J.M.J. We look to today's Saint, John Mary Vianney, Priest (1786-1859), for insight into Our Lady. This is from his Catechetical Instructions.
"The Father takes pleasure in looking upon the Heart of the most Holy Virgin
Mary, as the masterpiece of His hands; for we always like our own work,
especially when it is well done. The Son takes pleasure in it as the Heart of His Mother, the source from which He drew the Blood that has
ransomed us; the Holy Ghost as His temple. The Prophets published the
glory of Mary before her birth; they compared her to the sun. Indeed,
the apparition of the Holy Virgin may well be compared to a beautiful
gleam of sun on a foggy day.
"Before her coming, the anger
of God was hanging over our heads like a sword ready to strike us. As
soon as the Holy Virgin appeared upon the earth, His anger was appeased.
. . . She did not know that she was to be the Mother of God, and when
she was a little child she used to say, 'When shall I then see that
beautiful creature who is to be the Mother of God?' The Holy Virgin has
brought us forth twice, in the Incarnation and at the foot of the Cross;
she is then doubly our Mother. The Holy Virgin is often compared to a
mother, but she is much better still than the best of mothers; for the
best of mothers sometimes punishes her child when it displeases her, and
even beats it: she thinks she is doing right. But the Holy Virgin does
not so; she is so good that she treats us with love, and never punishes
us.
"The Heart of this good
Mother is all love and mercy; she desires only to see us happy. We have
only to turn to her to be heard. The Son has His justice, the Mother has
nothing but her love. God has loved us so much as to die for us; but in
the heart of Our Lord there is justice, which is an attribute of God;
in that of the most Holy Virgin there is nothing but mercy. Her Son
being ready to punish a sinner, Mary interposes, checks the sword,
implores pardon for the poor criminal. 'Mother,' Our Lord says to her, 'I can refuse you nothing. If Hell could repent, you would obtain its
pardon.'
"The most Holy Virgin places
herself between her Son and us. The greater sinners we are, the more
tenderness and compassion does she feel for us. The child that has cost
its mother most tears is the dearest to her Heart. Does not a mother
always run to the help of the weakest and the most exposed to danger? Is
not a physician in the hospital most attentive to those who are most
seriously ill? The Heart of Mary is so tender towards us, that those of
all the mothers in the world put together are like a piece of ice in
comparison to hers. See how good the Holy Virgin is! Her great servant
St. Bernard used often to say to her, 'I salute thee, Mary.' One day
this good Mother answered him, 'I salute thee, my son Bernard.'
"The Ave Maria is a prayer
that is never wearisome. The devotion to the Holy Virgin is delicious,
sweet, nourishing. When we talk on earthly subjects or politics, we grow
weary; but when we talk of the Holy Virgin, it is always new. All the Saints have a great devotion to Our Lady; no grace comes from Heaven
without passing through her hands. We cannot go into a house without
speaking to the porter; well, the Holy Virgin is the portress of Heaven.
"When we have to offer
anything to a great personage, we get it presented by the person he
likes best, in order that the homage may be agreeable to him. So our
prayers have quite a different sort of merit when they are presented by
the Blessed Virgin, because she is the only creature who has never
offended God. The Blessed Virgin alone has fulfilled the first
Commandment--to adore God only, and love Him perfectly. She fulfilled
it completely.
"All that the Son asks of the
Father is granted Him. All that the Mother asks of the Son is in like
manner granted to her. When we have handled something fragrant, our
hands perfume whatever they touch: let our prayers pass through the
hands of the Holy Virgin; she will perfume them. I think that at the end
of the world the Blessed Virgin will be very tranquil; but while the
world lasts, we drag her in all directions. . . . The Holy Virgin is
like a mother who has a great many children--she is continually
occupied in going from one to the other."
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Thanks to the Reverend Martin Lawrence, I saw this post on the Blog called "Aspicientes in Jesum."
Please do not miss this:
No comments:
Post a Comment