LET all who are devout to the most holy Virgin approach the cradle in
which lies the royal infant, Mary. Consider attentively this sacred
child, and you will see how perfectly she practises every virtue. Ask
the Angels, the Cherubim and Seraphim, who surround her, if they equal
this little creature in perfection, and they will all reply that they
are immensely inferior to her in graces, in merits, and in virtue.
Contemplate, Children of Mary, those heavenly spirits around her
cradle, and you will hear them repeat in ecstasies of admiration of
her beauty the words of the Canticle of Canticles: _Who is she that
goeth up by the desert as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices of
myrrh, and frankincense . . . Who is she that cometh forth as the
morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an
army set in battle array?_
This virgin child is not yet glorified, but glory is already promised
her; she expects it, not like others, in hope, but with certainty. On
this account the celestial spirits, enraptured by such incomparable
perfection, cease not to celebrate her praises.
Meanwhile, this most perfect Virgin lies in her poor crib, and there
practises, in a most special manner, the virtue of self-abnegation.
Consider, I beseech you, how, amidst angelic praises, she wishes to
appear like all other children of Adam. Who will not be filled with
admiration and love, to behold Mary in her cradle, full of grace,
endowed with the perfect use of reason from the first instant of her
Immaculate Conception, able to meditate upon the perfections of God,
filled with His love, and entirely resigned to His holy will; and yet,
notwithstanding such privileges, wishing to be considered and treated
as a poor little infant, without in any way manifesting the precious
gifts she possessed? O my God! how attractive is such a spectacle; and
not only attractive, but wonderful; and how clearly does it convince
us of her perfect renunciation of all that savours of worldly pomp and
glory and ambition!
The second kind of abnegation which this august Virgin teaches us to
practise, is the renunciation of the flesh, of which in her nativity
and infancy she offers us most moving examples. Children are obliged
to make many sacrifices, and the more they are attended to, the more
are their affections and inclinations opposed. These mortifications,
nevertheless, are not occasions of merit to them, for they have not
yet acquired the use of reason. But the most holy Virgin, being
endowed from her infancy with the perfect use of reason, exercised the
virtue of self-abnegation in a wonderful degree, enduring voluntarily
all these contradictions and mortifications.
The third kind of renunciation is that of our own judgment and will,
even in things which seem to us better than those that are commanded
us. This includes what is most difficult and meritorious in the way of
Christian perfection. How excellently did the most holy Virgin
practise this abnegation in her nativity! Although possessed of the
use of reason, she never made use of her liberty to manifest it. We
always see in her a constant state of dependence. When she goes to the
Temple she is led by her parents; through obedience to them she gives
her hand to a humble carpenter, although she had consecrated her
virginity to God. She leaves Nazareth for Bethlehem, flees into Egypt,
and returns to Nazareth; and in all these journeys, as well as in all
the other vicissitudes of her life, she maintains perfect subjection
and docility. She even assists at the death of her Son and her God,
through submission to the decrees of Heaven, her will being perfectly
united to that of the Eternal Father. It was not by constraint, but
with the full concurrence of her will, that she assented to the death
of this Divine Son, and with humble resignation embraced and adored a
hundred times that Cross upon which she saw, without shedding a tear,
her only Son expire. What abnegation do we not find in the most holy
Virgin! The tender loving soul of this most sorrowful Mother was
pierced by unheard-of dolours; indeed, who can ever describe the pains
and anguish of her most sacred heart, as she stood immovable at the
foot of the Cross? She knew that the Eternal Father willed that Jesus
Christ should thus die, and that she should be present at His death,
and this knowledge gave her strength to stand there and endure it all.
In imitation of Mary, let us resolve to die to everything and to our
own will, that we may live for God alone. Jesus Christ tells us to
deny ourselves, to take up our cross and to follow Him. The way of
perfection is a Calvary, where it is necessary to crucify ourselves
continually, in company with our Saviour; thus forcing nature to die,
that grace may live and reign within us. In a word, it is necessary to
strip ourselves of the old Adam, and clothe ourselves with the new
Adam, and this cannot be done without suffering. I will not deceive
you; Christian perfection is difficult, and very great courage is
required for so high an undertaking. This perfection consists in an
entire self-abnegation, and in a total renunciation of all earthly
things. [1]
O my God! when will Our Lady be, as it were, born in our hearts? As
for myself I see clearly that I am quite unworthy of such a favour;
and as for you, what are your sentiments? Her Divine Son was born in a
stable. Let us take courage and prepare Him a place in our hearts; a
place made deep by humility, low by simplicity, and wide by charity.
It is such a heart as this that Our Lady loves to visit, She dwells
willingly near the manger and at the foot of the Cross. Little matters
it to her that she lives unknown in Egypt, provided her Divine Child
lives with her.
Whether our Lord sends us to the right or to the left, or howsoever He
treats us, or makes us as a sign against which all the evils of the
world are turned, we will never abandon Him until He has blessed us
with eternal blessing. Let us be assured that He is never so near to
us as when He appears to be furthest from us; never does He guard us
with more jealousy than when He seems to abandon us, and never does He
engage in combat with us, but to take more intimate possession of our
heart, and load us with His blessings. Meanwhile, let us go on; let us
walk through the valley of humble virtues, and how many roses shall we
not find amongst the thorns! Charity, which shines in the midst of the
most trying afflictions, as well interior as exterior, the lily of
purity, the violet of mortification, and how many more! But the lowly
virtues that are dearest to me are these three: meekness of heart,
poverty of spirit, simplicity of life, together with the practices of
visiting the sick, serving the poor, consoling the afflicted, and such
like. However, all must be done without solicitude, and in true
liberty of spirit. Our arms are not long enough to reach to the cedars
of Lebanon--let us then be content with the hyssop that grows in the
valleys.
[1] In the way of prayer, at first everything seems painful, and with
good reason; because it is a continual war against ourselves. But when
we set to work, our Lord on His side assists us so powerfully, and
loads us with so many favours, that all the pains and labours of this
life become as nothing.--_St. Teresa_.