The nun sanctified by the virtues of her state
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| 4. Let a sinner be ever so abandoned, says St. Gregory of Nicomedia, if he has recourse to Mary she will save him by her intercession. "You have insuperable strength lest the multitude of our sins should overcome your clemency. Nothing resists your power: for the Creator regards your glory as his own" — Orat. de exit. B. Y. O Mother of God, thou hast invincible power, that thy clemency may not be conquered by the multitude of sins. Nothing can resist thy power since the Creator regards as his own the glory of his mother. Thou, then, says St. Peter Damian, canst do all things, for thou canst inspire even those who are in despair with hopes of salvation: "Nihil tibi impossibile, quae etiam desperatos in spem salutis potes relevare" — Serin. 1, de Nat. B. V. As often as the devil tempts us to diffidence, let us turn to Mary, and say to her with St. Germanus: "Thou, O Mary, art omnipotent in saving sinners; thy prayers are
SPOUSE OF CHRIST. 399 ill-powerful with God, because thou art mother of true Ife"— Serm. 3, in Dorm. B. V. , ' • , 5. Let us examine, in the second place, how great is Mary s desire to assist her clients. Of what use, says St Bonaventure, would Mary's power be to us, if she had no regard for us? But, adds the saint, let us hold for certain, that as the Virgin is the most powerful of all the saints before God, so she is the most solicitous of all for our salvation. "And who, O Lady," says St. Germanus (Serm. de Zona Virg.) " after thy Son, feels greater solicitude for us than thou dost ? Who defends us so powerfully in our afflictions ? Who labours so hard for the conversion of sinners ? O Mary, thy protection is so great that we cannot comprehend it." St. Andrew Avellino used to call Mary " the agent of paradise." But what does she do in heaven ? She prays continually for us, and obtains for us all the graces we ask. She said one day to St. Bridget (Rev. lib. 1, cap. 6,) I am called, and I really am, the Mother of Mercy; for such the mercy of God has made me: " Ego vocor ab omnibus mater misericordise et vere misericordia Dei misericordemme fecit." And who but God in his mercy, because he wishes to save all, has given us this great protectrix ? "Ideo (adds Mary) misererit qui ad misericordem, cum possit, non accedit." Miserable, and miserable for eternity, shall be the man who is damned, because when it was in his power in this life to invoke my intercession, he neglected to have recourse to me who am so compassionate to all. 6. Richard of St. Victor says that Mary is so full of mercy, that when she sees our miseries, she instantly assists us: she cannot behold a soul in want without coming to her relief. "Adeo replentur ubera tua misericordia, ut alterius miseria notitia tacta lac fundat miser icordiae: nec possis miserias scire et non subvenire" — In Cant. cap. 23. It was thus she acted when she lived on this earth, as we learn from what happened at the marriage of Cana in Galilee. When the wine failed, she did not wait to be asked, but taking pity on the affliction and shame of the spouse, she besought her Son to console them, saying, "they have no wine;" and induced him to change, by a miracle, water into wine. If, says St. Bonaventure, Marys compassion for the afflicted was so great while she lived in thi3 world, her pity for us is certainly far greater now that she reigns in heaven, where she has a better knowledge of our miseries, and greater compassion for our afflictions: " Magna f uit erga miseros misericordia Mariae adhuc exulantis in mundo, sed multo major est regnatis in ccelo" — In spec. B. V. cap. 8. 400 THE TRUE 7. Ah ! let us not neglect to have recourse in all our necessities to the divine mother, who is always prepared to assist all who invoke her intercession. " Invenies," says Richard of St. Laurence, " semper paratam auxiliari." Bernardine da Bustis adds, that whenever we have recourse to her we shall find her hands full of mercies and graces: "Invenies earn in manibus plenam misericordia et liberalitate" — Marial. 2, serm. 5, de nom. Mar. Richard of St. Victor says that Mary's heart is so full of compassion that, as soon as she perceives the wants of the miserable, she prevents their supplications, and obtains relief for them before they ask it: " Velocius occurrit quam invocetur, et causas miserorum anticipat" — In Cant. cap. 23. Why, then, says St. Bernard, should we fear that when we have recourse to Mary she will not console us ? She is not austere, she does not inspire terror; she is all sweetness and benignity to those who recommend themselves to her: " Quid ad Mariam accedere trepidat humana fragilitas ? Nihil austerem in ea, nihil terribile, tota suavis est." And can she be otherwise than beneficent to those who ask hei prayers, when she herself goes in search of the miserable tc save them ? Behold how she invites all, and encourages them to hope for all good if they have recourse to her: "In me is all hope of life and of virtue; come over to me all" — Eccl. xxiv. 25. On this passage Pelbart says: "She calls all, the just and sinners." The devil, according to St. Peter, goes about seeking whom he may devour ("Circuit quaerens quem devoret,") 1 Peter v., but this divine mother, says Bernardine da Bustis, goes about seeking whom she may save: "Ipsa semper circuit, quaerens quem salvet" — Marial. p. 3, Serm. 3. To obtain salvation through her intercession it is enough to ask the aid of her prayers. A holy soul used to say that to receive the divine graces it is sufficient to ask Mary to obtain them for us. St. Bonaventure has written that Mary's desire for our welfare and salvation is so great, that she is offended not only with those who do her a positive injury, but also with those who do not ask favours from her: "In te Domina peccant non solum qui tibi injuriam irrogant, sed etiam qui te non rogant" — In spec. Virg. Hence, the saint used to say that when he looked at Mary ' e beheld mercy itself stretching out its hands to raise him up from his miseries: "Certe Domina cum te aspicio, nihil nisi misericordiam cerno." For, he would add, this great lady knows not, and has never known, how to behold without compassion, or to leave without succour, a person in misery who recommends himself to her: "Ipsa enim non misereri ignorat, et miseris SPOUSE OF CHRIST. 401 non satisfacere nunquam scivit." Mary's constant occupation in heaven consists in asking mercy for the miserable. St. Bridget once heard Jesus say to his holy mother: "My mother, ask what you wish from me." And what was Mary's answer ? "I ask mercy for the miserable" — Rev. lib. 1, cap. 46. As if she said: My Son, since thou hast made me Mother of Mercy and advocate of the miserable, what else will I ask from thee than mercy for those who are in misery? And because poor sinners are the most miserable of all, she has her eyes always turned to them in order to assist them. David says that the eyes of the Lord are upon the just, " Oculi Domini super justos" — jPs. xxxiii. ; and, according to Richard of St. Laurence, this Mother of Mercy has her merciful eyes as well upon the just as upon sinners. This author says that she treats us as a mother treats her child: a mother always keeps her eyes on her child to prevent him from falling, and to raise him up should he fall: "Oculi Domine super justos et peccatores sicuti oculi matris ad puerum ne cadat: vel si cecederit, ut sublevet." The Lord has constituted Mary the universal advocate of all. "As," saysldiota, "she is the Queen of all, so she is the advocate of all." Denis the Carthusian says thaf she is, in a special manner, the advocate of sinners, because the guilty stand in greater need of succour than the innocent. Hence, he calls her the advocate of all sinners who invoke her intercession: " Advocata omnium iniquorum ad se confugienium." And before him St. John Damascene called Mary the city of refuge for all who fly to her.— De Dormit. Virg. Hence, St. Bonaventure says: "Respirate ad illam perditi peccatores, et perduct vos ad portum" — In Ps. 8. Poor abandoned sinners, do not despair, raise your eyes to Mary and be comforted, trusting in the clemency of this good mother; for she will rescue you from the shipwreck you have suffered, and will conduct you to the haven of salvation. Let us then say, with St. Thomas of Villanova: "Eia advocata nostra, officium tuum imple." O holy Virgin, since thou art the advocate of the miserable, assist us who are the most miserable of all. Let us, says St. Bernard, ask grace, and ask it through Mary. " Quseramus gratiam et per Mariam quaeramus" — Serm. de Aquoed. The grace which we have lost she has found, says Richard of St. Laurence; we then, should go to her in order to recover it: "Cupientes invenire gratiam quaeramus inventricem gratise" — De laud. Virg. When the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary that God had chosen her to be the Mother of the Word, he said to her: " Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God" — Imke i. But h^w can 402 THE TRUE that be? Mary was never deprived of grace; on the contrary, she was always full of grace. How, then, could the angel say that she had found grace ? Cardinal Hugo answers that she did not find grace for herself, because she always possessed it: but she found it for us who had miserably lost it. Hence, he says, that in order to recover it we should go to Mary and say to her: " O Lady, property should be restored to him who has lost it; the grace which thou hast found is not thine, for thou hast always possessed it; it is ours, we have lost it. To us* then, thou shouldst restore it." Behold the cardinal's words: " Sinners, who by your sins have forfeited the divine grace, run, run to the Virgin, and say to her with confidence: Restore to us our property which you have found." 8. Oh ! if all sinners had recourse to Mary, with a determination to amend their lives, who would ever be lost ? They who have not recourse to Mary are lost. St. Bridget heard our Saviour say to his mother: "You would show mercy even to the devil were he to ask it with humility." The proud Lucifer will never humble himself so far as to recommend himself to Mary; but were he to humble himself to this divine mother, and ask her aid, she would not cast him off, but would deliver him from hell by her intercession. By these words Jesus gives us to understand that Mary obtains salvation for all who have recourse to her. Hence, St. Basil calls her a public hospital. Public hospitals are established for the poor who are afflicted with sickness, and the greater the poverty of the invalid the stronger his claim to admission. Hence, according to St. Basil, Mary receives with the greatest promptness the most abandoned sinners who have recourse to her. Ah ! says St. Bernard, this great queen feels no horror for any sinner, however great the stench of his sins; if the miserable man flies to her protection she disdains not to stretch forth her hands and to rescue him from the state of perdition. "Tu peccatorem quantumcumque fcEtidum non horres: si ad te suspiraverit, tu ilium a disperationis barathro pia manu retrains" — 8, Bern. Or. paneg. ad B. V. Our Lord revealed to St. Catherine of Sienna, that he has chosen Mary to draw men, and particularly sinners, to his love: "Haec est a me electa tanquam esca dulcissima ad capiendos homines, potissimum peccatores" — Apud Bios. Mon. spir. Mary said to St. Bridget, that there is no sinner, however abandoned by God, for whom, if he invoked her aid, she will not obtain the grace to return to God and find mercy: "Nullus est ita abjectus a Deo qui si me invocaverit, non revertatur ad Deum, et habiturus sit misericordiam" — Rev. SPOUSE OF CHRIST. 403 lib. 1, cap. 6. She also said that as the magnet attracts iron, so she draws to herself and to God the hardest hearts: "Sicut magnes attrahit ferrum, sic ego attrahodura corda" — Hev. lib. 3, cap. 32. 9. The holy Church wishes that we call this divine mother our hope: "Spes nostra salve." The impious Luther said, that he could not bear to hear the Church teaching us to call Mary our hope; God alone, he said, is our hope; and God himself curses them who place their hopes in any creature. Yes, God curses those who trust in creatures independently of him, but we hope in Mary as a mediatrix with God. For, says St. Bernard, God has placed in the hands of Mary all the treasures of the goods which he wishes to dispense to men: "Totius boni plenitudinem posuit in Maria, ut si quid spei in nobis est, si quid gratiae si quid salutis, ab ilia noverimus redundare" — Serm. de Aquoed. Hence, the Lord wishes us to acknowledge that all good comes from Mary, for he has ordained that all the graces which he will give us should pass through the hands of Mary. Hence, St. Bernard called her his greatest confidence, and the entire ground of his hope: "Haec maxima mea fiducia, haec toto ratio spei meae" — Loc. cit. St. Bonaventure called Mary the salvation of them who invoke her: " O salus te invocatium." Hence, according to St. Bonaventure, to be saved it is enough to invoke Mary. Whenever, then, the devil terrifies us with the fear of being lost, let us say to Mary with the same Saint, " In thee, O Lady, have I hoped, may I not be confounded for ever." In thee, after Jesus, I have placed all my hopes; thou hast to watch over my salvation and to deliver me from hell. But, says St. Anselm, hell is not the lot of any true client of Mary, for whom she prays even once, and says to her Son that she wishes him to be saved: "^Eternum vae non sentiet, pro quo semel oraverit Maria." 10. I have said that no one truly devoted to Mary is lost. But in order to escape illusion, let us examine what is necessary in order to be a true client of Mary. In the first place, a good intention of changing one's life and a will to offend God no more are necessary. To the Princess Matilda, St. Gregory VII. wrote: "Pone finem in voluntate peccandi, et invenies Mariam promptiorem matre carnali ad te adjuvandum" — Lib. 1, ep. 47. Put an end to the will of sinning, and I promise you that you shall find Mary more willing than any carnal mother to assist you. The Virgin said one day to St. Bridget: " Quantumcumque homo peccat, statim parata sum recipere revertentem. Nee attendo, quantum peccaverit, sed cum quali intentione redit; nam 404 THE TRUE non dedignor ejus plagas ungere, et sanare, quia vocor et vere sum mater misericordiae" — Rev. lib. 2, cap. 23. How encouraging to sinners are these words ! Let a sinner, says Mary, be ever so abandoned, if he come to me I am ready to receive him the moment he returns. Nor do I attend to the sins he has committed, but only to the intention with which he comes to me. If he come with a desire to change his life I will not disdain to apply a remedy and heal his wounds, for I am called, and truly am, the Mother of Mercy. Mother of Mercy! that is, her clemency and her compassion for our miseries incline her to love and assist us with more than maternal tenderness. But she herself declared to the same St. Bridget, that she is a mother only to those who wish to amend their lives: "Ego sum quasi mater volentium se emendare"— Rev. lib. 4, cap. 138. Hence, Mary is not a mother to obstinate sinners. Should any one find himself bound by any passion, and not as yet resolved to renounce sin, but desirous of being delivered from it, let him pray to Mary to obtain aid for him to break the chain of hell, and let him at least endeavour to begin to resist the passion and to remove the occasion, and this good lady will stretch out her hand and will comfort him. This, St. Bridget heard from the mouth of Jesus Christ himself. Addressing Mary, he said: "Conanti surgere tu tribuis auxilium, et neminem relinquis vacuum a tua consolatione." To him who endeavours to emerge from sin in order to return to God you, my mother, give aid; you do not allow any one to depart from you without consolation. 11. In the second place, to be a true client of Mary it is necessary to secure her protection by prayers and other acts of devotion. It is true that she prays for all; but she always prays most efficaciously for those among her servants who honour her most. And remember, that because she is most grateful and liberal, she repays with the great graces every little act of devotion which we perform in her honour. "Cum sit magnificentissima," says St. Andrew of Crete, "solet maxima pro minimis reddere"— Orat. 2, de Dorm. Virg. Let us, then, see the acts of devotion which we may perform in honour of this our most loving mother. 12. First, say every morning at rising and every evening before going to bed three Aves in honour of the purity of Mary, adding: " O Mary, through thy pure and immaculate conception obtain for me purity of body and sanctity of soul." And place yourself under her protection, that she may preserve you from sin during the day and during the night. Salute her also with an Ave Maria as often as the clock strikes, and whenever you leave or return to the cell SPOUSE OF CHRIST. 405 or pass by any of her images; and endeavour at the beginning of every action (whether spiritual or temporal) to salute her with an Ave Maria: blessed shall be the actions which are commenced and terminated by an Ave Maria. When we salute this great queen, particularly with the Angelical Salutation, which is so pleasing to her, she always obtains for us in return some favour from heaven. Secondly, do not omit to say the Rosary every day, or at least five decades of it. This is a devotion practiced generally by all the faithful, even by seculars, and has been favoured by the sovereign pontiff with immense indulgences. But observe, that to gain the indulgences o£ the Rosary, it is necessary to accompany the recital of it with the consideration of the mysteries; it is also necessary that your name be registered in the book of the Rosary which is kept by the fathers of the Order of St. Dominick, and that the beads be blessed by them. Some religious also say the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin. You might at least say along with the Rosary the Office of the Name of Mary, which consists of five Psalms. Say, also, every day three Paters and Aves in honour of the most holy Trinity for the graces bestowed on Mary. The holy Virgin once revealed that this devotion is very pleasing to her. Thirdly, fast every Saturday, and on the vigils of all the festivals of Mary, and if you cannot fast on bread and water, fast at least in the ordinary way, or eat only of one dish, or abstain from something which you feel a desire to eat. Perform some mortification on Saturday, which is the day dedicated by the Church to the honour of the divine mother. Fourthly, make every day a visit to some image of your queen; and in your visit ask Mary to obtain for you holy perseverance and the love of Jesus Christ. Fifthly, do not let a day pass without reading at least a small portion of a book which treats of Mary. There are many books of this kind — True Devotion towards the Blessed Virgin, by Father Crasset; Mutual Affections between Mary and her Clients, by Father Auriemma; The Devout Servant of Mary, by Segneri; Affections to Mary, by Nieremberg: there are many others which you can read. I, too, have written a work on the Virgin, entitled The Glories of Mary, of which several editions have been published. 13. Sixthly, perform devoutly the Novenas of the festivals of the Virgin. You can practice the following devotions in these Novenas; first, an additional meditation of half-an-hour; secondly, recite the Ave Maria and Gloria Patri nine times in honour of the Virgin. I do not advise 406 THE TRUE many vocal prayers, because I would rather see you make many acts of love, or many petitions to Jesus and Mary. For example, I love thee, O my Jesus; I love thee, O Mary, my mother; or, Mary, mother of God, pray to Jesus for me. You can make a hundred or at least fifty of these acts or prayers in the day. Thirdly, visit each day the image of the Virgin three times, and at each visit repeat the preceding acts of love or prayers, and at the end of the visit ask some particular grace for the benefit of your soul. Fourthly, endeavour, but with the advice of your confessor, to communicate more frequently during the Novenas. Fifthly, on these days perform some particular act of mortification by the use of the discipline or little chains; or by fasting, or at least by abstaining from fruit, or from something else; and on the vigil fast if you can on bread and water. I recommend to you the following excellent devotion. Among the festivals of Mary select one to which you feel most devoted, such as the Immaculate Conception, the Annunciation, the Assumption, or the Feast of Dolours (to which all should have a special devotion,) and after communion on the festival you select, offer yourself in a special manner to serve her, choosing her for your mistress and mother, asking pardon of your negligences in honouring her during the past year, and promising to serve her better in the year to come. It would be well, with the permission of the superior, to procure a public JSTovena along with the exposition of the blessed sacrament, but without music or the usual accompaniments, even on the festival: otherwise all will end in vanity and disturbance of mind, as sometimes happens in the festival of nuns. Would to God that on such festivals more was not lost than gained. 14. Seventhly and lastly, be careful to recommend yourself often in the day to the protection of Mary. Know that, among all devotions, that which is most pleasing to her consists in having frequent recourse to her, and in frequently asking her to obtain for you the divine graces. " Blessed is the man," says the Church, in the name of Mary, "that heareth me, and that watcheth daily at my gates" — Prov. viii. 34. Happy the man that watches at at the gates of my mercy. Mary is called the Mother of Mercy on account of her ardent desire to promote our welfare: hence, the greatest pleasure which we can give her is to recommend ourselves to her and to ask her prayers. She desires to assist us, but she wishes that we may pray to her. "Roganda sum ut velim," says blessed Albertus Magnus, in the name of Mary, "quia si volo necesse est fieri." That I may wish to obtain grace you must pray to me; for if I SPOUSE OF CHRIST wish to ask, what I ask of my Son is necessarily given. Hence, St. Bernard says: "In perieulis, in augustiis, in rebus dubiis Mariam invoca"— Horn. 2, super Missus. In the dangers of consenting to sin, in afflictions, in doubts, call on Mary for succour. The saint adds: " Non recedat ab ore, non recedat a corde." Let her powerful name be always in your mouth, by the constant invocation of it, and in your heart, by great confidence in her intercession. St. Bonaventure says, that a person cannot mention the name of Mary without obtaining some grace. "Nomen tuum devote nominari non potest, sine nominaxtis utilitate"— Spec. B. V. cap. 8. And St. Germanus calls the name of Mary the respiration of the soul. "As," says the saint (de Zona Virg.,) ' respiration of the body is a sign of life, so the name of Mary in the mouth of her servants is a proof of life, for this name at once procures and preserves the life of grace." All would do well to ask of God every day the gift of confidence— first, in the blood of Jesus Christ, and afterwards in the intercession of Mary. 15. If you love Mary, endeavour to induce others to love her. Endeavour, as often as you can, to inspire all with devotion to the Virgin, by relating some devout example, or by proposing some particular exercise to be performed in her honour, or some favour to be asked of her. She promises paradise to all who love her and seek to inspire others with her love. "They that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting" — Fest. Concep. B. M. Noct. 1. How great the consolation' which you shall experience at death from all you shall have done during life in honour of Mary, Father Binetti relates (Perf. di 1ST. S. cap. 31,) that he once assisted a dying servant of Mary, who before death said: "O my father, if you knew the happiness I feel on account of having served the most holy Mother of God ? I could not explain the joy which I experience at this moment." Endeavour, then, to remain always at the feet of this tender mother. And thank the Lord unceasingly: among the mercies he has shown you, the particular devotion which he has given you to his holy mother, is a special grace; this devotion is a great proof that he wishes your salvation in a special manner. In recommending your salvation to her, say to Mary with St. John Damascene: "O Mother of God, if I place my confidence in thee I shall be saved. If I am under tny protection, I have nothing to fear; for to be devoted to thee is to have arms of salvation, which God grants only to those whom he specially wishes to be saved" — Serm. de Nat. cap. 4. |