GOD placed two beautiful luminaries in the heavens on the fourth day
of the Creation; one called the _greater_, the other the _lesser
light_; the former to rule over the day, the latter, over the night.
Although God decreed that darkness should succeed the day, He, the
increated Light, would not allow the night to be entirely deprived of
light. When, in His Providence, He wished to create the spiritual
world in His Church, He placed in it, as in a Divine firmament, two
great luminaries. The greatest is Jesus Christ, Our Saviour and
Master--an abyss of light, and the source of splendour, the true Sun
of Justice; the lesser luminary is the Most Holy Mother of this Divine
Saviour; a most glorious Mother, resplendent and beautiful as the
moon.
The Son of God came down upon earth, like the sun upon our atmosphere,
to clothe Himself with our humanity, and formed our light and day; a
most longed-for day, which lasted about thirty-three years, during
which time He illumined the Church with the splendour of His miracles,
His example and His doctrine. But the hour having at last arrived when
this precious Sun was to set and cast Its rays over the other
hemisphere--that is, heaven--what else could remain on earth but
darkness and obscurity? And, in fact, night quickly spread around--the
night of the many persecutions raised against the Apostles. But that
its darkness might be more tolerable, it also had its luminary in the
person of the Most Holy Virgin, who remained with the disciples and
the faithful, after the Ascension of her Divine Son. This we learn
from St. Luke: the Most Holy Mary was with the disciples in the upper
room on the day of Pentecost, and persevered with them in communion
and prayer.
Jesus Christ would leave her still in the world: firstly, that as a
luminary she might be the comfort of the faithful immersed in the
night of tribulations; secondly, that by surviving her Divine Son she
might acquire greater merit, so that it might be truly said of her--
many daughters have gathered riches, you have surpassed them all;
thirdly, that her presence might be a convincing proof against the
heresy that arose after the Ascension of Our Lord, which held that He
had not taken a natural Body but one merely in appearance. Thus, even
in her lifetime, were verified in her regard the words of Holy Church,
'You, august Virgin, have destroyed all heresies.'
The Most Holy Virgin lived after the Ascension of her Divine Son until
she reached the age of sixty-three; and thus this mystic Ark of the
new Covenant dwelt under tents in the desert of this world.
Our Divine Lord, wished that His Most Holy Mother should, after having
been an example to virgins and to mothers, become the model of widows
by her modesty and her love for the hidden life. Widows may be
compared to the little lowly violet, which has no brilliancy in its
colour but has a scent which, without being too strong, is
marvellously sweet. Oh, what a beautiful flower in the Church is the
Christian widow! Lowly, through humility, and without splendour in the
eyes of the world, since she flies from it; she is unable to meet the
gaze of men when her heart no longer desires their love.
The Apostle St. Paul orders his disciple St. Timothy, to honour those
_who are widows indeed;_ that is, those who are so in heart and mind.
'Blessed,' says Our Lord, 'are the pure of heart and poor in spirit.'
Widows in spirit and in desire are deserving of the highest esteem;
for what means the word 'widow' but need and destitution. Honour,
then, be rendered to those who are such in mind and heart, for they
are humble and their Protector is the Lord!