by Fr. Peter
Richard Kenrick (1840)
"Thou art all fair, O my
love, and there is not a spot in thee." — Canticles iv. 7
God always adapts the means he employs to the end he has in view;
and accordingly he prepared the mother of his Son for her high destiny by
extraordinary privileges. The mind cannot for a moment permit itself to think
this1 most favoured of all creatures, who was to be Mother of God, and who was
to co-operate so mysteriously with Him, in the great Work of human redemption,
could ever have been the object of God's hatred!—could ever have been the slave
of the devil by sin. Hence the church, guided as she is by the spirit of truth,
applies to Mary the words addressed to the spouse in the canticles: "Thou art all
fair, my love, and there is not spot in thee." This immunity of Mary from sin was
recognised by the great doctor of the church, St. Augustine, who, after saying
that all were subject to sin, subjoins: "except the holy
Virgin Mary, Whom, on account of the honour of our Lord, I do not wish to
include when there is question of sin. For hence we know that an abundance of
grace was given to her, to overcome sin in every respect, because she merited
to conceive and bring forth Him who knew not sin."—St Irenaeus, who
had already said, in the second century: "It was meet
that the God of all purity should spring from the greatest purity, from the
most pure bosom."
Mary's extraordinary privilege consisted, not only in being
preserved from all actual sin and imperfection,—so that she never offended God
by any sin, however light, and was ever docile to the inspirations of
grace,—but also, in being pure and free from the guilt of original sin, even in
her very conception. If St. John the Baptist was sanctified in his mother's
womb, when visited by Christ and his holy Mother, because he was to go "before the face
of the Lord, to prepare his ways;" what
shall we say of her, who was connected with the same Lord by the closest and
tenderest of ties by which we can conceive the creature to approach the
Creator, and whose perfect holiness seems so necessary a consequence of this
mysterious relation? It is true, that as a child of Adam, she was either
included in the decree by which "death passed
upon all men in whom all have sinned," or was specially exempted by God from
the consequences of Adam's guilt; but in either supposition, she was preserved
from ever actually incurring original sin, by the application of the Redeemer's
merits, whom she was to bring forth. God, with whom no work is impossible could
as easily have prevented her incurring the guilt of original sin, as free her
from it after she had incurred it. The general reason above adduced is equally
applicable here: and the short but pithy argument of St Anselm cannot but
produce conviction. "Such a
privilege," says this
saint, "was suitable to
her dignity ; it was possible for God to confer it; hence He conferred it"
(Decuit, potuit, ergo fecit. S. Anselm.) This
was the doctrine of the early church. "She was
not," says Origen, in
the third century, "contaminated by
the breath of the serpent."—"She was," says the holy deacon St Ephrem, in
the fourth century, "most pure from
all stain of sin."—" To her," says St John of Damascus, "the serpent had
no access."
"Holiness becomes thy
house, O Lord, for a length of days." If this be true of the temple which was occasionally filled by
God's glory, and in which he was to receive the petitions of his people, how
much more true is it of that living temple—the Blessed Virgin Mary, in whom the
whole plenitude of the Deity abode for nine months; and who, for thirty-three
years, enjoyed, almost without interruption, the society of Jesus Christ. Let
us then honour the peculiar sanctity of Mary, and rejoice with her, on her
inestimable privilege of never having been, even for an instant, the object of
God's indignation or displeasure. We should, moreover, remember that our own
bodies are the "temples of the
Holy Ghost;" and that
every principle of reason and religion imposes on us the obligation of keeping
them pure and undefiled. "If any
man," says the Apostle, "violate the
temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which you
are." (1 Cor. iii. 7.)
We should not be satisfied with avoiding sin, but should aim at perfection.,
according to the Words of Christ: "Be ye therefore
perfect ad also your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matth v. 48.) This perfection does
not consist in doing extraordinary actions, but in doing our ordinary actions
extraordinarily well. It is only necessary to do what we at present do with
more exactness and fervour. If we pray as we ought, and bring to the reception
of the holy sacraments the dispositions which will cause us to derive from them
all the advantages they are calculated to produce; if, in all our actions, we
have the greater glory of God steadily before our view, and discharge the
duties of our state with fidelity, we shall be perfect This is the perfection
that God requires of us: without it we cannot hope to please him. Let us
constantly have the example of the most perfect of God's creatures present to
our mind; and make Mary our model on earth, that she may be our advocate in
heaven.
EXAMPLE
Father Ariemna relates the
history of a poor shepherdess, who had so great a devotion to the Blessed
Virgin that her greatest delight was to retire to a small mountain-chapel,
dedicated to Our Lady. There she poured forth her heart in prayer before her "Good
Mother,"—for that was the name by which she addressed her, —
incessantly repeating the angelical salutation, "Hail, Mary,
full of grace." Her
piety found such solid satisfaction in this simple exercise, that she often
remained in the chapel for several successive hours, while her flock pastured
before it.
The image of the Blessed Virgin, which was in this chapel, was a
simple and unadorned statue. The pious maid made for it a rustic, but becoming
mantle. She made a garland of some flowers which she had gathered in the
neighbourhood, and kneeling before the altar, she presented it to her "good
Mother," saying: "Hail , Mary,
full of grace." Then
ascending the altar, she placed this simple, but beautiful crown, on the head
of the statue. "Mother, dear
Mother," said she then
to Mary, "I
would willingly place on thy head a crown enriched with gold and precious
jewels; but I am a poor shepherdess, and can only offer thee this gar- land.
Accept it as a token of my affection. Thou knowest how I love thee; I can only
say, Hail, Mary."
Such simple piety, and artless
love could not pass unrewarded. This zealous servant of Mary fell sick, and was
soon reduced to the last stage of the malady from which she suffered. At that
time two members of a religious order, who were travelling in that district,
sat down to rest under the refreshing shade of a tree. Both fell asleep, and
both had precisely the same vision. They beheld coming down from heaven, like a
golden cloud, a band of beautiful virgins, in the midst of whom was one of
surpassing beauty and majesty. On being asked, "whither she was
going?" she replied, "I am the mother
of God, and I am going with these holy virgins to visit a dying shepherdess,
who, during her life, visited me frequently." The vision then vanished. On awaking
from sleep, they communicated to each other what they had seen and heard. "Let us also
go," said they, "and visit this
faithful servant of Mary." Providence
conducted them to the cottage of this perfect creature, who had attained a high
degree of sanctity by the practice of her humble duties. They found her,
stretched on a pallet of straw, exhibiting, in the lily-whiteness of her
features, the purity of the soul which had distinguished her, and in the
beautiful expression of her countenance, a confirmation of the vision they had
been favoured with. She had just expired.
PRAYER
O Mary, mother of my God, thou
art all beautiful, and there is no stain in thee! Thou art beautiful as the
moon, and bright as the sun, by the stainless purity of thy soul. Thou art the
glory of Israel, thou art the honour of our race; Thou art an object of
admiration for angels and men, who view with astonishment the prodigies of
God's grace in thee. But, holy Virgin, what a lesson does thy immaculate purity
teach me, who, although not called to thy supereminent dignity, or invested
with thy extraordinary privileges, am still made to the image and likeness of
God, and commanded to make His perfection the limit of my efforts to please
Him. Do thou, O purest of God's creatures, do thou obtain for me a sense of the
full extent of my obligation to be holy; as I serve a God who is holiness
itself, and look forward with hope to that blessed country into which nothing
defiled can enter. O, Mary, sweetest mother of all true children of Jesus
Christ, obtain for me the grace to avoid all sin and imperfection, and ever
aspire after that perfection which will make me imitate thee more closely on
earth, and entitle me to be nearer thee in heaven: where, in thy blessed
company, I hope to spend a blissful eternity in the contemplation and enjoyment
of my Heavenly Father. Amen.
PRACTICE
Excite yourself to perfection
by frequently remembering that your glory in heaven will be proportioned to
your fidelity on earth. "There are many
mansions in my Father's house," says
our Divine Saviour. Be ambitious of attaining a high degree of glory: it will
last for eternity.
ASPIRATION
In the odour of thy perfumes we
run, O holy Mother of God!
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