The Second Day of July

St. Anne is the Mother of Mary and the Grandmother of Jesus.

The sacred Scriptures, so scanty in details as to the Blessed Virgin, are wholly silent on the subject of her glorious Mother, not even mentioning her name: the ever blessed and beloved name of St. Anne having been transmitted to us only by tradition and by the gratitude of Christian nations. But is not what we know about her quite sufficient? It is her glory to have been the Mother of Mary and Grandmother of JESUS.

St. Anne is the Mother of her whom the Saints proclaim to be their Mother, whom the devils fear, whom the Angels bless and revere, whom God loved above all others of his creatures. She is the Mother of her who, after God, sees none superior or equal to herself either in holiness, in glory, or in power. She is the Mother of her who was promised to Adam as the last resort of himself and his descendants after the shipwreck of their innocence. She is the Mother of her who was typified by the various holy women of the Old Testament and sung by the Prophets. She is the Mother of her who was immaculate in her Conception, who was a Virgin and yet a mother, and the Mother of virgins, who never knew the stain of original sin nor of present sin, not even the slightest shadow of an imperfection. She is the Mother of her who is purer than the Angels, holier than the Archangels, higher than the Thrones, more powerful than the Dominations, more enlightened than the Cherubim, more inflamed with divine love than the Seraphim. She is the Mother of her who is called and who is the eldest Daughter of the Father, the true Mother of the Son, preeminently the Spouse of the Holy Ghost. She is the Mother of her who is "full of grace," the fountain-head and channel of all grace; of her who from out her own plenitude has bestowed and still bestows ransom on the captive, strength to the weak, sight to the blind, consolation to the afflicted, hope to the desponding, an overflow of joy to the Angels, human flesh to the Divine Word, a Worshiper worthy of His greatness to the Eternal Father, a temple worthy of His holiness to the Holy Ghost. Anne is the Mother of her who is the ladder to heaven, the anchor of the shipwrecked, the star of the mariner, the bridge whereby God crossed the abyss which separated us from him. Lastly, St. Anne is the Mother of her whom no tongue, not even an Angel’s, can worthily praise, whose greatness cannot be conceived by any created intelligence, whom no heart, save that of her Son, can sufficiently love: St. Anne is Mother of the Mother of God!

St. Anne is the Grandmother of JESUS-CHRIST, our Redeemer, our Savior, our Mediator, our Advocate, our Pontiff, our Victim, our Bread of Life, our King, our Lord, our God. She is the Grandmother of Him who was before Abraham and all ages, of Him who, in the beginning, rested in the bosom of God, who was begotten by the Father before the commencement of all things, who is God like unto His Father, by whom all things were made and who sustains and preserves all things by His power and word. Yes, the Heir of the universe, the Angel of good counsel, the Strong, the Hope of nations, the Desire of the eternal hills, the Father of centuries to come, the Conqueror of hell, the Destroyer of death, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, JESUS, our Light, our Way, our Life, JESUS, the only Son of God the Father, is Grandson to St. Anne! A very noble born lady was accustomed to dress very simply and to wear neither diamonds nor other jewels. On one occasion, when surprise at this simplicity was testified, she pointed to her two sons, whom she was bringing up most carefully and who gave great hopes for the future. "Here are my jewels," she said. Might not Anne also say, when pointing to JESUS and Mary, "Here are my jewels!" The Wise Man has said that children are a crown to their parents: what a crown is JESUS! what a crown is Mary! JESUS has said that a tree is to be judged by its fruits: Anne is the tree, Mary the flower, JESUS the fruit! O glorious and well-beloved Saint, thou art indeed truly and singularly the most blessed of women after Mary, Mother of JESUS our God, to whom be honor, glory, adoration, blessing and praise, world without end!

EXAMPLE.

From the records of the Shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre.

In the month of July 1884, a pilgrimage arrived from St. Alban’s and among the pious pilgrims may be mentioned Eliza Perron, a young lady aged 18, a daughter of Joseph Perron, miller of St. Alban’s. The previous year, having visited Lowell, Mass, she had contracted an illness for which the doctors attended her for a whole year, but with out procuring her any alleviation. She had an abscess in her left leg which obliged her to use a crutch in walking. Finding human means failed her, she decided on making a pilgrimage to St. Anne’s and asking her cure of that great Saint. On July 2, she went to Confession, heard Mass and received Holy Communion at St. Alban’s, but without perceiving any amendment in her state. Again on July 3, she approached the Holy Table in the sanctuary of St. Anne de Beaupre , but there was no change for the better up to the time of her venerating the relic. At that moment, however, something extraordinary seemed to take place within her which she herself could not describe, but, on rising, she found herself completely cured and able to move away without her crutch which she left on the altar-step and has never since required.

PRAYER.

Eternal Father, I bless Thee for having from all eternity chosen St. Anne from among all the daughters of Adam, to be the Mother of Mary and Grandmother of Thy Son made flesh. JESUS, only Son of God, I thank Thee for having vouchsafed, for our salvation, to become Son of the Daughter of this glorious Saint. Holy Ghost, I praise Thee for having rendered St. Anne worthy of her high vocation. Blessed Anne, I rejoice in thy happiness and glory; I rejoice for thee and also for myself. For I know that, like thy blessed Daughter, thou art eminently good and filled with compassion for the unfortunate, and that thou askest no better than to use thy influence with JESUS and Mary in favor of those who invoke thy name. Behold, I now invoke thee from the depths of my misery: thou knowest the grace that I desire to obtain by celebrating this month which is consecrated to thee. Do thou vouchsafe to ask it for me, a poor sinner quite undeserving of all grace, only meriting chastisement; and certainly I shall obtain it, if such be God’s Will and if it be for the good of my soul. However this may be, there is one grace which thou wilt not fail to obtain for me, and which I prize above every other: that of never again offending my God, of loving JESUS and Mary, and of one day seeing them face to face and praising them with thee for all eternity.

Good St. Anne, obtain for me by thy prayers that I may love JESUS and Mary above all things.

PRACTICE.

When you pray to St. Anne, do not fail to ask of her the love of JESUS and Mary. It is the most beneficial prayer you can offer, and will always be granted.