PREFACE
Every child fondly loves its mother. Not in words only, but by deeds even more, it shows her the most beautiful devotion.
Every child fondly loves its mother. Not in words only, but by deeds even more, it shows her the most beautiful devotion.
It finds daily, ingeniously enough, new methods to rejoice her soul, and have her to feel its deep veneration for her. Children never tire of repeating the praises of their mother. They cherish the tenderest affection for her, whose loveliness is ever present before their eyes.
In the home, they gather around her; when absent they think of her and long to return to her gentle smile and laving embrace.
In their appreciation or her, she is the best, the fairest, the greatest, yes, the noblest, the most lovable", the most beautiful of all women. There is none comparable to her. She surpasses all others. They laud her on every possible occasion, and resent the slightest reflection upon the beauty of her heart or soul. Their life is wholly wrapped up in hers.
Our love and devotion for our sweet loving Mother Mary caused us to write this book in her honor. As one of her children, we wish to lay at the feet of the most admirable of mothers our meed of homage.
Though every child of hers should indite a work, extolling her graces, there would still remain as much and more to be written in her honor. We cannot sing her praises too joyously, nor too often. The more we publish her singular devotion, her purity, her chastity, the more reason we will find to exalt her admirable virtues.
God has elevated her so signally above all His creatures, that what all men and nations might do to render her name greater would be, in comparison to His predilection for her, less than a raindrop to the waters of all the rivers and oceans of the world.
If these pages will bring one mind more to know her, one more heart. to love her, one soul more to sing her praises, I shall deem my humble efforts well repaid.
In writing this book on the life.of.the Virgin Mother of our Redeemer, our own dear Mother, the ever glorious and blessed Virgin Mary, my soul's desire is that others may become her devout clients, who, in their day, will stand with all the saints and angels of God, verifying in their praises of her, throughout the eternal years, her glorious prophecy: "All generations shall call me blessed" (Luke I—48).
CHAPTER I. Holy Mary.
To cultivate a constant friendship, a sincere love for God; to seek the companionship of Jesus; to turn our mind and heart from worldly frivolities; to shun evil and to do good, is sanctity. Holiness of life is gained by a faithful performance of duty and the practice of virtue. Saint Paul tells us what we must do to live such a life when he says: "Denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world" (Tit. II—12). The sanctity of the body is purity, that of the soul is humility and charity.
"I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you present your bodies, a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your reasonable service" (Rom. XII—1).
Jesus Christ sanctified his Church, "that he might present it to Himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing: but that it should be holy, and without blemish" (Ephes. V—27).
"For me to live," says again the same Apostle, "is Christ" (Phil. 1—21). "And I live, now, not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Gal. 11—20). Our life must be, as far as possible, a counterpart of the life of our Saviour. We must not be ashamed of Him; we must take up our cross and follow Him; we must die for love of Him, die to all things earthly. In a word, we must seek to be another Christ.
The ground of a perfect life lies in the conformity of our will and of our works to the eternal law, which is in the spirit of God. He who regulates his ways, in accordance with that law, is just, holy, perfect. Sanctity is freedom from all blemish, a true love of God, an intimate union with Christ. The more we turn our heart away and purify it from mundane things, the nearer we approach to God, and the more holy do we become.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," says the Apostle, "who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ." "As He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in His sight in charity" (Ephes. I—3 and 4). God alone is sanctity in His essence, He is eternal charity. Whoever seeks a union with God, and communicates with Him, lives a life pleasing to Him. Our sanctity increases in the ratio of our approachment to God and our devotion to Him.
The humble Virgin of Nazareth, Mary, being the nearest and most intimately united to God, is, of all His creatures, the most holy. A closer union with God never existed, nor could there be a more perfect one than that which resulted from the divine maternity.
Notwithstanding Mary's intimate relationship with God, her divine motherhood, it would have availed her but little had she not carried Jesus Christ in her heart, even more than in her chaste womb.
She shunned the world, abhorred sin, and lived only for Jesus. All her days were passed in the practice of virtue. With greater reason than Saint Paul could she exclaim: "And I live, now, not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Gall. 11—20).
She was holy in her eyes, ears, tongue, hands and feet; she was godly in her thoughts, desires, words, heart, and in all the powers of her soul; she was saintly in all her movements, all her actions; in a word, she was holy in both body and soul.
Jesus was, by nature, impeccable, Mary having been preserved by a special dispensation of divine grace from the blight of the original defilement, was exempt from any actual stain, even from the least imperfection.
Jesus dwelt in Mary's immaculate womb for nine months, was nourished at her breasts in infancy, and spent thirty of the thirty-three years of his life under her roof.
Mary took part in His labors and shared in His joys and ignominies. From the blessed moment of her conception, supereminent beauty graced her pure soul. In her tender infancy she consecrated herself to God, Whom she loved with an affection beyond that of all creatures capable of serving Him. She had no thought, no desire, save that of honoring Him. She performed no duty, she undertook no task but what tended to His greater glory. Her mind was in perfect harmony with His mind; her heart pulsated only in union with that of her Creator; her soul was filled with joyous rapture in her ecstasy of devotion to Him. Never for one mo ment in her life did she displease Him in thought, word or deed.
She knew not evil; no shadow of sin ever obscured her life, no stain of any kind ever darkened her soul.
She not only lived, but died for love of God, for it was her excessive love to be dissolved and be with Him that caused her soul to wing its flight to his bosom, and the sweet embrace of her divine Son, Jesus.
Like Him, she was tried; nevertheless, her sorrows drew her closer to God, to whom she had recourse for help and consolation. In the spirit of her divine Son, Jesus, who exclaimed, "Not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark XIV— 36), did she humbly submit to God's holy will in these words: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to Thy word" (Luke 1—38).
Though she understood not the words spoken to her by the holy man Simeon, concerning her divine Son, her love for, and her confidence in her Maker was such, that, albeit, at almost every step in life, her heart was transfixed with a sword of sorrow, her mind and heart were at all times one with that of God. "Be it done unto me according to Thy word," came forth every moment from her pure and holy soul.
She was humble, like the meek and humble Jesus, and the Lord "hath regarded the humility of His handmaid" (Luke I—48). Her devotion for Jesus was like that of St. Peter; her charity, like that of St. John; her obedience, like that of Abraham; her patience, like that of Isaac; her resignation, like that of Jacob; her immaculateness excelled the chastity of all the Angels and Saints; her constancy was like that of Josue; her goodness, like that of Samuel; her tenderness, like that of David, and her abstinence, like that of Daniel.
Responding faithfully to every requirement of a perfect life, of exalted sanctity, she is indeed that Holy Mary of whom it is said in the inspired volume: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women" (Luke I—28).
CHAPTER II. Holy Mother Of God.
"Blessed are the eyes that see the things that you see" (Luke X—23). These words were spoken by the Divine Master to His disciples, in order that they might understand how privileged they were to believe Him to be the Messiah promised to the Patriarchs and Prophets, and to accept His teachings, as He unfolded to them, the secrets of His Father and the eternal truths of heaven.
Verily may we address these same words, "blessed are the eyes that see the things which you see," to the children of the household of the faith, who acknowledge holy Mary to be the Mother of God, seeing as they do, by the eye of faith, the truth of this sublime mystery.
One day our Lord, interrogating His Apostles, asked them: "Whom do men say that the Son of Man is?" But they said: "Some John the Baptist, and others, some Elias, and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets." Jesus saith to them: "But whom do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said: "Thou art Christ, the Son of the Living God."
And Jesus answering, said to him: "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar Jona, because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but My Father who is in Heaven" (Matt. XVI—13-18).
The question propounded to the Apostles by Christ, concerning Himself, may likewise be put to the world today, in regard to Holy Mary. Whom do men say that she is? And the answer comes: some, an ordinary woman, and others, some a good woman, and others, "man's tainted nature's solitary boast." But whom do you say that she is? And the child of faith responds: "She is the Holy Mother of God."
Flesh and blood did not reveal it to him, but our Father who is in Heaven. "Blessed are the eyes that see the things that you see."
It is by the unerring eye of faith that we believe Mary to be the holy Mother of God.
No man will disown his mother. To him she is the best, the greatest, the loveliest of women. And yet, though she be the mother of his body, she is not the mother of his soul, for God Himself breathes the soul into every man born into the world.
Man's soul is as independent of his mother as creation is of him. Nevertheless, we rightly call her mother, as in truth she, who bore us in her womb, is our mother.
Mary, albeit, one of God's creatures like ourselves, is His holy Mother. While she is not the Mother of the Godhead, she is the Mother of the Word made flesh, who is God, equal to the Father from all eternity; hence she is in very truth the Mother of God.
Confess your faith in the Incarnation and, in the same breath, you affirm that Mary is the Mother of God. In the Incarnation, God takes unto Himself, human nature, remaining always God, therefore He is perfect man, as well as true God. But in His human nature, He is verily the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from whose most chaste womb He took unto Himself that flesh and blood, whereby He became man. The relationship, therefore, between God, as to His human nature, and Mary is the same as that between any mother and her son.
While stoutly proclaiming this intimate union between God and the Blessed Virgin, we as solemnly declare that she is not the Mother of God in His divine nature, for in this He is her Creator, as He is of all other creatures, and not her Son. She is none the less His holy Mother, albeit, in His human nature, for this human nature is the human nature of God, of which she is the Mother. Mary is, therefore, in very deed, the holy Mother of God, since from her the Eternal Son of God borrowed His flesh and blood and became man.
It was this Divine Person, who, by the power of the Holy Ghost, was conceived in her virginal womb and was born of her. Through this ineffable mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God, Mary holds a unique place in the plan of man's redemption and salvation. For God has redeemed us in His human nature, and not in His divine nature—in that nature, therefore, which He took from His holy Mother, Mary.
In this, God has honored and exalted her above all other creatures, having endowed her with all the beauty and graces a creature is capable of receiving.
Our great love and devotion for Mary, the holy Mother of God, springs from her relationship with God, and this keeps alive in our breasts the great mystery of a God becoming man, through whom every blessing of Heaven comes to us. We honor Mary as the holy Mother of God, for God Himself so honors her, having chosen her from all eternity to be His Mother. No higher dignity could the Creator confer upon His creature, than the one He bestowed upon Mary, the humble handmaid of the Lord. We would fail in our duty to God did we neglect to give the respect and pay the homage to His holy Mother that she deserves at our hands.
Who that does not love his mother above all others? Who that would not shed to the last drop of his heart's blood for her sake? Is God to be eclipsed by His own creatures in the veneration that a mother claims from her child? God's love for Mary tells us no. He favored her above all women, when He bestowed upon her from the first moment of her conception, an incomparable beauty of both body and soul, that of her immaculateness. With complacency did He regard her, and with a child's love and devotion for His Mother, has Jesus at all times honored her as His holy Mother.
Mary is also our Mother, and every true child of the Church considers himself favored in being able to invoke her as his holy Mother. She is not, it is true, our natural Mother, but she is our spiritual Mother, since she gave voluntarily of her substance to the Son of God, Christ Jesus, through whom we have been redeemed and begotten, so to speak, to a higher and better life, the spiritual life in Christ Jesus.
All who accept the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God, cannot, in reason or justice, fail to recognize this spiritual relationship between Mary, the Mother of the Divine Person, Jesus Christ, and those ransomed through His precious blood, shed for them on Calvary.
As her loving children, let us honor her as God honors her; let us love her as He loves her; let us magnify her name on earth, as the blessed do in Heaven. From the depths of our soul, let us call upon her as our most sweet, most loving Mother Mary, that we may be privileged throughout the endless ages of eternity to mingle our praises with those of all the Angels and Saints in Heaven, to honor her as God Himself honors her, as His holy Mother and ours, through Jesus Christ.
