LET us continue our Meditation on the sweet mystery of the Visitation.
The visit which this incomparable Virgin made to St. Elizabeth was not
useless, nor, like the visits of worldly people, a matter of ceremony.
Such visits result in harm to the conscience, in offences against
chastity or charity. The Most Holy Virgin was induced to visit her
cousin Elizabeth from pure motives of charity, and the days she spent
with her were not employed in useless occupations, but in praising and
magnifying God. How holy, pious, and devout was not this visit! It
filled the whole house of Zachary with the Holy Spirit, and admirable
effects were produced in St. Elizabeth. The first effect was humility.
As soon as Our Lady appeared in the house of her cousin the Saint was
filled with astonishment at such a favour, and exclaimed: _Unde hoc
mihi ut veniat Mater Domini mei ad me?_--'Whence is this to me, that
the Mother of my God should come unto me?' This is the virtue that the
Holy Ghost first produces within us; a profound humility, which forces
us to annihilate ourselves in the sight of the infinite greatness of
God, and acknowledge our own baseness and worthlessness.
The second effect was to confirm St. Elizabeth in faith, as is
gathered from the words she ad dressed to the Most Holy Virgin:
'Blessed art thou that hast believed; blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb'--_Beata es quae crededisti;
benedicta tu inter mulieres, et benedictus fructus ventris tui_.
Indeed, one of the chief operations of the Holy Spirit is to ground us
in faith and convert us entirely to God, and make us acknowledge Him
as the Source of all the graces and blessings granted to mortal
beings.
Truly may St. Elizabeth have said, you are blessed amongst all women,
but your blessedness proceeds from the Fruit of your womb, the God of
blessings. We do not usually praise the fruit on account of the tree,
but the tree on account of the excellence of its fruit. Thus, although
we ought to render to the Most Holy Virgin a worship or veneration
beyond that which we render to the Saints, yet our homage and
veneration should never equal that which we give to God. God alone
should be sovereignly adored; but, as the Most Holy Virgin is the
Mother of Our Saviour, and a co-operator in our redemption, she is
worthy of such a special worship as all true Christians have ever
given to her. When the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we love and
praise God alone above all things, as our Sovereign Creator; and after
Him, Mary, His Most Holy Mother.
The third effect that the Holy Ghost produces in those upon whom He
descends is a complete change of heart, as is represented in the joy
of the Baptist yet unborn: _Ecce enim ut facta est vox salutationis
tuae in auribus meis, exultavit infans in utero meo_--'Behold, as soon
as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears,' said Elizabeth to
Our Lady, 'the Infant leaped in my womb.' Thus was St. John
sanctified, going forth as it were out of himself, and casting himself
before his Maker. And so it is with those who receive the Holy Spirit:
they go out of themselves and lose themselves in God; that is to say,
they live no longer according to nature and the senses, but they
follow the inspirations of grace. If you desire, then, to know whether
you have received the Holy Ghost, examine your actions.
It was through the intervention of Most Holy Mary that St. Elizabeth
received the Holy Spirit. This teaches us that we should make use of
her as a mediatrix with her Divine Son in order to obtain heavenly
graces. It is true that we can address ourselves directly to God in
our petitions, without employing the mediation of the Most Holy Virgin
or the Saints; but this is not according to the order ordained by God,
Who wished that there should be a communication between us and His
Saints. Hence the Church militant and triumphant form but one Church,
directed and governed equally, though differently, by God Himself; and
He wishes us to have recourse to Him through the Most Holy Virgin and
the Saints, and He bestows the most precious graces upon us by their
intercession.
For the concluding point of this meditation we may add that it is of
the greatest advantage to our souls to be visited by the Most Blessed
Virgin; and her visits are always accompanied by many blessings and
graces, as in the case of St. Elizabeth. O God! you will say, I do,
indeed, desire that she would deign to honour me with one of her
visits during prayer, since her visits fill the soul with sweet
consolation. However, we must bear in mind that Mary often visits us
with inspirations and interior lights, to aid our progress in
perfection; and these are precisely the visits that we are unwilling
to receive.
Endeavour to receive Holy Communion devoutly, and you will contract a
spiritual relationship with the Most Holy Virgin, since the Most
Precious Body of Our Saviour, which we receive in Holy Communion, was
formed by the Holy Ghost of her most pure blood.
In this manner, and by the imitation of her virtues, the relationship
which you will contract with her will be much more excellent and more
pleasing to her than that of Elizabeth, which was merely of flesh and
blood. Our Lord says: 'Whosoever shall do the will of My Father Who is
in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother' (Matt. xii. 50).
In order to have some share in the visits of this Holy Virgin, we must
not look for consolations, but generously resolve to accept even
contempt and sorrow. In fact, Mary did not visit St. Elizabeth until
she had suffered the ignominy and humiliation of her sterility. It is
impossible to lead a devout life without trouble, and merit is in
proportion to suffering. Finally, if we desire to receive the favour
of this visitation, we must be transformed; we must die to self, and
live only to God and for God: in a word, we must humble ourselves
profoundly, according to the example of St. Elizabeth. Be faithful
then, pious souls, in this exercise, during this short and miserable
life, that you may afterwards chant eternally in heaven with the Most
Holy Virgin: _Magnificat anima mea Dominum!_--'My soul doth magnify
the Lord!'
My God! how ashamed I am to be still so full of myself, when I have so
often come to Holy Communion! O dear Jesus! may we always bear Thee in
our hearts, that we may no longer breathe but Thee? How is it that I
am so little united to Thee, since Thou art always in me? Why do I
stray so far from Thee, whilst Thou art always close to me? Thou
dwellest in my heart, how is it that I do not abide in Thine?