me to her when He was on
the Cross, saying: "Take this child and nurse it for Me." And
He will see to it that none shall pluck me out of His Hands,
for it is impossible for a child of Mary to be lost.
_Resolution._ To let love for her Son keep me close to Mary's
side to-day, listening to all her directions about my work,
so that I may do it to please Him.
_Spiritual Bouquet._ "They that work by me shall not sin."
Mary's Tomb
"_I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon and aromatical balm; I
yielded a sweet odour like the best myrrh._" (Ecclus. xxiv.
20.)
"_In the Holy City likewise I rested, and my_ abode _is in the
full assembly of the Saints._" (verses 15, 16.)
_1st Prelude._ The Apostles carrying the body of their Mother
to the grave.
_2nd Prelude._ The grace of faith and love to penetrate into
these mysteries.
_Point I._--MARY'S BODY
The Angels still continued singing, while the Apostles and missionaries
and women wept around the body. But the heavenly music was catching,
and it was not long before the mourners dried their tears and joined in
the Angels' hymn of praise. We are told that the sick and the blind and
the lame were allowed to come and kiss the precious body, and that in so
doing they were instantly healed. Why was Mary's body so precious?
Because it had been the tabernacle of the Son of GOD. Why is mine so
precious? Because it, too, is so often the tabernacle of JESUS Christ.
Do I realise that this makes my body holy? And do I regard it as
something precious, consecrated and dedicated, GOD'S Temple, His own
dwelling-place? Often have Angels adored before it! How much respect,
then, ought I to show it! How careful I ought to be as to what I do with
it, and to what use I put it!
We are told that when the Apostles carried the bier to the grave, near
the Garden of Gethsemani, all the faithful accompanied them, and the
Angels never ceased their singing. The precious body exhaled a sweet
fragrance which perfumed every place the procession had to pass through,
and there were miracles and conversions all along the route. They laid
their precious burden in the grave, put a great stone over it, and then
dispersed. But they did not leave the grave alone. The Apostles watched
and prayed there in turn, listening to, and rejoicing in the Angels'
song.
_Point II._--THE EMPTY TOMB
On the third day, St Thomas arrived from the Indies (the Apostles felt
sure that it was Our Lord's plan that he should be late), and naturally
wanted to look once again on his Mother's face. So they removed the
stone, but only to find an empty tomb. They found the linen and clothes
all in order, and they noted the delicious fragrance, but the body was
gone; the soul had come back for it and fetched it to share in its
glory. Then the Apostles remembered that during the morning the
celestial singing had suddenly stopped, and they knew that their
Mother, clothed in her glorified body, was even then sitting at the
Right Hand of her Son in Heaven. Why was it? Why was her body not left
in the tomb? Because it was impossible for that body, from which the
Word had taken Flesh, and which had never been touched by sin, to "see
corruption." Also, although Mary had to die, and to bear the separation
of soul and body, there was no necessity in her case for that penalty to
be prolonged. GOD would not keep her--a perfect human creature--in an
imperfect state, which the soul without the body must ever be. So,
though not yet a dogma, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary has
ever been a belief of the Church. If we need a _proof_, let us call to
mind the fact that no one has ever pretended to possess relics of Our
Lady's body. Our Lord would surely never have deprived the Church of
such treasures, had they existed.
_Point III._--THE FOURTH GLORIOUS MYSTERY
Let me turn from the empty tomb, and try to realise the other side of
the picture--Mary in Heaven. This Fourth Glorious Mystery was foretold
more than once in Holy Scripture: "Arise, O Lord, into Thy
resting-place; Thou, and the Ark which Thou hast sanctified." (Ps.
cxxxi. 8.) What is this ark sanctified by GOD but Mary's body, of which
the Son of GOD took flesh?