variety." Who is this but the Queen of Heaven clothed with her glorious
body of immortality?
"A Throne was set for the King's Mother, and she sat on His Right Hand,"
(3 Kings ii. 19), in all the dazzling beauty of her glorified body,
surrounded by adoring Saints and Angels. Her Son on His Throne is saying
to her: Ask, My Mother, for I will not say thee nay. The beauty of the
scene is so entrancing, the light is so dazzling, the music is so
enchanting, the mystery is so wonderful, that I feel almost bewildered
and want to shut my eyes and think what it all means. It means
this--that I have a Mother in Heaven, and that when her Son bends
towards her from His Throne, and when all the hosts of Heaven hold their
breath to catch what their Queen is saying, they hear her ask some
little favour for me, her child on earth. Why? Because I am saying:
"Holy Mary, Mother of GOD, pray for me now." Let me, with the eye of
faith and love, penetrate the thin veil, which hides these wondrous
mysteries from my sight. Let me try to see things as they really are,
and then my prayers will be less formal.
_Colloquy_ with Mary on the Right Hand of JESUS in Heaven.
_Resolution._ To think of her there when I say my Rosary
to-day.
_Spiritual Bouquet._ "Holy Mary, Mother of GOD, pray for us
sinners now and at the hour of our death."
"Who is She?"
(The Fourth Glorious Mystery)
"_Quae est ista quae progreditur quasi aurora consurgens,
pulchra ut luna, electa ut sol, terribilis ut castrorum acies
ordinata?_" "_Who is she that cometh forth as the morning
rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an
army set in array?_" (Cant. vi. 9.)
_1st Prelude._ The Angels asking three times: "Who is she?"
(Cant. iii. 6; vi. 9; viii. 5.)
_2nd Prelude._ Grace to understand who she is.
_Point I._--"WHO IS SHE?"
"Who is she?" ask the Angels, as they see Mary coming into Heaven. Once
before had One clothed in the robe of His beautiful, glorified Body
passed through Heaven's portals; and the Angels had said: "Who is this
that cometh with dyed garments from Bosra, this beautiful One in His
robe?" (Isaias lxiii. 1), and they had opened wide Heaven's gate to let
in the Conqueror of sin and death, the King of glory, the Lord mighty in
battle. But who is _she_--a woman, who, though she is beautiful as the
morning rising, fair as the moon, and bright as the sun, is also
terrible as an army set in array? She also has come from the
battlefield; she also is a conqueror, for she has crushed the serpent's
head; she has undone Eve's terrible work, and, as far as a creature can,
has made reparation for it. She it is who has stood like a rock amidst
the most crushing sorrows. Her strength is terrible to the devil, but
the Angels rejoice in it, and her children flee to her as the _Refugium
peccatorum_, saying: _Da mihi virtutem contra hostes tuos_. (Give me,
too, strength against thy enemies.) And so the Angels open wide Heaven's
gates again, to let in the Mother of the King--the Queen of
Heaven--_their_ Queen--who has earned her right to her throne; not by
being the Mother of GOD, but by nobly fighting the battle against sin,
the world, the flesh, and the devil.
"Maria Mater gratiae,
Dulcis Parens clementiae,
Tu nos ab hoste protege,
Et mortis hora suscipe."
(O Mary, Mother of grace, sweet fount of gentleness, do thou protect us
from the enemy, and receive us in the hour of our death.)
And she _will_; she is there for her children. "Who is she?" She is our
Mother; she will never forget it, though she is the Queen of Heaven, of
Angels, and of Saints; and she will ever be terrible to all who dare to
attack her children.
_Point II._--"WHO IS SHE?"
"Who is she that goeth up by the desert as a pillar of smoke, of
aromatical spices, of myrrh and frankincense, and of all the powders of
the perfumer?" (Cant. iii. 6.) That is: Who is she who is adorned with
all possible graces and virtues? "Who is she?" She is the "fairest among
women" (chap. i. 7) because of her _humility_, answers the Angel who
heard her say: _Ecce ancilla Domini_, at the most exalted moment of her
life. "Who is she?" She is the "fairest among women" because of her
conformity to GOD'S will, say those who have heard over and over again
her _Fiat_ when the sword was piercing her soul. "Who is she?" We, too,
can answer the question, for we know her. We have watched her, and
meditated upon her life, from the moment of her Immaculate Conception
till her holy death of love and desire; and we have seen that she has
always been growing in grace and in conformity to her Divine Son. Yes,
she is the "fairest among women," and she is my Mother and my model. How
is it with me? Am I known to my friends, to those who live with me, to
my Guardian Angel, yea, to the Blessed Trinity, as one, who is growing
in virtue and grace; as one, whose conformity to JESUS and His will, is
apparent from the use I make of the _Ecce ancilla_ and the _Fiat_? There
must be some resemblance between the child and the Mother.
_Point III._--"WHO IS SHE?"
For the third time the Angels ask the question: "Who is she that cometh
up from the desert flowing with delights, leaning upon her Beloved?"
(chap. viii. 5.) There is no doubt about it now--she is His Mother, and
her Beloved is JESUS, the Son of GOD and of Mary. What unspeakable joy
is hers to find herself once more in the arms of her Beloved! "His left
hand is under my head, and His right hand shall embrace me," (chap. ii.
6), and she leans upon Him. She had never left Him really; she had been
leaning on Him all the time of her exile: by her memory, by her love, by
her Communions, by her constant doing of His will. This is why I can so
safely lean on Mary, the Mother of Good Counsel, because to lean on her
is to lean on JESUS, on Whom she leans. She nurses her children _for
Him_.
"Who is she that cometh up from the desert?" In spirit Mary had ever
been coming up. Always had she sought "the things that are above, where
Christ sitteth at the right hand of GOD." Her treasure was in Heaven,
and nothing on earth had power to attract or attach her.
How far do I copy my Mother in this? Are my affections set on things
above, where JESUS and Mary are? Have things of earth no attraction for
me in comparison with heavenly things? Am I ready to give them up to Him
to Whom they belong when He asks for them? Is my whole heart in Heaven
because my treasure is there? This is what is meant by going up from the
desert. It means striving always after what is more perfect. It means
that each day finds me _more_ charitable, _more_ faithful, _more_
careful about occasions of sin, _more_ like my Mother. And it means also
_Sursum corda_ (Lift up your hearts) whenever the difficulties and
sorrows of the desert seem too much.
_Colloquy_ with Mary.
_Resolution._ To ask myself the question often to-day: "Who
is she?"
_Spiritual Bouquet._ "Pulchra es et decora filia Jerusalem,
terribilis ut castrorum acies ordinata." (Thou art fair and
comely, O Daughter of Jerusalem, terrible as an army set in
array.)
Mary's Coronation
(The Fifth Glorious Mystery)
"_Thou wast made exceeding beautiful and wast advanced to be
a Queen._" (Ezech. xvi. 13.)
_1st Prelude._ The great sign which appeared in Heaven: "A
woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and
on her head a crown of twelve stars." (Apoc. xii. 1.)
_2nd Prelude._ The grace so to live and die, that I may one
day be crowned.
_Point I._--MARY'S CORONATION
_Specie tua et pulchritudine tua, intende, prospere procede, et regna._
(In thy comeliness and thy beauty go forth, proceed prosperously, and
reign.) The culminating point is reached, and Mary is led in triumph to
receive her crown from the Blessed Trinity. GOD the Father crowns her as
a _Victor_; GOD the Son as a _Queen_; and GOD the Holy Ghost as a
_Bride_. We give our crowns on earth to victors, to queens and to
brides. Mary was all of these for she had conquered the devil; she was
the King's Mother, and she was the spouse of the Holy Ghost.
1. She was crowned as a _Victor_, as a sign of her courage and bravery.
GOD the Father had seen the world, which He had created and had
pronounced to be "very good," spoiled by sin. The Arch-fiend had entered
Paradise, and had stolen away the hearts of His children, robbing them
of His grace, and leaving them and all their descendants stained by sin.
To Satan GOD had spoken of a woman whose Child would be his enemy; and
of her He said: "She shall bruise thy head." Now the old prophecy has
been fulfilled, and Mary stands before Him waiting for her crown. She
has crushed the serpent; she has been terrible to all GOD'S enemies; and
the crown that the Eternal Father places on the head of His daughter is
a token that she is indeed a Victor.
How did Mary win the Victor's crown? By her fidelity to grace. No one
ever had so many occasions of grace, and she did not miss one of them.
"There _is_," somewhere in the heavenly courts, "a crown laid up for
_me_." (2 Tim. iv. 8.) But "the Lord, the just Judge" will only give it
me if "I have fought a good fight." (verse 7.) "To him that shall
_overcome_ will I give to sit with Me in My Throne." (Apoc. iii. 21).
"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
(chap. ii. 10.) "Hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy
crown" (chap. iii. 11). All, then, depends on my efforts. I have got to
be _faithful_, to _fight_, to _overcome_, and to _hold fast_. My
consolation is that my Mother is interceding for me; my enemies are the
same as hers, and she has overcome them. _Da mihi virtutem contra hostes
tuos._
2. She is crowned as a _Queen_. Her Son is the King of Heaven, and He
crowns her as the Queen-Mother. "A throne was set for the King's Mother,
and she sat on His Right Hand." (3 Kings ii. 19.) "The Queen stood at
Thy Right Hand in gilded clothing, clothed round about with varieties."
(Ps. xliv. 14.)
Kings and Queens wear their crowns in token of their power and
authority. JESUS crowned His Mother in token of _her_ power and
authority. He made her Queen of Angels, of Patriarchs, Prophets,
Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Virgins, and gave her not only authority
over all these, but also, in a certain sense, if we may say so
reverently, over Himself. He allowed her still to keep the sweet
authority which she had exercised over Him at Nazareth, when He was
"subject" to her; for He says to her: "My Mother, ask, for I _must_ not
turn away thy face." (3 Kings ii. 20.) How He loves us--even to the
extent of pledging Himself to answer the intercessory prayer of one who
He knows will make full use of her privilege--one who is even now
turning to me, her child, and saying: "I will speak for thee to the
King." (verse 18). Let me determine to have my share in this blessed
compact between the Son and the Mother, by continually asking my
Queen-Mother for her intercession. _Sancta Dei Genitrix, ora pro nobis._
3. The Holy Ghost crowns her as His _Spouse_. "Come from Libanus, my
spouse; come and thou shalt be crowned." (Cant. iv. 8.) "Faithful unto
death" she had been; ever since her Immaculate Conception she had always
listened to the least inspiration of grace which her Divine Spouse had
suggested, and now she receives her reward, the "crown of life." The end
is attained, and there is joy in the presence of the Angels of GOD.
_Point II._--THE JOY OF THE ANGELS
_De cujus Assumptione gaudent Angeli et collaudant Filium Dei._ At whose
Assumption the Angels rejoice and praise together the Son of GOD.
(_Introit for the Feast of the Assumption._)
What were the causes of their joy?
1. Mary's joy at her re-union with her Son.
2. Her reception and coronation as their Queen.
3. Her being placed on the throne at her Son's Right Hand.
4. The sight of her beautiful glorified body--the means of the
Incarnation--before which, as before the Tabernacle, they had so often
worshipped their hidden GOD.
5. The likeness between the Mother and the Son--a likeness which had
been increasing during her years of exile, by means of the Blessed
Sacrament.
6. Hearing JESUS call her _Mother_. "My Mother, ask."
7. Seeing the great Intercessor at her work praying for sinners, in whom
they take such an interest.
And the result of their joy is that "they praise together the Son of
GOD"--that is, they perfectly fulfil the end for which they were
created, teaching us the great lesson that the more we know Mary and
rejoice in her joy, her position and her work, the more we shall know
and praise her Divine Son, and so fulfil the end for which we were
created.
But it is not only the Angels who are rejoicing. She is "_Queen of all
Saints_" as well as "_Queen of Angels_," and the Church Triumphant is
swelling the chorus of joy. Each member of that spotless multitude has
already been a cause of joy in Heaven, for there is joy in the presence
of the Angels of GOD over every sinner that doeth penance. (St Luke xv.
7.) "Joy cometh in the morning" after the night of doing penance. "No
cross, no crown." It is because Mary is the "_Mother of Sorrows_" that
she is able to be the "_Cause of our joy_," and we must all pass by the
same route.
Help me, my Mother, to share the joy of the Angels and Saints even in
the "valley of tears." It is possible, but it can only be done by a
faith strong enough to see things as they really are.
And what about Mary's joy? As she stands in the midst of that great
multitude of Angels and Saints, who are vying with each other to do her
honour, her heart too is overflowing with joy, but it is all for her
Son. The honour and worship that are being paid to her are _His_; they
are because of "the great things _He_ has done" for her. She is only His
handmaid, and she is always singing her _Magnificat_: "My soul doth
magnify the Lord, my spirit doth _rejoice_ in GOD my Saviour."
_Humility_ is ever her greatest virtue, and she shows it on her
Coronation Day by casting her crown at the Feet of Him Who redeemed her
with His Blood--her Son, her Saviour, and her GOD.
_Colloquy._ The _Ave Regina Caelorum_:--"Hail, Queen of
Heaven! Hail, Lady of the Angels! Hail, blessed root and
gate, from which came light upon the world! Rejoice, O
glorious Virgin, that surpassest all in beauty! Hail, most
lovely Queen! and pray to Christ for us." (_Anthem from
Purification to Easter._)
_Resolution._ To work for my crown to-day.
_Spiritual Bouquet._ "Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Genitrix, ut
digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi."
Salve Regina
(According to the Second Method of Prayer[1])
SALVE. This anthem of the Blessed Virgin, which the Church bids her
children use from Trinity to Advent, begins with a _salutation_. In
addressing our Mother, we are to copy the Archangel who, when he came
with a message to the lowly child at Nazareth, begins by _saluting_ her.
Hail! full of grace. But though the word, which is here put into the
lips of us sinners, means, "Be thou safe and well," it is not a wholly
disinterested salutation; there is an idea of wanting a favour implied
in it, though we do not actually ask for it. It is like the cheerful
"Good-morning, sir!" of the beggar. Our _Hail_ here has not so much the
majesty of the salutation of an Archangel as the cry of distress of a
banished child.
REGINA. She is appealed to as a Queen; she asks as a Queen; she is
answered as a Queen; she gives as a Queen. "I pray thee speak to the
King, for he cannot deny thee anything.... I will speak for thee to the
King.... And the King arose to meet her, and bowed to her, and sat down
upon his throne. And a throne was set for the King's Mother, and she sat
on his right hand. And she said to him: I desire one small petition of
thee; do not put me to confusion. And the King said to her: My Mother,
ask, for I must not turn away thy face." (3 Kings ii. 17-20.) Such is
the beautiful picture Holy Scripture portrays for us of King Solomon and
his mother Bethsabee. "But a greater than Solomon is here"; and we are
addressing His Mother. With what confidence then may we say our _Salve
Regina_! She has pledged herself to speak to the King for us, and her
Royal Son will give her all that she asks. She is the Queen of
Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Virgins--yes, Queen
of _all_ Saints. Why? Because when they were "poor banished children" on
earth they recognised her as their Queen, and did not address their
_Salve_ to her in vain.
MATER. Not only is she Queen of Heaven and my Queen, but also she is the
Mother of each one of the banished children. "I will not leave you
orphans," JESUS said when He was leaving the sorrowing disciples; and a
little later, when His last moment drew near, He showed them their
Mother, saying to St John, who represented the whole human race: "Behold
thy Mother!" and to her: "Behold thy son," and in him all thy banished
children!
What a consolation it would be to me if I realised more that I have a
Mother in Heaven! My first thought in any trouble, difficulty, or
perplexity would be: "Salve sancta Parens!"
MISERICORDIAE. She is the Mother of so many virtues--of fair love, of
knowledge, of good counsel, of holy hope, of divine grace--yes, and the
Mother of Sorrows too; but here her children love to call her "Mother of
_mercy_," of _pity_, for they are exiles, and it is she who can effect
their ransom. _Mercy_--this is what they who say the _Salve Regina_
need. They are poor, banished, weeping children, and they need the pity,
the mercy, the sympathy of their Mother. How comes it that there is no
sorrow with which the Heart of Mary cannot sympathise? How is it that
"never is it heard of that her children turn to her in vain"? Because
the "sword pierced her own heart also." No heart except that of her
Divine Son can sympathise like the seven-times pierced heart of Mary. It
is because she understands so well the sorrows of a bleeding heart, that
not the smallest need of any one of her smallest children, who appeals
to her, is overlooked. How merciful should they be who have such a
merciful Mother! "Go thou and do in like manner," was our Blessed Lord's
injunction when He had been telling of the mercy of the Good Samaritan.
(St Luke x. 37.) Am I merciful in my judgments of others; merciful when
I am talking of them; merciful to those who have wronged me; merciful to
those who come to me for pardon; merciful in my thoughts? O Virgin most
merciful, pray for me!
VITA. She is our _life_, for it was she who gave life to our Redeemer.
It was from Mary's veins that He took the Blood which He shed for our
salvation. She did not spare her Son, her only Son, (Gen. xxii. 16), but
offered Him up for a sacrifice for us. In every truth she can say: "In
me is all hope of life." (Ecclus. xxiv. 25.)
DULCEDO. Our sweetness. Think of her sweetness all through her
life--when the Angel came to her; during the three months that she
helped Elizabeth; when there was no room for her in the inn at
Bethlehem; when her Son seemed to take no notice of her during His
ministerial work; when she met Him on the Way of Sorrows; when she stood
by the Cross; when she gently bathed His wounds and prepared His Body
for the grave; when she consoled the mourning disciples; when He
appeared to her on Easter Day; when she kissed His footprints as He
ascended to Heaven; when the Holy Ghost came down upon her. Even from
her body after the soul had left it, and even from her grave after the
body had left it, there came a delicious odour, reminding all who
enjoyed it of the _sweetness_ of the Mother who had left them. And this
sweetness her children must try to copy. Is my sweetness for ever
proclaiming itself to all with whom I come in contact--by my patience
under the little trials of everyday life, by the kind word with which I
meet the sharp, sarcastic one, by my extreme care of the feelings of
others, by my universal kindness, by the humility with which I bear
humiliations, by the ready way in which I prefer everybody else to
myself? O my Mother, pray for thy child, and teach me how to copy thee!
ET SPES NOSTRA. How necessary is _hope_ to the poor banished children!
Without it they would indeed be in a desperate condition; but Mary is
ever inspiring them with hope. _Ego Mater sanctae spei._ (I am the Mother
of holy hope.) And her hope is all for her children: she has no need of
it for herself. She is a true Mother--always hopeful of her children,
never giving them up.
It is impossible for a child of Mary not to share her Mother's holy
hope. A child of Mary _cannot_ despair! When we think about death and
final perseverance, what holy hope at once fills our hearts as we
remember that we have put that terrible moment into the hands of our
Mother! _Ora pro nobis, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae._ (Pray for us now
and at the hour of our death.) "Hail, our hope!" Before these words all
fears disappear. For never has it been known that those who appeal to
the Mother of holy hope appeal in vain.
SALVE. We repeat our salutation. We do not want her to forget us.
The importunate are ever dear to the heart of Mary as they are to the
Heart of her Divine Son. Let us constantly greet her with our
_Salve_--it will be enough to appeal to her Mother-heart, and she will
give us whatever we are needing.
AD TE. To _thee_. To whom should we go if not to the Mother whom JESUS
has given us. "Behold thy Mother!" It is only natural that we should
turn to thee. _Monstra te esse matrem._ Show thyself to be a mother by
hearkening to our cry.
CLAMAMUS--_do we cry_. It is a direct cry for help now--we make no
secret of it--the children are calling aloud for their Mother--their
need is so great that they care not who hears them.
EXULES. At last we describe ourselves; one word is sufficient--_exules_.
We are _exiles_; we are not at home; we are banished from our country.
There is something so pathetic about an exile. How he cherishes any news
of his dear country! How he writes every little detail of his life and
of the strange land to his mother at home! How he longs for her letters!
Mary is my Mother, and I am an exile. Do I love to hear about my own
country? Do I tell my Mother of all the difficulties of the way and
allow her to console me with stories of the Homeland? "How shall we sing
in a strange land?" It _is_ possible, by keeping in touch with Mary. She
will so inspire us with hope and with love for our heavenly country that
we shall often find our hearts light enough to soar beyond this land of
exile, and to join in the ceaseless praises of those who have reached
home.
Queen of Heaven, give me a _real_ desire for Heaven.
FILII EVAE. We account for our exile by explaining that we are children
of _Eve_. We had another mother once, and she brought misery on all her
children, and they were all with her "driven out from Paradise," and an
angel with a flaming sword was put at the entrance to prevent their
getting back. Poor children! Is there any use in crying for
re-admittance? Yes, for before the justice of GOD drove out Eve and her
children, He spoke of another Mother, who was, through her Divine Son,
to undo all the harm that Eve had done, and to "open the Kingdom of
Heaven to all believers." To whom, then, is it more natural for the poor
banished children of Eve to turn than to the Mother whose one idea is to
get them back?
And with our cries are joined those of other banished children whose
cry: "How long!" is ever ascending to Heaven. It is their Mother Mary
whom they long to see; for as the turn of each one's banishment expires,
she it is who comes to open the gate and bring them to the "better
country" which they have so long desired.
When we say our _Salve_, let us remember those souls who, though they
are holy, are still banished children, and let us intercede with their
Mother for them.