 |
| "Be it done to me according to thy word." And the angel departed from her. |
Month of
Mary
By St. Alphonsus Liguori
Doctor of the Catholic Church
FIRST DAY
Mary’s Faith
As the Blessed Virgin is the Mother of holy love and hope, so also is
she the Mother of faith: 'I am the Mother of fair love, and of fear, and of
knowledge, and of holy hope,' And with reason is she so, says St. Ireneus, for
'the evil done by Eve's incredulity was remedied by Mary's faith.' This is
confirmed by Tertullian, who says, that because Eve, contrary to the assurance
she had received from God, believed the serpent, she brought death into the
world; but our Queen, because she believed the angel when he said that she,
remaining a Virgin, would become the Mother of God, brought salvation into the
world. For St. Augustine says, that when Mary consented to the incarnation of
the Eternal Word, by means of her faith she opened heaven to men. Father Suarez
says, that the most holy Virgin had more faith than all men and angels. She saw
her Son in the crib of Bethlehem, and believed Him the Creator of the world.
She saw Him fly from Herod, and yet believed Him the King of kings. She saw Him
born, and believed Him eternal. She saw Him poor and in need of food, and
believed Him to be Lord of the universe. She saw Him lying on straw, and
believed Him omnipotent. She observed that He did not speak, and she believed
Him in finite wisdom. She heard Him weep, and believed Him the joy of paradise.
In fine, she saw Him in death, despised and crucified, and although faith
wavered in others, Mary remained firm in the belief that He was God. On these
words of the Gospel, 'There stood by the cross of Jesus His Mother,' St. Antoninus
says: Mary stood supported by her faith, which she retained firm, in the
Divinity of Christ. Hence blessed Albert the Great assures us, that ‘Mary then
exercised perfect faith; for even when the disciples were doubting, she did not
doubt.' Therefore Mary merited, by her great faith, to become 'the light of all
the faithful,' as St. Methodius calls her, the 'Queen of the true faith,' as
she is called by St. Cyril of Alexandria. The holy Church herself attributes to
the merits of Mary's faith the destruction of all heresies: 'Rejoice, Virgin
Mary; for thou alone hast destroyed all heresies throughout the world!' St.
Thomas of Villanova, explaining the words of the Holy Ghost, 'Thou hast wounded
my heart, my sister, my spouse . . . with one of thy eyes' says that 'these
eyes denoted Mary's faith, by which she greatly pleased the Son of God.'
St. Ildephonsus exhorts us to
imitate Mary's faith. But how can we do so? Faith, at the same time that it is
a gift, is also a virtue. It is a gift of God, inasmuch as it is a light
infused by Him into our souls; and a virtue, inasmuch as the soul has to
exercise itself in the practice of it. Hence faith is not only to be the rule
of our belief, but also that of our actions; therefore St. Gregory says, 'He truly
believes who puts what he believes in practice.' And St. Augustine: 'Thou
sayest, I believe; do what thou sayest, and it is faith.' This is to have a
lively faith, to live according to our belief: 'My just man liveth by faith.'
Thus did the Blessed Virgin live very differently from those who do not live in
accordance with what they believe, and whose faith is dead, as St. James
declares: 'Faith without works is dead.' Diogenes sought for a man on earth;
but God, amongst the many faithful, seems to seek for a Christian; for few
there are who have good works; the greater part have only the name of
Christian. To such as these should be applied the words once addressed by
Alexander to a cowardly soldier who was also named Alexander: 'Either change
thy name or change thy conduct.' But, as Father Avila used to say, 'It would be
better to shut up these poor creatures as madmen, believing, as they do, that
an eternity of happiness is prepared for those who lead good lives, and an
eternity of misery for those who lead bad ones, and who yet live as if they
believed nothing.' St. Augustine therefore exhorts us to see things with the
eyes of Christians — that is to say, with eyes which look at all in the light
of faith; for, as St. Teresa often said, all sins come from a want of faith.
Example
St. Stanislaus Kostka, who was wholly dedicated to the love of Mary,
happened, on the 1st of August 1568, to hear a sermon from the blessed Peter
Canisius, in which he exhorted the novices of the society with great
earnestness to live each month as if it were to be the last of their lives, and
the one during which they were to be presented before the tribunal of God.
After the sermon, St. Stanislaus told his companions that that advice had been
for him, in an especial manner, the voice of God; for that he was to die in the
course of that very month. It is evident, from what followed, that he said this
either because God had expressly revealed it to him, or at least because He
gave him a certain internal presentiment of it. Four days afterwards the
blessed youth went with Father Emanuel to St. Mary Major's. The conversation
fell on the approaching Feast of the Assumption, and the Saint said: ' Father,
I believe that on that day a new paradise is seen in paradise, as the glory of
the Mother of God, crowned Queen of heaven, and seated so near to our Lord,
above all the choirs of angels, is seen. And if — as I firmly believe it to be
— -this festival is renewed every year, I hope to see the next.' The
glorious martyr St. Lawrence had fallen by lot to St. Stanislaus as his patron
for that month, it being customary in the society thus to draw them. It is said
that he wrote a letter to his Mother Mary, in which he begged her to obtain him
the favour to be present at her next festival in heaven. On the Feast of
St. Lawrence he received the Holy Communion, and afterwards entreated the Saint
to present his letter to the Divine Mother, and to support his petition with
his intercession, that the most Blessed Virgin might graciously accept and
grant it. Towards the close of that very day he was seized with fever; and
though the attack was slight, he considered that certainly he had obtained the
favour asked for. This indeed he joyfully expressed, and with a smiling
countenance, on going to bed, said: 'From this bed I shall never rise again.' And speaking
to Father Claudius Aquaviva, he added: 'Father, I believe that St. Lawrence has already
obtained me the favour from Mary, to be in heaven on the feast of her
Assumption. 'No one, however, took much notice of his words. On the
vigil of the feast his illness still seemed of little consequence; but the
Saint assured a brother that he should die that night. 'O, brother,' the other
answered, ' it would be a greater miracle to die of so slight an illness than
to be cured.' Nevertheless, in the afternoon he fell into a deathlike swoon; a
cold sweat came over him, and he lost all his strength. The superior hastened
to him j and Stanislaus entreated him to have him laid on the bare floor, that
he might die as a penitent. To satisfy him, this was granted. He was laid on a
thin mattress on the ground. He then made his confession; and in the midst of
the tears of all present received the Viaticum. I say of the tears of all
present; for when the Divine Sacrament was brought into the room, his eyes
brightened up with celestial joy, and his whole countenance was inflamed with
holy love, so that he seemed like a seraph. He also received Extreme Unction,
and in the meanwhile did nothing but constantly raise his eyes to heaven, and
lovingly press to his heart an image of Mary. A Father asked him to what
purpose he kept a rosary in his hand, since he could not use it. He replied: 'It
is a consolation to me; for it is something belonging to my Mother.' 'O,
how much greater will your consolation be, added the Father, ‘when you shortly
see her, and kiss her hands in heaven!' On hearing this, the Saint, with his
countenance all on fire, raised his hands, to express his desire soon to be in
her presence. His dear Mother then appeared to him, as he himself told those
who surrounded him; and shortly afterwards, at the dawn of day, on the 15th of
August, with his eyes fixed on heaven, he expired like a saint, without the
slightest struggle; so much so, that it was only on presenting him the image of
the Blessed Virgin, and seeing that he made no movement towards it, that it was
perceived that he was already gone to kiss the feet of his beloved Queen in
paradise.
Prayer
O, most sweet Lady and our Mother, thou hast already left the earth and
reached thy kingdom, where, as Queen, thou art enthroned above all the choirs
of angels, as the Church sings: 'She is exalted above the choirs of angels in
the celestial kingdom.' But we know that thou in thy greatness hast never forgotten
us miserable creatures; and that by being exalted to such great glory, thou
hast never lost compassion for us poor children of Adam; nay, even that it is
increased in thee. From the high throne, then, to which thou art exalted, turn,
O Mary, thy compassionate eyes upon us, and pity us. Remember also, that in
leaving this world thou didst promise not to forget us. Look at us and succour
us. See in the midst of what tempests and dangers we constantly are, and shall be
until the end of our lives. Obtain us holy perseverance in the Divine
friendship, that we may finally quit this life in God's grace; and thus we also
shall one day come to kiss thy feet in paradise, and unite with the blessed
Spirits in praising thee, and singing thy glories as thou deservest. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment