CHAPTER XLI.
Queen Of Apostles.
The patriarchs slept with their fathers, the prophets passed into the home of their eternity: both in their day and generation fulfilled well the mission given them by the Almighty. They were His special servants among men, preserving and handing down to succeeding generations the comforting promise of a Messiah.
The great day dawned, and the Redeemer was born into the world. The promise was accomplished. The humble Virgin Mary of Nazareth was the chosen one among women, by reason of her immaculateness, to become the Mother of the "Word made flesh." He is the way, the truth and life of the world; its promised Redeemer.
Mary carried Him for nine months in her chaste womb, gave birth to Him, and cared for Him through the years of His infancy, childhood and young manhood. She presented Him to the world as the God-man: the Saviour foretold by patriarch and by prophet. She took Him to the temple, for the rite of circumcision, as required by law for all male children; she made Him known as God, when, at the marriage feast of Cana, He changed water into wine at her behest. She was the first to declare to men and nations, to Jew and Gentile, that her Son, Jesus, was the Christ, the Son of God, true God and true man.
Thereafter Christ went about doing good everywhere, preaching the glad tidings He had brought down from Heaven and working miracles. To perpetuate Himself among men, to continue His mission among the nations, He commissioned His Apostles to teach all peoples, that He is in very truth the promised Redeemer.
The twelve patriarchs were the fathers of the Jewish nation; the twelve Apostles were the spiritual fathers of the Christian people. It is also held by Saint Thomas that the number of the Apostles corresponded to the twelve stars that formed the crown that rested upon the head of the spouse spoken of in the Apocalypse, that is of Mary.
Christ selected His Apostles from among the poor and illiterate, that it might the better appear from what source they drew their power and knowledge.
"For God," says Saint Paul, "hath chosen the foolish things of the world, that He may confound the wise, and the weak things of the world hath God chosen that He may confound the strong. And the base things of the world, and the things that are contemptible hath God chosen, and things that are not, that He might bring to naught, things that are. That no flesh should glory in His sight" (I Cor. I—27,28,29).
The world glories in its wisdom, power and honor, whilst God selects the less wise according to the world, the less powerful, that the world may know that the work done is a divine work.
The Apostles lived scantly; they neither desired nor sought earthly goods; they possessed nothing; they died to all around them to live but for God.
Such was the life of Mary in a sublime degree. She passed her days in comparative seclusion, as poor as the poorest, satisfied with her close union with God in prayer and contemplation. The Apostles lived not for themselves, but they lived and died for Christ, who first gave His life for them. Mary lived for Jesus, and died of pure love for Him. The Apostles lived and died for the good of souls. Mary's life was one of sacrifice and love for the redemption of men. Isaias, seeing the Apostles through the light of divine revelation, spoke of them in transports of joy: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him that bringeth good tidings, and that preacheth peace: of Him that showeth forth good, that preacheth salvation, that saith to Sion, thy God shall reign" (LII-7).
The Apostles were the ministers of Jesus Christ; the defenders of truth; the organs of the Holy Ghost; the messengers of the Word of God. They went everywhere, preaching Christ and Him crucified. Mary was the Virgin Mother of Jesus, the depository of eternal truth, the spouse of the Holy Ghost and the constant companion of the man of sorrows. Of the Apostles the words of Ecclesiasticus may be truly spoken: "These were men of mercy, whose godly deeds have not failed" (Eccl. XLIV—10).
Mary is the Mother of mercy and the dispenser of the graces that flow from the seat of mercy. Her deeds of godliness never abate, they are in our own times the admiration of the people of God. For years after the ascension of Jesus into Heaven, she remained with the Apostles, helping them by her prayers, and leading them onward to noble deeds by her admirable example. They were bowed in grief, when they laid the body of their queen in the tomb, where it was to remain, however, but a few days. It was soon taken into Heaven to enjoy for all eternity the beatific vision, and to welcome the Apostles at their death, into the kingdom of her Son, their Divine Master.
CHAPTER XLII.
Queen Of Martyrs.
The great Doctor of the Church, Saint Jerome, declares that the shedding of one's blood for Christ and His Church, is not the only martyrdom, but that a perfect submission to the mind and will of God, deserves the same name.
It is not given to all to be called to shed their blood for the faith, but all may merit the title of martyr, who bend the neck beneath the spiritual sword in overcoming the temptations of flesh and blood that arise in them.
To possess riches, yet be detached from all worldly goods as Job and David: to give bountifully of what we have, like Tobias or the widow of the Gospel; to preserve chastity in youth, as Joseph in Egypt, is to be worthy of the name of martyr.
The holy man, Simeon, predicted of Mary that a sword should pierce her heart: "Thy own soul a sword shall pierce" (Luke II—35). As Mary participated in the coming of the Redeemer into the world, freely giving her consent to become His Mother, so, as willingly did she accept to share in all that God, in His infinite justice, would inflict of sufferings, even death itself, upon her Divine Son, our Saviour, who took upon His own shoulders the iniquities of the world.
Mary loved Jesus with a love that surpassed the love of all angels and men for Him. Her love for Him was that of a mother's heart for her son. She loved Him more than herself, and would rather have suffered and died in His stead than see Him subjected to the ignominies with which His enemies loaded Him.
Christ endured the most fearful agonies in His senses and in His members, in all of which Mary shared through her sympathy for Him. She knew that our Lord was the Son of God, as well as her own Son in the flesh, which knowledge intensified the anguish of her soul.
The bitter sufferings of Christ and of His Mother were not of a moment or of short duration, but they began with His entry into life, and ceased only with His death upon the Cross.
In the words of her Divine Son, as He hung upon the gibbet of the cross, abandoned by all, might sorrowful Mary exclaim as she stood gazing into the face of her dying Son: "My God! My God! Why hast Thou forsaken me?" (Mark XV—34). Had not God, for His own divine purposes, sustained her, she would have given up her soul into His hands, as the words fell from the lips of Jesus: "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit" (Luke XXIII— 46). As the Saviour, in His death and passion, suffered greater torments than all the martyrs, so did His Mother, because of the depth of her maternal love for Him.
In sorrowful Mary, standing erect beneath the Cross, the martyrs of all times behold their prototype in patience, in suffering, in fortitude, in courage, in virtue, in the love of God, in the sacrifice of their life for Christ's sake. The sufferings of the martyrs, in comparison to hers, are no more than a spring to a great river, or a rivulet to a vast ocean.
The halo of martyrdom that encircles her fair brow, gives luster to the crowns of all other martyrs. She is the first, the fairest, the greatest, the Queen of Martyrs.
CHAPTER XLIII.
Queen Of Confessors.
It is an easy matter to follow the leadership of one who is victorious over all his enemies; whose prestige is everywhere hailed with acclamation; who receives homage without stint from his devotees, and who in turn is able to reward them richly for their fealty to him.
On the other hand, it requires courage, virtue, even the strongest attachment and love to champion the leadership of one who is shorn of all worldly pomp and influence; who has neither gold nor silver to offer; who can bestow no honors on those who marshal themselves under his standard. Such a one is Christ Jesus. He holds out to His followers no earthly consideration, only insults, chains, prisons, hunger, thirst and all manner of persecution, with the promise, however of a reward, a crown of glory beyond the grave that no man can take from them.
He offers nothing of this world's goods, nothing of riches, of preferment, of honor, of greatness, but pledges in lieu of the fleeting emoluments of this life, or the stenciled trappings of the world, that which the "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him." (1 Cor. II—9). These are the assets that Christ tenders to those who are not ashamed of Him before man, but confess openly that they are followers of the humble Nazarene.
They are the strength of the church, the foundation stones of the edifice. They are as posts of safety against sin and iniquity, or, like pilots who guide the world in the path of justice and truth. They are the true shepherds of souls who drive the wolves from the flock of which they have care. They are the laborers who are assiduous in ridding the fields of their master of weeds of every kind. They are faithful soldiers of the Crucified, who battled against the enemies of God to save souls from ruin and perdition.
They are noble victors, having triumphed over the devil, the world and the flesh. They are the champions of the Cross which they bear aloft, of which they are not ashamed; of Christ in whom they glory, and of His word which they proclaim fearlessly to all men and nations in the face of dangers, insults, flagellations, imprisonments and persecutions. They are the trumpet of the Gospel, the powerful voice of the teachings of Christ, the guides of the people, the upholders of the faith, the depositories of the mysteries of Jesus Christ, the temples of the Holy Ghost.
To the valiant confessors of the faith our Lord said: "You shall be witnesses unto Me, even to the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts. I—8). Carry My name before men and nations without fear. "Blessed are ye when they shall revile and persecute you and speak all that is evil against you, unjustly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in Heaven" (Matt. V—11-12).
The reward He promises is not of this world, but of that which is to come. They will suffer here, but will rejoice hereafter.
Mary confessed Christ before the world from the moment she gave her consent to become His Mother until standing firm and erect on Calvary's mount beneath His Cross, she confessed before Jew and Gentile in her silent and dignified .demeanor that the Crucified was the Son of the Most High and her own Divine Son, true God and true man.
In the face of all the indignities offered to Him she clung to Him. She followed Him through His bitter passion, she walked with Him to Calvary, she received His limp body into her arms, and pressed tenderly to her Mother's bosom that Son, who so oft in childhood rested upon it.
Every insult flung at Him was aimed at her, every ignominy suffered by Him was shared in by her; every blow that fell upon Him, pained her; the nails that pierced His hands and feet wounded her soul, and when His side was transfixed with a lance a sword of sorrow passed through her heart.
Encouraged by Mary's example, the confessors of the faith cease not to proclaim Christ as their God and their Redeemer, notwithstanding the blasphemies and outrages heaped upon them by the persecutors of Christ and of His Church.
Mary stood by the standard of Christ, they I following her leadership, cling to it in life and death. And while they confess and do not deny that He who died upon the rood is their God and King, they confess and proclaim that she who stood sorrowful beneath the Cross is His Mother and their Queen.
CHAPTER XLIV.
Queen Op Virgins.
"The Queen that stood on thy right hand; after her shall virgins be brought to the king: her neighbors shall be brought to Thee. They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing;
They shall be brought into the kingdom of the king.
They shall remember thy name throughout all generations.
Therefore shall people praise thee forever; yea, forever and ever" (Psal. XLIV—10, 15, 18).
Mary ever Virgin is seated at the right hand of her Divine Son in His heavenly kingdom. As Queen of Heaven, she occupies the place of honor next to the King. This Virgin of Virgins shall lead other virgins to the King, who, with gladness and rejoicing, shall form His special court. "They are virgins, these follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth" (Apoc. XIV
To them the Psalmist promises the empire of the world. They hold the first rank in the hierarchy of the saints, and because of their voluntary renouncement of all earthly goods and pleasures, which endure not, but pass like vapors before the winds, they are elevated above the other creatures of God. Of Mary, the peerless Virgin, the Virgin Mother, the words of Tobias are spoken: "Thou shalt rejoice in thy children, because they shall all be blessed, and shall be gathered together to the Lord" (Tobias XIII—17).
Especial reference is here made of those who consecrate themselves to God and spend their lives in the sanctification of their souls in holy religion. Saint Jerome explains beautifully the dignity of those children of Mary, the Queen of Virgins, when he says: "Death came through Eve, life by Mary. She formed a new family, one of virgins, in order that her Son, the King, who was worshiped in Heaven by angels, might have also on earth, in virgins, angels, who would pay him homage."
Mary was the first among women to consecrate herself to God voluntarily by the vow of perpetual Virginity. She has drawn millions on millions of other virgins of every rank, age and condition in life to follow her leadership and live the life of angels among men.
They praise and magnify the name of their model and queen, Mary ever Virgin.
They surpass in merit the heavenly spirits, for they are virgins in a corruptible body, which makes their virtue of a heroic mold, and thereby all the more meritorious. They wear a double crown, that of virgin and that of martyr, for the Fathers of the church assure us that the preservation of virginity is a prolonged martyrdom which will receive a like reward with that of blood.
"These follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. For they are without spot before the throne of God" (Apoc. XIV—4-5). In following the Lamb, they follow in the suite of Mary, the ever glorious Virgin Mother of the King, and she is ever on His right hand.
How fruitful is Mary's voluntary vow of perpetual chastity in the innumerable children who have chosen her as their Queen! They love her virginity and willingly give up all of life's ephemeral pleasures to merit to follow with her the Lamb throughout the mansions of His heavenly kingdom.
"All the angels and archangels, the thrones and principalities, serve you faithfully, O Mary," exclaims Saint Bonaventure; "All the powers and virtues obey you; all the dominations wait upon you; all the cherubim and seraphim form your entourage and minister unto you. All the angels cease not to cry out, Holy, holy, holy, is the Mother of God, Mother and Virgin" (Speculi).
How enthusiastically does the army of virgins join their voices in the glad chorus of the angels, praising and magnifying the name of their Queen, Mary undefiled, untouched, immaculate Virgin of Virgins.
CHAPTER XLV.
Queen Of All Saints.
"Be ye therefore, perfect, as also your Heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. V—48).
God Himself, according to the words of the Evangelist, is the great model of sanctity. That we may be saints, He encourages us to imitate him, to follow His Divine Son, Jesus Christ. "Be ye holy, because I, the Lord, your God am holy" (Levit. XIX—2).
Created to the image of God and restored to His friendship through the redemption effected by the Saviour, we should have God constantly before us, and aim to cultivate, as far as is in our power, his holiness.
To be a saint is to live in conformity to the will of God, for His will being one with His divine spirit, is necessarily conformable to the eternal law that governs all things and establishes the measure and rule of all sanctity. In God this conformity is infinite, hence His holiness is infinite.
Sanctity is the love of God and a close union with Him, who Himself is the plenitude of sanctity. In serving God with all the powers of mind, heart and soul we approach daily closer to Him, and become more like unto Him.
"Be ye, therefore, perfect, as also your Heavenly Father is perfect." From the moment of the Blessed Virgin's creation, she was possessed of greater virtues, of more intense love for God than all the saints and angels. Her holiness as far surpasses their combined sanctity as the waters of the ocean surpass those of a rivulet.
"He that is holy, let him be sanctified still" (Apoc. XXII—11). "For the lawgiver shall give a blessing; they shall go from virtue to virtue, the God of gods shall be seen in Sion" (Psal. LXXXIII—7). Who can, considering these words of the Apocalypse and of the Psalmist, fathom the sanctity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who, in each moment of her long and saintly life, increased in grace and favor before God?
Who, like her, could say with the Apostle: "For me, to live is Christ" (Philip. I—21). "And I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me" (Gal. II—20). Because of the loveliness of her soul, Christ did really tabernacle in her, for she is the most holy, the most perfect, the queen of all saints and angels.
Noe, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Josue, all the patriarchs and prophets are venerated; the Apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, holy doctors, all the saints of all times and places are held in benediction.
Of Tobias and his family, the Scripture narrates: "All his kindred and all his generation continued in good life, and in holy conversation, so that they were acceptable both to God and to men, and to all that dwelt in the land" (Tobias XIV—17). But who of all these holy men and women is as acceptable and near to God as Mary? Who among them has uttered a prophecy like unto hers: "All generations shall call me blessed?"
Saint John writes in the Apocalypse: "I saw a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, tribes and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, and in the sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands: And they cried with a loud voice, saying: 'Salvation to our God, who sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb. Benediction, and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, honour and power and strength to our God forever and ever" (Apoc. VII—9,10,12).
This acclamation of joy will not stop here. They will verify the prophecy of their Queen, "all generations shall call me blessed," by singing her praises also and honoring her, the Mother of God, the Mother of their Saviour and Redeemer, through whose merits they now enjoy the blessings of Heaven. They shall bless God because He showed the might of His arm in creating immaculate His Virgin Mother, their Queen.
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