THE Eternal Father bestowed an incomparable gift upon the world when
He gave it His Only Son. Jesus Christ Himself said: 'God hath so loved
the world as to give it His Only Son;' and St. Paul exclaims: 'How has
He not with Him given us all things?'--_Quomodo non etiam omnia cum
illo nobis donavit?_
Almighty God, in the ancient Law, had bestowed an infinity of
blessings upon His chosen people; but they were given according to
measure. In the Law of Grace, however, He had no sooner seen His
Beloved Son ascended into heaven than He opened His Hands to pour
forth His graces and gifts upon all the faithful, according to the
prophecy of Joel, that _supra omnem carnem_--'over all men' would He
diffuse His Holy Spirit.
If we desire to receive this Divine Spirit, let us beg Our Lord to
bestow Him upon us through the merits of his Most Holy Mother, the
glorious Virgin Mary, and through the love He bore to her; and we
shall thus, like the Apostles, be with _Mary the Mother of Jesus_. We
shall never understand how necessary is this condition. St. Elizabeth
had no sooner spoken to the Most Holy Virgin than she was immediately,
says St. Luke, 'filled with the Holy Ghost.' Nor is this a subject of
wonder, because Mary is the Spouse of the Holy Ghost, the Daughter of
the Eternal Father, and the Mother of the Eternal Son.
The Evangelist St. Luke, by observing that men and women were
assembled in the room, admonishes us that we must all hope to receive
the Holy Ghost; but he mentions in particular the presence of _Mary
the Mother of Jesus_, to insinuate that she was there as the Queen of
the Apostles. How mistaken, then, are those who say that we honour the
Most Holy Virgin too much! This august Virgin, it is true, had already
received the Holy Spirit and the fulness of grace in the Annunciation,
but in the upper room she received a great superabundance of grace.
Whoever, then, desires to receive the Holy Ghost, let him unite
himself to Mary; because he who separates himself from her, does not
gather but scatters. Let us serve her, honour her, that He Who comes
into our hearts, by her mediation, may also receive us by the same
mediation.
To conclude, we may learn a very useful lesson from the words of St.
Luke about the Disciples when they had received the Holy Ghost: 'All
spoke in divers tongues according as the Holy Ghost gave them to
speak'--_Prout Spiritus Sanctus dabat eloqui illis;_ that is, that
though all spoke, yet they did not speak in the same manner. The
Apostles preached the new Law; and those who did not preach publicly,
animated one another to praise and magnify the Lord. Let us, however,
understand that there is an efficacious method of speaking without
even uttering a word, and it is by the good example which we give to
our neighbour.
David says: 'The heavens declare the glory of God. Day unto day
uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.' These words
signify that the beauty of the heavens invites men to admire the
magnificence of the Creator. Indeed, when on a clear night we
contemplate the beauty of the heavens, we do not feel less animated to
admire and adore the Omnipotence and Wisdom of God, Who has studded it
with such beautiful stars, than when we observe the inaccessible light
of the sun in its full meridian splendour. What conclusion are we to
draw from all this but that we, who are something more than all the
rest of creation (since all things were made for us, and not we for
them), should, by our good example, announce the glory of God more
perfectly than the heavens and the stars. Good example is a silent but
a most efficacious influence. In this manner we can all preach,
although we have not all received the gift of tongues. Is it a less
wonder to see a soul adorned with many sublime virtues than to see the
heavens decorated with magnificent stars? How much, my God, do I need
the Spirit of strength when I feel myself so weak and infirm! However,
I glory in my infirmity _that the Power of my God may dwell in me_.
Let us glory in our weakness, which makes us fitting receptacles of
the Power of God. May He grant that this sacred fire, which can
entirely change us into Him, may transform our hearts into His pure
Love, that we may be all love and not lovers only. May He grant me
also to receive and make good use of the gift of understanding, that
my mind may be more enlightened to penetrate clearly the sacred
mysteries of our holy Faith; for this understanding has a wonderful
power to subjugate the will to the service of Him Whom it recognises
to be so good and so worthy of love, Yet, as true love is active, we
need counsel, that we may be able to discern how to exercise this
love; and then our soul is excellently endowed with the sacred gifts
of Heaven.
May the Holy Spirit, Who favours us with His gifts, form our whole
consolation, and be eternally adored by my mind and by my heart! May
He be always our wisdom and our understanding, our counsel and our
fortitude, our knowledge and our piety, and fill us with the spirit of
the fear of the Lord.