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*By D.M. Anderson





A Life of Our Lady for Children

By

D. M. ANDERSON

OUR SUNDAY Visitor library

TOM, IRprAVA

Published by

OUR SUNDAY VISITOR

Huntington, Indiana

August 15, 1940



Nihil Obstat:

REV. T. E. DILLON

Imprimatur:

*

Censor Librorum

JOHN FRANCIS NOLL, D. D.,

Bishop of Fort Wayne



Chapter I

The Birthday

It was a birthday morning! The September sun shone over

the golden cornfields, a type of peace and plenty ; and warmed the

purple grapes that later on would make the wine for the Sacrifice.

Surely the harvest month was well fitted to be the second most

beautiful birthday in the world! The most beautiful birthday of

all was in snow and cold, but this one was in the month of plenty.

And God meant it so, because He loved the little Baby so dear-

ly, and knew that in years to come She would be the Mother of His

Son. So He picked out Her birthday month specially, that it should

be in the most beautiful month of all, to show that Her coming

began the season of spiritual harvest.

We don’t know very much about the birthday itself. There is
enough told us, however, to make us think, ana if we think long

enough we shall lose our hearts once and for all to the Baby, like

the angels did, because—but we’ll come to that in a minute.
The Baby’s Mother, St. Anne, was a lovely mother, but she

had been so sad. She had longed to have a child, and so had her

husband, St. Joachim. They had just ached like we do when we feel

we want something dreadfully, a new book or bicycle, or when we

want someone to play with.

And St. Anne and St. Joachim had prayed ever so hard and God

did not seem to take any notice. He does that with people He likes

specially. He seems not to hear them and they go on praying, and

then He gives them something far nicer than they asked for.

That happened to St. Anne. She prayed and prayed ever so

hard, and then at last God sent her a little baby. St. Anne could

have cried for joy when she held the Baby in her arms. It was so

beautiful. She looked at It as if she could never stop looking at It,

and St. Joachim came and put his arms round her, and together

they watched the Baby.

Except for Its special loveliness, outwardly It was like any

other Baby ever born, but inwardly It was far and away the most

beautiful, and the most beautiful ever to be born except the Baby’s

Son.

That Baby was Mary, who was to become the Mother of God.

Her soul was white and shining, it had no stain of sin on it like we



4 A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN

have until we have been baptized. It was glorious and pure.

Then all the angels came flocking down from Heaven and

bowed in homage before the Baby, for She was their queen, and the

most beautiful angel of all took charge of Her, for God had sent

him as Her guardian angel.

We all know that we have a guardian angel. He does much

for us that we shall not know about until we get to Heaven. But

the saints tell us that Our Blessed Lady used to talk to the angels,

and they used to come and visit Her. Of course we are not bound

to believe this, but the saints knew about sucn things much better

than we do, and it is a help sometimes to think how the angels

would come and talk with the little child Mary, and how She would

love talking to them of God and things in heaven.

All that we are told of Our Lady as a little girl is founded on

tradition. Tradition means facts told to the Apostles and early

Christians and passed on one to another.

We are told very decidedly that after Our Lady was three

years old She was taken to the Temple by her parents and offered

to God. This was a pious custom among the Jews who loved God

very much. They made an offering of their child to Him, and the

little boy or girl was brought up in the Temple. There was a part

set aside for these children, one for the boys and one for the girls,

and the little girls were taught by holy women living in the Temple

too. It was something like a school.

St. Anne and St. Joachim must have felt very sad parting with

their little daughter, for Mary was the sweetest, most lovable little

girl who ever lived. But they knew that God had something very

great for Her to do, and that they couldn’t put her in a better place

than the Temple.

She was quite small, only three years old. but She walked up

the long flight of steps to the Temple where the High Priest was

waiting to receive Her, and her parents stood at the bottom watch-

ing Her go.

With Her going ended Her homelife, for Her parents were old

and they both died while She was still in the Temple.

Though we do not know much of Our Lady’s life while She

was growing up, we do know that She must have been a great joy

to all around her. She did not talk very much. She was thinking

of God.

Because she was thinking of Him, she was always happy. She

had a kind smile and look for everyone.



A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN 5

Mary was busy while She thought and prayed, for She learned

the wonderful embroidery and spinning that were used in making

the hangings for the Temple, and we are told that She did these

wonderfully well. She also learned the Scriptures and knew all the

wonderful prophesies about the coming of the Saviour.

So the years passed and Our Lady grew into a beautiful girl

and the time came when the priests and those in charge of Her had

to look for a husband for Her. She was so good, holy, and so

young, for She was only about fourteen or fifteen,—though Jew-
ish girls grew up faster than we do,—that great care was taken in
finding Her a husband.

At last one was found, a carpenter and a relative, a kind holy

man, who would take great care of his Spouse. He was much older

than Our Lady, and She must have felt a sense of peace and secur-

ity in having so loving and careful a protector.

So Our Lady’s life in the Temple came to an end. She had to

leave the peace and silence that She loved so well.

Mary went out into the world, but She knew how to keep the

peace and quiet of the Temple in her own soul



Chapter 1

1

A Message From God

After Our Lady left the Temple She went to live in Nazareth,

in the little house we know and reverence as the Holy House. We
can picture Her going about very gently, doing the sweeping and

cleaning, cooking the meals, and doing perfectly all the little home

duties. But when Her work was done She used to devote Herself

to prayer. That was Her greatest joy, to talk with God.

One night when She was praying in Her room, everything was

very still outside. It was nearly midnight. She was so filled with

the love of God that She did not feel sleepy or long for bed. Quite

suddenly a beautiful angel stood before Her. He was St. Gabriel,

one of the great archangels and God had sent him with a message.

The message is the beginning of the prayer we say so often and

love so well. The angel bowed and said

:

“Hail full of grace, the Lord is with thee.”

And then we are told that Our Lady was troubled and afraid.

And why? Because the angel had told Her that She was full of

grace, and She was so humble that She was troubled. We should

have been pleased and proud if an angel had greeted us like that.

But Our Lady was so humble that She thought only of God’s holi-

ness and not of Her own.

The angel was so sorry at Her trouble and distress, for angels

are very loving and sympathetic, that he said gently:

“Fear not Mary!”

Our Lady felt quite calm, for the messenger came from God,

and God sends peace.

Then the angel looked very solemn and beautiful. This was

one of the most wonderful moments in the history of the world.

Very gently he told Her that God was going to send a little Child

into the world, the Holy One, the Son of God. He asked Mary if

She would consent to be His Mother.

Our Lady never did anything without thought, and She con-

sidered this message from God very seriously. She knew from Her

life in the Temple and Her study of the Scriptures, that the Baby

was to be the Messiah and Saviour of the world.

And while She thought the angel waited. There must have

been a great hush over all the world for God was waiting too. And



A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN 7

all the Court of Heaven was waiting for Mary’s answer.

Then very gently and quietly it came

:

“Behold the Handmaid of the Lord
!”

Our Lady accepted the trust. She would do just what God

wanted. And God did not wait any longer. It was the twenty-fifth

of March and His birthday would not be until December, but He

found a way to come and dwell among us. Our Lady bowed Her

head, and then God came down to earth and into Mary’s Heart, and

He lived there something like He comes to us in Holy Communion,

only He never left Her during those months like He leaves us.

And Our Lady crossed Her hands on Her Breast and knelt

quite still, while the angel bowed very low for God was there, and

then flew back to Heaven.

Our Lady remained very quiet with Her eyes shut, She was, as

the Gospels tell us, overshadowed by God. She was sinking into the

love God surrounded Her with as a drop of water sinks into the

ocean. Or as when our father picks us up and holds us tight, and

we just let ourselves be held by him.

And yet Our Lady knew that She had God within Her. Some-

times after Holy Communion Our Lord lets us feel that He is

there. We can’t quite put it into words, but we all know what it is

like; it is like a great big hug.

Our Lady was like that, only ever so much more, because She

was so holy that She could feel more than we can. And She was

like that, not just for ten minutes or half an hour, but always,

every minute, until the Summer and Autumn has passed and Win-

ter brought Christmas Day.

We would like to know just how Our Lady behaved, and all

sorts of little details the Gospels do not tell us, but I think we can

guess. She got up the next morning after the Angel had visited

her and very quietly and gently did Her work. She acted just as if

nothing had happened, except that She was even more sweet and

beautiful than before. And She was busy thinking of other people

too.

The angel had told Her something else that made Her very

happy. He told Her that Her cousin St. Elizabeth was going to

have a little son. Our Lady was ever so pleased, and immediately

made up Her mind to go and see if She could help Her cousin.

She knew that there were all sorts of things to be done for a

pew baby, the baths to be got, the hot towels, and lots of things,



8 A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN

and St. Elizabeth was quite old. So She made up Her mind to go

and see at once if the baby had come yet.

Mary was going to be the Mother of God. But She did not

want to be waited on. She was only in a hurry to go and wait on

Her cousin. So She went through the hill country with haste. It is

the only time that we are told of Our Lady hurrying. It shows how

much She valued an act of charity.

When Mary came in sight of St. Elizabeth’s house her cousin

saw Her and came to meet Her. Then God whispered in St. Eliza-

beth’s heart, and told her that it was His own dear Mother that

had come to see her.

Our Lady had not told anyone about the visit of the angel. She

felt that it was God’s secret, but when St. Elizabeth saw Her she

cried out:

“Whence is this to me that the Mother of my Lord should

come to me !”

Then Our Lady knew that God Himself had told her cousin.

We can imagine with what joy they talked together, and how Our

Lady must have felt it almost a relief to speak of the wonderful

things that God had done to Her, and how She broke into that won-

derful song, “My soul doth magnify the Lord.” Ever since then

the Church uses it everyday, and especially in times of great joy.

We are told that Mary stayed with St. Elizabeth for three

months, and we can picture Her doing little things about the house,

quite forgetful of Her own dignity as Mother of God. And then

St. Elizabeth had a little son. He was named John. Later he came

to be known as John the Baptist. John was to be the Precursor of

Our Lord. That means he was to tell the people all about Him be-

fore Our Lord began His public life. So it was fitting that Our

Lady should be there before he was born, for She would have held

him in her arms and blessed him. Then She returned to Her own

home in Nazareth.

St. Joseph was so glad to have Her back. Life was quite weary

without Her company. And She was so happy to be home, to cook

his meals, to keep the house spotlessly clean, and to make him as

comfortable as their poverty would allow Her.

And all the time She knew that God lived inside Her, like He

lives in the tiny white Host in the Ciborium.

We approach the Tabernacle with much reverence, and She

was the Tabernacle of God, and moved about among the people of

Nazareth and they knew nothing about it. But She knew and She



A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN 9

worshipped God within Her. St. Joseph knew too, and he added

his worship to Hers.

How wonderful it must have been when they sat together after

the day’s work was done, and knew that God was with them, mak-

ing the third, though they could not see Him.

And so the months passed, and winter came. Then came news

that made St. Joseph worry about Our Lady. The Emperor had

ordered that each one must go to the town that his family had

come from. The Emperor wished the Jewish nation counted.

St. Joseph and Our Lady were of the royal family of David

and must go to Bethlehem. It would take several days to get there.

It was cold weather and rough travelling for Her, but there was no

way out of it, and St. Joseph got ready and they set out for Beth-

lehem.



Chapter 1 1

1

Christmas Night

It was a cold night. The wind cut through the clothes of the

poor couple as Joseph and Mary made their way up the road. Soon

they saw the lights of Bethlehem gleaming before them.

St. Joseph laid his hand more firmly on the donkey’s neck, and

the animal feeling that he was nearing a stable hurried his steps.

St. Joseph looked up anxiously into Our Lady’s face. She looked

calm and sweet, but oh! so tired. He could see the white of her

cheek just shaded by Her veil. He felt sad to see Her so weary, but

the lights of Bethlehem shone before them and he would soon get

Her rest and shelter.

And Our Lady. She was tired. Yes! But very happy. She

knew that She had God within Her. And no way would be too hard

when She had Him.

St. Joseph led the donkey to the Inn. He left Our Lady sitting

on it while he went to ask for a room. He didn’t worry anymore.

The journey was over. But like a knife through his heart came the

answer to his question: “There was no room in the Inn!”

Sorrowfully he went back to Mary. She saw his sad face and

guessed the truth. But She only smiled at him gently, as they

turned away to seek lodging elsewhere.

Everywhere it was all the same. There was no room for them,

no room for God and His Mother. But if people had no room for

Him, God’s animals would give Him welcome, and coming to a

stable St. Joseph led Our Lady inside. It was cold and dark, but at

least there was a roof over them.

The night was very cold and silent. Now and again a sheep

bleated away on the hillside, and so the hours slipped by until mid-

night came.

Our Lady was praying quite calmly and peacefully, but Her

whole soul went out in one great act of longing, “Come Lord
!”

The silence grew deeper, and then God came into this world.

His Mother saw Him for the first time, and Her whole soul bowed

down in one great act of worship.

Then She took Him in Her arms. He was very small and help-

less. Just like any other baby, but far more beautiful. She knelt



A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN 11

there holding Him and He lay quite still, His head resting in the

crook of Her arm, while He smiled up into Her face.

Mary slipped the end of Her veil around Him to keep the cold

wind from the tiny limbs. She knelt very still, Her whole soul

sunk in peace, for She held the God of peace in Her arms.

And She watched Him. Watched the eyelashes that shaded the

eyes, and the curve of the lips, and the little chest that rose and fell

as He breathed, and She knew that He was God.

The God that lay in Her arms was the God that had made Her

and all the world, and kept all things alive. The God that knew

everything that had happened and would happen, and She felt the

little Heart beating under Her hand, the great Heart of God. And

She knew that He Who had made all things was a helpless baby

and needed Her for everything.

Then St. Joseph came and knelt beside them, and the great

soul of the saint was still in adoration before the Baby God.

And She wrapped up Her First born Son in swaddling clothes

and laid Him in a manger. Our Lady was just as much a mother

as our own mothers, and She had to look after Her Baby like any

other Jewish mother, so She wrapped Him up as was the custom in

the East to keep His little limbs straight.

She didn’t have anything to lay Him in, no cradle made pretty

with lace and ribbons, no pillows, no nice eiderdown and fluffy

blankets. So sorrowfully She laid Him in the only resting place

there was, the manger where the hay was put for the animals to

eat. And the ox and the ass drew near and bent their heads so that

their warm breath might warm the poor little Baby.

So Little Jesus began His life of suffering for us. There was no

room for Him and His Mother, and it has been so often since.

Away in the hills the shepherds were watching their sheep. It

was very quiet and still. Suddenly a great glory shone in the sky,

and the shepherds rose in amazement. Then an angel appeared

bringing them a message from God.

“Fear not,” he said to them, “for I bring you tidings of

great joy for to-day is born to you a Saviour, Who is Christ the

Lord in the City of David. And this shall be a sign to you: you

shall find the Infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a

manger.”

Then the sky was filled with an army of angels singing:

“Glory be to God on High, and on earth peace to men of good

will.”



12 A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN

As the shepherds stood in awe, the angels’ voices grew fainter,

the glory faded, and the quiet hush of night lay over the hills once

more.

For a moment they stood silent, then the meaning of the mes-

sage became plain to them, and leaving their sheep, they hastened

down the hillside. They were simple, honest men, who feared God,

they took the message quite simply, and made their way through

the night.

Our Lady was still kneeling by the manger adoring the Baby

God, and St. Joseph was near Her when they heard footsteps out-

side. St. Joseph went to receive Our Lord’s first visitors and we

can imagine his smile of welcome.

Gently the shepherds came near to the manger and knelt down.

Their faith was firm, God had told them through His angel that

the Infant lying on the straw was the Saviour, so they knelt in

adoration, their eyes fixed on the lovely little face.

After they had knelt in silence for a little while, their eyes

passed wistfully to the tranquil beautiful face of the young Mother

and Our Lady knew what they wanted. Rising to Her feet She

bent over the manger and lifting up the Baby held Him in Her

arms. Then She bent a little so that each kneeling shepherd could

kiss the tiny Hand.

This was the first homage to the Lamb that would be slain

for us all, and it wTas paid by poor shepherds who had to care for

the sheep and their lambs. Then very quietly they left the cave and

went back to their flocks, leaving the Child in the arms of His

Mother.



Chapter IV

The Sword

Swiftly the days passed. St. Joseph found a little house, and

there He took Our Lady and the Holy Child. It was a poor, small,

little place, but it gave them shelter and freedom from curious

visitors, and there they remained.

Our Lady went about Her duties serenely and peacefully. She

was not over anxious about the great charge given to Her, for

neither She nor St. Joseph trusted in themselves. All their trust

was in God. He could show them how to guard their treasures.

And the Baby. No words can tell us what He was like. We are
just quiet when we think of Him, but all the same we can make

little pictures in our minds. We can see Him lying as His Mother

put Him, His eyes watching Her as She moves about gently, get-

ting His little garments ready. And then as She stoops over Him

to lift Him up. He smiles up at Her and then nestles in Her arms.

She looks down at Him very reverently, for She knows that

She holds God in Her arms.

The Baby for Whom She warms the water to bathe, is God
Who made all the seas and rivers.

The Baby Whose little clothes She washes, is God Who made

all the wonderful earth, the fields and trees, and animals.

And as She takes Him in Her arms and sings Him to sleep,

She knows too that He is God, Who made all the heavens, the sky,

the sun, the moon, and all the twinkling stars.

And then She held Him quite close and was silent, because Her

heart was full. Dear St. Joseph came and stood by them both,

quiet and protecting, the earthly shadow of God the Father.

And so the week passed and the eighth day came, the day on

which the Holy Child would first suffer pain and shed His Blood

for us. Almighty God had ordered that all the children born dur-

ing the time of the Old Law should be circumcised on the eighth

day after their birthday, that is a cut was made on the child’s flesh

to mark them as belonging to the people of God, and they were

given their name.

The poor little babies used to cry with the pain, because their

skin was so tender that they felt pain more than grown-ups, and

the Holy Child would have felt it more than other children because



14 A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN

He was God, and so more perfect than we are. But He loved us so

much that He was happy to shed His Blood for our sakes.

But His poor Holy Mother must have suffered much more than

if She had born the pain for Him. She would have endured any

pain to save Him, but She knew it was His will to suffer for us. It

was what He came on earth for.

The Holy Family stayed at Bethlehem for forty days, and then

it was time for the Child Jesus to be taken to Jerusalem to be

offered to God in the Temple. This was another custom of the

Jews. They were supposed to offer their eldest son to God, and then

they gave an offering of a lamb, or for poor people two turtle doves

or young pigeons, to be offered in sacrifice.

God received this sacrifice instead, and left the Boy to His

parents. So at the end of forty days St. Joseph set out for Jeru-

salem with Our Lady carrying the Holy Child.

Though Our Lord was a baby and as such was carried to the

Temple, He was, of course, God. He was the Son of God being

taken in His Human Body to His Father’s House. The Temple

then was the House of God like our churches are today.

What must the Holy Child have thought as His Mother held

Him in her arms, and each step that She took brought Him

nearer and nearer to the Holy City?

This was far more than the offering of a boy baby to God. It

meant much to us, because this official dedication to His Father in

the Temple, was, as it were, the dedication of His Life to redeem

us.

It was God’s Will that the tiny Baby in Our Lady’s arms

should grow up, and then after working to save sinners, should be

ill-treated, hurt, and killed to make up to God for all our sins

against Him. And also to open the gates of heaven for us, that

we might all some day go and live happily in the beautiful land

beyond the stars.

The Baby Jesus would have felt all this, and His little Heart

would have beaten quickly, because He longed so much to save us.

He would perhaps have opened His Eyes wide, and looked up into

His dear Mother’s face. She would have guessed all that He felt

and have stooped down to kiss Him gently, a soft loving kiss that

would have made Him feel how well She understood. Then He

would have snuggled down in Her arms, and leaned His cheek

against Her, just where Her heart was beating with love for Him,

while She gently smoothed His hair.



A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN 15

So the journey passed, and presently St. Joseph was guiding

Our Lady and the Holy Child through the crowded streets of Jeru-

salem. The people hurried to and fro, jostling them, and never

dreaming that the Child asleep in His Mother’s arms, was the great

God, Whose very Name was too sacred to be spoken.

There was an old man living in the Holy City, he was very

holy, and had only one desire in life, which was to see the Saviour

that God had promised to send. The Holy Ghost had promised Him

that he should see this Redeemer before he died, and that morning

he felt in his heart a longing to go to the Temple. It was the Holy

Ghost whispering to him. So he went.

When he got there he saw a middle-aged man, with a young

Mother carrying Her Baby. Simeon, the old man, heard the Holy

Ghost whispering once more in his heart. He was told that this

was the Saviour he was waiting to see. Coming forward he bent

over the Baby, then he held out his arms and Our Lady laid Her

Baby in them.

Just think of Simeon’s feelings! Suppose you suddenly saw a

lovely Baby in the Sacred Host the priest was holding, and the

priest bent down and laid the Baby in your arms ! You would have

known that it was the Baby Jesus. And wouldn’t you have felt

happy? You would have held Him very gently and reverently, but

just as tightly as you could.

Simeon would have felt all this and more, because he was

grown-up, and grown-ups understand things better, so they feel

more. Simeon was so happy that he made up a song, and we sing

it still, as a good-night prayer to God Our Father.

And as Our Lady and St. Joseph stood and wondered at Sim-

eon’s song, he turned and blessed them, and looking at the Mother

he said:

“Behold this Child is set for the ruin and for the resurrection

of many in Israel, and for a sign that shall be contradicted. And

thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many hearts thoughts

may be revealed.”

One of Our Lady’s titles is Mother of Sorrows, and this was

the first time that this title was spoken of. But at the moment

She probably did not have time to think of all that Simeon’s words

meant, for an old widow, a very holy prophetess called Anna, came

into the Temple praising God. The Holy Ghost had whispered in

her heart too that this Baby was God.

Our Lady and St. Joseph then went with the Holy Child to



16 A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN

perform the ceremonies in the Temple, giving the offering of the

poor, two young pigeons, and after the rites were finished they

started once more for Bethlehem. No one in Jerusalem but Sim-

eon and Anna knew that the Messiah that the Jews had been pray-

ing for so long, had at last visited His Temple. They were too

taken up with their own concerns to think of God.

What must Our Lady’s feelings have been when She arrived

home with Her Child? When it was bedtime and She took Him in

Her arms, wouldn’t everything have seemed changed? The sword

that Simeon spoke of had pierced her Heart now, and we know

what this sword was, it was the knowledge of the terrible suf-

ferings in store for Her Son.

Think of all it meant to Her! How She did everything for

Him, because though He was God, it was His pleasure to be a

helpless Baby, and His Mother had to look after Him like any other

Mother. And as She knelt by Him that night, before She took Him

into Her arms to do all the loving little cares that were necessary,

she looked down at Him, and don’t you think that the sword must

have pierced Her heart then?

She knew that She had to supply all His needs herself, to do all

in Her power to make Him grow well and strong. Why? To be

crucified. Didn’t it cost Her an agony of suffering to guard and

tend that little Body, so that It must suffer?

When She washed His little Hands and Feet, She knew that

one day these Hands and Feet would be pierced and torn with nails.

She would smooth back the hair from His Forehead that would be

pierced by the Crown of Thorns. The Eyes that looked at Her so

lovingly, would one day look at Her through a mist of Blood. The

Lips that pressed Hers would one day be bruised by the mailed fists

of the soldiers. And it was Her mission to help Him grow up for

this. Must not She have knelt there in an agony, Her Heart nearly

broken with pain ?

But there was another thought. He willed it. He longed to

shed His Blood to make up for our sins against His Father, to

redeem us. His pain was also His joy, His greatest joy. His Moth-

er’s Heart was one with His. So because it was His joy, it was

Hers too, as with Her whole Soul torn with sorrow and joys, She

stooped down to lift Him in Her arms. It was as if She plunged

the sword deep into Her heart. Very gently taking Him in Her

arms, She laid His face against Hers, holding Him against Her

Immaculate Heart.



Chapter V

The Flight

It was evening when a party of travellers riding on camels

with their servants about them, entered Jerusalem. They were

evidently people of importance, but they seemed a little perplexed

as if looking for something. Not finding what they sought they

questioned the Jews saying:

“Where is He that is called King of the Jews, for we have

seen His star in the East and have come to adore Him.” For these

were Wise Men knowing much about stars.

Herod was the King, and he was always afraid of someone

coming to steal his throne from him, so when the story reached him

that some Wise Men had come from the East and were asking

where the King of the Jews was born, his fears increased.

He was a very wicked man, so he laid a plot by which he

might save himself. First he sent for the Scribes and asked them

where this Child would be born. They told him in Bethlehem. He

sent for the Wise Men, asking them many questions about this

wonderful star. Then he told them to go to Bethlehem and when

they had found the Child to bring him word so that he too might

go and adore Him.

The Wise Men were very holy as well as very wise, but they

did not know what a wicked king Herod was, so they promised to

come back. Herod never meant to adore the Child, he wanted to

kill Him to save his own throne.

When the Magi left Jerusalem they saw the star again. It

was like meeting an old friend. It went on before them and pre-

sently after it had reached Bethlehem, it stayed quite still over a

little house.

The Wise Men’s hearts were full, for the end of their long

weary journey had come, and they would see their Lord. Very

gently and reverently they entered the house, and there in the

arms of His Mother was the loveliest Baby they had ever seen.

They knelt down before Him very quietly. It was enough to be

with Him. His Mother understood, and She just let them kneel

before Her Son.

Have you ever stood on a cliff in the evening with the sun



18 A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN

setting over the sea, and everything very still? You feel just

drowned in the loveliness of it all. Why? Because it is God's

work, and one comes very near to God in His creation. The Wise

Men felt like this only much deeper, for they were in the Presence

of God Himself, and that Presence flooded their souls.

Presently they felt that they must do something to show their

love. They offered Him the gifts they had brought all the long

journey from the East; gold, frankincense and myrrh.

God the Father was watching over His Son, and when the

Wise Men were fast asleep that night, He sent an angel who whis-

pered to them not to return to Herod.

The following morning they came to say good-bye to the Holy

Child and His parents. They came to the little house as they had

come the previous day, with their camels and servants, a gorgeous

procession that must have made a stir in the city. They knelt once

more before the Baby God, they kissed His hands and then with

their hearts full of peace and joy they started on their homeward

journey.

There was a jingling of harness and bells, a bustle for a

minute, then the patter of camels' feet, and silence. The Wise Men

had come for a day into the Child’s life, and vanished, but the

thought of Him never left them. But they were careful to do as

the angel told them and to return home another way.

After the Wise Men had departed an angel came to St. Joseph

when he was asleep, and told him to take the Holy Child and Our

Lady and fly into Egypt and to remain there until he was told to

return, because Herod was seeking to destroy the Little Child.

St. Joseph did not hesitate a minute. It was quite overwhel-

ming to be suddenly told to take a long journey to a strange land

with a young girl and a tiny Baby. St. Joseph however was quite

peaceful. God had told him what to do, so everything would come

right in the end.

He woke up Our Lady and told Her the message he had re-

ceived. She too was very quiet and peaceful. It was the sword

piercing Her heart once more, for She felt what suffering the long

journey would bring to Her Little Child. She made what prepara-

tions She could, but they would only have the donkey to ride on so

they could not take much with them. Whispering a prayer to the

Heavenly Father for strength and guidance She bent down and

took the Child in Her arms, and drawing Her mantle round Him

went out into the night.



A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN 19

Outside St. Joseph was waiting with the donkey. He helped

Our Lady to mount and then taking the animal by the bridle led it

away towards the desert. It was still night and cold, but the Holy

Family had to hasten for Herod might even now be sending his sol-

diers.

How every sound filled Our Lady and St. Joseph with fear!

They listened for the sound of horses’ hoofs on the road, for the

cries of soldiers but all was silent, and the miles slipped by until

at last they reached the desert.

The way was long, rough and very dangerous and the travel-

lers had a weary journey. St. Joseph must have suffered much as

he looked from the Burden in Our Lady’s arms to Her white tired

face. He longed to give the Infant the most loving care, the best of

everything. Nothing was good enough for Him. But all he could

do was to give Him this weary journey with every discomfort.

Our Lady understood and by Her loving ways sympathized

with him. There was a great responsibility on St. Joseph, but he

had complete trust in Almighty God.

Sometimes Our Lady gave St. Joseph the Holy Child to carry.

She would gladly have carried Him herself for ever, but she loved

to give Her spouse that pleasure, and the look of peace and content-

ment on his face as he looked down at the Child lying in his arms

was ample reward.

There are several beautiful legends about the Flight into

Egypt, but there is one hard fact. It was a time of intense suffer-

ing for the Three, borne cheerfully and lovingly for us and this

thought should make us love them intensely in return.

At last the three travellers reached Egypt and settled down

there. St. Joseph earned a living to keep them in the necessities of

life.

The Holy Child began to grow up. He learned to talk and

walk, His Mother standing by Him while He hung on to Her

hand or her dress. With what delight and awe His parents watched

the first steps of the Infant God, and heard His first word, heard

Him speak His heavenly Father’s name for the first time with

human lips.

But they were told to remain in Egypt only for a short time.

After they had been there a few years Herod died, and the angel

came to St. Joseph again—as he had promised—telling him to
return home. He took Jesus and His Mother to the poor Quiet vil-

lage of Nazareth.



Chapter VI

Childhood

Nazareth is a little village in the North of the Holy Land and

it is hated among the Jews. They said that no one of any conse-

quence would settle down in such an out of the way place. And it

wTas this that made St. Joseph choose it for the home of the Holy

Family.

The hard journey from Egypt was over and the three settled

dowm to everyday life in their own land. It must have been an in-

tense relief because, however kind the Egyptians may have been,

Our Lady and St. Joseph would have felt themselves strangers, and

it must have been very lonely.

Now they were home once more, in the little house where the
angel had come to Our Lady as She knelt in prayer, telling Her

that She was chosen to be the Mother of God. Now as She walked
over the threshold She led Her Son by the hand, the Son of God.

We do not know any little details about the everyday life of
the Holy Child, and we are sorry because every detail would have

been a joy to us. But still we know deep in our hearts what it was

like. The little Boy was the sunshine and the center of the home,

with His loving ways, and He shed an atmosphere of peace and

happiness about Him and a sense of rest, because He was God.

And what must Our Lady’s life have been like? Every mo-

ment was lived for Him, to make the home as nice as She could for

Him and St. Joseph. She kept the little house clean and sweet,

cooked the food, and as She moved about soft steps would come

pattering beside Her, and She would look down at a little smiling

Face.

Sometimes when She was resting, sitting for a moment, think-

ing of Her Son, a little Hand would steal into Hers. Then She

would lift Him on Her lap, while she rested His head against Her

shoulder. With Her arms tightly round Him the sword would

pierce Her Soul once more. She was pouring all Her love and care

on Him, doing everything She could for Him. He was growing into

a very lovely Boy.

Mary knew that She was deliberately preparing His Body to

be killed, and She could hardly bear it. Then two Arms would steal

round Her neck, a little Face would be pressed against Hers, and



A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN 21

there was infinite comfort in the caress. It was God’s Will, and He

was God, so once more She whispered her own prayer, “Behold the

Handmaid of the Lord”.

So the time passed until the Child Jesus was twelve years old.

Every year Our Lady and St. Joseph had gone up to Jerusalem for

the great feast, and when the Child was twelve years old He was

allowed to go too. They went with other Jews from Nazareth, the

men in one group, the women in another, and the children were

free to go with either of their parents.

After the feast was over they set out on the return journey,

and were one day’s journey from Jerusalem. Our Lady was with

the other women, believing that the Holy Child was with St. Jo-

seph. But presently St. Joseph came to Her and he was alone. At

Her question he told Her that he had not seen the Holy Child all

day. He thought He was with Her. The truth broke on them, the

Holy Child was lost.

In quietness of grief too deep for words Our Lady and St. Jo-

seph said good-bye to their friends, and made their way back to

Jerusalem. There was nothing to be said, they had lost their only

Treasure, a Treasure infinitely precious to God and entrusted by

Him to their care. Carefully they searched Jerusalem, they asked

for news of Him, but all in vain. The Holy Child had vanished.

For two days they searched, Our Lady becoming whiter each

hour, her face calm but agonized, so that St. Joseph could hardly

bear to see Her pain. He, too, was bent with sorrow and fatigue.

Then at last they came to the Temple. As they passed under

a portico a voice reached them, a well-known, well-loved voice. The

colour came into Our Lady’s face, and She hurried forward. There

in the midst of a group of doctors of the law was a Boy. It was

Her Son.

He was standing in the center of the group, “hearing them

and asking them questions. And all that heard Him were aston-

ished at His wisdom and His answers.”

We should have loved to know the details of His meeting with

His Blessed Mother, whether He came to meet Her, whether She

went to Him, or if they waited until His interview with the doctors

was over. But the Gospel does not tell us. All it does tell us is that

Our Lady said:

“Son, why hast Thou done so to us? Behold Thy father and I

have sought Thee sorrowing.”



22 A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN

And He said to them: “How is it that you sought Me? Did

you not know that I must be about my Father’s business”?

This is the first public occasion that Our Lord went about

His Father’s business. He had of course been doing it all the while.

It was to do His Father’s business that He had been born in a

stable, and grew up as a real human boy. But now for the first

time He had actually taught, though His teaching was in the form

of a Child’s questions.

We are not told much more, except that Our Lord returned to

Nazareth with Our Lady and St. Joseph, and was subject to them.

He lived like any other boy, doing what His parents wished, help-

ing His foster-father in his work as a carpenter, growing up just

like the other boys at Nazareth.

His Mother still looked after Him, after His food and His

clothes, doing everything to make the little cottage as clean and as

spotless as possible for the God who lived there.

All through the years that were to come She kept the memory

of the events of Her Son’s Childhood in Her Heart, pondering over

them, and waiting for the future when He would really set about

His Father’s work.



Chapter VII

Good-bye

It was a peaceful evening, quiet, with the little sounds that fill

the air near a village. Cries of children playing in the fields, the

barking of a dog, the crowing of cocks, little intimate friendly

sounds.

Our Lady stood by the cottage door, looking down the road at

the Figure that was walking away towards the sunset. The head

was a little bent as if in distress of mind, but the step was steady

and purposeful. At the bend of the road the Figure turned. It was

Jesus. He raised His hand in a farewell gesture, then the turning

in the road hid Him from sight.

For a moment Our Lady stood looking at the empty road, then

She turned and entered the cottage shutting the door very quietly.

She was alone

!

It was thirty years now since She had first held Her Son in

Her arms that cold Christmas night. Thirty years since She has

taken Him to the Temple, since She fled with Him through the

desert to Egypt, after the visit of the Wise Men. She had lost Him

for Three days in Jerusalem, but since then He had been all Her

own, living in the closest intimacy with Her. And now He had gone

about His Father’s business. He had said good-bye, and set forth

on His mission. She would see Him now and again, She would

always be as near Him as possible, but the home life was over.

St. Joseph too had left Her. He had died in the arms of Jesus

and Mary. His work was done, but Our Lady’s was not nearly

finished. There was no bitterness in the ache that was in Her

heart. Her very life seemed to have been taken away from Her, but

Her prayer was ever the same: “Behold the Handmaid of the

Lord.”

We know very little about Our Lady during the next three
years. She was always humble and would have remained in the

background, ministering to Our Lord when She could with the

other holy women. And we may be sure too that Our Lord did all

He could to look after His Holy Mother, but God’s Will came first,

so He had to leave Her. We know too that the apostles loved Her
dearly, and that She did all She could to help them, but we are not

told any of these things.



24 A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN

Our Lord and Our Lady met sometimes, as at the marriage

feast of Cana. Our Lady was there, evidently as a friend of the

bride and bridegroom, and Our Lord and His apostles were invited

too. Half way through the feast the wine failed. Our Lady noticed

this and Her kind heart was full of sympathy. This should be the

happiest day in the lives of the young people, but it would be spoilt

by the disgrace of not having enough wine. They would have felt

as we would if there were not enough cakes at a birthday party.

Mary knew what to do, and whispered to Our Lord what was

the matter. He told Her that His hour for performing miracles

had not yet come. But She knew Her Son’s Heart and that He

would never leave anyone in distress if He could help them. She

told the waiters to do just what He told them. Jesus had them fill

the water pots with water, and carry them to the chief steward of

the feast. But when he tasted the water he found it better wine

than they had been drinking. Our Lord had performed His first

miracle—changed the water into wine—at His Mother’s request.
These meetings, for there must have been many of them,

though we are not told about them, must have been a great joy to

Our Lady amid all Her anxiety. She heard much of the talk about

Her Son, how the people went after Him, drawn by His miracles

and teachings. She knew the priests were jealous of Him and that

their pride would not stand His rebukes of their wickedness, and

they planned and plotted against Him. His Mother knew all these

things and Her heart was torn with anxiety and pain, but it was

the will of God, and She did not lose Her serenity, for was She not

still “the Handmaid of the Lord”?



Chapter VIII

The Pasch

It was very quiet in the room next to the Upper room where

Our Blessed Lady waited with St. Mary Magdalene and the holy

women, while Our Lord kept the Pasch with His disciples that first

Holy Thursday.

“With desire I have desired to eat this Pasch with you before

I suffer,” He told His disciples; and His Mother, in the room

adjoining, knew well how deep that desire had been in His Heart.

Even in the days when He had lain in Her arms, a tiny Baby, She

had felt His Sacred Heart throb as She held Him. The desire was

in His Heart then, the longing to shed every drop of His Blood for

His Father’s Glory, and our salvation.

And now the night had come, this night so long desired. Did

Our Lady know all that was in Her Son’s mind? That this Supper

was to be the First Mass, before He suffered? We do not know, but

we cannot imagine that Our Lord kept any secrets from His

Mother.

We are not sure where She was, but many people love to think

that She was in the next room, joining in spirit in that first Holy

Mass. Somehow Her mind kept going back to Bethlehem, and fur-

ther back to the quiet little room at Nazareth. He came to Her

then, at the Annunciation, and He would come to Her again, for

though we know nothing for certain about Our Lady’s First Com-

munion, we love to think that She made it that first Holy Thurs-

day.

Some thoughts are too sacred to be put into words, and Our

Lady’s First Communion is like that. She and Her Son were once

more ever so close. It was like when we cuddle down in our father’s

arms without a word.

She would have waited somewhere near Him that Holy Thurs-

day night, but somewhere in the background. She would be wanted

presently but not yet. Probably Our Lord had prepared Her for

the sufferings of Good Friday, and She would have prayed so hard.

Prayed for Judas, but his heart was hardened. Prayed for poor St.

Peter, as Her Son had prayed, and then She waited.

There was a stir. Our Lord and His apostles were leaving the

Supper room. She heard their steps in the street below, and then



26 A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN

silence. Our Lord’s hour of agony was at hand and She was not

there to comfort Him. But love knows no barriers, and kneeling in

prayer Our Lady joined Her heart to that of Her Son, praying in

agony in the Garden of Olives.

The hours passed and out in the street the people began to stir.

Presently news came to Our Lady: Jesus had been taken prisoner,

He was even now before Pilate. Quietly His Mother heard the

story. She had words of comfort and encouragement for all who

came to Her, She who needed comfort so badly.

Is this not our chance? We can love Her with all our hearts, a

love that gives sacrifices, those little things that hurt, and don’t

you think that perhaps Our Lord would have let Her know and that

it was a comfort to Her? There is nothing that can comfort us like

being loved.

And so the night passed and the day dawned. The day of our

redemption. Still news came in. Peter had denied His Master, but

St. John had remained faithful and had followed Our Lord to the

governor’s hall. Still the hours passed and She waited, and at last

St. John came to Her. He looked at Her and for a moment he

could not speak. Our Lady placed Her hand for comfort on his

arm and he told Her all. How Jesus had been mocked and scourged

and crowned, with thorns, and rejected by His people.

Our Lady listened in silence, and then taking Her mantle She

said: “Come!”



Chapter IX

Our Birthday .

It was fairly quiet in the corner of the winding street, though

away towards the Governor’s Hall there could be heard the shouts

of the mob, coming slowly nearer. Two figures stood waiting, a

woman with Her veil about Her face, and beside Her a young man.

They stood very silent, listening to the approaching cries, and the

young man put his hand as though in comfort on the woman’s

arm.

The minutes passed slowly, now the noise of armed men could

be heard, jingling of armour, spurs knocking on the rough stones,

the cries and jeers of the mob. Then the head of the procession

came in sight. Roman soldiers, rough and brutal, and in the midst

of them a well known Figure, staggering along, bruised and torn

and bleeding.

His Mother raised Her veil as He passed and their eyes met.

There was no word spoken. There was need of none between these

two. Even through the Blood and dirt that covered Jesus’ Eyes, He

could manage to look at Her. His look was one of infinite love,

sympathy, and pride. He was proud of Her as She stood there

quite calmly, with no outward sign of grief except in the whiteness

of Her face and the darkness under Her eyes. Jesus knew His

Blessed Mother would be faithful and brave beyond all women. He

could see the love and compassion in Her look, a love that under-

stood completely, and that understanding was deepest comfort to

the Divine Prisoner alone among His enemies.

Then He passed on. The meeting was over, but She would not

leave Him now, Her place was with Him to the end. With St. John

by Her side She followed the procession to Calvary. As She came

near the summit sounds of hammering reached Her and She knew

well what that meant. It would have been far easier to bear the

nails being driven into Her own hands and feet, than to have to

stand by and hear them being driven into Her Son’s, Her very own

Son, and Her God. Each sound of the hammer pierced Her soul,

Simeon’s sword was being driven deeper into Her heart now.

She stood at a little distance and watched the Cross as it was

dragged into place, and pushed with an agonizing jolt into the hole

prepared for it. She watched the two thieves placed on their



28 A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN

crosses on either side of Him. Then when all was ready and the

soldiers had settled down to wait for the end, She came forward

and took Her stand beneath the Cross. It was Her rightful place.

She was His Mother. She had cared for Him, tended Him, reared

Him all for this. She had helped to prepare the sacrifice and now

She would help offer it. She would be co-redemptoress with Him.

St. John stood by Her side with Mary of Cleophas, and St.

Mary Magdalene crouched at the foot of the Cross. And so they

waited.

Presently there was a movement from the white Figure hang-

ing on the Cross. Jesus spoke. It was strangely quiet for a minute

and His Words could be heard by all: “‘Father forgive them, for

they know not what they do.”

Was this not just like Jesus, thinking of others, never of Him-

self?

But the two thieves were not so quiet, one was blaspheming

saying: “If Thou be the Christ save thyself and us.” But the

second thief had been watching and thinking. In spite of His own

pain and misery, he had remarked the patience of the Man hang-

ing beside Him, and His words had completed his conversion. Now

hearing his fellow thief blaspheming, he rebuked him, then turn-

ing to Jesus he said: “Lord remember me when Thou shalt enter

Thy kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Amen I say to thee, today

thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.” What an answer to faith and

prayer, to go straight from the cross to heaven

!

Beneath the crosses Our Lady stood listening. A ray of com-
fort stole into Her heart. This was the first fruit of Her Son’s

sufferings, amid all His pain He had this consolation.

For a while there was silence, then another movement from the

dying Figure on the Cross. Was Jesus going to speak again? He

turned His head and looked down at the little group beneath Him.

For a moment He looked at them, His Mother standing with the

disciple He loved, St. Mary of Cleophas and His dear St. Mary

Magdalene, in her old place at His Feet. Then He spoke His last

words to His Mother:

“Woman, behold Thy son.”

Turning to St. John he said:

“Behold thy Mother.”

Up to the end He was thinking of His Mother. He was leaving

Her, but He would give Her someone to love and be loved by, His

own beloved disciple. But He meant far more than that, and His



A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN 29

brave quiet Mother standing loyally by His Cross understood. He

was giving Her another family. She became His Mother in a

stable thirty-three years before, now beneath His Cross He was

making Her the Mother of all souls, souls which He was redeeming

at so great a price.

It was as though He looked down and saw Her empty arms,

the arms that had carried Him so lovingly. He could not leave Her

like that, so He filled Her arms with the souls He was redeeming.

He slipped them under Her mantle so that She could hold them

close, and in that embrace, bought at the cost of Her pierced Heart,

there would be comfort for Her. His pain then was not in vain.

And in years to come Her children would slip into Her arms as

She stood sorrowful beneath the Cross, and cuddling close against

Her heart, in love too deep for words, would comfort Her. In be-

coming St. John’s Mother She became our Mother too.

The Sacred eyes closed again and again there was silence.

Our Lord was getting near the end now. The sweat of death was

on His Face, and the loss of Blood filled Him with a terrible thirst.

He did not suffer from physical thirst only. There was that long-

ing, that thirsting for souls, that made Him shed all His Blood to

save us. And from His very Heart came the cry, “I thirst.”

His Mother standing beneath the Cross heard it. For a mo-

ment She could hardly bear the longing to somehow quench His

thirst, to moisten His cracked Lips with cool water, to bathe His

burning Forehead, to ease a trifle His intolerable agony. She went

back in years to the time when He was small and helpless. Then

She could do as She would with Him; now She could do nothing.

Could She bear it? Could Her Mother’s Heart endure the strain?

But Her Son Himself had given Her that which would help Her,

in Her arms He had placed His countless children, Her children

too, and in relieving their thirst She would relieve His. The Hand-

maid of the Lord stood beneath the Cross.

The time passed slowly and now the end was at hand. He had

been silent for some while now. There had been one cry of in-

tense agony: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
and then Jesus hung on His Cross, shedding His Blood drop by

drop for us. Now His work was finished, the work His Father had

given Him to do. He had given us all He had. He could give us no

more.

“It is finished.” The words were the seal on His life. There



30 A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN

was silence for a minute, then crying with a loud voice Our Lord

said:

“Father into Thy hands I commend My Spirit.” He bowed
His Head and died.

For a while all was quite still. The little group stood where

they had remained so faithfully all the three hours. St. Mary

Magdalene crouched against the Foot of the Cross, St. John and

St. Mary of Cleophas, and erect and motionless, closest of all, stood

His Mother, Queen of Martyrs. Her sorrow was too deep for

words. She stood alone, calm but desolate. It was the Will of God.

After a while the soldiers came over to the three crosses. The

thieves were not dead so they broke their legs. Then they came to

Jesus. A prayer rose up from the group. Could not Christ’s Body

be spared more suffering, more indignities? The soldiers paused.

Jesus was dead. But to make more sure they opened His side with

a spear and out came Blood and Water. Our Lord had two homes

for His children now, His Mother’s arms and His own wounded

Side.



Chapter

After

x

Presently there was another stir. St. John looked round in

agony, for He felt Our Blessed Lady could not endure much more.

But friends had come now, Our Lord’s sufferings were finished.

Two Jews, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had been to

Pilate asking for the Body of Jesus, and Pilate had given them

leave to take it.

So bringing a store of spices and linen they came to Calvary.

It was the best that these friends of Jesus could do, for they had

to bury Him before the Pasch, and time was short. So as gently

as possible they pulled out the nails, lowering the Body from the

Cross, and below with outstretched arms Our Lady waited to re-

ceive It.

Reverently they laid the poor bruised Body back in Its first

resting place on earth. What memories must have flooded Our

Lady’s mind, as once more She was called upon to do those services

that She had performed so lovingly for the Divine Infant.

She bent over the Face that lay so still in death on Her arm.

She washed from it the dirt and spittle, as She had washed the

Face of the Child in years gone by. And then She kissed It. She

washed and annointed the wounded hands and Feet, while the

other women waited on Her.

Then St. John and the other two came forward with cool linen

and wrapped the poor Body in it. The face cloth they gave to His

Mother. She gave Him one lingering kiss, then wrapped the white

linen round His Head. So gently and reverently the Body was

taken to a near-by garden and laid in a new tomb.

It was over. Very quietly the little party went back to Jeru-

salem.



Chapter XI

Welcome

It was very early in the morning, when everything is hushed

and expectant waiting for the sunrise. As the new day is dawn-

ing, there is a subdued feeling of thrill and excitement in nature.

We have seen it ourselves in winter perhaps, when the sun rises

later, or in early spring, and it is more beautiful then.

There is the hush of waiting, the faint pink glow in the East

that grows deeper and deeper, all nature seems far away and un-

real, then as the sun shows itself over the edge of the skyline a

sudden chorus of song bursts from the birds, and everything is

filled with joy, joy that the night is passed and day come, with its

light and brightness. However often we see a sunrise, it is always

fresh and new, always with expectancy—and then—joy fulfilled.
It was on just such a morning that Our Lady rising from Her

long vigil went over to the window to look out. She was very calm,

pale and peaceful, though the lines were still on Her face, stamped

by the anguish of Good Friday.

There was a marvellous expression of peace too. She still

echoed Her prayer “Behold the Handmaid of the Lord.” God had

given Her the most wonderful Son; He had taken Him away and

left Her alone, but for all that “Behold the Handmaid of the

Lord.”

But as She stood there watching the dawn She was a very

lonely figure. Did She know for Whom and why She watched? We
cannot tell but love whispers in our hearts that She did know.

The rosy East grew deeper pink, the hush was intense, and as

the sun burst forth in strength and glory, there came from the

direction of the Garden of Olives the noise of a great earthquake,

and then—Our Lady was no longer alone.
We are not told that Our Lord first appeared to His Blessed

Mother. The Gospels are completely silent, telling only of His

coming to the holy women and the Apostles. But knowing Our Lord

as we do, and knowing how He loved His Mother, can we doubt

that He came straight to Her when He rose from the tomb? The

saints tell us so, and so do our own hearts. But as for the meaning

—well we can just picture it for ourselves.



A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN 33

What do we feel like when mother or father comes home after

a long absence? Isn’t it enough just to be with them? There is not

at first much to say. So we can picture Them together, very quiet,

understanding each other completely. Our Lady knew and loved

Her Son very much before, but She knows and loves Him immeas-

urably more now. Nothing brings people together like sorrow, and

especially sorrow shared. Think of the anguish those two have

been through together! Our Lord redeemed us with infinite pain,

and His Blessed Mother had Her share in that redemption.

So now they had the companionship of a task accomplished

together. It was finished, at least for Our Blessed Lord. But not

for His Blessed Mother. She had to strengthen His work.

He could rest now, and She could rest for the moment in His

Blessed company. She had Him, and She was satisfied. She gazed

at Him, so glorious, so radiant, with those love tokens of His Pas-

sion stamped on Hands and Feet and Side, His Five Wounds.

How His Mother must have kissed them, and as She did so,

memories must have been infinitely sweet. He was still Her Son,

the same Baby that She held so close at Bethlehem, that She lived

with for thirty years. She had brought Him up and cared for Him,

and all the time She knew that He would be nailed to a Cross and

die in infinite pain.

Now it was all over, He had done the work His Father had

given Him to do, the shadow was gone from Our Lady’s Heart, and

She stayed with Her Son in utter peace and content.

We all long to know more about those wonderful forty days

between Our Lord’s Resurrection and Ascension but we are told

very little, only enough to show us that Our Lord Risen was just

the same kind thoughtful Friend. And we know too that He would

have been the same kind thoughtful Son.

The days passed all too swiftly. Ascension Day dawned. We
do not know if Our Lady was with Her Divine Son, but it seems

natural that She should have been present. She was the first to

welcome Him on Christmas night, and Her Face surely would be

the last earthly face His eyes would rest upon, as the clouds hid

Him from the Apostles’ sight. What we do know is that the Apos-

tles returning to Jerusalem in obedience to Our Lord’s commands,

spent the next ten days in Our Lady’s company.

It was the first retreat, and we can picture them gathered

round Our Lady. She was all that was left them of Our Lord, the



34 A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN

link with Him, and it was a comfort to watch Her. She was so

like Him. She had His ways, His look, His smile.

She knew them all very well. St. Peter, still frightened, still

sorrowful over his fall. St. James, St. Jude, St. Thomas, strong

but doubting, and above all St. John. She helped each, advised,

encouraged, keeping them together waiting for the Promise of the

Father. Her work of Mother to the Infant Church was well begun.

So the days passed, and Whitsunday dawned. The Apostles

were all gathered round Our Lady in the Upper Room, and sud-

denly there was a sound of a mighty wind coming. It filled the

whole house. It was the Holy Spirit coming in the form of

Tongues of Fire that sat on the head of each one.

Fire is the symbol of love and strength and the Holy Ghost is

both. Haven’t you stood by a fire on a cold day and felt the heat

steadily warming your hands. The Holy Ghost was like that in the

Apostles’ souls. And He came into their hearts, filling them with

strength and casting out all fear.

And Our Lady. What must Her Meeting with the Holy Ghost

have been? She is specially beloved by Him. He would have filled

Her whole being with love. She loved God before, but She loved

Him more now, for He filled Her in still another way. He came to

dwell in Her soul and with Him were the Father and the Son.

Her Son had left Her and gone to Heaven, and yet He came

back to Her with the Holy Spirit to live in Her once more. Once

more She was to keep house for Him as She kept it during the

thirty years, but now the house was Her own soul. Within Her by

sanctifying grace dwelt the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

She teaches us how to keep house for them, for They live in us too.



Chapter XII

Going Home

The years passed on slowly and Our Lady quietly continued

Her work of being mother to the Infant Church. That is, She

helped and advised the Apostles, comforting them in their troubles,

encouraging them in their work, and above all teaching them about

Her Divine Son.

The Apostles loved to hear all She could tell them about Him,

and She was so like Him that the disciples who had never known

Jesus, grew to know Him from Her. She had one special friend,

St. Luke, who wrote one of the Gospels, and he is supposed to have

written much of what She told him. One can picture them to-

gether, Our Lady telling him about the events of the Holy Child-

hood, and what a joy it must have been to them both.

St. John looked after Her most lovingly. He was a real son to

Her, but still She longed for Her Divine Son, and even though She

was peaceful in doing God’s Will, Her mother’s heart longed to be

with Him in Heaven.

So the years rolled by, and then the Apostles realized that they

would not have Our Lady with them much longer. She was not

ill, but She was so full of the love of God, that Her Body was not

strong enough to bear it. Of all human beings She was the only

one to die of love.

Perhaps if we think we can understand a little. Sometimes

something makes us realize how much we love mother or father,

perhaps they are away or ill, and we are not with them. We get

quite a lump in our throat when we think of them, and a pain in

our heart because we love them so much. It was like that with Our

Lady, She got such a pain of love in Her heart, that it could not go

on beating any longer, and of course when our heart stops beating

we die.

We would, of course, love to know all about Our Lady’s death,

but we do not really know anything. Some old stories tell us that

She died with the Apostles round Her, all except St. Thomas. We

can picture Her so calm and peaceful, so full of joy that at last She

was to go to Her Son forever. She had no regrets on leaving the

earth, for She had done the work God gave Her to do, and She

would continue that work. Our Lord had placed us in Her arms on



36 A LIFE OF OUR LADY FOR CHILDREN

Calvary, and She is our mother still, holding us so close, and keep-

ing us safe.

Her breathing grew slower, and She spoke Her last words to

the Apostles. Earth was slipping away from Her fast—and then

—

She was in the Arms of Her Divine Son for ever.

The day wore on and the body of the Mother of God had been

reverently laid in the tomb, when poor St. Thomas arrived in haste

to say good-bye to his Mother.

He was late once more, and again his delay was a blessing to

us. Seeing his grief the Apostles opened the tomb to give St.

Thomas a last look at Our Lady, and the tomb was empty. There

were lilies growing in it, but Our Lady’s body was gone. For a

moment the Apostles gazed in wonder, then they knew what had

happened. God could not leave the beautiful body of His mother

in the tomb, so He took it to Heaven.

What a reception She must have had. The angels would have

sung their loveliest to greet her, the saints of the Old Law would

have welcomed Her, and above all her dear Father and Mother, St.

Anne, and St. Joachim.

And Her Divine Son. He stood looking into Her eyes as if He

could never love Her enough. Then He led Her to His Heavenly

Father, the Holy Spirit hovering about Her, and there She was

crowned Queen of Heaven.

She reigns now in bliss, nearest of ail to God, the greatest,

the most wonderful of all God’s creatures. And yet—if we will, we
can steal under Her mantle and cuddle up close in Her Arms.

Miss D. M. Anderson.



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