The Fourth Day

Of Mary’s Charity Towards Her Neighbor.
Love towards God and love towards our neighbor are commanded by the same precept: ‘And this commandment we have from God, that he who loves God , love also his brother.’ St. Thomas says that the reason for this is, that he who loves God loves all that God loves. St. Catherine of Genoa one day said, ‘Lord, You will that I should love my neighbor, and I can love none but You.’ God answered her in these words: ‘All who love Me love what I love.’ But as there never was, and never will be, any one who loved God as much as Mary loved Him, so there never was, and never will be, any one who loved her neighbor as much as she did. Father Cornelius a Lapide, on these words of the Canticles, ‘King Solomon hath made him a litter of the wood of Libanus, . . . the midst he covered with charity for the daughters of Jerusalem,’ says that ‘this litter was Mary’s womb, in which the Incarnate Word dwelt, filling it with charity for the daughters of Jerusalem; for Christ, who is love itself, inspired the Blessed Virgin with charity in its highest degree, that she might succor all who had recourse to her.’ So great was Mary’s charity when on earth, that she succored the needy without even being asked, as was the case at the marriage-feast of Cana, when she told her Son of the family’s distress, ‘They have no wine,’ and asked Him to work a miracle. O, with what speed did she fly when there was a question of relieving her neighbor! When she went to the house of Elizabeth to fulfil an office of charity, ‘she went into the hill country with haste.’ She could not, however, more fully display the greatness of her charity than she did in the offering which she made of her Son to death for our salvation. On this subject St. Bonaventure says, ‘Mary so loved the world as to give her only-begotten Son.’ Hence, St. Anselm exclaims: ‘O blessed amongst women, your purity surpasses that of the angels, and thy compassion that of the Saints!’ ‘Nor has this love of Mary for us,’ says St. Bonaventure, ‘diminished now that she is in heaven, but it has increased;’ for ‘now she better sees the miseries of men.’ And therefore the Saint goes on to say: ‘Great was the mercy of Mary towards the wretched when she was still in exile on earth; but far greater is it now that she reigns in heaven.’ St. Agnes assured St. Bridget, that ‘there was no one who prayed without receiving graces through the charity of the Blessed Virgin.’ Unfortunate indeed should we be, did not Mary intercede for us! Jesus Himself, addressing the same Saint, said, ‘Were it not for the prayers of My Mother, there would be no hope of mercy.’

Blessed is he, says the Divine Mother, who listens to my instructions, pays attention to my charity, and in imitation of me, exercises it himself towards others. ‘Blessed is the man that hears me, and that watches daily at my gates, and waits at the posts of my doors.’ St. Gregory Nazianzen assures us that ‘there is nothing by which we can with greater certainty gain the affection of Mary than by charity towards our neighbor.’ Therefore as God exhorts us, saying, ‘Be ye merciful, as your Father also is merciful,’ so also does Mary seem to say to all her children, ‘Be ye merciful, as your Mother also is merciful.’ It is certain that our charity towards our neighbor will be the measure of that which God and Mary will show us: ‘Give, and it shall be given to you. For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again.’ St. Methodius used to say, ‘Give to the poor, and receive paradise.’ For the Apostle writes, that charity towards our neighbor renders us happy both in this world and in the next: ‘But piety is profitable to all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.’ St. John Chrysostom, on the words of Proverbs, ‘He that hath mercy on the poor lends to the Lord,’ makes a remark to the same effect, saying: ‘He who assists the needy, makes God his debtor.’

EXAMPLE.

We read, in the life of Sister Domenica del Paradiso, written by the Dominican Father Ignatius del Niente, that she was born of poor parents, in the village of Paradiso, near Florence. From her very infancy she began to serve the Divine Mother. She fasted every day in her honor, and on Saturdays gave her food, of which she deprived herself, to the poor. Every Saturday she went into the garden, and into the neighboring fields, and gathered all the flowers that she could find, and presented them before an image of the Blessed Virgin, with the Child in her arms, which she kept in the house. But let us now see with how many favors this most gracious Lady recompensed the homage of her servant. One day, when Domenica was ten years of age, standing at the window, she saw in the street a lady of noble mien, accompanied by a little child, and they both extended their hands, asking for alms. She went to get some bread, when in a moment, without the door being opened, she saw them by her side, and perceived that the child’s hands and feet and side were wounded. She therefore asked the lady who had wounded the child. The mother answered, ‘It was love.’ Domenica, inflamed with love at the sight of the beauty and modesty of the child, asked him if the wounds pained him. His only answer was a smile. But as they were standing near the statue of Jesus and Mary, the lady said to Domenica, ‘Tell me, my child, what is it that makes thee crown these images with flowers?’ She replied: ‘It is the love that I bear to Jesus and Mary.’ ‘And how much dost thou love them?’ ‘I love them as much as I can.’ ‘And how much can you love them?’ ‘As much as they enable me.’ ‘Continue, then,’ added the lady—‘continue to love them; for they will amply repay your love in heaven.’

The little girl then, perceiving that a heavenly odor came forth from those wounds, asked the mother with what ointment she anointed them, and if it could be bought. The lady answered, ‘It is bought with faith and good works.’ Domenica then offered the bread. The mother said: ‘Love is the food of my son; tell him that you love Jesus, and he will be satisfied.’ The child at the word love seemed filled with joy, and turning towards the little girl, asked her how much she loved Jesus. She answered that she loved Him so much, that night and day she always thought of Him, and sought for nothing else but to give Him as much pleasure as she possibly could. ‘It’s well,’ he replied; ‘love Him, for love will teach you what to do to please Him.’ The sweet odor which exhaled from those wounds then increasing, Domenica cried out, ‘O God, this odor makes me die of love! If the odor of a child is so sweet, what must that of heaven be!’ But behold, the scene now changed; the Mother appeared clothed as a Queen, and the Child resplendent with beauty like the sun. He took the flowers and scattered them on the head of Domenica, who, recognizing Jesus and Mary in those personages, was already prostrate adoring them. Thus the vision ended. Domenica afterwards took the habit of a Dominicaness, and died in the odor of sanctity, in the year 1553.

PRAYER.

O beloved Mather of God, most amiable Mary! O, that as you consecrated yourself to the glory and love of God, with promptitude and without reserve, I could offer you, this day, the first years of my life, to devote myself without reserve to your service, my holy and most sweet Lady! But it is now too late to do this; for, unfortunate creature that I am, I have lost so many years in the service of the world and my own caprices, and have lived in almost entire forgetfulness of you and of God. But it is better to begin late than not at all. Behold, O Mary, I this day present myself to you, and I offer myself without reserve to your service for the long or short time that I still have to live in this world; and in union with you I renounce all creatures, and devote myself entirely to the love of my Creator. I consecrate my mind to you, O Queen, that it may always think of the love that you deserve; my tongue to praise you, my heart to love you. Accept O most holy Virgin, the offering which this miserable sinner now makes to you. But since I enter your service late, it is reasonable that I should redouble my acts of homage and love, thereby to compensate for lost time. Help my weakness with your powerful intercession, O Mother of Mercy, by obtaining for me perseverance from Jesus, and strength to be always faithful to you until death; that thus always serving you in life, I may praise you in paradise for all eternity. Amen.

PRACTICE.

Offer alms for the relief of the poor in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Third Day

Of Mary’s Charity Towards God.

St. Anselm says, that ‘wherever there is the greatest purity, there is also the greatest charity.’ The more a heart is pure and empty of itself, the greater is the fulness of its love towards God. The most holy Mary, because she was all humility, and had nothing of self in her, was filled with Divine love, so that ‘her love towards God surpassed that of all men and angels,’ as St. Bernardine writes. Therefore St. Francis of Sales with reason called her, ‘the Queen of love.’ God has, indeed, given men the precept to love Him with their whole hearts: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart.’ But, as St. Thomas declares, ‘this commandment will be fully and perfectly fulfilled by men in heaven alone, and not on earth, where it is only fulfilled imperfectly.’ On this subject, blessed Albert the Great remarks, that in a certain sense, it would have been unbecoming had God given a precept, which was never to have been perfectly fulfilled. But this would have been the case had not the Divine Mother perfectly fulfilled it. ‘Divine love,’ says St. Bernard, ‘so penetrated and filled the soul of Mary, that no part of her was left untouched; so that she loved with her whole heart, with her whole soul, with her whole strength, and was full of grace.’ Therefore Mary could well say: ‘My Beloved has given Himself all to me, and I have given myself all to Him.’ ‘Ah, well might even the Seraphim,’ says Richard, ‘have descended from heaven to learn, in the heart of Mary, how to love God.’

God, who is love, came on earth to enkindle in the hearts of all the flame of His Divine love; but in no heart did He enkindle it so much as in that of His Mother; for her heart was entirely pure from all earthly affections, and fully prepared to burn with this blessed flame. Thus St. Sophronius says, that ‘Divine love so inflamed her, that nothing earthly could enter her affections; she was always burning with this heavenly flame, and, so to say, inebriated with it.’ Hence the heart of Mary became all fire and flames, as we read of her in the sacred Canticles: ‘The lamps thereof are fire and flames;’ fire burning within through love, as St. Anselm explains it; and flames shining without, by the example she gave to all in the practice of virtues. St. Thomas of Villanova says, that the bush seen by Moses, which burnt without being consumed, was a real symbol of Mary’s heart. Therefore with reason, says St. Bernard, was she seen by St. John clothed with the sun: ‘And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun;’ for, continues the Saint, ‘she was so closely untied to God by love, and penetrated so deeply the abyss of Divine Wisdom, that, without a personal union with God, it would seem impossible for a creature to have a closer union with Him.’

Hence St. Bernardine of Sienna asserts that the most holy Virgin was never tempted by hell; for he says: ‘As flies are driven away by a great fire, so were the evil spirits driven away by her ardent love, so much so, that they did not even dare approach her.’

Mary herself revealed to St. Bridget, that in this world she never had any thought, desire, or joy, but in and for God: ‘I thought,’ she said, ‘of nothing but God, nothing pleased me but God;’ so that her blessed soul being in the almost continual contemplation of God whilst on earth, the acts of love she formed were innumerable, as Father Suarez writes. But a remark of Bernardine de Bustis pleases me still more: he says that Mary did not so much repeat acts of love as other Saints do, but that her whole life was one continued act of it; for, by a special privilege, she always actually loved God. As a royal eagle, she always kept her eyes fixed on the Divine Sun of Justice; ‘so that,’ as St. Peter Damian says, ‘the duties of active life did not prevent her from loving, and love did not prevent her from attending to those duties.’ Therefore St. Germanus says, that the altar of propitiation, on which the fire was never extinguished day or night, was a type of Mary.

Neither was sleep an obstacle to Mary’s love for God ; since, as St. Augustine asserts, ‘the dreams, when sleeping, of our first parents, in their state of innocence, were as happy as their lives when waking;’ and if such a privilege were granted them, it certainly cannot be denied that it was also granted to the Divine Mother, as Suarez, the Abbot Rupert, and St. Ambrose fully admit. In fine, St. Bernardine asserts, that as long as Mary lived in this world she was continually loving God: ‘The mind of the Blessed Virgin was always wrapped in the ardour of love.’ The Saint moreover adds, ‘that she never did anything which the Divine Wisdom did not show her to be pleasing to Him; and that she loved God as much as she thought He was to be loved by her.’

But since Mary loves God so much, there can be nothing which she so much requires of her clients as, that they also should love Him to their utmost. This precisely she one day told blessed Angela of Foligno after communion, saying, ‘Angela, be thou blessed by my Son, and endeavor to love Him as much as thou canst.’ She also said to St. Bridget, ‘Daughter, if thou desirest to bind me to thee, love my Son.’ Mary desires nothing more than to see her Beloved, who is God, loved. Novarinus asks why the Blessed Virgin, with the Spouse in the Canticles, begged the angels to make the great love she bore Him know to our Lord, saying: ‘I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my Beloved, that you tell Him I languish with love.’ Did not God know how much she loved Him? ‘Why did she seek to show the wound to her Beloved, since He it was who had inflicted it?’ The same author answers, that the Divine mother thereby wished to make her love known to us, not to God; that as she was herself wounded, so might she also be enabled to wound us with Divine love. And ‘because Mary was all on fire with the love of God, all who love and approach her are inflamed by her with this same love; for she renders them like unto herself.’ For this reason St. Catherine of Sienna called Mary ‘the bearer of fire,’—the bearer of the flame of Divine love. If we also desire to burn with these blessed flames, let us endeavor always to draw nearer to our Mother by our prayers and the affections of our souls.

EXAMPLE.

A young nobleman who was on a sea voyage began to read an obscene book, in which he took much pleasure. A religious noticed it, and said to him: ‘Are you disposed to make a present to our Blessed Lady?’ The young man replied that he was. ‘Well,’ the other answered, ‘I wish that for the love of the most holy Virgin you would give up that book, and throw it into the sea.’ ‘Here it is, Father,’ said the young man. ‘No,’ replied the religious, ‘you must yourself make Mary this present.’ He did so, and no sooner had he returned to Genoa, his native place, than the Mother of God so inflamed his heart with Divine love that he entered a religious order.

PRAYER.

Ah, Mary, thou Queen of Love, of all creatures the most amiable, the most beloved, and the most loving, as St. Francis of Sales addressed thee, — my own sweet Mother, thou wast always and in all things inflamed with love towards God; deign then to bestow, at least, a spark of it on me. Thou didst pray thy Son for the spouses whose wine had failed: ‘They have no wine.’ And wilt thou not pray for us, in whom the love of God, whom we are under such obligations to love, is wanting? Say also, ‘They have no love,’ and obtain us this love. This is the only grace for which we ask. O Mother, by the love thou bearest to Jesus, graciously hear and pray for us. Amen.

The Second Day of May

Of Mary’s Hope.

Hope takes its rise in faith; for God enlightens us by faith to know His goodness and the promises He has made, that by this knowledge we may rise by hope to the desire of possessing Him. Mary then, having had the virtue of faith in its highest degree, had also hope in the same degree of excellence; and this made her say with David: ‘But it is good for me to adhere to my God, to put my hope in the Lord God.’ Mary was indeed that faithful spouse of the Holy Ghost of whom it was said: ‘Who is this that cometh up from the desert, flowing with delights, leaning on her beloved?’ For she was always perfectly detached from earthly affections, looking upon the world as a desert, and therefore in no way relying either on creatures or on her own merits, but relying only on Divine grace, in which was all her confidence, she always advanced in the love of God.

The most holy Virgin gave a clear indication of the greatness of her confidence in God in the first place, when she saw the anxiety of her holy spouse St. Joseph. Unable to account for her wonderful pregnancy, he was troubled at the thought of leaving her: ‘But Joseph . . . minded to put her away privately.’ It appeared then necessary that she should discover the hidden mystery to St. Joseph; but no, she would not herself manifest the grace she had received; she thought it better to abandon herself to Divine providence, in the full confidence that God Himself would defend her innocence and reputation. This is precisely what Cornelius a Lapide says, in his commentary on the words of the Gospel quoted above: ‘The Blessed Virgin was unwilling to reveal this secret to Joseph, lest she might seem to boast of her gifts. She therefore resigned herself to the care of God, in the fullest confidence that He would guard her innocence and reputation.’ She again showed her confidence in God when she knew that the time for the birth of our Lord approached, and was yet driven even from the lodgings of the poor in Bethlehem, and obliged to bring forth in a stable: ‘And she laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for Him in the inn.’ She did not then let drop a single word of complaint; but, abandoning herself to God, she trusted that He would there assist her. The Divine Mother also showed how great was her confidence in Divine providence when she received notice from St. Joseph that they must fly into Egypt. On that very night she undertook so long a journey to a strange and unknown country, without provisions, without money, accompanied only by her Infant Jesus and her poor spouse: "Who arose and took the Child and His Mother by night, and retired into Egypt.’ But much more did she show her confidence when she asked her Son for wine at the marriage-feast of Cana; for when she had said, ‘They have no wine,’ Jesus answered her : ‘Woman, what is it to thee and to Me? My hour is not yet come.’ After this answer, which seemed an evident refusal, her confidence in the Divine goodness was such that she desired the servants to do whatever her Son told them; for the favor was certain to be granted: ‘Whatsoever He shall say to you, do ye.’ It indeed was so: Jesus Christ ordered the vessels to be filled with water, and changed it into wine.

Let us, then, learn from Mary to have that confidence in God which we ought always to have, but principally in the great affair of our eternal salvation: an affair in which it is true that we must cooperate; yet it is from God alone that we must hope for the grace necessary to obtain it. We must distrust our own strength, and say with the Apostle: ‘I can do all things in Him who strengthened me.’

EXAMPLE.

This example is not recorded in any book, but was told me by a priest, a friend of mine, as having happened to himself. This priest was hearing confessions in a church (to compromise no one I do not mention the name of the place, though the penitent gave him leave to publish the fact), when a young man stood before him, who seemed to wish, but at the same time to fear, to go to confession. The Father, after looking at him several times, at length called him, and asked him if he wished to confess. He replied that he did; but as his confession was likely to be very long, he begged to be taken to a private room. The penitent there began by saying that he was a foreigner, and of noble birth, but who had led such a life that he did not believe it possible that God would pardon him. Besides the other innumerable shameful crimes and murders he had committed, he said, that having entirely despaired of salvation, he committed sins no longer from inclination, but expressly to outrage God, out of the hatred he bore Him. He said, amongst other things, that he wore a crucifix, and that he beat it out of disrespect, and that, that very morning, only a short time before, he had communicated sacrilegiously. And for what purpose? It was, that he might trample the sacred particle under his feet. And he had indeed already received it, and had only been prevented from executing his horrible design by the people who would have seen him. He then consigned the sacred particle in a piece of paper to the confessor. Having done this, he said, that, passing before the church, he had felt himself strongly impelled to enter it; that, unable to resist, he had done so. After entering, he was seized with great remorse of conscience, and at the same time a sort of confused and irresolute desire to confess his sins; and hence the reason for which he stood before the confessional; but while standing there, his confusion and diffidence were so great, that he endeavored to go away; but it seemed to him as if some one held him there by force. ‘In the mean time,’ he said, ‘Father, you called me; and now I am here making my confession, and I know not how.’ The Father then asked him if he ever practiced any devotion during the time, meaning towards the Blessed Virgin; for such conversions only come through the powerful hands of Mary. ‘None, Father. Devotion, indeed! I looked on myself as damned.’ ‘But reflect again,’ said the Father. ‘Father, I did nothing,’ he repeated. But putting his hand to his breast to uncover it, he remembered that he wore the scapular of Mary’s dolours. ‘Ah, my son,’ said the confessor, ‘dost thou not see it is our Blessed Lady who has obtained thee so extraordinary a grace? And know,’ he added, ‘that to her this church is dedicated.’ On hearing this the young man was moved, and began to grieve, and at the same time to weep: then, continuing the confession of his sins, his compunction increased to such a degree, that with a loud sob he fell fainting at the Father’s feet. When he had been restored to consciousness, he finished his confession; and the Father with the greatest consolation absolved him, and sent him back to his own country entirely contrite, and resolved to change his life, having his full permission to preach and publish everywhere the great mercy that Mary had shown him.

PRAYER.

Immaculate and Blessed Virgin, since thou art the universal dispenser of all Divine graces, thou art the hope of all, and my hope. I will ever thank my Lord for having granted me the grace to know thee, and for having shown me the means by which I may obtain graces and be saved. Thou art this means, O great Mother of God; for I now understand that it is principally through the merits of Jesus Christ, and then through thy intercession, that my soul must be saved. Pray then, O Mary, for me, and commend me to thy Son. Thou, far better than I do, kuowest my miseries and my wants. What more can I say? Pity me; I am so miserable and ignorant, that I neither know, nor can I seek for, the graces that I stand the most in need of. My most sweet Queen and Mother, do thou seek and obtain for me from thy Son those graces which thou knowest to be the most expedient and necessary for my soul. I abandon myself entirely into thy hands, and only beg the Divine Majesty, that by the merits of my Savior Jesus, He will grant me the graces which thou askest Him for me. Ask, ask then, O most holy Virgin, that which thou seest is best for me; thy prayers are never rejected; they are the prayers of a Mother addressed to a Son, who loves thee His Mother so much, and rejoices in doing all that thou desirest, that He may honor thee more, and at the same time show thee the great love He bears thee. Let us make an agreement, O Lady, that while I live confiding in thee, thou on thy part wilt charge thyself with my salvation. Amen.

National Day of Prayer

We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name.

We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope n., the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, n., all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation.

We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.

We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state , for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.

Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

John Carroll, Bishop of Baltimore, November 10, 1791

The First Day of May

Of Mary’s Faith.

As the Blessed Virgin is the Mother of holy love and hope, so also is she the Mother of faith: ‘I am the Mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope.’ And with reason is she so, says St. Ireneus, for ‘the evil done by Eve’s incredulity was remedied by Mary's faith.’ This is continued by Tertullian, who says, that because Eve, contrary to the assurance she had received from God, believed the serpent, she brought death into the world; but our Queen, because she believed the angel when he said that she, remaining a Virgin, would become the Mother of God, brought salvation into the world. For St. Augustine says, that ‘when Mary consented to the incarnation of the Eternal Word, by means of her faith she opened heaven to men.’ Father Suarez says, that the most holy Virgin had more faith than all men and angels. She saw her Son in the crib of Bethlehem, and believed Him the Creator of the world. She saw Him fly from Herod, and yet believed Him the King of kings. She saw Him born, and believed Him eternal. She saw Him poor and in need of food, and believed Him the Lord of the universe. She saw Him lying on straw, and believed Him omnipotent. She observed that He did not speak, and she believed Him infinite wisdom. She heard Him weep, and believed Him the joy of paradise. In fine, she saw Him in death, despised and crucified, and although faith wavered in others, Mary remained firm in the belief that He was God. On these words of the Gospel, ‘There stood by the cross of Jesus His Mother,’ St. Antoninus says: ‘Mary stood supported by her faith, which she retained firm, in the Divinity of Christ.’ Hence blessed Albert the Great assures us, that ‘Mary then exercised perfect faith; for even when the disciples were doubting, she did not doubt.’ Therefore Mary merited, by her great faith, to become ‘the light of all the faithful,’ as St. Methodius calls her, and the ‘Queen of the true faith,’ as she is called by St. Cyril of Alexandria. The holy Church herself attributes to the merits of Mary’s faith the destruction of all heresies: ‘ Rejoice, O Virgin Mary - for thou alone hast destroyed all heresies throughout the world !’ St. Thomas ofVillanova, explaining the words of the Holy Ghost, ‘Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse, . . . with one of thy eyes,’ says that ‘these eyes denoted Mary’s faith, by which she greatly pleased the Son of God.’

St. Ildephonsus exhorts us to imitate Mary’s faith. But how can we do so? Faith, at the same time that it is a gift, is also a virtue. It is a gift of God, inasmuch as it is a light infused by Him into our souls; and a virtue, inasmuch as the soul has to exercise itself in the practice of it. Hence faith is not only to be the rule of our belief, but also that of our actions; therefore St. Gregory says, ‘He truly believes who puts what he believes in practice.’ And St. Augustine: ‘Thou sayest, I believe; do what thou sayest, and it is faith.’ This is to have a lively faith, to live according to our belief: ‘My just man liveth by faith.’ Thus did the Blessed Virgin live very differently from those who do not live in accordance with what they believe, and whose faith is dead, as St. James declares: ‘Faith without works is dead.’ Diogenes sought for a man on earth; but God, amongst the many faithful, seems to seek for a Christian; for few there are who have good works; the greater part have only the name of Christian. To such as these should be applied the words once addressed by Alexander to a cowardly soldier who was also named Alexander: ‘Either change thy name or change thy conduct.’ But, as Father Avila used to say, ‘It would be better to shut up these poor creatures as madmen, believing, as they do, that an eternity of happiness is prepared for those who lead good lives, and an eternity of misery for those who lead bad ones, and who yet live as if they believed nothing.’ St. Augustine therefore exhorts us to see things with the eyes of Christians — that is to say, with eyes which look at all in the light of faith; for, as St. Teresa often said, all sins come from a want of faith.

EXAMPLE.

St. Stanislaus Kostka, who was wholly dedicated to the love of Mary, happened, on the 1st of August 1568, to hear a sermon from the blessed Peter Canisius, in which he exhorted the novices of the society with great earnestness to live each month as if it were to be the last of their lives, and the one during which they were to be presented before the tribunal of God. After tho sermon, St. Stanislaus told his companions that that advice had been for him, in an especial manner, the voice of God; for that he was to die in the course of that very month. It is evident, from what followed, that he said this either because God had expressly revealed it to him, or at least because He gave him a certain internal presentiment of it. Four days afterwards the blessed youth went with Father Emmanuel to St. Mary Major’s. The conversation fell on the approaching Feast of the Assumption, and the Saint said: ‘Father, I believe that on that day a new paradise is seen in paradise, as the golry of the Mother of God, crowned Queen of heaven, and seated so near to our Lord, above the choirs of angels, is seen. And if—as I firmly believe it to be—this festival is renewed every year, I hope to see the next.’ The glorious martyr St. Lawrence had fallen by lot to St. Stanislaus as his patron for that month, it being customary in the society thus to draw them. It is said that he wrote a letter to his Mother Mary, in which he begged her to obtain him the favor to be present at her next festival in heaven. On the Feast of St. Lawrence he received the holy Communion, and afterwards entreated the Saint to present his letter to the Divine Mother, and to support his petition with his intercession, that the most Blessed Virgin might graciously accept and grant it. Towards the close of that very day he was seized with fever; and though the attack was slight, he considered that certainly he had obtained the favor asked for. This indeed he joyfully expressed, and with a smiling countenance, on going to bed, said: ‘From this bed I shall never rise again.’ And speaking to Father Claudius Aquaviva, he added: ‘Father, I believe that St. Lawrence has already obtained me the favor from Mary, to be in heaven on the feast of her Assumption.’ No one, however, took much notice of his words. On the vigil of the feast his illness still seemed of little consequence; but the Saint assured a brother that he should die that night. ‘O, brother,’ the other answered, ‘it would be a greater miracle to die of so slight an illness than to be cured.’ Nevertheless, in the afternoon he fell into a deathlike swoon; a cold sweat came over him, and he lost all his strength. The superior hastened to him; and Stanislaus entreated him to have him laid on the bare floor, that he might die as a penitent. To satisfy him, this was granted. He was laid on a thin mattress on the ground. He then made his confession; and in the midst of the tears of all present received the Viaticum. I say of the tears of all present; for when the Divine Sacrament was brought into the room, his eyes brightened up with celestial joy, and his whole countenance was inflamed with holy love, so that he seemed like a seraph. He also received Extreme Unction, and in the mean while did nothing but constantly raise his eyes to heaven, and lovingly press to his heart an image of Mary. A Father asked him to what purpose he kept a rosary in his hand, since he could not use it. He replied: ‘It is a consolation to me; for it is something belonging to my Mother.’ ‘O, how much greater will your consolation be,’ added the Father, ‘when you shortly see her, and kiss her hands in heaven!’ 0n hearing this, the Saint, with his countenance all on fire, raised his hands, to express his desire soon to he in her presence. His dear Mother then appeared to him, as he himself told those who surrounded him; and shortly afterwards, at the dawn of day, on the 15th of August, with his eyes fixed on heaven, he expired like a saint, without the slightest struggle; so much so, that it was only on presenting him the image of the Blessed Virgin, and seeing that he made no movement towards it, that it was perceived that he was already gone to kiss the feet of his beloved Queen in paradise.

PRAYER.

O, most sweet Lady and our Mother, thou hast already left the earth and reached thy kingdom, where, as Queen, thou art enthroned above all the choirs of angels, as the Church sings: ‘She is exalted above the choirs of angels in the celestial kingdom.’ But we know that thou in thy greatness hast never forgotten us miserable creatures; and that by being exalted to such great glory, thou hast never lost compassion for us poor children of Adam; nay, even that it is increased in thee. From the high throne, then, to which thou art exalted, turn, O Mary, thy compassionate eyes upon us, and pity us. Remember also, that in leaving this world thou didst promise not to forget us. Look at us and succour us. See in the midst of what tempests and dangers we constantly are, and shall be until the end of our lives. Obtain us holy perseverance in the Divine friendship, that we may finally quit this life in God's grace; and thus we also shall one day come to kiss thy feet in paradise, and unite with the blessed Spirits in praising thee, and singing thy glories as thou deservest. Amen.

'Tis the Month of Our Mother

Tomorrow we begin the glorious month of May, the Month of Mary. Every day you will find on this blog a reflection, example, and prayer taken from Saint Alphonsus' masterpiece, The Glories of Mary.

In addition to meditating on these reflections, we ought each day to practice some special devotion in honor of our Lady in addition to our usual devotions. If the daily Rosary is not part of your regular devotions May is the perfect time to begin. Other devotions include reciting three Hail Marys each morning and evening in Mary's honor, reciting all or part of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or saying or singing Mary's antiphon together with it's versicle and prayer. Many people set up a May Altar in their homes with a statue or picture of Mary surrounded with candles and flowers. Others visit Mary's shrines, whether they be the Lady Altar in their parish church or one of the great places of pilgrimage. Another custom is to choose one of Mary's virtues and practice it in a special way each day. There are numerous possibilities open to us to show our dear Mother how much we love her and honor her. It matters not what we choose, as long as we choose something and do it every day. Of course the greatest gift anyone could give to our Lady during her month is to go to daily Mass in her honor. And of course we will want to assist at the May Devotions in our parish churches.

Whatever we do, let us join our voices together in praise of Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother, the "Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May."

Introduction for the Thirtieth of April

Of the Necessity of the Intercession of Mary for Our Salvation.

It is an article of faith, not only that it is lawful, but also that it is useful, to invoke and pray to the Saints, and especially to the Queen of Saints, the most holy and ever Blessed Virgin Mary, in order that they may obtain for us the Divine grace. This truth has been defined by the General Councils against heretics who condemned it as being injurious to Jesus Christ, who is our only Mediator. But if Jeremias, after his death, prayed for Jerusalem; if the ancients of the Apocalypse presented the prayers of the Saints to God; if St. Peter promises his disciples that after his death he will be mindful of them; if St. Stephen prays for his persecutors; if St Paul prays for his companions; if in fine, the Saints can pray for us, why cannot we beseech them to intercede for us? St Paul recommends himself to the Thessalonians: "Bretheran, pray for us" (v. 25). St. James exhorts us to pray for one another: "Pray one for another, that you may be saved" (v. 16). Then we can do the same.

No one denies that Jesus Christ is our only mediator of justice, and that He by His merits has obtained our reconciliation with God. But, on the other hand, it is impious to assert that God is not pleased to grant graces at the intercession of His Saints, and more especially of Mary, His Mother, whom Jesus desires so much to see loved and honored by all. Hence the learned Suarez justly remarks that, if we implore our Blessed Lady to obtain us a favor, it is not because we distrust the Divine mercy, but rather that we fear our own unworthiness and the absence of proper dispositions. Thus, we recommend ourselves to Mary that her dignity may supply for our lowliness. That it is most useful to have recourse to the intercession of Mary can only be doubted by those who have no faith. But that which we intend to prove here is, that the intercession of Mary is even necessary to salvation; we say necessary, not absolutely, but morally. This necessity, as St. Bernard points out, proceeds from the divine will of God: that all graces that He dispenses should pass by the hands of Mary, according to the opinion of St. Bernard, and which we may now with safety call the general opinion of theologians and learned men.

But let us examine what the Saints say on the subject. St. Bernard says, ‘That God has filled Mary with all graces, so that men may receive by her means, as by a channel, every good thing that comes to them.’ He says, ‘that she is a full aqueduct, that others may receive of her plenitude.’ On this the Saint makes the following significant remark: ‘Before the birth of the Blessed Virgin, a constant flow of graces was wanting, because this aqueduct did not exist.’ But now that Mary has been given to the world, heavenly graces constantly flow through her on all. And on this account she is called the Moon, according to the following remark of St. Bonaventure: ‘As the moon, which stands between the sun and the earth, transmits to this latter whatever she receives from the former, so does Mary pour out upon us who are in this world the heavenly graces that she receives from the Divine Sun of justice.’ Again, the holy Church calls her ‘the happy gate of heaven;’ for as the same St. Bernard remarks, ‘As every mandate of grace that is sent by a king passes by the palace gates, so does every grace that comes from heaven to the world pass through the hands of Mary.’ St. Bonaventure says that Mary is called ‘the gate of heaven because no one can enter that blessed kingdom without passing by her.’

And thus Father Suarez concludes that it is the sentiment of the universal Church ‘that the intercession and prayers of Mary are, above those of all others, not only useful, but necessary.’ Necessary, in accordance with what we have already said, not with an absolute necessity; for the mediation of Jesus Christ alone is absolutely necessary; but with a moral necessity; for the Church believes with St. Bernard, that God has determined that no grace shall be granted otherwise than by the hands of Mary. ‘God wills,’ says the Saint, ‘that we should have nothing that has not passed by the hands of Mary;’ and before St. Bernard, St. Ildephonsus asserted the same thing, addressing the Blessed Virgin in the following terms: ‘O Mary, God has decided on committing all good gifts, that He has provided for men, to thy hands; and, therefore, He has intrusted all treasures and riches of grace to thee.’ And hence St. Peter Damian remarks, ‘That God would not become man without the consent of Mary; in the first place, that we might feel ourselves under great obligations to her; and in the second, that we might understand that the salvation of all is left to the care of this Blessed Virgin.’

St. Bonaventure, on the words of the Prophet Isaias, ‘And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root, and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,’ makes a beautiful remark, saying: ‘Whoever desires the sevenfold grace of the Holy Spirit, let him seek for the flower of the Holy Ghost in the rod,’—that is, for Jesus in Mary; ‘For by the rod we find the flower, and by the flower, God.’ And he adds: ‘If you desire to possess this flower, bend down the rod, which bears the flower, by prayer; and so you will obtain it. Otherwise in vain shall we seek Jesus unless we endeavor to find Him with Mary.’ St. Ildephonsus also says: ‘I desire to be the servant of the Son; but because no one will ever be so without serving the Mother, I desire to be the servant of Mary.’

EXAMPLE.
In Germany a man fell into a grievous sin; through shame he was unwilling to confess it, but, on the other hand, unable to endure the remorse of his conscience, he went to throw himself into a river. On the point of doing so he hesitated, and, weeping, he begged that God would forgive him his sin without his confessing it. One night in his sleep he felt some one shake his arm, and heard a voice which said, Go to confession. He went to the church, but yet did not confess. On another night he again heard the same voice. He returned to the church; but when he got there, he declared that he would rather die than confess that sin. But before returning home, he went to recommend himself to the most Blessed Virgin, whose image was in that church. He had no sooner knelt down than he found himself quite changed. He immediately got up, called a confessor, and, weeping bitterly through the grace which he had received from Mary, made an entire confession of his sins; and he afterwards declared that he experienced greater satisfaction than had he obtained all the treasures of the world.

PRAYER.
O my soul, see what a sure hope of salvation and eternal life our Lord has given thee, by having in His mercy inspired thee with confidence in the patronage of His Mother; and this, notwithstanding that so many times, by thy sins, thou hast merited His displeasure and hell. Thank thy God, and thank thy protectress, Mary, who has condescended to take thee under her mantle; for of this thou mayest be well convinced, after the many graces that thou hast received by her means. O yes, I do thank thee, my most loving Mother, for all thou hast done for me, who am deserving of hell. And from how many dangers hast thou not delivered me, O Queen! How many inspirations and mercies hast thou not obtained for me from God? What service, what honor, have I ever rendered thee, that thou shouldst do so much for me?

I know that it is thy sole goodness that has impelled thee. Ah. too little would it be, in comparison with all that I owe thee, did I shed my blood and give my life for thee! for thou hast delivered me from eternal death; thou hast enabled me, as I hope, to recover Divine grace; to thee, in fine, I owe all I have. My most amiable Lady, I, poor wretch that I am, can make thee no return, but that of always loving and praising thee. Ah, disdain not to accept the tender affection of a poor sinner, who is inflamed with love for thy goodness. If my heart is unworthy to love thee, because it is impure and filled with earthly affections, it is thou who must change it. Ah, change it, then! Bind me to my God, and bind me so that I may never more have it in my power to separate myself from His love. Thou askest of me that I should love thy God, and I ask of thee that thou shouldst obtain this love for me, to love Him always; this is all that I desire. Amen.