33 CONSECRATION PREPARATION TO JESUS THROUGH MARY
Day 33 of 33
Imitation of Christ, by
Thomas á Kempis: Book 4, Chapter 11
That the Blood of Christ and the Holy Scriptures Are Most Necessary unto
a Faithful Soul
O
most sweet Lord Jesus, how great is the pleasure of the devout soul that
feasteth with Thee in Thy banquet; where there is set for her no other food to
be eaten but Thyself, her only Beloved, and most to be desired above all the
desires of her heart! To me also it would be indeed sweet, in Thy presence to
pour forth tears from the very bottom of my heart, and with the grateful
Magdalene to wash Thy feet with tears (Luke 7:38). But where is that devotion?
Where that bountiful flowing of holy tears? Surely in the sight of Thee and Thy
holy Angels, my whole heart ought to burn, and to weep for joy. For in this
Sacrament I have Thee mystically present, hidden under another shape. For to
look upon Thee in Thine own Divine brightness, mine eyes would not be able to
endure; nor could even the whole world stand in the splendor of the glory of
Thy majesty. Herein then Thou hast regard to my weakness, that Thou dost hide
Thyself under this Sacrament.
From True Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Nos. 261-265
In Mary
We must do everything in Mary. To understand this we must realize that the
Blessed Virgin is the true earthly paradise of the new Adam and that the
ancient paradise was only a symbol of her. There are in this earthly paradise
untold riches, beauties, rarities and delights, which the new Adam, Jesus
Christ, has left there. It is in this paradise that he "took his
delights" for nine months, worked his wonders and displayed his riches
with the magnificence of God himself.In this earthly paradise grows the real Tree
of Life which bore our Lord, the fruit of Life, the tree of knowledge of good
and evil, which bore the Light of the world. In this divine place there are
trees planted by the hand of God and watered by his divine unction which have
borne and continue to bear fruit that is pleasing to him. Only the Holy Spirit
can teach us the truths that these material objects symbolize. The Holy
Spirit speaking through the Fathers of the Church, also calls our Lady the
Eastern Gate, through which the High Priest, Jesus Christ, enters and goes out
into the world. Through this gate he entered the world the first time and
through this same gate he will come the second time.
For Mary
265.
Finally, we must do everything for Mary. We take Mary for our proximate end, our
mysterious intermediary and the easiest way of reaching him. Relying on her
protection, we should undertake and carry out great things for our noble Queen.
We must defend her privileges when they are questioned and uphold her good name
when it is under attack. We must attract everyone, if possible, to her service
and to this true and sound devotion. As a reward for these little services, we
should expect nothing in return save the honour of belonging to such a lovable
Queen and the joy of being united through her to Jesus, her Son, by a bond that
is indissoluble in time and in eternity.
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