(Death, Heaven, Purgatory, Hell)
Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
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Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary
by St. Bonaventure
CONTENTS
I. ON THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION
II. FREEDOM OF MARY FROM THE THREEFOLD WOE OF ACTUAL SIN, FROM THE THREEFOLD WOE
OF ORIGINAL MISERY, AND FROM THE THREEFOLD WOE OF ETERNAL PUNISHMENT
III. THE MEANINGS OF THE NAME MARY
IV. THE NAME OF THE BLESSED MARY IS FREE FROM ALL VICE AND RESPLENDENT WITH
EVERY VIRTUE
V. THE GRACE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY IS TRUE, IMMENSE,
MANIFOLD, AND EXCEEDINGLY USEFUL .
VI. THE FOURFOLD GRACE IN MARY--OF GIFTS, OF SPEECH, OF
PRIVILEGES, AND OF REWARDS
VII. THE NINE PLENITUDES IN MARY, WHICH REPRESENT THE NINE CHOIRS OF THE ANGELS
IN GLORY
VIII. MARY SHARES ALL GIFTS WITH THE LORD
IX. "THE LORD IS WITH THEE"
X. MARY THE DAUGHTER, MOTHER, SPOUSE, AND HANDMAID OF THE LORD
XI. MARY FOR HER OWN SAKE AND FOR OURS IS FITLY COMPARED TO THE AURORA
XII. MARY A ROD OR STEM, AND A FLOWERING STEM
XIII. MARY COMPARED TO A QUEEN ENTERING INTO THE PALACE WITH THE KING.
XIV. MARY IS BLESSED ON ACCOUNT OF HER FULLNESS OF GRACE, THE MAJESTY OF HER
OFFSPRING, THE MULTITUDE OF HER MERCIES, THE GREATNESS OF HER GLORY
XV. MARY IS BLESSED BY THE SEVEN VIRTUES AGAINST THE SEVEN CAPITAL VICES
XVI. WHO AND WHAT WAS THE FRUIT OF THE WOMB OF BLESSED MARY
XVII. TO WHOM THE FRUIT OF THE WOMB OF THE BLESSED MARY
BELONGS, AND TO WHOM IT IS DUE
XVIII. TO WHOM THE RESULTS OF THE FRUIT OF THE WOMB OF MARY ARE NECESSARY, AND
OF ITS TWELVE ADVANTAGES
PROLOGUE
There is no doubt, as St. Jerome remarks, that whatever is worthily said of Our
Blessed Mother redounds wholly to the praise and glory of God. Therefore, for
the honor and glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and ardently desiring to produce a
work which will tend to the praise of His most glorious Mother, I have judged it
fitting to take for the subject-matter of my treatise the most sweet Salutation
of this Blessed Mother. But I acknowledge my utter insufficiency for such an
undertaking. First, because of the sublimity of the subject; secondly, because
of the slenderness of my knowledge; thirdly, because of the aridity of my
speech, and, finally, because of the unworthiness of my life, and the supreme
glory and praiseworthiness of the person whose praises I wish to sing.
For who is there who would not deem that subject incomprehensible of which St.
Jerome does not hesitate to speak as follows: "That which nature possesseth not,
which custom useth not, which eclipseth reason, which the mind of man is unable
to compass, which maketh the heavens tremble, and striketh dumb the earth, which
amazeth every inhabitant of Heaven, all this was divinely announced by Gabriel
to Mary, and was fulfilled in Christ." Therefore I confess myself unworthy to
speak of such and so great a heroine. Again I say, how could my slender
knowledge and my dull mind suffice to conceive praises worthy of Mary, when the
illuminated mind of an Anselm faileth in presence of the task? For he saith: "My
tongue faileth, Lady, for my mind is insufficient. Lady, all that is within me
burns that I may render thee thanks for thy so great benefits. But I am unable
to conceive worthy praise, and am ashamed to put forth that which is unworthy."
St. Augustine, addressing Mary, says: "What shall I, so poor in talent, say of
thee,
when whatever I may say of thee is less praise than thy dignity deserves ?"
Again, how can my untrained tongue, my arid powers of interpretation not fail in
the praises of Mary, when Augustine, that most eloquent of men, says: "What
shall we, so little, so feeble, say in praise of Mary, when, if all our members
were turned into tongues, no one of us would suffice to praise her?"[1]
Again, if praise in the mouth of a sinner is unbecoming (Eccli. XV, 9), how
shall I, a miserable sinner, a man of most unworthy life--how shall I dare to
proclaim the praises of Mary, when I hear Jerome, a man of such great worth,
hesitate ? For he saith: "I fear and tremble, all the while that I long to
fulfill your expectations, lest I should prove to be an unworthy panegyrist. For
there is in me neither sanctity nor eloquence, worthily to praise the Blessed
and glorious Virgin."[2]
And again: "Why should I add to the sea a small cup of water? Why a stone to a
mountain? And as Mary has already been so adequately praised by the tongues of
men and angels, what can our puny efforts, and especially my own, add to these?"
Finally, St. Jerome, speaking of Mary, says: "If I am to speak the truth,
whatever can be expressed in human words is less than the praise given by
Heaven; for Mary has been excellently preached and praised by divine and angelic
heralds, foretold by prophets, fore-shadowed by patriarchs, in types and
figures, set forth and described by Evangelists, worthily and officially saluted
by Angels."[3]
Having diligently weighed all these things, pious reader, I must beg your
forgiveness for whatever insufficiency, whatever want of skill appears in this
writing of mine. How shall I, so inefficient, succeed in a task before which
Mary's unique and zealous panegyrist, St. Bernard, quailed ? For he saith:
"There is nothing which gives me greater delight than to preach on the glory of
the Virgin Mother." And giving his reasons for this delight, he continues: "For
all men honor, embrace, and receive her with the great affection and devotion
that is fitting, yet whatever is said of one so unspeakably sublime, by the very
fact of its being put into words, is less worthy, less pleasing, less
acceptable."[4]
Yet St. Jerome encourages and consoles me, saying: "Although none can be found
who is worthy to praise her, yet let not even the sinner desist from glorifying
her with all his might."[5]
And St. Augustine, speaking of the manner in which the Son of God bestowed upon
His Mother the gift of fecundity, yet took not away her integrity by being born
of her, among other things says: "We who are so insignificant, cannot suffice to
speak of so great a gift of God; and yet we are compelled to utter her praises,
lest, by being silent, we should appear ungrateful. And certainly, that poor
widow who made an offering so pleasing to God with her two brass mites, should
not have withheld that offering because she could not give more; yea, rather by
giving what she could, she pleased God exceedingly."
Hence it is that I, so poor in talent, and equally devoid of knowledge and
eloquence, have presumed to offer to so great a Queen this poor script of mine,
that in it, so to speak, as in a dim mirror, the simpler lovers of this great
Queen should in some imperfect manner perceive who and how great she is. And
because this treatise is, as it were, a kind of mirror which reflects the life,
grace, and glory of Mary, it is not unfittingly termed the Mirror of Mary. Oh,
do thou, therefore, my most kind Lady and Mother, graciously accept this small
gift offered to thee by thy poor lover! For with this puny gift, with this small
work on thine own Salutation, I salute thee. On bended knee, with bowed head,
with heart and lips, I salute thee, I wish thee blessing. Hail Mary, etc.
1. St. Augustine, "De Sanctis," CCVIII, n. 5. 2. St. Jerome, "Epist. ad Paulam
et
Eustoch." 3. "Epist. cit." 4. "Serm. de Assumpt. B. Mar.," IV. 5. St. Jerome I.
c.
CHAPTER I ON THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
HEAR, O most sweet Virgin Mary, hear things new and wonderful! Hearken, O
daughter, and see, and incline thine ear ! Hear that glorious messenger,
Gabriel! Hear what is to be the wonderful mode of thy fecundity! Incline thine
ear to a fruitful consent. Hear what is announced to thee as a certainty by God
the Father ! See in what manner the Son of God is to become Incarnate of thee!
Incline thine ear to the Holy Spirit, who is about to operate within thee !
Because thou hast ears to hear, hear !
And in the beginning of thy hearing, listen to this unheard-of salutation:
Hail Mary. This name, Mary, is not inserted here by Gabriel, but by the devotion
of the faithful, inspired by the Holy Ghost. And the last sentence, blessed is
the fruit of thy womb, was not uttered by Gabriel in his salutation, but was
pronounced by Elizabeth in the spirit of prophecy. Let us each and everyone say,
Hail Mary. O truly gracious and venerable, O truly glorious and admirable
salutation! As Bede says: "Inasmuch as it is unheard of in human experience, so
much more is it becoming to the dignity of Mary."
In this sweetest of salutations five sweet phrases are set forth, in which are
contained five sweet prerogatives of the Virgin. Oh, how sweetly are these
praises insinuated! For here is signified how most pure, how most full, how most
firm and secure, how most worthy, how most useful was the Blessed Virgin Mary.
She was most pure, because of the absence of all fault in her; she was most full
and abounding, because of the plenitude of grace in her; she was most firm and
secure, because of the Divine Presence within her; she was most worthy, because
of the dignity of her person; she was most useful, because of the excellence of
her Child. How pure Mary was because of the absence of all evil in her, is well
expressed by the word Ave. Rightly is the word Ave addressed to her, who was
ever entirely immune from the "vae" or "woe" of sin. Thus it behooved the Mother
of God to be, as St. Anselm testifies: "It was fitting that the conception of
the God-Man should be of a most pure mother, that the purity of the
Virgin-Mother, than which, under God, there was none greater, should be hers to
whom God had designed to give His Only Son, whom He had begotten, equal to
Himself, from His own Heart, that He should so give Him to her to be at the same
time the Son of God and the Son of Man."
Again, how full of grace was Mary by the abounding plenitude of her gifts is
well signified when it is said to her: "Full of grace." And truly full, and ever
full, as St. Anselm testifies, when he most devoutly exclaims: "O Woman full and
overfull of grace, of whose abundance every creature is revived and refreshed."
Again, how secure and firm was Mary by the Divine Presence is well signified by
the words,The Lord is with thee. Rightly is Mary safe and secure, when the Lord
is present with her; for the Lord, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,
is with her, so that she is in an especial manner most intimately connected with
God. St. Bernard shows this when he says: "Nor is God the Son alone with thee,
whom thou dost clothe with thy flesh; but also God the Holy Ghost, of whom thou
dost conceive; and God the Father, who hath begotten that which thou conceivest."
Again, how worthy was Mary, because of the dignity of her person, is well
expressed when she is saluted in the words: Blessed art thou among women! For it
could not be that her person, having been made venerable by such a blessing, was
not most worthy. Therefore, St. Anselm, overcome with amazement, exclaims: "O
Blessed and ever Blessed Virgin, by whose blessing every creature is not only
blessed by its Creator, but the Creator by the creature!" Again, how useful was
Mary, by the excellence of her Child, is well expressed in the words: Blessed is
the fruit of thy womb! For she availed to save the world, having brought forth
the most excellent and powerful Fruit of salvation. Therefore doth the devout
St. Anselm say: "By thy fruitfulness, O Lady, the unclean sinner is justified,
the condemned sinner is saved, and the exile is recalled. Thy Son, O Lady,
redeemed the captive world, healed the sick, and raised the dead to life."
You see, therefore, dearly beloved, in what manner Mary, because of her immunity
from guilt, is rightly saluted with the Ave. Because of the abundance and
immensity of her grace, she is rightly saluted as full of grace; because of the
Divine Presence within her, and her intimacy with Our Lord, she is told: The
Lord is with thee; because of the dignity and reverence of her person, she is
rightly saluted as blessed among women; because of the excellence and utility of
her Child, it is fittingly said to her: Blessed is the fruit of thy womb. We
shall now treat of each of these points in order.
CHAPTER II FREEDOM OF MARY FROM THE THREEFOLD WOE OF ACTUAL SIN, FROM THE
THREEFOLD WOE OF ORIGINAL MISERY, AND FROM THE THREEFOLD WOE OF ETERNAL
PUNISHMENT
Hail Mary, full of grace. Let us all utter this good and sweet word Ave, by
which our redemption from eternal woe was begun. Let each one of us, I say,
utter it; let all utter it most devoutly, saying: Ave Maria, Ave, Ave, and again
a thousand times, Ave! Behold, Ave is said to the most holy Virgin Mary because
of her absolute immunity from any fault; because of her perfect innocence and
purity of life; rightly is Ave said to her in the very beginning of her
salutation, Ave indeed and without woe ("a" or "absque vae").
We must consider that the "vae" or woe, from which she is entirely immune, is
threefold. There is the woe of guilt, misery, and hell. There is the woe of
actual sin, of original misery, and the woe of the punishment or pain of hell.
Of these three woes we may not unfitly understand what we read in the
Apocalypse. "I heard," says John, "the voice of one eagle flying through the
midst of heaven, and saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants
of the earth!" Behold how each of these woes is multiplied by three, so that all
together we have nine woes, against which Ave is rightly said to Mary. For there
are three faults, three miseries, three hells in this woe, for the absence of
which Mary is rightly saluted by the Ave.
First, the woe of guilt is threefold, i. e., the woe of the guilt of the heart,
of the guilt of the lips, and of the guilt of deeds. On account of these three
woes it may be said: "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth!" Woe,
therefore, to sinners because of the guilt of the heart, as it is said in
Isaias: "Woe to you who are of a deep heart, that ye hide counsel from the
Lord." Woe, indeed, to those who are of a deep heart unto evil, for the deep
hearts of evil-doers are haunts of the devils, and sepulchers full of the filth
of vice. Woe, therefore, to them, as is said in St. Matthew: "Woe to you,
Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who are like to whited sepulchers, which
appear outwardly to men fair, but within are full of dead men's bones, and of
all abominations." Oh, how far from this woe was the most innocent heart of
Mary, as St. Bernard says: "Mary had no fault of her own, and far from her most
innocent heart was repentance." Of what could the heart of Mary repent when she
had never admitted into it anything worthy of penance ? Therefore, her pure
heart was not the haunt of the devil, nor the sepulcher of vice. Rather, it was
a garden and a paradise of the Holy Ghost, according to that word of the
Canticle of Canticles: "A garden enclosed is my Sister, my Spouse."--"A garden,"
says St. Jerome, "a garden of delights, in which were planted the seeds of all
virtues, and the perfume of virtue." Because Mary was far from this woe of
guilt, therefore it is rightly said to her: Ave.
Again, woe to sinners because of the guilt of the lips, as it is said in Isaias:
"Woe to you who call evil good, and good evil." Woe to these, woe to all who sin
by the lips, as is said in the Psalms: "The poison of asps is under their lips."
Oh, how far from this woe was the most innocent mouth of Mary! Therefore Blessed
Ambrose says: "There was nothing evil in the eyes of Mary; nothing prolix in her
words, nothing forward in her deeds." On the lips of Mary there was nothing of
the gall and poison of the devil, but the honey and milk of the Holy Ghost,
according to the word of the Canticles: "Thy lips are as the dropping honeycomb,
my Spouse; honey and milk are under thy tongue." Had not Mary on her lips this
most pure milk when she uttered that most chaste word: "Behold the handmaid of
the Lord"? Because the woe of the guilt of the lips was so entirely absent from
Mary, therefore is she rightly saluted with Ave.
Again, there is woe to sinners because of the guilt of their deeds, as it is
said in Ecclesiasticus (II, 14): "Woe to the double heart and the wicked lips,
and to the hands that do evil." Woe to the double heart, for the guilt of the
heart; woe to the wicked lips, for the guilt of the lips; woe to the hands that
do evil, for the guilt of their deeds. Oh, how far removed from such a woe was
every deed of Mary and the whole of her life! Therefore St. Bernard saith: "It
behooved the Queen of Virgins, by a singular privilege
of sanctity, to lead a life entirely free from sin, that while she ministered to
the Destroyer of death and sin, she should obtain the gift of life and justice
for all."
Note that never did she contract the least stain either in thought, word, or
deed, so that the Lord could truly say to her: "Thou art all fair, O my beloved,
and there is no spot in thee." So, therefore, the most innocent and holy Mary
was without woe in thought, word, and deed, and therefore is it said to her,
Ave.
Secondly, we must consider that Mary was not only free from the threefold woe of
actual guilt, but also from the threefold woe of original misery, i. e., from
the misery of them that are born, from the misery of them that bring forth, and
from the misery of them that die.
The woe of the misery of being born is the woe of the weakness of concupiscence;
the woe of them that bring forth is the woe of the pains of travail; the woe of
the dying is the misery of being reduced to dust and ashes. Because of these
three woes is it said to the inhabitants of the earth: "Woe, woe, woe to the
inhabitans of the earth!" The woe of those who are born is the woe of the fuel
of sin which is born in us, by which, according to our original corruption, we
are so weak unto good and so prone to evil; so that each one is born with the "fomes
peccati," and by this is weak and wounded, and can truly say with Jeremias: "Woe
is me for my destruction, my wound is very grievous. But I said, truly this is
my own evil, and I will bear it" (Jer. X, 19.) But alas! not only is there in
those that are born weakness and misery, inclining them, when adults, to actual
sin; but also the woe of stain and of guilt, bringing them even as little
infants under the wrath of God. Therefore the Apostle saith: "All are born
children of wrath" (Eph. II, 3.) Oh, how far from this woe of them that are born
was the most holy Nativity of Mary, who was not only free from original sin, but
also from the fuel of misery, in so far as it leads to sin, for she was
conceived without stain. Because the Nativity of Mary was so far removed from
this woe, she is saluted by Ave.
Again, the misery of them that bring forth is that original curse pronounced
against
Eve, "Thou shalt bring forth children in sorrow" (Gen. III, 16.) On account of
this woe it may be said to all who bring forth what the Lord said to some
amongst them: "Woe to them that are with child and bring forth in those days"
(Matt. XXIV, 19.) Oh, how far from this woe was Mary when she conceived and
brought forth, as St. Augustine testifies, saying: "Oh, how blessed is that
Mother who without stain conceived Purity, and without pain brought forth
Healing." Because she was so far from this woe of them that bring forth,
therefore is Mary saluted with Ave.
Again, the misery of them that die is the woe of dissolution into dust, which
was imposed upon man when it was said to the sinner: "Dust thou art, and unto
dust thou shalt return" (Gen. III, 19.) Hence of those that are born and those
that die, can be said that word of Ecclesiasticus: "Woe to you, ungodly men, who
have forsaken the law of the most high Lord, and if you be born, you shall be
born in malediction: and if you die, in malediction shall be your portion" (Eccli.
XLI, 11 f.)
Certainly both just and unjust are born under the curse of concupiscence, and in
danger of being reduced to dust; yet to the impious alone is this curse
particularly addressed, for their concupiscence is more deadly and their
dissolution into dust more odious; and to the wicked their evil inclinations are
more hurtful, and the remembrance of their future dissolution is more bitter,
than to the just. Oh, how far from this dissolution was the body of Mary, as we
universally believe. For this body was the most holy Ark of God, to which
corruption was unbecoming, but which, according to the likeness of her Son,
should rise again, before any taint of corruption could infect it. Whence it is
both of the Son and the Mother that the Prophet saith: "Arise, O Lord, into Thy
rest, Thou and the Ark of Thy sanctification" (Ps. CXXXI, 8.) This Ark was made
of incorruptible wood, because the flesh of Mary never became corrupted.
Therefore St. Augustine well says: "The heavens were more worthy to preserve so
glorious a treasure than the earth, and rightly incorruptibility followed on
integrity, and not any dissolution or corruption." As Mary was entirely free
from the misery of them that are born, so also was she from the woe of the
dying, and rightly is she saluted by Ave.
Thirdly, we have to consider that Mary was not only immune from the threefold
woe of actual guilt, and from the threefold woe of original sin; but also from
the threefold pain of hell. This threefold woe consists in the greatness, the
multitude, and the duration of the punishments.
Woe, therefore, to the damned and to those who will be damned, because of the
greatness, the multitude, and the duration of their torments! "Woe, woe, woe to
the inhabitants of the earth!" First, there is the greatness of the torments, as
Ezechiel saith: "Woe to the bloody city, of which I will make a great bonfire" (Ezech.
XXIV, 9.) The bloody city is the multitude of the impious, of whom there will be
an immense bonfire made in the great conflagration of the damned. Oh, how far
removed from this woe of greatness of torment was the greatness of the grace and
glory of Mary, for whom, instead of the grievous torments of hell, was prepared
by God so great a glory in Heaven, and as she was great and garbed in merit, so
is she great in her reward. She herself is that great throne of which it is
said: "King Solomon also made a great throne of ivory" (3 Kings X, 8.) Mary is
the Throne of Solomon, great in grace and glory. St. Bernard well says: "As much
more grace than others as Mary obtained on earth, so great a degree of singular
glory did she gain in Heaven." Rightly, therefore, is it said to her, Ave. There
is also the multitude of the pains of hell. Isaias says: "Woe to their souls,
for evil things are rendered to them" (Is. III, 9.) He says, evil things, in the
plural, because there are many, yea, infinite evils rendered to evil-doers in
hell. But to Mary, in contradistinction to the many evils prepared for the
damned in hell, God hath prepared many good things in Heaven. No angel, no
saint, can equal her in the multitude and accumulation of heavenly good things,
as the Book of Proverbs says: "Many daughters have gathered together riches,
thou hast surpassed them all." If we understand these daughters to be human
souls or angelic intelligences, has she not surpassed the riches of the virgins,
of the confessors, of the martyrs, of the Apostles, of the prophets, of the
patriarchs, and of the angels, when she herself is the first-fruit of the
virgins, the mirror of confessors, the rose of martyrs, the ruler of Apostles,
the oracle of prophets, the daughter of patriarchs, the queen of angels? What is
wanting to her of the riches of all these? St. Jerome says: "If you look
diligently at Mary, there is nothing of virtue, nothing of beauty, nothing of
splendor or glory which does not shine in her."
Now the pains of hell consist also in their perpetuity. In the Epistle of St.
Jude it is said: "Woe to them, for they have gone in the way of Cain and after
the error of Balaam, and have perished in the contradiction of Core." And a
little further on: "to whom the storm of darkness is preserved forever" (Jude
XI, 12.) Note that he says, forever, and think how great is the duration of
these pains and of the darkness which will have no end. But against this eternal
darkness in hell the Lord has prepared for Mary eternal light in Heaven, so
that, as the sinful soul, the throne of the devil, will be miraculously dark
forever, Mary, the Mediatrix, the throne of Christ, will be marvelously luminous
forever according to the Psalm: "Her throne is as the sun in my sight, and as
the moon perfect for ever" (Ps. LXXXVIII, 38.)
Thus, therefore, as the Most Blessed Virgin Mary was free from the. threefold
woe of hell, yea, from all the nine woes, rightly is it said to her, Ave. Let
every one of us salute her with Ave, and let us petition her that, through her
own sweet Ave, she will pray that we may all be delivered from every woe by our
Lord Jesus Christ, her Son.
CHAPTER III THE MEANINGS OF THE
NAME MARY
Ave Maria. As we have said above, this name was inserted here not by the Angel,
but by the devotion of the faithful. The Blessed Evangelist Luke says
significantly: "And the name of the Virgin was Mary" (Luke I, 27.) This most
holy, sweet, and worthy name was eminently fitting to so holy, sweet, and worthy
a virgin. For Mary means a bitter sea, star of the sea, the illuminated or
illuminatrix. Mary is interpreted lady. Mary is a bitter sea to the demons; to
men she is the star of the sea; to the angels she is illuminatrix, and to all
creatures she is lady.
Mary is interpreted: "a bitter sea"; this is excellently suited to her power
against the demons. Note in what way Mary is a sea, and in what way she is
bitter, and how she is at once a sea and bitter. Mary is a sea by the abundant
overflow of her graces; and Mary is a bitter sea by submerging the devil. Mary
is indeed a sea by the superabounding Passion of her Son; Mary is a bitter sea
by her power over the devil, in which he is, as it were, submerged and drowned.
Consider, first, that Mary is called a sea because of the abundance of her
graces. It is written in Ecclesiasticus: "All rivers flow into the sea" (I, 7.)
The rivers are the graces of the Holy Ghost, wherefore Jesus saith: "He who
believeth in Me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." This He
said of the Spirit, which they were about to receive (John VII, 38.) All the
rivers flow into the sea because the graces of all the saints flow into Mary.
For the river of the grace of the angels enters into Mary; and the river of the
grace of the patriarchs enters into Mary; and the river of the grace of the
Apostles enters into Mary; and the river of the grace of the martyrs enters into
Mary; and the river of the grace of the confessors enters into Mary; and the
river of the grace of the virgins enters into Mary. All rivers enter into the
sea, that is, all graces enter into Mary. Therefore, she above all can say that
word of Ecclesiasticus: "In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, and in
me is all hope of life and of virtue" (XXIV, 25.) What wonder if all grace
flowed into Mary, through whom such grace flowed forth upon all ! For St.
Augustine says: "Mary, thou art full of grace, which thou hast found with the
Lord and hast merited to pour forth upon the whole world."
Consider, secondly, that Mary in the Passion of her Son was filled with
bitterness when the sword of sorrow passed through her soul. Well could she say
with Ruth: "Call me not Noemi, that is fair, but call me Mara, that is bitter,
for the Most High hath filled me exceedingly with bitterness" (Ruth I, 20.)
Noemi, who was at once beautiful and bitter, signified Mary, beautiful indeed by
the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, but bitter by the Passion of her Son.
The two sons of Mary are the God-Man, in His Divinity, and man, in his humanity.
Mary is the Mother of one in the body, of the other in the spirit. Wherefore St.
Bernard saith: "Thou art the Mother of the King, thou art the Mother of the
exile; thou art the Mother of God, the Judge, and thou art the Mother of God and
of man; as thou art the Mother of both, thou canst not bear discord between thy
two sons." St. Anselm exclaims: "O blessed confidence, O safe refuge, Mother of
God and our Mother!" The two sons of Mary were both slain in the Passion; the
one in body, the other in mind; the one by the bitter death of the cross, the
other by infidelity of mind. And, therefore, Mary's soul was filled with
exceeding bitterness, as St. Augustine testifies, saying: "That loving Mother
crying out with intensity of pain, beating her enfeebled breast, had so fatigued
her body and all its members, that, tottering in her walk, she could scarcely
drag herself to the obsequies of Christ." Thou seest now how Mary was a sea of
the Holy Spirit; thou seest in what manner she was a bitter sea in the death of
her Son.
Thirdly, consider that Mary is a bitter sea to the devil and to his angels,
oppressed by him, as the Red Sea was bitter to the Egyptians submerged in it, of
whom we read in Exodus: "The Lord drew back upon them the waters of the sea"
(Ex. XV, 19.) Oh, how bitter and full of fear is this sea to the Egyptians! Oh,
how bitter and full of fear is this Mary to the demons ! Therefore, St. Bernard
saith: "Visible enemies fear not so greatly an immense multitude of hosts in
battle array, as the powers of the air fear the name, the patronage, and the
example of Mary; they flow and melt like wax before the fire, wherever they find
frequent recollection of this holy name, devout invocation of Mary, and diligent
imitation of her. Thou seest now in what manner Mary is a sea by the abundance
of her overflowing graces, how she is bitter by the vehemence of the Lord's
Passion, and how to the devils Mary is a bitter sea by the power she has of
quelling them.
Now we must consider how Mary is interpreted "Star of the sea." This name is
most suitable to Mary, for she fulfills the office that a star does to mariners
at sea. We read, and it is true, that sailors, when they propose to sail to some
distant land, choose a star by whose guiding light they may, without going
astray, make their way to the land of their desire. Such is certainly the office
of Mary, our Star, who directs those who sail through the sea of the world in
the ship of innocence or penance, to the shore of the heavenly country. Well,
therefore, doth Innocent say: "By what aids can ships pass among so many dangers
to the shore of the fatherland ? Certainly," he replies, "chiefly by two. By the
wood and by the star; that is, by faith in the Cross, and by virtue of the light
which Mary, the Star of the sea, hath brought forth for us." Very properly is
Mary compared to a star of the sea, because of her purity, her radiance, and her
utility. For Mary is a most pure star, a most radiant star, and a most useful
star. She is a most pure star by living most purely; a most radiant star by
bringing forth eternal light; a most useful star by directing us to the shores
of our true home country.
First consider that Mary is a most pure star by living purely and without sin.
Therefore doth Wisdom say of her: "She is more beautiful than light, than the
sun, and above all the arrangement of the stars, and being compared to light,
she is found more pure." Some read here, "before" instead of "more pure," but
either phrase is fitted to our Star. For Mary is indeed prior, or before, that
is, she is most worthy, most great; Mary is purer than the sun, and the stars,
and the light. For both in dignity and purity she surpasses the sun, the stars,
and the light, yea, even every spiritual and angelic creature, of whom it is
said: "God divides light from darkness," that is, the angels who stood firm from
those who fell. Mary is prior to and purer than this angelic light. Hence Saint
Anselm exclaims: "O Blessed among women, who surpassest the angels in purity,
and the saints in piety!" Behold how Mary is a most pure Star by the purity of
her life.
Secondly, consider that Mary is a most radiant star by emitting eternal light
and bringing forth the Son of God. For she is that star of whom it is said in
Numbers: "A star shall rise out of Jacob, and a rod shall arise in Israel." The
rod is the Son of God, who is the ray of Mary, our star; this is that ray of
whom it is sung: "As the ray of a star." St. Bernard says: "A ray from a star
does not diminish its brightness, neither does the Son of the Virgin lessen the
virginity of His Mother." O most truly blessed, O most truly radiant Star, Mary,
whose ray has penetrated not only the world, but also Heaven, and even hell, as
St. Bernard says: "She is that glorious and beautiful Star arisen out of Jacob,
whose ray illuminateth the whole world, whose splendor shines forth in the
highest, and penetrates even into hell." As Mary was a most pure star, by living
most purely, so is she a most radiant one, by bringing forth the Son of God.
Thirdly, consider that Mary is a most useful star, by guiding us to our heavenly
country, by leading us through the sea of this world to the grave of her Son, as
to the gates of Paradise. She is as that radiant star which led the Magi most
surely to Christ. Mary is that star which in the waves of the present life is
most necessary to us. St. Bernard says: "Turn not away thine eyes from the
splendor of this star, if thou wilt not be overwhelmed by storms. If the winds
of temptation arise, if thou strikest on the rocks of temptation, tribulation,
look upon the star, call on Mary." Therefore, lest thou shouldst be submerged in
the sea of this world, follow the star, imitate Mary. It is the safest of paths
to follow her, as St. Bernard says: "Following her, thou strayest not, praying
to her, thou shalt never despair; thinking of her, thou shalt never err; if she
upholdeth thee, thou shalt not fall; under her protection thou shalt not fear;
if she is thy guide, thou shalt not grow weary; with her favor thou shalt attain
thy end; and so in thyself thou shalt experience how truly it is said: And the
name of the virgin was Mary."
Mary is also interpreted illuminatrix or lightgiver. For this virgin was
wonderfully illuminated by the presence of the Lord, according to that word of
the Apocalypse: "I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great
power, and the earth was enlightened by the glory of him.... The Son of God is
the Angel of Great Counsel; the earth illuminated by the glory of Him is Mary,
who, as she was illuminated by His grace in the world, is now illuminated by His
glory in Heaven, that, being thus illuminated, she may become a light-giver in
the world and in Heaven. Therefore, we must consider that Mary, the illuminated,
is a light-giver by her example, her benefits, and her rewards. She giveth light
by the example of her life, by the benefits of her mercy, and by the rewards of
her glory.
Mary is the light-giver by the example of her most luminous life. For it is she
who by her glorious life giveth light to the world. She it is whose glorious
life enlightens all the churches. She is the lamp of the Church, enkindled by
God for this very purpose that by her the Church might be enlightened against
the darkness of the world. Let the Church, therefore, pray, let the faithful
soul pray: "For Thou lightest my lamp, O Lord, my God, enlighten my darkness."
The Lord hath lit this lamp most radiantly, and by this light he puts to flight
the darkness of our souls. St. Bernard felt this when he said: "O Mary, by the
magnificent example of thy virtues thou stirrest us up to the imitation of thee,
and thus dost enlighten our night. For he who walketh in thy ways, walketh not
in darkness, but has the light of life."
Secondly, consider how Mary is light-giver by the benefits of her gracious
mercy, by which so many in the night of this world are spiritually illuminated,
as the Israelites in olden days were by a pillar of fire, according to the
Psalm: "Thou didst lead them forth in a pillar of cloud." Mary is to us a pillar
of cloud, for she protects us like a cloud from the fiery heat of the divine
indignation. She also protects us from the heat of diabolical temptation, as it
is also said in the Psalm, "He spread a cloud."
Mary is a pillar of fire. What would become of us wretched beings, so full of
darkness, in the light of this world, if we had not so lucid a lamp, so luminous
a pillar ? What would become of the world without the sun ? St. Bernard says:
"Take away this lightsome body, the sun, what will give light to the world, and
where is day? Take away Mary, this Star of the Sea, and what remains save an
enveloping cloud, the shadow of death, and the densest darkness?" Thou hast seen
how Mary is a lightgiver by her most transcendently luminous life, thou shalt
now see how Mary is an illuminatrix by her most resplendent mercy.
Thirdly, consider that Mary is also illuminatrix by her most resplendent glory,
which illuminates the whole of Heaven, as the sun doth the world, according to
Ecclesiasticus: "The sun giving light hath looked upon all things, and full of
the glory of the Lord is his work" (XLII, 16.) The work of the Lord is full of
His glory; the most excellent work of the Lord is Mary. This work, as it was
full of the grace of the Lord in this world, is full of the glory of the Lord in
Heaven. Thus, therefore, Mary, giving light by her glory, hath looked upon all
things, because through all the angels and all the saints she spreadeth the
illumination of her glory. What wonder if the presence of Mary illuminates the
whole of Heaven, who also doth illuminate the whole earth? For St. Bernard saith
. "The presence of Mary lights up the whole world, and the very heavenly country
itself glows more brightly from being irradiated by the splendor of that
virginal lamp." So thou seest how Mary is illuminatrix by her light-giving life
and also by her resplendent glory.
Now we have to consider how Mary is interpreted "lady." Such a title well
becometh so great an empress, who is in very deed the sovereign lady of the
inhabitants of Heaven, of the dwellers upon earth and in hell. She is, I say,
the Lady of angels, the Lady of men, the Lady Sovereign in Heaven, on earth, and
in hell.
First, consider that Mary is the Lady of angels; for it was she who was
foreshadowed by the Lady Esther, of whom we read that she leaned delicately on
one of her handmaids, and another maid followed her mistress, bearing up the
train of her garment. By Esther the Queen we understand Mary our Queen; the two
servants, the lady of whom is Mary our Queen, are all creatures, men and angels.
Oh, what a joy to us miserable men that the angels have their Lord and their
Lady from among us men. Truly is Mary Queen of the Angels. St. Augustine,
addressing her, says: "If I call thee heaven, thou art higher. If I call thee
the mother of nations, thou art above this praise. If I style thee Lady of
angels, thou art truly proved to be so; if I call thee the type or form of God,
thou art worthy of this name." Now the soul of man is the handmaid who in this
world follows its Lady, Mary. It follows her, bearing up the train of the
garment of its Lady, that is, gathering up the virtues and the example of Mary.
But the angelic intelligences are the handmaids on whom Mary, their Lady, as it
were, leans in Heaven. She leans upon them by familiarly associating with them;
she leans upon them most delicately by taking her delight in them; she leans
upon them most fully and entirely by communicating herself in her plenitude to
the angels; she leans upon them as one most powerful by commanding them. Mary
leans upon all the angels by her power. St. Augustine says: "Michael, the prince
and leader of the heavenly militia, with all his ministering spirits obeyeth, O
Virgin, thy commands; by defending in the body and by receiving the souls of the
faithful, especially by presenting to thee, O Lady, those who day and night
commend themselves to thee."
Now consider how Mary is the Lady of men in this world. Of this Lady it is said
in the Psalm: "As the eyes of the handmaid ,are on the hands of her mistress,"
etc. The handmaid of the Lady Mary is every human soul, yea, the universal
Church. The eyes of this handmaid should be ever on the hands of her mistress,
for the eyes of the Church, the eyes of every one of us, should always look upon
the hands of Mary, so that by her hands we may receive some good, and that we
may offer to the Lord, by those same hands, whatever good we do." For it is by
the hands of this Lady we have whatever good we possess, as St. Bernard
testifies, saying: "God would have us obtain nothing which did not pass through
the hands of Mary." By the hands of this Lady we should also offer to God
whatever good we do, as St. Bernard exhorts, saying: "What little thou offerest,
take care to commend it to those hands most pleasing and worthy of all
acceptance, the hands of Mary, if thou wouldst not be repulsed. Well for us,
beloved, it is indeed well for us, that we have such a Lady, who hath towards us
such liberal hands, and is so powerful for us with her Son, that every one of us
may have secure access to her." The devout Anselm saith: "O great Lady, to whom
the joyful multitude of the just giveth thanks, to whom fleeth the terrified
crowd of evil-doers, to thee, O all-powerful and merciful Lady, I, an anxious
sinner, have recourse."
Thirdly, consider how Mary is the Lady of the demons in hell, so powerfully
subjugating them that of her we may understand that saying of Psalm 100: "The
rod of his power the Lord shall send forth." The rod of power is the Virgin
Mary. She is the rod of Aaron, flowering by her virginity and fruitful by her
fecundity. She is that rod of which it is said in Isaias: "There shall spring
forth a rod from the root of Jesse." This rod is the Virgin Mary, a rod of power
against the infernal enemies, whom she dominates by her great power. So great a
Lady, of such great power, deserves to be loved by us, to be praised by us, to
be prayed to by us, that she may protect us against our enemies. St. Anselm
gives us the example, when, speaking to this Lady, he says: "Thee, O Lady so
very great, my heart desireth to love, my mouth to praise, my mind longeth to
venerate, my soul desireth to beseech, because the whole of my being commends
itself to thy protection."
Now thou seest how Mary is the Lady of angels in Heaven, of men in this world,
and of the demons in hell. Also how Mary is a bitter sea, the Star of the Sea,
the Light-giver, the Lady. Mary is the Star of the sea to converted men; she is
the Light-giver to the faithful angels; she dominates all creatures.
Let us pray, let us pray most devoutly to Mary and say: "O Mary, Bitter Sea,
help us, that we may be plunged into the bitter sea of penance! O Mary, Star of
the Sea, help us, that we may be guided rightly through the sea of this world !
O Mary, Lightgiver, help us, that we may be eternally illumined in glory ! O
Lady Mary, help us that by thy government and empire we may be filially
governed. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."
CHAPTER IV THE NAME OF THE BLESSED MARY IS FREE FROM ALL VICE AND RESPLENDENT
WITH EVERY VIRTUE
Hail Mary. This most sweet and affectionate name, so full of grace and so noble,
so glorious and so worthy, excellently befits Our Lady. For most fittingly is so
loving a virgin named Mary. For she is Mary, in whom there is no vice, and who
is glorious with every virtue. She is Mary, who was entirely immune from the
seven capital sins. She was most humble in opposition to pride; most loving by
charity in opposition to envy; most meek against anger by her gentleness;
indefatigable by her diligence against sloth; Mary by her poverty was detached
against avarice; against gluttony she was most sober by her temperance; against
lust she was most chaste by her virginity. We can gather all these things from
the Scriptures, in which we find the name of Mary written.
First, Mary was most humble. She is that Mary of whom St. Luke says: "And Mary
said, 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord' " (I, 38.) O wonderful and profound
humility of Mary! Behold the archangel speaks to Mary; Mary is called full of
grace; the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit is announced; Mary is made Mother of
God; Mary is set before all creatures; Mary is made the Lady of Heaven and
earth; and for all that she is not the least elated, but in all she is deeply
grounded in humility, saying: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord." Well,
therefore, doth Bede say: "Mary never exalted herself by reason of heavenly
gifts; as she became more and more acquainted with heavenly mysteries, she fixed
her mind more firmly in humility, answering the Angel, 'Behold the handmaid of
the Lord.' This is an example to many, who in honors and prosperity, in graces
and virtues, do not humble themselves with Mary and with Christ, but grow elated
with pride like Eve and Lucifer. But the humility of Mary was most certainly not
in word only, but also manifested itself in deeds; not alone in the word of her
official reply, but in the fact of her submitting to the legal purification; not
alone in the word by which she humbled herself as a submissive handmaid, but
also in the deed by which she humbled herself as guilty and a sinner. For she is
that Mary of whom it is said in St. Luke: 'After the days of her purification .
. . were accomplished.' O hard, unhappy pride! O proud and unhappy hardness of
the sinner! Behold Mary, who is without all sin, submitted herself to the law of
purification, and thou, a wretch full of sins, submittest not to the law of
satisfaction."
See how Mary was most loving by her charity. For she is that Mary of whom St.
Luke saith: "Mary rising up with haste, went into the hill country." She went
that she might visit, and salute, and minister to Elizabeth. See how this
visitation of Mary was full of charity. In the description of that visit Mary is
four times named and her charity towards God and towards her neighbor is most
fully declared. Charity to our neighbor should be kept and cherished in the
heart, in word and in deed. Mary had charity to her neighbor in her heart, and
therefore, arising, Mary went with haste into the hill country. What was it that
urged her on to haste in this office of charity but the love that burned in her
heart? We read that the shepherds came with haste to the crib; that Mary went
with haste to render a service; and that Zacheus made haste to come down and
receive the Lord into his house. Woe, therefore, to those who are tardy in works
of charity! Mary, again, cherished charity to her neighbor in her words; she is
that Mary of whom it is said: "When Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary."
Charity in greeting our neighbor and on all other occasions of charitable speech
is, I say, to be cultivated. The Angel salutes Mary; Mary saluted Elizabeth; the
Son of Mary saluted those whom
He met coming forth from the sepulcher, saying to them: "Avete, All hail !" Woe
to those who, out of hatred or dislike, deny to their neighbor greetings of
politeness. Woe to those who deceitfully salute their neighbor like Judas, when
he said: "Hail, Rabbi !" Oh, how sweetly did Mary know how to salute! O Mary,
deign to greet us by thy grace! And most certainly she willingly salutes us by
her benefits and her consolation, if we willingly greet her with Ave Maria. Mary
not only had charity in her heart and in her words, but she also exercised
herself in charitable deeds. For she is that same Mary of whom it is said: "Mary
remained with her about three months." She remained for the service and the
consolation of Elizabeth. Therefore St. Ambrose saith: "She who came out of
charity, remained at her post." As Mary in all things had charity for her
neighbor, so above all things she had charity towards God. For she is that same
Mary who said: "My soul doth magnify the Lord." The soul magnifies that which it
loves and rejoices in. Therefore, the soul of Mary most befittingly magnified
God and most securely rejoiced in God, because she so ardently loved God. Of
this love Master Hugh of St. Victor saith a good word: "Because the love of the
Holy Spirit burned in a singular manner in her heart, therefore the power of the
Holy Ghost did wonderful
things in her flesh."
Thirdly, see how Mary was most meek by gentleness, most patient in all
adversity. For she is that same Mary to whom it is said, according to St. Luke:
"And he (Simeon) said to Mary His Mother: Behold this Child is set for the fall
and for the resurrection of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be
contradicted, and thine own soul a sword shall pierce." This sword signifies the
bitter Passion and death of her Son. The material sword cannot kill or wound the
soul, so the sharp Passion of Christ, although by compassion it pierced the soul
of Mary, never dealt it a mortal wound. For Mary never killed the executioners
of her Son by hatred nor wounded them by impatience. Now, if other martyrs were
most patient in their bodily martyrdom, how much more so was our martyr, Mary,
in her spiritual martyrdom? Of her noble martyrdom St. Jerome saith: "O
marvelous patience and meekness of Mary, who was not only most patient while
her Son was crucified in her presence, but also before the crucifixion, when her
Son was reviled, as it is said in the Gospel of St. Mark, 'Is not this the Son
of the carpenter and of Mary?' and a little further on: 'And they were
scandalized in Him.' " Truly is Christ a carpenter, but the works of His hands
are the sun and the aurora. Alas, how far from the grace of Mary most meek are
they who are so peevish, so impatient, so irritable as to torment their
neighbors, companions, and fellow workers.
Fourthly, see how untiring and diligent Mary was by her assiduity in good works.
For she is that Mary of whom it is said: "They were all persevering in prayer in
one mind, with the women, and Mary, the Mother of Jesus" (Acts I, 14.) Mary, by
persevering indefatigably in prayer, gave an example, which it behooves us to
follow, and not to faint. And if Mary prayed so sedulously on earth, why should
she not pray most earnestly for us in Heaven?
Therefore St. Augustine well doth admonish us, saying: "Let us with all
earnestness implore the patronage of Mary: that while we serve her on earth with
suppliant ardor, she by her fervent prayer may deign to help us from Heaven."
But see, our Mary was not only untiring and most diligent in the prayer of the
lips, but also most earnest in holy meditations of the heart. For she is that
same Mary of whom it is said in the Gospel of St. Luke: "Mary kept all these
words, pondering in her heart" (Luke II, 19.) Mary was never idle or slothful,
and therefore she not only occupied her mind in holy meditations, and her tongue
in devout prayers, but also her hands in good works.
It was thus that Mary remained three months with Elizabeth. To what purpose?
Bede answers: "That the virgin might render diligent service to her aged
relative." Alas, how unlike Mary is the wretched sluggard whose mind, hands, and
tongue are so often devoid of merit!
Fifthly, see how detached Mary was by her poverty. For she is that same Mary of
whom it is said: "They found Mary, and Joseph, and the infant lying in the
manger"
(Luke II, 16.) The poor shepherds found the poor Mother, Mary, and the poor
Infant in the poor spot, not in splendid pomp, but in a poor manger. But if the
Mother had not been poor, she would indeed have found fitting hospitality. While
you diligently consider these things, you may realize how great was the poverty
of Mary, of which St. John Chrysostom says: "See the greatness of the poverty of
Mary, and whoever is poor, may receive thence great consolation."
Most certainly, whoever is poor willingly and freely for God's sake, or who is
poor of necessity, yet patiently, can be much consoled by the poverty of Mary,
and of Jesus Christ. Far from this consolation are those rich men who seek
things so very different. Therefore Our Savior saith: "Woe to you rich who have
here your consolation" (Luke VI, 24.)
But the rich must not despair, because not only the poor shepherds, but also the
rich kings, found the poor Mary and her poor Son, as it is said in St. Matthew's
Gospel: "Entering into the house, they found the child . . ." (Matt. II, 11.) So
also these rich ones found them who had brought gifts. The poor find this
consolation by poverty; the rich by liberality. While the poor are conformed to
Christ by poverty, the rich are reformed to the likeness of Christ by
liberality.
Sixthly, see how temperate Mary was by sobriety. For she is that Mary to whom it
is said: "Fear not Mary, for thou hast found grace" (Luke II, 30.) Note that it
is said: "thou hast found grace." Never would Mary have found grace, unless
grace had found Mary temperate in food and drink. Forgrace and gluttony do not
go together. And it is impossible that a man should at the same time be pleasing
to God by grace, and displeasing by gluttony. It is good, therefore, to seek
grace and to fly gluttony. For St. Paul says: "It is best that the heart be
established with grace, not with meats; which have not profited those that walk
in them" (Heb. XIII, 9. ) Note that it is said: "Thou shalt conceive in the
womb" (Luke I, 31.) Never would Mary have conceived God in her womb if she had
given way to gluttony. How far from the grace of Mary are they who so often
exceed due moderation in food and drink !
Seventhly, see that Mary was most chaste by virginity. For she is that Mary of
whom it is said: "The name of the virgin was Mary" (Luke I, 27.) We have as
witnesses of the resplendent chastity of Mary: the Evangelist, Mary herself, and
the Angel. For she was chaste in her virginal body, as the Evangelist testifies,
saying: "And the name of the virgin was Mary" (Luke I, 27.) In her virginal mind
Mary was even more chaste, as she herself testifies. For she said to the Angel:
"How shall this be done, because I know not man" (Luke I, 34.) That is to say, I
do not intend to know a man. But Mary was most chaste of all in her virginal
offspring, as the Angel testifies, who spoke of her thus in St. Matthew's
Gospel: "Joseph, Son of David, fear not . . ." (Matt. I. 29.) For from the time
the Virgin Mary was divinely overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, her virginity was
never dimmed, but was glorified in a divine and truly marvelous manner. By her
Child she was approved, by her Child she was ennobled, by her Child she was
enriched. By thy Child, O Mary, thy virginity was gifted, endowed, and
consecrated. Therefore St. Augustine well saith: "Truly do we proclaim Mary to
be both Virgin and Mother, for true fecundity glorified her virginity and
undefiled virginity glorified her true fecundity. Her virginity was rendered
more glorious by her fecundity, and her fecundity by her virginity." Alas, how
far from the grace of Mary are they who are not chaste, who are enemies of
chastity !
Now, since the sweet name of Mary is of such favor as we have set forth, rightly
do we call upon her, according to that word of St. Bernard: "O clement Queen,
may Jesus Christ, thy Son, bestow the gifts of His grace on thy servants, who
invoke the sweet name of Mary--Jesus Christ, who with the Father and the Holy
Spirit lives and reigns God
for ever and ever. Amen."
CHAPTER V THE GRACE OF THE BLESSED
VIRGIN MARY IS TRUE,
IMMENSE, MANIFOLD, AND EXCEEDINGLY USEFUL
Hail Mary, full of grace. It has been shown above, how Mary, because of the pure
innocence of her life, is rightly saluted by the Ave. We have now to show how,
by the abundance of her grace, she deserves the salutation "full of grace."
Consider, dearly beloved, this grace, the grace of Mary, this admirable grace.
Consider the truth, the immensity, the multiplicity, the utility of the grace of
Mary. For the grace of Mary is a most true grace, a most immense grace, a most
manifold grace, and a most useful grace.
First, consider the truth of the grace of Mary. Of this Gabriel saith: "Thou
hast found grace," etc. (Luke I, 31.) That grace is true which is found with God
who is the Truth. He says "with God" and not with the devil. For the devil
offers the grace of an evil prosperity, that one may sin more freely. Holofernes,
who signifies the devil, says: "Drink now, and sit down and be merry: for thou
hast found favor before me" (Judith XII, 17.) He says, "with God," not with the
world, because with the world, that is, with worldly men, false grace and false
contrition are often found. Therefore it is said in Ecclesiasticus: "Open not
thy heart to every man, lest he repay thee with an evil turn; and speak
reproachfully to thee" (VIII, 22. ) "With God," he says, not with men; therefore
Blessed Bernard saith: "Let us seek grace, but grace with God, for with men
favor is deceitful." Again he says, "with God," not with the flesh; for the
grace or favor of the flesh is false, as beauty of body and such like. Solomon
saith: "Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain" (Prov. XXXI, 31.) For the Virgin
Mary, so full of grace, condemned the false grace of the world, of the flesh and
of the devil. Therefore did she find grace with God, true and pure, defiled by
no base mixture, so that she could truly say with Ecclesiasticus: "My odor is as
unmixed balm" (Eccli. XXIV, 21.) The balm of Mary is the unction of grace, which
was most copiously poured forth on her. Therefore St. Bernard, speaking of the
text, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee," says: "That precious balm flowed
upon thee with such fullness and abundance that it overflowed abundantly all
around thee." Balm is usually mixed, and thereby adulterated, with honey or oil.
But the balm of the Holy Spirit in Mary was not mixed, for it was adulterated
neither by the honey of carnality and worldly consolation, nor by the oil of
praise and flattery. But because the grace of, Mary was so true and pure,
therefore St. Jerome well says of her: "Whatever was done in Mary, was all
purity and simplicity, all grace and truth, all mercy and justice, which looked
forth from Heaven." Whoever, therefore, desires with Mary to find true grace,
let him approach with Mary to Him with whom it is found, with every desire, in
all earnestness, with all the ardor of longing, as the Apostle exhorts the
Hebrews saying: "Let us go with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid" (Heb. IV, 16.) And note that
whoever wishes to find, must seek, and whoever wishes to seek, must bow down.
Let him bow down with Mary in true humility, whoever wishes to find true grace
with Mary. For it is said in Ecclesiasticus: "The greater thou art, the more
humble thyself in all things, and thou shalt find grace before God" (III, 20.)
Mary, because she truly humbled herself, found true grace, as it is said: "He
hath regarded my humility."
Secondly, consider the immensity of the grace because of which Mary is called
"full of grace." The grace of which she was full was certainly immense. An
immense vessel cannot be full, unless that is also immense wherewith it is
filled. Mary was an immense vessel, since she could contain Him who is greater
than the Heavens. Who is greater than the Heavens? Without doubt He of whom
Solomon says: "If heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee, how much
less this house which I have built?" (3 Kings VIII, 27.) It was not indeed the
house which Solomon built, but she of whom that house was the type, which could
contain God. Thou, therefore, O most immense Mary, art more capacious than the
Heavens, because He whom the Heavens cannot contain was borne in thy womb. Thou
art more capacious than the world, because He whom the whole world cannot
contain, being made man, was enclosed within thee. If Mary's womb then had such
immensity, how much more had her mind? And if so immense a capacity was full of
grace, it was fitting that that grace which could fill so great a capacity,
should also be immense. Who can measure the immensity of Mary? Behold what is
said in Ecclesiasticus: "Who hath measured the height of heaven, and the breadth
of the earth, and the depth of the abyss?" (I, 2.) Mary is a heaven, as much
because she abounded in heavenly purity, heavenly light, and other heavenly
virtues, as because she was the most high throne of God, as the Prophet saith:
"The Lord hath prepared His throne in heaven" (Ps. CII, 19.) Mary was also the
earth which brought forth for us that fruit of which the same Prophet saith:
"The earth hath given its fruits" (Ps. LXVI, 7.) Mary is also an abyss in
goodness and deepest mercy. Therefore she obtaineth for us the mercy of her Son,
as it were an abyss calling upon an abyss. Therefore Mary is a heaven, Mary is
the earth, Mary is the abyss. Who hath ever measured the height of that heaven,
the breadth of that earth, the depth of that abyss, except He who hath made her,
not only in grace and glory, but in mercy so high, so wide, so deep? Therefore
it is especially of her mercy that Bernard saith: "Who can search into the
length and breadth and depth and sublimity of thy mercy, O blessed one? For the
length of it will help all who call upon her till the last day; the breadth of
it fills the whole world, so that the earth is full of her mercy; and the
sublimity of it will bring about the restoration of the heavenly city, and its
depth hath obtained redemption for them that sit in darkness and the shadow of
death.("Serm. de Assumpt.," 4.)
Third, consider the manifoldness of the grace of Mary, of whom Ecclesiasticus
says: "I, like the turpentine tree, have stretched forth my branches, and my
branches are of honor and grace" (XXIV, 22.) According to Pliny and the Gloss,
the turpentine tree is a large tree of Syria, and it has many and wide-spreading
branches. The male tree bears no fruit, but only the female; this fruit is
double, ruddy and white and of a pleasant smell. This beautiful tree, growing in
Syria, is the Blessed Virgin Mary. For "Syria" means watered, and truly the
whole life of Mary was watered by grace, for she grew in the healthful moisture
of grace from the womb of her mother. What wonder if Mary grows in the moisture
of grace, when without it every seed will wither? Whence it is said of the seed
in St. Luke's Gospel: "And being sprung up, it withered, because it had no
moisture" (Luke VIII, 6.) The branches of this tree, branches of honor and
grace, are the virtues, and the examples, and the- benefits of Mary. Many are
the branches, branches of honor and grace, the merits of her abundant grace, her
many virtues and good example, her many benefits and her mercy. In these
branches the birds of heaven joyfully dwell, that is, holy souls, so that it can
be said of them what we find in the Book of Daniel: "In the branches thereof the
fowls of the air had their abode" (IV, 9.) Oh, how wide-spreading, how high are
the branches of that blessed tree, the Virgin Mary! How wide-spreading to men,
how long to the angels, how high towards God! In what way she extends to all the
branches of her graces and her mercies St. Bernard sets forth, saying: "Mary has
opened to all the bosom of her mercy, that all may receive of her fullness: the
captive redemption, the sick healing, the sad consolation, the sinner pardon,
the just grace, the angels joy, the Blessed Trinity glory, the Person of the Son
the substance of human flesh! The fruit of that tree is that of which it is
said: "Blessed is the fruit of thy womb." That fruit was ruddy in blood, white
in death. Therefore the spouse of God, that is, the holy soul, saith as in the
Canticle: "My beloved is white and ruddy" (Cant. V, 10.) This fruit is-also of a
pleasant odor to devout souls. John the Apostle had this odor in mind when he
said to the Lord: "Thy odor hath roused in me eternal concupiscences." O soul, O
soul, dost thou not experience the odor of mercy of this fruit? Oh, if thou
didst inhale it, wouldst thou not run after it, as is said in the Canticle: "We
run in the odor of thy ointments"? It is to be noted that it is not the male
turpentine tree, but the female, that brings forth fruit. So that fruit of life,
Jesus Christ, was brought forth, not by a man, but by a woman, a virgin. Well,
therefore, doth St. Augustine say: "A virgin mother was chosen, who would
conceive without concupiscence, and bring forth a man without a man."
Fourthly, consider the utility of the grace of Mary. It is said: "A gracious
woman will find glory" (Prov. XI, 16.) Behold the utility of the grace of the
gracious Mary; it is the finding of perpetual glory. Most useful was the grace
of Mary both to herself and to us. Most useful, I say, was the grace of Mary to
herself. For grace made Mary delightful, miraculous, and glorious. Delightful in
her soul, miraculous in her Son, glorious in her kingdom. Mary was certainly
delightful in her spiritual mind, miraculous in her virginal offspring, glorious
in her eternal diadem. Grace, therefore, made the mind and the soul of Mary
delightful with spiritual delights, as a spiritual paradise of the living God,
like that word of Ecclesiasticus: "Grace is like a paradise in blessings" (XL,
17.) Truly she was a paradise of God in blessings of manifold spiritual
delights. Of which St. Bernard saith: "What shall I say of the delights of the
beauty of virginity, with the gift of fecundity, the mark of humility, the
dropping honeycomb of charity, the bowels of mercy, the fullness of grace, the
prerogative of singular glory?" Likewise grace made Mary miraculous in her
offspring, miraculous in her conception and bringing forth, while miraculously
the virgin brought forth, and more miraculously conceived and brought forth God.
Therefore is it well said of her: "Thou hast found grace with God" (Luke I, 30.)
Of this name, St. Bernard, speaking to Mary, said: "Understand, prudent Virgin,
how great and what special grace thou shalt find with God, from the name of thy
promised Son." Grace likewise made Mary glorious, wherefore it has well been
said: "A gracious woman shall find glory" ( Prov. XI, 16. ) O truly happy
finder, Mary, who is so great in this world, so great in Heaven! No pure
creature found such grace in this world, such glory in Heaven. And certainly she
found both grace and glory with the Lord, for as it is said in the Psalm: "The
Lord will give grace and glory" ( Ps. LXXXIII. )
But the grace of Mary was not only most useful to herself, but also to us, to
the entire human race. For the grace of Mary gathers in the evil, nourishes and
fattens the good, delivers all. It gathers in sinners from guilt, fattens them
by grace, delivers them from eternal death. I say, therefore, that the grace of
Mary gathers in souls to mercy, gathers evil- doers into the Church. This is
well signified in the favor which Ruth found when she collected the ears of corn
left by the reapers, when she said to Booz: "I have found grace in the eyes of
my lord" (Ruth II, 12.) "Ruth" is interpreted "seeing" or "hastening," and she
typifies the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was truly a seer in contemplation and was
swift in work. For she seeth our misery and swiftly bestows on us her mercy.
Booz is interpreted as "strength," and signifies him of whom it is said in the
Psalm: "Great is the Lord and great is His strength" (Ps. CXLVI.) Ruth,
therefore, in the eyes of Booz, Mary in the sight of the Lord, found this grace,
that she gathered up the ears of corn left by the reapers, that is, souls are
gathered to pardon by her. Who are the reapers but the teachers and pastors? O
truly great grace of Mary, by which many are saved and find mercy, who were
given up as hopeless by their priests and pastors! Therefore St. Bernard saith:
"Mary, thou embracest with maternal affection the sinner despised by the whole
world, thou cherishest him, thou never forsakest him, until he is reconciled to
the tremendous Judge." Likewise Mary nourishes the good with the fatness of
grace. Therefore is it said in Ecclesiasticus: "The grace of a diligent woman
shall delight her husband, and shall fat his bones" (XXVI, 16.) Mary was indeed
the diligent woman of whom Bede saith: "Mary was silent about the secret of God,
but she diligently considered it in her heart." Who was the husband of this
diligent woman, but He whom she had encompassed in her womb ? Of whom Jeremias
says: "The Lord hath created a new thing upon the earth, a woman shall encompass
a man" (Jer. XXXI, 32.) The bones of this man are all they who are strong in the
Church, that is, in His body. These bones, by the help of the grace of Mary, are
fattened by the unction of grace. They are fattened, I say, by the fatness of
the Holy Ghost, by which he longed to be enriched who said: "Let my soul be
filled as with marrow and fatness." Oh, who can reckon how many souls by the
help of Mary are nourished and fattened by grace? And who indeed can calculate
how great in Mary herself was this fatness of grace, by which so many millions
of souls are nourished? What was lacking to her who was the dwelling of all
virtue and grace? St. John Damascene says: "Mary, planted in the house of the
Lord, and fattened in spirit like a fruitful olive tree, was made the dwelling
of every virtue." Likewise Mary delivers all men from everlasting death. This
was well typified in Esther, of whom we read: "The king loved her more than all
women, and placed the diadem of his kingdom on her head" (Est. II, 17.) We read,
therefore, that there was a twofold utility in the grace of Esther which she had
with the king: one was that she obtained the royal crown; the other, that she
delivered her nation, which had been condemned to death. So Mary, our Esther,
obtained such grace with the eternal King that by it she not only attained to
the crown herself, but delivered the human race, which was condemned to death.
Therefore St. Anselm says: "How shall I worthily praise the Mother of my Lord
and God, by whose fecundity I, a captive, was redeemed, by whose Son I was
rescued from eternal death, by whose Child, I, being lost, was recovered and led
back from the exile of misery to the homeland of eternal beatitude." O Mother of
grace, make us sons of grace. Grant that by thy most true grace we may be
gathered for the pardon of sin, nourished by the spirit of devotion, and
delivered from the death of damnation ! Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
CHAPTER VI THE FOURFOLD GRACE IN MARY--OF GIFTS, OF SPEECH, OF PRIVILEGES, AND
OF REWARDS
Ave Maria, gratia plena. We have still some things to say of the grace of the
most
sweet Mary. We will now consider the fourfold grace of her gifts, her speech,
her
privileges, and her rewards.
First, consider in Mary the grace of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost. To this grace
Mary, giving thanks, could apply the word of Ecclesiasticus: "In me is all grace
of the way and the truth." What wonder if she herself is the grace full of life
and truth, who is the Mother of Him who was "full of grace and truth"? And what
wonder if in that rod is so great an affluence of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost,
in whose flower the Holy Spirit rested with such an abundance of His gifts? Mary
is that rod, and the Son of Mary is that flower, of whom it is said in Isaias:
"There shall come forth a rod from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall ascend
from that root, and there shall rest upon Him the spirit of wisdom and of
understanding, the spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge
and of piety, and he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord."
On this flower was a great abundance of the Holy Spirit, which has overflowed
into the whole Church, so that the Evangelist John says: "Of His fullness we
have all received, and grace for grace." Now that such an abundance of grace has
overflowed from this flower into the whole garden, how much more will it abound
in the rod or stem of the flower, in Mary herself? Let Mary, therefore, say in
all security, "In me is all grace of the way and the truth." Certainly the grace
of the way and the truth consists in the aforesaid seven gifts of the Holy
Ghost; it was by the aforesaid seven gifts that the grace of the way and the
truth was in Mary. The grace of the truth set Mary in order in the truth above
herself, below herself, in herself, and without herself. The grace, I say,
of the truth set Mary in order above herself by the gift of Wisdom; below
herself, by the gift of counsel; in herself, by the gift of understanding;
without herself, by the gift of knowledge. The grace of the truth set in order
the soul of Mary in truth above herself, in the most wise contemplation of
things to be enjoyed; below herself, in fleeing foresight of things that were to
be shunned; in herself, in her sure knowledge of what to believe; without
herself, in a most reasonable discretion concerning all she had to do. The grace
of her life set Mary in order in a good life with regard to the devil, with
regard to her neighbor, and with regard to God. The grace, I say, of life set
Mary in order in a good life; towards the devil, by fortitude; towards her
neighbor, by the gift of piety; towards God, by the gift of fear. The grace of
life set Mary in order in a most strong resistance to the devil; in a most
loving kindness to her neighbor; in a most devout reverence towards God. This
was signified by the Holy Ghost in a most fitting manner by the house which
Wisdom built for Himself, having seven columns, which were the seven Gifts of
the Holy Ghost. Whoever, therefore, feels within himself the beginning of a
desire for the Gifts of the Holy Ghost, can find the shape of these pillars in
this house, and he ought to desire these seven pillars with great ardor and much
prayer. Likewise, he who desires the sevenfold grace of the Holy Spirit must
look for the flower of the Holy Spirit in the rod. By the rod or stem we attain
to the flower, and so to the Spirit that rests upon the flower. By Mary we
approach to Christ, and by the grace of Christ we find the Holy Spirit.
Therefore St. Bernard well says, addressing Mary: "By thee we have access to thy
Son, O blessed finder of grace, mother of life, mother of salvation, that by
thee He may receive us, who by thee was given to us."
Secondly, consider in Mary the grace of the lips, or of speech, of which it is
said in the Psalm: "Grace is shed abroad on thy lips." Such was the grace of the
lips in Mary that she could excellently be prefigured by Judith, of whom it is
said: "There is not such another woman upon earth in look, in beauty, and in
sense of words" (Judith XI, 19.) Truly there is not, nor ever was, nor ever will
be, such another woman upon earth, as Mary was, in her glorious life, in the
beauty of a pure conscience, and in the sense of words of a most skilled tongue.
We shall clearly see the grace of the lips in Mary if we diligently gather and
meditate the words of her lips as recorded in the Gospel. We find in the Gospel
seven sentences, sweeter than honey, dropping from the lips of Mary, and
indicating excellently the honey flowing grace of her
lips, as it is said in the Canticle: "Thy lips are as a dropping honeycomb" (IV,
11.) The seven words of Mary, spoken to the Angel, to God, and to men, are as
seven wells of honey. To the Angel, Mary spoke the word of chastity and the word
of humility. Mary had on her lips the word of chastity when she said in answer
to the Angel: "How shall this be done, for I know not man?" This is a lesson to
the unchaste, who have on their lips not chaste, but base and carnal words. Mary
spoke to the Angel the words of humility when she said: "Behold the handmaid of
the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word." This is a lesson to the
proud and arrogant, who neither think nor speak humbly of themselves, but have
words of boasting and elation on their lips. Again Mary spoke to men the word of
charity and the word of truth: the word of charity in greeting, the word of
truth in instruction. Mary spoke the word of charity when she so affectionately
saluted the mother of the Precursor that even the infant in that mother's womb
exulted. This is a lesson to the rancorous, who will not only not speak
charitably to their neighbors, but disdain to speak to them at all. Mary spoke
the word of truth when, the wine failing, she said to the servants at the
marriage feast: "Whatsoever He shall say to you, do ye." This is a lesson to
those who will not only not speak good words to their neighbors, but urge them
to evil deeds. Again, Mary spoke three times to the Lord. She spoke more to God
than to angels or to men, for she spoke twice to the angels and twice to men,
but three
times to God. To God she spoke a word of praise, of loving complaint, and of
compassion. Of praise for the benefits bestowed on herself; of loving complaint
for the loss of her Son; of compassion for the failing of the wine. Mary had the
word of praise to God on her lips, when in thanksgiving for that God had looked
upon her lowliness, she said: "My soul doth magnify the Lord." This is a lesson
to the ungrateful, who, alas, give such scant thanks to God for His benefits,
and at times grow puffed up against God by these very benefits. Mary had the
word of loving complaint to God upon her lips, when she said to her Son, after
the three days' loss: "Son, why hast thou done so to us? Behold thy Father and I
have sought Thee sorrowing." Here is a lesson for the indevout, who do not seek
Jesus sorrowing, when by the withdrawal of devotion they have lost him for many
days. Mary spoke the word of compassion to God when at the marriage feast she
said to her Son: "They have no wine." Here is a lesson to the unmerciful, who
are not moved to compassion by the needs of others, and who neither help their
neighbors, nor draw them to God. Behold now, O Mary, our advocate, it is still
needful to us that thou shouldst speak to thy Son for us, that many of us have
no wine; we lack the wine of the Holy Spirit, the wine of compunction, the wine
of devotion and spiritual consolation. Of which St. Bernard thus speaks: "How
often is it necessary for me, O my brethren, after your tearful complaints to
beseech the Mother of Mercy to say to her Son that you have no wine! And she, I
say, beloved, if she is piously besought by you, will not be lacking to your
need, for she is merciful, she is the Mother of Mercy. For if she had compassion
for the shame of those whose guest she was, much more will she have compassion
on you if you call upon her earnestly." Consider well, from what we have said,
what power Mary hath with the King of kings, because of the grace of her lips,
for it is written in the Book of Proverbs: "He who loveth cleanness of heart,
for the grace of his lips shall have the king for a friend" (Prov. XXII, 11.)
Thirdly, consider in Mary the grace of privileges. Of this grace it is said:
"Thou hast found grace with the Lord, behold thou shalt conceive in the womb,
and shalt bear a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and
shall be called the Son of the Most High." See how Gabriel, asserting that Mary
had found grace, immediately specifies what that grace is, saying: "Behold thou
shalt conceive in the womb." Oh, how great and how unheard-of in all the world
that a virgin should conceive and bring forth the Son of the Most High. We can
perceive in Mary seven privileges, privileges full of immense graces, granted to
Mary alone by God.
The first privilege of Mary was that she was, above all men, free from sin and
most pure. For she was so abundantly sanctified by grace in her mother's womb
that it is believed she was never in the least degree inclined to the slightest
venial sin. Therefore St. Bernard saith: "It behoved the Queen of Virgins, by a
singular privilege of sanctity, to lead a life free from every sin, so that,
while she brought forth the slayer of sin and death, she should obtain for all
the gift of life and justice."
The second privilege of Mary is that, above all men, she was full of grace. St.
Jerome saith: "On others grace was bestowed in measure; but the whole fullness
of grace was poured into Mary." And, therefore, well doth this same Blessed
Doctor, comparing the grace of Mary with that of the angels and preferring it,
say: "It is to be believed that the glorious Virgin Mary merited greater
privileges of virtue, and received grace praised by the angels."
The third privilege of Mary was that she alone was a mother and at the same time
an inviolate virgin. St. Bernard, praising this privilege, says: "Mary chose for
herself the better part. Clearly the better, because conjugal fecundity is good,
but virginal chastity is better, but the best is virginal fecundity, or fecund
virginity. The privilege of Mary will not be given to another, because it will
not be taken away from her."
The fourth privilege of Mary is that she alone is the ineffable Mother of the
Son, the Mother of that Son of whom alone God is the Father; wonderful above
measure that so great a privilege should be granted to a creature. Of this
privilege St. Bernard saith: "This is the singular glory of our Virgin, and the
excellent prerogative of Mary, that she merited to have her Son in common with
God the Father."
The fifth privilege of Mary is that she alone above all creatures was in the
body most familiar with God. For, what was never granted to any other creature,
nor will ever be granted again in eternity --she bore God for nine months in her
womb, she nourished God from her breasts full of heaven, for many years she
sweetly brought up our Lord, she had God subject to her, she handled and
embraced her God in pure embraces and kisses with tender familiarity, as St.
Augustine says: "No wonder, Mary, that God reigning in Heaven deigns to rejoice
with thee, whom, when He was a little child born of thee, thou didst so often
kiss on earth." (Serm. de Sanct., XXV, CCVIII, n. II, appendix.)
The sixth privilege of Mary was that she alone, above all creatures, is most
powerful with God. St. Augustine says: "She merited to be the mother of the
Redeemer." He also says: "Beg for what we ask, excuse what we fear, because we
shall never find one more powerful in merit than thee, who hast merited to be
the Mother of the Redeemer and of the Judge. It is a great privilege that she is
more powerful with God than all the Saints, as St. Augustine declares: "There is
no doubt that she who brought forth the price by which all were freed, can above
all others pay the suffrage of holy liberty." But what would it avail us for
Mary to have such great power if she cared nothing for us ? Therefore, brethren,
we must hold it for certain, and incessantly give thanks for this, that, as she
has more power with God than all the Saints, so is she also more solicitous for
us before God than all the Saints. It is the same Augustine who teaches us this,
saying: "We know, O Mary, that thou above all the saints art solicitous for the
holy Church--thou who obtainest for sinners time to repent, that they may
renounce their errors."
The seventh privilege of Mary is that she, above all the Saints, is most
excellent in glory. St. Jerome says: "Everywhere the holy Church of God sings,
what it is unlawful to believe of any other of the saints, that the merits (of
Mary) transcend those of all angels and archangels. This privilege not, as it
were, of nature, but of grace--belongs to the Virgin Mary." Behold how glorious
is the privilege of Mary's glory that she, after God, is most exalted in glory.
The glorious privilege of the glory of Mary is, that whatever after God is most
beautiful, whatever is sweetest, whatever is pleasanter in glory, that is
Mary's, that is in Mary, that is by Mary. It is entirely the glorious privilege
of Mary, that, after God, our greatest glory and our greatest joy is because of
her. St. Bernard says: "After God, it is our greatest glory, O Mary, to behold
thee, to adhere to thee, to abide in the defense of thy protection."
These, therefore, are the seven
privileges of Mary by which we obtain the life of grace. And therefore, we may
implore Mary, as Abraham implored Sara: "Say, I beseech thee, that thou art my
sister, that it may be well with me because of thee, and that my soul may live
by thy grace" (Gen. XII, 13.) 0 Mary, our Sara, say that thou art our sister,
that because of thee it may be well for us with God, and that our souls may live
in God because of thy grace. Say, O our most beloved Sara, that thou art our
sister, that, for the sake of such a sister, the Egyptians, that is, the evil
spirits, may reverence us, that, because of such a sister, the angels may fight
for us, and that above all, for the sake of such a sister, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost may have mercy on us.
Fourthly, consider in Mary the grace of rewards, on which we have already
touched in speaking of her seventh privilege. To this grace can be applied that
word of Ecclesiasticus: "Grace upon grace hath a chaste and holy woman" (XXVI,
19.) The woman chaste above all women is Mary, the woman holy above all women,
in whom is grace above grace, the grace of glory above the grace of the way, the
grace of rewards in Heaven above the grace of merits in this world. This grace
of the beatitude of Mary consists in seven gifts of body and of soul. Every
glorified body has four glorious gifts: the gift of wonderful clarity, the gift
of wonderful subtility, the gift of wonderful agility, and the gift of wonderful
impassability; and if every glorified body has these gifts, how much more so
will the body which brought forth Him who is the Glorifier of all bodies? What
wonder if her gift of clarity is the brightest in Heaven, who by the gift of
holiness was so resplendent in this world that St. Bernard says of her: "While
yet thou didst live among sinners, thou didst shine before God with such
sanctity, that thou alone didst merit to approximate to the glory of the eternal
King." Again, what wonder if by the gift of subtility she is most subtile, who
by the gift of humility was most subtile in this world? Speaking to her, Blessed
Bernard says: "Thou wouldst never have ascended far above all the choirs of
angels, if on earth thou hadst not lowered thyself by humility below all men."
Again, what wonder if by the gift of agility she is swiftest in Heaven, who by
her gift of loving kindness was so swift upon earth? For in the offices of
charity she went with haste into the hill country, of the swiftness of whose
haste St. Ambrose says: "Whither would she, who was now full of God, hasten,
unless into the hill country with haste? For the grace of the Holy Spirit
knoweth no tardy delays." Again, what wonder if by the gift of impassability she
is impassable in Heaven, who by the gift of patience and equanimity was so
impassable in this world that she never felt the slightest impatience or hatred
when the sword passed through her own soul? For we neither read nor believe that
the least sign of impatience ever appeared in Mary. St. Bernard says:
"Diligently revolve in thy mind the whole of the Gospel story, and if thou
discoverest in Mary the least sign of rebuke, of hardness, or of indignation,
then thou mayest hesitate to believe in her virtue in other things, and fear to
approach her."
If such is the glory of the body of Mary, what, thinkest thou, is the glory of
her soul ? This blessed soul has three beatific gifts--the gift of wonderful
love, the gift of wonderful knowledge, and the gift of wonderful fruition, or,
to put it in a more modern way, the gifts of vision, fruition, and experience.
But in whatever manner the gifts of Mary are expressed, it is certain that these
gifts surpass those of all other souls. For if all blessed souls are endowed
with these gifts in Heaven, how much more the soul of her who brought forth in
this world the soul of the Beatifier of all souls? St. Bernard says: "She
penetrated the most profound abyss of divine Wisdom beyond what could be
believed, and as far as the condition of a creature is capable, she was united
to that inaccessible Light." Again, what wonder if the soul of Mary is immersed
in fecund love, what wonder if she is loving above all, who is above all
beloved? Truly, before and above all; for St. Augustine thus addresses her: "The
King of kings, loving thee above all as His true Mother and Spouse, is joined to
thee in the embrace of love." Again, what wonder if in most delightful fruition
is immersed the soul of Mary who was fed by the most blessed Fruit of her womb?
St. Augustine says: "Mary in brightness of soul enjoys Christ, and His glorious
embraces, always present, always beholding Him, always thirsting to see Him, she
is ineffably nourished by Him." Therefore, as the most glorious Mary exceeds all
Saints in the grace of the way and in the grace of merits, so she exceeds all
Saints in the grace of glory and in the grace of rewards. Therefore, she is well
symbolized by Queen Esther, of whom we read that, being led to the nuptial
chamber of King Assuerus, she found grace and mercy before him above all women,
and he placed the diadem of the kingdom upon her head. This is eminently suited
to Mary, of whom St. Jerome says: "She is raised above the choirs of angels,
that she may behold the beauty and the countenance of the Savior, whom she had
loved and desired with all the desire of her heart." This Queen Esther, the
blessed Virgin Mary, at her Assumption was led into the bridal chamber of the
King Assuerus, the Eternal King, of which incident St. Augustine, addressing
Mary, says: "The Queen Mary, being led into the bridal chamber of everlasting
rest, possesses the favor and grace of the King Assuerus, that is, the grace of
the True King above all women, that is, above all angelical intelligences, and
above all beatified souls, so that in Mary there should be grace above that of
all the blessed. And in very truth the King of kings placed on her head the
diadem of the kingdom, a truly priceless diadem, so delightful, so wonderful,
that no tongue can fitly speak of it and it is incomprehensible to every
intellect.
Now, therefore, beloved, you have seen with how great grace of gifts Mary is
enriched, with how great grace of the lips, with how great privileges, with how
abundant a dower of rewards. Let us, therefore, beseech this finder of graces
that she may let us find grace with God, through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
CHAPTER VII THE NINE PLENITUDES IN MARY, WHICH REPRESENT THE NINE CHOIRS OF THE
ANGELS IN GLORY
Ave, gratia plena. It was not enough for the Arch angel simply to commend the
grace of Mary; he wished also to insist emphatically on its fullness, when he
said: "Gratia plena." O truly full, and fully full! Gabriel had not yet said:
"Behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb." He had not yet said: "The Holy Ghost
shall come upon thee." If, therefore, before the coming upon her of the Holy
Ghost, before the conception of the Son of God, Mary was full (of grace), how
much more so afterwards? Therefore Anselm aptly says of her fullness and of the
fullness of her gratitude: "She, being already a thousand times full (of grace),
was saluted by the Angel, filled with the Holy Ghost, breathed upon by the
divine plenitude." Well, therefore, is Mary said to be full of the illumination
of wisdom, of the outpouring of grace, of the riches of a good life, of the
unction of mercy, of the fecundity of a pious offspring, of the perfection of
the Church, of the redolence of fair fame, of the resplendence of divine glory,
of the joy of eternal gladness. Let us consider these nine plenitudes in Mary,
which represent the nine plenitudes of the angelic orders in glory.
First let us consider that Mary is full of the illumination of wisdom and
understanding. She may aptly be symbolized by that which is said in the Book of
Proverbs: "My husband is not at home, he is gone on a very long journey. He took
with him a bag of money: he will return home the day of the full moon" (VII, 19
f.) This is that Man of whom Jeremias saith: "The Lord hath created a new thing
upon the earth, a woman shall encompass a man" (XXXI, 32.) The woman is Mary--a
woman indeed in sex, not in corruption; a mother of virtue, who encompassed Our
Lord in her womb, clothed Him with our nature. This Man--if indeed, as Josephus
saith, it be lawful to call Him a man-- has three houses. It belongs to imperial
majesty to have three mansions in the palace, namely, a reception-room, a
supper- room, and a bedchamber. The reception-room is the place for conversation
and discussions; the supper-room, for food; the bedchamber, for rest. So our
Emperor, who rules the winds and the sea, has His reception-room, which is the
world; He has His refreshment-room, which now is the Church, and was of old, the
Synagogue; He has His place of rest, namely, the rational soul of man. But alas!
this Man, the Lord of hosts, had been very far distant from His house of the
world, His house of the synagogue, His house of the soul, for "far from sinners
is salvation" (Ps. CXVIII, 155.) This Man was not in His house when Jeremias
complained: "I have forsaken my house, I have left my inheritance" (Jer. XII,
7.) He took the bag of money with him when He hid the treasure of His mercies
and His grace from the world. But lo! this Man came back on the day of the full
moon--of that moon, I say, of which it is said in the Canticle of Canticles:
"Fair as the moon." This moon, therefore, is Mary. The full moon is Mary full of
grace. Well is Mary compared to the moon, because by the Eternal Sun she is
fully illuminated with the light of wisdom and truth. Therefore, the name Mary
is well interpreted illuminatrix or illuminated. For she, who is our moon and
our lamp, was illuminated by the Lord, and she was the illuminatrix of the
world, according to that prophetic word: "For thou lightest my lamp" (Ps. XVII.)
In the fullness of this moon, the Man came back to his house, when Christ came
into this world in the flesh. O truly wonderful fullness of this moon! Behold,
if Mary was full of the light of wisdom, which she received from the Eternal
Sun, before she conceived Him; how much more full was she, when she so
wonderfully conceived this Sun, and so entirely received Him within herself !
Well, therefore, saith St. Bernard, when commending the fullness of the wisdom
of Mary: "Heavenly wisdom built for Himself a house in Mary: for He so filled
her mind that from the very fullness of her mind her flesh became fecund, and
the Virgin by a singular grace brought forth that same Wisdom, covered with a
garb of flesh, whom she had first conceived in her pure mind."
Secondly, let us consider that Mary is full of the outpouring of grace in her
affections. For such was the inundation of grace, so great was its depth and
magnitude in Mary, that she could well be called a full sea according to that
word: "Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof" (I Par. XVI, 32.) As in the
sea there is a gathering together of waters, so in Mary is a gathering together
of graces. Therefore it is written: "The gathering together of the waters was
called (Vulg. "he called") seas" (Gen. I, 10.) It is also said in Ecclesiastes:
"All the rivers run into the sea" (I, 7.) All the rivers are the gifts of the
graces, which entered into Mary, according to that word of Wisdom: "In me is all
grace of the way and of the truth" (Ecclus. XXIV, 25.) How full is this sea, how
full of grace is Mary, St. Jerome declares, saying: "Truly full, because on
others it is only bestowed in part, but on Mary the whole plenitude of grace was
outpoured at once." This sea, therefore, being full, let us hear it roar against
vices. Let the sea roar, therefore, and the fullness thereof, let the full sea,
let the full Mary, roar. Let it roar against luxury, preach chastity, and say:
"How shall this be done, for I know not man?" Let it also roar against pride, by
humility, saying: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord." Let it roar against
ingratitude, giving thanks and saying: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord.... My
soul doth magnify the Lord." Of the fullness of this sea it is likewise said in
the Psalm: "Let the sea be moved, and the fullness thereof." Let the sea be
moved, let Mary be moved, let her be moved by our sighs and mortifications, let
her be moved by our tears and prayers, le