by Fr. Peter Richard Kenrick (1840)
“Thy neck is as the tower of
David, which is built with bulwarks.” — Canticles iv. 4
“The name of the Lord is a
strong tower,” says the inspired author of the
book of Proverbs. We are here on earth, as in a field of battle: our enemies
are numerous and strong. Besides our own passions, we have to contend with “the spirit of
wickedness in high places” (Ephesians
vi.12) that is, with Lucifer and the companions of his fall, who seek to
involve us in their guilt and its punishment. When we consider how much
superior to us in intelligence and power are these unhappy spirits, who once
held the highest places in heaven, and how much they envy us who are destined
to occupy the thrones of glory, which they lost by disobedience; we may easily
conceive how incessant and powerful are their efforts to ruin us. Were we to
depend on ourselves, we could not stand for a moment before them; we should be
the easy prey of their power, and the sport of their malignant intelligence.
But we have the authority of God's word for declaring, that “whoever shall invoke
the name of the Lord, shall be saved.” (Romans
x.13) It is then by distrusting our own weakness, and by flying to the strong
tower, which is God's name, that we shall baffle the wiles, and triumph over
the assaults, of our spiritual enemies.
Mary is called the “Tower of David,” because as Mother of the
Redeemer, the son of David, she is to men a tower of refuge from the face of
the enemy. If the invocation of the sacred name of Jesus be sufficient to put
our enemies to flight, we ought to remember that we cannot pronounce this
saving name, in a manner pleasing to God, unless assisted by his grace. We
ought, then, to dread our own unworthiness; and seek to secure for ourselves
the saving influence of this holy name, by the intercession
Although the consideration of the enemies with whom we have to
contend — their number, their power, and superior skill — are calculated to
fill us with distrust in the result of the contest, we have protection in Mary.
Courage, then, must animate us; and instead of fearing, we should ever despise
the stratagems, and repel the open attacks, of our enemies. But this courage,
without which no man can hope to conquer, must be regulated by prudence. Mary
will protect us, in all the dangers which befall us in the order of Providence;
but she will not protect us, if we expose ourselves to the danger we ought to
shun, and act rather from the impulse of self-confidence, than from the
dictates of duty. God himself is not pledged to protect us in such
circumstances; it is our weakness, and not our presumption, that he has
promised to assist. Mary, then, will not be a “Tower of David” to us, if we rashly expose ourselves
to danger, by reading bad or dangerous books, by frequenting the society of
those whose bad example is likely to corrupt our morals, or by unnecessary
intimacy with others, whose principles may pervert us, or whose tepidity may
chill the ardour of our zeal for the service of God. If we have frequently
received wounds from our spiritual enemies, it is because we neglected to
shield ourselves with the protection of Mary, or because we acted on the
erroneous idea, that that protection would be unconditionally afforded to us.
Salutary regret for the past must be united with cautious vigilance for the
future; that thus we may prove ourselves good soldiers of Jesus Christ, and having “fought the good
fight and kept the faith,” we
may be entitled to receive from him the unfading crown of glory, which he has
promised to bestow on those who have overcome.
EXAMPLE
We can have no better
illustration of the protecting powers of Mary than that afforded by St Ignatius
of Loyola, who, from being a soldier of the world, became a valiant champion of
Christian faith and piety. This saint, whom Providence raised up in most dangerous
times, to be the founder of the Society of Jesus, and, thereby, the instrument
of so much good in the church, ascribed his conversion, and the other graces he
received from God, to the intercession of Mary. While recovering from the
effects of a wound he had received at Pampeluna, which he had bravely defended,
he conceived the design of dedicating himself to God, being moved thereunto by
the reading of the lives of Christ and the saints. He offered himself first to
Mary, and most earnestly besought her to present and recommend him to her
divine Son. As he was one night kneeling before her image, and, with tears,
imploring her to be his protectress, the holy Virgin with her divine Son
appeared to him; and this vision produced the most extraordinary change in his
interior. His heart was entirely changed, and he, who had hitherto suffered
much from impure thoughts, found himself ever afterwards delivered from them. A
man of so noble a character as Ignatius could not be content with an imperfect
conversion, and he resolved to dedicate himself entirely to God's service. As
soon as his wound was healed, he left his father's house with the view of
abandoning the world. He went to Montserrat where there was a celebrated image
of Mary, much venerated by all Spain. As he journeyed along, he thought he
could not do anything more likely to render himself worthy to appear before the
Mother of God, than to make a vow of perfect continence. When he arrived at the
church, he made a general confession, which occupied him three days, and which
he was frequently forced to interrupt by the excess of his grief for having
offended God. After the manner of the old knights, he hung up his sword at the
altar of the Blessed Virgin, to signify, that in future he would only serve her
divine Son; and remained the whole night in the church, watching and praying.
When he meditated the establishment of his new Society, he chose one of the
principal festivals of Mary to commence the good work. He and his companions
made their vows on the festival of her Assumption, in the chapel of Our Lady at
Montmartre, near Paris, and annually renewed them on the same day. He
constantly carried about with him a picture of the Mother of God; and in all
difficulties and undertakings had recourse to her intercession. He was careful
to inspire all his disciples with a tender devotion to this Virgin Mother, that
thus they might be assisted by her protection in all their difficult
undertakings. One day, as Father Araoz, his relative, on taking leave of him,
manifested great regret at the separation; Ignatius, to console him, presented
him with an image of the Holy Virgin, which he had borne round his neck, and
assured him, that in all dangers of soul and body, he had constantly
experienced the protection of Mary.
PRAYER
O Mary, Tower of David! Be thou
my protectress in the fierce struggle with the enemies of my soul. I have been
for a long time a miserable slave of Satan; but now I renounce him, and
dedicate myself to thy service, to honour and serve thee all the days of my
life. Accept of me, and do not reject me, as I merit O mother of mercy, in thee
do I place full confidence; through thee do I hope to obtain all grace. I bless
and return thanks to God for having inspired me with these feelings towards
thee, which I regard as a pledge of my salvation. Alas! Hitherto I have been
conquered, because I did not recur to thee. Now I hope by the merits of Jesus
Christ, and through thy intercession, to obtain pardon for my past weakness,
and courage and strength to contend, even to the last, for the prize of eternal
life. But I may unfortunately relapse. My enemies are not destroyed. How many
new temptations have I yet to overcome! Ah, most powerful Virgin, protect me,
and suffer me not to be ever again vanquished. I know that with thy assistance
I shall conquer; but I fear lest I should neglect to invoke it. Ah, dear
Mother, obtain for me then this grace, that I may always invoke thee in the
hour of peril; and that my heart and tongue may say: “Mary, shew thyself a
mother, and suffer me not to lose my God by sin! Amen.”
PRACTICE
Resolve carefully to avoid all
occasions of sin. The man who presumes, will certainly fall. It is better to
fly a thousand times, than be once overcome.
ASPIRATION
Be to us, O Mary, a tower of
strength against the face of the enemy!
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