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It comes to us, as you see, with high recommendations; and, even allowing for what it loses-, in the translation, I trust you will find it fully deserving of all that has been said of it. The distinguished French prelates, who so warmly recommend it to the faithful, seem fully convinced that it is calculated to promote devotion to the Blessed Virgin— one of the strongest bulwarks of our holy faith — and, if so, your time and ray time will not be lost. If the perusal of this work makes you in any degree more devout to Mary, our sovereign lady and mistress, if it induces you to have recourse to her in all your trials, temptations, and dangers, it will help to pro- mote both your temporal and eternal happiness, and Mary will give you a portion of the reward which she never fails to confer on those who love and honour her. Hopino- that you will receive it well, for Her sake, I now beg leave to present it to your notice. MoNTREAi,, Augutt, 1854. l-^'l1 h s^.?l(TW*^. iiPC«iiii7V^!SS^i:g>*j »rSx^ ^?s I Y GhoHt, aho viaitod St. Elizfthotli, lier.self tlio motlier of a mirnciilous child, though by a very dill'uront act of the divino power— it wiia said by her, in that imtnortnl canticle of ecstatic gratitude, that "all gencrationa should call her blesaed."' Amazing word! and rash withal, were it in the mouth of a mere mortal • b,it it waa not a mere mortal who apoko, It waa the mother of tlio Man-God, full of grace, ^ the spouse of that divino Spirit who formerly enlightened the prophets of Israel; and, looking from tho heights of Hebron, down the long vista of future ages, slio could tell, with confidence, what God himself waa picased to show her of her future glory amongst men. And behold how faithfully all generations have accomplished this pre- diction I Hear how the echoes of Catholic history for eighteen hundred years repeat the matchless numo of Mary, and proclaim, as ' with tho noise of a great trumpet,"' the grandeur, th') merits, tho power of that divine Mother, Going back to tho primitive Church, we find, from tho very beginning, the glory of Mary celebrated by the arts. Not to 8i)cak of the picture attributed to the Evangelist, St. Luke,— a picture formerly so highly honoured in the East, and who.so authenticity is not altogether destitute of scientific proof,*) — wo have, from the .second century, or at least from the third, a painted likeness of Mary, on which tho antiquarian may still feast his eyes in tho catacombs of Rome, This ancient monument of Catholic devotion clearly proves that, no sooner waa the Church in the midst of persecutions, established in tlio world, than Christian artists began to consecrate their pencil to the Blessed Virgin. In the fourth century we find, on many aaro'^pliagi or Christian tombs, a gioup of the Virgin and Child, the countenance of the Mother breathiutr at once a radiant youth and a divine purity. This it was that caused a learned writer of our day, M. Ilaoul Kochctte, to make that important remark, founded on his knowledge of arts and monuments : " It ia incorrect to say, as did the Protestant historian Basnage, that it was not I ff • St. Luke i. 48. '• St. Luke i. 2S. • Isttiiis xxvii. 13. * AunaU) de Philot. Chrtt, t. ix., p. 74 et suiv. u [^1 u INTltDUUCriON. Jj till uftep the Council of Ephesiw thai tl.e Virgiu began to bo ro).- rcHciittd; for," lie adds, "amongst the Christian sarcophagi of the Vatican, where «he is seen, there i* certainly more than one anterior to that period.". The fifth century presents, in the reign of the Greek emperor Ana.sta«iua, imperial coins, whose reverse bears the monogram of Mary, surrou (led by stars. This mark of respect was continued by n great number of his successors; amongst others, the empress Theojihanin liud the figure of Mary stamped on her money, her head encircled with the nimbo, with the inscription : OcorSxoc, A/other of God. From the fifth century till our own times, it is well kn.wn how the arts liave multiplied testimonials of devotion to the Bh'ssed Virgin. It is true that, at one time, they fell into singular aberrations— for instance, inventing black statues of the Mother of God-but these specimens of bad taste are still so meny proofs of the faith and piety of thase times, now called the dark ages, which, nevertheless, produced, in their incomparable staine.l windows, and their prodigious churches dedicated to God under the invocation of Mary, things which our modern civiliza tion has no longer the secret of flibricating, and has hardly the courage to undertake. Still, wo are not to suppose that churches dedicated to Mary date only from the middle ngea: if we would ascertain their origin, we must go back to Pope Calixtus I., who built a chapel, under the title of Oiir Lady, beyond the Tiber, in the most populous part of Rpme, in the year 22-i; nay, we must ascend still higher, for, even prior to that time, there was at Saragossa, in Spain, the church of Our Lady of the Pillar, and in Syria several other churches, likewise dedicated to the divine Virgin. Thus it is that, by an uninterrupted chain of monuments, reaching from the first ages of Christianity till the present time, archi- tecture, inspired by faith and piety, has united its powerful voice with that of the other arts to exalt the glorious name of Mary. What a magnificent sight would it bo, wcro ,t t^iveu to man to contemplate, in one stupendous whole, all the wealth of stone and marble, of wood and ■^^^:: f, i I *, ll ih' Ounmri *ur 'ar{ /u f'hntiaHiimi, p. 84, note 1. 1 il ■h^ ^O 10 lNTIU)I)UiriI<)N. 1,^^ A oM the Ciilliol «■ )t tlic graoca, tlio virtues, tlio power wherewith ho endowed it on bo- liair of men I .... What oyo could guzo on that rnvidliing spectnclo! wliut heart connider it without oiuotiou! what lips would not cry out, with transport: "Glory bo to God, who has inudo over}' age so faithful in rullilliiig thnt prophecy of hia divine Mother: 'lUliold, henceforth all generations shall call mo blessed!'" Hut there is a voice as superior to that of all the arts as tho moral order is to the piiysieal — the voice of science, of eloquence, of genius by word and pen ; and, ossuredly, it has not been wanting in the fulfil- ment of the Virgin's prophecy. There remains to us but very few writings of tho first two Christian centuries, and yet, even in tho second century, we rend in tho words of tho illuHtrious martyr St. Ireneus, bishop of Lyons, an eulogy of Mary, most expressive in its conciseness. "Eve," says ho, "allowing herself to be seduced by the words of the tempter, disobeyed God anil sought to floe from hia presence; the Virgin Mary, acceding to tho words of the Angel Gabriel, and obeying tho orders of God, consented to bear Christ in her womb, so that, by that 8ubmis.sion, she became the pattern of Eve."'' After him, St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. Ii]phraim, St. Gregory Nazianzen, St. Jerome, St. Chrysostom, St. Ambrose, St. Augu.stine, St. Cyril, St. Epiphanius, St. John Dama.s- cone, then ^t. Bernard, St. Ansclm, and that great genius who is called the last of tho Fathers of tho Church, the immortal Bossuet: in a word, all the most eminent writers of Eastern and Western Christendom have, m turn, celebrated the glory of Mary, her dignity, her virtues, her privileges, and tiie wonderful efficacy of her intercession. The Litany of Loretto forms, as wo have said, a full and complete abridgement of all these praises, of all these marks of veneration and love, of devotion and confidence; it is, therefore, one of the best act? of homage we can render to that divine Mother. Hence, Pope Clement VIIL, in 1601, forbade any other to bo recited in her honour in the Cimtra har'\, lib. T., o. 19 W Kf^^ public prayers; in 1000, Paul V., in his turn, granted sixty days' in dulgcnco to t.. .Iioso persona wbo would as-siat on Saturdays at the Holcmn chanting of those pious invocations in tho Dominican churches; Sixtus V. and Dencdict XIII., two hundred days to all tho Jnithlul wl.c' would recite them devoutly: and Pius VII. extended this last iuUul gcnco to three' hundred days. Wo thereby see how this Litany became BO dear to Catholic piety, which has delighted to multiply its repetition, to vary its mu.sic, and to embellish it with nU tho charms of melody and of tho sweetest harmony. Tho an of engraving, which speaks to tho eye ns singing does to the ear, could not fail to lend its valuable aid to this pious tribute of musical art. In fact, towards tho end of tho eighteenth century some famous German engravers published a series of figures and symbolical images, as ingenious as signiHcant, intended to ex- plain to tho eye, in succession, all tho titles which the Church bestows on Mary in tho Litany of Loretto. May tho author of these meditations, Mary, bo successful in tho mission which circumstances, in some way providential, have given hini ! Undoubtedly it will bo sweet, and very sweet, to me, to pour forth my soul before thee and in thy honour, and to exert myself to make known the holiness, the goodness, the tenderncs.s, and the glory of tho divine Mother of my Saviour. But how can I speak of the- ;.. adequate terms, after all that has been already written by others so much more com- petent? How can I even attempt it, when St. ncrnard said that "nothing frightened him more than having to speak of thy great- ness and glory ?"« I will, nevertheless, attempt it, Mary, O thou whom I delight to call my good and amiable mother; I will attempt it for the sake of thy divine Son, who is glorified tlirongh thee; I will attempt it for thy sake, O masterpiece of Almighty power! brightest image of his ailorable perfections! I will attempt it with the confidenw uf a child who works for his mother and before her t3'es. and who looks to her for help and encouragement. To thee, then, O divine Afary I give up my mind, my heart, and my pen, and to thee do I dedicate this feeble testimony of my respect, and confidence, and filial devotioi.. f Seiiii 4, de Atitnmpl. /I. M. V VT^vr.i & f^ L-/ 'mi mi ^>^^S^Z^ .iiTII^'i-^lt,. II \V ^m ' ift ii i U 'i I ^ •^ MEDITATIONS LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIJN. MEDITATION I. LOBD, HAVE HKBOT «N V 0. Why is it that the Church makes us send up to God the humble sigh of prayer, before commencing the ditferent invocations which she afterwards makes us a^ MTAXy OF THE BMiSSKD viuum. 17 of God, when we believe that, to " blot out the h.aiulivriting of Ihe decree which was against us," it was necessary that Christ should "ftisten it to the Cross?'"' How can we despair of obtaining strength, or the forgiveness of our sins, liow enormous soevJr they may be, when Ave believe that " God so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever believoth in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting?'" Ah! we do not justly appreciate this faith in Jesus Christ; we are not sufficiently sensible of its advantages. It is a supernatural gift, which surpasses not only all human strength, but all human understanding, and all the desires which our nature is capable of forming. It is a gift, without which it is impossible to obtain everlasting happiness; for, "without faith, it is impossible to please God,J" and how can any one who is not pleasing to God be judged worthy of a shai-e in his eternal bliss ? It is a gift worth nothing less than eternal life, the eternal possession of the sovereign good; for the divine Mi\ster has said, "This is life everlasting," to "know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."'' .... And even in this world, is it not the only true happiness? "He that heareth my Word, and believeth him that sent me," says the Man-God once again, " i.-. passed from death to life.'" It follows that the life of thos( who have not faith in Christ is death. In fact, to be a slav<' of " the Prince of Darkness ;"'" to be destitute of infallible lio^hr amid the cruel uncertainty of the understanding as to the duties of man and his destiny ; to be without a guide, without a pilot amid the shoals of life, without consolation amid the sorrows of this world, without strength against the assault of the pas- sions, misfortune, and afflictions; to be deprived of the calm, pure truth of the teachings of the Incarnate Word, the incom- paral)le force or his exam])le, the inexhaustible resources of his merits, the magnificent hopes founded on his Word, what a fate would that be ! what a deploi'able condition ! and what obli<^a. Y .^«? ' St. John V. 24. '"Epii's. vi. 12. mm V4^ '«-*'- 'W-* >i\\w- I I Ldi ^' i.\ irTr^] ^ir. m. \\ \M tion do we not owe to the Saviour, who has endowed us with the priceless treasure of faith ! O Jesus I eternal Priest! adorable Pontiff! divine victim of our salvation, it is thou who hast given us our faith in thee; be thou for ever blessed by every pulsation of our hearts ! What tlianksgivings can ever equal the favours he has conferred upon us, for "he hath not done in like manner to every nation," many of whom are still seated in 'he darkness and shadow of deatli !"" .... Ah ! vouchsafe to " confirm what thou hast wrought in us ;P deign to fructify the gift which we have received from thy infinite liberality." Help; "increase our faith," n Ps. cxivil. 20. r Gnl. v. 6. » St. Luke i. 79. » St. John x.k. 17. P Ps. l.Tvii. 29. t Snb tiiitm. 1 St. Mark i.^c. 23 ; St. Luko xvii. 5. " 3 Kwr^ ii. 20. * St. John ii. 3, 4. "Job vi. 4. * Ps. cxxix. 1 i LITAUV Oi' THE BLESSBD Vlliam, » MEDITATION 111. lOKO, HAVE MKUOY ON 8. i m AiTiSB having penetrated our hearts with the sentiment of Christian hope, exciting our faith in the divine Mediator, the Church makes us repeat, Zord, have mercy on m! It is that, the adorabk' name of Jesus once piously invoked, the name of Lord given to Giod need no hmger inspire us with terror. If the Man-God vouchsafes to cover us with his infinite merits as witli a shiehl, why should we henceforth tremble before the supreme Majesty ? Why should we imitate Adam, when, after his fall, he was so afraid of God that he became, in some degree, senseless ? for he sought to hide himself from his presence," as though he knew not that " theie is no creature invisible in his sight; but all things are naked and open to his eyes,'' to whom darkness is not dark, and night as the light of day.-^ . . ." Ah, why should we not, rather, speak to the Sovereign Master, in the name of that sweet Saviour, with filial confidence, since it was he who "sent his Son, that we might receive the adoption of sons, and who sent the Spirit of his Son into onr hearts, crying, Abba, Father ?"'' Prodigious honour, prodigious favour conferred on guilty man ! That God, from whom we deserved only condemnation, is not content with redeeming us, with restoring us by his only Son • he would, moreover, " that we should be named, and should be the sons of God."" "Behold," then, " what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us;"'" behold what we owe to the merits of Jesus Christ. They liave so admirably " reconciled all e Ps. cxxxviii. 12. «> Gal. iv. 4, 5, 6. • 1 John iii. 1. *" 1 John iii. 1. "^ ^ilftN^ loi ^te»*SiWBIi il il? If 1 I i;,g \ i 1-ff M -*t) MKOITATIONS ON 'J'lIK l.'>- 1 ym tliiii!;s"« timt they hnvo iiiaf his mortal life, his sufferings and his immolation on Calvarj', Jesus Christ has irrevocably placed in our bands. lie has given i. to us; he has made it, as it were, our inalienable property ; and, till our latest moment, Ave may use it to imjjlore the Ijonl, and to obtain the graces of which we stand in need. For Jesus himself has said, " If you ask the Father any thing in my name, he will give it to you.'" Oh, with what honour, riclies, and power, it has pleased God to endow the Christian soul ! And what faithful heart will not be happy to boi-row here the sublime words of the holy man Job, " What is man, that thou shouldst magnify him ?"J In repeating to God, Level, have mercy 071 m, let us then internally prostrate ourselves before him ; let us be seized with admii-ation and motionless surprise, that we may, at any moment, speak to a God so great, and that a God so great should deign to lend an ear to creatures so degraded by sin. But at the same time let us expand our hearts, and pour them forth, as it were, into the bosom of a father who caimi., help cherishing a tender love for his children. For when we tmite with Jesus, and appear before God in the adorable person of his Son, it is impossible that this cry of the heart calling on him for mercy should not be graciously heard. Our voice, united with that of our divine Mediator, changes its nature, if we may say so ; it loses its human qualities, its weakness and un worthiness, and its great defilement, to par- 1 , w « Colos. i. 20. " I John V. ir>. ' St. Joliii .\-\i. 23, J Job vii. 17. ..iiA.sv <»i ]iiK m.Kssi;u MliUl.V. 21 , Mci|.at,. in the suvui v.9f "We are no more servants, but sons, and if sons, heir» »lso,"' «• through Christ, by whose blood we have a confidence in the entering into the sanctuary.""' We are "his brethren, he is tlu- first-ljorn amongst us," but we are joint heirs with him "" " W,- go, then, with confidence to the throne of grace, that we m.v obtain mercy.'V and that we may entreat thee to have mere.; on us as thou wouldst have mercy on himself, if it were possibh- that he could be in the state of necessity and of danger in which we are. Ah, Zonl, it is no longer we who address thee • It IS He himself, our divine brother, who says to thee, by our heart and tongue. Have mercy on m! and, with him, his au-u.t mother, that cherished daughter of heaven, who tells thee "she IS "our sister ;"i that she is "our kinswoman according to tjie flesh' in which Jesus Christ came'"— Jesus Christ, " the° lion of Tlu! tiibe of Juda,"t who triumphed over death by his resur- rection, over the corruption of the world by his admirable purity and infinite sanctity, over the devil by the glry and power of the Cross. In the name of that divine Saviour, and 111 union with Mary, we once more cry out to thee— LOKD, HAVE MEUCY ON US i Kijrie eleison ! ■3 <:\ \\1 yiv \\m,^ m^s k Ps. cxii. 3. ' GhI. iv. 7. n'llol) X. 19. " Rom. viii. 29. " Rom. viii. 17. P IIlI). iv. 10. 1 Gen. xii. 13. ' Rom. ix. 3. • 1 John iv. 2. ' Apoc. T. 5. -J •v.%r' ' I !•,' \> I 1< ' Jj w cr^ > I ilKDlTATlONa OX TIU V fa MEDITATION IV. OIIBIST, IIEAB Cll m M ' - 1 f. 'fii\ TiiK more we unite our heart and voice with the heart and V()ic«! of Jcaiis", to implore the divine goodness and mercy, the more our prayer ascends towards the throne of the Eternal as •'an odour of sweetness."* Here, then, in order to excite a more lively faith and confidence in that " Mediator of the New Testament,'' who is ahle also to save for ever them that come unto God by himself;"" in order to enter intimately into the admirable dispositions of his adorable heart, praying solemnly, on the eve of his death, " for those who sliould believe in hira,"'' let us once more address oureelves to Ilim, beseeching him to h£ar us. Not that his ear is ever closed against us, or that his heart is not ever disposed to hear those whom he loved more than himself; but we entreat him to hear us, as a good father hears his poor children, or a kind mother the cherished fruit of her womb, however ungrateful we may have hitherto been. We ask him to hear us with that ear of the heart which listens with tender interest to a beloved voice, which answers that voice with overflowing kindness and affection, and establishes between himself and the Christian soul an ineffable communion of sentiments worthy the admiration of the angels themselves. Ah, blessed is the soul which, possessing the ines- timable gift of sanctifying grace, can speak thus to Jesus ns friend to fi-iend, as the Spouse in the Canticles to her beloved, her adorable Spouse ! Blessed are they who can say, with a just confidence, "My beloved to me, and I to him,"" and who Kplics s. V. a. b Heb. ix. .'5. "•■ Heb. vii. 2,'). •• St. John xvii. 20. • Cant. ii. 16. & I I.ITANV OK 'IIII-; UJ.KSHKU VIIUH.N. \!S H m ileserves to hear, in its intii.iuU) connection with tho divine Jes.w those words so consoling, so full of heaveidy sweetness, " I^-t thy voice sound in luy ears, O my love, for thy voice i- sweet . . . ."'■ l^Jt, ulas I our want of lideiity, our want of zeal, our want of faith and charity, ofter. d(,i)rivo us of those delightful com- uiu..ing.s with God. We admit a third party between him and us; we divide a heart which is his by so many titles. We persist in fostering inclinations, passions, small, it is true, hut Btill di,si,leasing to him, and infringing ou the absolute 'right which he has to bo ])referred to all without reserve; and "he punishes us but too justly by the privation of those favours whose value neither men uor augek can estimate, or describe •.n adeijuut'! terms. Yet we must not be discouraged, though our infirmity leaves us little hope of always maintaining with Jesus this inulfable connection, the lot of predestined souls. Whatever we are, wo may and should asi)ire to go far enough into the privacy of his adorable heart to enjoy his friendship, to persevei-e in his crace to live and die in his holy love. . . . Ah, h,t ns studimisly avoid all that might break, or even loosen the sacred bond which unites us to that divine Saviour. Let us, on the con- trary, do all we can to strengthen it every day, every hour, so that we may die in that holy exercise of the ti'uly Christian' heart. O Jesus ! O thou who « knowest so well li )w to be a friend,"* who art so admirable in thine eflusions of love to hearts that thou flndcst void of creatures and of self, be glorified on earth as in heaven, for that thou vouchsafest to cherish in so mar- vellous a manner souls so little woi-thy of thee. Let those especially, who have the hapi)iness of « tasting and seeing how sweet thou art"" in thy divine favours, unite to sing with tra^isport the name and heart of their adorable Spouse. . . . But let those who can only admire from afar the ineftable mysteries of thy «■ Cant. ii. 14. t Life of St. Theresa, cli. x.w. ^ Vs. xxxiii. !) itru^^} Y ^l^- CM 4 i:':'%, !rri#\ 'i *a I }■ Xj,^M ■ii HH ( ' Exoil. vi. 5. prc'servo ua tVoiii tlut just severity of tliy slighted iind oiitiiitrod ||^ love; preserve us from the uiu-Uiiui spirit, from all tlmt dishonours W^ man in thy sight ; i)reserve m from idl the disenses of the soid, and from all the hodily ills that might injure the soul ; preserve us from the IjoUs of thy justiee, from a sudden and unprovided death. Vouchsafe to grant us the grace of "being always thine, whether we live or whether we die.'"'' Sweet Lord Jesus, wo beset'cli tliee hear us. Clllllsr, HKAII L'sl ('/iriate, (lutli nos. J II. Panil. vii. 14. ' Rom. xir. 8. );pi t f^d Wl 5^5^'S^ M^^gm. 9(1 UI'ANV OK TIIK UMi^SKIi VllldlN. m 9. MEDITATION V. OBRIHT, onACIOUHLT lIKAlt USI It is not enough, to luivo nnul to Jcsu-", Hear us; the Chnicl repeats the lulorahle name t)f Chiist, and inhh, (fraciouslij heat iif. And why do we repeat a name which ha>J been j ist pro- nounced ? It U that a name so sweet and precious, a name of help and consohition, a name of benediction and of salvation, can be uttered again and again, without danger of weariness oi disgust. On the contrary, the oftener it reaches the ear and the heart, the more unction, the more sweetness does it briti<' with it. It is, moreover, that wretched degraded children, as we all are from the fall of our first father, unhappy exiles, voyagers on an ocean so expost-d to tempests, so full of quick- sands, 80 fruitful in shipwrecks, we can never have i-ecourse too often to a name so powerful. Ah, when we know and believe that " there is no other name given to men whereby they may be saved ;"" that " in tliat name every kneo should bow of those that are in heaven, on earth, and in hell;"'' tliat by that name the Apostles wiought the most otupendous mira- cles ;" that even yet, in the name of Jesus Christ, the most marvellous effects are every day ])roduced by the sacraments, effects which, though invisible, are none the less admirable prodi- gies—knowing and believing all this, we must find happiness in pronouncing and invoking that divine name. Wo derive from that invocation a jjrofound sentiment of joy and relief, a mild light which guides us securely thi-ough the shades of this life, a fii-m coui-age, a pei-severing enei-gy in defending ourselves from the enemies of our salvation. For the name of the Spouse in / ' m i s 1 fA--*-^ .d -M& III <*^^ MEDITATIONS OK TIIK '^U ^^ M ^■^T'J^^ the Canticles " is as oil poured out ;"<» " it lights," says St. Bernard, " it nourishes and softens, it strengthens, it even saves the soul from despair."" But why say to Jesus Christ, Gracioushj hear us? Had not Hear its, as we have seen, its sweetness and its charm ? Would it lose, then, in being repeated? .... Undoubtedly not; but the Church hereby insinuates to us that Jesus may sometimes hear us, without being disposed to answer our prayers. In fact, he defers, in certain circumstaiices, granting us the object of our petitions, how humble and fervent soever they may be, in order to excite our faith more and more, to inflame our ardour and our zeal, and to procure for us the great merit of perseverance. And as we are tempted too often to be discouraged by such trials, we entreat Jesus to free us from that danger: Ah, let us, then, earnestly beseech that Mediator, so good, so beneficent, so devoted to our interest, to " make haste to help us."f Yet, nevertheless, if it please his adorable Providence to subject us to the holy probation of delay, in regard to our demands, let us entreat him no less earnestly to grant us the precious grace of perseverance in prayer. Discouragement is, in fact, injurious to the infinite goodness and mercy of God, the truth of his promises, the infinite merits of Jesus, the efficacy of which we seem to doubt ivhen we cease to implore the Lord if we do not immediately obtain what we ask. Perseverance, on the contrary, in fidelity to prayer, even when it pleases God to apjiear deaf to the |)i groaning of our hearts, is a beautiful homage rendered to his perfections. It makes us adore his goodness, his mercy, his infal- libility, even when they seem to hide tVom us, — his wisdom, his providence, when their ways are the most inscrutable, — with as much faith as though they were clearly visible in the success of our demands. It makes us, besides, place all our hopes in the infinite merits of the Saviour, even when they seem to have lost their efficiicy in our bthalf, with as much firmness as thougli we felt their powerful effects. \mii fc u' '<'j£i'; » Ca'it i. 2. *> Serin, xv. super Cantica. <■ Ps. Ixix. 2. u i il it m LITANY OF TILK BLESSED VIKGIN. O Jt'sug, who, to manifest the plenitude of thy mercy, made thy- self " our advocate witli the Father,"* permit not that we should rver cease to implore thy love, although our prayeiy appear useless. ( I rant, rather, through thine all-powerful grace, Avithout which we cannot even ''pronounce thy name,'"" that we may redouble our I'outideuce and fervoni', when thou seemest not to hear our voice. C) thou whose teiiderne^s has vouchsafed to re])resent itself to u> under the touching figure of " the hen gathering her chickens undei her wings,'" our filial confidence makes us i)our forth into thine adorable heart our pains and sori'ows, our woes and our supplica- litnis. Oh! that we may ever persevere in that holy confidence, flirough the intercession of thy divine mother! It is by her sacred bands tliat we present all our demands; it is through her that we lio])e to obtain gi-ace to pi-ay without ceasing, till she is moved to ■iay to our angels: "The Lord has heard me"J on behalf of my faithful supplicants; "go, ye swift angels,'"' convey the blessing of 'iiy Son to those who unceasingly say to him: CriRIST, GRACIOUSLY HEAR US Christe. cxattdi nos. 8 1. Jolin ii. 1. h I. Cor xii. 3. ' St. Mutt, xxiii. 37 J Dent. ix. 19. CHa v^ i GOD, THE FATI' OF HEAVEN, HAVE MEBCT ON U8. S^'f'v iM m i^tH^m % br. li Rkstino on the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, and closely united Mith him, as our divine Mediator, by the preceding supplication, we may and onglit to implore, with new confidence, the most Holy and most August Ti'inity. The Church makes us successively invoke the three divine per- sons, and first of all she teaches us to say: God, tJte Futhei' of Heaven, have mercy on vs f God, ilie Father of Heaven .... Is not the Deity on earth, then, as well as in heaven? Does he not fill the univei'se with the majesty of his presence ? Did not the prophet-king, soaring on the wings of foith and love, find hini equally present, equally adoi-al)le, " in heaven, in hell, in the uttei-most parts of the sea, in the light of day, and in tlie darkness of night ?"» Ah ! undoubtedly, God is everywhere. He is everywhere by his knowledge, for he knows and sees all things ; by his power, for in Any place whatsoever he has but to will, and his will is instantly done: even nothing itself hastens to obey hira. He is everywhere by his essence, for he is t, infinite, and the infinite knows neither measure nor distance, nor * any bounds. "In hira we live, and we move, and we are.'"* lie surrounds us, he penetrates us with his knowledge, his power, his invisible essence, as the sun su'iounds and penetrates the crystal with his impalpable rays. Wo, then, to ua, if we banish him, in thought, to heaven, as to a distant palace, far away from the voice of our supplication ! We should, thereby, commit a grievous mistake, and, by detaching (rod from this sad world, render our unhappy lot, as children of Adam, worse than it really is. '•'■. ^ ,■ -^vV Ps. cxx.wiii. 8. 9, 12. ^ Acts xvii. 28. &M No, truly, God is not fur from us: he ia In us, and we are in iim. u It needs no efl'ort to send up to him the sighs and snpjili- cations of our exile: he whose mercy we solicit is more present to us than we are to ourselves. May we never forget that saving truth I Why, then, once more, the words MitJter of hmveii ? Ah ! it is that in heaven God has prepared for his elect a delightful dwelling, an everlasting home, an eternal kingdom, where, Avithoiit being any more present than he is elsewhere, he manifests his adorable presence to the angels and saints. There he shows him- self to them, for it is written, " We shall see him as he is,"<= that is to say, in his beauty, in his truth, in his goodness, in his power, in Ills love, in all his perfections'. Here below nothing could satisfy our desiies, however fortunate our life might be, according to the world; however multiplied, however varied might be our enjoy- ments, still the banishment made itself felt in one way or another. And, moreover, is not the whole life long, for the greater part of mankind, but one tissue of fatigue, weariness, disgust, grief, suffering of every kiud .... Hence, wc all sigh, more or less, and all eat the bread of bitterness, moistened even with tears. Were, then, the gratuitous goodness of God to offer us only a natural hai.piness in the world to come, we ought to pi'aise and bless him for evei', and to seek that happiness with the greatest eagerness. To be eternally exempt from the ills of this world, to l)e eternally sheltered from indigence, disease, pain, mourning, from all trouble, from all sadness, would not even that be too much for such miserable, guilty creatures? .... But, O prodi St. John i. 14. iOil, I ' ^1 rr^ ^( r- ■~ n '( \rl ^ 3 V ;■ ^r' \ i m UTANV OF THE BLESSED VlUGUf. 31 itr;;5^^j I ;« if if 1 MEDITATION VII. OOD, THK SON, EEDKEMEU OF THE WOULD, IIAVK MEBOT ON VB. This invocation of the Son of God, " consubstantial to tbe Father, ^nie God of true God,"" reminds the Christian soul of the great, the' ineffable mystery of the world's redemption: a mystery ineffable ii. itself, ineffable in its marvellous effects. It is, then, true that, from the Redemption wrought on Calvaiy, the salvation of man is purchased by the death of a^God. He uIk) leared not to humble himself by being "made flesh,'"- thought not that he made too great a sacrifice by suffering and dying foi^us tlie most ignominious and cruel death. Oh! but we "are bought," (hen, "with a great price !"<= and what a high value we should set on our souls ! How important we should consider all that can increase its dignity liefore God, and contribute to adorn its immortal crown ! and how carefully, how anxiously should we avoid all that may impede its salvation ! We were lost, lost for ever: in consequence of the guilty fall of the first man, we were j.ll struck with an eternal anathema. An expiation was i-equired, and an expiation of infinite value, to satisfy the infinite majesty of God outraged by sin. But who was capable of making this atonement ? Was it men ? Certainly not. Was it angels ? No ; they are pure, elevated, sublime ; but there is between thorn and the Infinite an infinite distance. Our misfortune was, therefore, without remedy, without hope .... Yes, if the eternal Son of God became not " our victim of propitiation."-* He clothed himself with our nature, and, entering into the world, said to ilui Most High: Behold me ready for tlie sacrifice; he took "upon ' Nicene Creed. »>St. Joliii i. 14. « I. Cor. vi. 20. ^ I. Jolm ii. 2. Y to 1^ -As S ^1 'k-Ji I m -?{' fm 11 10 W ... -'M ■m ^:^ h^^ m csm],. « J liiinself all our iniquities;"" lio gave liimsflf up to be "wounded for oui- iniquities, and bruised for our sins/'f in order that justice and peace miglit kiss? " in his person." He even went so far as to desire, with unequalled ardour, to suffer and to die for us;*" and that burning desire was accomplished in his passion. Oh! yes, aoconi- l)li.shed: what is the Saviour's passion but one continued series of siiil'ering of mind and heart— a succession of unheard of pains and saei'ifices for worthless and ungrateful sinners ? . . . . In presence of n devotion so capable of exciting our devotion, and of making our liearts throb with the liveliest gratitude and the most tender affection, let us first pause a moment, while we adore, in the silence of admiration, that mystery which enti-ances the angels. Let us, then, contemplate that " great mysteiy ;"' let us study and fathom, jis far as our limited reason can, the secret depths of the love and mercy of our God. Immersed in that bottondess and shoreless ocean, let us give up our hearts to the pious transports wherewith it may please God to animate them And then we shall admire "the abundant liches of his grace,"J of which redemp- tion is the source. Sanctifying grace! sublime and supernatural gift! It marvel iously unites our soul to God, communicates to it a divine life, i'. life which is the beginning of the life of heaven, for St. Paul says that " the grace of God is life everlasting."k And this divine life of our soul, whic.i the sacraments are intended to give, to maintain to increase, to restore, when we have had the misfortune of losino- it, this divine life imparts to all our acts an admii-able power, that of meriting an eternal reward, and of constantly increasing our etei-nal happiness and glory. Yes, by sanctifying gi'ace we may make of our smallest actions works so pi-ecitnis that each of them is j)refer- able to all the treasures of the eartli ; we may, in one moment, do n»ore, l)y a single secret act of the will which loves Goil, than al) men together could do, in thousands of ages, by all their natural force. • Is. liii. 0. «■ Is. liii. 5. B I'.s. I.xxxiv. 11. h St. Luke xli. 50. i Tim. ill. 16. J Ephcs. ii. 7. k Uora. vi. 23. ^vrr_ 1 in m It! \r^3 Sr I &m " WoiidcHiil ! worideiful !" is all tlmt wc 0.111 say, () !i St. Luke X. 42. ^ Fun, iirat. on Anne ife (rOHza'jHi', liy Hossuet. ' St. Matt. vi. 20. >" I. Tim. vi. ',). " Gal. V. 25. ° I. Thcs. v. IS. P Ei)hps. iv. 30. •1 llynni, Veni Creator. m- ■^ ♦ ;• Jlryiinir*. - J -h^s >^^^ MKHlTAinONS ON TIIR l/^C \((Wr *fe^jA /a' ii!»y-: ''M U, #^ , ."i "I. '.Ml iH into til.' iii,'lit, land, luid <|iiuki'ii us in tliy justice ;' inmutain ns .^vt-n in that clniiity uliicl. i,-("tion. u pur« henrt, a ,^ U.M..1 cmsoirnc*' and an nntVif^'nod faith.'" Wo even venture to '-, l.t■^' of th.'.. tiiat oni- cliiiiity "nniy more and nioro al.ouiul in ki.?.ul.Hl,s..', an*' -m M :l\\ i i 38 MEDITATIONS ON THE diviiu! knowledge, and to admit our poor understanding even to the eternal sanctuary of Ills "liglit inaccessible.'"" What an infinite liononr has he conferred ujjon us by iinjjarting to us, in this place of probation, in the darkness of our exile, a truth which dazzles the angels, and gives us leason to pine for "the courts of the Lord,"s M-hei'e Ave shall enjoy a spectacle so glorious! Unity in trinity, Tiinity in unity; how marvellous ! how incomprehensible! Unity of iiatui-e in a trinitj/ of pei-sons, trinity of persons in a unity of nature, what admirable concord, what ravishing harmony ! " Yes " sa}-s St. Augustine, "in God there is number, in God there is no f" V^wl/' "'""^^'■" ^^''^^" ^'"^^ reckon the three persons you behold a number; ^ii^.' .imV when you ask what it is, you find no numl)er: the answer is that it is one only God. Because they are three, there is number , when you seek to examine their nature, the number escapes; you find only simple unity.'"' O, unity so inviolable that number cannot divide it ! O, number so well arranged that unity cannot confuse it ! How magnificent is the hope of one daj' seeing thee "face to face !'" And, meanwhile, it is sweet to be able to adore thee with the divine certitude of foith, and to bless thee for the supei'natural connection with thyself which thou givest us in Christianity ! Tlie Father, l)y his adoption, raises us to the sublime quality of children of God; the Son, by the Incarnation and Eedemption, mai'- vellously associates usJ with the divine nature; the Holy Ghost, by \ the eifusion of his charity into our hearts,'' establishes an admirable communicatiorJ Ijetween God and us. Ah ! may Ave estimate at their just value, these divine revelations, and esteem ourselves according to the nobility and g. .ndeur of our dignity! JMay Ave well understand that, God hav'in^- raised us so higli, all that is not God is beneath us; that, having the inestimable honour of being the sons of God,'" the brethren of the Son," the temples of the Holy Ghost," Ave should ever i-espect ourselves as belono-ini,'' to a -A'-l , T4? mm r I. Tim. vi. 10. « I'-;. Iw.viii. :!. '' /(( Jd'iii, Tract "So. 1. ' I. Cor. xiii. 12. i I. Jnlin i. ,'5. ■< IJoiM. V. .'■>. ' II. Cor. xiii. 1.3. ™l. John ill. 1. " St. John XX. 17. ° I. Cor. vi. 19. A\J 9 ?S^/ m i hi Mi vfe,i m 'm I-ITANV Ol' TlIK Hlj;,-t;KJJ \IU(;1.S. iTr*M!r?j!Ci.J chosen g(-ii..iatin„, u r„y,,] i.ricsHio.Hl, that we may dcolan^ his virtues, who hatli calK^d " «.y out of da:-k:iess into his adnural)le liglit !"i' "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who art but one and the same substance,'"! to thee, "tlie only God, be glory and magnihcence, botli now and for ever;"' to thee who hast honoured us with the i-evelation of thine eternal essence, tc; thee wiio hast i-aised us to a superhuman dignity, tlie completion of whicli shall be, in heaven, a transforma tion into thy Divine image.^ Ah ! befoi'e "the breadth, and len-tli and heiglit, and depth'" of thy love for us, what can we do l.ut stainmer like the prophet" the accents of praise and admiration, in union with Mary, who, astonished herself at the great things tho.i hast done in her,>' contemplates thee in transports of gratitude and • ve. We adore thee as "tlie Alpha,"- the eternal origin of ali- ve reverence her its the lirst of thy creatu.'es, and the nearest to ■ hee by the perfections tliou gavest her, and by the sublime ties of laughter, mother, and spouse, wherewith thou hast honoured her. Grant that, beseeching thee, by her ])ure lips, to keep us always taithtid, always worthy of thee and of our magnitlcent title of Chris- tians, we may say to thee : Holy Thi.vity, on'h God, uwk mkiiov os vs. >S(iiiria Ticaita-1, u.iu-i /Jeua, minu-ere nofjis. kV, P I. I'utir ii. 0. 1 I. Jolin V. 7. ' St. ;udu 25. • ir. Cop. iii. 18. ' Eplii's. iii. IS. " Jerom. i. G. " St. Luke i. 19. * Apoc. i. 8. / V Crj '*- ■i-v :-.«¥> "^•W i i Ii (1 1 r \i 4 ? (' ! 1 if r4 , « 4ii fl aiKDlTATIOXS OX TUK mm M MEDITATION X. HOLY MAKY, PKAY FOU US. |ff:wr id *'i --^^^^ TiiK fii'st tiiie C'f honour Avliicli we give to tlio IJlessecl Virgin, when Cr^ N/iill/ /'^? invoking hei', is her own name of Mary — a name which, after that fri'ii \fiii'i^^s^ k)' *^^' J^'^""*) i'* *^'^ ,jl>-;VJ in nature, any thing wliich dilates the heart like her presence, any Wi%iWl\^^sk ^-^i"? so moving as her memory ? A mother ! Ah ! God has created nothing in this world to be compared to her in kindness, in pure and sweet affection, in devotion, in sublime heroism of heart. When we have the ha])piness, then, of l)eing animated l)y a lively faith, liljj when Ave firmly believe that Jesus is our )uM these touching titles aj)i)ly but to Mary ? Sovercitjii, has she not the honour of having brought forth "the King of kings, and the Lord of lords,"'' to whom belongs " magnificence, j)o\ver, glory, and victory,"'' and who, by glorifying her in heaven, gave her a i).)\ver of intercesaou like to none other? Jiadiant Stur, is it not she who ha.s given to the world "the true Light"'' of men, "the Sun of justice,'"' whose divine disk, without dawn or twilight, east or west, unceasingly dis- (^^ -1^ I ^'^ K! « St. Liikc i. 42. ^ Leric. hlbl. WcitoiiinliT. >= I. Tim. vi. I'). '' I. I'ariil. .\.\ix. 11, 12. , 113 l'>':6^ 5;' B ^ Mi s.^ LITANl OF 'nit: liLESSKD VIUtilN. plays the fullness of his inexhaustible rays? Is it not she who shines in the splendour of the purest, the most perfect virtue — in the sfilondour of a miraculous virginity, and of a glory which eclipses that of the angels and saints ? Queen of the Sea, is it not she whose admirable exami)le, like a heavenly beacon, surmounts the troubled waters of this life, and guides into the port of eternal bliss those who keep its beneficent light in view ? Is it not she who has re- ceived from God, so to say, the power of appeasing at her will the storms and tempests which so often beat on our frail bark, when I he invocation of her all-powerful name stills the winds and the waves ? Undoubtedly, the name of Mary is not "strong and mighty"? in comparison with that of Jesus, except in that inferior degree which necessarily distinguishes the creature, even the most perfect, from its Creator and its God ; moreover, it has no virtue except through Jesus himself But it has pleasetl that divine Son to manifest his glory by his august mother, and to communicate the admirable ^ efticacy of his own name to that of Mary. Like that of Jesus, the name of this divine Virgin consoles and strengthens. "Invoke it," says St. Bernard ; " in your dangers, your doubts, your anguish, let it be incessantly on your lips and in your heart. Then there will be no more wandering, no more despaii-, no more error, no more falling, no more fear, no more fatigue, but a sweet experience of the profound meaning of those w^ords of the Gospel, ' The name of the Virgm luas Manj^ '"' Like that of Jesus, this name, so dear to oui' hearts, puts the spirit of darkness to flight. " If the v/ind of temp tation assail you," says the same holy doctor, "call Mary to your aid."' It was of her that, in the beginning. Gad said to the tempter of Adam and Eve those enei-getic ..ords, "She shall crush thy head,"J and that prediction resounds anew, like a crash of thunder for Satan, as often as the Christian soul invoke? the name of the Blessed Virgin. O Mary! blessed l)e the Lord who "hath so magnified thy name that thy praise shall not (h'i);irt out of the mouth of men.''' fTsm'^ ^ Vl >>ym m m f vm ^ , ■} ^S f ,*. 1 pj ml i Wl »f -* * iLjU ^ yMl k t in » ' 1 1 1. 1 ' 'll rai 1 5 if I I I ii V-v: ' ' ft Mf m 1 H 1 1 Up i i ?'Twr •■ff • ' il ii P:' ' Gen. Yxxii. 29. :\h, toll US by wliiit name thou art culled ;' make us feel and compre- hend its dignity, its sweetness, and its i)o\vcr ; penetrate us with the respect, the confidence, and the love which it merits. It is to the pious heart " a plentiful olive-tree, fair, fruitful, and beautiful ;""• it is precious as a vase exhaling sweet perfumes. So powerful do we esteem it, that when invoking it, we think we see the fallen angel taking flight with the forced cry, "Terrible is the name of the Vii'gin !" O Mary, may that saci-ed name be ever terrible to hell in our behalf, may it be "terrible as an army set in airay"" to all tlift enemies of our salvation. May we never separate it in our heart from the adoral)le name of thy divine Son, and may it be, after that of Jesus, our refuge and our shield, our strength and con- solation. It is with the hope of obtaining this grace that we say to thee with the Church — IIOLY IIaRY, PKAY for US. iSancta Maria, orm pro nobis. ■n Jer. xi. IG. n Cant. vl. 3. if i LITANY OP THE BLESSED VISQIN, 43 MEDITATION XI. KOLT UOTnEB OF OOD, I'BAT FOR 08. A snrPLE virgin of the tribe of Jucla, Mother of God! How wonderful 1 What greatness and majesty is contained in that title, what honour and glory, what incomparable magnificence ! In the general opinion of men, the dignity of the mother is com- puted by that of her son. What must then be the dignity of Mary, Avho brought forth the adorable humanity of the eternal Sori of God ! .... If she had given birth to an illustrious saint, even that would make her very honourable in our eyes ; she would be stil) more honourable if she had brought into the world an incarnate angel; and much more so had it pleased God that "one of the chief princes"" of heaven " was made flesh'"' in her chaste womb. But, Mary, Mother of God ! who can ever estimate, or comprehend, o: express the dignity, the elevation of the Blessed Virgin ? And who is there that, penetrated with a lively faith, will not cry out with the Angel of the Schools, tliat "this title has made her something infinite, because of the infinite good wliich is in her Son,"" and with the blessed Peter Damian : " But we have reason to remain mute with astonishment and admiration, nor dare to raise our eyes before the immei e glory of such a dignity!"'' God is iufinitely powerful : what wondei's soever he may produce, he can always produce others still greater. And yet avc need not fear to say that, all-powerful as he is, he could not make jNIary either greater or more noble than he has made her in her dignity of IVIother of God. Could he, in fact, give her a Son greater or more noble than he who, " without robbery, is equal to God,"^ and who » Dan. X. 13. b St. John i. 14. ' S. Thomas, 3 p. q. 25, a. C, ad 1. <« Serm de Nativ. B. M. V, « Phil. ii. 6. \^ ^^/Pd:^ :tr. aH; !v:2 \ jS '^ ln« ■ ' ') jiiii b' HEUITATIOXS ON THE Ui- \ MV i^Y- fW.SJ m ■~-T "A \mm 1 \ PiMm Rf i^i s.ays, " I !iii(l tliP Fiitlier are one ?"'" Could he give her a Son siipoiior to liimself? Maiy onjoyf=i, then, by her divine maternity, all the dignity possible for a mother to have ; and even as the Creator could not make a man greater than the Man-God, so neither could he make a mother moi'e august or honourable than her who can say to that ]\Ian-God, "Thou art my Son."8 O, let us adraii'o, praise, exalt this masterpiece of the Almighty powei', of the adorable wisdom of the Most High. lie could bring about the ineffable mystery of the Inear''-'i> " Av'tho'i* giving a mother to the humanity of his Son. But v t fitting that the Divine Kepairer of man's fall should be "the ' . of man,"'' at least by his mother, so that it miglit be one of ourselves who made for us all the infinite satisfaction due to eternal justice? And then, Adaiu and Eve having both transgressed, and having both, by their fall, involved their whole posterity in the same ruin, does it not seem that each sex ought to have its share in the restoration and salva- tion of mankind? Divine Wisdom, then, admirably provided for the work of redemptioii by ci-eating a Mother of God. By Mary, Eve's sex has given to the world its Saviour, and by that Saviour, that of Adam has redeemed the world. But God has done still more. lie ha.s favoured us all " with a continual and pei'petual extension of the mystery of the Incarnation. Thus speak the Fathers of the Church."' By our participation in the mystery which supposes all others, the adorable Eucharist, have we not the infinite honour of contracting that union with God which approaches the nearest to that of Mary with her Son Jesus, and that of the Word with his humanity, since " we are tlierein really incor- porated with the divine flesh of Christ."J A 1 Jesus himself has said, " He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me and I in him."'' Ah ! let us here humble ourselves before the Loi'd, for that a favour so prodigious leaves us cold, tejnd, indif- ferent, instead of inflaming our hearts, and filling us with a bound- less zeal and devotion ! f.'H J^ fC-m rV m !S*«f f St. John X. 30. « J Kb. i. T). '• St. LiiUr xix. 10. ' Rourdalonp, sur !e T) ex-Saint Sucrament. i S. C'iirys., Jloiiiil. (i;t, ail iKijnil. AlUiocll. k St. .John vi. 57. 'bWt&^^ O Unry ! wc iiro hajipy to proclaim, witli the Clmrcli, that thou art truly tho Mof/'cr of Uud. We joyfully acknowledge that it was tliou who " l)ronght forth'" the fiiyt-born by excellence, called by St. Taul "the first-l)orn amongst those who are conforuud>le to his image;"'" that it is thou, and thou alone, who art entitled to the literal apj)lication of those saci'ed words, "He that made mo rested in my tabernacle ;"" iind that, as the Etei-nal Father says to his Son, " Before the day-star" of time "I begot thee,"" as thou canst thyself say to him, " And I also begot thee, in UmeV We venerate, then, and honour with all our heart thy divine maternity ; we offer thee all the homage due to thine incomparable dignity. Obtain for us, O Mary! to appreciate! the admii-able participation in thy glory and the glory of his adorable humanity, which thy Divine Son, in the sacrament of his love, vouchsafes to give us: Hoi.Y MoTHEn OF God, prat fob us. Sancta Dei Oenitrix, ora pro nolis. ' St. Miitt. i. ii.-). " Koin. viii. 29. n Eccles. xxiv. 12. • Ps. fix. 3. T^i^l^ 1 ! SIIiUITATlONS OX TUB '■^-t^ MEDITATION XII. nOLY TIBOIN OF V1R0IN9, PBAT FOK U8. ViaoiN OF Virgins ! what title could be more suitable to her who first consecrated the love of holy virtue by the seal of a perfect vow ! A vow so precious in the eyes of Mary, that she only accepted the ineffable glory of the divine maternity, after the Angel had assured her, on the part of God, that this glory should be nowise incom- patible with the sacred engagement she had contracted with the Most High ! Virgin of Virgins ! what title could better express the pious admiration of the Church for her miraculously perpetual virginity ! So, also, what emblem could be more illustrative of Mary's tavourite virtue and this magnificent privilege than that lily stem, whose triple flower tells us so well that she was a virgin while l)earing the divine Jesus, a virgin before and after that august mys- tery. The lily ! "What flower is there of sweeter perfume, of purer beauty, of more delicate white ? There is, therefore, no more perfect svm- bol of the foirest, the most exquisite virtues ; of that angelic virtue, whose triumph is manifested in the Virgin of Virgins on the day of the Incarnation of the Word, when the angel said to reassure her : " The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High' shall ovei'shadow thee !"" Hence, the Scripture represents to u=<, under the figure of a cincture of lilies,'' the inviolable chastity of the Spouse of the Canticles, and the predilection of the heavenly Bi-idcgroom for vii'ginal purity, by telling us that he is "the lily of the valleys," and goes to his garden " to gather lilies."" These charming figures have each a sweet and expi'ossive lesson for us. It is that Jesus loves to rest with " the clean of heart ;"<" m « Cant. ii. I ; vi. 1. <* St. Mat. V. 8. i^Ji LITANY OF TIIK BLKS.SKD VUSUIX. that he loves to aLido in hearts wliose pure thonghts, pure desires pure affections, pure emotions, are for him like " a Led of aroniatical spices."' And, consequently, we may perceive what delight our divme Saviour must take in Mary, whose spiritual purity, truly per- fect, was enhanced by another miraculous purity, so that the very name of this twofold virtue has become her own name, and she alone IS, by excellence, called the Virgin! But let us sound our own hearts, and are we a holy object o^ complacency to the divine Lamb who is follow, d by virgins " whither- soever he goeth?"f Alas! oven without falling into the slough of vice, do we never permit ourselves to do aught that might displease him ? How many imprudent or even dangerous looks ! How many liberties which, without exceeding the strict bounds of virtue, are yet incompatible with the holy integrity of a cluiste delicacy ! How many thoughts, how many remembrances, perhaps even regrets, how many desires, how many projects, how many dreams of thJ imagination, which are fur from having for their emblem the daz- zhng whiteness of the lily ! How many words which are far from breathing "the good odour of Clirist.8 the Sou of a virgin, and the tender, intimate friend of St. John, lu'cause, as the Church tells us, the latter » wore the spotless crown of virginity ?'"' Finally, hovv many aifections, of which God is neither the beginning nor the' end ; how many attachments formed, (though we will hardly acknowledge' it to ourselves,) not so iimch by the spirit a.s by the flesh! . . . Ah! let us courageously banish from our hearts, not merely any tiling that mig-Iit offend the divine Son of Mary, but any thing that might not be pleasing to him. Let us respect our bodies as being » the membei-s of Christ,'" and never convert them to any but a holy use. Let us remember that where the eye of man cannot penetrate, the eye of God sees and judges ! for "hell itselfx^ naked before him, and there is no covering for destruction !"J Let us remember that his eyes, sweet "as those of the dove'"" for virgin souls, are "as a flame of XT>(i^^ " Cnnt. vi. 1. •" Apoc. xiv. 4. I 2 Cor. ii. 15. ^ Brev. Rom. ' 1 Cor. vi. 15. J Job x\v\. 6, I* C;mt. V. 13. 1 ;'Ib MKllUATlONS ON 'I'lIlC m m m lire"' tor tlione wlio jittenipt before their Creator what tlic mere loolc of 11 murtul would make tlieiu avoid tus rei)relieiisil)le. All ! would that we understood tliis Ix'tter, and woidd always keep it in mind! O Virgin of Virgins, livir iniracle of purity, who wast on earth Chri.-it'a "dove," his perfect one; the daughters of Sion nawM^^and declared ^/ M-Avyl \v\h> o(Mil(l,st Hay to this luloral,!,, L.-ndactor, "Tlio,. art my Son," I i.oro th.-o in my w<.niJ., I gave tlu',. H.u-k, an.l lunm.hrA ju«^,, thee.' What nnnt hav« l„.on thy feelings when th.m hml.t " t.. ^'^ ^ wrap up" the (h>licate hnihs "of that divine chil.l," tlio "flr^t-l.onr'' of nil those who l.y their divine a.loptiou were to l)ecome "hi. l>n.'thren."« Ah I do.ihtless thou did.st pour forth thy h.-art i,. exi^vemnm of lovo and admiration, thou wert happy to give him continual proofs of devotion, of consecration, of entire self-almndnn- ment. The most amorous words of the Sp.niso in the Canticles hardly sufficed to express the sacred transports of thy love while thou saidst, "My beloved is mine, he shall abide between my breasts."" Obtain for us, then, O Mary, a share in thy a.lmiration thy gratitude, thy love for Jesus, who never ceas<.s to load us with' jtSi^^) favours. Permit us not to remain ungrateful, at least so far as to ' deliberately offend so liberal a benefactor. Yes, we beseech the,, with all the fervour of our souls, repeating with the Church— MoTHEU OP CURTST, PIIAY FOR VS. Mater Christi, ora pro nobis. * Ilubr. i. 5. • II. Mac. vii. 27. <■ St. Mat. i. 25. t Rom. viii. 29. k Cant. i. 12. filv\^^' i li m '!;?' Hil MEDITATION" XIV. HOTHEB OP DIVINE GBAOB, PEA? FOB UB. " Hail, full of grace,"" said the heavenly ambassador sent by the Most High to announce to Mary the cublime mystery of tho Incar- nation. These are words of such profound meaning, that no human intellect could undei-stand, nor human lips explain it. I'ull of grace/ Who, then, can estimate the quantity, or appreciate the value of this treasure ? If it be true that more or less grace is the effect of the greater or lesser love which the Lord has for a soul, what soul could ever receive as much as Mary, the specially beloved of God ? Full of grace ! " Perfect expressions," says St. Sophronius, " for grace is given to otliiers as it were by shares ; to Mary, it is given in its plenitude."'' Mary alone, of all mankind, was called to the triple dignity of beloved Daughter of the Father, beloved Mother of the Son, beloved Spouse of the Holy Ghost; and it also required an incomparable sanctity to correspond with that incomparable dignity ; to produce that unprecedented sanctity an unprecedented supply of grace was requisite, nay, even the plenitude of grace. Hence, the angel, willing to express this mui-vellous sanctity which distinguishes Mary amongst all creatures, called her not by her name, although that name is, as we have seen, rich in admirable signification; he saluted her with the very title of " full of grace,"" as it were to designate her by that which is her special characteristic before the Most High. But she is, moreover, the Mother of him who is " the God of all grace,"** and of whom St. Paul says that, in his pei-son, " the grace of God hath appeared visilly to all men."° Wliy should not she who gave birth to such a Son be called the Mother of Divine grace, » St. Luke i. 28. •> Serm. de Assuinp. V, " St. Luke i. 28. <» I. Peter v. 10. fJB^ i m LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIUGIN. especially she to whom that same Son has, if we may say so, con- fided the distribution of his favours? For Jesus, from the top of the Cross, gave his mother to us in the person of St. John, who, as the only disciple present, represented aU the faithful f and what the great Apostle said of the gift made us by the Eternal Father of his own Son, we may, in due proportion, say of the gift which the Son made us of his Divine Mother. "How hath he not also, with 7ier, given us all things ?"« Thus it is that the holy doctors of the Church are prodigal in their expressions of praise and homage towards this favoured creature. « Be mindful of us, O blessed Virgin," exclaims St. Athanasius, " and in return for the feeble praise we offer thee, grant us rich gifts from the treasury of thy graces.'"* " In thee, our patroness and mediatrix with the God who was born of thee," cries St. Ephraim, " in thee the human race places all its joy; in thee alone is found the refuge and the surety of those who trust in God ;"i and in another prayer, he says: "After the Trinity, thou art misti-ess of all ; after the Paraclete, another Paraclete ; after the Mediator, mediatrix of the entire worid."J "Because thou art the only hope of sinners," says St. Augastine, "through thee we hope for pardon of our crimes ; through thee, O blessed one ! we expect the heavenly reward."'' " Mary is the ocean of grace," says St. Peter Chrysologus,' St. John Damascene," and St. Bonaventure." She is the fountain through which all graces are poured forth on the worid like a spring of living water: "the fountain of gardens,"" destined to " water the torrent of thorns,"? that is to say, to change our hearts, to make all virtues grow in them ; a fountain so full of grace, that this sweet Virgin, according to the Angelic Doctor, has enough to bestow ou all mankind."i Let us, then, approach, how great soever our misery may be, let us approach, with an ovei-flowing heart, to that " throne of grace,"' M M ' I It'^ J t " tl ; I m * fl •" Bossuct, sermon for (he feast of the Holy liosarij, 8 Rom. viii. S2. " Sorm. in Annuntlal. ' Op. grcrco-lat., t. iii J Op. grceco-lat., t. iii. ^ Serm. de Annuntiat. • Serm. cxlvi. ™ Orat. i. de Nativil. " In spectil. V. ° Cant. iv. 15. P Joel iii. 18. 1 P. iii. qiircst. art. 5. 'Ileb. iv. 10. x.wii, t ; sr 54 MEDITATIONS ON THE Y e!)tal)lislie(l for himself iu the bosom of the Divine Virgin Ly the Son of the Eternal King. Let us ever implore her assistance ; even when our affairs appear to be in the most desperate condition, let m I'/yM)^ l>e3eech her from the bottrm of our hearts, "assured," says St. ' ' ^ Bernard, " that we are thereby entering into the designs of llim whose will it is that all should come to us through Mary.'"^ O Mother of "the Word made flesh," who hast vouchsafed to "dwell amongst us, full of grace and truth,"' with the angel we salute thee, " full of grace 1" Thy Divine Son is the source, the inex- haustible, the infinite source of grace ; and in taking up his abode ir thee first of all mankind, he gave thee the right to say, " In me is all grace."" Thy blessed hands are as it Avere the favoured channel whereby this divine treasure overflows the entire world, refreshes all that is dry and arid, and " maketh the w'Merness even as the i'i^ garden of the Lord."" To thee, then, will we have recourse in all our wants; in thee, after Jesus, do we place all our confidence; through thee, do we expect from him, unworthy as we are of his mercy and goodness, the pardon of our numberless transgressions, the assistance so necessary to our weakness, and the crowning grace of final perseverance : Mother of Divine Ghace, phay fob u8. Mater divince gratice, ora ■pro nobis. • Serm. ii. de Assiimpt. D. M. V. » St. John i. 14. " Eccles. xxiv. 25. » Is. li. 3. ilS^^- m '\, H>= SS ^i|f\V t^4 «5^if 'm¥ji LlTA.vy OK TUB Bi^ESSiSD VIRGIN, oS i MEDITATION XY. MOTHER MOST PUEE, PBAT FOE US. "It wa3 fitting," says St. Anslem, "that the sanctity of the Virgir. tha ot God."«_ For otherwise it would have been manifest that God did not raise her for whom he had reserved the infinite dignity of being Ins Mother, so as to place her on a level with that hii hononr ! and that he did not create her worthy of a rank which never had or never can have an equal in the world. This gave bt. Ihonias occasion to write those remarkable words: «It i« possible for a creature to exist so pure as that nothing purer could emanate from the hand of the Creator, and such was the purity of the Blessed Virgin, of her who never knew either original or actual God and_ sin are irreconcilable; the opposition between these two terms IS absolute, infinite. Wherefore it is, that we can only approach God by removing from evil, from which we also remove the tarther the more we approach the "Holy of holies."^ But how can we imagine a creature having such an intimate connection M'lth God OS the Mother of God ? How then can we conceive one who has attained, or can attain a purity of heart like that of the Blessed Virgin? . . . Hence the Angel of the Schools teaches that m Jier the eff^usion of grace was so abundant, so complete, that she enjoyed the closest possible union with the divluc Author of grace and thus deserve.! to receive into her bosom Him who is the source thereof."'* It would not be sufficient, then, to give Mary the first place ' Do Coiicopt., c. xviii. »» I. Sent. disc. xliv. q. unica, art. 1 1 1, ad. 3. Concil. Trid, Ses' r -t vi = Dan. ix. 24. <• III. Dart., qiia;st. .\xvii., art. v., ad. 1. ^(# ^1 )( ti ;.'ii t f' *• til t'l d \u H iBl m JJ MEDITATIONS ON THE in the hierarchy of creatures, even the holiest. She who ap- proaches God as nearly as possible, is superior to them by the full height of her incomparable dignity ; she is distinguished as " the lily among thorns ;"* her sanctity overtops that of all the elect, of all the blessed spirits, as "going up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices, of myrrh and frankincense, and of all the powders of the perfumer.'"' "While admiring, in this august Mother, the privilege of special sanctity wherewith the Lord endowed her, let us endeavour to comprehend the necessary hatred of God for all that is offensive to his divine Majesty. Sin, whatever it may be in its object and in its circumstances, is always a violation of the moral order — a real disorder which God must necessarily abhor, because he is him- self order by his essence, order substantial, necessary, immutable. Sin is a revolt against God, that sovereign power, that supreme power, that eternal power who forbids it, and who cannot, in justice to himself, leave unpunished, in his universal empire, one single act of rebellion. Sin is an ingratitude towards the first, the greatest of benefactors ; an ingratitude so much the blackei-, in that we voluntarily offend Ilim who preserves our life, at the verj moment we are employing it against himself, and that it is im- possible to offend him without turning one of his own blessinL,'s against him. How could it be that God would not hate ingratitmU with an infinite hatred, since even men brand it as odious and dis- graceful ? Ah ! let us not pass lightly over truths so proper to inspli-e us with a holy horror for all, even the slightest violations of the adorable will of God, so capable of exciting our zeal, our vigilance, our endeavours to shun even the smallest evil. Like him Avho " would not understand that he might do well,"8 we should be in danger of being "cast out"'' by the Lord; or like those fools who " despise wisdom,"' we should deserve to be ourselves despised by the Most High, and given up to a reprobate sense.J Let us ratlicc e Cant. ii. 2. *" Cunt. iii. 6 25 I P.s. xx.xr. 4. I' P.s. .X.X.KV. 13. i w \Q i LITANY OF TJIE IJLESSKD VIItOlN. .•eflect seriously on tliese saving truths, and try to derive thei-o- From "that pimt^ fear which neglecteth nothing,'"' having always in view that great maxim of the divine Master: "He that is faithful in that which Is least, is faithful also m that which is greater.'" O thou whose admirable sanctity rendei-s thee "fair jis the tnoon,"'" from the depth of our hearts do we say to thee: "Thou irt all fair, O Mary, and there is not a spot in thee," O thou house of the Lord which holiness hecoraeth," and thou tabernacle of the Most High which himself hath sanctified."p Yes, we, thy cheri.luM] c-hildi-en, are rejoiced to contemplate in our august and tender Kicther, that glorious privilege ijefore which the Church, ever -uided I:,y the Holy Spirit, has solenmly bowed down, proclaiminc. ^o the Catholic world that she did not include thee amongst sii° iK'rs.n Obtain for us, O Mary, a sensible feeling of the hatred which God necessarily has for sin, whose disorder never troubled the repose or marred the beauty of thy spotless soul ; what horror ue should feel for that act of rebellion and ingratitude, even though It did not go so far as to produce that deadly division betwixt God and us which it etlects, alas! too often. Vouchsafe, by thy inter- cession, to preserve us from it; deign to hear hose who address thee in that pious invocation : ^rOTriEIi MOST PL-RE, PRAY FOR US. Mater ji'irissima, ora j^ro nobis. 7 itr?iii Koni. vii. 24. Mm LiTASX OK TIIK BLKSSED VIKOIxX. I ' r){) worms aftt-r death."c But if it were freed from tl.e corrnption of the grave, which, after all, is not out of order, how much more must It have been preserved by the Lord from all tendency to moral disorder. '' Mary was, therefore, in lier body, aj far as matter can be com pared to spn-it, what she was in her soul, all pure and all holy Of hor may be said, literally, what St. Augustine said figuratively of virgunty, that "she had in her flesh something not of the flesh"" something which belonged to the angelic nature rather than to ou.'n somethmg superhuman, which caused the King of glory to - not abhor the Vii-gin's womb."" . " "' But we nmst beware of thinking that, although IMary had no combat to sustain, the glory of her chastity was at all diminished How honoui-able soever danger may be when crowned by victorv whatever glory there may be in succeeding in a struggle of which God IS the witness, the prize an, the gntce of God that sti-engtheneth us,"' and that, by the intermedia- tion of his Mother, we may hope never to want that grace. But let us not count on her proti^ction without using the'raeans and taking the precautions pointed out by faith ; that would be attempt- ing to render Mary the accomplice of our presumption and of our culpable imprudence. Let us " watch and pray."J Let us watch ' 'm 2^- <= De Assumpt. t. ix., n. 23. •^ /V Saiirta Virr/init. n. 12. t. vi. • Hymn Te Deiim. f Ps. liii. 9. eCol. ii. 15. ^ Rom. vii. 21. ' Phil. iv. 13. J St. Mark .\iv. 33 mf^ ' I! ili ilKDITATIUX.S 0.\ TUB ((Wr S>i,'V| m^ V-T ' r-ji m , Ps. Ixxxiii. 3. ■ Gil. V. 23. " Apoc. V. 5. P II. Cor. ii. 14. 1 I. PetLT ii. 11. ' Ephcs. vi. 12. • Horn, xvi 20, ' Horn. viii. 1.1. iV % ^^s fi Lll'AnX OF TlIJi ULIiSSKD VIKGLV. 01 i^ i 1 MEDITATION XVII. MOTIIEB INVIOLATE, PRAT FOB US. When God vevenlod to the propliot of old, seven centuries before its) acconiplislinient, the miracle of the Virgin Mother, Isaiah said to Mark's ancestors : " Hear ye. therefore, O house of David ; . . . . a virgin shall conceive and l»ear a Son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel."" This is, in fact, one of those prodigies which God draws from the treasnres of his power when he wishes to strike men with awe and admii'ation, and this is also what the Church wishes us to praise and honour by the invocation, " Mother in- violate, pirn/ for us .'" " O pi'odigy ! O inelTuble wonder !" exclaims St. Augu=5tine, "a Virgin has become a jMother! Yes, she is a Mother, but still a Virgin ! She has a son, but he has no father according to the flesh ; she has brought forth, but her purity remains untouched."'' St. 15t;rnard outdoes the immortal bishop of IIij)po: "If," says he, "I wish to extol her virginity, many virgins present themselves to my mind as partakers in the glory of that virtue. If I set about praising lit.- humility, I find many of the faithful who, at the bid- ding of her divine Son, became meek and humble of heart. If I undeitaku to laud the abundance of her mercy, are there not men of great mercy and women who are models of comjiassionatc good- ness? But in this no one either before or after could ever 1)0 compared with her! In this she stands alone, viz., in the union of the joys of motherhood with the glory of virginity. Yes, this is Clary's exclusive privilege; no other creature can ever be so honoured."" Doubtless, this prodigy is beyond all the laws of nature. But if • Is. vii. 13. 14. '' Serm. xiii. Je tempore. ' Serm. ir. de Assum.pt. B. M. V. r.^^A^'D' v\ \^ Cr IWl Wm m'. te> li .ti^^ j^ ifesa s v/m'^^ L<; '^•h HI r ■ MM !{,} iiKun-ATioNa oi< TUB our fiixt father cnmo into tlio woild l.y n niinple net of the will of (lod, w.is it, any nioie (lifllcnlt for tlmt omnipotent will to unite, in a niortiil, the flower of viri,nnity ami the divine fruit "of the Holy (jliost ^"'' And. moreover, does not the imnge receivcul and reflected l.y "the unspotted mirror"" give us a snllieiently clear idea of how Mhe splendour of the glory of (Jod"'' conld come and n)anife,st itself in the world in a manner as ndmiruMe as it m astonish- ing? .... For the rest, it would Heem that the Loriii;i,t,'e worthy of tiic; IJIfn-ti-d Virgin. O Motlicr iiivit.latc, Htyli'd l.y tho Apnstlo St. Joliu "u great woiuK-r,"' we lovo to ooiitt-tiiplatf thee, with liiiu, "idotliod with tlir Sim, having tho mo.ii i-.ndtT ///// t'cet, atid on t/it/ hi-ad a crown of twelve 8tar,-i."J The Htm surrounds thee with his (hizzling radiauti; a tigun^ of the divine "Sun of jnstice;''' whom thou didst l.ear in thy chaste woml), antl who n ndered tliy purity as unaltend)h! as his brilliant lays. Twelve stars compose thy diadem, their living splendour an image of thy miraculous purity. Thou hast the moon ■inder thy fiet, emlihmatical of the triumph of thy virginity over all ir.^'onstanc)-, all imperfection, represented by that ever-changing planet. Let us join in the ])ious transports of St. Ambrose who on the feast of Chri-tnuix, made all his people sing, "The whole world admires the mliacnious childhearing of the Virgin. Such must be the birth of a God!"' We ardently desiie to honour in thee the wonderfid woiks of the Lord, by our fidelity in imitating thy au|)erhuman purity, as far as is consistent with our weakness. That we may obtain that grace, MOTIIKU INVIOI.ATF, PUAY FOR US I Mater inviuhUa, ora pro nobis! ' Quoted liy Popt" St: Cclcstiii^, Epist. dccrttal. Roman. Pontif. 5" hi if m^m iu:l)lTATlu^i» UN iuk M a«^ "^Jtei* i i*--*!"?:" 3' ■^^*'L< ■«^ MEDITATION XVllI. MOTUKB UNDBPtLISD, I* It V T FOIt U9. To 1)0 wortliy of God the spleiuloiir of the ininicle of tlio Vii'giii Motlier must necessarily be uiialteiJiMe, ami the chaste woiul) wherein "tlie Word Wiw inmle He^h" iiiiiat reiiiiiiii for ever Iticor- riijitilile, JH 11 sanetuury "shut for the Vnuw nf Pmi-cy" So it is of faifli that Mary was always a virgin, that nothing ever tarnished " the tlower of i)urity In her so ndiairably united with the fruit of honour and riches,'"* and that this same flower, at the close of its mortal existence, was as fail- and s|)(ttle99 as nt its (li-st oi)enin"'. Furthermore, the Church tells us in her sacred liturgy that, far from losing aught of its perfection, the* virginity of Mary "I'eceived through the miraculous birth of the Saviour, as it wv\\\ a divine consecration,"'^ This, then, is the 'Mountain sealed up,"'' this is truly that " garden enclosed,"" which is the inaccessible dwelling of the divine Majesty, guarded "by the cherubim with a flaming sword/"" Even if we had not on this head the certainty given by the infallible teaching of the Church, where is the Christian who does not undei-stand that IMarj,, by her divine maternity, became tlie true temple of the eternal Son: that the uncreated Word, having dwelt for nine months in her virginal womb, it thereby became the purest aiul most august of sanctuaries ; that if "the place where his feet stood"ff was of old considered worthy of solemn veneration, this living sanctuary of the Divinity was incomparably more so? . . . Hut, on the contrary, who could suppose without horror, that (Jod » Ezec. xliv. 2. k Ecelfisi. xxiv. 23. « Miss. Kotn. ill Concfpt. B. M. V. d Cant. iv. 12. • Cnnt. iv. 12. f Goii. iii. 24. I Vs. cx.xxi. 7. i i t * tf i i^ LllANY OK illi; IILKSSKO VIU> n-Mpcct what God hn.l iiukUj ho veticrabh', oi- that nho could evci ;iav« forgotten that sacred contract which nhe luciitiout'd to the \ii:,'('I (iahrk'l !w "a treasure wliich she woidd not have resiirncd vtu for the suMinif luaternity aiuiouiioed to her?"' Ah ! far, very far from us he such thou^'htH— thoiightn whidi .omIanipiet, say to himself without emotion, "A house is prepared not for man, not for an angel, but for (lod ?"" And after beiiK' so closely united with the Man-God, how is it that we do not ''live in '' Ps. cxxxi. 13. ' St. (Jrrj?. Xys., liom. in yr. i Elev. ur lis ini/sfrre.'i. ]t■^v IJos-iiict. k I0|). .X. oil Etin. 'if a.11. Ill Ezcc'i. I. .\iii. 5 ' De Instit. Virrr. "' Serin, oxlii. " Uiiiii. X. 10. " I. TaiMl. xxix. 1 1 I I i. IKr^^i) p,^ MKUITATIONS O.N Tllli W^ God, parlicipating in the divine feelings?"? After being nourished "with that virginal budy, that body conceived and born of a \'iigln,"'i how can we consent, with tlie remembrance of such a fiivour before our minds, ever to be other than pure and spotless, even for a single moment? O Mary ! " new paradise where purity puts forth her fairest flowers,"' in what terms shall we praise the glory of thine inviolate and jierpetual virginity ? . . . " Unheard of mii-acle," shall we say with St. Epliraim, "inexplicable prodigy, incombustible bush, golden censer exhaling a delicious perfume, alone pure in soul and body, alone above all integrity, all innocence, and all virginity?"' Ah ! let us, henceforward, through thy protection, delight in that virtue which was so precious in thy sight, let us "love that chastity," for which "thou shalfc be blessed for ever."' "As the hart panteth after the fountains of water,"" s^ may we sigh after ihat adorable mystery wherein we taste " the coi-n of the elect, and wine spi'inging forth virgins."" Above all, when we have had the infinite, the inexpressible haj)piness of particijjating thei-ein, may we ever pivserve the reraembi-ance of it, and lead a "holy and a blame- hW life, under the patronage of her to whom we address this supplication, weak and helpless as we are : Mother uxdefiled, phav for ua Muter intemerata, oru pro nobis. a J mi P Medlt. sur fEii.hy Bossuet. ' St. Basil, Oral. xxx. • Sancti Epliraim, opera groccolat., t. iii., p. 524-552. ' Judith XV. 1 1. " Ps. xli. 2. » Zach. ix. ] 7. 3 "tfevi* UTANY OF TUK BLESSED VIlJOIN. G7 I i « Cant. vi. t). c Gon. xxiv. 10; Gen. xxi.x. 17; Eslh. ii. 7 ; JuL viii. 7. ^ Serin. (/? lanilib. Virg, <> Ps. .xliv. 14. Pi \i\ Y MEDITATION XIX. MOTUKR MOST AMIABLE, PEAT FOR OS. The sacred canticle wherein the Holy Ghost typifies the union of the Incarnate Woi-tl with liis Churcli, is also a magnificent painting of all the (pialities which secui-e to Mary the title oi AmuMe 3Iothe): In that divine picture the heavenly Spouse represents her in the most varied colours, and under the biightest and most captivating figures: flowers and fruits, and the rarest plants; perfumes the most precious that art or nature can ])roduce ; comparisons full of grace and sweetness ; delicate and graceful ornaments of the rarest beauty. But all that belongs to earth is too much beneath the Amiable Mother; and hence it is that she is saluted liy the mouth of the vii-gins of Jerusalem Avith that cry of admiration : " Who, then, is slie that Cometh forth as the moi-ning rising, fair as the moon, l)right as the sun?"" Ye-i, her loveliness has the brilliant hues of the early dawn, the mild radiance of the moon, the gorgeous splendour of the orb of day; and justly did St. Epiphanius say to lier with pious enthusiasm: "After God, thou art the first beauty: that of the cherubim, that of the seraphim, and of all the angelic choirs, is effaced before thine.'"' How much more, then, does it exceed the charms of Rachel and Rel)ecca, the winning grace of Esthei-, the stately beauty of Judith, all honourably mentioned in Holy Writ !-= But let us not stop at the terresti'ial ideas conveyed by the senses ; this beauty, this loveliness of the favoured daughter of the King of king->, "is entirelif from within,"'' and from the inestimable gifts wherewitli the Lord has adorned her. If men were capable of seeing a soul in possession of sanctifying grace, they would find it fe^i, >, t* iJ^'^Jf'^] {'/m^"!^ tr- ij-?. ^ii t>iy J JIKDITATlONti OiV THE of ravishing beauty ; and if it be so with any soul which enjoys thai piecious treasure, !■■ ■ great must be the beauty of those who, by tlii-'ir fuhdity, their vseai, their fervour, merit every day, and, if one niiglit say so, every hour, an increase of that celestial gift, that magnificent, that divine adornment of the Christian soul ! What an idea must we tlien have of the interior beauty, the sujiernatural loveliness of Mary ! In her conception, she had received the effusion of grace in a degree far superior to that with Avhich any other creature could be favoured. The Lord having chosen her in his eternal counsels to be his Mother, she must, necessarily, be mf)r(' pleasing to him than all others, even from her very origin ; and to remain worthy of her incomparable destiny, she must also be pi'e eminently assiduous, united with God in mind and heart, and ever eager to increase her treasure by new acts of divine love. No othei' there wa?, enriched like her, every moment, with new traits of sui)eruatural beauty; no other ever possessed like her the viilues inseparable from such an abundance of grace. Never, therefore, was cr(iature so humble, so patient, so charitable, so comp.issionate, so considerate ; never was heart so generous, so devoted, so pure, so noble, so great, so nearly resembling the adorable heart of her Divine Son. Let us here learn to love, like Mary, before all else, that which is ti'idy amiable — God, and the means of pleasing and being united to him. Let us learn to despise, like her, that frail extei'ual beauty which fades and withei-s away, and falls at length under the stroke of ;. Finally, let us remember that while meiiting for our soul the felicity of heaven, we merit it also for our body; and that, consecpiently, all that we do, in time, for tlie supernatural beauty of the soul, we do it, not merely to promote its eternal blessedness, but also to secui'e the glorification of our body for all eternity. O Mary! masterpiece of Almighty i)ower, how dazzling is thy beauty to the eyes of faith ! Yes, thou art worthy " of being called,'' » [>-J'i 1,1 IAN V OF Tliii lILJiiSED VIKGIN. l>y excelleiici-, " Aniialilo to the Lord ;"' for thon art adornfj nith all the i)erlectit)n8 which can make a creature amialjle. How sweet it is, l)elove(l IMothci-, to cry out with one of thy devout servants, that ■' thou dost ravish the hearts of those who contemplate thee l""" IIow sweet it is to assure thee of our sincere desire ever to love thee accoi-ding to thy merit, to prefei-. like thee, the beauty of the soul hcfoi-e all else, and to lahonr incessantly to increase it l>y the fervour of our charity ! Bless this desire, O divine Maiy, and that we ma} obtain its accomplishment, MOTUEK MOST AMIABLE, PUAY FOR US. JtJuter atnabilis, ora pro nobis. ' U, Kings xii. 25. f Medit. in Anllph. Salve Reg., attributed to St. Bernard I^-K? l^^i iM ^J V'L MEDITATION XX. MOTUBn MOST AUMIUABLE, PRAT FOU US. Man has made use uf what God gave np to his patient industry, aiitl has pioduced admirable things, lie has, by his inventive genius, mastered the most rebellious of the elements ; even light itself he has made subservient to his will ; he has made astonishing achieve- ments, woithy the admiration of all who can appreciate the beauti- ful and the sublime in art. But what are all the works of man compared with what God has produced by a single act of his all- powerful will ? And Avhat are all the works of creation in com- parison with the adinirahle Mutliei' ? God, it is true, has drawn forth from the infinite treasure of his power wonders the greatest and most varied ; he has strewn them over illiniitable space like the dust of our fields; he has adorned the earth with -creatures of anuizing strength and of enchanting beauty; he has bedecked the heavens with azure, gold, and silver; he has established throughout the univei-se the raor.t profound com- binations of opposing elements, the most skilful harmony of laws, sublime in their diversity, in their unity, in their stability; he has created man, who is the king of nature, the living abridgment of all the wondei'S of creation. And yet he has done still more: he has created Mary, the admirable Mother ; admirable in her grandeur and in hei- i)ii\ili'ges; admirable in the incomparable i)rodigy of her divine maternity ; admirable in the august influence given her to exercise on the fate of men, denoting her co-operation in our sal- vation, as well as the immense efficacy of her intercession. All the elements seem to be snl)missive to her: at her voice the pestilenli.il air loses its malignity, fire suspends its ravages, the swulleii wave >inks again into its bed, the sterile earth resumes its fruitful- 11 ess. Mary is at once virgin and mother, the marvel of nature con- fiii^, f^. LITAXY OF THE ULKSriED VIUOIN 71 itn^vcti foundod by grace; the creature of tlie Most High, antl yet liis Mother; "the handmaiir" and the " Mother of God ;" the daughter of fallen Eve, and yet the true Eve, the "true Mother of all the living.'"' Mary ! the epitome of all the goodness, the charity, the mercy, the power of the Ci-eator, "the abridgment of his incompre- hensible perfections," says St. Andi-ew, of Ciete.'= She is, after God, the centre of the prayer and praise of tht Catholic world ; she is, to faith, the Holy, by excellence, inseparable from the Man-God ; their names are repeated every day by every mouth ; in their honour, the East and the West have united, and will always unite, their songs of praise and homage. " He that is mighty hath" therefore " done mavy great things"'' (br this incomparal>le vii-gin ; he has so prodigiously gloi-ified her ir heaven and on earth, that, according to St. Cyril and St. Bernard "the most eloquent tongue can hardly describe her gloj-y and her greatness,''* But are we to content ourselves with a pi-ofound sentiment of admiration for this most perfect of God's works? . . . Let us enter into ourselves ; let us examine with the eyes of faith. Is there nothing wonderful in ourselves? Has not God made us truly adiniral)le ? " We were by nature the children of rJ %^- i^t ^ m :■ i t « •f PA I ^1 JlliUlTAllOXtJ ON Till'; *- r-'^r^ Thou nrt, ^Iniy, and slialt over be, worthy of admiration, not only Ijccause of thy perpetuul and iniraculoii3 virginity, prefigured by tlie in-odigy which appeared to ]\Iose^ on " the mountain of God,"J but because of the .sul)limity of all thy priviU>geH, the super- abundance of grace wherewith thou weit filled, the incomparable power given to tliee, and the unequalled glory wherewith thou art invested. " Wonderfur" is the name by which the Heavenly Father would have his divine Son called ; the Church gives to thee the name of Admirable, as ai)proaching the nearest to the adorable greatness of the JIan-God, and giving the most pejfect reflection of his gloi-y. August object of " the wonder of princes,"' O thou whose "magnificence is woiulerful,'"" ah! render us sensible of the great diixnfty to which it has pleased God to raise om-selves in this land of°exlle and jirobation, and to the still more wonderful height of glory which he is pleased to promise us hereafter; render m worth}', through thine intercession, of a destiny so high and so mag- nificent ! MoTIIKU MOST ADMIKABI.K, PItAY FOR fS. ifatcr ailiiiiraliili.'i, oia pro nohis. ¥ ':>^mM^ i ExoJ.iii. 1 ; Bruv-lloni. OJin- nf the Circumcision. ^ Isaiah ix. 6. I Wisilom viii. 11. m Kocles. xliii. 32. •■"Si 1/ j£3! »v- -^ LllANY O'/ rill.; UI,i;.ssEl> VIUiilN-. l:\ MEDITATION XXI. MOTUEK OF OUn CREATOR, PRAT FOR 8. The divine act of the Creator is the grandest, the most astonishing to our understanding ; in it we have to contemphite, to fathom, as it were, the grand transition from nothing to being, a secret which God has reserved for himself, and which can never come under the cognizance of human reason. Hence it is that God, who is so great in other i-espects, Tuanifests himself to us, if we may say so, in all hi- power as Creator )f the univei"se ; and the Church, penetrated witli this truth, makes us here invoke Mary, under the title of Mother of our Creator, in order to give us the highest possible idea of hei' dignity and greatness. Mother of our Creator! Is there not an apparent contradiction between these two terms? What! can the stream produce its source? the work its author? Who ever saw, who ever heard the like ? . . . . Undoubtedly, if there were in Jesus Christ only the divine nature, this title could not belong to the Blessed Virgin : the Divinity exists by itself from all eternity, and has no othei principle than itself. But " the Word was maSi ■&■: ii/fii ,TT ^T II I yM> I Cor. vi. 11. ft! m -V LH'ANY Ok" 'I'llK ULKrtSKU VIUOIN. 7:. and lill tlio raar\vll:)us Lolpa of which it is, as it were, the sluicts; let us conipiire onrsclvea with tlx^ uiihelievers to whom God " liath not done in like manner,'" and we shall give up our hearts, without reserve, to all the sentiments which the liveliest gratitude van inspire. Vouchsafe to make us underhtand, O Mary, what gratitude and love we owe for the prodigious change wrought in us by the grace of thy divine Son — an ineffable favour, which makes us pass from the narrow limits of our nature to a superhuman order, incom- parably more elevated than the fairest raoriil order 1 ConHidering " the renovation of the Holy Ghost,"J and it.-> blessed effects, with their inestimable value, our "heart shmiM be inflamed, we should bo brcy the Angel (Jal)iiel to thy chaste spouse, Ilini who was to "save his people from their sins!"" Mother of our lietleemer ! O thou to whom we are iudehteil for him whose adoralile name should he unceasingly on our lij)3 and in our heait, if we were only impressed with a lively sense of what we owe him ! In order to unilei-stnnd what Mary is to us, let us try to understand the nature of our obliguticms to that sweet Saviour whom she brought into the world. Two things give valne to a favour: its own intrinsic importance, and the generosity with which it is conferred. Oh ! how i>n'ciou8, then, how truly inestimable, is that which we owe to the adorable Son of Mary ! What a fate should we have had for all eternity were it not for that divine Saviour! The Holy Ghost describes it as "eternal death:"'' that is to say, a state without end, wherein tlie liorrors of death are every moment renewed; a life, imperisliabh; indeed, but deprived of the sovereign good, with a ceaseless and intense desire to possess it, and the fatal certainty of never obtaining it; an eternal life of "eternal pains"" .... But, as though it wen' a small thing to save us from such a fearful destiny, Jesus has merited for us the inestimable privilege of being one day seated witli him "in the heavenly places,"'' of being "glorified witli him,"'^ of ]i\iiiy • St. Malt. i. 21. b II Tlu'ss. i. 9. o II. Tliess. i. 9. <* Ei''k'.s. ii. 6. • Uom. Tiii. IT. ^y^Hi MIA^NV UK Till-; III.KSSKI) VIIUIIX. 77 \rr^i^li and ivigniiig ctcinMlIy wlMi liim/ of hfiiig eturnully "lik« to him ;"« thiit is to 8ay, to lie hnppy f..r evor, Impi.y lu.yon.l nil jiuniaii f.\|.ivji.,iuii, liappy hcyond all coiicef.tiori or cleMiiv. And this two- fold woivii-e lio luiH midercd to us with tho most disinterested, the most ningnanimoij.s devotion. VVIint were we to JeMua that his lioart ahoidd inspire him with •ho thought of saving us by his own blood? Were we as. dear tViends, excellent biethren, for whom it is sweet to make a sacrirtce, and whose fate inspires the liveliest interest? Ni)t yet As strangers, deserving of pity because of their virtue as well as their niisfortufies? Ahw! no: we were only wretehed, sinful ••reatnres, unworthy of a single glance from him, and from whom lie had not even common gratitude to expert. What do I say? from whom he well knew he should receive no other return than lanientaMe indifference, cold tepidity, or even a multiplicity of olfonccs, often, alas ! wilful. Nevertheless, he loved >»s " unto death, even tho death of the cross,"'' To love, to love even to excess, him who deserves not even sympathy; to love him who loves not in return, nor will ever testify a just gratitude— what wondrous love! .... Hut to die for hira in whom there is nought but • • • • nuserv, insensd)ility, from whom there is scai'cely anything to be exi)ecte(l, save biise and ol)stinate ingratitude, what love could be pui-er, stronger, or more generous ? When shall we repay even a portion of our Redeemer's love, of tlie gratitude we owe him ? We who detest ingratitude in others, when shall we cense to be ungrateful? .... We would love a man who, at the risk of his life, had saved this corporal life, this life so frail, so miserable, so full of tears and bitterness; we would shrink from even the appearance of ingratitude, we would be horrified at the thoughts of doing hira an injury. IIow ungratefid, then, are we to the adoiable Son of Mary, who, by the most cruel and ignominious death, has delivered us from an eternity of wretched- ness, and merited for us an eternity of happiness ! And how much more ungrateful should wo be, if, after having meditated on truths ' II.Tim. ii. 12. t I. Julm Hi. 2. ^ Phil. ii. 8 ^"■i'; ^ V5 ^i** Mi .-•^v. Vis( MEDITATIONS ON TIIK SO c:ai>aL.e of touching our liearts, we should still refuse to pay him a debt so every way sacred. Let us, therefore, belong, hence- forward, not to ourselves, for "we are not our own,'" but His who purchased, " with a great price,"i our love, our fidelity, our devotit)ii. O Mary, thy quality of Mother of the Redeemer associates thee ill the work of man's redemption, accomplished by his Passion, the torturing instruments of which, recalling his sufferings and thine, speak eloquently to every feeling heart. Love, ardent, inviolable, eternal love to Jesus ! After Jesus, to thee, most holy Virgin, fervent and faithful and unceasing love! Beloved and august Mother of that divine Son, whos.>. name of ''Saviour''^ was revealed by an Angel to the shepherds invited to visit his crib and adore his bhv:h, how much more applicable to him is the title of " Saviour of the world," than to Joseph that of the Saviour of Egypt !' Joseph acquired the title by a service rendered to the people of Egypt, without any personal sacrifice on his part; but Jesus beai-s the name, if we may say so, written on his adorable brow with his own blood. Obtain for us, O Mary, that our hearts may return hira, if not blood for blood, at least love for love— that true and perfect love which manifests itself by works ! Mother of our Redeemer, pbay fob us. Mater Salvatoris, ora pro nobis. \i • I. Cor. yi. 19 J Uid. 20. k St. Luke ii. 11. > rten. zU. 45. UTANY OF THE BLKSSED VIRGIN. 79 Xj^^^^^J MEDITATION XXIII. VIUOIN MOST PEUDKNT, PEAT FOE US. Having n ade us honour Mary in. all the glories of her maternity, the Church makes us celebrate her as a Virgin, and presents at oncp for our homage the prudence which distinguishes her from all the daughters of Eve, even the most perfect. From her childhood, she flies the corrupt atmosphere of the world to go breathe the pure air of the sanctuary ; she hedges round with the most watchful prudence a heart which yet has nothing to fear from the seductions of the world, for the Lord possesses it from its very conception, and permits it not to know either the dangers or the attacks of concupiscence. When a prince of heaven appears before her with the most glorious message, I^tary is troubled. She is accustomed to a life so solitary, so full of reserve, that " the presence of the angel in mortal form sufficed," says St. Ambrose, " to inspire her with a holy fear ;"" and that fear increases, Avhon she hears from his mouth the announce- ment of a dignity natuially incompatible with the vow she has taken, that vow so dejir to her heart. Then, O prudence truly admirable ! far from suffei-ing her mind to dwell on the glory of the divine maternity, Mary thinks oidy of enlightening her conscience before she gives her consent. She states her perplexity to the angel with modest simplicity. The heavenly messenger gives her a satisfactory explanation, and immediately, without any farther delay, she con- st nts with a humility, a resignation truly sublime: "Behold the liandmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word.'"' Now, what does she proceed to do? Does she not hasten to announce the great mystery to her worthy spouse? No, she is silent, guided 1)y superhuman prudence. But surely, when Joseph, Y h>u WA {'4^. ii ^u ^^^r"*^ n De Oficiis lib. i., ch. 8. *> St. Liiko i. ■•?«. tr^/ssj' If*'- H & ,/■ §3 m 80 MKUITATION'S (JN Til 10 that "just raan,"« is, soon after, a prey to the most cruel anxiety on her account, anxiety which slie cannot fail to perceive, Mary will speak the truth : is she not bound to defend her own reputation ? . . O ! let us here renew our admiration of that most prudvnt Vmjin. She understands that, to re-assure he'- husband, something more is wanted than the word of a mortal, especially one who would seem to be actuated only by her own interest ; she knows, on the other hand, that they who hope in the Lord are never confounded ;'' she is, tlierefore, silent, awaiting the moment appointed by Divine Providence, and her confidence is speedily justlHed. Afterward, when she hears marvellous things said of her new- born Son, far from joining in the conversation going on, she re.->trains her inexpressible love, she keeps the words, " i)onderlng them in her heart,"" knowinr:>^ i m Ml Tw 71' Bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him."'' Do we, in good faitli, endeavour to prepare as we ought for that hour, so uncertain ? We may he called " at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crow- ing;'" in short, at any moment; are we ready? .... Alas! Mary, we, "the children of light," have been hitherto "less wise than the children of this world."'" Furthernioi-e, the Lord has given " understanding"" to the bird whose song heralds the dawn, "wisdom to the" industrious insect who "provideth her meat for herself in the summer,"" and cunning to the serpent ; to us he has given that piercing intellect which can observe, calculate, foresee misfortune, and bring about success; we employ it skilfully and well in conducting the affairs of time, but for the eternal interests we act as blind men, " enemies to our own sou1."p Vouch- safe to ask for us the grace of making our salvation paramount over all, O thou in whom we admire a prudence much more eminent than that of Abigail, praised in Scripture for having, by a generous sacrifice, gained the favour and good will of one who was justly angry .1 Obtain for us that we may use the wisest precautions in all that concerns our soul and life everlasting: Virgin most prudknt, pray for vs. Virgo 2>rudcntissima, ora pro nobis. k St. Matt. XXV. 6. 1 St. Mark xiii. 35 «> St. Luke xvi. 8. " Job xxxviii. 30. ° Prov. vi. 0. P Tobias xii. 10. 9 I. Kiiij^s XXV. 3, R??v^e 82 IIEDITATIOJSS OX Tilli \"^ ^f^V* w. ^-i V S h> M^^ ^J ^1 «^?[ MEDITATIOJS" XXIV. VIRGIN MOST VENEEABLK, PRAT FOR US. All tliat is great and noble, learning, virtue, a fair character, makes an impression upon us more or less lively, tending to make us bow down and render homage ; and when that learning, that virtue, that character, are found united in one single person with exalted dignity, our respect is still more profound. Let us contemplate Mary with the e}es of faith. Nevtr could human science be compared to the sublime communications where- with the Lord was pleased to ftivour her. To judge of them it ia unnecessary to revert to the fact that, in her private life with Jesus at Nazareth, she drew at will, if one may say so, from the " trea^'ures of divine wisdom and knowledge ;"" it suffices to think of that supernatural glance of her soul which, even befoi-e the Saviour's birth, saw throughout the lapse of ages her God glorified in her by the perpetflal homage which she was to receive from all the nations of the earth.'* Where else amongst all creatures can be found v'-tue so lofty, so pure, so sweet, so heroic ? To point out but a hw instances ; what amazmg chastity was that which, in early youth, made a vow whose accomplishment naturally precluded the honour of giving birth to the Messiah, an honour, nevertheless, so coveted by the Jcnvs, that amoncrst them barrenness •, iis considered a disifraoe. "What sulilime humility," says St. Bernard, "was tiiat which maintained itself at the summit of greatness, nor filled under the weight of the greatest glory ! JNFaiy is the Mother of her God, yet she styles herself his handmaid.""^ And what considerate, delicate charity, when she i-equests her divine Son to work a miraeh', in or'dcr to spare the feelings of the bride and bridegroom of Cana, at the * Colos. ii. 3. •> St. Luke i. 43. " Rom. iv. super Afissns est A'l^i % LIXAXY OK THE BLESSED VIUGIN. humljle banquet M'here he was pleased to assist!'' Then, what in- cora])ariible fortitude, what strength of mind, when she witnesses- the sacrifice of Calvary!" "The disciples have fled," says St. Air. brose, " the Mother is there standing at the foot of the Cross ; she contemplates with inexpressible tenderness, but with superhuman coui'ago, the bleeding wounds of her beloved Son ; she thinks, not that he is going to die, but that by dying he is going to redeem the world."" Innally, what shall we say of her all bui divine glory, crowned in heaven with a glory inferior only to that of God ? " What is most respectable on earth," says the holy abbot of Clairvaux, " is the virginal womb wherein the Son of God was made flesh ; what is most eminent in heaven after the throne of Jesus, is that of his holy Mother, whose glory is in proportion to the incomparable grace given her, in this world, above all other creatures."*" The Blessed Virgin is, therefore, most worthy of our humble homage: she is entitled to a profouti:' veneration for her august name, for her festivals, her altars, the shrines dedicated to her, for all, in short, that is comi)rised in the boundless honour and affection which belong to her. Ah ! let us faithfully fulfil +his sacred duty to Mary, a duty founded on tlie respect due to God, and promoting it in an admirable manner. For, if it be true that the Catholic Church is the greatest school of respect which the world ever saw, first, for God, and consequently for all that is more or less like to him, it m."^ also be said that in our holy religion the devotion to Mary gives a consoling sweetness to this sevitiment of resjiect for God. \yhen a pious mother instils into the mind of her ciiild the veneration and love of the Blessed Virgin, she speaks of her liy the sweet name of the M'Ahev of God — a name which indicates, iu a daughter of Eve, in a nature like to ours, her by whom that God, so great, vouch- safed to lower himself to us, in order to save us : does she not thus impress on that young heart, a respectful and soothing confidence in the Most High, steering midway between fear, properly so called, and presumptuous familiarity ? Y % f*rtl ^?^&2V i\t"' •■^.i fi MA "1 St. John i' i AIKUITATIONS OX THE King Solomon of old, wishing to honour his mother, arose from his ihione, advanct'd to meet her, and having respectfully sainted her, seated her on a thi'one at his right hand.* This is to us, (.) august and most blessed Virgin, a feeble image of the respect with •vhich Jesus honoured thee during his mortal life, and the glorj wherewith he crowned thee on thine assumption into heaven. Happy in lendering homage to her whom our divine Saviour so honoured, " we offf thee fiom the depth of our heart, and with the most devoted affection, the tribute of our veneration,'"' which is, in the language of men, the highf-t t-xpression of respect. " Keep for ever this v.'ill of our heart,"' and for that end, obtain for us a boundless respect for God, and a corresponding reverence for all that is holy in heaven and on earth. Virgin- most venejiaule, pray for us. Vinji) vcucraiula, era pi u nobis. m m t m Kinffs ii. 19. h S. Bern.. Scrm. ih Nativ. B. M. V » I. Paral. xxix IS, ■N-H ty :!___- .'.-^Q m i mi [t » LllANY Ol-' THE JlLEaSKD VIUGIX. 85 M^TiVa^^ MEDITATION XXV. riBQIX MOST RENOWNED, PRAT FOB US. PnoPKRLY spciiking, God alono is worthy of praise. Still, merit harf •i right to our praise, provided tliat praise reverts to Him from whom proceeds ev('ry good and perfect gift,'^ and that it be kept within the hounds of truth. But where, on earth, is that merit to he fouud whicii can he praised without fear of error or exao-o-era- tion? Ahus! "■ God alom knoweth the heail ; nnd veri/ often that which is high to men is an abomination ])efore God.""* In eulogizing IMary, and proclaiming her Worthy of all praise, certainly, we need not fear that we are mistaken, or praising her above her deserts; for the Lord himself "weighed her merit in a just Ijalance,'"" and she Avas saluted with incomparable pi-aise. Have we ever duly considered how great and how glorious to Mary wits the salutation of the Angel Gabriel ? We see in the holy Scrijjture many privileged persons honoured with the visit of an angel ; bat nowhere do we find them saluted by a heavenly mes- senger in pompous at.d magnificent terms. " Hail, full of grace, the Lord i^ with thee; blessed !\rt tlK)u amongst women."'' Could any- thing be said more honourable tt) a human beiu"-? And according to St. Ambrose and St. Peter Chrysologus, of salutation, for which we can find no example?" Ne\ nothing can exceed the merit of her to whom these words are addressed: they are sj,i,ken by an angel, the oi'gan of " the God of truth,""" who, soon after, passes a simihi mium on Mary, l,y the mouth of St. Elizabeth, the holy St. John the Baptist. \l\ Y ^HVi mm w^ WM • St. .Tames i. 17. •» St, Luke xvi. 15, « Job xxxi. 6. 4 1- -.i- Ki V) fi •i^ fcsf lilt! Gospt'l, iiul»^('(l, (t'lls US tliat it was not of her own accord, lint iifter l)oiiioi-tunity to speak of her greatness and glory, and to ri B St. Luke i. 41, Al. i St. ]\[aft. xi. 29. h Rotn. i.v. .'>, ic St. Luke k\. 27, 28. ' Scrni. ill An.mwpl. fi. M. V. 1 Liv. iv., o. 40, in Luc. .\i. "> Scnn. de Iiiraviiat. Verb, i,t-s 'I m inspire otluTs uitl, a filial coi.lidenco in hor protoction ; let us honour her, t-spociiilly l,y the imitation of her virtn«s, so that s.e- mg and licnring us, men may have cause to glorify our Divine Mother in her children. "O.Mary, how can we sufficiently honour theo, who didst l)ear III tliy woml> Ilim whose immensity the heavens cannot contain !"" "The God of majesty"" alone merits infinite praise; but, after God, thou alone art "above all praise.'V "Q tiiou whom the AjKJstlos loaded with j)raise, afterwards repeated throughout the earth ;"'i thou whom all preachers of the Divine Word, and all faithful Christian hearts, have ever delighted to "call blessed ;"' thou-whose "praise shall not depart out of t!io mouth of men;"" ah! since we are not able to give thee fitting praise, grant that we mav, at least, endeavour to do our duty to thee by zealously promoting 'thy glory,' and faithfully walking in thy holy traces! ViRGIX MOST REXOWXEI), I'HAY FOIl US. Virgo pnedicanda, ora pro nobis. ■ Brcv. Roin. in fiatis li. M. V. • Ps. xxviii. 3. V Ecul. xliii. 33. r Prov. xxxi. 28, 1 St. Cyr. Alex., Serm. !, i '( .^.^; ii in f?-4 M^^ \\ m ^n MliUn ATIONS ON TUB MEDITATION XXVI. 1^.. n FT 4 w i i'JJti Kf^--^ riBOIil MOST POWKBKDL, PBAT FOE U8. Ii- Jesus Chiii^t, as God, possessed omnipotenco hy nature; if, as man, lie held it from his personal union with the Deity, from the moment of his incarnation, its splendid manifestation to the woil'1 after hi? resui-rection, became the i)rice of his sufferings and ileatli : this he indicated to his disciples, when he told them " All powwr is given to me in heaven and in earth."" This sovereig i power, tlie divine Son of Mary communicated to his august Mother in mar- vellous abundance. And did not Mary's co-operation in the myste- ries of the Man-God, and her intimate participation in his sufferings and his sacrifice on C-dvaiy, merit for her the privilege of being associated in Christ's dominion over all creatures ? Moreovei-, was it not fitting that she who had so long exi'ivised, in this world, the riglits of a mother, and so admirably discharged the pious duties of that high office, should retain, in heaven, that influence which the most perfect of mothers should natiiially have over the heart of the most affectionate of sons, so that " for her to be heard was to have her reijuest granted?'"' Was it not fitting, infini', that in such a mother, this incomparable power of intei-cession should have a charact(!r of grandeur and universality worthy of llini whom she brought into the world ? And that the Bh-ssed Virgin has such power is attested in the Cathofic world by tlie most striking proofs. Is there question of the greatest interests of kings and nations? Glorious memory of Lepanto, you prove to all generations the admirable power of Mary's intercession, the victory which went forth from Mary's throne, to break, terrible and crushing, on the formidable fleet of i ' ■ ' / ■ -. "/.ill Y^^mh. 'm isr^ 1. NY OF UIK UlJvSslJJ VIIJUI.N. the inlidels, to save Cbristciulora, and, with it, the . vjlizatiot) ** all Eiuo])*' I And you, magtmnimous hero, who ciu-ii out .j he lirad of yiir warlike columns, in the strong inspiration of faith, "Onward, th.. \rother of (Jod k our guide," did you not thereby shou. O ill,, trious Sobieski, to whom you owf.i ynui victory over that fierce hr\t of hostile armiea which tucirclea tin u'alls of Vienna ? And you, also, iu\ tterate enemies of Catholic truth, are not yon yourselves forcd to become the trophies of the Virgin's p,.wer and glory ? . The Cnurch solnnnly felicitates her on having "cruslud all hen „ s throughout the world ;"« and it pleased God"esj)ecially in the twelfth century, to give the most splendid manifestations of Mary's power against eiTor. A dieadfid heresy then overspi-ciul the south of France, overthrew temples and altars, slaughtered the ministers of the Loi ' and committed everything sacred to the flames. Against tli. impious, this all-destroying devastation, rose up the humble St. Douiiuick. Where 'M, shall this new David aim himself; at least, with the sht'plierd.> ling? Not so; it is with his rosary in his hand that h, stops, subdues, gains ove'r the blindest and most infuriate enemies of the Churoh. And who <()ul(l enumerate the signal instances of Mary's power in favour of all those who have piously sought her protection ? Ah ! how many sorrows has she consoled ! how many sudden deaths has she prevented! how many vit)K"nt temjjtation's has she enabled persons to overcome ! how many graces of all kinds has she obtained for those who have ask(>d her assistance on land or sea! Witness, in ans^^ -r, the countless monuments erected to her honour, monuments so i nous through the er.duiing remembrances which fjiith and gratituue attach to then:. How many facts, too, admii-ablo facts, have remained, and do -very day remain, hidden in the hearts of men? Amiable and holy bishop of Geneva, we well know that you owed to Mary vour \ictory over a frightful temptation of despair; you, St. Andrew I 'rsini, your conversion and your eminent virtues ; and von H'^.v m w>. :r'4 U^ I 4? hn,* \ ^- -MM .1 V ^1 » r ,."^'. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MIS) ^<^ 1.0 I.I ■so "^" MHB S 1^ lilO M 1.25 MU_ III 1.6 .^ o" ^ 7] /^ 7i ^% c^ '/^'^ .v O / Photographic Sciences Corporation m ^^ c\ \ Q m m ^o'-- n,^ 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 > J z MKDITATION8 OX THK immortal Nepomucenes, noble martyr of the seal of confession, tlie courage and the fortitude which gained you so much glory. In heaven only shall we be enabled lo see and admire the innumerable effects of that prodigious power given her by God to guide, to enlighten, to heal the souls ransomed by the blood of her divine Son, and to overthrow the dominion of that infernal spirit whose head she was destined to crush.^ Let us, then, have recourse to that Blessed Virgin in all our troubles, in all our dangers, in all our wants, and let us always make it our pious duty to extol her power. Yes, august queen of the universe, we will ever joyfully pro- claim that in you the Lord "hath showed might in his arm;"" that ".in thy hand is power and might;'"" that through you we "can do all things ;"8 that the glory of Jahel and of Judith,'' victorious over the enemies of the people of God, is not even the shadow of that wherewith you are invested. Ah ! vouchsafe constantly to shelter under thy protection those who never cease to invoke thee. Above all, when the final moment shall arrive, when our trembling soul is about to appear before its Judge, vouchsafe to defend it against its nemies, strengthen and encourage it, and, on its entrance into etei-nity, receive it into thy maternal hands, and present it to thy divine Son. Virgin most powERruL, pkay for vs. Virgo potens, ora pro nobis. f I. Paral. xxix. 12. f Phil. iT. 13 >■ Judg. ir. ; Jud. ziii. ^. ¥\ i i « LITANY Oh- THE BLEsiSED VIKGIN. . MEDITATION XXVII. V ,>'- 4\;iv Z '''o tlKQlN MOST MEBCIFUL PRAT FOE DS. Why does the Church make us implore the mercy rather than the goodness of Mary? Kindness has in it something so sweet, so affecting; anci in Mary that quality is so amiable, so perfect! Does she not unite in her immaculate heart all the kindness of the most tenr'er mother, all the compassion, all the charity of those souk most eminent for their inclination to do good to all who mourn, to all who suffer, to all who groan under the weight of miseiy i . . . . Ah ! yes, undoubtedly. Mary is good, im- measurably good : she has a heart so tender as only to be surpassed l)y that of her divine Son. But the Church, by making us invoke her clemency, would remind us that our profound wretchedness as sinful creatures, our detestable ingratitude towards God, naturally render us un\«orthy the benign protection of this august Mother. Being identified with Jesus, towards whom we are so criminal, ha-t she not much to pardon before '^he can interest herself in us? And, besides, were it only our care ,> ssness in imitating the virtues we contemplate in her, it would be sufficient to prevent her from pouring down upon us the favours we expect from her, were she not the Virgin full of clemency and of sweet compassion, the Virgin most merciful ? Yes, that grand characteristic of noble hearts is admirably manifested in that of Mary, "It is indeed of her," says St. Bernard, "that we may understand that magnificent image of a woman clothed with the sun, seen of old by the prophet of Patmos: for even as that oib of day sheds his light indiscrimi- nately on the good and the bad, so is Mary regardless whether the person invoking her has been more or less guilty in times past ; she shows herself mild, merciful, clement to all who seek her aid ; she grasps, as it were, in the embrace of extreme charity. Ml. m K^ s ^^^ ^■r ^^-I f%jr^A MEDITATIONS ON THE \^ V,7' ';,\i )t'>v? ^^S •sri' u ■;-- De Sancia Vir;/iiutatc, No. 6. t. vi. « Ps. xxi. 15. ^ Scrui. pour la fete de VAnnonciat. t St. John X.X. n. f Ephes. V. 30. 8 St. Jmlc i. 1. h Salve Reg. LITA^NY OF TllK BLKsibKU VllMUN. 93 said of thee, as of tlie Lord, " that power belongeth to thee, and mercy !"' If, on earth, an exquisite kindness, far exceeding that wherewith Rel)ecca treated Eliezer,J induced thee to request of tliy divine Son the miracle of changing water into wine,"" how pro- digious must that kindness be in heaven, when " from this valley of tears'" we humbly beseech thee to come to the assistance of unhappy creatures ransomed by the adorable blood of Jesus 1 O thou, on whose sacred " tongue is the law of clemency,"™ thou in whom that noble virtue is for us " like the latter i;ain,"» which falls to refresh the earth, thou who art " nigh unto all them that call upon /7ie(?,"° be propitious to us, notwithstanding our ingratitude, till the last moment of our lives ! VlRGIX MOST MERCIFUL, PRAY FOR US. Virgo clemens, ora pro nobis. ' Ps. Ixi. 12, 13. i Gen x\\v. 19. k St. John ii. 3. ' Salve Reg. "• Prov, rxxi. 26. ijfii ■" Prov. xvi. 15„ o Ps. cxiir. 18. WA ll\ ■§1 PaT/Sb;,^ MEDlTAl'lOKS ON TUB MEDITATION XXVIII. TIBOm MOST FAITHFUL, PRAY FOE U9. On ! liow well does the titlti of Faithful Virgin cbaracterize het who was nl'vays so faithful to the Lord, so faithful to every duty, so faithful to grace, so faithful to the will of heaven, even in one of thost' extreme ctises when it would be excusable for a mother's heart to give way to sorrow! Fidelity must be a thing fair and noble before God, since he calls himself "Faithful and True,"" and gives, by the mouth of the royal piophet, as a title of honour and distinction, ^he name of "the faithful of the earth'"* to the "just, upon whom I L eyes an/' fixed with pleasure.'' IJut if it be so of all the just, with what pleasure niutt the Lord regard that Virgin, in whom fidelity, far fiom ever suffering the slightest injury, was, on the contrary increasing from day t(j day, "going f-om virtue to vii-tue,"'' till the glorious moment when "the Lord, the just judge," rendered to her "the crown of justice!"* Conceived, not "in sin,"'' like the rest of inanliind, Init "in holiness and justice,"* by a peculiar and inestimal)le piivilege, she belonged to God from tha first moment of her existence, and not only did she never relax that j)recious bond by the least fault, l)nt she ceased not to draw it closer and closer till the day of her translation from this land of exile to the celestial country. Hence it is that St. Anselm exclaims, ii: his admiration of her, " When I consider the immensity of grace ich is in thee, O Blessed Virgin, my mind is lost, my tongue is struck dumb!"" "Oh! how beautiful xvere thy steps,"' we may add, with the spouse in the Canticles, how sublime were they in the ways of • Apoe. xix 11. »> Ps. c. 0. « Ps. .x.wiii 16. ^ Ps. Ixxxiii. 8. • II. Tim. iv. 8. » Ps. 1. 1. 8 St. Lnke i. T.'i. •" Lib. de crcelUitt. Viry. ' Cant. vii. 1. 1 «^>^1' mi m '1 i UXANV OK TllK J»,l.i:iSKl> NUtCilN. grace, beloved daughter of the King of king-., Viigiu ever faithful, in all "faithful in the sight of God !"J The little of it that it has pleased God to reveal to us is charming: what, then, must that be " which is hid within'* that sacred sanctuary which His eye alone can penetrate! The Gospel, indeed, tells us of thee, O Mary, that thou didst carry the love of duty so far as to decline accepting the dazziinsj honour of the divine maternity, till assured by the ambassador of the Most High that that inconceivable glory was compatible with the vow which consecrated thee for ever to the Lord. It also tell.s us that thou wert so faithful to the law as to submit to the humili- ating ceremony of purification, thou who wert, on so many account,'*, exempted from that which is obligatory on other mothers. And we admire thee, and bless God, who shows us in thee so fair and so noble an example. But when we consider thee on Calvary, when we there see thee so faithful to the adorable designs of Providence as to overcome the feelings of a mother, at the foot of the Redeemer's cross ; ah ! then we are deeply moved, we are en- chanted by thy sublime resignation and thy superhuman devotion. What a son was Jesus ! What a mother wert thou, O Mary I What inexpressible tenderness on both sides ! .... Oh ! how true, then, is it of thee, how emphatically true, that thou wert "faithful even unto death ;'" yes, evtsn to assist, even to join, with all the power of thy will, in the painful and humiliating death of tjjy only Son, that son the most amiable and most beloved ! After this unexampled act of devoti(m to God for men, need we be surprised that "it was never known, in any age, that any one who fled to Mary's protection, implored her help, or sought her in- tercession, was left unaided ?"'" Ah ! this admirable constancy of her merciful kindness to those who invoke her, is it not suf- ficiently manifested by the sacrifice which her magnanimous heart had the courage to make in our behalf? But if such be her good- ness to all " poor banished children of Eve, who send up to her ' Apoi-. ii. 10. " Memorare, \it Wii % ;,0 l.'iVlfA I p 1*^=31 Y H^j ^m^: fiom this valley of tears, their sighs, mournings and weepings,'^ how great must l.e her zeal for the interests of those who profess a particular devotion to her, and who desire to be her "good and faithful servants."" May we be of that happy number, and succeed in pleasing both the Son and the Mother ! O Mary, thou didst prove thyself, while on earth, "faithful before Go(jy And so, in heaven, hast thou also proved to men who, fur more than eighteen hundred years, have constantly found in thee, after God, their safest and sweetest refuge. Yes, thou art faithful to them in a way far superior to all human fealty, all human devotion: in comparison with thy fidelity we can hardly reckon that of Rahab, who saved the messengers of Israel,-! qt that of Michol, who, to save her husband, feared not to brave her father's anger.' Ah ! vouchsafe to obtain for us that we oureelves may be always faithful to Jesus and to thee, so that we may de- serve constantly to experience the happy effects of thy special protection I VlUGIN MOST FAITHFUL, PRAY FOR US. Virgo fidelis, om 'pro nobis. t § Sulve Regiiia. St Matt. XXV. 21. P II. Esd. ix. 8. q Joshua ii. ' I. Kings xiz I C-VVrt"^' ^^ \^\ UTANT OF rUK BLESSED VIHOUT. «7 MEDITATION XXIX. MlilBOB OF JPSTIOl, PBAT FOB US. TiiE Church, having, as it were, exhausted all the titles which could serve to honour Mary as Mother and Virgin, goes on to another order of ideas in search of new themes for praise. And first she invokes her under the image of a mirror, which admirably reflects « the brightness of eternal light."" If it be true in fact, of the Eternal Word that he is the splendour of his Fa.-ier's "glory, and the figure of his substance,'"' is it not Mary who reflects with all possible fidelity the adorable attributes of that "Word made flesh?"" Does she not resemble him more than any other rational creature ? The Ix)rd intended her to hold the first rank amongst all "the works of his hands;"" to be, as St. Anselm has it, "above all that is not God;"" could he not adorn her with gifts and with merits the nearest to his own infinite perfections? Hence it was said by St. Peter Chrysologus, that "he who contemplates Mary without being ravished and amazed, is regardless of God him- self, who has made her his most perfect mirror !"<" Rut wherefore does the Church call her Mirror of Justice f First, because Mary is the faithful mirror of Him who is named the "Sun of Justice,"* whose divine rays warm and fructify souls, until they bud and blossom into every Christian virtue. Jesus himself gives us the sum of these virtues when he tells us : " Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice;"" they who ardently desire to be perfect, and who labour with constancy and zeal to become so! But there is in this word, as here used by the \^ ^:^:? \^ • Wisdom vii. 26. >» Heb. i. 3, • St. John i. 14. "• Ps. cxxxvii. 8. • Lib. dti exord,, humana vitoe, c. 7. f Serm. 104. 8 Malach. iv. 2. *> St. Matt. V. C. K-W u K iif -^ '^4 MEDITATIONS ON TUB Church, another meaning, calculated to arrest the attentiou of every pious soul. The Apostle St. Paul gives the name of "justice"' to the state of sanctifying grace which entitles the possessor to eternal bliss. This supernatural state, so honourable, so precious, man, by hia disobedi- ence, had forfeited for himself and all his posterity. But soon after his fall the Lord announces to him that a woman shall crush the head of him who made him fall : hence, he may contemplate in this daughter of Eve, as in a mirror, both the dep't- of his misery, which nothing less than the death of a Man-God could cure, and the necessity of penance, without which he cannot profit by the redemption to be effected by the Son of Mary. Ou the other hand, the faithful angels behold in this privileged creature the Mother of Him who is the origin and the source of their perseverance and of their confirmation in grace ; for it may be said, on the authority of St. Paul,J and several holy doctors of tlio Church,'' that it is to Christ the good angels are indebted for the merit and the reward of their fidelity. Finally, is not the fallen angel condemned to behold in Mary, conceived in grace, exalted on account of her humility,' so profound even in the divine maternity, the folly of his pride, his immense misfortune in losing his supernatural beauty, and, by contrast, the hideous ugliness to which he is consigned ? IJoes he not there see, at the same time, the enormity of his sin, for which there was no redemption, because he voluntarily fell from a state nauch higher than that of aian, thiough pure malice, and with- out being exposed to the seduction of the senses ? And is he not forced to cry out with all heaven and earth, that "God is just"-- and renders to e-^ery one according to his works ?"■• While considering iu the Blessed Vii-giu the inestimable favour '■:^''k > Rom. i. 17. J Ephes. i. 10; Col. i. 17, 20. k S. Jerome, in cap. i. ad Ephei.; S. Greg., 1. i., eh. 2, in lib. i. Reg.; S. Bern , Serm. 22 in Cant.; S. Thorn., lect. 10, in cap. i. Joan., el que„e.ratc our „h„,„ „.!„,,, with .ho thou^Z t ;. '^beil mtl o"r> '"' •" ""^ ^"" **"» '» -™ J""-", »nto Sanctis O Then, in whom " we see, aa in a mirror "• th« »,l„,.i i ^ by thy mildness, to correct our peevishness anrl imr. f °", ^'';''' humility, onr^pride and onr '^ ^^Z^.'^X:::^^ Z aensual appetites; by thy aharity, onr coldnes. toward, of want of fraternal >ovo for onr neighbour iZ^U^Jt Z boly protection, to restore us to the grace of God tfw. I ^ll the incomparable misfortune of falling tom it ,f' - "i^ a- to r«s.,ess the friendship of God, If^nfi I'lrur^^a''.: preserve ,t to us, and help us to become more and more «conC *;• Jf^e.™"^' "' '"^ «-•"• "^ --«»« '-ee, who ^T. Mirror of justice, prat for us. Speculum jttstitim, ora pro nobis. » Rom. vi. 18. P St. James L 24. 1 Rom. vi. 18. ' Rom. vi. 19. • I. Cor. xiii. IS. * Rom. viii. 29. ' S. Joan Daniaso., Oral dt Nativ. B. V, irriicvw Y fjj 1 1 b^-^Uy^^ 100 MKOITATIONB ON TIIK MEDITATION XXX. J'Hr ■«' ^) • lAT or WIIOOU, PBAT FOB US. Son of the Eternal Father, adorable Word, " interior word, thought reason, uncreated euhstantial intelligence of God,"» thou art the source of wisdom.'' Yes, it was thou who " carae out of the mouth of the Most High, the first-born before all creatures ;"« that Wisdom "who sendeth knowledge as the light, whose thoughts are more vast than the sen, and her counsels more deep than the great ocean ;"■' that Wisdom "that reacheth from end to end mightily, and ordereth all things sweetly."' Thou art that infinite Wisdom that " rested" in the womb of the Blessed Virgin as in " a tabernacle,'" and whom Christian faith loves to contemplate on that divine Mother's knee, under the appearance of " the most beautiful of tho sons of men !"« And thou, O Mary 1 thou art for that incarnate Wisdom a mag. nificent throne, fai- more precious and more valuable than any thing we can know or imagine of created beauty, or glory, or splen- dour! Sacred History, describing the marvellous grandeur of King Solomon's ivory thioue, tells us that "there was no such work made in any kingdom."'' Ah ! let us not fear, then, to say that the Lord, in his Almighty power, never ci-eated any thing to equal Her whom he made the living throne of his divine Son: "the incompa- rably excellent throne," .says the blessed Peter Daraian, " whereon the great God was pleased to rest ;'" " the august dwelling of the Sui)reme Kuler of the worid," says St. Peter Chrysologus; the sacred "house which Wisdom hath built for herself;" the noble and » Bossuct, vii. Ulev. sur <> Eoclosi. xxiv. 37, 39. /m »iy»<., xii. seiiiaiiic. • Wisd. viii. 1. k Ecclesi. i. 5. f Ecclesl. xxiv. 12. • Ecclesi. xxiv. 5. « Ps. xliv. 3. •i III. Kings X. 20. ' Serm. de Annuntiat. TiT UTAIiY OK TlUC BLKHBKl. VIKom. IQI magnlflcent sancf ...y which she decorated with "nevon ..:ii "i omblematicHi " . .he sovea gift* which the Illv HI T ' ""' th-ou, of Mary in «uch .Z^.UolnZ^. "'^"' ^^"''^^ '"^^ What heart was over ho wholly penetrated with fh*^ ,. v • f«« of d.p,»..i„, .be UrU, which Joa.f„, J J *,,' "o^^;- ev™ .he o..,t .rifling .„«„„ of life, Or what hit ZZrZ .,n«„Uy endowed with that tender piety wi.ich i,.pir« the l^ w.th a boundle™ devotion to Oo the mind in evangelical calmness and moderation; which represses the inordi- nate motions of the p.uisions; which inspires reserve and circum- spection in judgment ; which teaches indulgence towards others, and severity towards one's self O Thou, who wert the temple of Incar- nate Wisdom, of that divine Jesus through whom "was made known the manifold wisdom of God,"" beg of him a plentiful effusion for our souls. k/Kj i \i Se4t of Wisdom, pray fob us. Sedes Sa^'mticB, ora pro nobis. 1 S. Greg. Thaum., Serni.(fo Annunt, ' S. Ephr., de Laudib. Deip. ■ St. Mttt. vi. 33. t St. Matt. vi. 20. n I. Cor. iii. 19. ' St. James iii. 1 ' wEphes. iii. M. ilTATrr OF THE BLE88RD VIBGIlf. 103 MEDITATION XXXI. OA08B OF OUB JOT, PEAT FOE UB. When the world wa. plunged in the thickest darkness, when no ray of Cianstmn hope illumed humanity beyond the tomb, when the unhappy children of Adam were sunk in the triple degradation of the senses, the heart and the understanding, true joy wa^ not known on earth. Mary comes into the world ; God ordains that she should co-operate m our salvation ; she gives birth to the Redeemer. Soon all IS changed ! Man, restored to his primary condition, receives the surest and most consoling revelations on the nobility of his nature the magnificence of his destiny, and the means of attainin-. it the most abundant helps for the cure of his moral wounds and the alleviation of all the miseries of life. He may, henceforward ex- perience here below joys the purest and most delicious, which are as It were the pledge and foretaste of the divine and everlasting Ls which the Saviour promises to bestow in the other world Where were ye before the coming of that good and kind Saviour' given us by Mary, where were ye, O holy joys of charity, chastity modesty, humility-holy joys of the devotions inspired by faith- holy and sweet joys of Catholic piety, ineffable delights of the adorable Eucharist ? . . . Yes, it is to Mary, after God, that we are indebted for dl that moves, expands, elevates the heart in. the re- hgion of Christ. It was she who secured to us so many precious g.fts so much happiness, even in this world, by her acquiescence with the words of the angel whom the Most High "commissioned to ask her consent, before giving himself to us by his interposition."" Hence, the illustrious martyr, St. Ireneus, almost a contemporary of the Apostles, calls this acquiescence of the Blessed Virgin "the ■ Titus iii. 4. «• Bosquet, Dcuxieme Sermou siir I'Annonclation. Y r:^err\\ i i-U I 104 MEDITATIONS ON THE cause of the salvation of all mankind."" " She has procured," says St. Augustine after him, "the redemption of man, who, left to him- self, were irretrievably lost."'' "By Mary," adds tha blessed Peter Damian, " in Mary andVith Mary, the Son of God would regenerate humanity : without her nothing had been done ;• nothing reinstated, nothing restored.'"" It is, therefore, in this Virgin, ever worthy of our gratitude and love, that all the members of the Church find their happiness and joy. She was the object of the most fervent wishes of the primitive just, who, from afar, saluted in her person the mother of the divine Liberator, and in limbo awaited her birth as the dawn of that happy day which was to introduce them into the kingdom of God. She was on earth, after our Lord's ascension, the " support and con- solation of all the faithful."? She is, in the heavenly country, the joy and pride of the elect ; for, in ascending to heaven, " she in- creased," says St. Bernardine, of Sienna, " the joy of its blessed in- habitants ;"'' " and their greatest glory, after the vision of God," says St. Bonaventure, " is to behold herself."' She is also, according to the pious belief of the Church, the joy and consolation of the sufifer- ing souls in purgatory : " Thou art their zealous advocate," says St. Andrew of Crete ;J " I am their mother," said Mary herself to St. Bridget, " and I never cease to relieve them by my intercession."'' She is, finally, the joy of all Christians in this world : in all ages, in all situatic ns, is not thy holy name, Mary, full of hope and sweet- ness, strength and comfort, to those who trust in thee ? Let, as bless God for having given us in Mary a cause of joy so pure, so true, so lasting ; let us bless Mary for having given us the source of all joy. Ah ! if the Jews of old testified their gratitude to Judith and Esther by public acclamations and rejoicings,' what should we not do to honour this divine Virgin, to whom atir obligations are incomparably greater ! What devotion should we not have for her ?f * Lib. V. Contra Hceres, c. 19, ^ Scrm. 55, de Sanctis • St John i. 3. *" Serra. de Annnnciat. i Bossuet, II. Serin, snr I'Assompt. '' Serm. de Ajsumpt. ' In Spec, Lect. vL J Orat. I. de Dorm, ' Lib. iv. Revelut. c. 138. ' Judith .\vi. ; Father xvi. l-C LITANY m BLBBBED VIEGDT. O thon good and tendc, ..lary, wW simple salutation alone snf. flced to make the boly Prec„«or leap for joy in his mother's Cf- hou who eanat •' tan. in.» joy d\ the „r.«„» „f fte true blirver h.„ who, after Jesus, art " our hope,- oh - nutU we eaa enjoy „Uh the angels and «„»„ .he h.ppi,« „f cont.n,ph.tiug thee, we wU un^^ngly bear m miad the charm of thy virtues, L re^ Z pr^aes «v» «,d over. Yes, we lov, to cy out tn the fnlVess oj °°lf: 1^1"-*''"= "If I fo-getthee, O^™,, Vir^^nr Tmy nght hand be forgotten I Let my tongue cleave to my jaws if I do not r.n..mb«»^ the eWms thou hast on my affectioV.nd "i, Imdte «S« not," after thy divine Son, " the beginning of my Joy l"» tt^ we,^.n perpetual remembrance of thy benedte, unceasiily repeat with increasing fervonr: Gatoih op oub joy, jpiuy fob us. Causa, nostrce ladiuBy ora pre, noUi. ■ St. Lnke i. 44. Bt ItAxn ZTi. 20. " Sah. Beg. f Ps. czxxTi. 6, «. itnifiyw xs*i3fcii;«r !4i I ! ^cT 106 HXDrrATIONS OK THK MEDITATION XXXII. BPIBIT0AL TEB8BL, PBAT fOB UB. Inasmuoh as mind is superior to matter, even so is the body ennobled while raising itself by the purity and righteousness of its acts towards the dignity, the natural sublimity of the soul. In like manner, by as much as the order of grace prevails over all that is most eminent in the order of nature, even so it is with the body of the Christian who endeavours, on supernatural motives, to sano- tify the use of all his faculties — it assumes a character of admirable greatness and nobility. It is to honour, in Mary, this nobility, this greatness, that the Church here invokes her under the emblem of a precious vessel, a figure so often used in the sacred writings,' and it Ls in order to make us understand the sublime degree of that samri greatness that she calls her Spiritual Vessel. Does not that tell us in fact that this Virgin of Virgins enjoyed beforehand, if one may say so, a sort of transformation approaching that which shall take place in the elect on the great day of the generd resurrection ; that her sacred body possessing by anticipation some of the qualities of " a spiritual body,'"' her soul felt neither weight nor shackle in its intercoui-ae with God, but could soar at will towards its Creator, and nourish itself with his adorable presence as though it were enslaved by no action of the senses. Mary had been preserved from original sin and the concupiscence which is its deplorable consequence." "She enjoyed," says Ix)ui8 of Blois, "some of the privileges of our first parents in the terrestrial Paradise, when, during their state of innocence, the faculties of » Prov. XX. 15 ; Acts ix. 15 ; Rom. ix. 23 ; I. Thess. iv. 4 ; II. Tim. ii. 21. i* I. Cor. XV. 44. " Medit. xvi. preced. '^-M^:*i3^ M their soul were nniled to God, md aU their senses ia perfect suW,^ fon to the spirit.™ But, mor«,ver, wss it not flttin" S^ Uttol worthy of thM immense honour by qualities anai;gous to the baa^: Gol .r' "■'"'' f "' ^*'" "' The latter Monged whol"!^ father, after St. Dionysius;. how could it be supposed that he. yy, created by the Uri to have so peat a share h the myste^ of the lacarnate Word, could in my way impede the flight of S LTtl >:-■' '"P^rf^t i™"! with its sublime dltination Let us then jo^uUy adopt the sentiment transmitted to us by aohard de Samt-Victor from several Pathe. of the Church thtt her «tenor as woU .s her interior was wholly angelic "» and ^raUy ..fleeted the marvellous communion oj Jsoul w" t God. U, m fact, "the eyes of John the Baptist, destined to see the Ctat amounoed by the other propheH disdained to l™,k on anv ereature^ no one can doubt but that Mary concentrated iu W iinne Son the use of aU her sens«, and that aU in her showll the hfe of a pure intelligence, rather than that of a human being Alas! but we are far removed from such a model; wo who atich ourselves so strongly to vain idols, which time dUfl^res ^ilZ th ng^ of th« world, and foolishly put forth all our energy and act,v,ty m pnrsn.t of their deceitful enjoyment; we who s!Im to have b„ a doubtful faith in " the things which are notseen,»nht thmgs of etermty; we who too often permit ourselves to be ove, r^a God^ -Hoset«,ublesome weight impedes our col. mon mth God m prayer, and preventa us from walking ioyonslv onward m the service of our divine Master. Ah! hen;>Lw"^ «• Instiittt. Spirit., append, i, c. 2. • Serm. 8 dfi Asaumpt. B. V. ' Serm. 35 de Sanctis. ff In Epist. ad S. Paul. ' o. Jerome, Epist. iv. i II. Cor. iv. 18. lEzra ^:':li ^■r gr 108 M£DITAXIOIfS ON TETB M m ii^ -MP: let ti3 goneroualy endeavour to become " spiritual men,'* remember- ing that " he that soweth in the spirit of the Spirit shall reap life everlasting."' K we can in any way resemble Mary, that divinely privileged creature, let us, at least, restrain "with fervour of spirit"" the fatal influence of " the corruptible body which is a load upon the soul,"" and obstructs it in its sublime flight towards its Author. O Mary, the Lord had made thee, from the first, " a most pure vessel"*" But when the Holy Ghost came upon thee,' to operate in thy chaste womb "the great mystery of piety manifested in the flesh,"i and to raise thee at the same time to the most august dignity amongst creatures, he rendered thee still more pure and holy, he filled thee more and more with that "perfect spirit"' which makes man live for God and for the goods of eternity. We honour in thee that superhuman life so perfect, and all the privileges wherewith it pleased the Most High to invest thee. May we imitate thee as far as is compatible with our weakness, freeing ourselves in all things from the captivity of the senses, " walking" towards the other world " as children of the light, in justice and truth," and in all " that is acceptable to God."» Oh I do not refuse to ask this grace for us. Spibitual Vkssel, pbay fob us. Vas Spirituale, ora pro nobis. k I. Cor. iiu 1. » Gal. vi. 8. "Rom. zii. 11. n Wisdom ix. lb. Prov. XXV. 4. P St. Luke i. 35 ,,. f I. Tim. iii. 16. • Ephes. V. 8, 9, 10. "Toy.c .;vU/ -liH- ■? ■ Mii UTANT OF THJ BUBSSM) VTBQm. 100 MEDITATION" XXXItl. t«8B«i, or Hoaoo*. hat vob tJi. It Is a ^eat honour for a body to be united to a bouI, which is the image of God ; and the more beautiful that soul i^ and the more enriched wath the gifte of the Lord, the greater the dignity to which that intimate union raises the body: it becomes thereby a vessel which is so much the more precious in proportion as the per- iume It contains is rarer and more exquisite in the eyes of f^h What an honour is it, then, for Mary's body to be united to a soul which, after that of Jesus, is the noblest, the purest, the hoHest the most adorned with the favours of Heaven I ' But how much more honourable is that sacred body on account of the divine maternity! It was, undoubtedly, a high honour for Abraham of old to receive the Lord in the form of an angel;' but Cxod did not substantially unite himself to that holy patriarch It was a great honour for Moses to penetrate the awful cloud which covered the summit of Momit Sinai, and to be enabled, in the midst of thunder and lightning, to converse face to face with the Most High ;" but God did not substantiaUy unite himself to that immortal legislator. It was a great honour for Elias to hear and to see strik- mg marks of the infinite greatness of the Supreme Being •<= but God while manifesting to him his adorable presence, did not substantially unite himself to that faithful prophet. It was a great honour for Zacheus to receive Christ at his table f for Lazarus and his sisters to entertain him in their house, and even to enjoy the signal favour of his divine fiiendship ;« but what are all these relations, precious and honourable as they are, to the intimate, the incomparable conneo- tlon between the Man-God and his Mother ! . . . . . • Gen. xviii. •» Exod. xix. 20 « III. Kings xix. <> St. Luke xix. V « St. Luke X. ; St. Jy5 i 110 MBDITATI0N8 ON THE Ah I let 113 not be surprised that the holy doctors, struck with admiration of that divine Mother, saluted in her, in the most expres- sive terms, that august womb wherein the Son of God assumed human nature. " Mary's flesh," says St. Augustine, "is the very flesh of Jesus.''^ " Her body is a living heaven," says the blessed Peter Damian ; " it is the corporal sanctuary of the fullness of the Divinity."" "The Lord," says St. Thomas of Villanova, "the Lord, in making the daughter of Abraham his Mother, raised her to such a height, that neither man nor angel can look up to her.'"" We justly honour the precious vessels wherein the Church pre* serves the holy and adorable Eucharist. But is there any proportion between that gold or that silver, magnificently adorned, and the august and ever venerable body which furnished for our divine Saviour the adorable blood wherewith he redeemed ns ? . . . . Yes, that is, by excellence, " the vessel of election,"* infinitely more valu- able than "a massy vessel of gold adorned with every precious stone ;"J that is the pure and sacred body, which, having so worthily " born God,"^ knew not the corruption of the tomb, but, on the con- trary, according to the pious tradition of the Church, was glorified by resurrection like the body of the divine Jesus. Let us here reanimate our faith; let us remember that, by the ineffable mystery of the Eucharist, our body, corruptible as it is, is raised to a sublime union, which makes it, too, a vessel of honour, and that we should always fear to defile it by the slightest stain. . . , Ah ! we do not meditate as we should, on this adorable mystery in all its bearings. By communion, we become the temples of Jesus ; and not only that, not only sanctuaries of Jesus, tabernacles of Jesus, but more still : we become sacred vessels, real living vessels, wherein Jesus rests What do I say? we become living vessel^ with whom he unites himself in a manner so intimate, " that he and they are but one," says St. Cyril.' We, then, who " are in honour," let us not be so unfortunate as "not to understand," lest we "be compared to senseless beasts, and become like unto them.""" We who ' Serm. de Assumpt. B, M. F., cap. V. I Orat. de Nativ. B. V. •> Serm. 3 de Nativ. B. M. ' Acts ix. 15. J Eccles, 1. 10. <$! k I. Cor, vi. 20. (i ' Lib. iv. i» Joan., cap. 17, "Ps. xlviii. 13. UTAHT or THi nuwiD vraom. n, We .just veneration for the sacred veseeU of oar .Itar, ah ! 1„, ... W™ ,0 all pWe, „„d at all ti.«, to respect o„.el!«?,e?„'s elrn to keep our thoughts, o„r affections, our desires, our v e^s and^ onr acfons on a par with the nobility, the greatness, th a^: "tbt glory to which we are r^sed by a single communion ! O Mary, thou who, after God, art worthy of all praise, thou didst W for nme month, in thy chaste womb Him whL awful maj ^y the angels adore covered with their wings." How can we SI our admiration of the honour he has done thee in borrow ngfrl ot melTable identity with himself!- Eeeeive here the humble e^pi-ession of all the sentiments which so much gr atni "nd honour ought to inspire in the hearts of all the faUhfu" M^e irt n I " ""'^"•^ "» """y ~nd"ct ouBelves, always and m all things, as •' vessels of honour prepared unto glory^.-V ^ Vessel of Honour, pbat fob us. Vas Uonorabile, ora pro nobis. ■ Is. vi. 2. • n. Peter Dam an, dt Nat. Virg, F Rom. Lx. 21, iio. pPT 5' 1 :>■■ I • S 11 \t ^ ■^^ 112 UBDITAIXONS ON TUX MEDITATION XXXIV. ▼ ■•■XL 0» iIHGULAB DSTOTIOH, P»AT »0k 0» Pucrr, devotion, fervour 1 words wholly inadequate to express the burning zeal of Mary for the service of the Lord. Who could do- scribe the lively ardour of her prayer, her intimate union with God, her ecstatic silence, hex peace, her spiritual joy, so sweet, so delicious, her continual aspirations to her beloved, the holbess of her thoughts^ the purity of hei desires and affections, her devotion so generous, so magnanimous, Jo absolute, for the glory of her Creator ? Temple of Jerusalem, where she passed so piously the first years of her life, oh 1 what admirable secrets were concealed within thy sacred walla 1 August house of Nazareth, where she lived so long in the presence and in the continual contemplation of her God, be- co'iie her Son ; thou whose venerable walls speajc so eloquently to '.he heart of the pilgrim of Loretto, tell us, then, something of alj those wonders of adoration, praise, and love, those superhuman com munings of Mary's soul with the divine heart of Jesus ! And thou, sacred abode, where she dwelt with the beloved Apostle, after the death of our Lord," ah ! what bursts of incomparable devotion thou didst hide from the knowledge of men I what transports, what in- effable sighs, when Jesus had ascended to heaven ! " what impetu- osity of love, concurring with all that is tender in nature, all that is efficacious in divine grace !'"» If Queen Esther could say to God, " Thou knowest that thy handmaid hath never rejoiced but in thee;"" if the holy king David could bear testimony of himself that the praise of the Lord "was always in his mouth ;"^ if he exclaimed in the fervour of his m » St.. John xix. 2t. h BoBsaet, 1 Serm. tur VAisompt. <= Esther xir. 18. <• Ps. xxxiii. 2. 'V3I n LITANT OF THK BLMSED VIROIIT, 118 i «onl, " Oh I when shall I come and appear before the face of God ?"• if the Apostle St. Paul could say, "I live, no^r not I, but Chrint lyeth m me," and my desire is « to be dissolved, and to be with Umnt for ever;^ finally, if the illustrious missionary of the Indies amid the enervating emotions of his tender piety, feeling hunself faintmg away with love, begged of God to moderate his favours *.hough, O Lord! enough!" what must we think of the august Mother of the Saviour, she whom the Sainta called "a furnace of dmu3 love,"» and whom the Spouse in the Canticles compares to "a lamp of fire and flames?"" Was there for her a day, an hour a moment, in which her thought, her speech, her will, every act of her bemg, had not God for its sole object ? a moment in which she did not " do the things that please Him,"' and that with an eagenieas a punty of intention, a devotion hardly to be conceived ? Rather let us ask the Angels and the Seraphim, "ravished," says St. Bernard " with the warmth and the brightness of the sacred flame of her devotion."J And who could tell the joys, the sweetness, the mar vellous delight with which that devotion overflowed her heart? Thou thyself, O Mary! givest us k>me idea of it by that joyful ex- clamation of thy holy canticle, "My spirit doth rejoice in God my Saviour."'' '' O piety ! O sweet and tender Christian piety, the origin and the support of all the magnificent works of charity! thou, that givest resignation to the grief-fraught heart, and strength to the soul assailed by despair ; thou, that drawest forth from the eyes of •epentance teai-s of sweetest consolation, and eiitest heavenly rap- ture in the pure heart inflamed with divine love, come, oh ! come to penetrate us with thy precious unction; come and maie us "vessels unto honour, sanctified and profitable to the Lord, prepared unto every good work !"' that by thy celestial influence all our members may be m the hand of God " instruments unto justice,"" to fight and over- r Si) t.-if'yV Hu .v*' 'f^ ' Ps. xli. 3. f Gal. ii. 20 ; Phil. i. 23. g S. John Damiu!., de dormit. B. V. ; S. Bern, of Sienna, Scrm. 9 de TxsU " Cant. viii. 6. j Serm. II. in Asmmpt. » II Tim ii 21 • St. John viii. 29. k St. Luke i. 47. mRom. vi. 13. ' o ^n i t 5/ hm ^;v"iv^ lU MKDITATIONS ON TIM come sin! that our bodieB may become "a living sacilflce, holy iiful plofwing to (}od !"■ . ,, Vouchsafo, O Mary I "aclmiraWo vmsd, work of the Mont High, • vouchsafe to obtain for us the grace to be pious, and to show our- selves both sweitt and tirm in our piety. In ancient days, when, at th3 bidding of the propliet Eliseus, a poor widow, oppresHed by a inercik'98 creditor, made her sons procure a great number of empty vessels, she poured into each a small portion of the little oil she had ; suddenly and miraculously the vases were all filled, so that she had not only wherewith to pay her creditor, but the means of sup- porting her family .P To thee, likewise, O holy Virgin 1 at the bid- ding of the Angel who saluted thee aa " full of grace,"^ at the bidding of the Church, who calls thee Vessel of Singular Devotion, we present our hearts, nlas! too void of Christian piety and the good works of which it is the source. Do not refuse to give us of thy superabun- dance, so that we may not only satisfy the divine justice by our fer- 'Tour, but acquire precious merits for heaven. It is written that •'piety has promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come ;'" that this consoling promise may be fulfilled in our favour, Vessel of Singular Devotion, pray fob us. Vaa Insigne Devotionia, ora j^ro nobis. a Bom. xii. 1. « Eccles. xliiL S P IV. Kings W. q St Lake i. S8. ' 1 Hm. W. 8. iet: UTAMT or TlUt ULKfcWKD VlUOUf. 115 .MEDITATION XXXV. UTBTIOAL soil, P«AT fOB 0|, Ix the Sacred Books wo hear the voice of the celential Bri4ei?room comparing his spouse to a garden redolent " with all the chief per- Houth wmd, blow through my garden, and lot the aromatical spices thereof flow."^ Christian piety loves to recognize the Blessed Virgin under the figure of all the plants and odoriferous flowers of that garden mentioned by the Spouse in the Canticles. It is Mary whom we delight to call, with St. Sophronius, "the true garden of pleasure abounding in the sweetest flowers, and the celestial odour ot all the virtues."" Amongst these flowers the Church chose the Kose to give a name to that Beloved of the Lord, thus giving her the most delicate and graceful praise, the fittest to captivate our muid and heart. O Rose, whom the Creator has made so sweet and so fair, so rich in beauty and in perfume; O Queen of all those earthly flowere. so nuignificent m their matchless attire, and yet so varied in the shades of their colours and in their odorous exhalations, how iov- uUy do I hail thee as the emblem of Mary, my divine Mother ; that Queen of all intelligences, even the most adorned with grace • that Queen of all the spiritual flowei's which form and shall form the ornament of the Church of heaven and on earth; that Queen in fine, of all creatures. Like thee, but in a manner infinitely superior Mary is mdiant in beauty and charming in the sweetness and per' tume of her divine virtues ! . . . Never did the fair soul of the Blessed Virgin undergo any, even the slightest alteration; never did the lightest breath of evil tarnish • Cant. iv. U. •» Cant. iv. 16. " Serm. da Aasumpt. M) I 't' t iF>'^^i <« St Luke xxiv. 26, • Hub. iv. 15. *■ Lib. de Virginit., cap. 2. ( Serm. i. de Assumpt. X-ITANT OF THE BMSSmj VIEGDT. God, and that, far from fixing our hearts on sublunary things aa though they were our last end, we should employ them to excite in ns the desire and the eager pursuit of that true country where there are none but immortal flowers, and where the Mystical Hose 18 the admiration of saiats and aTigels. Mary, thou art "exalted as a rose-plant in Jericho.J thou hast budded forth as the rose planted by the brooks of waters,'^ thou art .mr aa the lily,' and as the flower of roses in the days of the spring^ But who shall give us an idea of « the good odour of Chnst,'^ so sweetly exhaled by thee. Who shall tell us how much the pei-fome of thy vu^ues exceeds "the sweet odour of the best myrrh and the purest balm?"" Yes, thou art that chosen flower which alone, in the arid vale of this world, "drew down tl^ divim dew, the just by excellence."P Oh! blessed Flower, marvellous Slower, Flower of heaven, it is there only that it wUl be given us to know thee well, and to praise thee as thou deservest. Grant that we may walk « to the odour of thy ointmente,-. in the unspot- ted way'" of the true children of God, so as, one day, to have the happiness of seeing thee and glorifying thy Son for all the favours so lavishly bestowed upon thee ! Mystical Eose, pkay for us, ■Rosa Mystica, ora pro nobis. Ill \tT^f>^ 1 Eccles. xxiv. 18. * Eccles. xxxis. 11 ' Is. XXXV. 1. "• EccleH. 1. 8. " II. Cor. ii. 16. ° Eccles. xxiv. 20, 21. !• 118 UEDITAIIONS ON THX Y MEDITATION XXXVI. TOWXS OF DAVID, PBAT VOB UB. I If the pride and the strength of Jemsalem was the tower of David, built with bulwarks^ a thousand bucklers "hanging upon it, all the armour of valiant men,"" is not Mary the glory and the in- vincible fortress of the Church ? And, besides, does not the blood of David flow in her veins, the blood of that holy king who, before he reached the throne, knew how to unite the modest bearing of the shepherd with the heroic valour that overcame the Philistine giant ? How justly, then, may Mary be called the Tower of Ba/vid^ she in whom we admire so much humility with so much greatness and so much glory !...., But in what sense should we specially apply to the Blessed Virgin the image of a "great tower,'"' defending a beleaguered city? It is especially on account of her protecting, from the in- cessant assaults of Satan, the Church, who is the depositary of the truth brought from heaven by our Lord Jesus Christ. " Oh I but she is powerful against hell, that august Queen!" exclaims St. Bonaventure. "She is more terrible than an army in battle array ."° .... So it is that the Evil Spirit has never failed, when attacking the Church, to attack, at the same time, that glorious Virgin who is, as it were, its impregnable fortress. Ever since the second century, when the impious Cerinthus dared to dispute one of the prerogatives secured by the Catholic faith to Miiry, there has scarcely been a heresiarch whose tongue or pen did not, either directly or indirectly, assail her ; not one whose audacious folly Mary did not confound by the dread authority of the Church, ever ready to defend Jesus Christ attacked through li » Cant. iv. 4. »» II. Esd. iii. 27. » Cant. tI. 3. kMll r-^. of ^ it, 1 1 m^ f i ^ '} TT'i, ■ ■ ■ 1 ■ mfi^' LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIKQIN. 119 his angast Mother. Hence it is that that faithful gnardian of the divine doctrine is pleasod to represent "the old 8ei-pent'« always trying to lift his head from under the conquering foot of the divine Virgin, whose wondrous power against error it pleases the Lord to manifest, in an especial manner, in these latter ages. It is worthy of remark, that those nations who are the most < .ut to Mary have been preserved, either wholly or in a great measure, from the ravages of the heresy of the sixteenth century. Look at Italy, Spain, Belgium ; look at France, .... France, where the protection of the Queen of heaven was manifested anew, and in a striking manner, at the end of the eighteenth century. ' It was then^ worse than heresy— it was impiety, infidelity, armed with political power, reigning with absolute sway. No more temples no more altars, no more priests; faith itself was a crime deserving of death O Mary! canst thou, then, forget that France has ever been thy favoured country; that it was consecrated to thee by one of its kings, of pious memory?' Wilt thou not hear the fervent sighs of thy servants, still so numerous amidst all this grievous apostacy? aad do not our pastors, in the land of exile, unite their pious supplications with those of the faithful flocks from whom they have been compelled to fly? Oh ! that good and tender Mother wUl not forsake her own people ; all the assaults of exulting infidelity shall at last fail before this new Tower of David. A little while, and the temples are re-opened, the altai-s are raised again, the pastors are restored to their hearers ; and it is on the very day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin that the Sovereign Pontiflf signs the famous concordat which secures the restoration of the Church of France. Let us here felicitate ours(3lves, before God, on our happiness in being born in a land which belongs to Maiy by solemn con- secration, a cons- ing pledge of the preservation of the precious treasure of faith in our beloved country. But, let us never forget, that the Apostles of old, although assured by the promise of their ■Sim 111 ^' 'h ^ Apoc. xii. 9. e Louis XIII. LU^^ ' i lao MEDITATIONS ON TIIB divine Master that the persecution of the bynagogue should be powerless against the infant Church, did, nevertheless, " with one accord lift up their voice to God,"*" to ask of him victory. Let us also beg of the Lord that the faith of Mary's chosen people may never fail ; and in all our temptations, especially those which are contrary to that fundamental virtue of Christianity, let ns fly to her, and take refuge in that Tower of David where the darts of the enemy cannot reach us. O divine Mother of Him who calls himself " the Truth,"* it is to thee that thine adorable Son seems to have confided the care of his Church ; for it is to thee that that same Church*" refers the glory of her triumph over all the errors that have assailed the true doctrine and sought to shake the foundations of "the city of God."' Thou art for her " a tower of strength against the face of the enemy ;"J thou art the "strong tower,"^ which saves her children " in the day of tribulation."' Ah ! protect us^ holy Virgin, against any danger that might assail our faith ; shield us, especially at the hour of our death, and prepare us for that final struggle which is te ensure our eternal triumph. Obtain for us, frona God, a lively and unshaken faith. TowKB OP David, pray fob us. Turns Davidica, ora pro Twbia. i Ps. be. 4. k Prov. xvili. 10. » Ps. xix. a. n i^l W UTANY OF TUB BLK88ED VIROIN. L21 ^Vj R MEDITATION XXXVII. TOWBB or ITOET, PSAT FOE UB. Iv^OBY haa a dazzling whiteness, a remarkable polish, pleasing to the eye, and at the same time a solidity, a strength analogous to the gigantic animal which furnishes it for the use of man: a double figure, equally applicable to the Blessed Virgin. In what other human being could we find, as in her, that innocence, that purity of soul which the angels themselves admire, that lustre of virginity which, during the time of her mortal pilgrimage, was difi'used ovei her whole person, and penetrated all heai-ts with an indescribable feeling of respect ?■ But, without dwelling here on that amazing purity which has already been several times the object of our meditations, let us apply ourselves to consider the mystical " Tower of Ivory'"* as the model and the support of our perseverance in the service of the Lord. What was the perpetual devotion of Mary to her God, amid all the sacrifices which filled up her holy life in this world ! From the parting with her family, which the Most High demanded of her, a1 so tender an age, what tribulation, what anguish, what certain and heart-rending anticipations, what excruciating sorrows raised even to sublimity her constancy in the path of duty ! The perplexity of St. Joseph on account of a mystery which prudence forbade her to reveal to her chaste spouse ; the journey to Bethlehem, bo painful in every respect ; the poverty and desolation of the stable, the only shelter left the infant God ; the double prophecy of the holy old man Simeon, regarding the unjust persecution which the Saviour was to undergo, and " the sword which was to pierce his mother's m i: li'/ • S. Den. Areop. Ep. ad Paul apud Carthus., Sent. In 1 dist. 16, q. 2. •» Cant. Tii. 4. ^li# -XH 'vx^- '^:?^ tif^ m MEDITATIONS ON THE heart ;"« the flight into Egypt, with all the hardships and privations of exile ; the losing of Jesus for three days after the feast of the Passover ; the humiliating labours to which she saw him subjected II the poor workshop of Nazareth ; all the fatigues, all the troubles of his public life; the intrigues, the persecutions, the atrocious calumnies of his enemies, whereby she was so deeply affected ; all the ignominy, all the unheard-of sufferings of his passion ; finally, the cross standing before her maternal eyes, and she standing at the foot of that cross. Oh ! what an unbroken series of hard trials, very fit to shake and to subdue the courage of a daughter of Eve ! But in the midst of all these trials we see Mary always calm and serene, Mary always submissive, always inseparably united to the will of her God, Mary always strong and self-devoted, Mary always the same ! What an example ! what an eloquent lesson for us who are so infirm, so inconstant in good ! So long as the dangerous occasion is far from us, or temptation leaves us at rest, or the world is not disposed to quarrel with us for discharging our duty to God, so long do "our feet stand in the direct way ;"'' they even run after salvation." But no sooner do obstacles arise in our path, no sooner is it necessary to do violence to our own inclinations, to break the deceitful spell of the heart or of the senses, or to withstand the foolish laughter of " the children of the world,"* than we feel ourselves fail at once. Ah ! if we imitated Mary, far from being discouraged by the tempests which Providence permits us to encounter, we would consider them as precious means of expiating the past, of acquiring a holy distrust of ourselves and an entire confidence in God alone, of confirming us in good by resisting evil, of gaining inestimable merits for eternal life. And you, also, pious souls, if you walked in the footsteps of her whom you love to call your good Mother, would you not bear with more courage and confidence the weight of the interior troubles which may assail you ? .... Ah ! never forget, then, that one day of fidelity to God in dryness or darkness of mind, in ml '%iM;-h «^ i LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. weariness or disgust, is worth more than a thousand days passed in the holy joys of devotion. There are two ways, according to St. Augustine, one of which depends on the other: "that of trial* which we have to undergo ; that of beatitude, which we are to expect."«f In the second life, every one of your sighs and tears, every act of resignation, will be available before God ; and yoii shall find them at the ^eet of « the just Judge,"" transformed into so many precious pearls, whose celestial brightness shall enhance the beauty of your immortal crown. O Mary, incomparably more beautiful in the eyes of God by thy virtues, thy merits, than were ever, in the eyes of men, "the house of ivory,'" built by the seventh king of Israel, or King Solomon's "great throne of ivory,"J we will always "lift up our eyes" to thee, as the tower of help, "from whence help shall come to «*"k against the world and the devil, the evil inclinations of our own nature, the darkness of our understanding, and the feebleness of our will! Considering the temptations of every kind, of which our life is but one continued series,' perseverance in virtue is a blessing above all price, and we cannot ask it too earnestly or too frequently. It is through thy gracious intercession that we hope to obtain it; and it is in thine immaculate heart that we will henceforward take' refuge, as a safe and sure asylum. O thou, whom we here invoke with the fullest confidence, Tower op Ivort, pray for us. jHirris Ehurnea, ora pro nobis. rr;s^(CvCT » Lib. 2, de Act. cum Fel. Mimic., c. 10. * II. Tim iv. 8. • III. Kingh xxii. 39. J III. Kings X. 18 ^ Ps. c.xx. 1. ' Job Tii. 1. liM Mi Mftl Ifjl hi JiKUlTATlONS ON TUB ^■; d '^ MEDITATION XXXVUI. BOUBK OF GOLD, PBAT FOE US. How marvellous was the temple of Jerusal i raised by King Solomon ! Not to speak of the rare stones of which its walls and foundations were composed, how admirable were the ceilings of cedar sculptured with so much art, the cherubim, the palms in relievo, the golden flowere, the veiy pavement covered with plates of that precious metal, which was lavished in such profusion that " there was nothing in the temple that was not covered with gold,"* so that it might be literally styled a }uyu-9e of gold! But how much more does tliat name apply to the Blessed Virgin, the living sanctuary whom the Lord made for himself; "the aiu/mt and sacred dwelling which he hath chosen for himself;'"' or rather, with whom he united himself by sanctifying grace more closely than with any other creature, and by the divine maternity, in a manner the most approximate to the mystical tie which makes the Eternal Word and the Son of Mary one and the same person! — Even before the Incarnation, thou wert, O incomparable Virgin, in a marvellous sense, "the house of the Lord," his House of Gold; thou whom he had adorned with so many prerogi,tives, infinitely more precious than all the gold of this world ; thou whose every thought, desire, word and action were, in his eyes, far more valuable than gold is to men, Avho seek with ceaseless ardour that seductive metal, too often the mainspring and the idol of their entire life ! But on the ever memorable day of the Annunciation, thou didst become, in a still more admirable sense, his House of Gold; for of thy most pure sub- stance the Word then and for ever formed his own; he dwelt within thee the fii-st nine months of his expiatory life on earth, liv- I m m I t .•V i i y^ praise, And besides, how justly is the title. House of Gold, bestowed on that Virgin endowed with perfect purity, a quality of which gold Is the best symbol ; that Virgin iiiflujned with Divine l(»ve, of which gold, from its fiery colour, is also the emblem. Is njot her perpetual integrity, in reality, one of the greatest miracles of the Lord ? " Does not the excellence of her purity," says St. Auselm, " incom- parably surpass the purity of all creatures ? And was if not that which rendered her worthy of becoming the renovator of the world plunged in the deepest abyss of perdition ?"'' — No less surprising is her love of God. " Who can doubt," exclaims St. Augustine, " that Mary's womb, wherein the God of charity reposed corporally for nine months, was wholly transformed into charity ?"" Wherefore it is that St. Bernardine said of this blessed Virgin : " So great was her love that she would willingly have died for, her Son, not once, nor a thousand times, but an infinite number of times, if it had been possible."*" Alas ! that it is not so with us, at least as far as our frail nature would permit ! Why is it that we who, by baptism, by confirma- tion, by the eucharist, have been consecrated to God " as his temples,"* show ourselves so little worthy of the Holy of holies •• who ha.s vouchsafed to make us his living temples ? Why are we so eager to adorn our dwelling when it is to have the honour of receiv- ing a distinguished guest, yet so negligent in making our soul and body a House of Gold for the reception of the Lord ? — Why, once more, instead of being inflamed with love of the divine good, do we suffer our hearts to be ensnared by the " bewitching of vanity,"' and are coldly indifferent to that God so entrancing in beauty and in e S. lUlefonso, Lib Virginit. B. M. d De exctl. R F., c. 9. h><. M )\ u. ■<^ 'i^t ^j M 9^ ■■) J' I' I I It 1*J6 JIKDlTATIoNrt ON TUB }^ rm ^/A7 O-.V r,v itH m m^ lovu?— Slmino and coiifusiou for us! But also repcntanco, m(\ heiicoforwurd, fri'iiucnt min, as frt-qui'iit as posHiljU-, of piuty, of (k'votioii, of anli'tit lovo f(»i' liiiu wh>m teruplcH wc aro, hy a special favour, porinittc'il to hcooiuo ! It irt through thuo, O Mary, tlirotigh thy i)oworful intercession, tliat we hope to have accoiuplished in us that saying of thy divine Son : " If any one lo\o me he will keep my Word ; aiul my Father will love him, and he will comt^ to him, and will make an ahodo with him."J In thee the L)rd chose to dwell in a wimderful man- ner,'' and he filled thee with his glory' in a more marvellous way than he formerly filled Solomon's temple. O I if we could but com- prehend the dignity to which ho raises us by nuiking us his living temples, how faithful we would be in ])reserving ourselves pure and holy; faithful in immolaliiig nature to duty on the altar of our heart, and the ti-ansitory joys of the present for the future and per- manent joys of eternity ; faithful in keeping the fire of holy love constaiitly burning there! Pray for us, that we may have that inestimable happiness. It is with all our lu^art that we beseech thee, lIousK OK Gold, vu\y fok us. Domits Aurea, ora pro nobis. € J St. John xiv. 23. » III. Kings viii. 10 ; II. Parnl. v. H. * Pa. cxxxi. 14. 'A ^%;ja:>s?5 I w m IJTAinr OK THK IILEH8KD Vlliom. 127 m i MEDITATION XXXIX. AlK Of THE OOVBNANT, PBat fot US. % i to 4* b' the magiuficout tomple of Solomon, where, we may say, all wa« goK, bo an on^blcm of Mary, what was mo.t august in that "house o the Lord,", the ark of the covenant, is a still more striking figuro of this divme Virgin. ° ° The ark was made of incorruptible wood," althon;>h it grow from H corruptible stem. And thou, O Mary, although the offspring ot a gmlty race, thou wert preserved from the original stain and beyond the reach of corruption. The ark waa overlaid within and witlumt with pure gold- it was surmounted by a golden crown, an.l closed with the mercy-scat svhich was likewise nnvde of that precious metal; two cherubim' also of gold, with their wings outspread, shaded the mercy-seat' from which the majesty of (iod gave .llrections to the chiklL of Israel.' And thou, O Mary, "full of grace,- how dazzling, how pure, how priceless is the gold wherewith thou art clothed I Wh-it a throne thou didst otter in thyself to the Lord I May we not say of thee, with St. Andrew of Crete, that "thou art the universal propitiatory of the world,"' the living sanctuary whence the Incar- nate Word pronounced the words of salvation for the whole world ? In the ark were deposited "the golden urn that had manna, the rod of Aaron that had blossomed miraadou,-li/, and the ttco tables of the lestament,"*- given to Mount Sinui. And thou, O au^u.t Virgm, thou hast had the happi.iess of conceiving and brin°in.> forth him who was made for ns the true celestial manna, "the livin° bread which came down from heaven."«r Thou hast had the infinite -i?'- J w I<^." i *■ Heb. ix. 4. « St. John vi. 51. ' !,; 128 MEDITATIONS ON TH» to 4 honour of becoming the Mother of a Son who was fbrmed in thee and born of thee by a prodigy much greater than that which struck the twelve tribes with admiration when they saw the with- ered rod of the high priest covered with fruit and flowers." Thou hast borne within thee, by an unparalleled favour, the very Author of the two tables of the law; thou art become, as it were, "the depositary of the saxjred titles of the Old and New Testaments,' the abridgment of aU the divine oracles,J the book of the divine Word, whose sacred pages are opened by the Eternal Father himself to the eyes of all the world.'"' In ancient times God inspired his people, sometimes even the Gentiles, with a profound respect for the ark of the c n^enant, by means of divers prodigies of which it was the occasion ;• before it the Israelites prostrated themsel-es to render heaven propitious,™ and its sojourn in the house of Obededom drew down on him and his household the blessing of the Lord." Before thee, O Mary, do the faithful prostrate themselves to obtain from thy divine Son the favoui-s of which they stand in need, knowing that it is through thee he is pleased to pour out his gifts on men, and that " all grace flows from thy hands."" Thousands and thousands of miracles, both in the temporal order and in that of salvation, are wrought by thee to the great admiration of the faithful; and does not thy holy image, piously venerated in Christian families, draw down upon them innumerable blessings ? Finally, who does no* see in David's solemn introduction of the ark into Jerusalem, the figure of thy glorious and triumphant assumption, O Thou! Aik oL sanctity, raised from earth to "thy resting place" in heaven,i to -it at the right hand of God,'i there to show thyself a Mother' to all who have recourse to thee? s^ h Numb. xvii. I Rnj^ert., in cap. 4 Cant. i Audi-, of Crete, Serm. de Assumpi. k Serin, de laiidib. Virg., attributed to St. EpiplianiiLs. » Exod. XXV. ; Josh. iii. vi. ; I. Kings V. vii "Josh. vii. 6. n II. Kings vi. 11. ° Bern., scnn. 3, de oomiDe Maria. P Ps. cxxxi. 8. q St. Marie xvi. 19. ' Ilymii Ave Maris Stella. LTTANY OF THE BLESSED VIEGDT. Ah! may we show ourselves true chUdren of Mary, and find in that august Ark of the new covenant a continual saTe^rd and a ource of ce estial blessings. " Whosoever neglects thf service of the Blessed Virgin," says St. Bonaventure, "runs the risk of dyin' in his sins, but whosoever honours her worthily shall be iustified shall be saved,", for she is, according to St. Peter' Chrysobgrtl; gracious Mediatnx between man and the Man-God,'^ "and if the merits of the supplicant are insufficient," adds St. Anselm, "those ^^the divine Mother who intercedes for him are accepted in his As the ark, going before the Hebrews across the Jordan, intro- duced them into the promised land, even so dost thou, O Mary conduct us m s^ety through the perilous waters of this life; thou art the hvmg^ Ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth "v Ah! undoubtedly, the covenant wherewith "the God of Maiestv"" was formerly pleased to honour Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their children, was very precious. But yet it wa. only a figure, a shadow of that wherewith the Eternal Son favoured us by becoming man m thy womb, regenerating us by his adorable blood, the merits of which he applies to us by sacred rites, which sanctify us at our birth, aid, strengthen, and console us during life, and at our laat hour encourage and prepare us for the dreadful passage to eternity. O Thou by whom aU these blessings come to us, "paradise of the new Adam,^ hvmg palace of the Most High,"y obtain for us the grace to make a holy use of them, and always to say to thee with the fervour of a faithful heart- Abk op the Covenaot, prat for us. Foederis Area, ora pro nobis. !29 lt?;icys:^ • In Ptalt. ' Serm. de Annuntiat. ■ De excellent. Virg. ' Josh. iii. 11. " Ps. xrnil. 3. * S. John Damas., Oral, de dormit. B. M y S. J. Chrys., Homil. 2, in /est. S. /oan. M Y ^M4 tj \Mi c^'^^j MEDITATIONS ON TUE \\ f^'^, m^'r^ ..) Jt; J' MEDITATION XL. eATB or HEAVBN, PBAT FOB VS. « I Asi the door," says Jesus Christ f " no man cometh to the Father but by me."" In caUing Mary the Gate of Heamen, do we not, tlierefore, attribute to her what belongs solely to the Man-God? do '.ve not transfer to the Mother some of the inalienable rights of the Son? Ah ! assuredly, the Church, " who is the pillar and the ground of truth,"" does not forget the saying of St. Paul, that as "there is Ut one God, so there is hat one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus."<> But she teaches, with St. Jerome, that "all honour paid to Mary, tends to the glory of Jesus as its end;"« and with St. Anselm, that "if Mary hath so much power, it is from Jesus she holds it, and with him she exercises it."*" It is, therefore, to the greater glory of the Man-God that the Church here invokes the Blessed Virgin as the Gate of Heaven, a title admirably adapted to that divine Mother. Was it not through Mary that heaven was, as it were, transported to earth, when she brought amongst men him whose name signifies "God withus?"8 for she had "conceived him in her heart," says St. Leo, "before she conceived him in her womb."" Was it not by her that "the good ness and kindness of our Saviour God appeared"' in human form, " Him who is the resurrection and the life,"J and whose triumphant ascension could alone introduce into the mansions of bliss even the iiolic'st souls of those who died before he "entered into his glory «"* "Was it not for Mary," says St. Augustine, " that God came visibly on earth, .0 that by her men might merit heaven?"' » St. John X. 9. b St. John xiv. 6. I Tim. iii. 15. i 1. Tim. ii. 5, 6. « Ad Eustach. f De excell Virg., c. 12. g St. Matt, i 23. h Serra. i. de Naliv. Dom. « Titus iii. 4. J St. John xi. 25. k St. Luke xxiv. 20. Sorm. 18, De tempore. i' I mw< ^. S^^J ?-7c ■■^y, Uf'^X^ ^vx^*-»: UTANl OF THE BLESSED VIEGIN. 131 And art thou not « O sweet Virgin Mary,"", an all-powerful help to those who seek thine aid, who humbly entreat thee to help them to procure admission into the regions of bliss? How justly did St Anselm say, that «'it is by thee poor exiles are called to their eter-' nal home!"" Thou dost enlighten, encourage, support them- for thou art, according to the immortal bishop of Hippo, "the Mother of all the faithful who are the members of Jesus Christ, since thou by thy chanty hast co-operated in their spiritual birth;"" and if they did not counteract, by their malice, the powerful, influence of thy benign protection, thou wouldst happUy conduct them to the po/t of salvation. It was this thought that drew from St. Antoninus after St. Anselm, those remarkable words: "As it is impossible that lie from whom thou turnest away thy merciful eyes should be saved so 19 It certain that he for whom thou dost intercede, shall obtain justification and glory. "p If, then, we have hitherto endeavoured to render ourselves pleas- ing to the Blessed Virgin, let us rejoice and bless the Lord "who inspires," says St. John Damascene, "with a tender devotion to Mary those whom he predestines for salvation.''^ Let us joyfulh- raise our eyes to the eternal paradise of pleasure: there we shall see not a cherub armed with a fiery sword, forbidding our approach as of old at the gate of Eden ; but we shall have the consolation to see a Mother, the sweetest, the most tender, the most considerate of mothers, constantly watching us with eyes of love, as we wend oui weary way through this same valley of tears once marked by her own blessed footsteps; we shall see her, with her hands stretched out towards this place of exile and probation, inviting us to trust in her protection, to do violence to ourselves in order to gain that kingdom' which the blood of her divide Son opened to our hopes and wishes. If, hitherto, we have had the misfortune either to forget Mary, or to have for her only a feeble devotion, too often belied by our works, let us deplore our ungrateful coldness, and tear the veU from »S';j VIRGIN. r 133 L^ MEDITATION XLI. UOENINO BTAfi, PBAT FOE US. hmoniAj. Morning Star! divine Mary 1 thou art a« grateful to our eyes, as thou art radiant and sparkling. If thou dost not, Hke the sun, shed torrents of light which illumine, warm and fructify all nature, thou shinest, at least, like the star which heralds the ai>. proach of that giant of the heavens !» But who can tell the beauty of that new day which thou didst an- nounce to the earth, O glorious star of Jacob," who appeared on the horizon of idolatrous humanity, " to enlighten them who sat in the shadow of death ?'"= Who can paint the happiness of the world in being able to salute thee as the herald of its deliverance, the august and holy dawn of that adorable "sun of justice,"'' who, after having, as it were, veiled his splendour in thy chaste womb, manifested him- self gloriously to the eyes of men, diffusing on all sides his radiant t>('ams, giving to those who were misled by error the light of truth, communicating to the unhappy « sons of death'« the only true Hfe,' that is, life everlasting ? Star of salvation, thou didst shine " as the' sun >vhen it shineth ;'"• thou art truly "the bright and morning 8tar"e of that blessed day when the world beheld the rise of the divine orb of its redemption and ineffable regeneration ! O be thou for ever blessed by every heart and by every tongue ! for thou wert, as it were, the inestimable pledge of the I'econciliation of earth and heaven," of our sanctification through Christ,' of our eternal salva- tion.J of our vocation to the kingdom and glory of God.^ And even now, is not that mystical Morning Stai' the pledge of « I. Kings xxvi. 16. f Eccles. 1. 7. f Apoc. xxii. 16. •" Col. i. 20. ' 1 Cor. i. 30, i Heb. v. 9. ^ 1 Thess. ii. 12 )m\ mv i iSM-W \^ \ '\ It \ 1 (i^!*t> , 1 _^ff^^il >!^^ U 134 MEDITATIONS ON THE ^ J/,7 iir W: -I'M ■Mi ^m. K^*- ■ilA> ^•0 u 'i^\ our hopes, and of our salvation? "Without Mary," says St. Bona- venture, " what should we be, unfortunate as we are ? what should become of us amid the darkness of this world, were we deprived of her mild light ?'" Alas I who knows but there are perilous moments when the light of faith appears eclipsed by thoughts contrary to her divine teachings ; moments when we feel strongly inclined towards what our will hates and despises ; when the imagination takes fire, and is induced to delight in things which the soul abhors when once the false charm is dispelled and tranquillity returns ? But if wo then raise our suppliant voice to that P ■ . " bonedicaon, she fails not to show her consoling rays, and all lo juiet. Who know^ not, too, by sad experience, that there are u.ars of bitter disgust, of consuming weariness, of dark and gloomy dejection, of profound sad- ness, when the heart seems ready to fail, if it be not sustained by a supernatural power ? But if, in those houra of gloom and despond- ency, our fervent sighs tisoend to Mary, her I'adiant brow speedily dispels the storm, and restores us to ouraelves ; for " in all the tem- pests that assail us here below," says St. Bernard, " it suffices to re- gard that tutelary Star, and we are saved from shipwreck."" Let us, then, fervently implore the assistance of Mary ; let us en- treat her to disperse " the powers of darkness,"" as the first rays of the orb of day drive back the wild beasts to their dens f let us beseech her to guide us safely over the stormy sea of this life to the shore of a happy eternity. She takes pleasure in saving the mariner who trusts in her protection ; and the grateful mariner takes pleas ure in repeating to the winds and waves the praises of " the Star of the Sea," and singing, with enthusiasm, the name of the Virgin of Safety, the Virgin of the Watch, the Virgin of Good Aid. Ah ! how much more does the sweet Mary low to sustain, to direct, to save the pious Christian who invokes her amid the storms of the heart, the storms of the mind, the storms of the senses ! And we, who have, perhaps very often, been consoled by the cheering rays of that beloved Star, ho\v grateful and how faithful should we be to I In Spec. B. M. V. " Homil. mper Missus. ^^ i UTANy OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. I35 z i::!:^ of wis;:? '^^^"'-^ '-- '^ - "^ ^-^ - *^^ ^^-^- ^ O Thou, sure refuge of the tempest-tost manner, Virgin ever help- ing, sh.c d us from the storms and quicksands of this perilous ocean on wh.ch IS launched the frail bark that bea,. our eternity, happy or unhappy. Heavy clouds, surcharged with calamity, m"; lo ler aW us, but they shall never hide thee from our bvin. eyes' btar ever radiant, ever consoling, ever protecting! following thv m. d hght, we never go astray; imploring thee, we never lose hope'- .With thy support, we cannot fail; under thy shield, no more fear- under thy guidance, no more fatigue; under thine auspices, we are' sure to gam the wished-for haven ;p and as the sea-star guides the manner to the port, so dost thou conduct Christians to glorv "" Deign, then, to work all these wondei^, Mary, on behalf of those who, in calm and in storm, will always say to thee, with tenderest love: Morning Star, pray for us. Stella Matutina, ora pro nobis. r S. Bernard, Horn. 2, sup. Misna. t S. Thomas, op. 8. Y f^ii mi ■'*!i^ ^li K*"^ i J' 1 ■Kt w' i ui rR«iij „. _ im ^m 1 1. m' ^j Li m ^j ■5^^ MEDITATION XLII. HEALTH OP THB WEAK, PBAT FOE UB. SuF*T.RiNG8 1 they are the lot of humanity. For one child of Adam ^vho advances lightly and cheerily on the road of life there are a thousand who drag their lingering steps along, a prey to disease or infirmity, more or less painful, now sighing in sadness or dejection, and again, groaning aloud in anguish. But in the midst of this mournful concert of human lamentations, there is heard one name-a name of sweetness and of majesty-a name of strength and consolation to the suffering Christian : and that name, piously invokted, soothes pain, restores strength, re- lieves and even cures the most inveterate evils, the most incurable maladies: that name is the divine name of Mary. And to when I after Jesus, could the suffering Christian so fitly apply? Ah! did not Mary learn to pity while contemplating the long and bitter sut- ferings of her adorable Son on the ignominious tree ? Did she not, at the foot of the cross, receive from his divine lips, as an inalienable inheritance, all the faithful, in the person of the beloved disciple?* Has she not, ever since, gathered us all, with ineffable tenderness, into the sweet embrace of her incomparable charity ? . . . And they who invoke that heavenly Mother in their weakness, do they not know that her power equals her love ? . . It is only in certain places that the devotion of nations has raised monuments of gratitude and devotion to other saints ; but to Mary it is all over the Christian world. Who has not heard of those fa- mous shrines dedicated to that divine Mother, and who has had the happiness of visiting any of them, without being piously moved by the sight of the innumerable testimonials of corporal favoui-s ob- B] I \fM m § 5 h LTTANY OF THB BI.TiSSED VIRGIN. 137 ^Z^\ i tained tlirough her intercession ? . . . Inscriptions dictated hy grati- t« 3; divers gifts offered at her altar; human limbs of gold or sil /er, laid at her feet as trophies of her power over diseases which defeated the art of man ; wooden crutches which had supported her supplicants as they dragged their helpless limbs to the holy pkco where they were healed by her intercession, hung np around the sacred walls, as a simple and touching homage to her glory: oh! how eloquently do these speak to faith 1 what lively confidence they excite in her whom the Church justly styles the Health of the Weak/ '' Doubtless, she does not always obtain for us what we ask, because the accomplishment of our wishes, far from being conducive to our true happiness, which is that of the other world, would be often pre- judicial to it. But still that Mother of grace becomes our health in infirmity; still, if the suppliant heart interposes no voluntary ob- stacle, she obtains for it the grace to make its sufferings available to salvation ; she clothes it with patience and fortitude, fills it with res ignation and tranquillity, during the long, sleepless nights and weari some days ; still does she penetrate him with the sentiment which animated the holy man Job when he exclaimed, "That this mav be my comfort, that, afliicting me with sorrow, he spare me not in this place of probation, nor I contradict the words of the Holy One !'"' And when, at the appointed time, the last hour arrives, to them who suffer under the auspices of Mary, it is neither terrifying nor torturing, but peaceful and serene, like the joyful transition from the toil of battle to the reward of victory, from " this valley of tears"" to that magnificent kingdom where " God hirmelf shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."'' Let us, then, apply, with entire confidence, to the Blessed Virgin, in all the corporal ailments wherewith God permits us to be afflicted ; and let us never fail to solicit her intercession with the adorable Jesus, remembering those words of St. Bernard : " God has given her absolute power in heaven and on earth ; he has placed in her C>V •• Apoc. vii. 17. XT^i^^ \ te- 'S MV w. \ ^n i art might say w ith still more justice than tiio great Apostle, " W. j is weak, and I am not weak ?"» praises be to thee for that thou dost so often, and in such au admirable man- ner, display thy power for the relief or the cure of our corporal suf- i^^'ifW ferings. Ah ! thou art for all of us a never-failing resource, whilst the pool of Bethesda healed only at times, and none but the one favoured person who first went into it after its waters had he Ji troubled by the Angel of the Lord.*" We bless thy divine Son for that " a virtue goes out from tliee, and heals all ;"' and we beseech thee to manifest it especially fur us at that final hour when we are about to enter upon eternity. O sweet Virgin, who " vouchsafes to receive with maternal kindness the last sigh of him who confidently commends himself to thee,"J grant that, at our last moment, we may experience, in all its extent, the eflficacy of that pious invocation of the Church : IIealth of the Weak, pbat fok us. iSalus Infirmarum, orapro nobis. i « Serm. I., rup. salm. f I. Cor. XV. 31. f II. Cor. xi. 29. h St. John V. 4. ' St. Luke vi. 19. J S. Jerome, ep. 2 ai.ffiM- joct of rei)roiu;h and accuaation." But did not his sweet Mother par- ticipate his sentiments more intimately than any other creature? and, ascending to heaven, did she not carry with her to that blessed abode that heart always so good, so sensibly interested for tho sal- vation of souls, redeemed by blood which she knows to bo beyond jdl price ? " Iler mercy," says St. Bonaventure, " did but increase •vith her glory ; now that she reigns with Jesus, that compassion of hers is so much tho greater, as she sees more clearly the unhappy state of men"'' who disregard tho admirable mystery of redemption. Honce it is that the holy doctoi-s, speaking of her corapassionato kindness to sinners, extol it beyond measure. St. Ephraim calls htT " the most powerful resource of all sinners, the sure haven of all who have suffered shipwreck."* "Thou art their only hope, O Mary 1" exclaims St. Augustine.' " I consent to speak no more of thy mercy," says St. Bernard, "if ever any one could sjiy that ho asked it in vain !"« " O Mary I" cries St. Bonaventure, " the sinner, were he oven the outcant of the world, is never rejected by thee ; but thou dost welcome him with maternal kindness, and quittest him not till thou haat reconciled him to his dreadful Judge l""" Admiration, praise, eternal benediction to that God who has left such an asylum for the miserable transgressor of his lawsl Confl- dence, boundless, unfailing confidence in Mary, whether we beseech her to obtain forgiveness for our sins, the conversion of our brethren, or the cure of our spiritual infirmities. Confidence, once more, in Mary, when discouragement or even despair threatens to destroy our good resolutions and our virtuous inclinations ; let us, therefore, ex- claim with the Chuich, "Hail, holy Queen! Mother of mercy! om- life ! our sweetness ! and our hope 1"' As the Apostle St. Peter saw, m a vision, a vast number of unclean creatures purified by the power of God and taken up to M i » St. Matt. ix. 11 ; St. Lake vii. 34. <• Fn Specul. B. V., c. 6. • De laudib. B. V. ^ Serm. de Annuntiat, f Serm. de Assumpt. •ij nu. «."• t § > Mr ^y ^lA LIIANT OF THB BLES8BD VIEGIIT. HI heaven,J so do we see, O Mary, with admiration, a multitude of souls defiled by sin, converted thi-ougL thy intercession, cleansed from their sins, and " brought to the haven of eternal sahatirniy A.h ! thou art truly, for the greatest sinners, a more secure asylum than was the fortress of Bethsura for the Jews of old " who had for- saken the law ;'" surer than the altar of which Adonias "took hold" in order to escape the vengeance of King Solomon."" Many and many a time might the just Judge, appeased by thy mediation, say to thee as David said to Abigail : " Thou hast kept me to-day from coming to blood, and revenging me with my own hand."" How often haat thou deigned to " be mindful of" the little acts of homage done thee by those who might well be likened to the sinful "Rahab, or the children of Babylon,"" and saved them from the gulf of per- dition. Multiply, O Mary ! multiply unceasingly these instances of thine admirable goodness to so many poor, misguided sinnera who are hastening to everlasting destruction; they are, by the close bonds of Christian charity, as it were, "members of ourselves,"? and hence it is that we say to thee, Eefuge of Sinners, pray fob us. I^fugivim Peccatorum, ora pro nobis. Vfimf Y i Acts X. k Ps. cvi. 30. > I Mac. X. 14. "•III. Kings i. .50. " I. Kings XXV. S8. " Ps. Ixxxvi. 4. f I. Cor. xii. at. '>Srt^" I e ^&^ MEDITATIONS ON THJB MEDITATION XLIV. ;M lai^f Ui COMFOET or THK AFFLICTED, PBAT FOE UB. Where are the souls without affliction, hearts without anguish, or eyes without tears ? This world is for man but a school of misfor- tune, where he must learn to rise to God, to humble himself before him,' to pray to him, m<\ to aspire to a better world, to the felicity of heaven; and to all the many sorrows of life is added the natural horror of death, which is, nevertheless, inevitable, and, meeting us at every turn under divers forms, seem to say, "Your turn will soon come." Ah ! if we only considered the griefs, the cruel decep- tions, the profound sorrows, the inconsolable mournings, the heart- rending cares, known to God alone, should we not be tempted to exclaim, in the words of Bossuct, "Sad it is that we must live!" But for us. Christians, God, in his admirable, goodness, has deigned to prepare, aide by side with these troubles, an inexhausti- ble source of ineffable consolation: it is the heart of Mary— a heai-t full of compassion; the heart of a Mother, such as never was or never shall be here below ; the heart of a Mother who identifies hei-self with her children, who in some measure forgets herself to "weep with them that weep,"" and to reUeve, by the most tender attentions, the various ills wherewith they are afflicted. O Mary ! what a precious gift art thou from God to us, who mourn and weep in this valley of tears.'' Beloved Mother, the very remembrance of thee is enough to lighten the load of sorrow which oppresses the heart, to assuage the bitterness with which it is filled to ovei-flowiiig, to heal its most inveterate and most painful wounds! Thou wert thyself so grievously afflicted, thou so holy, thou the august Mother of our God ; thou hadst to draw a chalice • Bom. xii. 15 /I UTAKT OF THB BLESSED VIRGIN 143 rr?a^^«r far beyond aU buman power to bear; thou wert plunged into an ocean of inconceivable affliction ! And yet, even in thy greatest extremity, thou wert so calm, so resigned, so entirely given up to the divine will. Where is the sinner (and we are aU sinners) that does not feel relieved in his affliction, seeing that thou, notwith- standing thine innocence, hadst to bear the fuU measure of human grief, and to undergo the most excruciating tortures? Who is there, besides, that does not feel a sentiment of pious consolation, thinking of all thy maternal tenderness for us, thy lively sympathy,' thy devotion, thine ever-active and compassionate charity ? Yes, our divine Mother has for us, unhappy as we are, an expan- sive and benevolent tenderness beyond our reach of comprehension. The celestial Spouse compares the sweetness, the gentleness ex- pressed in all her words while on earth, to every thing sweetest in nature. "Thy lips," says he, " are as a dropping honeycomb, honey and milk are under thy tongue."" And, elsewhere, wishing to excite our admiration of Mary's ravishing sweetness, he is, as it were, captivated by it himself. " Arise, my love, my beautiful one and come, let thy voice sound in my ears, for thy voice is sweet."'' Hence St. Bernard might well say that " she was all benignity, aU goodness, that she made herself all to all, and showed unto all a superabundant charity ."« " O Mary !" exclaims that holy doctor, " O Mother, inexpressibly amiable, still and always does tiiy name penetrate the heart with a holy emanation of that divine sweetness wherewith the Lord enriched thy fair soul I"*" " No, no," adds St. Antoninus, "there is not one amongst the saints in heaven who compa'^ionates our miseries like that blessed Virgin Mary."« Let us then apply to that heavenly comforter in all our troubles, especially our spiritual troubles; let us pour them forth into her maternal heart, she will not betray our confldnuce, for " she is the sweetest relief for anguish," says St. John Damascene, " the surest remedy for moral sufferings."'' Who could measure, O blessed Virgin, " the breadth, and length, = Cunt. iv. 11. d Cant. ii. 13, 14. • Serm. de Verbis Apoc. Signum magnum. f Serm. Paneg. B. M. V. e P. 4, t. 15, c. 2 •• Orat. 2 de dormit, Beip. m ■MM mm ^A It fi Mlk\^\^ '^/^l' )^^^ '(^r V and height, and depth'" of thy merciful goodness! "From thim infancy mercy grew up with tJiee, and it came out with thee from thy Mother's, womb ,"J it was for men, before the foundation of the Church, like the morning-star in the clouds; after, like the full- orbed moon; and since thon hast ascended to heaven, it has shone with all the splendour of the glorious sun. O Thou ! whom we love to call, after God, "the comfort of our life," our hope in the day of affliction,''^ thou whom the Lord employs to change our grief and mourning into joy, as he formerl} made use of the pious Esther to succour and console his people, be also our sipport in our sufiferings and our desolation ! We wiU approach thee with that lively faith, that sincere piety, which ought to distinguish thy true servants. Grant always that sighs and teai-s, sorrow and suifering and tribula- tion, may be profitable to all who say to thee, in the fullness of their filial affection: COMFOBT OF THE AFFLICTED, PRAY FOB US. Cbnsolatrix AJfticiorum, ora pro nobis. i A 'Mt^ ■mi * Ephes. iii. 18. j Job xxxi. 18. >^ Tobias x. 4. > Jerem. xriL 11. m M ClU „ ' i sji ij> 'IK 'f I'M fi 5r 145 MEDITATIONS ON TUE m I* t*ft? •X:^''^^ victory was referred to tbee by the conqueror himself, who, on the moruing of the action, having assisted at the holy eacnfice and participated in the divine mysteries, had encouraged his officers by promising them the assistance of heaven through thine lUtGrCGSSlOD. Thirty years after, the Emperor Charles VI. obtains a signal victory over the same enemies of the Christian name, on the day «hon thy protection, O divine Virgin, was solemnly invoked for tim in Rome! and, very soon after, on the octave-day of thy glorious Assumption, Corfu hails thee with joyful acclamations for having put to flight the infidels by whom it was besieged. A^i<3 1. Cor. X feerm. 61. in CVn/, 4 12. ^ Wisdom V. 20, • Judith xvi. 20 Pb. IXXT. 4. MEDITATIONS ON TItB MEDITATION XLVI. QDEEN OP AN0EL8, PEAT FOE V» Let us rise on the wings of faith to that immortal country where God himself is the infinite reward of the just," and renders to every man according to his works.'* What shall we see there? The thrones of pontiflfe, martyrs, apostles, prophets, patriarchs, and our eyes will contemplate with delight, with ecstacy, that vision of grandeur and glory. But in vain would we look for Mary there. Let us go still higher, even up to the choirs of angels ; the cheru- bim, the seraphim, all those "thousands of thousands"" of pure spirits who shine before "the holy of holies"'' like changeless suns; is it there that the Virgin by excellence enjoys her beatitude? No, no, higher, higher still. Above angels and archangels, near the throne of the glorified Man-God, another throne will meet our dazzled eyes, another throne only lower than that of Jesus, and loftier than those of all the heavenly powers ; and on that throne sits a daughter of Eve invested with glory only less than that of Jesus, but richer, more entrancing than that of even the highest angels of the heavenly hierarchy ; it is the most Blessed Virgin, the ■eator'a masterpiece, the Queen of AngeU. " She is, in fact," says St. Epiphanius, " above all beings, except God alone."' "Her dignity as Mother of the Creator," says St. John Damascene, " makes her the Queen of aU creatures."*" " She who is entitled to call God her Son," exclaims St. Bernard, " must necessarily be superior to all the choirs of angels. Ah ! do homage, ye heavenly spirits, to the Mother of your divine King, ye who I • Gen. XV. 1. «> St. Mat. xvi. 27. Dan. vii. 10. <> Dan. ix. 24. • De laudih. Virg. Lib. 4 Fidei orthod., c.l5. P A ol //y^ y< 1 St tb al ^K ht 1 w 1 5J. S^SI i?:^ o« f-:^^ l^ \iiiiji\ft>^ vr^^ i I LITANy OF TUB BLESSED VIllGIN 149 I adore the blessed fruit of our beloved Virgin's womb 1"« « Jesus " Bays St. Antoninus, " has placed on hor head a diadem of glory and magnificence, which makes the angels themselves subject to this divine Queen."'' And was it not this future greatness and glory of the Blessed Virgin that the archangel Gabriel honoured beforehand, when he saluted her with so much veneration, and in terms so pompous and magnificent? Veneration and honour lawfully due to her who was to be invested with the admirable quality of beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father, beloved Mother of the Son, beloved Spouse of the Holy Ghost, and who was to be raised by her divine maternity above all the powers of earth and heaven. Moreover, how could the celestial messenger fail to recognize "his Queen in her whom he saluted as Mother of his divine King?'" And if the angels are infinitely inferior to the human nature of the Incarnate Word, for St. Paul says, '^To which of the angels hath God said at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?"J why should they not be inferior to her who could likewise say to that same Jesus, Thou art my Son," I bore thee in my "womb, and nourished thee ?'" But who then is this creature of such exalted dignity, before whom the angels bow down penetrated with respect and admirar tion, this creature whom they hasten to serve, repeating in a trans- port of holy joy, " Rule thou eternally over us and thy Son ?"™ . . . Ah ! it is the humble daughter of Anne and Joachim, it is the obscure Virgin once betrothed to a poor mechanic ; it is the pitiable young Mother who found in Bethlehem only a stable, a crib, a little straw whereon to place her new-born infant, who was forced to fly her native land and take refuge in a strange country to save the precious life of her adorable child, who lived always simple, always hidden, even after the glorious resurrection and ascension of her divine Son. The way to glory, solid glory, the only glory worthy the name, eternal glory, is, then, the way of humility in this Y "crvsy €J It Homil. super Missus est. " Serm. de AummjH, ' St. Athan.. Serm. de Deip. J Heb. i. 5. k Heb. i. 5. ' II. Mac. vii. 2T ■"Judg. viii. 22. f-iP i 'I ^^^^p?a^ ^,^<^ fiMv 150 \S dj ,\IKDITATI0N9 ON TIIB world. To be little in the eyes of others, little in one's own eyes, nnd great before the Lord, by a simple, unostentatious virt.no, this is the precious secret which Mary teaches us by her life, aa Jesus teaches it by his divine precepts and his divine example, aa he remains ever before our eyes in the ineifable mystery of the Eucha- rist. Let us imitate him, let us imitate his divine Mother, and humble ourselves that we may be eternally exalted." " Hail, Queen of lloaven enthroned, Hail, by angels mistress own'd !'"> What is tuere, after God, so great aa thee, who received infinite majesty into thy womb, thee whom that infinite majesty vouchsafed to obey! "Miracle on both sides," justly observes St. Bernard. "In the Sou a miracle of humility, in the Mother a miracle of greatness and elevation !"? O Mary ! Queen of Angels, vouchsafe to be mindful of thy servants on earth, look down on them with pitying love and kindness, as afflicted brethren, unfortunate chil- dren. Deign to assist us, to keep us ever in the way of salvation, till the moment of our final departure from this world of trial ; vouchsafe to send our angels to visit and console us if we arc con- demned by divine justice to the temporary fire of expiation, and plead for us that we may be speedily admitted into heaven. May we merit these inestimable favours by constantly saying with sincere devotion: f QUKBN OF ANOBLS, PEAT FOR US. Regina Angelorum, ora pro nobis. % • St. Matt, xxiii. 12. " Hymn Ave, Eeg. eal. P Hoinil 1 super Missus est i: (U m UTANir OF xiiK uucaaKi) vimiti. 15! ^< i MEDITATION XLVII. QOBBN Of PATBIAB0H8, PBAT FOB UU. Q Oy earth, the holy patriarchs had "saluted from afar"a with a lively faith, a sweet and firm hope, that wondrous woman whom the Lord had announced, m the beginning, as about to bring forth the Saviour of the world. In heaven they offered her, with unequalled joy, the .•.bu e of their love and veneration, as having, through Jesus, iitro- tlu<-(Hl them « into the everijisting dwellings.'"' Fii-st, it is Adam who admires and bleLs in Mary the new Evo the true "Mother of all the living,'- whose heel l.vs crushed tl^ head ot the mfernal serpent,- the seducer of the first Eve; she whose divine Son came to repair the primitive fall in so marvellous a man- ner that the Church cries out in the fervour of her gratitude «0 h'xppy transgression ! which obtained fur us a Redeemer so great und so admirable !"« ° After Adam, Noah, chosen to be the second father of mankind doomed to perish in the deluge, contemplates with .leli^dit h.r whom the Church calls "our life and our hope ;"^ Abraham, who did not hesitate to sacrifice to God liis only son, on whose life naf.rally depen.led the existence of the people destined to bring forth the Messiah, Abraham honours and praises with transport the Mother of the adorable only Son of whom Isaac waa the symbol « and m whom "all the nations of the earth have been blessed''" according to the promises of God. Then it is Ja^b who celebrates the glory of that exceUent Virgin, of whom was born on earth "the salvation of the Lord,"' the object of his most ardent wishes. Again " Gen. iii. 15. " Rom. Miss., Holy Sat. f Salv. Reg t Heb. xi. 19. '' Gen. xxii. 17, 18, • Gen. xlix. 18. m •-» ^ 'iffi^ ■ UMMi ' M., t *| J.- »"i^ £/ 152 MKUITAl'IONS ON Tna mv KA,", ^i it iri Joseph, the Saviour of Ji^jypQ who renders soloran horaugo to tho Mother of " the Saviour of the worlil,"^ whose sanct'ty, suflferings atitl glory wtsro so admirably prefigured l>y his own innocence, mis- fortunes, and Hul)se([ueut elevation; Moses, too, admires and extols her who has since given to the world " tho divine Prophet, like unto Jii/nf^ like him, legislator, miracle-worker, and liberator; in a word, all "the chief fathers and heads" of the elect of tho Ix)rd, now happy inhabitants of the heavenly Jerusalem,'" all delight to acknowledge that it w through fiku the immn-tal diadem encircles their radiant brow, crying lo her for ever: "Thy dominion is of truth, and meek- ness, anil justice; and thy right hand shall conduct thee wonder- fully !"" IJut what was it that merited for them this inestimable crown ? Their fidelity to God, their faith itt the future K(;deemer, and their desire to "see /tw day,"" — fidelity, faith, desire, which had attained the highest degree of perfection in tho soul of tho Blessed Virgin before she was favoured with the blissful embassy from above. If, for instimce, the faith and fidelity of Abraham were little less than miraculous, how must it be with Mary, elevated so high in heaven above that holy patriarch, in heaven where each takes precedence according to his merit 1 If Abraham so longed to see the coming of Christ, how intense must have been that same desire in the soul of her of whom St. Proclus said, that " no patriarch could in any way be compared to her !"p For us, O ineffable happiness I we have not to desire, we have but to enjoy ; we have not only the sweet consolation of hope, but tho delicious fruit of reality. Jesus came " from heaven ;i he hath visited the earth;''''' he hath enlightened, sanctified, and saved it, endowed it with gifts tho most magnificent, and spiritual resources the most precious. Still more, he has fixed his dwelling "in this valley of tears,"' which would have been but too highly favoured by possessing him for some years, nay, moments Alas ! and we are m m i Gen. xli. 45. k St. John. iv. 42. ' Deut. xviii. l."), 18. "I. Paral. viii. 28 " Ps. xliv. 6. •» St. John viii. 56. P Orat. 5, in S. Deip. 1 St. John iii. 13. ' St. Luke i. 78. ■ Salv. Reg. li 'I I m i m rogardle«,of his contmual «,ul adorable presence; n,.,l wo neglect to v^.t tlu^ d,v.ne guoBt who neerns to forget himself, and to make it /.w dehght to be with the children of men !"« Oh ! might it not bo truly Haul of us what John the Baptist naid of the Jowh, conten.no- ranes of the d.vine Jesu«: "There standeth one in the mid.stof you whom you know not; the latchet of whoso shoo I am not worthy to loose ?"" '' O Mary! "sweet hope of the patriarchs,"" who didst possess in a raarmer so intmiato. Him who was their "desire," make us appre- ciate the infinite haj.piness that wo enjoy in possessing him oui-selves together with all the graces of which he is the inexhmistiblo source' As the Messiah to come had been the centre of thy most ardent wishes, so the Messiah, when he did come, was the centre of all thine affections; and ho has been, under thine auspices, the only object of the love and devotion of those illustiious founders of reli- gious orders known in the Church as the Patriarchs of the New Testament. May it be so with us, O tUvine Mother ! May our faith especially become so lively, that we may clearly see and sensibly feel that, by the adorable mystery of the continual presence of Jesus on our altars, '^ earth becomes a heaven,"* and that the holy Eucharist ought to be the chief object of our thoughts, desires, and affections! In order that we may faithfully discharge this pious duty to the glory of thy divine Son, QuKKN OF Patriarchs, pray for us. liegina Pairiarcharum, ora pro nobis. • Prov. viii. 31. ■ St. John I. 26, 27 * St Ephraim, de Laudib B. V. ' S. Chrys., Hotnil. 24, in I. Cor. ''^^MiM^ M\ I MEDITATION XLVIII. QUKEN OF PBOPHETS, PBAT FOB US. ./I ^{A 1 ^:! C^' m 'M LiviNa prodigies of supernatural knowledge, the prophets of old drew the most perfect picture of the Messiah, many ages before- hand. " The most ancient made, as it were, the first sketch ; those who came after them successively finished the imperfect work of their predeceasors. The nearer they came to the event, the more lively became their colours ; and when the picture was completed, the last, as he withdrew, pointed out the holy Precursor who was to say, " Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world !"» But while painting the several stages of the Saviour's mortal life, the divers charactei-s of his person and ministry, the marvellous fruits of his mission, could they not perceive the august Mother of that Man-God, that admirable daughter of Eve, whose glorious co- operation in ihe salvation of the world had been announced by the Lord himself at the very beginning I** Ah ! undoubtedly the sweet and majestic figure of Mary must often have made their hearts throb as they wrote the prophetic his- tory of her divine Son ; how often must this have been the case with David," Ezechiel,** Isaiah,"^ who were favoured with special revelations of the greatness of the Virgin-Mother ! Now that they behold her glory unveiled, in the mansions of eternal bliss, now that they see her crowned as " universal sovereign of every creature,"*" how joyfully do they render homage to their heavenly Queen ! how profoundly do they venerate the excellence • Letters of M. Drack, a converted rabbitt. •> Gen. iii. 15 m m w m mil \i^\ LITANY OP THE BLESSED VIRGIN. m Ni » 156 ofjhe divme lights wherewith she herself waa favoured bj the It was only on certain phases of the Redeemer's life that each of be prophets wa. enlightened: but thou, Queen of Prophets, thou didst embrace the whole co.rse of their predictions, thou didst pen etrate their whole meaning, according to the thought of St. Liguori ■« thou kist seen and heard what they desired to see and hear t^ The prophets animated by the sacred fire of inspiration, reached an ele- vation of thought and tone which charms and astonishes us in their joy m God thy Saviour,, thou hast composed, in his honour, a hymn of gratitude, m which we find a fullness of feeling, a sublimity of ex- pression, a divine enthusiasm, far exceeding these ancient or.acles of the Most High! Thou didst predict, thou, the poor and rulle daugh er of the tribe of Juda, that "all generations should call thee )Iessed: an astonishing prophecy which all ages and all nations l.ave constantly fulfilled for eighteen cituries! Thou didst like wise foretell the future destiny of the Church, the true people of (.0(1, the true Israel which the Lord "hath received, being mindful ot his mercy; as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed," which is to last "for ever;'" and the perp. -al combats the perpetual triumphs of the Church have ever since testified' the divinity of the inspiration which dictated the words ! " How happy are we," says the great bishop of Meaux, speakin- in this connection; "how happy are we, in that God has vouchsafed to bind himself to us by promise ! He might have given us what he would; but why promise it to us, if not, as Mary said, to trans- mithis mercy from age to age;'"" that mercy so admirably mani- fested by the coming of the Messiah, who himself promises to preserve his work "even to the consummation of the world."" Let us rest, with unshaken faith, on liis divine word : "heaven and earth shall pass away, but it shall not pass away."" Let us profit by the 8 Serm. on the Sorrows qf Ifary. '• St. Luke X. 24. ' St. Luke i. 35. J St. Luke i. 47. k St. Luke i. 48. ' Ibid. 54, 55, *" Elev. sur les Myst. " St. Mat. xxviii. 20, « St. Mat. xxiT. 35. I5i ''in '■I i-^a f UQ MEDITATIONS ON THE fmv :m ^ \m faithful accomplishment of Mary's prophecy and her Son's promise, from the dawn of Ch-istianity to the present day, in order to revive our confidence in tLf other words of the Holy Gospel ; and let us give ourselves wholly up to the blessed hopes of faith, wherein we ought " to drown all the false hopes with which this world seeks to amuse us."p In the ecstasy of thy gratitude to the Lord, the future was opened to thine eyes, O Mary, and thou didst announce the pious and sol- emn worship wherewith " all generations" were to honour thee, together with the perpetuity of the Church, which is to live, and struo'gle, r.nd triumph, "even to the consummation of the world." Ah ! it is with sweet consolation that we behold the marvellous ful- filment of thy words, through the lapse of so many ages ; it is with heartfelt joy that we recognize in thee, with St. Basil, her whom Isaiah had designated under the title of "prophetess,"'! and to whom " the seers of Israel' give testimony"' in their predictions regarding the divine Kedeemer. O thou whom David calls "the glorious daughter of the king, clothed round about with varieties !'" vouch- safes" to obtain for us that we may always join our feeble voices in the universal concert which proclaims thee " blessed ;" to rest always on the infallible oracles of the Gospel; never to let ourselves be shaken either by scandals or by persecutions, but to " persevere faitJir fiiMy to the end,"" in the faith and works which she alone inspires. Queen of Prophets, pray for us. Begina PropJietarum, ora pro nobis. t1 i^ ^^ 'iWhZ jl 9 Bossuet, Mlev. mr Us Myst. '^i, q In, Is. prqph., c. 8. ' Is. X3CX. 10. • Acts X 43. t Ps. xliv. 15. " St Matt X. 22. fe '■X'i^i* M Wi h UTANT OF aifE BLESSED VIRGIN. m w m^ p MEDITATION XLIX. QHBBN OF APOSTLES, PBAT FOE US. What the most learned philosophers, the most eloquent oiatory, the ablest and most powerful men never thought of undertaking ; nay, what they could never have accomplished, even if they had dared to attempt it, twelve poor fishermen of Galilee, without any human resource, not only undertook, but happily accomplished. The Apostles divided the world amongst themselves for conquest, to establish -'all ov.;r the earth a new worship, a new sacrifice, a new law, promulgated by Jesus, crucified in Jerusalem. All the mducement they had to offer was this: Come and serve Jesus; whosoever gives himself to Him shall be happy after his death ; but in the me'.n time he must undergo all manner of sufierin"."* And, to preach this doctrine, they brave torments, nay, death itself; and they "draw all things to themselves,^^^ and soon the whole heathen world adores Jesus and follows his Gospel. Divine zeal, divine devotion, and, undoubtedly, divine success ! But what part had Mary in this great work, to merit the title of Qtieen of Apostles ? Ah! that august Virgin, who had a right to that title from the very pre-emmence of her divine maternity, con- tributed wonderfully to the formation, increase, and support of the infant Church. Do we not see her, in the beginning, during that pious retreat by w-hich the Apostles prepared themselves, according to the Saviour's recommendation, to "receive the power of the Holy Ghost,"" do we not see her " persevering in prayer with them .^""^ " And who could suppose," says St, Antoninus, " that she did not receive with " Bossnet, Panegyric on St, Andrew. >> St John xii. 32. I ^1 « St. Luke xxiv. 49 ; Acts i. 8. ^ Acts i. 14. ^U^ ^•sssff- gr <]^ \^ fiMv 1'*-%^ u^ ^ ia=«y 158 MEDITATIONS ON THE them, on the day of Pentecost, the marvellous gifts wherewith they were all endowed by the Holy Ghost, in order that nothing might be wanting to complete her greatness ?"* " Yes, truly," observes St. Thomas, " the Blessed Virgin was plenteously endowed with the gift of wisdom, the gift of miracles, and the gift of prophecy.'" Doubtless, she was not to exercise the ministry of the Apostles ; but all these graces were bestowed on her as appendages due to her dignity as Mother of God ; could such a mother, in so far as com- ported with her sex, be left inferior to those who called themselves " the servants of Jesus,"8 and of whom St. Anselm and St. Bonaven- ture did not hesitate to say "that they were the disciples of her who brought him forth.'"* And, in fact, it was Mary who must have revealed to the Apostles all those circumstances of the mysteries which could not have come under their cognizance, and which they Avere yet to make known to the world; it was she who had to furnish them with the precious and consoling deta'ls of the hidden life of Jesus ; for, according to the words of the Gospel, "she kept all these things, pondering them in her heai't,"' " in order," says Venerable Bede, " that wlien the time came, she rai<^ht communicate them to the Apostles and Evangelists."J And how can we doubt that she was their teacher and preceptress when St. Ambrose said that *' it was from her St. John, that sublime eagle, derived his high and admirable notions of the divinity of the "Word J"*" But she is still more entitled to be called Queen of AposUes from her benign influence on the spread of the Gospel. Her example was an effective lesson : was she not, in a word, the most faithful image of the divine Jesus, "the most striking reflex of his life?'" says St. Laurence Justinian. Her discourse had a marvellous « IV. Part, tit. XV., c. 19. •■ III. Part, i, q. 27. art. 5. g St. Jai csi. 1 : II. PuIit i. 1 ; Jude i. •> S. Anselra, de Conccp Virg., c. 27 ; S. Bonaven., in psalt. min. in Prec. ' St. Luke ii. 19. J Homil. in Luc, cap. 2. k Lib. de institut. Virg., c. 7 ; Prcef, in Joan. ' De triumph agon. Christ, \i I 4s' i i 1 m LITANT OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 159 efficacy: it is written that "from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaketh,"- and the "heart of Mary was," says St Ber- nardine, "a furnace of divine love."" Her prayers were at once the purest, the most humble, the most fervent; and who can tell with what zeal and fervour that divine Mother begged of Heaven the development of her Son's great work ? In imitation of Mary, let us ever concrr, as far as we are able in promotmg the interests of the Church, and assisting the pious missionaries who still carry on the work of the first apostles Let us be apostles ourselves, by our example, our discourse, our co-operation in good works, so that "the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in «*."» O Mary, whom Jesus left on earth after his glorious ascension to exercise a zeal more than apostolic, "to be the strength and support of his Church ;"P thou who didst not only participate in all the gifts which the Apostles received from Heaven, but wast also tlieir light and their model, oh! how justly art thou called the Queen of those twelve lieroea whose names are written in the foun- dations of " the holy city."-. May thy heart, so zealous for the glory of Jesus, communicate to ours some sparks of that sacred fire which pious souls always seek to diffuse around them! Grant at least that, by a good and holy life, "owr light may so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father who is in heaven."' Queen of Apostles, pbay fob us. Regina Apostolorumy ora pro nobis. iTjaAW P Bos., Serm. sur PAssompt, 1 Apoc. xxi. 10, U. ' St. Matt. r. 16. n: MKDITATI0N8 ON TUB \ fiMv Cr. if^V ^:<., i \ MEDITATION L. QUEEN OF MABTYE8, PEAT FOE 08. Who will give U9 to describe the sorrows of the Vii'gin-Mother in suitable terms? O Mary! how well mightest thou say that thy ufBiction was "great as the sea."» Attt'nJ and see if there be any sorrow " like unto my sorrow !'"* We are moved by the sight of blood, we cannot view with indif- ference that of one of our fellow-ci-eaturcH shed by violence; we suffer cruelly if it be that of a friend, still more if it be that of a brother; more, ah! much more, if it l)e that of a loving and be- loved son. But, if it be the most tender of mothers who has to witness that sad spectacle, how nmeh deep, r and more acute is the feeling ! And, if the son whom she sees immolated be an oidy scm, endowed with the rarest qualities, ah! no human tongue could express the extremity of that moral suffering. Thou wei-t that Mother, O Mary ! Jesus was that only Son, that incomparable Son at whose execution thou hadst to assist. O thou, whom the Church so aptly styles, " the Mother of sorrow,"' tell us— for we can neither feel nor describe it— tell us how sharp the sword was which pierced thy heart,-* at every stroke of the hammer when Jesus was nailed to the Cross ; tell us how great waa thine anguish, what a long and fearful agony was thine, when, for three houi-s, thou wert forced to contemplate that most amiable Son 80 cruelly suspended on an infamous gibbet. Or rather be silent, O divine Mary! keep up that silence, so heroic, so eloquent, so sublime, which thine immense grief imposed on itself on Calvary; that superhuman silence tells us more, infinitely more, than all the .^ » Lament, ii. 13 b Lament i. 12. <■ Stabat. <« St. Luke ii. 35 BBt^^wf*.- w,i m m ^9i LITANY OF 'XlIE BLESSED VIUGIN. J^j cries, all the groans, all the sobs of a desolate mother ! . . Oh » how willingly wouhlst thou have given tliy life for his- whaf a 7 tioa it would have been for tie at Lt to ^^^iL t^^S:!^:: lus But no,itwas nece,wy that thou shouhbt be' 1 e 1 martyr,' according to St. Bernard,e and St. Bonaventure m" sut^ ing all that must naturally have killed thee, with the ce^aiTtr^ t death would not come to terminate thy inexpressible torme^s Thus It was that thou wert to win the glorious title of gJllf Si V r r' of excess of thy suffering., compld lil > which St Anselm estimates lightly all the sufferings of all the heroes of Christianity.', who, nevertheless, « enduref scourging ^ chains, and imprisonment, were stoned, sawed asunder, tortured in every possible way, they of whom the world wa.s not Worthy "' But Calvary was not the only scene of the Virgin's martyrdom When the sacreu body of our Lord had been taken down from the Cross tradi ion says that it was laid in her arms before bein^ con- m the heart of such a mother at such a moment? To hold in her rs^ arms the inanimate body of her beloved Son, that body so cruelly I torn and mangled; to regard with her loving eyes the deep wounds ' through which had flowed the precious blood that wa. to regenerate the world; to retrace in her mind aU the frightful scenet of the passion-oh, what torture! St. Augustine says that "aU the sor- rows of Jesus had been the sorrows of Mary, that the Son's cross and nails had been also the Mother's."i Hence, all that she had I before felt, all that had crushed and torn her tender heart was renewed but with still increased bitterness, with extreme d^sola- tion, with unequalled and inexpressible sufferings What a lesson for us all, children of the Gospel! Jesus and [i Mary entered upon eternal glory by the way of suffering and pam Jesus, the Holy One, by excellence ! Mary, the holiest of creatures \ And we, sinners by nature, sinners by inclination, would we pretend ' to gam It by any other way ? The Cross is the earthly portion left us i by the Man-God-the Cross, which is, as it were, the sure pledge of | :4- 14 J 'Kit**". EM, * Serm. 12, de Prmroga- HvisB.M. V. *" In tpec, lect. 4. 8 Be excel. Virg., c. 5. ^ Heb. xi. 36, 37, 38. ' Serm, de Pass. Lom. ef*^ 7J' 162 lOCDITATIONS ON TUB Y the "inheritance incorruptible and •indefiled,"J which he promises to our patience, to our resignation, to our tried fidelity, for it is r St. Matt. xxTU 42. n St. Luke xiv. 27. St. Luke zzi. 19. ^r » LlTANr OF THK nLESSKD VIUOIX. 10S [\n V i MEDITATION LI. QUXBM Of CONFKB80B8, PBAT FOB US. Glory to you, noble confessoi-s of tlie faith, who counted it m precioua "gain" to brave the wrath of the eueniies of Christ, and boldly proclaim youreelvea his disciples at the peril of your lives 1 Glory to you, who, when Pi-ovidence did not call yon to such trial>^, still ])rofos8ed your subjection to that divine Master by the practice of every evangelical virtue, by the enainent sanctity of your life! But still greater glory to Mary, by so many titles your august Queen 1 You proved yourselves ever and always the devoted servants of the divine Saviour; but was not Mary still more, more courageously devoted to her divine Son? Your heart was penetiated with an ardent and generous love for him ; but was not Mary's heart a fur- nace of in.H.raparable love? You braved, for him, outrages, dangere, obstach 8 of every kind ; but did not Mary participate in all the suf' ferings and privations of his mortd life, and in aU the persecutions which he had to undergo? How many times was he calumniated, reviled by his enemiod ! How many times did the contumely heaped on the Soi revert to the Mother! Consider the scoffing tone in which those who refused to believe in Jesus said, " Is not his mother called Mary?"" how, even iu the extremity of his torment, his enemies loaded him with dei-lsion, contei pt, and bitter reproach ; and Mary, standing beneath the infamous ^ bbet, must she not have had her share of their hatred and vituperation ? In the midst of all the ribaldry, all the blasphemous sarcasms uttered by the persecutora of Jesus, O Mary! «0 woman, l>y txccelr lerwe, prule and glory of thy sex, how great is thy faith,'"- how admii-able ai-t hy love and thy devotion! All the Apostles of 4 \\ • St, Matt, xiii. 65 f ul i - 1 M Il!» ^'^l te Ml- '2 i>ji/ -i? i^f- i u Jt'sus deserted him, with tlie single exception of St. John ; even Peter, their chief, who had so bohlly protested thftt he would bo faitliful even unto death, denied him three times publiely and on oath ; and thou, in presence of tho furious Jews, in presence of the executioners reeking with the blood of Je-iua, thou displayowt tho heroism of thy gn.-at soul, thou dost regard the blf«ding Victim with adoration, love, and tender devotion, when Heaven itself seems to abandon him 1 Who, then, can ever bo compared with thoe, O Mary ! O thou whose faith in tho divine Redeemer was so magnani- mous ! And who, moreover, ever equalled this divine Virgin in tho sub lime practice of all tho virtues which distinguish a holy soul and make its life an eloquent Gospel lesson, or in the possession of the precious gifts which secure an eminent rank in heaven ? Purity, modesty, humility, meekness, detachment, poverty, obedience, piety, fervent love of God, inexhaustible charity for her neighbour, burn- ing zeal for the glory of God, perfect submission to his adorable will, absolute abandonment to his providence, patience in every trial; in a word, all the virtues shine in Mary, in tho very highest degree. Hence it is that St. Peter. Chrysologus calls her "the liv- ing assemblage of all the treasures of sanctity ;"• St. John Damas- cene, " the sanctuary of all the virtues."** Let us learn of this admirable Queen of all confessors to despise human respect, and to live as worthy disciples of Jesus Christ. Amid all the sarcasms of the world let us proudly raise our head!^, marked with the noble sign of .the Cross in baptism and in confirma- tion ; let us brave, with a holy courage, the threats and scoflfe of ♦ the children of this world,"' remembering that infallible saying of Him who will judge them as well as us: "Whoever shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven ; but whosoever shall deny mo before men, I will also deny him before ray Father who is in heaven.""" Let us not forget that earnest admonition of the divine Master : " Let your light so shino t • Serm 14C. * Lib. iv. de Fide Orthod. • St. Luke xvi. 8. f St. Matt. y. 32, .S3 ^s^ '( MTANT OF TUB UI,F>WED VinoiX. 165 l)efore men, thftt they niny see your good works, and glorify your Father who 'm in heaven 1"« Augtist Virgin, hefop' whoso throne the confessora of the fuith of Christ proHtrute themselves, and render homage, some for the "crowns"" which they have worn, under thine auspices, to his greater glory; othera for th« heavenly "oc. iv. 10. ' Deal xxxiii. 8. J EltI. xlvii. 9. * I. Tim. vi. 12. » I. Tim. TU 1. '" I. Pet. iL 16. " Ibid, 1%, '^ mtxs *ri\ ill m i^^i^ to =r^.«K»-!^ im m J-J m KiG MEDITATIONS ON TUB MEDITATION LII. QUEEN OF ViaeiNB, PRAT FOB UB. \es, thou art the Qwen of Virgins, O admirable Mary, who, firet amongst the daughtei-s of Eve, and contrary to the prejudices of thy nation, " promised to the Lord a perpetual chastity !"» It was thou who, according to St. Ambrose, "raised the standard of virginity,'"" thou who didst carry the angelic virtue to such per- fection, that St. John Damascene calls thee " the treasure of virginal purity."" And certainly it required aJl that in her who was destined for an incomprehensible greatness. " Incorruption bringeth near to God," says the Holy Ghost himself, in the book of Wisdom.** It must, then, have been sufficiently pei-fect in Mary to render her as woi-thy as possible of " the closest union with a person of infinite majesty ;"° " a union so admirable," says Albej-tus Magnus, " that Mary could not have been more closely united to the Deity, unless she were identified with him !"'' But it is not solely on account of this marvellous privilege that all virgins salute Mary, in heaven, as their queen : Was she not for them, on earth, a safeguard, as well as an encouragement and a model ? Ah ! they felt the value of purity, seeing that for a virgin was reserved the ineffable prerogative of the divine maternity; they understood the prodigious honour done their sex, in Mary's pei-son, and the immense blessing of restoration which the Christian woman has received through her; their hearts yearned to testify S 1^5 ^ S. Augustine, Serin. 20 de tempore; Tract. 10 in Joan ; S. Gregory of Nyssa, Oral, de Nativ. Lorn. ; Ven. Bede, in cap. i. Luc ; S. Aiisclm, de excel. Virg., c. 4 ; S. Bern., Serra. 2, super Missus, &c. •> Lib. de List. Virg. d Wisd. vi. 20. f Super Missus, c. 180. llora. vi , contra Nestor. « B. Thomaa, i. p., q. 25. ms tj^. UTANY OF THE BLESSED VIBGIN. 167 their gratitude to the Lord, by devoting themselves "to please fl'rn,"* and to love him alone in the world, either contemplating and pi-aising him in solitude, or serving him in the person of the poor and unhappy. And who could enumerate the myriads of admirable act«* of virtue which have illustrated these countless generations of virgins, from the beginning of the Church ! How many times has the astonished world beheld young and timid daughters of Mary fearlessly braving every danger, every obstacle, every plague, every threat, every torment ! Every day do we still behold religious comraunitied saying, often at the peril of their life. to all human ills, " Be my father and my brethren ;" to all the infirmities, to all the necessities of mind and body, "Be my mother and my sisters !'• Sublime spiritual progeny of the divine Virgm, ah ! it is she who protects, who sustains you as " chaste virgins," reserved for " Christ,'"" and against the weakness of your sex, the seductions of the world, the assaults of hell, and, when accessary, against pei-secutors and all the instruments of their cruelty ! The Church puts in her mouth those words of Wisdom : •' I love them that love me.'" But the greatest proof of love that can be given her, is it not the imitation of the virtue by which she was most distinguished, and which is, to our fallen nature, the most diflScult ; is it not the vow which you made, like her, to live " as angels"J in a moi-tal body ? It is from this same vow that the spirit of devotion and of. sacrifice derives its origin and its strength ; for, by disengaging the heart from family ties, it leaves it free to consecrate all its energies to the service of God and good works. She who has no other spouse than Jesus " thinketh on the things of the Lord, that sli9 may be holy both in body and in sph-it."'' Let us admire that truly celestial spirit which produces, in the true Church, such marvellous fruits as to excite the envy of the numerous sects, sterile because they are separated from her. Let us beg of the f I. Cor. vii. 32. J St. Mark xii. 25. •" II. Cor. xi. 2. k I. Cor. vii. 34. » Brev. Rom. t/» festis B. M. V. ; Prov. yiii. 17. Y w^ ml m4 m "% 11 s - % m r»/ iW m MEDITATIONS ON TIEB divine Jbsus that we may each have a share, according to onr special vocation, in that zeal for voluntary immolation to his glory, and to practise, also, according to our state, that sublime virtue which, according to St. Ambrose, " makes the heroes oi' martyrdom, and makes us brethren of the unge' ;'" which even raises our merit above that of the celestial spirits ; " for," says St. Jerome, " to gain angelic glory in a mortal body, is much more than to possess it by nature."'" O divine Qjieen of Virgins, who come, triumphant, to lay before thee the lily of their purity, the palm of their victory, august Mother of that divine Lamb who is "the guide of virginity,"" how joyfully do we glorify thee for having, by thine example and assistance, called forth and fostered so many wondrous virtues on this earth. Ah ! vouchsafe to multiply, more and more, the number of thy beloved daughtei-s, who adorn the Church like blooming flowers, and embalm it with a perfiime whose sweetness is not of this world. Deign to inspire us with love and respect for a virtue which does so much honour to humanity, which " took it& rise in heaven,"" where it enjoys, as its reward, the privilege of forming the train of the Lamb.P O thou under whose auspices so many thousands of virgins have gained everlasting glory, grant that, attracted by the celestial " odour of thy virtues,'^ we may be brought to the King of Mngs^''' following in the pure way which thou hast marked out for us ! Queen of Virgins, pray for us. Rcgina Virginum, ora pro nobis. ' Lib. 1 de Virg. circa iiiitium. " Suriu. de Assumpt. " Jerera. iii. 4. " S. Ambrose, Ibid, f Apoc. xiv. 4. 1 Cant. i. 3. ' Pb. xliv. 15. r*;i */: LIIANY OV THE BLTSSED VIRQIN. 1U9 MEDITATION LIIl. QUKKN OF ALL 8AINT8, PBAT FOB 08. The Saints have illustrated the Church by fair and admirable virtues; they have astonished the world by the heroism of their zeal, their courage, their devotion, the prodigies of their humility, their patience, their charity ; they entered this everlasting dwelling with an abundant harvest of merits, which the Lord " weighed," even to the least, "in a just balance,"* and endowed with" a great reward/"" O Mary! thou art their queen: if the Saints have been, amongst the faithful, as so many rai-e flowers adorning the garden of the militant Spouse of Christ, thou didst shine, in that mystical gar- den, as the queen of all flowei-s; thou didst show forth, by thine incomparable example, "that immense treasure of grace where with thou wert endowed, a treasure incomprehensible to man or angel !"° The Saints manifested in themselves, more or less sensibly, some traits of the life of their divine Mixster; in each of them there shone some particular virtue, and "in the Father's house," where "there ere many mansions,""" each receives that share of special glory which he gained during his time of probation. O Mary! thou art their queen: what each had of particular merit thou hadst whole and entire ; every charactei'istic of Jesus, •>-"-" thine adorable Son, was retraced in thee as clearly us it could be in ''^' a creature : all his virtues were practised by thee, and in a degree ^'' so high, so perfect, that St. Anselm said of thee, that "after the sanctity of the Holy of holies, there is not, or cauuot be, any like m ■^a-ij • Job xxxi. 6 OS. Bernardiiie, Serra. 5, de Natlv. B. V., c. 19. b Heb. X. 35. <« St. John xlv. 2. ii K-<^ m-- 4 i^/im l^t',U sf^^ »r*>-: ^ 170 MEDITATIONS ON THK .Vp ? ^^ to thine !"' And now, in tho celestial regions, thou art invested with a glory commensurate to thy sublime merit; thy crown is '^1 composed of the united splendour of the crowns of all the Saints ; yet that is not enough : thy glory surpasses theirs, even as all their vii-tues are inferior to thine, and that it is through the merits of Him whom thou didst bring into the world, that they obtained grace to practise those same virtues. The Saints have wonderful influence with God on our behalf: " The Lord," says St. Leo, " is truly admirable in giving them to us, not only for models, but also for most powerful protectors."' Innumerable facts proclaim to the world that " they reign for ever @^M and evers in the city of God,""" and that, from the height of theii ^^*^^' sublime thrones, they also reign over the earth by a mysterious influence. O Mary ! of all these powerful intercessors, of all these immortal kings, thou art still the Queen. Thou prayest not as they do, but *' commandest in seme way : for how could it be, O Blessed Virgin ! that He who was born of thee, althougli omnipotent, could resist that maternal authority which lie himself gave thee."' Yes, 'thy ^1 requests are almost ordei-s," says St. Antoninus,J " and what +hou wiliest," says St. Anselm, " is sure to be done !"'' Ah ! may that admirable Virgin, to whom all Saints do homage fur their crowns, be one day our Queen ! And fc .' that end, what ha\ e we to do ? To be holy while on earth. Now, to be holy is to live "the life of God,"' according to the magnificent idea of the great Apostle of nations ; it is to possess his grace, and to labour constantly to preserve and increase it in one's self; it is to love the Creator sincerely, " with o^r whole heart, and with our whole soul, and with all our streng-th :"■" for he who loves him so is united to him in an inefiuble manner ; and " he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved,"" he shall become eternally, in heaven, a "partaker of the divine nature,"" of the glory and beatitude of n J d " J)e excel. Virg. f In Natuli S. Laurent. t Apoc. xxii. 5. i riid. iii. 12. • S. P. Paraian, Scrm. de Nativ. B. V. J T. II., in 3 part, k De excel. Virg., c. 12. ' Ephes. iv. 18. "' St. LuUe X. 27. ° St. Matt. xxi«'. 13. o II. Peter i. 4. 'k i .» & LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGm and rf«rrf all our desires to that eternal possession of God who is tne sovereign good and the source of all true goods."p Yet us beware of incurring the anathema reserved for those who "set at naught the t>-v^ desirable land,"i so worthy of all our most fervent aspirations. O Mary! who admirably united in thiue own person all the merits of all the Saints; O thou who didst surpass them all, in this world, by (:hy virt.es as well as privileges, and who, in heaven art so superior to them in power and glory,-with them, with all'tl^e happy inhabitants of the heavenly Jerusalem, we bow before tho^ august Mother of our Redeemer, who "standest on his ,iH,^ hand' i^. gilded clothing !'v Thou rulest all the elect, O living " habitation ot God; ' placed, as it were, "on the top of mountains, and hir^h above the hills !"» If we considered only thy marvellous greauiess we would not dare to raise our eyes to thee, heavenly Queen • but we know all thy charity, all thy goodness, all thy mercy, and our confidence in thee is unbounded ; by thine assistance we hope to lead a holy life, and to gain a share of that king.lom of God where we shall ever rejoice for having said to thee, here below, with a piety worthy of thy sweet majesty : Queen of all Saints, pray for us. Regina Sanctorum omnium, ora pro nobis. m iTT^^J P In Psalm. 102. 1 Ps. cv. 24. ' Ps. xliv. 10. ■ Ephe.". ii. 22. W'. iS! ,J' 1 ^f ' Mich, iv 1. i MEDITATIONS ON THP, Y fe MEDITATION LIV. QUEEN OONOBIVBD WITHOUT BIN, PEAT FOE 08. ti m '^A .m I'S-* CA rAc>\ ^- s-^ If we have now the sweet cousolation of being able to salute Mary aa Queen conceived witliout Sin^ we owe it to the piety of our bishops, who recently petitionee', the Holy See to that eifect. The Scripture calls God, in an absolute manner, " the King,"* to express the excellence of his supreme Majesty ; is it not fitting, then, to honour the sovereignty of her who is " above all, except God,'"' by culling her the Qtieen. ? And after the invocation which implores her as Queen of Al' Saints, what other could be more appropriate, than that lyhioh honours at the same time her regal grandeur and the privilege of her exemption from original sin ? — a privilege which would, of itself, distinguish her from all the elect, even though she were not, by so many other titles, superior to them ; a privilege constantly proclaimed by the traditions of the Church, the faithful echo of the Apostolic teaching. In his discourse to the proconsul Egius, St. Andrew himself gives Mary the title of " Immaculate ;" he compares her to " that earth whereof the first man was formed, which had not received the male- diction of the Lord, the consequence and punishment of the primi- tive fall."" Origen, who lived very near the time of the Apostles, speaks of her as " formed in grace, free from the pestilential breath of Satan ;"'* St. Amphilocus, as " without spot or stain ;"* St. Epi- phanius, as "fairer by nature than all the angelic host, — the im- maculate sheep who brought forth the divine Lamb ;"*" St. Ephraiin, as " Virgin without spot, or stain, or corruption, an absolute stranger » Ps. xliv. : cxliv. •> S. Bernard, Sprm. 6, c. 6. ^ Acts of the Martyr St. Andrew, "* Horn. vi. in Luc, • IV. Disc, in S. Dtip. f De laudib, Virg, ^\_ I hh mi hj^ *j I UTANY OF TlIE BLESSED VIRGIN. 173 to all sin, to all imperfection;"? St. Cyril, as "preserved from the original stain.'"' Is it necesaary to quote other organs for the trans- mission of the primitive belief? Who does not know that St. Jerome,' St. Augustine,J St. Fulgentius,'' St. Hdefonsus,' St. John Damascene,-" St. Peter Damian," St. Anselm," St. Bonaventure,? and even St. Thomas,^ likewise bear witness to this uninterrupted tra- dition of the Church ; that the testimony of the holy doctors is sup- ported by the monuments of both the Greek and Latin churches, the words of the sacred liturgy, the customs of dioceses, and those of religious orders ; finally, that on the invitation of the illustrious Pius IX,' the several bishops of the Catholic Church have recently attested, in an authentic manner, the attachment of the faithful to this belief? So that this truth is recommended by its antiquity, uni- versality, perpetuity, which are the principal foundations for the dogmas of Christianity. Moreover, who does not understand, that, if the pereonal union of the divine natui-e and the human nature in Jesus Christ rendered absolutely necessary the conception of the Mau-God in the str/e of grace, the divine maternity, " the nearest possible approacli to that union,"' would have been totally incompatible with the conception of Mary in a state of sin ? What ! she whom God had announced from the beginning of the world as one who was to escape the bite of the infernal serpent, as one destined even " to crush his head,"' could ,>iie ever have been struck by his dart, or be for one moment " under his power ?"" Could she who was to be the repairer of Eve's transgression, be left inferior to Eve, who was created in the state of grace ? She, m fine, who was to live for nine mouths the same cor- jxtnil life with the Incarnate Word, could she have been, from the firet moment of her existence, struok with the divine malediction, odious to the Lord, " a child of wrath ?"' itTAGi^ V M) '3 I f Oral, in S. Dei Gen, ^ III Evang. Joan. I., vi. i In Ps. 11. i De natura et gratia, ,' ^ Serm. de laudib. M. • Di»fiut. de V. M. in Orat. de nat. B. V. M. n Or. l!< de nat. M. c. 15. 36. " De concept. V., c. 18. PSerm. W de B. V. 1 In Lib. I. Sent. disc. 44, q. ' Encyc. Let. 2d Febr. 1849. ■ Dionys. Garth. 1. 2 de laud t Gen. \\\. 15. » Ibid. 16. » Ephes. ii. 3. i?* If. I'' If '^M^ 174 MEDITATIONS ON TUB / \'^ \i m=b M oil 1 no, no ; such could never be the case, Virgin so tenderly beloved by God and man 1 Ah ! the latter well understands and feels it, thanks to the ideas of sin, of grace, and of the infinite sanctity of God given us by Christianity ; the latter Ic ^es to pro- clain., in the face of heaven and earth, that it would be neither just nor possible that the Son of God would have to turn away in dis- gust, even for one moment, from her who was to be his mother. But man also attaches a measureless importance to the shunning of sin ; he considers it, as Mary did, the greatest of all happiness to be in favour with God ; man " watches and prays"" assiduously, in order to preserve the treasure of divine grace; man tries, by his good works, daily to strengthen its sacred bonds, daily to increase its in- estimable fruits. O Mary ! O blessed Queen ! O Queen of queens ! Qii£en cortr ceived witJiout Sin ! this is the last flight of our hearts to thee ; this is the last ray of glory which, on earth, we add to thy crown I What a happiness for us to be able to say to thee, that "the Lord possessed thee in the beginning ;"» that " thou art undefiled, and fair, and without spot or stain '."^ Ah ! be always the Queen of our hearts, O thou who hast the signal honour of being exempt from the original anathema pronounced on all men ; and, that this dominion may be pleasing to thee, grant that we may apply ourselves more and more to serve God with purity, with fervour. Hoping to obtain that grace, we say to thee, with all possible humility, con- fidence, and love : Queen conceived without Sin, pkay for us. jRegina sine Lahe coiicepta, ora pro nobis. ' St. Mark xiii. 83. 1 prov viii. 22. J Caut V. 2 ; iv. t. L^ ^T' LITANY OF THE BLESSED VinOIN. m rfismr m i MEDITATION LV. IAMB 0» Q5D. WnO TAKK«T AWAT THE BINS OF TH. WOBLD. 8PAB. UB, O LOBD. ■ The Church terminates all her invocations in honour of the Virmn by a passionate appeal to her adorable Son, under the touchL emblem of "the Lamb who taketh away the sins of the world"- And fu-st, she makes us consider him as the Judge whose mercy we have to implore; the Lamb who sitteth on a lightning throne •» he who IS to judge us by his Cross, " the sign of the Son of Man "o the sign of ruin and of resurrectian'"' to all of us, ace ,;-ding L our works have been contrary or conformable to the sacred" maxims which proceed from it. Alasl we do not, as often as we should, consider Jesus in his character of Judge. We love to consider him under the figure of a good Shepherd," a good Father,*- a tender Mother,* and that is only what we are bound to do, since he seems to delight in repi-esenting himself under these similitudes in the holy Gospel, in order to make us sensible of the ineffable treasures of his goodness and his love for us. But we forget that if we do not worthily correspond to so much love and so much goodness, we are but the more criminal for having "detained the truth of God in oin- hearts f'^ we forget that the greater that goodness, the more ardent and the more generous that love, we are the more bound to be sensible of it; we forget, in fine, that, if we are so ungrateful to that "Lamb of God,'" so mild, 10 amiable, so tender to us, as to violate his absolute right to our will, our affections, the use of all our faculties, we expose ourselves to find only in him, in the other world, " the teiribU lion of the fold L • St. John i. 29. •» Apoc. iv. 6 ; V. 6. « St. Matt. xxiv. 30. "• St. Luke ii. 34. " St. Luke X7. f Ibid. f St. Matt, xxiii. 3T. •> Roiu. i. 18. ' St. John i. 29. 'it! "r^-: Y iMm i) 'A m MEDITATIONS ON THE of Jiula,"J before whom the reprobate shall one day cry out "to th« mountains and to the rocks: Fall upon us, and hide ua from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.'"' But what! is not that Lamb all goodness, all meekness, all charity?' O, yos! Jesus has well proved it to us; he did for uc things that men do not even for those they tenderly love. But then he is as just as he is good, all his perfections being equally infinite ; and if we reject the mild reign of his incomparabh' love, must not his justice reign in its turn at the end of this life, which is given us to choose one or the other? Now, let us sltwevely "judge ourselves :"'" is it not true that we have but little gratitude ? What do I say ? is it not true that we are ungrateful, thi«t we treat Jesus as though we owed him nothing, and sometimes evtti as if we were anxious to irritate his justice against us ? Is it not true that whoso- ever it strikes has well deserved eternal punishment? .... Yes, if, on the subject of the ineffable mystery of the Eucharist, we may truly say, considering the mystery of the Cross, Love explains love ! so, regarding on one side the prodigies of the goodness and tenderness of Jesus for men, on the other, the indifference, the odious and obstinate ingratitude of so many sinners, we may well exclaim. The Incarnation, the Redemption, the Eucharist, Heaven, sufficiently account for Hell ! And even Hell itself, is it not, in the adorable designs of Providence, as it were, the last means of forcing men to work out their salvation when all nobler motives have failed to effect it. But wo who have, perhaps, often deserved that Hell, we who have perhaps too long overlooked the claims of the Lamb of God, wo who have abused his blessings, outraged his love, ah ! let us ask pardon of him for our unworthy conduct ; let us excite ourselves to a profound sentiment of sorrow, thinking of the grievous wrongs wherewith he has to reproach us ; let us prostrate ourselves before him, with a truly " contrite and humbled heart,"" saying to him still more by feeling than by word: h f, J Apoc. V. 5. •" Apoc. vi. 16. ' I. John iv. 8. »I. Coi. xi. 31. • Ps. 1. 19. mt§^. 1 AV\ 11 I fcSi s X. I-li V ot" TIIK nLRSHEl. VI uiIN. " Lft\ul» of Goa, who takest away the sins of the world," ^pare u ' Lord ! Spare us, O sovereign Master of all things, O sovt-r. ^„ ' Judge of the living and of the (k'ad,"P sj^are us I It is trne we are but ungrateful sinii. i who have slighted thy iiieU'ihle lov.', fi,o|. ishly despised thy rew iids, as though heaven were not worth M.ine .'xertion, and who I>iv<' hwA-QxX thy justice, as thoiigli tlio threat of its chastisementN lot serious ! . . . O ! how culpahh; we are ! . . But ti-eat us not according to our merits, treat us, rather, nfcortling to thine intlnif • mercy, which we now implore, striking our l)rea8t like th md)le pnl>liofin,i and crying, with all our heait, "Spare. () Lord, spare thy p.-ople ;"' that, by the intercession of thy divin.' Mother, thy clemency may be glorified in us;' that in us may be fulfilled the saying of the Prophet Joel, " The Lord hath spared hi.* peo])le."' Ti.VMB OF Goi), WHO I wKKM' AWAY TUli srX3 OF THE WOULD, .SPAKK U8, Loud. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, pare nobis, h mine. • St. John i. 29. r Act« X. 42. 19 6 1^ l^ 1^ 12.2 ^ i;^ 12.0 1.8 i 1.25 1.4 1.6 B 6" - ► (^ y] ^? ^^ >> '4 ^"J^'... O w '' d!^ W/ O 7 Photographic Sciences Corporation « m \ \ A ""^^JS^^^ ;\ 23 WFST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716) 872-4503 "Si. f/j > f^mj TJ 178 ITEltTTATIONS ON THIS 1^ ;v/f MEDITATION LVI. r^l liAMB OF OOD, WHO TAKK8T AWAT THE 8INB 0» THB WOBLD eSAOIOUSLT HBAB OB, O LOBD. Ajter having asked the divine Lamb to forgive us, we urge and beseech him to vouchsafe to hear our request. The first cry of our heart was one of lively repentance, of profound and bitter sorrow The second is a cry of humble supplication, imploring infinite good ness for a great and signal favour, on which depends our eternal salvation: Gracioml/y hear us, Lord! The Church makes us here repeat the title of Lord to " the Lamb who taketh away the sins of the world," in order to penetrate us more and more with the infinite gi-eatness and majesty of that incomparable benefactor whom we have had the misfortune to offend, and to render us more and more contrite for our of- fences. But it is also to remind us that He to whom we pray is the absolute master of all things ; that he has " the keys of death and of hell;"* and that, consequently, our prayer cannot be too humble, too fervent ! Ah ! let it be then with all our hearts that we ejaculate, Gradoudy hea/r iis, Lord! For we know too well, alas! that we are very guilty, but we know not, and can never know with certainty, whether God has forgiven us. Wherefore it is that we should every day bewail our sins, every day endeavour to repair them before the Lord, and every day, with new ardour, beseech our good God to forget " our former iniquities.'"' David, though assured of his pardon by the mouth of the prophet Nathan, who said, " The Lord hath taken away thy sin,"" had still l's crime 5onstantly before his eyes ;^ he besought the Most High to " wash Mm yet more from his iniquity ;"* even in the night he watered his couch with his tears/ Ah! what, then, should we do, we who ■ Apoc. i. 18. fc Ta. Ixxviii. 8. o II. Kings xii. 13. «> Ps. 1. 5. • Ps. 1. 4. ' Ps. vi \ T^ rx" 7A fj^: &^M \^ fnr^ LITAmr OF THE BLESSED VlRGDf. 179 1 "have wrought iniquity,"* alas ! too often, and have not received from the infallible lips of a prophet the assurance of our recon- ciliation with God I ... . St. Paul, that great Apostle who merited to be taken up to the third heaven, has not he rJso said, "I am not conscious to myself in anything; yet in this I am not justified?"" What then ? that admirable servant and minister of God, who had received so many marks of his goodness and love; that Ulustrious saint, who had performed numberless achievements for the glory of his divine Master,' in a word, the incomparable St. Paul, dares not believe himself justified ! And we, whose life has been so far from resembling his, we who after committing many and grievous sins have done little or nothing to expiate them, we live as though we were sure of going straight to heaven. Ah! rather, how great should be our huraili+y, how unceasiiig our contrition ! " The nobler the victim," says Bossuet, "the more acceptable the offering: there IS no doubt, then, that it is incomparably more meritorious to humble our heart before God, than to mortify our body for his sake."J^ But while humbling our soul before the Lord, let us at the same time bewail unceasingly our misfortune in having defiled our baptismal robe of innor-ence, and in some sort "trodden under foot"* the adorable blood of that divine Lamb who became our victim. "The more we deplore the misery into which we have fallen, tie more do we approach the good we have qt. Let us, then, never cease to pour forth tears so effective, that our sorrow, substituted for an eternal punishruent, may, in some measure, imitate that intolerable perpetuity by continuing at least till our last agony."' O Lamb of God, adorable victim, "slain in figme from the beginning of the world,"" in every oblation offered under the Mosaic law ; slain in dread reality on the rock of Calvary, on the f Pa. CT. 6. ' I. Cor. iv. 4. « II. Cor. xL J II. PantQyrie on St, liraneii of Paula, p. 203. k Heb. X. 29. • Bos., II. Pan. on St. IVaneii of Paula, p. 198, ■Apoc. xiii. 8. tr>:^is^ \l\ Y im '1^ .•51 |a u y' . • b.- I. r". mm 't ?;,. MEDITATIONS ON TUB very spot where Adam of old was buried," "so that as all die in Adam, in thee all may receive life ;"" immolated, ever since, in a mystical, but not less real manner, on our altai-s, where thou art always, "as it were, slain ;"p when we pray, entreat thee to be pro- pitious to us, do we not correspond with the desire of the heart which loved us even to excess ?i No, no, it belongs not to the designs of thy justice to treat us without mercy, since it is thou who givest us the grace to repent, to implore thee with our whole heart, and to wish to efface the sins of the past by penance. It is, then, thy will that, uniting with the august Pontiflfe, and other ministers of the Church, who pray unceasingly for all its members, with the Blessed Virgin ever pleading for us all, we should say to thee, with the deepest sorrow and humiliation, but also with the most firm confidence, that " so having prayed, we shall be heard."' O God om* Saviour, graciously hear our supplication : Lamb of God, who takkst aw y the sins of the world, gba-. ciousLY hear us, O Lord. Agnua Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, exaudi nos, Domine. " S. Ambrose, Origen, Tertullian, S. Athanasius, S. Epiphanius, S. Cfril of Jem- Bnlem : See Biblioth. Choisie des Peres, par Guillon, t. ix. » Origen, »» Matth. *» Ephes. ii. 4. ? Apoc. v. 6. ' Eccles. xxxiii 4. tc^^^^TM^s^ssm 0^>^^,4t LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 181 MEDITATION LVII. LIMB OF OOD, WHO TAKK8T AWAT THE SINS OF THE WOBLD, HATE HEUOT ON US. Here we still persist in asking pardon for our sins, and beseech the divine Lamb to hm)e mercy on tui. This time we do not add the title of Zord; we wish so to speak that the divine Jesus may forget his greatness and his majesty so outraged by U8, to remember only his infinite mercy, that adorable compassion which he himself made so lively and so tender by deigning to be " tempted in all things like as we are."» Thus we make a last appeal to the adora- -yle heart of our Saviour, an appeal which cannot fail to be effica- cious. Is it not, in fact, as if we said to him, O thou, ''who delivered thyself for us,'"* who art "tL ; propitiation for our sins,"" ah! doubtless we do n-^t deserve to be heard when we ask thy forgiveness for those we have had the misfortune to commit, but we appeal to that ineffable pity which thou feelest for us; save us, save ns divine Lamb, save us, at least, through pure compassion, through pure mercy ! . . . If David formerly said to God with a sublime confidence, based on a sublime sentiment of his infinite mercy, " Thou wilt pardon my sin, for it is great ;"•• if, before the Incarnation or Redemption, (mysteries wherein that same mercy was so fully manifested,) he had so high, so enlarged an idea of that abyss of goodness which loves to pour itself forth on the penitent sinner in a dew of grace and pardon; what an idea, what sentiments should we ourselves have when we address ourselves to that infinite goodness manifested to us in the divine nature of a God become our victim ! .... Ah ! if we would know how deeply the tender and loving heai't of that ir»iae:f m • Heb. l7. 16. fc Ephes. V. 2. • I. John ii. 2. ^ rs. xxiv U .4' ' '#1 J' "1« Hm Cs^isV^ M r^^i a** % il'vine Lainl) is moved by any appeal to his compassion, lot us open the Gospel. During the whole course of his mortal life, who ever said, JIave mercy onus! without obtaining his request ? Two blind men follow him crying, Son of David " have mercy on us !"• He touches their eyes, and they are opened to the light. A Chananean woman, whose daughter is tormented by the devil, cries out in her turn, " Son of David, have mercy on me !" " Be it done to thee as thou wilt," says Jesus answering,'' and her daughter is cured that very moment. " Have pity on ray son," said an afflicted father to him; "he suffereth much."* Jesus instantly cures him. Near Jericho, a blind man, named Bartimeus, also implores his compas- sion — " Son of David, have mercy on me l""* Jesus speaks, and the blind man recovers his sight. Ten lepers cry out from afar oflF, " Jesus, Master, have mercy on us !"' and they obtain their cure. Thay admirable sympathy for all human miseries, that tetier pity which made St. Peter say of him that he "went abcit aoing good,"J can it be that Jesus, glorified, has ceased to feel it ? Ah ! see, rather, how he delights to manifest it more and more by the continual prodigy of the adorable Eucharist ! Does he not, in that mystery, place his blood and his merits at our disposal ? Does he not offer himself every day and every hour as a victim of propitia- tion for our sins, and of impetration for all the graces of which we stand in need ? Does he not therein make a continual sacrifice of his glory, which is, as it were, annihilated under humble species ; the sacrifice of his liberty, bound in some way to the will of his ministers; the sacrifice of the operation of his justice, so often pro- voked by the crimes of sinners, and suspended by the marvellous mildness of his mercy? For nearly two thousand yeai-s has thi^. Lamb of God unceasingly manifested in this stupendous miracle . . incomparable devotion to our salvation ; how then could we doubt the liveliness, the tenderness, the generosity of his compassion for hearts touched with repentance and desirous of his love ? Let us, then, v/holly give ouraelves up to the sweetest confidence, and say to him : \< m • St. Matt. ix. 27. ' St. Matt. XV. 22, 28. 8 St. Matt. xvii. 14. •' St. Mark x. 47 ' St. Luke xvii. 13. J Acts X. 38. ■^m^SSm^fl^av^J^*^ tn'ANY Oh- THE BLESSED VIUGtN-. 183 "Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world" have mercy on us who are much to be pitied, and so utterly un'worthy of hy goodness. Ah ! if thou didst but consider thine infinite justice, thou wouldst strike the ungrateful wretches who have e turned thee evU for good, coldness or insult for the tonderest love But we implore that pity, that inexhaustible mercy wherewith thv hear overflows for penitent sinners; we implore that adorable blood which quenches the fire of "the wrath of God,"^ and effects the remission of sins-' and that our prayei^ may be more efi-ectual with thee, we unite them with those of the Blessed Virgin our good and sweet Mother, and by her sacred lips we offer thee' this pious supplication which the Church places on those of her children whatsoever their condition may be : ' Lamb of God, who takest away the sms of the wokld, have merct Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata muruli, miserere nobis. ' Apoc. XV. 7. • Col. i. 14. h) -m I M •ijj ~\^jffWiSS 184 UKDITATIONS ON Tint LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. m i i\ Sun tuum pifosidium confugi- mus, sancta Dei Genitrix, nostras deprecationes ne despiciaa in ne- cessitatibus nostris; sed a peri- culis cunctis libera noa semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison. Kyrie eleison. Chriate audi nos. Christe exavdi nos. Pater de coelis Dens, | Fili Redemptor mundi Deus, | Spiritus Sancte Deu9, | Sancta Trinitas, unus Deus, p Sancta Maria, Ora pro nobis. Sancta Dei Genitrix, Sancta Virgo virginum, $ Mater Christi, ^^ Mater divinoe gratise, « Mater purissima, ? Mater castissima, 2 Wk fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God, despise not our petitions in our necessities; but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Christ ha/ve mercy. Lord have mercy. Zord luwe mercy. Christ hear us. Christ graciously Jiear us. § God the Father of heaven, * God the Son, Redeemer of the fe world, God the Holy Ghost, Holy Trinity, one God, Holy Mary, Fray for us. Holy Mother of God, Holy Virgin of virgins, Mother of Christ, Mother of divine grace, Mother most pure, Mother most chaste, *§ I 1>1K , ••Ai^yK:: I I: LITANY OP TIIK BLESSED VIKGIN. 185 w Mater inviolata, Mater intemerata, Mater amabilis, Mater adrairabilis, Mater Creatons, Mater Salvatoris, Virgo prudentissima, V irgo veneranda, Virgo prsedicanda, Virgo potens, Virgo cleraens, Virgo fidelis, Speculum justitise, Sedes sapientiae, Causa nostras IsetitisB, Vas spirituale, Vas honorabile, Vas insigne devotionis, Rosa mystica, Turris Davidica, Turris eburnea, Domus aurea, Foederis area, Janua coeli, Titella matutina, Salus infirmomm, Refugium peccatorum, Consolatrix afflictorum, Auxilium Christianorum, Regina Angelorum, Regina Patriarcharum, Regina Prophetarum, Reginft Apostolorum, Regina Martyrum, Regina Confessorum, Regina Virginum, MotLpr inviolate, Mother undefibd, Mother most amiable, Mother meet admirable Mother of our Creator, Mother of our Saviour, Virgin most i)rudent, Virgin most venerable. Virgin most renowned, Virgin most powerful, Virgin most merciful, Virgin most faithful, Mirror of justice, Seat of wisdom, Cause of our joy. Spiritual Vessel, Vessel of honour. Singular Vessel of devotion, Mystical Rose, Tower of David, Tower of ivory, House of gold, Ark of the covenant, Gate of heaven, Morning star. Health of the sick. Refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, Help of Christians, Queen of Angels, Queen of Patriarchs, Queen of Prophets, Queen of Apostles, Queen of Martyrs, Queen of Confessors, Queen of Virgins, mm •r*I, ^J 186 MBOrrATIONS ON TIUD J^r^ V \1 p.' it A •>■ AT .m -/M Kegina Sanctorum omnium, Regina sine labe originali con- cepta, Agnua Dei, qui toUis pecoata mundi, Parce nobis, Domine. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, ExaiuU iwSy Dainiiie. Agnus Dei, qui toUia peccata mundi. Miserere nobis. Christe audi nos. Chrkte examdi nos. Ant. Sub tuum praesidium con- fugimus, saucta Dei Genitrix, nos- tras deprecationes ne despicias in uecessitatibus nostris ; sed a periculis cunctia libera nos sem- per. Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. V. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix. R. Ut digni efficiamur pro- missionibus Christi. Oremus. Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Do- mine, mentibua nostris infundc: ut qui, Angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui Incarnationem cognovi- mu9, per Passionem •!• ejus et Crucem ad Resurrection is glo- riam perducamur. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. R. Amen. Queen of all Saints, Queen conceived without orio^nal sb, Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, Lord. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the wc Id, Graoioiidy Iiear tw, Lm'd. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Ilwve mercy on us. Christ hear us. Chruit (/"ooioitsly hmr ua. Ant. We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God, despise not our petitions in our necessi- ties; but deliver us always from all dangei-8, O glorious and bless- ed Virgin. V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made wor- thy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray "Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts ; that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may, by his Passion •{« and Cross, be bi'ought to the glory of his resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen. r:^ ml 5-c ■JL^ UTAWT OF TUB BLK88TO VinOIN. 187 ITTA'S^I V. Divinum auxU.um maneat V. May the divine asflistanoe ■emper nobiscum. remain always with us ^- Amen. * r. Amen. i^albe ^egina. Salve, Regina, Mater miseri- Hail, holy Queen, Mother of cordise; ^^^cy; Vita, dulcedo, et sp^ nostra, Our life, our sweetness, and ^\^' our hope, all hail. Ad te clumamu., exules ill:, To thee we c,y, poor bauished ""^«'; sons of Eve; Ad te Huspiramus, gementes et To thee we sigh, weeping and nentes m hac lacrymarum valle. mourning in this vale of tears. Eia ergo, Advocata nostra, Therefore, O our Advocate, lUos tuos misericordes oculos Turn thou on us those merci- ad nos converte ; ful eyes of thine ; Et Jesum, benedictum fructum And after this our exile, show ventris tui us Nobis post hoc exUium os- The blessed fruit of thy womb, tende, jEstjs, O Clemens, O pia, dolcis O merciful, O kind, O sweet Virgo Maria. Virgin Mary. V. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei V. Pray foi- us. O holy Mother Genitrix. of God. R Ut digni efficiamur promis- R That we may be made Bionibus Christi. worthy of the promises of Christ ijf II' '■ *- I .1 Memorarb, O piissima Virgo Rkmimber, O most gracious Maria, non esse auditum a ssbcuIo, Virgm Mary, that never wm it quemquam ad tua currentem known, that any one who fled pnesidia, tua implorantem aux- to thy protection, implored thy ./asrtr-'ja» 4t Of r;a 5*-7- K(J r tof •88 MKUITATIONS ON THB ilia, tua petentem Buffrngia, esse help, and sought thy intercejwion, derelictum. Ego, tuli animatiw was left unaided. Inspired with confidentia, ad te, Virgo virgi- this confldence, I fly unto theo, num, Mater, curro. Ad te venio; O Virgin of virgins, my Mother, coram te gemens peccator assisto. To theo I come ; before thee I Noli, Mater Verbi, verba mea stand, sinful and sorrowful * desjjicere, sed audi propitia et Mother of the Word Incarnate, exaudi. Amen. despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen. * Hero yoa may make your request. For saying the Salve BeiAna In the morning, and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin in the evening, adding to each the following Torside : ^ V. Dignare me laudare te, Vir- go sacrata. R. Da mihi virtutem contra hostes tuos. V. Benedictus Deua in Sanctis Buis. R. Amen. V. Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O sacred Virgin. R. Give me strength against my enemies. V. Blessed be God in his Saints. R. Amen. Ist. An indulgence of 100 days every day. 2d. An indulgence of 1 years and 1 quadragenm every Sunday. 3d. A plenary indulgence on any two Sundays in every month, on all the feasts of the Blessed Virgin, on the feast of All Saints, to those who repeat the above-mentioned prayers every day, with the usual conditions ; and also at the hour of death. An indulgence of 800 days every time the three following ejoculatory prayers are ■aid, to obtain a happy death : Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, I give you my heart and my life. Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, assist me in my last ngony. Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, may I die in peace in your blessed company. For saying any one of them, 100 days. m If J. '^U^ VIllUIN. 189 Hlxtui v., onxioa« to i potato more and more the devotion tc Mary, and to Induce the faithful to i...e rccotiniP to her intercesHion, granted by the Hull /trJdituri, of the Uth July, 1681, two hundred dayn' Indulgence to tl.01.0 who should recite, with a contrite heart, the Litony of the Ulewed Virgin, with the •crHlcIo Ora pro noblj, &c., and the prayer Oratifim Nam, &c. Benedict XIII. .•..iiflrmed thia grant, approving of a decree of the Congregotion of Indulgences of I lie 12th of January, 1728. Ping VII., by bii decree Urbii et Orbit, of the 80th StpUimber, 1817, extended the indulgence to 800 days, made it applicable to the Honla la purgatory, and added a Plenory Indulgence, which may Iw gained on the f.asts of the Conception, the Nativity, the Annunciation, ♦ho Purification, ond the Assumption, by those who say this Litany every day, provided tlmt they go to confossion with due contrition, receive the Holy Communion, visit a church or public chopcl. and pray there according to the intention of the sovereign pontiff. MEDITATION UPON THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION. Amu tlifl LonV, Prnvpr, t\w use of ll.e Ang.,lic«l .Sulutntion Im. now become everywnuie moro KeiR.ral «mon« tl,« ,,io,H Kuitl.f.il ; Low rightly HtM j,i,tly. l>a« brei. very oftci .liowri >.,d i» provc-.l l.y ti.e fact ilHolf. Ho it. tliat tlio «i.viou» Kiiit»l. ti.eir ttM'tli, tlmt tlie "Soourgo of Miuv " nn.l iufl.lcU vnvil j yet the eiwtoiii of i,,lutin>j, nt.d the foriri of praying to the Virgin cnnnot "lio oli.orwue than .tiongly upprov. ,1 l,y u., .in.e it w«, brought from h..Hven by a niewtnger of (io.l ; for who Id there wlio can doubt tliat he eanie an unibansador taiiglit by (iodi So, ther.for,., will it be ]mt and ri^'h^ even at thi» day, to b.-iour the Vir-: . ..ow wh.,in it has been the w ill of (io.l ... t.. hoiu.i.r ..f ol.l. What, then, we now propow to .lo i«, to' ,„„„t .,nt the u«e an.l object of the Angelieal Salutation. For terse nn it io in «xpre.-»i..n. yet fruitful in in>»l,.ries, it« frcjueiit iepetiti..n. with the ai.l of a little attentive reflection, will cau.e it to b« ivlifh.'.l till! more. A».sur...lly, nothing i, .0 be.M.n.ing an.l .uilabl.. to n ChriMian, na frequently and devoutly I.) eall to mind lii« Ife.lemption : but b.-eauae the Inearnation of the Son of (io.l is itg fimt and .iiiof ni\-l..ry, an.l it was or.lere.l by the Divine Wi«.lom that thin .hoiild bo acomplislied by moans of an ei„btt«.nge sent from heaven to a Virgin, how eaii it be .lenie.l that it is a pious .luty both |„^ e.miing and well-pleiwing to (lod, ofton to reflect upon the very Words with which it was hi- Will that the Angel slioul.l annouMee so great a mystery, expecte.l .luring go many age.,, an.l l..ng..d f.,r with sighs so many and so great; and .0 to take delight in the Salutation with whi h the heaven •ei.t mnbassador fiixt accosted the Virgin who was destined to so great a work 1 And when this .s .lone with the sj-ccial obj..et of sahiting a Virgin who was so highly beloved and chosen of all by Cod t.. be his .Mother, we may, with feeling, of the utmost gratitude, recall the bcnelil of our Kedeniption, and the work of our Lor.l's Incarnation. Now, when we salute the Virgin, what kind of salutation may we expect from her in return I To those who salute her, und.-ubtedly she will on her part render her go.„l wishes for or rather her ai.l towards, their salvation. For how can it be that a Mother would ever refrain from pour- ii.g out a heart so ten.ler, so maternal as hers, upon those who are de.stine.1 to be codioirs with her Son, esi^eially when we bear within us the grateful recollection of so great a mystery Uiat of old was acecinplished in herself! Surely, then, she will rejoice in addres..ing her Son with sup. phant prayei-a for tlie promotion of its beneficial effecls upon ourselves. For what caa be more pleasing to go merciful a Mother, than to obtain for ua the very thing T?Atofitr r'^ff:'^ ^in:^ '; f 190 MEDITATIONS ON TUB Y \^^^ 4->Jvy> m tic<:'/ :J^l for the ..rc« of which .he became the Mother of God. or for which God in hertelf w« mad. maal But io %a!n is »h« GoO'. MotI er, and God man, if man become not partaker of the d.vme noUir^ and attain salvation. Th..' God may avert this from us, let u. beseech him through his Mother, in saluting her from our hearU. Hail Mary. Hail, and rejoice, O most blessed, most pure, and most worthy Virgin Mary I O most iUuainous Star of the sea! who shinest more brightly than all the rest over the '^•xrkness of this world! who art so honourably salut-^d by the Arch- angel sent to thee from heaven, and by thy kinswoman, Elizabeth, by the teaching of the Holy Ghost; and now, too, by all the congregation of the \| faithful from the desire of thy honour and love! Behold, I praise thee and salute thee, and gratulate thee, O most holy Virgin and Mother! ani I praise in thee God tne Father, who made his only Sou to be thine also, and to be at the same time the Brother of us all. I praise God the Son, who has chosen thee to be his Mother, that by thee he might show himself our Saviour; 1 praise God the Holy Ghost, who, by his own wonderful power, L«a accom- plished that unspeakable work in -uy womb I 'fjj Full of grace. Wrath and malediction is on all the children of Adam; but thou hast found grace with God; nay, thou art full of grace, free from every fivult, and filled with all virtues and endowments of grace. Whot marvel is it if thou art full of grace, when the fulness of tlie Godhead has dwelt corporeally* in thee ! when the very Fountain of grace and salvation has poured himself en- tirely into thee alone ; and by thcc, as by a river or channel, has willed him- self to be poured out upon us all ! In less measure has grace been given to the rest of the Saints ; but tiie very fulness of grace has poured itself into thee. For even though we do read of some who were full of grace, yet thou art so in a manner exceedingly and pre-eminently different from those. For when vessels are filled, both great and small, all are full ; but the vessel wl.. i holds the most ha;? the greatest quantity of liquid. How great, then, must be ihe crace that is in thee, to enable thee to contain God, whom not the whole world is able to contain! to enable thee, I say, to be the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven, tlu Mistress of the Angels, the Modiatrcsa and the Ad- vocate of men ! But to what purpose art thou full, if not to overflow to us also? Oh, that thy fountains may be conveyed abroad,'' that those sweet of graces, may (low fortli upon us, that we may, all of us, receive of a ful- ness so greai ! • Col. ii. 9 » Prov. ▼. 16. LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIKGEN-, 191 it^'mi Let ihy goodness, O blessed Virgin, diffuse abroad that very grace of which thou art full, that from the overflowing stream of thy bounty the guilty may receive pardon, the sick cure, the faint-hearted strength, the afflicted consola tion, the endangered aid and deliverance. Oh, that I may merit to obtain even one small drop out of a fulness so great, to water my dry and thirsty teart I T/ie Lord is with thee. I flow rich and blessed must be the possession of her who possesses the Lord her God! What good must there not be there, where is present the Lord, who himself is the Fountain of all goodness I Doubtless when all things are God's, nothing is lacking to him who possesses God. True, the Lord is with thee, as he is with all just persons ; but far more pre-eminently, by special grace, and by a particular providence, is he with thee ; with thee in thy heart, with thee in thy womb ; the Power of the Most High {Qod the Father) sfiall overshadow thee. The Uoly Ghost has come upon thee. The Word made flesh has come forth of thee. The Lord is with thee and in thee, as a king upon his throne, as a bridegroom in his bridal chamber, as a dear,' nay, far more dearly and closely than is a friend in a friend. Obtain, Lady^ that my Lord may be with me by grace, who was with thee by the closest union of love and corporal presence I DoubUess all blessings wUl be with him in whose company is the Lord, neither shall I fear any evils, if the Lord is with me. Blessed art thou among wwnm. Blessed indeed among women, since thou alone of so many thousands hast pleased the King most high. Justly blessed, who hast been the object of so many prayers and sighs, expected for so many ages, foretold by so many oracles! Truly blessed among women, who art exempt from the common curse and condition of women, so as neither to continue barren, nor to lose thy virginity, nor to bring forth with pain ! There lies moreover a hard necessity and a heavy burden upon all the other daughters of Eve. If they are fruitful, they suffer pain and defilement ;= if barren, they aro cursed.d Thou art at once both fruitful and pure ; and, by being devoid of pain, liast turned into a blessing the curse of Eve. ' Cursed oi" old was the earth in the work of the sinner, which, even when cultivated, sprouts forth thorns and briers to the heirs of malediction. But blessed is the earth now in the work of the Eedeemer, which brings forth to all men remission of sins, and the fruit of Life, and has destroyed the sen- tence of the original curse upon the sons of Adam. • Oen. iii. 10. <• Exod. xxiL 28. V ;.) 'rM^. 'x:x:. **H < 'ix-\l!ESr<: ,M V _K^^ IM) . I; %^ MEDITATIONS, ETO. Oh Blessed One, in that thou art the Mother of a Son, in whom all nations shall be blessed 1 Therefore shall all generations call thee blessed, because he that is mightv has done to thee great things. For thou oonceivest, but without concupiscence; thou art heavy with chUd, but not overbur-lened. Thou bringest forth, but without travaU. Thou knowest not a man, and yet thou bearcat a Son. Oh, what a Son is he I Thou becomest the true mother of hir . whose true Father is God: thou bearest God, and conceivest of God: a fruitful Virgin, a chaste and inviolate Mother. How can it then be that thou art not blessed among women? And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Blessed, I say, because he in whom all nations are blessed, is the Author of grace and the fountain of all blessing. Him do we bless and praise in thee O blessed Virgin, whom likewise thy soul praises and magniiies alone above all because he has done to thee those great and wonderful things which we admire and venerate in thee, who is mighty over all things, God blessed for ever 1 , • mt. Eve ate the fruit of death, and, with herself, brought us to rmn. Thou hast brought forth to the world the Fruit of Life, tad behold, we have lived again I Oh, how blessed is the womb that has borne and produced for ua Buchflruit! . ^, « Thou rejoicest, O holy Parent! and feastest now, but m another form, upon the Fruit of thy womb. Be satisfied, then, O Mother, with the glory of thy Son, but scatter to thy little ones thy crumbs! Now thou art Mis- tress at the table ; we, the dogs under the table. As the eyes of the hand- maid are on the hands of her mistress, so do our attendant souls expect of thee the Sustenance of life. By thee have we partaken of the Fnut of Life at the Table of the Mysteries that are thereon; by thee let us partake of Jesus, the blessed fruit of thy womb, at the table of everlasting joys ! Amen.. 6 i m fM . ThuB much more has been written than our purpose required, for the benefit of thoie w«o dislike the frequent repetitions of the Hail Mary. .^ ..»».,«__ fy?l Pope Paul V. has grauted an indulgence of a hundred day. to tho« who recite the H..'. Marf Hi tX the stioke of the clock. THE END. -7^^' M • 'i~9 • 19 9 '■| '•' 1 iJflj