Mirror Of The Blessed Virgin Mary by Saint Bonaventure CHAPTER XIV

MARY IS BLESSED ON ACCOUNT OF HER FULLNESS OF GRACE, THE MAJESTY OF HER OFFSPRING, THE MULTITUDE OF HER MERCIES, THE GREATNESS OF HER GLORY

Blessed art thou among women. It has been shown how Mary, because of the
innocence of her life, is saluted by the Ave: it has also been shown how
she is rightly called "full of grace," because of the most copious
affluence of her grace; it has moreover been shown how, because of the
special presence of Our Lord with her, she is saluted with the words "The
Lord is with thee." Now we have to show how, because of the most pleasing
reverence of her person, she is hailed as "Blessed among women." Behold,
therefore, that the Archangel Gabriel by saluting the glorious Virgin Mary
with a glorious salutation, most fittingly consummated her blessedness by
saying, "Blessed art thou among women," that is, more blessed than all
women. And by this, whatever of malediction was infused into our nature by
Eve, was taken away by the blessing of Mary. Let Gabriel therefore say:
"Blessed art thou among women"; blessed, I say, because of the fullness of
grace to be venerated in thee; blessed, because of the greatness of the
mercy to be bestowed by thee; blessed, because of the majesty of the Person
who is to take flesh of thee; blessed, because of the weight of glory which
is to be accumulated in thee.

First, consider how Mary is truly blessed because of the fullness of grace
to be venerated in her, as Gabriel shows most aptly when he says: "Hail,
full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women."
Blessed art thou, because thou art full of grace. Thou hast found grace
with God, and therefore thou art blessed with the Lord. St. Bernard well
says of this blessedness of Mary: "By thee we have access to thy Son, O
blessed among women, finder of grace, Mother of life, Mother of salvation."
Blessed art thou, O Mary, because of grace. Blessed, I say, because of the
grace of the heart, of the lips, of the work. Blessed in heart, because of
the grace of gifts; blessed in mouth, because of the grace of the lips;
blessed in work, because of the grace of manners. Truly is Mary blessed
because of the grace of the heart, for the grace of her gifts in her heart;
for her heart was as the most delightful paradise of God, so that of this
blessedness could be understood that word of Ecclesiasticus: "Grace is like
a paradise in blessing." Here the commentary says: "Bearing fruit in the
different species of virtues." Of these happy degrees and blessings of
virtues the Apostle says: "Who hath blessed us in all spiritual blessings
in the heavenly places in Christ." If, therefore, grace makes the mind of
man delightful as the paradise of God in the blessings of virtues, how much
more delightful must the soul of Mary be, that Paradise of God, in the
blessings of the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Yea, verily, not only was the
mind of Mary a Paradise of God, but also her bosom, containing within
itself the tree of life, Jesus Christ. St. Bernard says: "Truly thou art
the Paradise of God, who hast brought forth to the world the Tree of Life,
of which he who shall eat shall live forever." Alas, how far from this
blessedness of Mary is he whose mind is not a paradise of God in the
blessings of grace, but a sink of the devils in the curse of malice! Of
such is it said in the Psalm: "He loved cursing, and it shall come unto
him: and he would not have blessing, and it was removed far from him" (Ps.
CVIII, 18.)

Again, Mary is blessed, not only because of the gifts of her heart, but
also because of the grace of her lips, according to that word of the Psalm:
"Grace is poured abroad in thy lips, therefore hath God blessed thee
forever." Oh, how great a grace was on the lips of Mary, in devout prayers,
in useful conversations! Oh, how great a grace was always on the lips of
Mary, for men, for angels, for the Lord! St. Bernard tells us how pleasing
to God were the words of her lips, saying: "Him whom thou hast pleased by
thy silence, thou shalt henceforth please much more by thy words, for He
cries to thee from Heaven: 'O most beautiful of women, let me hear thy
voice.' " Oh, how true, how sincere, were the lips of Mary, and therefore
God truly hath blessed her forever. Oh, how far from the blessedness of
Mary are they whose lips are so unlike hers, on whose lips grace is not
poured, but malice; therefore, God hath not blessed, but cursed them
forever.

Again, Mary is blessed not only because of the gifts of her heart and of
her lips, but also because of the grace of her life and conversation. Of
this blessedness can be understood what is said in Jeremias: "May the Lord
bless thee, beauty of justice, holy mountain." The holy mountain is Mary,
who is fitly called a mountain because of the loftiness of her life and
manners. This is the mountain of which we read in Daniel: "A stone was cut
out without hands" (Dan. II, 45.) This was when Christ was born of Mary
without male co-operation. The beauty of this mountain is the beauty of
justice. So great was the beauty of the life and manners of Mary that it
could justly be said of her as in the Canticle: "Thou art all fair, O my
beloved." She was beautiful indeed, in her life; beautiful in the
discipline of her manners; and all beautiful. Without doubt all in her was
beautiful. How all? Hear St. Jerome: "Whatever was in Mary, was all purity
and simplicity, all grace and truth, all mercy and justice, which looked
down from Heaven." Rightly did the Lord bless such beauty in Mary. Alas,
how far are they from this blessing of Mary of whom it may be said, not
what was said to Mary, "May the Lord bless thee, thou beauty of justice,"
but, "May the Lord curse thee, thou vileness of injustice!" Oh, what a
malediction that will be when it will be said: "Depart from Me, ye cursed,
into everlasting fire!" Behold, we have seen, O most dear Mary, that thou
art truly blessed because of thy fullness of grace. Blessed, I say, because
of the grace of conscience and of gifts; blessed, because of the grace of
the tongue and of the lips; blessed, because of the grace of thy life and
thy manners.

Secondly, consider how truly Mary is blessed because of the majesty of her
heavenly Child, because of the blessed fruit of her womb. Rightly is that
land blessed which produces so blessed a fruit. The Psalmist says: "Thou
hast blessed, O Lord, thy land." That land is Mary, of whom it is said in
the same Psalm: "Truth has sprung up from the earth." The Truth is Christ,
who said: "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life." Blessed, therefore,
is this earth, because of its blessed fruit; blessed is Mary, because of
her blessed Son. Therefore St. Bernard says: "Not because thou art blessed,
is the fruit of thy womb blessed; but because He hath prevented thee in the
blessings of sweetness, therefore art thou blessed." Mary is blessed
because of her Divine Child. Blessed, I say, by the Lord, by the Angel, by
man. Because of her Child she is indeed blessed by the Lord, who is Himself
her blessing; blessed by the Angel, who announces her blessing; blessed by
man, who prophesies her blessing. Truly is Mary blessed by the Lord because
of her Child, who Himself is and gives her blessing. This is well signified
in the second Book of Kings, where we read: "The Lord blessed Obededom
because of the Ark." Obededom is interpreted "Servant of blood."

Well doth he signify Christ, who, having become our servant, serves us
miserable sinners even unto blood. For our sake He became a slave, and shed
His blood--the blood of His back by the scourge; the blood of His head by
the thorns; the blood of His side by the lance; the blood of His hands and
feet by the nails. The house of this servant is Mary, of whom it is said in
the Psalm: "We shall be filled with the good things of His house." The ark
placed in that house signifies Christ, for Christ is our servant and our
life. In the ark was the golden urn and the manna. The holy ark is the
sacred flesh; the golden urn is the precious soul of Christ; and the manna
signifies His divinity. Because of this ark, because of Jesus Christ, the
Son of Mary, the Lord blessed the house of Mary. O truly blessed house,
from whence the life of all hath come forth! St. Augustine says: "Blessed
art thou among women, who hast brought forth life to men and women."

Likewise, Mary is blessed because of her Child, not only by the Lord
Himself being her blessing, but also by the Angel announcing her blessing.
Gabriel says: "The Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women." How
"with thee"? St. Augustine explains: "With thee in heart, in the womb."
Therefore, blessed art thou together with Him, because He is in thee and
with thee. With thee, not only as the Creator is with His creature, but
also as the Child is with her who is to bring Him forth. Because of thy
Child, thou art blessed before thy delivery; because of thy Child, thou art
blessed in bringing forth; because of thy Child, thou art blessed after
bringing forth. Truly blessed art thou, who hast so brought forth thy Child
that before His birth, and in His birth, and after His birth, thou hast
remained a virgin; and therefore thou hast deserved to be called blessed,
because thou hast brought forth not a mere man, not an angel, but the Lord
of men and angels. Therefore St. Bede well says: "Truly art thou blessed
among women, who without example in womankind rejoicest in the honor of a
mother and the beauty of virginity, and as becomes a virginmother, thou
hast given life to the Son of God."

Again, Mary is blessed because of her Child, not only by the Lord Himself
being her blessing, not only by the Angel announcing her blessing, but by
man prophesying her blessing. Elizabeth, when the infant in her womb
exulted, cried out and said: "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is
the fruit of thy womb." Therefore, thou art blessed indeed, because the
fruit of thy womb is blessed; as a field is blessed because the fruit of it
is blessed. Mary is that blessed field of which it is said: "Behold the
smell of my son is as the smell of a plentiful field, which the Lord hath
blessed" (Gen. XXVII, 27.) St. Jerome says: "Well is Mary called a full
field, because she is said to be full of grace, from whose womb the Fruit
of life came forth to all believers." O field truly blessed above all
fields because of its fruit! O Mother truly blessed above all mothers
because of thy Son! St. Augustine exclaims: "O Woman blessed above all
women, who knew not man, yet encompassed a Man in her womb!" Behold we have
seen, O most sweet Mary, that thou, because of the blessed Son of thy womb,
art truly blessed with a divine blessing, an angelic blessing, and a human
blessing ! Alas, how far from this blessing of Mary are those who, because
of the accursed fruit of their work, have incurred the divine malediction,
the curse of angels and of men; for all eternity they will be cursed by
God, cursed by angels, cursed by men.

Thirdly, think how truly Mary is blessed because of the multitude of her
mercy. She is signified by Ruth, of whom it is said: "Blessed art thou by
the Lord, because thy former mercy hath surpassed the latter." The former
mercy of Mary was that which she showed while she still lived in this
world; the latter mercy is that which she has now shown for centuries from
Heaven. The latter blessing has surpassed the former, because she has
exceeded it by an innumerable multitude of blessings. Who can reckon how
inestimably Mary is blessed because of her mercy, when her mercy in itself
is inestimable? And who can reckon how inestimable is the mercy of Mary, on
account of which she herself is so inestimably blessed? St. Bernard says:
"Blessed, therefore, is Mary for the manifold mercy which man received
through her; blessed indeed, because by her, God was induced to be
favorable to man; blessed is she also, because by her, man was made
acceptable to God; blessed, moreover, is she, because by her, the devil was
overcome." I say that Mary is blessed because by her, God was induced to be
favorable to man, as is signified in the example of Abigail, of whom we
read, that when David, being angry, wanted to kill the fool Nabal, Abigail,
meeting him half-way, appeased him; who being appeased, said: "Blessed be
thy speech, and blessed be thou, who hast kept me to-day from coming to
blood, and revenging me with my own hand" (I Kings XXV, 32 f.) The fool
Nabal signifies the sinner; for every sinner is a fool. But, alas, as it is
said in Ecclesiasticus: "The number of fools is infinite" (I, 15). Abigail
signifies Mary, for the name is interpreted, "joy of the father." Oh, how
great was the joy of the heavenly Father in Mary, and that of Mary in the
heavenly Father, when she herself said: "My spirit hath rejoiced in God my
Savior." As Abigail typifies Our Lady, so David typifies Our Lord. For
David was offended by the fool Nabal, when the Lord was offended by guilty
man. David was appeased by the fool Nabal, when the Lord was appeased and
reconciled to guilty man by Mary. Abigail appeased David by words and
gifts; Mary appeased the Lord by her prayers and merits. Abigail turned
away temporal vengeance, but Mary turned away that which was eternal; the
former averted the sword of man, the latter, that of God. Therefore St.
Bernard well says: "No one was so fitting, Lady, to turn away the sword of
the Lord by their own hand, as thou, the most beloved of God, through whom
we first received mercy from the hand of the Lord, our God." Likewise, Mary
is blessed not only because by her God's wrath with man was appeased, but
also because by her man was made acceptable to God, inasmuch as man was
blessed because of her blessing. Therefore, is it well said in Isaias:
"Israel will be a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of
hosts hath blessed, saying, 'Blessed be my people,' " etc. The middle of
the earth which the Lord blessed can be said to be the Blessed Virgin, in
whom was begun the blessing of our salvation, according to that word of the
Psalmist: "But God our King hath wrought salvation in the middle of the
earth." Of this middle of the earth, St. Bernard says: "With wonderful
fitness is Mary called the middle of the earth; for towards her, as to the
center, as to the ark of God, as to the cause of things, as to the business
of the world, look all those who dwell in Heaven and in hell, and those who
have gone before us, and those who follow us. Those who are in Heaven, that
they may be repaired; those who are in hell, that they may be delivered;
those who went before, that prophets may be found trustworthy; those who
follow, that they may be glorified." In this blessed middle of the earth,
therefore, blessed is Israel, blessed is the people of God, since by the
blessed Mother of God, it is acceptable to God. What wonder if by the
blessed Mary every rational creature is blessed and acceptable to God,
since by her is blessed every creature? Therefore St. Anselm exclaims: "O
Virgin blessed, and more than blessed, by whose blessing every creature is
blessed, not only the creature by the Creator, but the Creator by the
creature."

Again, Mary is not only blessed because by her the Lord has been appeased
towards man, but also because by her the devil has been rendered subject to
man. She is, therefore, signified by Judith, of whom it is said: "The Lord
hath blessed thee in his power, who by thee has reduced our enemies to
nought." Our enemies are the demons, whom the Blessed Virgin reduced to
nought when, in herself and in many others, she brought his wiles to
nought, as St. Bernard says: "Thou formidable warrior"; and again: "The
entire militia of evil spirits has been put to flight before thee." Let us,
therefore, fly, and fly all together to the protection of the Mother of the
Lord, in all the attacks and vexations of the devil. For she is terrible to
the enemies of our souls, as an army in battle array. Alas, how manifold is
our misery, for which we need the blessing and mercy of Mary. Let us,
therefore, invoke this mercy and this blessing with St. Bernard, who speaks
thus: "Let it be thine, O blessed Virgin, that grace which thou hast
merited from God, to show to the world pardon to the guilty, healing to the
sick, strength to the faint-hearted, help and deliverance to pilgrims, by
obtaining all these favors by thy prayers."

We have seen, O most sweet Mary, that thou art truly blessed because of thy
manifold mercy. Blessed, I say, because by thee God is appeased towards
man.; Blessed art thou, because by thee man is made pleasing to God;
blessed art thou, because by thee the devil is overcome by man. Alas, how
far from this blessing of Mary is one who is not pleasing to God, one
towards whom God's wrath is not appeased, one who is willingly subject to
the devil. And therefore such a one is accursed of God; Fourthly, consider
how truly Mary is blessed because of the greatness of her glory, according
to that word of Ezechiel: "Blessed is the glory of the Lord from its
place." The glory of the Lord is the glorious Mother of God, who is truly
blessed because of the glory which she possesses from her twofold place.
She is blessed from the place wherein she rests with her Son in Heaven; and
she is blessed from the place wherein her Son rested within her. Both these
places are most worthy, as St. Bernard proves, saying: "There was not in
the world a more venerable place than the virginal bride-chamber into which
Mary received the Son of God; nor in Heaven, than the regal throne to which
the Son of Mary elevated Mary." Blessed is Mary, therefore, because of her
glory; blessed indeed because of her most sublime, most copious, most
enduring glory. Blessed, I say, because of her glory most sublime in
dignity; blessed because of her glory most copious in immensity; blessed
because of her glory most enduring in stability. I say that Mary is blessed
because of her glory most excellent in dignity. Of this blessing can be
understood that word of the Psalmist: "Thou shalt bless the crown of the
year of thy kindness." Note that there is a year of equanimity, a year of
severity, and a year of benignity. The first year is that of those still
fighting in this world; the second is that of those weeping in hell; and
the third is that of those rejoicing in Heaven. The first year has days and
nights; the second has nights, but no days; the third has days, but no
nights. I say that the first year has days and nights, that is, the good
and the bad, who are still in this world. There are as many days and nights
in this year as there are good and evil people in the world. The second
year has nights only, that is, only sinners who are darker than night. For
there are as many nights in this year as there are sinners in hell. The
third year has only days, that is, the good, who are more resplendent than
the day. There are as many days in this year as there are just souls in
Heaven. In the first year, that of equanimity, the good and the evil are
equally tolerated; in the second year, that of severity, the evil are most
severely tortured; in the third year, that of kindness, the good are most
benignantly crowned. The crown of this blessed year is the Virgin Mary. She
is without doubt the crown of all the days of this year, for she is the
crown of all the Saints in Heaven. A crown is put on the head; so Mary is,
as it were, placed over the heads of all the Saints, as St. Jerome says:
"She deserved to be placed above the choirs of the angels; and she went
beyond what is of the nature of our lowliness." Without doubt the Son of
Mary is the highest crown of the Saints; but Mary is a crown below a crown.
It is manifest, therefore, how sublimely blessed is our crown, our Mother
Mary. Let us all, therefore, follow her who is so sublimely blessed,
blessed indeed, of whom St. Bernard says: "We have not here a lasting city,
but we seek that to which Mary has blessedly attained."

Again, Mary is blessed, not only because of the most excellent glory of her
dignity, but because of the most abundant glory in immensity; its fullness
is such that it is blessed by all men, and reaches to all, and, therefore,
rightly is it blessed by men, according to what is said of it by figure in
the Book of Judith: "They blessed her with one voice, saying: 'Thou art the
glory of Jerusalem, thou art the joy of Israel, thou art the honor of our
people."' They all blessed her indeed. Note that they say all. For this
there should be at least three. And there are three who bless Mary: God,
the Angel, and man. God the Father indeed blessed Mary; the Son blessed His
Mother; the Holy Ghost blessed her; all three Persons blessed her. The
Angels also blessed Mary; the first hierarchy blessed her, the second also,
and the third, all blessed her. Man also has blessed Mary; the married have
blessed her; widows blessed her; virgins blessed her; all have blessed her.
They have blessed her, saying: "Thou art the glory of the triumphant
Jerusalem, the glory, I say, of all the Saints; thou art the joy of Israel,
contemplating God; thou art the joy, I say, of all the angels; thou art the
honor of our people who are still pilgrims, that is, thou art the honor of
all the just who are in this world. Blessed, therefore, be thy most sweet
Son, O Mary, who by thy abundant blessing bestows such good things on
Heaven and on earth, so that the angels as well as men can rejoice with
Anselm, and praise thee, saying: "These great gifts came through the
blessed Fruit of the blessed womb of the blessed Mary."

Again, Mary is blessed not only because of her glory most sublime in
dignity, not only because of her glory most abundant in immensity, but also
because of her glory most enduring in stability. That is signified by the
house, spoken of in the First Book of Paralipomenon: "Thou, O Lord, giving
the blessing, it shall be blessed for ever." Truly forever, as it is said
in the Psalm: "Therefore hath God blessed thee forever" (Ps. XLIV.) Thus,
therefore, O sweet Virgin Mary, thou art truly blessed among women, and
above women, yea also above men, nay, even above the angels. Blessed, I
say, because of the fullness of grace which thou hast found; blessed,
because of the majesty of the Person whom thou hast given birth to;
blessed, because of the multitude of the mercies which thou hast shown;
blessed, because of the greatness of the glory which thou hast received.
Thee, therefore, O Blessed One, we invoke, we implore, we pray to thee with
St. Bernard: "Grant, O blessed one, by the grace which thou hast found, by
the prerogatives which thou hast merited, by the mercy which thou hast
brought forth, that He who through thee deigned to become a partaker of our
weakness and misery, may, by thy intercession, make us sharers of His
heavenly glory. Amen."

Mirror Of The Blessed Virgin Mary by Saint Bonaventure. CHAPTER XIII

MARY COMPARED TO A QUEEN ENTERING INTO THE PALACE WITH THE KING

The Lord is with thee, O Lady most dear to the Lord, most intimate with the
Lord ! The Lord is with thee, O most well-fitted Lady, most worthy of the
Lord ! The Lord is with thee: with thee most certainly, according to what
has been said above, as the sun is with the dawn which precedes it, as the
flower is with the stem which produces it, as the king is with the queen
entering into his palace.

Having seen how Mary is as the dawn to the eternal Sun, preventing the Sun
of justice; having seen also how Mary is as the stem or rod to the eternal
flower, producing the flower of mercy; let us now consider in what manner
Mary is the Queen of the Eternal King, entering into glory.

Mary is that Queen entering in, of whom it is said that the queen entered
into Jerusalem with a great company and with riches (3 Kings, X, 1.) Truly
Mary is a queen. St. Augustine says: "We truly confess her to be the Queen
of Heaven, because she brought forth the King of angels." I have spoken of
this Queen in my sermon, "The Queen stood, etc."; therefore, I will now
speak of her entrance.

We are to consider, therefore, that we find Mary going in, going forth,
going on, and going above. Her going forth was of nature, her progress was
of grace, her entrance was into glory, her elevation was in abundance.

She went forth by being born, she progressed by advancing in grace and
virtue, she entered in by attaining, she surpassed all by her sanctity. She
went forth without sin, she made progress beyond all example, she entered
in without obstacle, she surpassed all without limits.

First consider that we find Mary going forth into the world by her nativity
without sin....

Secondly, consider that we find Mary advancing without equal by her grace.
Therefore it is said in the Canticle: "Who is she that cometh forth as the
rising dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun?" (Cant. VI, 9.) To these
three luminaries, that is, the dawn, the moon, and the sun, Mary is fitly
compared, for three excellent perfections shine forth in her. Resplendent
virginity was in her mind and heart in a superlative degree; in her
virginity shone forth fecundity, and in her fecundity shone forth a
singular pre-eminence. A refreshing dawn and one pleasing to the birds was
Mary; for by her virginity she. cooled the ardor of the flesh, as St.
Bernard says, speaking to her: "By the virtue of chastity thou didst
extinguish in thy virginal flesh the ardor of the forbidden concupiscence,
that He, in whose sight even the stars are not pure, judged thy flesh to be
of such purity that He deigned to unite it to His own divine purity." She
also by her virginity was pleasing to the birds of heaven, that is, to the
angels of God, for, as St. Jerome says: "Virginity is always related to the
angels." Therefore we read that the angel blessed Jacob in the dawn. Jacob
may here signify a chaste spirit, because Jacob supplanted his brother,
that is, the body, his body. He was blessed not only by the angel, but also
by his father, in the dawn, or in the morning, that is, in the chaste
Virgin Mary, to whom the angel said: "Blessed art thou among women."
Likewise Mary was fair as the moon in the lightgiving fecundity of her
virginity; for the beauty of the moon consists in the light it receives
from the sun. Think, therefore, what a beautiful moon was Mary, when that
Eternal Sun was wholly received and conceived in her. Mary, therefore, is
that moon in whose fullness that Man returned to the Church of whom it is
said: "In the day of the full moon he will return to his house" (Prov. VII,
20.) The Blessed Virgin was the full moon, when it was said to her: "Hail,
full of grace!" Again Mary was chosen as the sun in the illumining
privilege of her fecundity, when not mere man alone, nor a real angel, but
the Son of God Himself placed in her His tabernacle, when He was conceived
in Mary. Without doubt it would have been most singular if the Virgin had
conceived a mere man; but it would have been much more singular if the
Virgin had conceived an angel. It was singular above all that a virgin
conceived and brought forth God. Well, therefore, doth St. Augustine say:
"Rightly is the Blessed Mary extolled by us with extraordinary praise, who
has shown to the world so extraordinary a benefit, when she is raised to so
sublime a height that, while the Word was from the beginning abiding with
God, she should yet receive Him into her bosom from the highest heavens."
The Blessed Virgin Mary, therefore, has advanced like the rising morning,
in admirable virginity of mind and body; bright as the sun, in the adorable
divinity of her virginal offspring.

Thirdly, consider that we find Mary entering into the glory of Heaven
without obstacle. For what could have opposed such a great queen advancing
with so great a retinue ? She was prefigured by the Queen of Saba, of whom
it is said: "Entering into Jerusalem with a great train, and riches, and
camels that carried spices, and an immense quantity of gold and precious
stones" (3 Kings X, 2.) Consider in these words the glory of Mary entering
into the heavenly Jerusalem. Consider, I say, the excellence of her who
enters, her power and her wealth. Consider the excellence of the primacy of
our Queen Mary, insomuch as she is compared to the Queen of Saba, which
signifies a cry. For Mary is the Queen of the world, where there is a cry
of mourning. She is also the Queen of Heaven, where there is a cry of joy.
For the dwellers in Heaven cry out, as it is said in the Apocalypse: "Holy,
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!" And this Queen of those who cry out, ceases
not herself to cry out with the others, as St. Augustine says: "Thou, O
Mary, fellow-citizen of the inhabitants of Heaven, being endlessly
associated with the angels and archangels, ceasest not to cry out with
untiring voice: "Holy, holy, holy!" She indeed is the queen whom the
Psalmist describes, saying: "The queen stood on thy right hand, in gilded
clothing, surrounded with variety" (Ps. XLIV, 10.) All can follow this
Queen with confidence into the kingdom who have faithfully served her in
this world. St. Bernard says: "Our Queen has gone before us: she has gone
before us and has been so gloriously received that her servants may
confidently cry out: 'Draw me after thee.' " Likewise consider in the
entering in of our Queen the power of the retinue accompanying her, for it
says: "with a multitudinous retinue." Mary entered into the heavenly
Jerusalem with a multitudinous retinue of angelic powers. St. Jerome says:
"We read how the angels have come to the death and burial of some of the
Saints, and how they have accompanied the souls of the elect to Heaven with
hymns and praises." And he adds: "How much more should we believe that the
heavenly army, with all its bands, came forth rejoicing in festive array,
to meet the Mother of God, surrounded her with effulgent light, and led her
with praises and canticles to the throne prepared for her from the
beginning of the world."

Likewise, consider in Mary the wealth of her merits, as it were in a dower
of precious gifts: for she brought with her infinite gold in her love of
God and of her neighbor, the precious gems of virtues and gifts, the spices
of good works and examples. What I say of the treasures of Mary is little
compared with what St. Bernard says. "In thy hands," he says, speaking to
Mary, "are all the treasures of the mercies of the Lord. God forbid that
thy hand should cease to give; for thy glory is not diminished, but
augmented, when sinners are pardoned and the justified are taken up into
glory." The Mother of God, therefore, entered into glory, as the Queen of
Heaven, accompanied by a vast retinue of angels, with innumerable riches of
merit.

Fourthly, consider that we find her surpassing all the Saints in the
superabundance of her merits and rewards without end, according to the
saying: "Many daughters have gathered together riches, thou hast surpassed
them all." Thou hast indeed surpassed them in nature, in grace, in glory;
thou hast surpassed all the daughters of men, all souls, all angelical
intelligences, O Mary. I say that Mary in nature has surpassed all the
daughters of men, for what nature does not admit of, she, a virgin,
conceived, and brought forth, according to that word: "Behold a virgin
shall conceive and bring forth a son." And it was not this alone that is
above all nature, that a virgin should bring forth a son, but that she
should bring forth God. Therefore, St. Jerome says: "What nature does not
possess, what custom wots not, what reason knows nothing of, what the human
mind cannot grasp, what the heavens fear, what the earth is astonished at,
all this was what was divinely announced by the Angel Gabriel to Mary, and
was fulfilled in Christ." Likewise, Mary surpassed in grace all the souls
of the Saints, for she was not only full of grace, but overfull
(superplena), as Gabriel signified, who said at first, "full of grace," and
afterwards added: "And the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee." If, therefore,
she was full of grace, whatever the Holy Spirit brought her afterwards was
more than full measure; she was then more than full, she was surpassingly
full (superplena). St. Bernard says: "While the Holy Spirit was coming, she
was full of grace for herself (plena sibi); but when the Holy Spirit had
come upon her, she was overfull and overflowed with grace for our sakes
(superplena nobis)." So Mary surpassed in glory all the angelical
intelligences; for she is the sapphire throne which, as we read in
Ezechiel, is raised above the angelic firmament. St. Bernard says: "Mary
ascended above every heavenly creature; up to the angels and even above
these." So, therefore, Mary went forth, and advanced, and entered in, and
went beyond all. She went forth, I say, by coming into this mortal life;
she advanced in grace and privileges; she entered in by attaining to the
Heavenly Kingdom; she surpassed all by exceeding the glory of all the
blessed. Behold, therefore, O most sweet Virgin Mary, the Lord is truly
with thee, as the sun is with the dawn which goes before it, as the flower
is with the flowering stem, as the King is with the Queen entering in. O
most sweet aurora, grant that the Sun of justice may also be with us ! O
most sublime Rod, grant that with us also may be the flower of grace! O
most powerful Queen, grant that the King of glory, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
may stay with us!

Mirror Of The Blessed Virgin Mary by Saint Bonaventure CHAPTER XII

MARY A ROD OR STEM, AND A FLOWERING STEM

"The Lord is with thee." Having seen how the Lord was with Mary, as the sun
is with the dawn which goes before it, let us now see how the Lord is with
Mary as the flower is with the budding stem. For Mary is that rod of which
it is said in Isaias: "There shall come forth a rod from the root of Jesse,
and a flower shall ascend from that root, and the Spirit of the Lord shall
rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of
counsel and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and of piety, and He
shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord" (Is. XI.) Let us
place these words before the eye of our mind, and direct our consideration
first to the rod and then to the flower.

First consider, that this rod, this royal rod, is the Virgin Mary, as St.
Ambrose testifies, saying in speaking to the Blessed Virgin: "Thou thyself,
who hast brought forth the Lord, art of the land of Israel; thou hast grown
into a rod, the rod from the root of Jesse; thou hast arisen and flowered,
O rod of Aaron; thou hast flowered and brought forth." For Mary is a rod
smoking with incense, a rod of wood, a rod of gold, a rod of iron. Mary is
a rod smoking to beginners, a rod of wood to those who are advancing, a rod
of gold to the perfect, a rod of iron to the incorrigible and the demons.

I say that the Virgin Mary is as a smoking rod to beginners and to
penitents. Of this rod it is said in the Canticle of Canticles: "Who is she
that cometh up from the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices,
of myrrh, and frankincense, and of all the powders of the perfumer?" (Cant.
III, 6.) The desert is the heart of the sinner, which is indeed devoid of
grace and virtue. The aromatical spice, the sweet incense of the soul, is
the aspiration of hope for pardon. The Blessed Virgin Mary, therefore, came
up from the desert as a pillar of smoke, when, by her prayers, the heart of
the sinner received the smoking incense of pardon. This smoke is generated
from the aromatical myrrh of contrition, and of incense in confession, and
from all the powders of the perfumer in manifold satisfactions. No desert
doth the Virgin Mary abhor, no sinner doth she despise; but wherever she
passes, she spreads the sweet incense of pardon. Excellently, therefore,
does St. Bernard say: "Thou dost not abhor or despise any sinner, however
foul, if he but sighs to thee, and begs with a repentant heart for thy
pardon; thou drawest him from the abyss of despair with thy loving hand,
thou breathest upon him the remedy of hope, and embracest him, the outcast
of all the world, with maternal affection, thou cherishest him and dost not
desert him, until he is reconciled with the tremendous Judge."

Again, Mary is the rod of wood, the rod which is flowering to those who are
advancing. Of this rod it is said in the Book of Wisdom that the rod of
Aaron, which was of wood, bore fruit and flowers. By the flowers are
signified virtues, which, after the passing of the devilish winter, rise up
in hearts, as it is well said in the Canticle: "Now the winter is over and
gone, and flowers have appeared in our land." Let the winter, therefore
pass, let that torpor in which charity grows cold, pass, and then the
flower of virtue will appear again. Oh, with what flowers the flowering
Virgin hath abounded, as St. Bernard says, speaking to her: "Thou art as a
garden-plot of holy perfumes, planted by the heavenly Perfumer, delectably
flourishing with the flowers of all virtues." As flowers signify virtues,
so fruits denote the works of the virtues. Of these it is well said: "By
their fruits you shall know them." When, therefore, we advance in virtues
and in the works of the virtues, we advance by the examples and merits of
Mary, and then the Virgin Mary is to us a rod of wood, flowering and
fruitful.

Likewise the Virgin Mary is to the perfect and contemplative a golden rod.
We read that Esther; with two maidens went to King Assuerus, and when she
had become faint from exceeding fear, the King held out to her the golden
scepter to console her. Esther means "raised up" or "hidden," and is a
figure of the contemplative soul, whom God raises up in contemplation and
hides in the hidden place of His face from the tumult of men. This soul by
contemplation enters into Christ the King. The two maidens by whose help
she enters are the two powers of the soul, the intellect, which proceeds by
way of knowledge, and the affections, which follow by love. The soul which
has thus entered into Christ, sometimes faints away by a kind of stupor,
when she recognizes the inaccessible brightness of the divine glory, or the
terrible severity of the divine justice. The golden rod, the royal scepter,
is the Virgin Mary. Golden indeed by her charity, royal by her nobility;
golden by her purity, royal by her justice; golden by her incorruption and
virginal integrity, royal by her domination and power. This is the happy
rod, which is extended with clemency to comfort the contemplative soul,
when the happy Virgin Mary, by contemplation and devotion of this soul,
which is so loving and sweet, enters into it; so that from this the soul is
strengthened against fear of the divine splendor and justice. The
contemplative soul of St. Anselm desired this rod to be extended to it,
when he exclaimed: "O Virgin fair to look upon, lovable to contemplate,
delightful to love, who transcendest the capacity of the heart, give
thyself, O Lady, to the weak soul who followeth thee."

Likewise the Virgin Mary is as an iron rod to the demons and incorrigible
sinners. To this rod we may apply that word of the Psalm: "Thou shalt rule
them with a rod of iron." O Mary, rod of gold to the perfect, rod of gold
to the hard, rod of gold to men, rod of iron and hard to the demons, keep
the demons from us I This, Lady, we ask, and we ask it devoutly with
Innocent: "Hail, loving Mother of God, who from the dignity by which thou
art Mother of God, hast power to restrain the demons, restrain the demons
lest they hurt us; command the angels to guard us." Thus, therefore, the
Blessed Virgin Mary is to us a rod of smoke or incense in our conversion, a
flowering rod in our lives, a golden rod in our contemplation, an iron rod
in our defense. St. Bernard, admiring and worthily contemplating this rod,
saith: "O Virgin, sublime rod, to how great a height thou raisest thy
summit even unto Him who sitteth on the throne, unto the Lord of Majesty,
for thou castest deep down thy roots in humility."

Let us now consider the flower of this rod; let us consider in the royal
rod, and in the Virgin Mary a fourfold flower, a precious flower, a flower
of virginity, of virtuous reputation, of miraculous fecundity, and of
glorious immortality.

Of this flower consider, first, in Mary the flower of precious virginity,
which is virginity itself. Of this it is said in Isaias: "The desert shall
rejoice and shall flower as a lily." Mary can fittingly be said to be a
desert, who was so willing to be alone, who was in her voluntary solitude
visited by an angel. Therefore St. Ambrose well says: "Alone in the inner
part of her house, she whom no man could see, he found her alone without a
companion, alone without a witness." In what manner this desert, the Virgin
Mary, should rejoice, let her say herself: "And my spirit hath rejoiced in
God my Savior." This desert of earth flowered like a lily by virginity. O
angelical lily! O heavenly flower! O truly heavenly flower! whom that
supercelestial Bee hath so loved. For St. Bernard saith: "That Bee who
feedeth among the lilies, who dwelt in a flowering fatherland, when He flew
to Nazareth, which is interpreted a flower, flew towards thee, and came to
the sweet smelling flower of thy perpetual virginity, he rested upon it, he
embraced it." The flower of virginity has as many petals, so to speak, as
the conditions and praises of virginity. Oh, how greatly the crowns of this
flower were multiplied by Mary! St. Ambrose says: "In the whole world the
flower Mary weaves unfading crowns, and keeps the royal court of purity
with immaculate affection, until integrity perseveres to the palm of
victory, that in maidens it may grasp the trophy of sanctity, and in the
footprints of the Virgin Mary, attain to the heavenly bridal chamber."

Secondly, consider in Mary the flower of virtuous reputation, of manners
and of life, and hear what she herself says: "My flowers are the fruits of
honor and riches" (Ecclus. XXIV, 23.) Of these it is also said: "Our bed is
flowering." Behold, we find flowers in the earth, and in the bed. The earth
is the mind of the active (souls); the bed is the mind of contemplatives.
The earth, I say, is the mind bearing fruit in good actions; but the bed is
the mind seeking quiet in contemplation. Let the mind be active, or let it
be contemplative, it should always be beautiful with flowers. Note also
that the flower of honesty, of a good reputation, yea, the flower of any
virtue has, as it were, as many petals as it has good and meritorious works
to show. Oh, how flowering was that earth, how flowering was the bed of
Mary, who in the flowering virtue of her life flourished in the beauty of
every virtue, as St. Bernard testifies, saying: "Thou art the casket of
holy perfumes, O Mary, gathered by the heavenly Perfumer, delightfully
blooming with the beautiful flowers of every virtue, among which three are
excellent above all, the violet of humility, the lily of chastity, and the
rose of charity."

Thirdly, consider in Mary the flower of her miraculous fecundity. This
flower is the Son of the Virgin, of whom it is said: "There shall come
forth a rod from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall arise from its
root." Oh, how beautifully this flower came forth, being born without sin,
and how sadly was it crushed by dying, as it were like a sinner, according
to that word: "Like a flower he goeth forth and is crushed." Oh, how white
in His going forth, and how ruddy in His bruising was this flower! A
flower, I say, delightful to the angels and most useful to men for life.
St. Bernard saith: "The flower is the Son of the Virgin, a flower white and
ruddy, a flower on whom the angels long to look, a flower by whose perfume
mortals live again." Happy the wood which produces such a flower! Happier
the stem or rod which in the wood produces this flower ! Happy above all
the flower, without whom there can neither be wood nor rod happy! Truly a
most happy flower, in which the Holy Ghost so rested that without Him no
one could have the grace of the Spirit. St. Jerome testifies to this,
saying: "The Holy Ghost, who in the vast wood of the human race had found
no rest, at last rested upon this flower, so that without Christ no one
could be wise, no one could have understanding, or counsel, or fortitude,
or learning, or piety, or the fear of the Lord." This flower has, as it
were, as many petals as it had ministries and examples. If thou desirest to
have this flower, thou must bend its stem down to thee by prayer. If the
flower is exceedingly high by its divinity, the stem is flexible by its
love. And if the flower is most rare, because neither in Heaven nor on
earth is there found another one, it is nevertheless most common, like a
flower not enclosed in a garden, but in a field exposed to all passersby.
Therefore, well could Christ say: "I am the flower of the field." He can be
called a flower of the field, not only because it is openly exposed to the
view of all, but also because it is produced without human culture. This
St. Bernard hath in mind when he says: "The field flourishes without any
human aid, it is not sowed by anyone, not harrowed by the plough, not made
fertile with manure; thus indeed did the womb of the Virgin flower, so did
the chaste and entire interior of Mary like pastures of eternal greenness
produce Him whose beauty sees not corruption, whose glory will never fade."

Fourthly, consider the flower of gracious immortality, of which it is said
in Numbers that the rod of Aaron bore at the same time both flowers and
fruit. The rod of Aaron prefigures the Virgin Mary. In the straightness of
the rod is prefigured the integrity of Mary; in the flower, the beauty of
her glorified body; and in the fruit, the beatitude of her soul. It is to
be noted that in youth the body is most beautiful, as it is said: "In the
morning it blooms and fades." But the flower perishes in death, as it is
said in Isaias: "The grass is withered, and the flower is fallen." It will
flower again in a glorious resurrection, according to the Psalmist: "My
flesh has flowered again." This flower of the glorification of the body
has, as it were, as many petals as the glorified body has gifts and
rewards. And certainly the holy Doctors seem to hold it as probable, and
strive with some show of reason to prove, and the pious sense of the
faithful always held, that the Blessed Virgin was taken up body and soul
into Heaven, and that her body and soul are now in glory. St. Augustine
says: "I hold that Mary is in Christ and with Christ; in Christ, because in
Him we live and move and have our being; with Christ, because she is
assumed into glory." Therefore we worthily believe that Mary rejoices with
ineffable joy both in body and soul, in her own Son, by her own Son; nor
has she ever felt the sting of corruption because no stain was communicated
to her integrity in bringing forth her Son, because she begot Him who is
the whole and perfect life of all; let her be with Him, whom she bore in
her womb; let her be with Him, who bore Him, nursed Him, and fed Him. Mary
is the Mother of God, the servant of God, the nurse of God, the follower of
God. According to this belief she can now say: "My flesh hath flowered
again." And according to this she has at the same time both fruit and
flowers: as flower, her glorified body; and for fruit, her glorified
spirit. A flower indeed in the beauty of her glorious body; and fruit in
the unspeakable pleasure of her soul. We must note that, according to the
aforesaid fourfold flower, the Virgin Mary has a fourfold flower of
virginity, and a fourfold flower of fecundity; she has the flower of good
repute and the flower of humility; she has at the same time in her Child
the flower of humanity and the fruit of the divinity; she has at the same
time the flower of immortality in the body and the fruit of blessed
pleasure in the soul. Let us, therefore, discern these flowers in the
virginal rod, and gather these new flowers of joy from the virginal garden,
which St. Bernard saw gathered and commended to us, when, speaking to Mary,
he said: "Thy most holy womb, O Mary, is to us a garden of delights;
because from it we gather the flowers of manifold joys as often as we think
in our minds how great a sweetness flowed thence over the entire world."
Therefore, most sweet Virgin Mary, behold, the Lord is truly with thee, as
the flower is with the stem which produced it. Grant that the Lord may also
be with me, yea, with all of us, and give to us this flower, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Amen.

Mirror Of The Blessed Virgin Mary by Saint Bonaventure. CHAPTER XI

MARY FOR HER OWN SAKE AND FOR OURS IS FITLY COMPARED TO THE AURORA

"Dominus tecum"--The Lord is with thee. That devout client of Mary, St.
Anselm, alluding to these sweet words, says: "Mary, I beseech thee, by the
grace by which the Lord wished so to be with thee, and thee with Him, grant
for His sake, according to the same grace, His mercy to me; grant that the
love of thee may be ever with me, and that my care may be about thee; grant
that the cry of my necessity may be with thee, as long as it lasts, and
that the look of thy loving kindness may be on me as long as I live; grant
that my joy in thy beatitude may ever be with me, and that compassion for
my misery may be with thee as far as it is expedient for me."

The Lord is with thee, O Mary. Certainly with thee, as the sun is with the
aurora which goeth before him; with thee as the flower is with the stem
which produces it; with thee, as the King is with the Queen going in to
him. For the Sun, which is the most lightsome of all luminaries, the Flower
which is more precious than all flowers, and the King, who is more glorious
than all kings, is Our Lord Jesus Christ. The aurora, therefore, going
before this Sun with resplendent radiance, the stem producing by a most
wonderful flowering this Flower, the Queen entering in to the King in
solemn procession, is the most Blessed Virgin Mary. Of all these points we
shall treat in order.

"The Lord is with thee." With thee, certainly, as the sun is with the
aurora going before it, and preceding its rise, and beginning the day by
its light. Truly, indeed, Mary, the aurora of the world, prepared in a most
singular manner by the Eternal Sun, being thus marvelously irradiated,
herself prepares the rising of this Sun, has wonderfully inaugurated for
the world the day of grace of such a Sun, as St. Bernard says: "Like the
aurora exceedingly resplendent hast thou come into the world, O Mary, when
thou didst foreshew the splendor of the true Sun by such a wonderful
radiance of sanctity that truly the day of salvation, the day of
propitiation, the day which the Lord hath made, was worthy to be begun by
thy bright light." Mary is, therefore, the aurora, of whom it is said: "Who
is this, who cometh forth," etc. Fitly is she compared to the aurora, as
well for herself, as for us; for herself especially, for us in general.
Mary for herself is well compared to the aurora according to Scripture;
first, because of the driving away of the night of sin; secondly, because
of the approach of the light of grace; third, because of the rising of the
Sun of justice; fourth, because of the place of her throne of glory. First,
in her most full sanctification; secondly, in her most bright conversation;
thirdly, in her most wonderful generation of her Son; fourthly, in her most
glorious Assumption.

First, note that Mary is, as it were, a happy aurora because of the absence
or happy driving away of guilt in her own sanctification. Therefore Job,
cursing the night in which it was said: "A man is conceived," said: "Let
the stars darken their light. Let it expect light and not see it, nor the
rising of the dawning of the day" (Job III, 9.) What is meant here by the
stars, by the light, by the dawn ? I say that the stars are the souls of
the Saints; the light is the Holy of holies; the dawn is the Queen of
Saints. The stars indeed are all the Saints, who never abandon good order
and discipline of morals, the course of fervor and of a good life, and so
they fight with vigor against the devil. Of these stars it is well said in
the Book of Judges: "The stars remaining in their order and courses fought
against Sisara" (Judg. V, 20.) Sisara is interpreted, taking away the
departing one, and it signifies the devil, who takes anyone that departs
from God. The light signifies the Holy of Holies, Jesus Christ, as He
Himself shows, saying: "I am the light of the world, who followeth Me,
walketh not in darkness" (John VIII, 12.)

Let us, brethren, follow this light, lest, walking in darkness, we should
fall into the mire of sin and the pit of hell. Let us follow not haltingly,
according to what is said, "How long will you halt between two sides? If
the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is, follow ye him" (3 Kings XVIII,
21.) The dawn, whose rising the night does not see, signifies the Blessed
Virgin, whose nativity was not initiated by the night of original sin. For
the night which Job cursed, the night in which man was conceived, is
original sin; in which we are all conceived. Hence the Psalmist says: "In
sins did my mother conceive me." Because all the Saints are conceived in
sin, they are born in sin, and hence it is rightly said that this night has
seen no light.

Secondly, note that Mary is, as it were, a happy aurora, because of her
happy progress in the light of grace, according to that word: "Who is this
that advances like the aurora," etc. (Cant. VI, 9.) For as the light of the
aurora progresses by gradually growing in brightness, so Mary advanced by
advancing in the splendor of grace and of a good life. She made progress
indeed by advancing in all virtues universally, so that in all the glory of
all virtue she was, as it were, in herself the rising aurora, fair as the
moon to her neighbors, as the sun towards God. She made progress also by
advancing in special virtues, of which St. Bernard speaks thus: "Charity
burned in Mary by seeking grace, virginity was resplendent in her body, in
service she was eminent in humility." By the glory of these virtues Mary
was, as it were, the rising aurora in her shining virginity, fair as the
moon in her resplendent humility, clear as the sun in her radiant charity.
Happy he who cultivates these three splendors, these three virtues of Mary,
by which she conceived the God and Master of all virtues, as St. Bernard
again testifies, saying: "She who was already full of grace found grace,
that, being fervent in charity, intact in virginity, devout in humility,
she might become pregnant without any intercourse with man, and might bring
forth a child without the usual travail."

Thirdly, note that Mary is, as it were, a happy aurora, because of the
happy rising of the Sun of justice. For the Sun of justice, Christ Our
Lord, by means of His aurora, Mary, rose upon this world. His rising was
unaccompanied by any cloud of sin; wherefore this aurora was exceedingly
resplendent in the rising of her Sun, according to that word: "As the light
of the morning when the sun riseth, shineth in the morning without clouds"
(2 Kings, XXIII, 4. ) The light of this morning is the holiness of Mary, by
which the Sun of justice, who was about to come forth from her, deigned to
irradiate her. Of this St. Bernard well saith: "Rightly, O Mary, hast thou
fulfilled the office of the morning. For the Sun of justice, who was
Himself about to proceed from thee, preventing as it were His own birth by
a certain morning splendor, copiously transfused thee with the rays of His
own light." The light of this morning shone forth wonderfully when the Sun
rose without clouds, that is, when Christ was born without any of the
darkness of original sin. Behold, here it is said that the sun rose without
clouds, and in Exodus we read that the bush was on fire without being
burned; and in Daniel, that a stone was cut without hands. What, therefore,
is signified by the sun, by the fire, by the stone, if not Christ? For He
Himself is the sun enlightening the intellect, the fire enkindling the
affections, the stone strengthening us against defect. I say that Jesus
Christ is the sun illuminating the intellect, according to Malachias: "The
sun of justice will rise upon you who fear my name" (IV, 2.) See,
therefore, if thou fearest the Lord, for it is written: "Who feareth God,
neglecteth nothing" (Ecclus. VII, 19.) Again Christ is the fire enkindling
the affections, as the Apostle says to the Hebrews: "Our God is a consuming
fire" (Hebr. XII, 29. ) This fire was not only in the bush of the virginal
womb, but also in the bush of her devout heart. They have felt this fire
who said: "Were not our hearts burning within us," etc. Again, Christ is
the stone strengthening us against failings, if we are well founded upon
Him. Therefore it is said in St. Matthew: "The rains fell, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not,
for it was founded on a rock" (VII, 25.) Behold, neither the rain of
heretical eloquence, nor the floods of worldly concupiscence, nor the winds
of human violence, could injure the house of a mind founded upon the rock
of Christ. What does it mean, therefore, that the sun rises without a
cloud, the bush is on fire without being consumed, the stone is cut without
hands, unless it be that Christ, who is the sun of truth, the fire of
charity, the stone of firmness or of eternity, is conceived and born
without the cloud of original sin, without the fire of carnal
concupiscence, without the agency of the marital embrace? For in the
conception of Christ you will find neither sin in the offspring, nor
concupiscence in the mother, nor the embrace of a father. That this Virgin
conceived so miraculously, He could effect who sent beforehand so many
wonderful things prefiguring this miracle, as St. Augustine testifies,
saying: "He who wrote on the tablets of stone without iron, made Mary with
child of the Holy Ghost; and He who produced bread in the desert without
ploughing, impregnated the virgin without corruption; and He who made the
rod to bud without rain, made the daughter of David bring forth without
seed."

Fourthly, note that Mary is, as it were, a happy aurora because of her
place in glory; and according to this Job well says of the aurora: "Didst
thou . . . shew the dawning of the day its place ?" (Job XXXVIII, 12.) Now
certainly, our aurora, Mary, elevated high in Heaven, holds the place
nearest to the Eternal Sun. We may consider that the throne of Mary in
Heaven has a threefold greatness. The first is that she received Our Lord
spiritually; the second, that she received Him corporeally; the third, that
she received Him eternally. Behold the threefold place of Mary. I say that
the first place in which Mary received Our Lord spiritually, is her mind,
tranquil and peaceful, according to the Psalmist: "His place is in peace,
and His dwelling in Sion," which, interpreted, means a mirror or
contemplation. Whoever wishes to contemplate God, or to behold Him with the
eyes of the mind, must make Him a place in peace in his mind; for without
peace of mind no one can arrive at the knowledge of contemplation.
Therefore the Apostle saith: "Follow peace with all men, and holiness,
without which no man shall see God" (Hebr. XII, 14.) Oh, who shall relate,
or who can even imagine, in what contemplations daily that Sion, that holy
mind of Mary, was employed, while she fervently revolved in her mind all
those mysteries known to herself above all mortals ? Of this St. Jerome
well says: "If there are in you any bowels of piety or mercy, consider with
what love was crucified, with what desire this virgin burned, while she
revolved in her soul all that she had heard and seen, all that she had
known; with what emotions she was moved, being filled with the Holy Ghost,
with the thrilling knowledge of heavenly secrets." The place in which Mary
conceived corporeally was her holy womb, to which may be applied the word
of Genesis: "The river which came forth from the paradise of pleasure
(Jesus Christ from the Virgin's womb) was to water the garden" (Gen. II,
10.) The special paradise is Mary; the universal paradise is the Church.
Happy is the watering of both these gardens by the mystic river from the
womb of Mary, Jesus Christ, who has said: "I will water my garden of
plants" (Ecclus. XXIV, 42.) Well, therefore, doth St. Jerome say,
commenting on these words: "I saw her coming up beautiful from the banks of
the water." Well is it said, "above the rivers of water," because the Lord
had nourished her on the waters of refreshment, and brought her up on them;
from whom many rivers emerge, water all the land of delights, and flow over
the garden of pleasure." Again, the place wherein Mary received the Lord
when she was about to dwell forever in Heaven is the place of glory, of
which the Lord said to Job: "Hast thou shown the dawn its place?" (XXXVIII,
12), as if he said, "Not thou, but I." It does not belong to thee to show
Mary, the dawn, her place in Heaven, but to me. Well doth he say, her
place, as it were appropriating it to her, and discriminating it from all
the other places of the Saints. Hence we read: "The priests brought in the
ark of the covenant into its place" (3 Kings, VIII, 6.) This place is most
certainly above all the choirs of angels. Finally, this place is the most
worthy in Heaven, as St. Bernard testifies saying: "Neither was there in
the world a more worthy place than the bridal chamber of the virginal womb,
in which Mary received the Son of God, nor in the heavens one more worthy
than the royal throne to which the Son of Mary raised her." Mary is
compared to the dawn; first, because she put an end to the night of guilt,
in her most full holiness; secondly, because of the advance of the light of
grace in her most bright conversation; thirdly, because of the bringing
forth of the Sun of justice in her wonderful generation of her Son;
fourthly, because of her taking possession of her place in glory in her
most glorious Assumption.

Then we have to consider that the most lightsome Virgin is compared to the
aurora, not alone for herself, but also because of us. For as in Scripture
she is signified by the aurora, she is for us a mediatrix with God, with
the angels a peace-maker, against the devils a defender, to ourselves a
lightgiver.

First note that our aurora, Mary, is for us a mediatrix with God, as is
signified in the Psalm: "Thine is the day and thine is the night, thou hast
made the aurora and the sun" (Ps. LXXIII, 6.)

Thus St. Gregory well says: "The day is the life of the just, but the night
is taken to mean the life of the sinner." And therefore the Lord went
before the children of Israel by night in a pillar of fire, by day in a
pillar of cloud, and because the cloud protected the wicked from the fire
of His wrath, and He burns the wicked like fire. Therefore the sun
signified Christ, who enlightens the elect and burns the reprobate. He
sometimes burns them severely in this world, but more severely at the last
judgment, and most severely of all in hell. Of this threefold burning can
be understood that word of Ecclesiasticus: "The sun three times as much,
burneth the mountains" (Ecclus. XLIII, 4), that is, proud sinners. On this
account we are in need of a refreshment, of a mediatrix between us and the
just Sun. And well, therefore, doth the Psalmist, in the aforesaid verse,
place the aurora midway between the night and the sun, because in the
natural order it certainly holds this place. The aurora, therefore, is the
Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the most excellent mediatrix between the night
and the sun, between man and God, between unjust man and just God; she is
the best cooler of the wrath of God. St. Bernard bears witness, saying:
"Man now has secure access to God, for he has as a Mediator of his cause
the Son before the Father, and the Son before the Mother. The Son shows His
naked body, with His wounds in hands, feet, and side to His Father; Mary
shows her breasts to her Son. There can be no question of a repulse, where
so many marks of charity appear in one, and present their prayer."

Secondly, note that our aurora, Mary, is for us peace-maker with the
angels, as it is signified in Genesis, where we read that the angel who
wrestled with Jacob blessed him at dawn. For when the angel said, "Let me
go, it is morning," Jacob would not let him go till he had blessed him. In
the morning took place the struggle between the angel and Jacob, the
discord between God, the angels, and men. For man by sin had offended his
Creator; and the Creator being offended, every creature was offended; how
much more she who is more closely bound to the Creator ! This struggle,
therefore, was perhaps a figure of that discord. But when the aurora
appeared at the coming of Mary, men and angels were pacified, because in
that dawn, in the Virgin Mary herself, man received the angelic
benediction. For the angel said to the Virgin: "Blessed art thou among
women," and by this blessing of the Virgin man obtains the blessing of
peace and salvation in the Virgin's Son --that blessing of which the
Apostle says: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us in every blessing in the heavenly places in Christ," which
blessing the Son Himself will confirm when He will say: "Come, ye blessed
of My Father," etc. As Jacob gave thanks at the rising of dawn, let us,
therefore, thank Mary for that blessing by which we made peace with the
angel. By the aurora, by the dawn, by Mary, men made peace with the angels,
since the time when, by Mary, the depleted choirs of angels were peopled by
men, as St. Anselm signifies, saying: "O wonderfully singular and
singularly wonderful Woman, by whom the elements are renewed, the injuries
of hell repaired, men are saved, angels are restored !"

Thirdly, note that Mary, our dawn, is for us a defender against the devils,
as signified in Job, where it is said of the murderer, the thief, and the
adulterer, "He diggeth through houses in the dark, as in the day they had
appointed for themselves, and they have not known the light" (Job XXIV,
16.) "If the morning suddenly appear, it is to them the shadow of death"
(Job XXIV, 17.) The murderer is a devil, the thief is a devil, the
adulterer is a devil. The murderer, because he takes human life; the thief,
because, whatever good thing he can rob us of, he; does; the adulterer,
because he corrupts the soul, which is the spouse of God. Alas, what evil
these wicked people do us, what evil the wicked spirits do us! For
sometimes they dig in the darkness of ignorance, in the darkness of
obscurity, the interior houses of our minds, the houses indeed, of which it
is said in the Psalm: "God is known in their houses" (Ps. XLVI, 14.)
Without doubt they dig into our souls by their piercing temptations, those
houses in which He joyfully dwells who has said: "Today I must abide in thy
house" (Luke XIX, 5.) And having dug through these houses, having indeed
dug into the minds of men through to an unhappy consent to sin, alas, how
great evils these wicked ones do in souls by murder, theft, and adultery!
That we may evade such perils, let the dawn come, let Mary help us! For if
the morning shall suddenly appear, if she quickly comes to our aid, and if
her grace and mercy supervene, it will be as the shadow of death to the
demons; they will tremble and fly; they will fear, as men fear and fly the
shadow of death. Well doth St. Bernard say: "An army of enemies does not so
much fear an immense host of armed soldiers, as the powers of the air do
the very name of Mary, and her holy example; they fly and melt like wax
before a fire, wherever they find the frequent invocation of this holy
name, its remembrance and imitation."

Fourthly, note that Mary, our dawn, is, as regards ourselves, a light-giver
to help us to do good. For from the first rays of light, workmen begin to
work. Whence in the second book of Esdras it is said: "And let us do the
work; and let one-half of us hold the spears from the rising of the
morning, till the stars appear" (2 Esdras 21.) Two things are needful to
us, namely, that we be earnest in our good works, and therefore well do the
builders say: "Let us do the work." What work is this, but that of which
the Apostle says: "While we have time, let us do good to all, especially to
those who are of the household of the faith" (Gal. VI, 10.) Well do they
say: Let us do the work, not our representatives. And in another passage:
In all things let us show ourselves as the ministers of God. But Mary did
not commission a nurse, or a representative, but showed herself always a
handmaid to the Lord, as St. Augustine testifies: "Mary without doubt was a
worker, who bore Him in her womb, and when He was brought forth, nourished
and nursed Him, laid Him in the manger, and during the whole of His infancy
served Him as a loving Mother, so that even to the death of the cross she
never left Him." Not only did she follow Him by her footsteps, as from the
love of a son, but also by the imitation of His life, as out of reverence
for a Lord." It is needful for us, not only to be instant in good works,
but also to resist vices; and therefore well do they add that the lances
should be held; for we should hold the lance of zeal against the attacks of
vice, against the attacks of the devil, the flesh, and the world. Of these
lances it is well said in Jeremias: "Furbish the spears, put on the coats
of mail." By the coat of mail of justice we are protected, but with the
lance or spear of zeal we attack evil. If thou dost not launch the spear of
zeal in this world against evil, God will use the lance His zeal against
thee on judgment day. Therefore it is said in the Book of Wisdom: "He will
sharpen His dire wrath as a spear" (Wisd. V, 21 . ) Oh, what a warrior was
Mary, whose holy zeal was her spear. St. Bernard says to her: "Thou wert a
formidable warrior, for thou wert the first manfully to attack him who had
supplanted the first Eve." Therefore, that we may faithfully persist in
good works manfully resist vices, it is needful for us to look on the
example of Mary, to implore the suffrages of Mary. Then, as it were from
the rising of the morning, we work, when being irradiated by the example
and the life of Mary, when being illuminated by the patronage and the mercy
of Mary, we are incited to good. We ought to work well till the rising of
the stars, that is, until our souls, having become lightsome like stars, go
forth from our bodies and fly to the stars. But above every star that ever
appeared, above every star that ever will come forth in the heavens, the
most splendid is Mary, our aurora, our morning, as St. Bernard testifies,
saying: "Thou art the most vivid image of the true Sun, amongst the myriads
of stars that are before God, thou shinest forth gloriously in Heaven by
thy virginal purity." Thus you see how fittingly Mary is called the
morning, the aurora. The Lord is with thee, O Mary, as the sun is with the
dawn. Therefore, O Lady, most sweet morning, our Lady, most sweet Mary, let
us be with the Sun of Justice, our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who with the
Father and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth for ever and ever. Amen.

Mirror Of The Blessed Virgin Mary by Saint Bonaventure. CHAPTER IX.

"THE LORD IS WITH THEE"

We must now consider that this Lord, of whom it is said, "The Lord is with
thee," is in a special manner the Lord of rational creatures, as man, the
rational creature himself, says in the eighth Psalm: "O Lord, our Lord,"
etc. He is the Lord of all men; He is especially our Lord. As it is said in
Isaias: "The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our
king" (Is. XXXIII, 22.) The Lord is our lawgiver in this world; the Lord is
our judge at the last judgment; the Lord is our King who will crown us in
Heaven. This particular Lord of ours was with Mary in such a manner that He
made her also our special Lady. Which St. Bernard acknowledged when he
said: "Our Lady, our mediatrix, our advocate, reconcile us to thy Son,
commend us to thy Son, present us before thy Son." But behold, this Lord of
ours is a most loving, a most just, a most sure, a most renowned Lord. A
Lord who was not loving in benefits, just in judgments, true in promises,
nor renowned among his people, would not be thought much of. But Our Lord
is most loving in liberality; most just in equity; most true in fidelity;
most renowned in fame.

First, therefore, we must note that our own Lord, who is with Mary, is a
most loving Lord in His infinite mercy. For He is the Lord of whom the
Prophet saith: "Thou, Lord, art sweet and mild, and of much mercy to those
who invoke Thee" (Ps. LXXXV, 5.) He is a Lord of much mercy in many
temporal benefits, also in spiritual and eternal ones, which out of his
great mercy He has bestowed upon us, and never ceases to bestow. Would that
we were not ungrateful for so great mercies ! Would that to such a merciful
Lord we were very grateful as Isaias was, who said: "I will remember the
tender mercies of the Lord, the praise of the Lord for all the things that
the Lord hath bestowed upon us" (Is. LXIII, 7.) Behold, Mary, what a Lord
He is, how loving, how merciful, the Lord who is with thee. And because
this most merciful Lord is so merciful with thee, therefore thou art most
merciful with Him, and truly of thee can it be said: "A throne shall be
prepared in mercy, and one shall sit upon it in truth" (Is. XVI, 5.) The
throne of divine mercy is Mary, the Mother of mercy, in whom all find the
solace of mercy. For as we have a most merciful Lord, so have we a most
merciful Lady. Our Lord is of much mercy to all who invoke Him, and our
Lady is of much mercy to all who invoke her. Therefore St. Bernard
excellently saith: "Let him be silent on the subject of thy mercy, O
blessed Virgin, who, having invoked it in his necessities, found it
wanting." The Lord, therefore, is with thee, O most merciful Mary.

Secondly, note that our own special Lord, who is with Mary, is the most
just Lord of equity, as it is well said in the Psalms: "The Lord is just
and hath loved justices" (Ps. X, 8.) And again: "Thou art just, O Lord, and
Thy judgment is right" (Ps. CXVIII, 137.) The Lord is most certainly just
in all His judgments, in all causes, in all His deeds, as it is once more
said in the Psalms: "The Lord is just in all His ways" (Ps. CXLIV, 17.) The
Lord is so just in every path of justice that for no one will He depart
from the way of justice. And therefore it is well said: "God will not
except any man's person, neither will he stand in awe of any man's
greatness, for He made the little and the great, and He hath equally care
of all." Behold, O Mary, what kind of a Lord He is, what a just Lord, the
Lord who is with thee ! And because the Lord is most just with thee,
therefore art thou most just together with Him. For thou art the rod of
Aaron, straight, erect, flowering and fruitful; straight and erect, by
justice and equity; flowering, by virginity; fruitful, by fecundity. For
who would be the straight rod or stem, the upright rod or stem, if the rod
of Aaron were not upright? What soul would be just, if Mary were not just ?
This is why St. Bernard says: "Who is just, if not the just Mary, from whom
sprang the Sun of Justice?" The Lord is, therefore, with thee, O most just
Mary.

Thirdly, note that our own special Lord, who is with Mary, is most sure in
fidelity and most faithful in surety, as the Prophet testifies, saying:
"The Lord is faithful in all His ways." Think, therefore, upon those words
of His, in which He has promised a crown to the just and hell to the
wicked; and know that the faithful Lord will keep His words faithfully. He
will faithfully do what He has spoken, as Ezechiel testifies: "I the Lord
have spoken, and I will do" (Ezech. XXX, 12.) The most faithful Lord will
most faithfully keep His words, as He Himself says in the Gospel: "Heaven
and earth shall pass away," etc. Behold, O Mary, what kind of a Lord He is,
what a faithful Lord He is, the Lord who is with thee! And because the most
faithful Lord is faithfully with thee, therefore art thou most faithful
together with Him. For thou art that most faithful dove of Noe, who hast
most faithfully stood forth as mediatrix between the Most High God and the
world submerged in a spiritual deluge. The crow was unfaithful, the dove
most faithful. So also was Eve unfaithful; but Mary was found faithful. Eve
was the unfaithful mediatrix of perdition; Mary was the faithful mediatrix
of salvation. St. Bernard saith: "Mary was the faithful mediatrix, who
prepared the antidote of salvation for both men and women." The Lord,
therefore, is with thee, O most faithful Mary.

Fourthly, note that our special Lord, who is with Mary, is the Lord who is
most renowned for fame. He is of a great name, as St. Jerome testifies,
saying: "There is none like to Thee, O Lord, and great art Thou, and great
is Thy name" (Jerem. X, 6.) The name of the Lord is indeed of great fame
and of great praise among all peoples, as the Royal Prophet testifies:
"Kings of the earth, and all ye people, princes and all ye judges of the
earth, young men and maidens, the old and the young, praise ye the name of
the Lord !" (Ps. CXLVIII, I 1-12.) The praise and fame of the name of God
has extended not only to every people, but also to all time, as is manifest
from the same Prophet who says: "May the name of the Lord be blessed from
henceforth, now and forever." Likewise, the fame and praise of the name of
the Lord has not only extended to every people and to all Lime, but also to
every place, as the same Prophet says: "From the rising of the sun even to
its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised" (Ps. CXII, 2.) Behold,
O Mary, how great a Lord, what a renowned Lord, is He who is with thee! And
because He is a renowned and famous Lord, who is with thee in so renowned a
manner, therefore art thou most renowned together with Him. For thou art
well prefigured by Ruth, of whom it is written: "Be thou the example of
virtue in Ephrata, and have a celebrated name in Bethlehem" (Ruth IV, 11.)
O Mary of the most renowned name, how can thy name not be celebrated, which
cannot even be devoutly uttered by anyone without some good coming to him ?
St. Bernard testifies to this, saying: "O great, O loving, O most
praiseworthy Mary, thou canst not even be named, but thou enkindlest love;
nor canst thou be thought of, without renewing the affection of those who
love thee; thou canst never enter the portals of a loving memory without
bringing with thee the sweetness which is divinely inseparable from thee."
Mary, therefore, is well prefigured by that woman of renown, Judith, of
whom it is written: "And she was greatly renowned among all, because she
feared the Lord very much; neither was there any one that spoke an ill word
of her" (Jud. VIII, 8.) Mary is indeed renowned because of her virtues and
her praiseworthy example; but she is even more renowned because of her
mercies and her unspeakable benefits, and more renowned still because of
her graces and wonderful privileges. For what is more wonderful than to be
a virgin mother, and the Mother of God ? What wonder if Mary is renowned in
the world from so many thousand benefits of her mercy, who is so renowned
for that one benefit which she bestowed on man? St. Bernard says: "The
renown of thy highest favor is that bestowed on the God-loving soul, who
was reinstated by thee." The Lord is, therefore, with thee, O most renowned
Mary. Rejoice, rejoice! Behold the most loving Lord is with thee in such a
manner that thou also art most loving. The most just Lord is so with thee
that thou, together with Him, art most just; the most renowned Lord is with
thee in such a manner that thou also, together with Him, art most renowned.
O most loving Mary, save us impious souls by thy merciful, loving kindness!
O most just Mary, save us unjust souls by thy just equity! O most faithful
Mary, save us perfidious souls by thy fidelity! O most renowned Mary, save
us by thy sweet renown!

Mirror Of The Blessed Virgin Mary by Saint Bonaventure. CHAPTER VIII

MARY SHARES ALL GIFTS WITH THE LORD

"Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum." It has been shown above how Mary,
because of the purity of her life, is rightly saluted by the Ave. It has
also been shown how, because of the abundance of her graces, she is rightly
called "full of grace." We have now to show how, because of a most special
presence of God within her, it is rightly said to her: "The Lord is with
thee." But tell us, in what measure, O great Gabriel, thou bringest tidings
of a great thing to the great Mary from the great God! But tell us, in what
measure, or how He is with her ? Behold St. Augustine answering this
question, as it were in the person of Gabriel: "The Lord is with thee, but
more than with me. The Lord is with thee, but not as He is with me. For
although the Lord is in me, the Lord hath created me; but by thee the Lord
is to be born." The Lord, therefore, O Mary, but who, how great? The Lord
of the earth and of all things in general, the Lord who is especially the
Lord of mankind, the Lord who is thine in a singular manner, O Mary. The
Lord, I say, of all creatures in general, the Lord in a special manner of
rational creatures, the Lord especially of thy virginal court, O Mary. We
must consider, therefore, that this Lord, who is with thee, is in general
the Lord of all creatures. Judith says: "The Lord of the heavens, the
Creator of the waters, and the Lord of all creatures" (IX, 17.) And the
Wise Man: "The Lord of all things loved her" (Wisd. VIII, 3.) Therefore,
the Lord of all things universally, of all things visible and invisible.
This universal Lord of all things was in Mary in such a manner that He made
her the universal Lady of all things--the Lady, I say, of Heaven, and the
Lady of the world. St. Anselm saith: "The Queen of heaven, and the Lady of
the World, to the Mother of Him, who cleanseth the world, I confess that my
body is exceedingly impure." But lo! this universal Lord of all things is a
most powerful Lord, a most wise Lord, a most rich Lord, a most unfailing
Lord. A lord without power, without wisdom, without wealth, without
permanence, would be a most imperfect lord. A feeble lord, one needy and
insipid, or unable to keep his position, would be little esteemed. But Our
Lord is universal, most powerful, most wise, most wealthy; His eternity is
unfailing.

First note that the universal Lord, who is with Mary, is a Lord most
powerful in will, and it is well said of Him: "All whatsoever the Lord hath
willed, the Lord has done, . . . even in all abysses" (Ps. CXXXIV, 6.)
Therefore, neither in Heaven, nor on earth, nor in all the infernal
abysses, can anyone resist the will of so powerful a Lord, as Mardochai
testifies, saying: "Lord King Almighty, in thy dominion are all things, and
there is none who can resist thy will" (Esth. XIII, 9.) Behold, Mary, how
great, how powerful is the Lord who is with thee! And because He is a most
powerful Lord, He is most powerfully with thee: therefore, art thou most
powerful with Him, by Him, through Him, so that thou canst truly say, "My
power is in Jerusalem" (Ecclus. XXIV, 15 . ) Jerusalem signifies the Church
triumphant in Heaven; it signifies also the Church militant upon earth. For
truly both in Heaven and on earth the Mother of the Creator has power. How
very powerful she is, Anselm recognizes when he says: "Hear us, loving one;
be with us, be favorable to us; help us, most powerful one, that our minds
may be cleansed from stains and our darkness illuminated." The Lord,
therefore, is with thee, O most powerful Mary.

Secondly, note that the universal Lord, who is with Mary, is a Lord most
wise in truth. For He is the Lord, of whom it is said in the Psalm, "Great
is our Lord, and great is His strength, and of His wisdom there is no
number" ( Ps. CXLVI, 5. ) Oh, how wise is the Lord, whose wisdom nothing
can deceive, nothing can be concealed from, because He knows all things.
All our works, both good and bad, all our words, good and bad, all our
thoughts and all our desires, good and bad, the Lord knows. Whence St.
Peter says: "Lord, Thou knowest all things." Behold, Mary, what kind of a
Lord, what a most wise Lord, is He who is with thee. And because the most
wise Lord is most wisely with thee, therefore, thou too art most wise with
Him and through Him. Thou art typified by that Abigail, of whom it was
said: "She was a woman most prudent and most beautiful." Mary was so
prudent and so beautiful that St. Anselm does not hesitate to say of her:
"All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Mary." The Lord,
therefore, is with thee, O most wise Mary.

Thirdly, consider that the universal Lord, who is with Mary, is most
wealthy in His possessions, as the Prophet testifies, saying: "The earth is
the Lord's, and all that dwell in it." Not only is the earth and its
fullness the Lord's, but also the Heavens and their fullness. For Thine, O
Lord, are the Heavens, and thine is the earth, because "the heaven of
heavens is the Lord's." Everything is the property of this Lord, Heaven and
earth, bodies and spirits, all nature, all grace, all heavenly glory, all
is the Lord's own. Therefore, the Lord is most rich, as the Apostle says:
"He is the Lord of all, rich unto all that call upon Him" (Rom. X, 12.)
Behold, Mary, how rich, how great is He who is with thee ! And because the
most rich lord is with thee so richly, therefore art thou most rich
together with Him and because of Him, so that it can be truly said of thee:
"Many daughters have gathered together riches, thou hast surpassed them
all" (Prov. XXXI, 29.) The daughter Agnes, the daughter Lucy, the daughters
Catherine, Cecilia, Agatha, and many other holy virgins and just souls,
have gathered together riches of virtue and grace, of merits and rewards,
but thou, O Mary, by thy universal riches hast surpassed them all. Oh, how
rich is Mary in glory, who was so rich in misery! Oh, how rich is she in
Heaven, who was so rich in this world! Oh, how rich is she in her soul, who
was so rich in her body, that even St. Bernard exclaims: "O Mary, rich in
all and above all, of whose substance a small part being taken, was enough
to pay the debt of the whole world!" The Lord is with thee, therefore, O
Mary most rich.

Fourthly, consider that the universal Lord, who is with Mary, is the
unfailing Lord of eternity. Whence we read in Exodus: "The Lord will reign
in eternity and beyond." And in the Psalm it is said: "But thou, O Lord,
remainest for ever." Behold, O Mary, how great a Lord, how unfailing a Lord
is He who is with thee ! And because He is unfailingly with thee,
therefore, thou also art unfailing with Him in eternity. For thou art that
unfailing, that everlasting throne, the throne of the Son of God, of whom
the Father saith by the Prophet: "His throne is like the sun in my sight,
and like the moon perfect for ever and truly in eternity." Hence, we cannot
only say with truth: "Thou, O Lord, endurest for ever," but we can also
truly say: "Thou, O Lady, endurest for ever." What wonder if Mary, in her
Son, remains forever, when even the benefits of Mary in her servants remain
forever ? For St. Bernard says: "In thee, O Mary, angels find joy, the just
grace, sinners pardon forever." The Lord, therefore, is with thee, O
never-failing Mary! Rejoice, O Mary, rejoice! Behold the most powerful Lord
is with thee in such a manner that thou art most powerful with Him. The
most wise Lord is with thee in such a way that thou art most wise with Him.
The most rich Lord is with thee in such wise that thou art most rich with
Him. The never-failing Lord is with thee in such wise that thou, together
with Him, shalt never fail or be deficient.

Now, therefore, most powerful Lady, be a helper to us who are so impotent !
Now, most wise Lady, be to us who are foolish a helper and a counselor ! O
most wealthy Lady, be to us who are poor a benefactress ! O most unfailing
Lady, be to us feeble, failing creatures a perpetual support in every good
deed!

Mirror Of The Blessed Virgin Mary by Saint Bonaventure. CHAPTER VII.

THE NINE PLENITUDES IN MARY, WHICH REPRESENT THE NINE CHOIRS OF THE ANGELS IN GLORY

Ave, gratia plena. It was not enough for the Arch angel simply to commend
the grace of Mary; he wished also to insist emphatically on its fullness,
when he said: "Gratia plena." O truly full, and fully full! Gabriel had not
yet said: "Behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb." He had not yet said:
"The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee." If, therefore, before the coming
upon her of the Holy Ghost, before the conception of the Son of God, Mary
was full (of grace), how much more so afterwards? Therefore Anselm aptly
says of her fullness and of the fullness of her gratitude: "She, being
already a thousand times full (of grace), was saluted by the Angel, filled
with the Holy Ghost, breathed upon by the divine plenitude." Well,
therefore, is Mary said to be full of the illumination of wisdom, of the
outpouring of grace, of the riches of a good life, of the unction of mercy,
of the fecundity of a pious offspring, of the perfection of the Church, of
the redolence of fair fame, of the resplendence of divine glory, of the joy
of eternal gladness. Let us consider these nine plenitudes in Mary, which
represent the nine plenitudes of the angelic orders in glory.

First let us consider that Mary is full of the illumination of wisdom and
understanding. She may aptly be symbolized by that which is said in the
Book of Proverbs: "My husband is not at home, he is gone on a very long
journey. He took with him a bag of money: he will return home the day of
the full moon" (VII, 19 f.) This is that Man of whom Jeremias saith: "The
Lord hath created a new thing upon the earth, a woman shall encompass a
man" (XXXI, 32.) The woman is Mary--a woman indeed in sex, not in
corruption; a mother of virtue, who encompassed Our Lord in her womb,
clothed Him with our nature. This Man--if indeed, as Josephus saith, it be
lawful to call Him a man-- has three houses. It belongs to imperial majesty
to have three mansions in the palace, namely, a reception-room, a supper-
room, and a bedchamber. The reception-room is the place for conversation
and discussions; the supper-room, for food; the bedchamber, for rest. So
our Emperor, who rules the winds and the sea, has His reception-room, which
is the world; He has His refreshment-room, which now is the Church, and was
of old, the Synagogue; He has His place of rest, namely, the rational soul
of man. But alas! this Man, the Lord of hosts, had been very far distant
from His house of the world, His house of the synagogue, His house of the
soul, for "far from sinners is salvation" (Ps. CXVIII, 155.) This Man was
not in His house when Jeremias complained: "I have forsaken my house, I
have left my inheritance" (Jer. XII, 7.) He took the bag of money with him
when He hid the treasure of His mercies and His grace from the world. But
lo! this Man came back on the day of the full moon--of that moon, I say, of
which it is said in the Canticle of Canticles: "Fair as the moon." This
moon, therefore, is Mary. The full moon is Mary full of grace. Well is Mary
compared to the moon, because by the Eternal Sun she is fully illuminated
with the light of wisdom and truth. Therefore, the name Mary is well
interpreted illuminatrix or illuminated. For she, who is our moon and our
lamp, was illuminated by the Lord, and she was the illuminatrix of the
world, according to that prophetic word: "For thou lightest my lamp" (Ps.
XVII.) In the fullness of this moon, the Man came back to his house, when
Christ came into this world in the flesh. O truly wonderful fullness of
this moon! Behold, if Mary was full of the light of wisdom, which she
received from the Eternal Sun, before she conceived Him; how much more full
was she, when she so wonderfully conceived this Sun, and so entirely
received Him within herself ! Well, therefore, saith St. Bernard, when
commending the fullness of the wisdom of Mary: "Heavenly wisdom built for
Himself a house in Mary: for He so filled her mind that from the very
fullness of her mind her flesh became fecund, and the Virgin by a singular
grace brought forth that same Wisdom, covered with a garb of flesh, whom
she had first conceived in her pure mind."

Secondly, let us consider that Mary is full of the outpouring of grace in
her affections. For such was the inundation of grace, so great was its
depth and magnitude in Mary, that she could well be called a full sea
according to that word: "Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof" (I
Par. XVI, 32.) As in the sea there is a gathering together of waters, so in
Mary is a gathering together of graces. Therefore it is written: "The
gathering together of the waters was called (Vulg. "he called") seas" (Gen.
I, 10.) It is also said in Ecclesiastes: "All the rivers run into the sea"
(I, 7.) All the rivers are the gifts of the graces, which entered into
Mary, according to that word of Wisdom: "In me is all grace of the way and
of the truth" (Ecclus. XXIV, 25.) How full is this sea, how full of grace
is Mary, St. Jerome declares, saying: "Truly full, because on others it is
only bestowed in part, but on Mary the whole plenitude of grace was
outpoured at once." This sea, therefore, being full, let us hear it roar
against vices. Let the sea roar, therefore, and the fullness thereof, let
the full sea, let the full Mary, roar. Let it roar against luxury, preach
chastity, and say: "How shall this be done, for I know not man?" Let it
also roar against pride, by humility, saying: "Behold the handmaid of the
Lord." Let it roar against ingratitude, giving thanks and saying: "Behold
the handmaid of the Lord.... My soul doth magnify the Lord." Of the
fullness of this sea it is likewise said in the Psalm: "Let the sea be
moved, and the fullness thereof." Let the sea be moved, let Mary be moved,
let her be moved by our sighs and mortifications, let her be moved by our
tears and prayers, let her be moved by our alms and our other acts of
veneration. Let her be moved fully, I say, that she may pour out on us of
her fullness. Let us note what St. Bernard says in speaking of her: "If a
vessel full of liquid is moved, it is easily spilt, and lets drop its
contents. So the Blessed Virgin Mary, if she is moved by our prayers, pours
forth graces upon us."

Thirdly, let us consider that Mary is in very truth full of the riches of a
good life. Of this plenitude we can truly say: "The earth is the Lord's."
By the earth is signified Mary, of whom we read in Isaias: "Let the earth
be opened, and bud forth a savior!" What more lowly than the earth ? What
more useful ? We all tread the earth under our feet, and draw from it the
nourishment of our life. Whence have we food and clothing, bread and wine,
wool and thread, flax. and all the necessaries of life except from the
earth, and from the fullness of the earth? What, therefore, is more lowly,
what more useful than the earth? In like manner, what is more humble, what
more useful than Mary? She by her humility is the very least of all; by her
fullness of grace, the most useful of all. For we have all that is needful
for our spiritual life through Mary. Well therefore doth St. Bernard say:
"Let us look more deeply and see with how great a depth of devotion He
wishes Mary to be honored by us who hath placed the fullness of all good in
Mary, so that if we have any ground for hope, or for salvation, we should
know that it is from her it springs." ("Serm. de Aquaeductu.") Hear now the
Psalmist: "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." The fullness
of the earth consists in fruits and divers riches, according to the
Psalmist: "The earth is filled with Thy riches." The fruits and the riches
of this most full earth, Mary, are the works, the examples, and the divers
merits of the most holy life of Mary. The Lord filled her with such riches
and with so great gifts that it is said: "The Lord looked upon the earth,
and filled it with his goods" (Ecclus. XVI, 30. ) St. Jerome, speaking of
this fullness, says: "It was fitting that the Virgin should be pledged with
such gifts, that she should be full of grace, she who gave glory to the
heavens, God to the earth, who restored peace, who gave faith to the
nations, put an end to vices, brought back order to life, and discipline to
manners."

Fourthly, let us consider that Mary is full of the unction of mercy and of
the oil of piety. Therefore she may be signified by that woman who, having
closed the door of her house and gathered together within all her vessels,
they were miraculously filled with oil, according to what Eliseus had
prophesied to her, saying: "Thou shalt take them away, when they are full"
(Kings IV, 4. ) This woman is Mary, who was called "woman" by her Son in
the Gospel of St. John, where we read: "Woman, behold thy Son." The vessels
of this woman are her affections and her deeds, her desires and her
benefits, which in Mary are all full of the oil of mercy. Well, therefore,
doth St. Bernard say of this oil: "No wonder, Lady, if the sanctuary is so
copiously anointed with the oil of the mercy of thy heart, when that
inestimable work of mercy, which God had predestined from all eternity in
our redemption, was first of all effected in thee by the Maker of the
world. Let us, therefore, say to Mary: 'Give us of your oil.' Let us beg
for the oil of her mercy in this world, lest we should ask in vain at the
judgment." That the house in which the vessels were filled should also have
been closed, is admirably suited to Mary, of whose spiritual enclosure
Ezechiel says: "This gate shall be closed, and it shall not be opened, and
no man shall pass through it; for the Lord God of Israel has entered
through it" (XLIV, 2.) The gate of Mary was closed by the lock of
virginity; no man had passed through it by way of conjugal embrace; the
Lord God came forth through her by a singular manner of birth. But
certainly, because for the multiplication of the oil, vessels not a few
were collected from the neighbors; therefore by these vessels may be
signified all those who have been partakers of the mercies of Mary. Who
these are, St. Bernard declares when he says: "Mary has opened the bosom of
her mercy to all, that all may receive of her fullness: the captive,
redemption; the sick, healing; the sad, consolation; the sinner, pardon;
the just, grace; the angel, joy; in fine, the whole Trinity, glory; the
person of the Son, the substance of human flesh."

Fifthly, let us consider that Mary is full of the fecundity of the divine
offspring. Of this plenitude we may understand that word of Isaias: "I saw
the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and elevated, and the earth was full
of His majesty" (Is. VI, 1.) That house on the throne of which God sits is
the Blessed Virgin, on the throne of whose mind the Lord rested. O truly
blessed and stable throne, as it is said in the third Book of Kings: "Thy
most firm throne for ever" (VIII, 13.) This most high throne is in the
intellect, raised up on the affections. It is also most high above men,
raised up over men. On this throne, therefore, of Mary, on the throne, I
say, of her mind, the Lord was seated, and the house of her body was full
of the majesty of the Incarnate Word. Of this ineffable fullness St.
Ambrose says: "Well is she alone said to be full of grace, who alone
obtained the grace which none other ever had, of being filled with the
author of grace." O truly happy house, full of so happy a fecundity! For
St. Bernard saith: "Well was she full of grace, who both kept the grace of
virginity and acquired the glory of fecundity." The Lord, therefore, sat on
the throne of the mind of Mary by grace, and filled the house of her body
with His majesty by His assumed nature. Therefore, it is said in the third
Book of Kings: "The glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord"
(VIII, II.) Then saith Solomon: "The Lord hath said that He would dwell in
the cloud" (ibid., 12.) Mary, therefore, the house of the Lord, was filled
with the glory of the Divine Majesty by the cloud of the humanity assumed
by God--that cloud, I say, of which we read in Ecclesiasticus: "The healing
of all is in the hastening of the cloud" (XLIII, 24.) And again: "Like the
morning star in the midst of a cloud." For like the star in a cloud is the
Word in the flesh assumed by Him.

Sixthly, let us consider in what way Mary was full of the perfection of the
universal Church. The Church had and has diverse and marvelous perfections
and graces in her various saints, in whose fullness it would seem that Mary
abode, that she might truly utter that word of Ecclesiasticus: "My abode is
in the full assembly of saints." Truly was the abode of Mary in the
plenitude of the saints, while in her own wonderful perfection the fullness
of the perfection of the saints was not wanting to her. As St. Bernard
declares, when he says: "Rightly in the fullness of the saints was her
abode, to whom was not wanting the faith of the patriarchs, the spirit of
the prophets, the zeal of the Apostles, the constancy of the martyrs, the
sobriety of the confessors, the chastity of the virgins, the fecundity of
the married, yea, nor the purity of the angels." For it is written in the
book of Ecclesiasticus: "And shall be admired in the holy assembly" (XXIV,
3.) On account of this, the abode of Mary is in the fullness of the Saints,
not in the fullness of the impious; because Mary remains willingly with
those who are full of sanctity, not with those who are full of iniquity.
She not only abides in the fullness of the Saints, but abides in fullness
with the Saints, lest their fullness should grow less. She takes hold of
virtues, lest they fly; she takes hold of merits, lest they perish; she
takes hold of demons and keeps them in check, lest they do harm; she takes
hold of her Son, lest He strike sinners. Before Mary there never was one
who could dare thus to take hold of the Lord, as Isaias bears witness,
saying: "There is none that calleth upon thy name, that riseth up and
taketh hold of thee" (Is. LXIV, 7.)

Seventhly, let us consider how Mary is full of the redolence of fair fame.
As a field is full of the scents of various flowers, so is Mary full of the
fair fame of fragrant sprinkling. Of her fullness we may understand what we
read in Genesis: "Behold the smell of my son is as the smell of a full
field, which God hath blessed" (Gen. XXVII, 27.) This field is Mary, in
whom the treasure of the angels, yea verily, the whole treasure of God the
Father is hidden. Happy is he "who sells all that he has, and buys that
field." The full odor of this full field is the full fair fame of Mary, her
full honor. Of this St. Jerome saith: "Because she was filled with the many
odors of the virtues, there came forth from her a most sweet odor,
rejoicing the angelic spirits." Of this odor she herself, glorying, could
use the words of Ecclesiasticus (XXIV, 20): "I gave a sweet smell like
cinnamon and aromatical balm." The good odor of Mary was like cinnamon
externally, in the rind of her conversation; like aromatical balm
interiorly, by the unction of her devotion; like myrrh, in the bitterness
of her suffering. The good odor of Mary was also like cinnamon in her
deeds; like balm in her contemplation; like myrrh in her sufferings. O
truly rich, and exceedingly rich she who, besides other aromas, was so full
of the odoriferous balm of the Holy Spirit that St. Bernard, speaking of
that word, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee," says: "That precious balm
flowed in on thee with such copiousness and plenitude that it overflows
most abundantly on all around thee." Well, therefore, could God the Father
say: "Behold the odor of my Son is as the smell of a full field," as though
He said: "Behold the smell of my Son, the honor of my Son, is from the
honor and the good fame of His mother." St. Jerome saith: "The maternal
honor is His, who was born from her."

Eighthly, let us consider how Mary was full of the reflection or
resplendence, as it were, the expression of the divine glory, according to
Ecclesiasticus: "The work of the Lord is full of His glory" (XXIV, 20.)
Above all, the most wonderful work of the Lord is Mary, of whom it is said
in Ecclesiasticus: "An admirable instrument the work of the Most High"
(XLIII, 2.) Truly a wonderful work, for a similar one can never be found.
Whence it is said of it: "There was no such work made in any kingdom" (3
Kings X, 20.) None indeed in the kingdom of Heaven, none in the kingdom of
earth, nor in that of hell; for there never was such a work in Heaven, on
earth, or in the nether regions. For this work is full of the glory of the
Lord, because this glory shines most fully in Mary, above all pure
creatures. For after the humanity assumed by the Word, there is no work, no
creature, in whom there is such scope for the divine glory as in Mary. For
the Lord has through Mary glory because of the restoration brought about in
Heaven, glory in the Redemption accomplished in the world, glory for the
deliverance wrought in hell --this glory He has in the fullness of grace in
Mary. Therefore, well does St. Anselm say: "I speak to thee alone, Lady;
the world is full of thy benefits; they have penetrated hell, and surpassed
the Heavens. For by the fullness of thy grace those who were in limbo
rejoice in their deliverance, and those who were above the world have joy
in their restoration." Therefore, full of the glory of the Lord is His
work, Mary, because, as it is said in Isaias, "The earth is full of His
glory" (Is. VI, 3.) Full indeed is the whole earth, full is Mary of the
divine glory, which shines in her most fully. Rightly above all the
aforesaid is she said to be full of grace, who is most pleasing to all who
are not ungrateful, as St. Bernard shows when, speaking of the words, Ave
gratia plena, he says: "Well is she fully pleasing because she is pleasing
to God, to the angels, and to men; to men by her fecundity, to the angels
by her virginity, to God by her humility."

Ninthly, consider how Mary is full of the joy of eternal happiness. Who is
ignorant that she is of those of whom her Son said: "Ask, and you shall
receive, that your joy may be full"? If, therefore, the joy of the
Apostles, of all those who are reigning with God, is full, how much more is
the joy of the Mother of God full and complete? Of this plenitude St.
Jerome says: "Full indeed of grace, full of God, full of virtues, she could
not but possess most fully the glory of eternal splendor." What wonder,
then, that plenitude that it overflows most abundantly on all around thee."
Well, therefore, could God the Father say: "Behold the odor of my Son is as
the smell of a full field," as though He said: "Behold the smell of my Son,
the honor of my Son, is from the honor and the good fame of His mother."
St. Jerome saith: "The maternal honor is His, who was born from her."

Eighthly, let us consider how Mary was full of the reflection or
resplendence, as it were, the expression of the divine glory, according to
Ecclesiasticus: "The work of the Lord is full of His glory" (XXIV, 20.)
Above all, the most wonderful work of the Lord is Mary, of whom it is said
in Ecclesiasticus: "An admirable instrument the work of the Most High"
(XLIII, 2.) Truly a wonderful work, for a similar one can never be found.
Whence it is said of it: "There was no such work made in any kingdom" (3
Kings X, 20.) None indeed in the kingdom of Heaven, none in the kingdom of
earth, nor in that of hell; for there never was such a work in Heaven, on
earth, or in the nether regions. For this work is full of the glory of the
Lord, because this glory shines most fully in Mary, above all pure
creatures. For after the humanity assumed by the Word, there is no work, no
creature, in whom there is such scope for the divine glory as in Mary. For
the Lord has through Mary glory because of the restoration brought about in
Heaven, glory in the Redemption accomplished in the world, glory for the
deliverance wrought in hell --this glory He has in the fullness of grace in
Mary. Therefore, well does St. Anselm say: "I speak to thee alone, Lady;
the world is full of thy benefits; they have penetrated hell, and surpassed
the Heavens. For by the fullness of thy grace those who were in limbo
rejoice in their deliverance, and those who were above the world have joy
in their restoration." Therefore, full of the glory of the Lord is His
work, Mary, because, as it is said in Isaias, "The earth is full of His
glory" (Is. VI, 3.) Full indeed is the whole earth, full is Mary of the
divine glory, which shines in her most fully. Rightly above all the
aforesaid is she said to be full of grace, who is most pleasing to all who
are not ungrateful, as St. Bernard shows when, speaking of the words, "Ave
gratia plena," he says: "Well is she fully pleasing because she is pleasing
to God, to the angels, and to men; to men by her fecundity, to the angels
by her virginity, to God by her humility."

Ninthly, consider how Mary is full of the joy of eternal happiness. Who is
ignorant that she is of those of whom her Son said: "Ask, and you shall
receive, that your joy may be full"? If, therefore, the joy of the
Apostles, of all those who are reigning with God, is full, how much more is
the joy of the Mother of God full and complete? Of this plenitude St.
Jerome says: "Full indeed of grace, full of God, full of virtues, she could
not but possess most fully the glory of eternal splendor." What wonder,
then, that she has full and overfull joy and glory in the kingdom, who had
grace full and overflowing in her exile upon earth? What wonder if both in
Heaven and on earth her fullness was above that of every creature, from
whose fullness every creature has life ? Therefore St. Anselm saith: "O
Woman full and overfull of grace, of the overflowing of whose plenitude
every creature gains new life !"

Thus you see in Mary the fullness of illuminative wisdom, the fullness of
overflowing grace, the fullness of a fruitful life, the fullness of helping
mercy, of the perfection of the Church, of good fame, of divine glory, of
eternal joy. Now, therefore, O Virgin full of grace, deign to make us, who
are so empty, partakers of thy fullness, that we may at last attain to
eternal fullness. By Our Lord Jesus Christ, etc.