prerogative of original justice, and even after receiving sanctifying
grace in holy Baptism we are exposed to many temptations. Our life is a
constant warfare. We must, however, not despair in this struggle, for if
we are true children of Mary she will come to our aid. In all
temptations Mary is the "Help of Christians" if we have recourse to her.
But if we wish her to help us, we must not expose ourselves
unnecessarily to temptation. "He that loveth danger shall perish in it"
(_Ecclus._ iii. 27). This sad experience has come to many. Let us,
therefore, avoid the danger and occasion of sin; and whenever evil
approaches us in any shape, let us call upon Mary, and we may rest
assured that she will assist us. "I shall certainly triumph over my
enemies," exclaims St. Alphonsus, "if I place my trust in thee, O Mary,
and if thou art my shield and protection against them."
Prayer of the Church (located on the first day of the Novena).
Litany of Loreto (located in the final section of the book).
_Prayer_
WE HAIL thee, O chosen one! who like the untarnished sun didst burst
forth into being in the dark night of sin. Humbly prostrate at thy feet,
O Mary, we give thee our homage, and with all our hearts we pray thee to
vouchsafe in thy goodness to be born again in our souls, that, led
captive by thy loveliness and sweetness, they may ever live united to
thy most sweet and loving heart.
Hail Mary, etc.
Ejaculation (located on the first day of the Novena).
SIXTH DAY
Mary, the Joy of the Most Holy Trinity
Preparatory Prayer (located on the first day of the Novena).
MEDITATION
IN THE child Mary the eternal Father beheld His unsullied glorious
image, which image had been defaced in all other human beings by
original and actual sin. What a joy to Him to behold this stainless,
immaculate child! And how great must have been the joy of the Son of God
at the birth of her who was to be His Mother! From her He was to take
that sacred body in which He was to dwell on earth, the blood of which
He was to shed on the cross for our redemption, and in which He was to
return to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. He will call
her Mother, and regard her with all the filial tenderness of a child for
his mother. She will love Him in return with a true mother's affection
and devotion. As the Mother of Sorrows she will weep over His inanimate
body taken down from the cross. But like Himself, she will leave the
tomb, and reign at His side as the queen of heaven. How great, then,
must have been His joy at the birth of this child!
The Holy Ghost, too, rejoiced at Mary's birth. He infused into her the
plenitude of His holy love, for she was destined to become the Mother of
God. And how Mary will love God, from whom she received so many and so
great graces, and whom she is to bear in her arms as her real and true
Son! This, her divine Son's love for mankind, will be imparted also to
her. Therefore the Holy Ghost rejoices at this child, who received into
her heart the fulness of His grace, and shall be the helper of those who
have recourse to her.
PRACTICE
RAISE your spirit above time and space; try to contemplate well the
mystery of Mary's predestination. To make us realize the great
privileges conferred upon her, the Church applies to her the words of
Holy Scripture, "He that shall find me, shall find life, and have
salvation from the Lord" (_Prov._ viii. 35). Only when we consider Mary
as the Mother of God, do we arrive at a right conception of her great
dignity. Hence St. Bonaventure exclaims, "God might have created a more
beautiful world; He might have made heaven more glorious; but it was
impossible for Him to exalt a creature higher than Mary in making her
His Mother."
Prayer of the Church (located on the first day of the Novena).
Litany of Loreto (located in the final section of the book).
_Prayer_
WE HAIL thee, beauteous moon, O Mary most holy, who didst shed light
upon a world wrapped in the densest darkness of sin. Humbly prostrate at
thy feet, we give thee our homage, and with all our hearts we pray thee
to vouchsafe in thy goodness to be born again in spirit in our souls,
that led captive by thy loveliness and sweetness they may ever live
united to thy most sweet and loving heart.
Hail Mary, etc.
Ejaculation (located on the first day of the Novena).
SEVENTH DAY
The Angels Rejoice at Mary's Birth
Preparatory Prayer (located on the first day of the Novena).
MEDITATION
DESCRIBING God's power and wisdom as shown in creation, Holy Scripture,
according to the explanation of the Fathers, introduces Him as saying,
"When the morning stars praised me together, and all the sons of God
made a joyful melody" (_Job_ xxxviii. 7), and by these words intends to
convey with what joy the angels praised God's omnipotence on beholding
the wonders of creation. What, then, must have been their joy on
beholding this new wonder of divine power and wisdom, the child Mary,
destined to be their queen. Filled with admiration they exclaimed, "Who
is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright
as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?" (_Cant._ vi. 9.) And
moreover, if, as Our Lord declares, the angels rejoice at the conversion
of a sinner, how great must have been their joy at the birth of her who
was to be the refuge of sinners and the mother of Him who was to be the
Redeemer of sinners? Again, the angels rejoiced at Mary's birth, because
she would fill, through the salvation of mankind by her divine Son, the
places made vacant in heaven by the apostate angels.
PRACTICE
GOOD children rejoice on the birthday of their parents and gratefully
remember all the benefits they have received from them. Thus should we,
also, celebrate the nativity of the Blessed Virgin by a grateful
remembrance of the innumerable graces, individual and general, we
received through her intercession. In acknowledging Mary's co-operation
with our salvation, Holy Church calls her our mediatrix, and greets her
as the "Cause of our joy," because, though we receive grace from Christ,
it comes to us through her mediation. What cause, then, have we not for
rejoicing at her birth! Again, greeting Mary as the cause of our joy,
let us remember the protection she extended to the Church in times of
adversity and persecution; let us, furthermore, remember all the graces
which, according to the holy Fathers, are dispensed to us by Mary's
hands. "Of her plenitude," says St. Bonaventure, "we have all received;
the captive liberty, the sick health, the sad consolation, the sinner
pardon, the just grace." Therefore the Church invokes Mary as the mother
of mercy, the health of the sick, the comforter of the afflicted, the
refuge of sinners, the help of Christians, in a word, as the cause of
our joy.
Prayer of the Church (located on the first day of the Novena).
Litany of Loreto (located in the final section of the book).
_Prayer_
WE HAIL thee, fair soul of Mary, who from all eternity wast God's, and
God's alone; sanctuary and living temple of the Holy Ghost; sun without
blemish, because free from original sin. With all our hearts we pray to
thee, O Mary, to vouchsafe in thy goodness to be born again in spirit in
our souls, that, led captive by thy loveliness and sweetness, they may
ever live united to thy most sweet and loving heart.
Hail Mary, etc.
Ejaculation (located on the first day of the Novena).
EIGHTH DAY
The Joy of the Just in Limbo at Mary's Birth
Preparatory Prayer (located on the first day of the Novena).
MEDITATION
FOR four thousand years the just in limbo sighed for redemption, and
sent up to Heaven the plaintive cry, "O that Thou wouldst rend the
heavens, and wouldst come down!" (_Is._ xiv. 1.) "Drop down dew, ye
heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just; let the earth be
opened and bud forth a Saviour" (_Is._ xlv. 8). What joy must have
filled the souls of the just when they heard the welcome tidings of the
birth of Mary, the virgin Mother of the promised Messias; how great
their consolation at the rising of that dawn which preceded the Sun of
Justice, whose splendor was to illuminate the darkness of them that sat
in the shadow of death!
PRACTICE
A JOY similar to that which filled the captive souls in limbo at Mary's
birth now fills the souls in purgatory when we implore her to come to
their relief. Contemplating the immense love of the Most Holy Trinity
for Mary, we may not doubt but that, by her intercession, she might at
once deliver all the suffering souls from their prison, if such were in
accordance with God's will. But God's wisdom and providence have decreed
otherwise. Therefore Mary does not pray for the release of all souls in
purgatory, but recommends them, in conformity with God's will, to His
mercy. St. Bernardine of Sienna applies to Mary the words of Holy
Scripture, "I have penetrated into the bottom of the deep and have
walked in the waves of the sea" (_Ecclus._ xxiv. 8), and says: "She
descends into that sea of suffering and soothes the pains of the poor
souls." St. Denis the Carthusian remarks, that when the name of Mary is
mentioned in purgatory, the souls there imprisoned experience the same
relief as when a sick person hears words of consolation on his bed of
pain.
Therefore let us entrust our prayers for the souls in purgatory to Mary.
She will present our petitions to God, and thus presented, He will
speedily hear and graciously grant them.
Prayer of the Church (located on the first day of the Novena).
Litany of Loreto (located in the final section of the book).
_Prayer_
WE HAIL thee, strong child, who didst put to flight all hell and the
powers of darkness. We give thee our homage, and with all our hearts we
pray thee to vouchsafe in thy goodness to be born again in spirit in our
souls, that, led captive by thy loveliness and sweetness, they may ever
live united to thy most sweet and loving heart.
Hail Mary, etc.
Ejaculation (located on the first day of the Novena).
NINTH DAY
The Holy Name of Mary
Preparatory Prayer (located on the first day of the Novena).
MEDITATION
ST. ALPHONSUS writes of the name of Mary: "This name was neither
invented on earth, nor imposed by human agency. It came from heaven and
was given to the Mother of God by divine command." Just as it is a
peculiar glory of our Saviour's name, that "God hath given Him a name
which is above all names, that in the name of Jesus every knee should
bow of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth"
(_Philipp._ ii. 9), thus it also behooves that Mary, the most perfect,
the most pure, and most exalted of all created beings, should receive a
most holy, lovely, and powerful name. St. Methodius declares that the
name of Mary is so rich in grace and blessing, that no one can pronounce
it devoutly without at the same time receiving a spiritual favor. Bl.
Jordan exclaims: "Let a heart be ever so obdurate, let a man even
despair of God's mercy, if he have recourse to thee, O Mary, virgin most
clement, he can not fail to be softened and filled with confidence if he
invokes thy name; for thou wilt inspire him with hope in God's mercy,
pardon, and grace."
PRACTICE
IT IS, then, meet and just that we should devoutly honor and praise the
name of Mary. Let us never mention it except in reverence and devotion.
Let us invoke Mary by it in all dangers of body and soul, mindful of the
words of St. Bernard: "O sinner, when the floods and tempests of this
earthly life overwhelm thee so that thou canst not firmly set thy foot,
turn not away thy gaze from the light of this guiding star. When the
storms of temptation assail thee, and the rocks and quicksands of
vexation and trial threaten to shatter thy bark of hope, look up to that
bright star in the heavens, and call on the name of Mary. When the
billows of pride and of ambition, when the floods of calumny are about
to submerge thee, look up to this star and call on the name of Mary.
When anger, avarice, and concupiscence convulse the peace of thy soul,
look up to this star and call on Mary. When thy sins rise up like
hideous monsters before thy troubled vision, when thy conscience stings
thee, when the terrors of future judgment fill thee with deadly anguish,
when gloom and sadness overpower thee, when thou findest thyself on the
brink of hellish despair, take courage; think of Mary, and thou wilt
find from thy own inward experience how true are the sayings of those
who tell thee that the name of the Blessed Virgin is 'Star of the Sea,'
the name of the Virgin is Mary."
Prayer of the Church (located on the first day of the Novena).
Litany of Loreto (located in the final section of the book).
_Prayer_
WE HAIL thee, beloved child Mary, adorned with every virtue,
immeasurably above all the saints, and therefore worthy Mother of the
Saviour of the world, who by the operation of the Holy Ghost didst bring
forth the incarnate Word. We give thee our homage, and with all our
hearts we pray thee to vouchsafe in thy goodness to be born again in our
souls, that, led captive by thy loveliness and sweetness, they may ever
live united to thy most sweet and loving heart.
Hail Mary, etc.
Ejaculation (located on the first day of the Novena).
III
Novena for the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
[Illustration: The Annunciation]
FIRST DAY
The Annunciation
PREPARATORY PRAYER
MY QUEEN, my Mother, remember I am thine own. Keep me, guard me, as thy
property and possession!
Indulgence. 40 days, every time. (Pius IX, August 5, 1851.)
MEDITATION
AT NAZARETH, a mountain village in Judea, lived poor and in obscurity
Mary, the virgin selected by God to become the Mother of His Son. On
March 25th she was in prayer in her chamber, and perhaps sent up to
heaven the yearning petition, "Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above,
and let the clouds rain the just; let the earth be opened and bud a
Saviour" (_Is._ xlv. 8). Behold, suddenly the chamber is suffused by a
heavenly light. The archangel Gabriel stands reverently before her and
says, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou
among women. And when Mary heard the angel's words, she was troubled at
his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this
should be" (_Luke_ i. 28, 29).
PRACTICE
THE angel's salutation comprises two titles of ineffable greatness. Mary
is called "full of grace," because of her innocence and purity; she is
called "blessed among women," because she is the elect Mother of God.
Never before was a human being thus greeted. It was God Himself who sent
the message to Mary. A good angel now repaired the harm once done by a
bad angel. For Lucifer, the fallen angel, seduced Eve to sin and thereby
caused the ruin of the whole human race; now another angel, Gabriel, was
sent to announce the glad tidings to Mary, that she was to conceive the
Redeemer from sin, who was to accomplish the salvation of mankind.
Mary was troubled at the angel's words, and reflected on the meaning of
the message. St. Ambrose writes: "Mary was troubled, not because the
angel was a heavenly spirit, but because he appeared to her in the form
of a youth. Still more was she troubled at the praises spoken to her.
She was innocent and humble, and therefore reflected on the meaning of
the message. She had always considered herself as a poor and unknown
virgin; she deemed herself unworthy of God's grace; therefore she was
troubled at the salutation. In that decisive moment she was and remained
our model."
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
POUR forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we
unto whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the
message of an angel, may, by His passion and cross, be brought to the
glory of the resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Litany of Loreto (located in the final section of the book).
_Prayer_
WITH wonder I revere thee, holiest Virgin Mary; for of all God's
creatures thou wast the humblest on the very day of thy annunciation,
when God Himself exalted Thee to the sublime dignity of His own Mother.
O mightiest Virgin, make me, wretched sinner that I am, know the depths
of my own nothingness, and make me humble myself at last with all my
heart, beneath the feet of all men.
Hail Mary, etc.
_Ejaculation_
Virgin Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me!
Indulgence. 50 days, once a day. (Leo XIII, March 20, 1894.)
SECOND DAY
The Import of the Angel's Salutation
Preparatory Prayer (located on the first day of the novena).
MEDITATION
"HAIL, full of grace!" Mary was greeted as full of grace by the Giver of
grace Himself. The angel's salutation meant: "The grace of God has
preserved thee from all sin. Neither the stain of original sin, nor the
guilt of actual sin, ever obscured the mirror of thy soul. By the
special favor of God the most sublime virtues were infused into thy
soul."
"The Lord is with thee." From all eternity the Lord was with Mary. He
was with her not only as He is with His whole creation, but He was with
her in a special manner. The eternal Father was with her from all
eternity as with His beloved Daughter. The divine Son was with her from
all eternity as with His chosen Mother. The Holy Ghost was with her from
all eternity as with His beloved Spouse. This intimate union never was
disrupted. Therefore Mary is "Blessed among women," and ever was, and
ever shall be the beloved of the Lord.
PRACTICE
CONSIDER how Mary receives the angel's message. She is troubled, she is
disturbed at the praise, at the reverence of the angel. What an example
of humility! Let us imitate her in this virtue by the acknowledgment
before God of our weakness, our unworthiness, our nothingness, and by
ordering our whole being accordingly. Humility renders us pleasing in
the sight of God and makes us susceptible of His grace. Hence St.
Augustine writes: "God resists the proud and gives His grace to the
humble. What a terrible punishment for the proud, what a splendid reward
for the humble! The proud man resembles a rock, the humble man a
beautiful valley. The grace of God descends from heaven like a gentle
rain. It can not penetrate the rock of pride, and hence the proud man
loses God's grace and love. But in the valley of humility the waters of
divine grace can diffuse themselves and fructify the soul of the humble
man, so that it may bring forth fruit unto eternal life."
Prayer of the Church (located on the first day of the novena).
Litany of Loreto (located in the final section of the book).
_Prayer_
O MARY, holiest Virgin, who, when the archangel Gabriel hailed thee in
thy annunciation, and thou wast raised by God above all choirs of the
angels, didst confess thyself "the handmaid of the Lord"; do thou obtain
for me true humility and a truly angelic purity, and so to live on earth
as ever to be worthy of the blessings of God.
Hail Mary, etc.
Ejaculation (located on the first day of the novena).
THIRD DAY
The Effect of the Angel's Salutation
Preparatory Prayer (located on the first day of the novena).
MEDITATION
THE effect of the angel's salutation on Mary was striking. Imbued with
sentiments quite different from ours, she was troubled at the praise
addressed to her. Meanwhile she is silent and considers within herself
what might be the meaning of these words. And now the angel calls her by
name, saying, "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.
Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and
thou shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called
the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the
throne of David His father: and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for
ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end" (_Luke_ i. 30-33).
PRACTICE
LET us admire the prudence shining forth in Mary. After hearing the
angel's words of praise she was silent and thought within herself what
kind of a salutation this was. She is very careful and prudent. On this
her conduct St. Thomas Aquinas remarks: "Mary did not refuse to believe,
nor did she receive the message with credulity. She avoided Eve's
gullibility and the distrust of Zachary the high priest." And St.
Bernard writes: "Mary preferred to remain silent in humility, rather
than to speak inconsiderately." Let us strive always to speak and act
with deliberation. Our conversation ought always to be judicious; for
often a word spoken inconsiderately causes bitter regret. St. Thomas
Aquinas observes: "Song was given to a number of creatures, but human
beings alone were endowed with the faculty of speech, to indicate that
in speaking we should use our reason." And St. Chrysostom says: "Let us
always guard our tongue; not that it should always be silent, but that
it should speak at the proper time."
Prayer of the Church (located on the first day of the novena).
Litany of Loreto (located in the final section of the book).
_Prayer_
I REJOICE with thee, O Virgin ever blessed, because by thy humble word
of consent thou didst draw down from the bosom of the eternal Father the
divine Word into thy own pure bosom. O draw, then, ever my heart to God;
and with God bring grace into my heart that I may ever sincerely bless
thy word of consent, so mighty and so efficacious.
Hail Mary, etc.
Ejaculation (located on the first day of the novena).
FOURTH DAY
Mary's Question
Preparatory Prayer (located on the first day of the novena).
MEDITATION
WELL versed as Mary was in Holy Scripture, she fully understood the
words she had heard and knew their great import. She was destined to
become the Mother of the Most High, the Son of God. But there is an
obstacle which prevents her from giving immediate assent. She has
solemnly vowed her virginity to God. Not knowing how the mystery
announced to her was to be accomplished, and intent above all on keeping
inviolate her vow, she interrupts her silence by the short but
comprehensive question, "How shall this be done, because I know not
man?" (_Luke_ i. 34.) This is the first word of Mary recorded in the
Gospel.
PRACTICE
"HOW shall this be done, because I know not man?" Truly a momentous
question, proceeding from her knowledge of the great excellence and
value before God of virginity, which, before Mary, was unknown to the
world.
Let us follow Mary's example and esteem holy purity and chastity above
all things. Let us remember how highly Holy Scripture extols this
virtue. "O how beautiful is the chaste generation with glory; for the
memory thereof is immortal, because it is known both with God and with
men" (_Wis._ iv. 1). St. Athanasius writes: "O chastity, thou precious
pearl, found by few, even hated by some, and sought only by those who
are worthy of thee! Thou art the joy of the prophets, the ornament of
the apostles, the life of the angels, the crown of the saints." Let us
therefore carefully guard this inestimable treasure.
Prayer of the Church (located on the first day of the novena).
Litany of Loreto (located in the final section of the book).
_Prayer_
MARY, mighty Virgin, thou who on the day of thy annunciation wast found
by the archangel so prompt and ready to do God's will, and to correspond
with the desires of the august Trinity, who wished for thy consent in
order to redeem the world; obtain for me that, whatever happens, good or
ill, I may turn to my God, and with resignation say, "Be it done unto me
according to thy word."
Hail Mary, etc.
Ejaculation (located on the first day of the novena).
FIFTH DAY
The Solution
Preparatory Prayer (located on the first day of the novena).
MEDITATION
THE angel explains to Mary how, without detriment to her virginity, she
will become a mother. He says, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and
the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the
Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (_Luke_
i. 35). St. Bernard remarks: "Let him who can, comprehend it. Who, but
that most happy Virgin who was worthy to experience the influence and
effect of the power of the Most High and to penetrate this sublime
mystery, can understand how the divine Light was poured into the
Virgin's womb? The Most Holy Trinity alone co-operated in the sacred
act, and it remains an impenetrable mystery to all, except to her who
was called to so sublime a destiny."
PRACTICE