As the peaceful morning dawns, not by fits and starts, but steadily
and gradually, so that its progress is scarcely perceptible, so did
Divine love increase in the heart of Our Lady, the glorious Virgin
Mary. Her progress in charity was tranquil, uniform and uninterrupted,
so that she continually pursued her course towards the Divinity Whom
she loved.
Consider that love is, in its nature, calm, tranquil, and full of
sweetness, and becomes violent only when it meets with some
opposition. But if its dominion in a soul be undisputed, and if
nothing oppose its progress, then it works steadily and gains its
victories with ease. We may understand, then, how the heart of the
Mother of pure Love experienced all its power, without any impetuous
movement, for in her there was no resistance to overcome.
Observe the course of great rivers: when the bed is not level and the
current is encumbered with masses of rock, the waters splash and foam,
and roll back again with a great noise; but when the bed is smooth the
waters flow on placidly and without effort. Such is the case with holy
love, when it meets with obstacles,--and where does it not find them?
It is constrained to struggle with a kind of violence against the
human inclinations that oppose it; to use force, and make great
efforts in order to bend the will, to remove impediments, and to open
a passage for itself to the heart it seeks to possess. In the Blessed
Virgin, however, everything favoured and seconded the attractions of
grace and of Divine love, and although her love was incomparably
greater than that of any other creature, it continually went on
increasing with the greatest calm and sweetness.
If iron were not held down by its weight it would find no obstacle to
the continued attraction of the magnet, and its strong and even motion
would continually increase in proportion as the iron and magnet drew
nearer to each other. Thus it was with the Most Holy Virgin at her
death. As there was nothing in her that could impede the action of
Divine love, she became more and more closely united to her adorable
Son through sweet ecstasies, until she became, so to speak, immersed
in the bosom of His goodness; and thus, without even knowing it, she
quitted her body and was reunited to her Divine Son in heaven.
It was fitting that as love had produced the sorrows of death in this
Divine Mother at the foot of the Cross, so death should in its turn,
produce the sovereign delights of love. Ah! may this Most Holy Virgin
obtain for us, by her prayers, grace to live in holy love, and may it
alone be the object of all our desires, and of all the affections of
our hearts!