OUR Beloved Saviour had instituted the Sacrament of Love that He might
remain amid His children. He had poured forth all His Blood for us,
and He wished moreover to bequeath us a legacy in the last Testament
of His Love. But what more could He give us? He casts a compassionate
look upon His tender Mother, who stands immovable at the foot of the
Cross with His beloved disciple. It is not to enrich her with His
grace, for she already possessed it most excellently; nor is it to
promise her glory, she was sure of it; but it is to infuse into her
heart, before He died, a more tender and ardent love for men than she
yet possessed. 'Woman,' says He to her, pointing to the beloved
disciple, _'behold your son!'_ What an exchange was this! The servant
instead of the Only Son--the creature in place of the Creator! And yet
she does not refuse it, well knowing that she accepted for her
children, in the person of John, all the followers of the Cross of
Jesus, and that she was to become the beloved Mother of all
Christians.
Although Our Lady gave birth to none but our adorable Saviour, yet, in
a spiritual sense, she brought forth all Christians in the Person of
Our Saviour; because this Blessed Seed has begotten us all by His
death. A seed when planted produces a tree, from which are produced
other seeds, all of which may be said to belong to the original fruit
from which the tree came forth. Thus, as the Most Holy Virgin brought
forth this mystic Seed, which when cast on earth, budded and brought
forth many other seeds, she has consequently brought us all forth and
has become the Mother of us all. How much we ought to love the Son and
the Mother! for they are our Divine parents, and it is impossible to
love one without loving the other. [1]
As Holy Church wishes to teach us to go to Jesus through Mary, she
directs that the Angelical Salutation should follow the _Our Father_,
that we may thus petition, through her, for all benefits, both
spiritual and temporal, as far as these latter are conducive to our
eternal salvation. We also implore the intercession of Mary in order
to receive the Holy Ghost, as it was through her that St. Elizabeth
received His gifts.
Honour and revere with especial love the holy and glorious Virgin
Mary, for she is the Mother of Our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, and
therefore our most excellent Mother. Let us then have recourse to her
as little children; let us cast ourselves upon her bosom on every
occasion, and at every moment, with perfect confidence. Let us appeal
to her maternal love, endeavour to imitate her virtues, and cherish in
our heart the true sentiments of children.
In the ancient Law much honour was paid to the Ark, in which were
preserved the manna, the rod of Aaron, and the tables of the Law. With
much greater reason should we honour this living Ark of the new
Covenant. Indeed, what does the manna prefigure but the Divinity of
the Son of God, come down from heaven to unite Himself with our
humanity? He is, also, the Miraculous Rod and the Living Stone upon
which the commandments of the Law of Grace were written, being
engraved upon His Sacred Body by the scourges, the thorns, the nails,
and the lance. The immaculate bosom of Our Lady is then incomparably
more worthy of honour than the ancient ark which prefigured it.
O Most Holy and Most Happy Lady, raised in Paradise to the highest
degree of beatitude and happiness! we beg you to have compassion on us
who groan in the desert of this world. You are in the abundance of
delights, and we in the abyss of miseries; obtain for us strength to
endure our tribulations virtuously, always leaning on your Beloved
Son, the only pledge of our hopes and remedy of our evils. O Glorious
Virgin, pray for the Church, assist the Holy Father, the Prelates,
Bishops, and all Superiors; and assist England especially, which by
your devoted servant St. Edward, was consecrated to you as your dowry:
_Dota Mariae_. (Translator.)
You are the Mother of Jesus, Who has deigned to become our Brother,
and hence you are our Mother; why, then, shall we not cast ourselves
into your arms with perfect confidence, invoking your maternal love
and imitating your virtues? O God, what a blessing for us to be sons
of such a Mother! If we love and serve her with a truly filial love,
she will enrich us with her favours. And, meanwhile, let us present
her with the flowers of every virtue: but, above all, with the lily of
purity, the rose of ardent charity, and the violets of holy humility
and simplicity. She loves nothing so much as hearts deepened by
humility, opened by simplicity, and enlarged by charity; and she
prefers to be in the company of souls near the manger and at the foot
of the Cross; that is, with the poor and the afflicted, in order to
succour and console them.
[1] Happy the soul who, like a good child in regard of her parents,
sees only Jesus and Mary, converses only with Jesus and Mary, and
whose only joy and desire in this world is to know Mary in Jesus and
Jesus in Mary. This is a wonderful means, given us by God, of spending
our lives holily during our sorrowful sojourn in this present life.--
(J. J. OLIER.)