by Fr. Peter
Richard Kenrick
“All generations shall call me
blessed.” —Luke i. 48
When holy Elizabeth
congratulated the blessed Virgin, on the supernatural favour she had received
from God, this humble handmaid of the Lord, inspired by the Holy Ghost,
composed that canticle of thanksgiving from which these words are taken. How
wonderful was this prophecy! A poor Virgin, distinguished by nothing except her
extraordinary piety, foretells that "all
generations shall call her blessed." And
so fully has this prediction been accomplished, that its fulfilment may be
considered as one of the strongest proofs of our divine religion. We can say to
her, as Ozias, the prince of the people, said to Judith, "Blessed art thou, daughter,
by the Lord, the Most High God, above all women upon the earth. Because He hath
so magnified thy name this day, that thy praise shall not depart out of the
mouth of men, who shall be mindful of the power of the Lord for ever; for that
thou hast not spared thy life, by reason of the distress and tribulation of thy
people, but hast prevented our ruin in the presence of our God." (Judith, xiii. 23, 25.)
Yes, all generations have
called her blessed! When
peace was restored to the church by the triumph of Constantine, and the
Christians were permitted to raise public churches for the worship of God, the
piety of the faithful towards the Mother of their Redeemer manifested itself in
the numerous and magnificent temples erected to her honour. The council of
Ephesus, in which she was declared to be justly styled the "Mother of God," against the heretic Nestorius, was
held in one of those churches which religion had raised to God under her
invocation. How many holy doctors, in every age, have consecrated their talents
to celebrate her praises! Like St Bernard, they could find no end of speaking
of Mary; for the more they considered her dignity and holiness, the more they
found themselves incapable of adequately expressing them. The eloquence of
orators, the genius of poets, the talents of painters and sculptors—not only in
one age or country—but in every age and country where Christianity has been
known — have combined to celebrate her praises, and transmit to future generations
the feelings of religious veneration which they themselves experienced. What a
multitude of religious orders have been instituted in her honour, and under her
special patronage! In these, thousands of holy souls daily repeat the canticle
of praise and thanksgiving to God, which first fell from Mary's lips,
and—esteeming themselves honoured in being accounted her servants— faithfully
endeavour to copy into their lives the lessons of obedience, purity, and
humility, which she gives to all Christians. The church of Jesus Christ has
instituted numerous festivals in her honour, and in commemoration of the
benefits conferred on us through her instrumentality. In a word, the praises of
Mary have been celebrated by all that in ancient or modern times is veneable
for the sanctity of their own lives, and the wonders of God's power displayed
in their actions. Truly, then, have all generations called her blessed. As God
has not bestowed on any other creature such abundant graces or favours as on
Mary, so he has not given to any other creature to enjoy such universal and
heart-felt admiration as to the Virgin Mother of His Son. Let us, then, join in this universal
voice of Christian piety; and, uniting our praises with those of all the just
on earth, and of all the angels and saints of heaven, say to her with St Cyril
of Alexandria: "Praise be
to thee, O holy Mother of God! Thou art the precious jewel of the earth, an
undying lamp, the crown of virginity, the sceptre of the orthodox faith. Thou
art an inviolable temple, containing Him whom no space can include."
This veneration, with which
Christians of all ages have honoured the Virgin Mary, and which is so much
encouraged by the church, is most reasonable in itself, and most efficaciously
promotes the greater glory of God. If all the friends of God were much honoured
by the psalmist, (Ps. cxxxviii. 17) how much more worthy of veneration is she
whom Jesus Christ himself honoured as his parent on earth? The glory which Mary
receives from us, does not detract from, but, on the contrary, augments, that
which we are bound to give to God. "Whatever
praise," says St
Bernard, "we give to the
Mother, is referred to the Son; for the King is honoured by the respect
manifested for the Queen." It
is the triumph of God's grace we celebrate, when we celebrate the praises of
Mary. Hence St Gregory, of Nicomedia, addressing her, says, "The creator regards thy glory
as his own." If the
saints have venerated her so much, and have found themselves unable to express
all their feelings of respect and affection for her, it was because they had
such sublime ideas of God's majesty and goodness. To honour her, is to honour
God; whose creature she is, and from whom, consequently, she has received all
that she possesses. To confide in her, is not to distrust His providence or
mercy; but to employ the
most powerful means to obtain what we ask for from both these divine
attributes. "The dignity
of the intercessor" says
St. Anselm, "supplies our
insufficiency, and hence to implore the assistance of the Virgin is not to
distrust the divine mercy…." In
honouring Mary we only accomplish the designs of God, who by her mouth has
declared—what he has not declared of any other creature—"that all
generations should call her blessed "
EXAMPLE
The church honours on this day
the memory of St. Francis Hieronymus of the Society of Jesus, who may be called
the apostle of the kingdom, and especially of the city, of Naples. He was a
most faithful servant of Mary; he had for her the most tender affection, and
incessantly laboured to excite similar feelings in others. On all Saturdays of
the year, as well as on all Vigils of the Blessed Virgin, he fasted on bread
and water; not to speak of other austerities he practised in honour of Mary. In
the church of the Jesuits at Naples, there is an image of the Holy Virgin, sent
thither from Rome by St. Francis of Borgia, and which is venerated under the
title of "Mary the
greater." This holy man
exerted himself wonderfully to direct the attention of the people to it; and to
excite among them sentiments of tender confidence in the Mother of God. For
twenty-two years he continued to preach on every Tuesday in a church dedicated
to God in her honour; and laid before the people the extraordinary privileges
of Mary, and the liberality with which she rewarded her faithful servants. He
was especially zealous in exciting youth to the practice of this devotion; as
he deemed it the most powerful means of guarding their innocence, or of
correcting their errors. He was often accustomed to say, that whoever did not
honour Mary could with difficulty be saved. In all doubts and difficulties, he
recurred to her as his sure counsellor; and in her found protection in all his
dangers, assistance in all his undertakings, help and relief in all his
embarrassments. Never did he appeal to her without being heard. In his
missionary sermons he always caused an image of Mary to be placed before the
people; thereby to draw down the blessing of heaven on his ministry, and to
lead his hearers to Jesus through Mary. It is inconceivable what great things this
apostolic man performed by the assistance of Mary, or how many souls he won to
heaven by means of his untiring zeal. Devotion to Mary was propagated wherever
duty called him to labour for the salvation of souls. The mother of mercy did
not let his zeal pass unrewarded. After having aided and protected him during
life, she assisted him in a special manner at the hour of his death, which
occurred in Naples in the year 1716. He was beatified by Pius VII in 1806, and
was solemnly canonized by the Pope, Gregory XVI on the 26th of May, 1839. Let
us learn from St Francis, to love and honour this most Venerable Virgin, and we
shall experience the truth of his maxim, that the faithful servant of Mary
cannot be lost.
PRAYER
O most Venerable Virgin! I
salute thee as the most honoured of God's creatures, and therefore venerate
thee with all the fervour of my soul. There is no other creature in heaven or
on earth, that can be compared with thee. May all tongues proclaim thy praise.
I rejoice at thy supereminent glory, whenever I repeat that canticle in which
thou didst foretell, that all generations should call thee blessed. O blessed
indeed art thou amongst all creatures! May I ever remain thy faithful, thy
devoted servant on earth, that, by thy intercession, I may hereafter deserve to
behold that glory with which God crowns thee in heaven, and return thanks to Him,
during eternity, for all the favours he has conferred on thee, and, through
thee, on all mankind. Amen.
PRACTICE
Recite the "Magnificat" in honour of Mary, and endeavour both
by exhortation and your own example to promote devotion to this Venerable Virgin.
It is the surest means by which you can obtain God's grace.
ASPIRATION
Thou art beautiful and comely,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
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