ON THE POVERTY OF MARY.
Our loving Redeemer chose to be poor on this earth in order to teach
us to despise the goods of this world: “Being rich,” says St. Paul,
“he became poor for your sake, that through his poverty you might be
rich.”[1675] For this reason Jesus Christ says to each one who wishes to
be his disciple: “If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast and
give it to the poor, and come follow me.”[1676] Behold his most perfect
disciple Mary, who indeed imitated his example. Father Canisius proves
that the holy Virgin could have lived in comfort on the inheritance
left her by her parents, but she was content to remain poor, reserving
to herself a small portion, and giving the rest in alms to the temple
and to the poor. Many are of opinion that Mary also made a vow of
poverty,[1677] and it is known that she herself said to St. Bridget:
“From the beginning I vowed in my heart never to possess any thing in the
world.”[1678] The gifts received from the holy Magi were certainly not
of small value, but St. Bernard attests that she distributed them all to
the poor.[1679] And we learn that the divine mother immediately gave to
others the presents above mentioned, from the fact that when she went
to the temple she did not offer the lamb, which was the oblation made
by those who were able, as we read in Leviticus: “For a son she shall
bring a lamb,”[1680] ... but she offered two turtle-doves and two young
pigeons, the oblation of the poor: “And to offer a sacrifice, according
as it is written in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle-doves or two
young pigeons.”[1681] Mary herself said to St. Bridget: “All that I
had I gave to the poor, and kept nothing for myself but poor food and
clothing.”[1682]
Through love of poverty she did not disdain to marry a poor carpenter,
like St. Joseph, and afterwards, as St. Bonaventure relates, to support
herself by the work of her hands, as sewing or spinning. An angel
revealed to St. Bridget concerning Mary, that worldly riches were in
her eyes vile as dirt: “Mundanæ divitæ velut lutum sibi vilescebat.” In
a word, she always lived in poverty, and she died in poverty; for as
Metaphrastes and Nicephorus relate, she left nothing behind her at her
death but two poor garments to two women, who had assisted her during
life.[1683]
He who loves riches, said St. Philip Neri, will never become a saint; and
St. Theresa also said: It justly follows that he who goes in search of
things lost is also lost. On the other hand, the same saint said, that
this virtue of poverty is a good that comprises all other goods. I have
said the virtue of poverty which, according to St. Bernard, does not
consist alone in being poor, but in loving poverty: “Non paupertas, sed
amor paupertatis virtus est.” Therefore Jesus Christ has said: “Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”[1684]
Blessed, because they who wish for nothing but God, in God find every
good, and find in poverty their paradise on earth, as St. Francis found
it in saying: My God and my all: “Deus meus et omnia.” Let us, then,
according to the exhortation of St. Augustine, love that only good in
which is every good: “Ama unum bonum, in quo sunt omnia bona.” And let us
pray our Lord with St. Ignatius: Give me only thy love together with thy
grace, and I am rich enough.[1685] And when poverty afflicts us, let us
console ourselves by the thought that Jesus and his mother have also been
poor like us.[1686]
Ah, my most holy mother, thou hadst in truth reason to say, that in God
was thy joy: “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour,”[1687] for
in this world thou didst not desire nor love any other good than God.
Draw me after thee: “Trahe me post te.” Oh Lady! detach me from the
world, and draw me after thee to love that one who alone merits to be
loved. Amen.