Virgin Most Renowned - THE ANNUNCIATION OF MARY

THE FAIREST FLOWER OF PARADISE - CONSIDERATIONS ON THE LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN, ENRICHED WITH EXAMPLES DRAWN FROM THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS BY Very Rev. ALEXIS M. LEPICIER, O. S. M.

 james christensen - annunciation

"Hail! full of grace, the Lord, is with thee, blessed art thou among women" (Luke i, 28.)

Absorbed in profound contemplation, the humble Virgin of Nazareth, Spouse of Joseph the carpenter, was pondering the ills which afflict humanity, at the same time fostering in her heart the most ardent longing for the advent of the Messias promised by the prophets. Suddenly a heavenly messenger presents himself to her. It is the Archangel Gabriel who, bowing with reverence before her, says: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." Many holy persons had, ere this, been saluted with the words contained in the latter half of this sentence: but no one before had heard himself styled "full of grace." Wherefore, the Holy Virgin, in her humility, queries within herself what so extraordinary a salutation may mean. The Angel, in answer to her half-expressed thought, goes on to disclose to her the divine mystery: "Thou hast found grace with God." (Luke. i, 30.) And because Mary is full of grace, therefore is she destined to be the Mother of the Incarnate Word: "Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a Son." (Luke. i, 31.)

The prophets had foretold the coming of the Messias, as of Him who would refresh the earth, parched by sin, with the dew of divine grace. The patriarchs had desired Him, as the dispenser of life-giving grace. Mary herself, in her ecstasies, had foreseen Him, as crowning His elect with grace. It was fitting then, that the King of divine grace, should have for His Mother a Virgin in whom grace should reside in its plenitude.

* * *

But the Incarnation of the Word was a mystic alliance between God and the human nature. It was not sufficient, in order to bring it about, that the Creator should will to unite Himself to His creature: this work could not be perfect, unless man himself freely consented to this union. For this end the Archangel Gabriel was sent to Mary': his mission being to disclose to the Holy Virgin, the heavenly mystery, and to receive from her, in the name of the human race, her acquiescence in the designs of the Most High.

But Mary's will was in entire conformity with the will of God: how then, could she refuse the demand of the Angel? The humble Virgin has not a moment of doubt or hesitation as to her choice. She only inquires, with holy prudence, as to the manner of the mystery's accomplishment. And hardly has she understood the divine will, than she pronounces, with ineffable love and full'submission, those sublime words, which will excite the admiration of the whole world to the end of time: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word,"— fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. (Luke. i, 38.)

In the beginning, the fiat of the Almighty had called into existence from nothingness this vast universe. Now, unutterable prodigy! Mary's acquiescence to the divine will is the starting point of a marvel without precedent: God, without ceasing to be what He is, will take our nature and become true man, as He is eternally true God.

* * *

The human mind will never perfectly understand how much the Incarnation, accomplished in Mary at that moment when she uttered the epoch-making fiat, has ennobled her and rendered her blessed.

Yet, who would think it? At the moment when she was raised high above all angels and men, she abased herself as much as is possible to a creature. Her greatness was equalled only by her humility. Holy humility, how pleasing thou art to the King of glory, since His preference is for those who possess thee!

Christian soul, cultivate, after the example of the Mother of God, the fair flower of humility. It is only by this means that thou canst call down upon thyself the divine blessings.

As the fall of the angels, like that of man, had for its origin rebellion against the law of God, so it is pride which puts the finish on the eternal damnation of the reprobate. On the other hand, it is in the sincere imitation of the humility of Jesus and Mary, that both the basis and apex of our salvation are to be found.

Example - St. Philip Benizi

It is the will of God that the Blessed Virgin should be loved, honored and venerated the whole world over, .as the true Sovereign and Mistress of heaven and earth. Of all the saints who have largely contributed toward propagating this devotion to the Mother of God and in bringing the Christian people to realize the advantages which all may derive from this excellent practice, St. Philip Benizi, fifth General of the Order of Servants of Mary, holds a prominent place.

He was born on the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, by whom, when a youth, he was called to join the Order which she had recently founded in a most marvelous manner at Monte Senario. Having been elected Superior of his Order, he devoted himself entirely to promoting the glory of the blessed Mother of God, drawing as many people as he could to submit themselves lovingly to her.

Obeying the command of his heavenly Queen, he went forth from Italy into France, Germany and Poland, preaching everywhere the glories of Mary and founding monasteries, from which the devotion to the great Mother of God could be spread among all the faithful.

Numerous wonders confirmed his preaching. Many times being lost in thick forests, he was led by an angel on to the right path. He converted many notorious sinners, and saw the good effect of his preaching on his hearers. Many young men of noble families knelt at his feet, begging for the habit of the Servants of Mary.

Desirous of propagating the kingdom of Christ, St. Philip sent many bands of Religious among the barbarians in order to bring the welcome tidings of salvation to people who were wholly submerged in darkness and in the shadow of death. Many of these missionaries fell victims to the sword of persecution, while invoking the holy names of Jesus and Mary.

Right up to the end of his life, St. Philip Benizi did not cease preaching the glories of Mary. Death overtook him while on a journey undertaken for the honor of his heavenly Queen. During the visitation of the monasteries of his Order, in which he encouraged the faithful in their devotion to the most holy Mother of God, he breathed forth his soul, holding in his hand the image of his Crucified Lord, which he was wont to call his most cherished book. This took place on the twenty-second of August, 1285, being the octave day of the Assumption of Our Lady.

Prayer

O glorious Virgin, who hast merited by thy humility to be filled with grace and to become Mother of the Author of all good, obtain for me, I pray thee, of thy Son, that I may never by my pride, put any obstacle to the work of grace in my soul. Amen.

The Lily Of Israel By The Abbe Gerbet. Part 8.

CHAPTER VI. THE ANNUNCIATION

JOSEPH and Mary had been peacefully settled at Nazareth for many months, when a change occurred. One day, a messenger, travel-stained and weary, his garments covered with dust, arrived in the little town, and asked for the house of the carpenter.

Joseph, busy with plane and saw, welcomed the stranger, and bade him be seated. Without preamble he stated his errand.

"I am from your sister Mary, wife of Cleophas. Her husband has been absent for a long time on a distant mission, the day of his return uncertain. She herself is dangerously ill, and fearful lest her young children should be left, by her death, without a protector, she said to me:

" 'Selim, set out and seek my brother; tell him in his affection not to abandon me in this hour.' I have, therefore, come without delay. May the Lord move your heart to follow me to the bedside of one who anxiously awaits you."

And he wiped the perspiration from his sunburned face.

Now Joseph had had, for many long years, no many months, no near relative on earth but this one sister. She had been born when their father was advanced in age, and was, therefore, but a few years older than Mary herself. He had brought her up, given her in marriage, and a deep love had always existed between them. Troubled, he entered the little house.

"My sister—whom may God protect!" he said to Mary, "has sent a messenger, requesting me to go to Mesopotamia. She is dangerously ill. It will mean, my dear Mary, that I must be away from you for several months."

It seemed to him that the Virgin's grave face was tinged with melancholy.

"May the Lord watch over you during my absence, Mary," he continued, affectionately. 4 'Should weariness come upon you, or you feel too lonely, why not take the old servant and visit your cousin Elizabeth? She has often invited you to do so, and no time will be more opportune than this. Would not such a visit please you also ? Though,'' he added, "whatever you wish to do, Mary, will doubtless be well done."

"May the Lord take care of you on your journey," said Mary, gently, "and may He remove the danger of death from our sister. A mother is as necessary to young children as the air they breathe. Why can she not come to live with us? I would cheerfully assist her, and I know we would be dear to each other."

"If it can be so arranged," said Joseph, "I shall bring my sister back with me. But I am filled with pain and uneasiness at the thought of leaving you —for it seems to me a presage of our last parting. I dread the day that will find you alone in the world. Who will watch over you and protect you then?"

Mary turned her serene gaze upon her spouse.

"Has not God spoken to us?" she said. "He desires my whole heart, and to Him I have given it. My heart is filled with Him, Joseph, and so great is this love that it embraces every other. Do not fear that I shall ever be alone. After God, whatever love I possess is given to those around me. I love all God's creatures, separately and together. Women, children, the old; those who suffer and those who rejoice. My heart belongs to all and to each, since I see in them Him who has created them, who preserves them, and who loves them with so great a love that He prepares a Redeemer to ransom them. Miracle of God! Goodness of God! When, when will the heavens open and rain down upon us the Desired of nations?"

And the Blessed Virgin, transported for a moment v from earth by the sublimity of her thoughts, raised her eyes to heaven, the light of holy rapture shining on her pure and beautiful face. Joseph, looking at her, felt that the splendor of her countenance was almost supernatural, that her spirit was gifted from on high.

"A virgin in body and in mind," he thought, reverently. "Guileless and upright—yet this creature, so exalted and so noble, is humble as the simplest of beings! Her words are so discreet, her thoughts so profound! When did she ever wound the heart of another, even the most despicable? Mock the weak or despise the poor? Daughter of David, you surpass in your purity and simplicity, all the illustrious race from which you spring! It is from you that your ancestors will derive their glory!"

Joseph would not offend that blessed and sweet humility by uttering these thoughts aloud. When the moment of departure arrived, he said, in a voice of deepest tenderness, mingled with intense respect:

"Mary, I leave you without fear or apprehension, I see plainly that you are under the protection of the Most High!"

* * * * *

Mary was left alone after Joseph's departure. There was no need now of the modest occupation that had kept her hands busy, so she gave herself up to the contemplation of Him who reigned absolute Master of her pure soul. She spent her days in prayer, singing the praises of Almighty God. Withdrawing from all earthly objects, she experienced the fullness of heavenly consolation, and God imbued her with His grace and love. He descended into her heart, took possession of it, made it His chosen dwelling. A pure heart is the most noble temple that can be offered to the Lord—and what heart could be more pure than that of the meek and spotless Virgin, the blessed Vessel of election, chosen throughout eternity to serve as a dwelling of the divine Word when He should become incarnate?

Ah, what pen can relate the mysteries of ineffable love which pass between God and His creature? What pen portray those holy raptures by which the soul is elevated above earth and toward God, there to be lost in His immensity?

"My Well-Beloved to me, and I to Him. He approaches me like a giant who runs his career. He has proceeded from the lofty heaven, and exclaims: Arise, My well-beloved! Come to Me, My dove, and I will load thee with every perfect gift." And the soul, drawn from its sphere, is overwhelmed in an ocean of love; it experiences delights and ecstasies of which the greatest joy on earth is not even the faintest shadow.

On a certain day, when Mary knelt absorbed in one of these holy and rapturous transports, she saw an angel standing before her, an angel radiant and beautiful. His dress seemed tinged with the glowing pink of the sun's first dawning; his wings, sustaining him in the ambient air, were like mists of azure. Her habitation faded from her sight. She saw but a cloud of gold before her pure and wondering eyes.

And then the angel spoke:

But who can find language worthier to describe what the sacred writer, inspired by the Holy Ghost, has transmitted to us? Let us humbly prostrate ourselves, while St. Luke describes the marvel that then blessed the earth.

And in the sixth month the Angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth.

To a Virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the Virgin's name was Mary.

And the Angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace! the Lord is with thee: Blessed art thou among women.

Who having heard was troubled at his saying, and thought within herself what manner of salutation this should be.

And the Angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.

Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a Son and thou shalt call His name Jesus.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David His father: and He shall reign in the house of David forever.

And of His kingdom there shall be no end.

And Mary said to the Angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man?

And the Angel, answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren.

Because no word shall be impossible with God.

And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.

And the Angel departed from her. (St. Luke i, 26-38.)

We bow before the adorable mystery upon which the hope of our salvation is founded.

The words of the divine messenger, vibrating through the soul of the most pure Mary, overwhelmed her with so much happiness that without the grace of the Most High she would have been prostrated. She remained absorbed in holy ecstasy, lost in wondering astonishment at the great marvels which were operating within her, marvels of love, immense and unfathomable. He whom the heavens could not contain had descended to her! The Holy Ghost had overshadowed her! God had spoken! God had spoken—and His begotten Word was become incarnate!

Can human mind or heart or soul conceive what passed in Mary's mind and heart and soul? What intimate intercourse was established then between

God and His creature! Between the Father and the Virgin to whom He entrusted His only-begotten Son! Between infinite Intelligence and finite but pure intelligence, to whom He confided His Word!— that powerful Word which was to redeem and renew the world!

What are the pure and seraphic raptures of the saints transported from earth to visions of heaven, what are the martyrs' ecstasies, what are the joys of souls who know purest and holiest love, compared to the raptures, the ecstasies, the joys, which Mary then experienced, drawing rich draughts of pleasure from the Source of infinite love?

That was, is still, and will ever be the unbounded happiness of the Immaculate Virgin: a happiness similar to that of the elect, but greater and completer than that of all the elect combined.

For Mary, by election, love, and merit, is greater and more magnificently holy than all the saints. She was conceived, spotless and pure, in the bosom of the Father from all Eternity. She has always been, is, and will ever be the mainspring of the Redemption, the new Eve, the Woman by excellence; the spiritual and true Mother of all mankind in soul and in truth.

Mary, most blessed Mary, if thou hadst shed upon us a single drop of the heavenly dew with which thy soul was inundated on that happy day, the whole world would have been changed, the earth would have experienced a taste of paradise. We should, probably, have more ardently desired our inheritance, which is heaven.

But thou couldst communicate nothing—and there was not too much joy to fortify thee against the frightful load of grief which was afterwards to be thy portion.

The Angels, the Thrones, the Dominations, the innumerable band who watch at the foot of the throne of God, descended upon this earth, and veiling themselves with their wings chanted the eternal hosannas whose harmony had resounded but in heaven. And a voice arose like a wind from the mountains, saying:

"My people, be consoled! O Sion, arise, clothe thyself with strength, and adorn thyself with the vesture of glory. The Lord hath regarded thee with favor. Rejoice, O Earth, and let thy joy break forth in every corner of thy habitations."

And the earth revolved upon its axis, joyfully; the angels who guarded it praised God for His mercy to man. Our first parents knew once more the happiness they had experienced on the wondrous day of their creation.

And Satan? Ah, if Satan did not feel his punishment the less it was because he could no longer love!

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!

The History Of The Blessed Virgin, Translated From The French By The Very Rev. F. C. Husenbeth, D.D., V.G. Part 26.

Chapter 8.

The Annunciation. Part 3.

The angel, who perceived her trouble, said to her mildly, " Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father : and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end." At these words, which would have transported any other but Mary with immoderate joy, the chaste and prudent young woman thought of nothing but her pure white crown of virginity, which she desired to preserve at any cost, and asked how she could reconcile this magnificent prediction with the vow of virginity with which her life was linked. 1

The modesty of a young woman is a thing so sacred in the sight of angels, that Gabriel, to remove all apprehension from Mary on that head, was not afraid to unveil a part of the mystery of the Incarnation. "The power of the Most High shall overshadow thee," said he, " and the Holy that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." 2 Then, according to the custom of the messengers of Jehovah, he would give her a sign which should confirm his words: "And behold," continued the angel, " thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren ; because no word shall be impossible with God."

Sarah had laughed with incredulous laughter when an angel, in the guise of a traveller, seated in the shade of the great oaks which covered her tent, had announced a son to her, aged and barren as she was. Mary, to whom was announced a new prodigy, as Isaias declares, a thing without example under the sun, in fine, a virginal maternity, believed at once the divine promise, and, annihilating herself before Him who exalted her above all women, she replied, in a submissive voice, " Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word." At these words the angel disappeared, and the Word was made flesh to dwell among us. 3 Thus did the angel of light treat of our salvation with the new Eve, and the fault of the sinful Eve, who had conspired for our destruction with the infernal angel, was gloriously repaired; thus was a simple mortal exalted to the unequalled dignity of Mother of God, and being both virgin and mother, she confounded, by a new miracle, the two most opposite and sublime states of her sex. " Proceed no farther," says St. John Chrysostom, " seek nothing beyond what is said nor say, How did the Holy Ghost effect this in the Virgin ? .... Enquire not, therefore, but receive what is revealed, and search not curiously into what is hidden." 4

We have adopted the opinion of those doctors and theologians who maintain that Joseph was legally the husband of Mary at the time of the Incarnation ; yet this opinion is disputed, and among the authorities who assert that Mary was not yet the wife, but only the betrothed of Joseph, we find in the first rank the great St. John Chrysostom himself. 5 Nevertheless, according to the same father, Mary dwelt in the house of St. Joseph at the time when the angel appeared to her. " For," says this illustrious sacred orator, " among the ancients it was the custom generally to have the betrothed in the house, and this may be seen even now; and the sons-in-law of Lot lived with him." 6

Notwithstanding the profound veneration inspired by St. John Chrysostom, the Church has not adopted his opinion. Moreover, the reference to the sons-in-law of Lot, with which he would strengthen his opinion, is badly chosen : the Scripture nowhere says that they lived with Lot, and everything leads us to think the contrary, since the patriarch was obliged to go out of his house in a moment of trouble and affright, while the most hideous commotion was fomenting in the city, to speak to his sons-in-law that were to have his daughters, to arise and get out of the place, because the Lord would destroy the city. Supposing even that the young men betrothed to Lot's daughters had formed a part of the family of this patriarch, whose flocks covered the hills and valleys of a whole province,—according to the manners of the times, these young men would have been nothing more on the banks of the Jordan than what Jacob was later on in Mesopotamia, active and vigilant servants, day and night parched with heat and with frost. 7 We nowhere see that they had their betrothed spouses in their tents; they lived under the protection of the patriarch, being only his principal shepherds : there is nothing in all this at variance with the manners of ancient Asia. An orphan, left alone, and living under the roof of her betrothed, the Blessed Virgin, on the contrary, -would have been in a position quite exceptional. A generally received custom among the Hebrews could alone have authorised such a supposition, and all that we find in their code is a law expressly opposed to it. 8 St. Chrysostom, agreeing in this respect with the ancient theologians, himself informs us that God for a long time covered with a thick veil the miraculous maternity of Mary, to save her from a revolting suspicion, which would have been as dangerous to the divinity of the Son, as to that respect which the whole world owed to the Mother. But marriage alone could cover with its honourable mantle the mystery of the Incarnation, for mere espousals could not suffice for that purpose ; and then, if Joseph and Mary had been only affianced at the time of the Incarnation of the Word, they would have been no more four months later, since the Evangelist informs us that Mary, after the Annunciation, went with haste to visit St. Elizabeth,' and that it was not till her return from her journey to Hebron, which had lasted three months, that she was found with child, —an expression which indicates a situation visible to all. At this rate, the marriage of Mary would not have been celebrated till her maternity had become evident, proved, undeniable! What would both families have thought of it ? What would have been said by all Nazareth, who would have hastened to witness the ceremony ? To what outrageous reproaches would the pure Virgin have been exposed, among a people where female honour was a thing so sacred as to be infallibly avenged by murder ? Would not the birth of the Messias—that birth which was to be pure as the morning dew, according to the poetical expression of David —have been thereby tainted and denied ? The Jews, particularly the Jews of Nazareth, who showed such hostility to Jesus Christ, and called him the son of the carpenter, would they not have bitterly reproached him with the irregularity of his birth ? If they did not do so, it was because they had apparently no hold on that side.

These, no doubt, are the reasons which have induced a number of illustrious divines to pronounce in favour of the marriage, notwithstanding the countenance which the opposite party found in the words of St. Matthew, words which seem to favour the other interpretation, but which nevertheless do not convey a meaning precise enough to remove the difficulty.9 After all, the dispute never bore upon the principal point: wife or betrothed, no one, among Christians, has ever doubted that the Mother of God was the purest and most holy of virgins; even the Mussulmans admit that she was the spring and mine of purity. 10

1 Calvin, that proud heresiarch, who had Servetus "burned, while he himself preached up toleration, has dared to calumniate the Virgin, taking his text from this answer, to accuse her of unbelief. St. Augustin had answered him long before. " The Virgin doubts not," said he, "non quasi incredula de oraculo; she only desires to be informed as to the manner in which the miracle is to he accomplished." St. John Chrysostom adds, " that this question is the effect of respectful admiration, and not of vain curiosity."

2 This gospel narrative has been received by the Mussulmans themselves. This is how the Koran relates the interview of the Blessed Virgin and the angel:—"The angel said to Mary, God announces his Word to thee, he shall be called Jesus, the Messias, the Son of Mary, great in this world, and in the other, and the Confidant of the Most High; he shall make his word heard by men from the cradle to old age, and shall be of the number of the just.—My Lord, replied Mary, how shall I have a son ? I know not man.—It shall be thus, replied the angel: God forms creatures at his pleasure; is it his will that a thing should exist? he says, Be thou made, and it is made."—(Koran, c. iii.)

3 The mystery of the incarnation was accomplished on the 25th of March, on a Friday evening, according to F. Drexelius.

4 St. J. Chrys., Serm. 4, in St. Matt.

5 Descoutures is wrong in placing St. John Chrysostom in the ranks of those who maintain that Joseph was legally the husband of Mary at the moment of the Incarnation: this writer, who is in general judicious, probably quoted him on trust.

6 St. J. Chrys., Serm. 4,.in St. Matt.

7 Gen. xxxi. 40.

8 Misnah, t. iii. de Sponsalibus. Selden, Uxor Hebraica.

9 The verse which has divided the doctors is this: " Christi autem generatio sic erat: cum esset desponsata mater ejus Maria Joseph, antequam convenient, inventa est in utero habeus de Spiritu Sancto. Those who dwell on the force of the words, say that the Virgin was only betrothed, because the Greek verb, which is a translation of the Hebrew expression of St. Matthew, means desponderi, to be promised, and because there is another term to signify to be married, as we find among the Latins desponderi and nubere, so that St. Joseph had not yet taken the Virgin home to his house; which they prove by those words of verse 20 :—" Noli timere accipere Mariam con jug em tuam : quod enim in ea natum est, de Spiritu Sancto est" which they explain thus: " Take Mary for thy wife without fear, for what is born in her is born by the operation of the Holy Ghost." But to be translated thus it must have been in conjugem tuam. The opposite opinion, which is maintained by fathers, interpreters of considerable weight, and almost all theologians, finds wherewith to combat its antagonists in the second chapter of Si. Luke; for, notwithstanding that the Virgin was already married to Joseph, the gospel uses the Greek termwhich signifies to be promised, and says: " Ut profiteretur cum Maria desponsata sibi uxore prægnante, to be enrolled with Mary, his espoused wife, who was with child;" and in verse 19 of the first chapter of St. Matthew, St. Joseph is called vir ejus } her husband, and not her espoused. If St. Matthew calls the Blessed Virgin sponsa, spouse, although she was wife, it is not to say that she had not yet contracted marriage; it is merely to show, as one of the fathers remarks, that she had no more intimacy with her husband than if she had been only his betrothed.

10 The purity of Mary is so fully recognised by the Mussulmans, that Abou-Ishac, ambassador of the caliph at the court of the Emperor of the Greeks, holding a conference with the patriarch and certain Greek bishops, on the subject of religion, the bishops reproached the Mussulmans with many things which had been formerly said by the Mussulmans themselves against Aischah, the widow of their prophet, which had stirred up divisions among them. Abou-Ishac answered them that they need not wonder at these dissensions, since among Christians opinions had been so divided on the subject of the glorious Mary, mother of Jesus, " who may be called," said he, " the mine and fountain of all purity, genab ismet mealo kon offet."—(D'Herbelot, BibL Orientale, t. ii. p. 620.)

The History Of The Blessed Virgin, Translated From The French By The Very Rev. F. C. Husenbeth, D.D., V.G. Part 25.

Chapter 8.

The Annunciation. Part 2.

As to the Virgin, she lived on so little that ancient authors, fond of the marvellous, believed that she was fed by angels.

When Joseph, fatigued with the labours of the day, returned at sunset to his little low apartment, he found his young companion hastening to offer him, by turns, warm water, which she had heated to wash his feet, and cold clear water from the fountain, in a vessel pure from all unclean contact, 1 for the ablutions before the repast. That grave and simple man, with his fine patriarchal countenance, where every passion was silent; that angelical young female all eager to serve him with the solicitude of a dear daughter, formed a group worthy of the golden age. 2

Meantime, the hour marked out by the Eternal in his divine counsels for the Incarnation of his Christ had arrived. The angel Gabriel, one of the four 3 who are always before the face of the Lord, received a mysterious mission, which removed him, for a short time, from the kingdom of heaven. Clothed in one of those beautiful coverings of dense air, with which the pure spirits are surrounded when they would be perceptible to the gross senses of the children of men, 4 the angel left behind him the golden palaces and the emerald walls of the heavenly Jerusalem, the gates of which are twelve pearls, 5 and spread his vast white wings, 6 with his brow all radiant with benignant joy; for the holy angels are as glad at the happiness of men as the had angels are at their ruin and sufferings.

After traversing the immeasurable deserts of the sty, of which the stars are the oasis, the angel who had foretold to Daniel the coming of the Messias, and who came to act for the accomplishment of that grand promise of God, directed his course, with the rapidity of thought, towards our little planet, which his piercing eye discovered at an immense distance, in the state of a nebulous star, which next shone with a feeble milky light; and ..which finally took the rotundity and tranquil light of the moon, whose phases it has. 

As he approached this little globe,-which man has proudly divided into zones and hemispheres, and in which he bestirs himself, with insane ardour, to pick up a few bits of gold, which he makes his god,—the angel began to distinguish expanses of blue and shining water, surmounted with dark points like small submarine rocks: these were our oceans and our high mountains. The towns were not yet visible, nor men; they are so small! But at last, the earth, which had at first presented itself under a microscopic form, was gradually enlarged into vast countries covered with kingdoms, divided by deserts, and planted with forests. Arrived directly over Palestine, the angel from on high directed his look, as a benediction, down upon the beautiful town of Nazareth, and descending softly from the clouds like the falling stars, he came down gracefully, like a fine swan.

The sun was declining towards the lofty promontory of Carmel, and would soon set in the horizon of the sea of Syria, when the angel presented himself in the modest oratory of the Blessed Virgin. 7  As a faithful observer of the religious customs of her people, Mary, with her head turned in the direction of the temple, 8 was then making her evening prayer to the God of Jacob. 9 "Hail, full of grace," said the celestial envoy, bowing his radiant head; "the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women."

Mary felt an involuntary trembling at this marvellous apparition. Perhaps, like Moses, she feared that she should see God, and die; perhaps, as St. Ambrose thought, her virginal purity was alarmed at the sight of this son of heaven, who entered, like the rays of light, into that solitary cell where no man penetrated; perhaps it was the respectful attitude and the magnificent eulogy of the angel which disconcerted her humility. Whatever may have been the cause, the Evangelist relates that she was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be, seeking, but in vain, to understand the object of this astonishing visit, and the hidden meaning of this mysterious salutation.

1 There was among the Jews a multitude of precautions to be taken for the purity of the vessels in which they drew water, and in which they prepared their food; not only did they take care that they had not belonged to strangers, but they carried their scruples much farther, for a thousand circumstances rendered them unclean.— (Misnah, Ordo, Puritatum.)

2 An ancient author makes the Virgin say, "Non dedignabar parare et ministrare quæ erant necessaria Joseph; and this is in perfect conformity with the customs still existing.

3 "There are four angels who are hardly ever seen upon earth," say the rabbins, " because they are always round about the throne of God, these angels are, Michael, who is on the right; Gabriel, who is on the left; Uriel, who is before 0od; and Raphael, who is behind him."

4 St. Thomas of Aquin, Quæst. Univ. de creat. Spirit., Art 6.

5 Apocal., c. xxi. v. 21.

6 The Jews represent the angels with wings, as do the Christians. The Koran gives a hundred and forty pairs of wings to the angel Gabriel, and says that he took but one hour to come from heaven upon earth.—(Legend of Mahomet.)

7 It is commonly thought that the visit of the angel to the Blessed Virgin took place towards the evening.

8 The people of the East turn to a certain point in the heavens when they pray; it is what they call the Kebla, The Jews turn towards the temple of Jerusalem, the Mahometans towards Mecca, the Sabeans towards the south, and the Ghebers towards the rising sun.

9 The Jews prayed three times in the day; in the morning, at sunrise ; in the afternoon, at three o'clock, when they offered sacrifice; and in the evening, at sunset. According to the rabbins, Abraham established morning prayer; Isaac, that of the afternoon; and Jacob, that of the evening.—(Basn., liv. vii. c. 17.)

Behold Your Mother By Matthew Russell S.J. Part 5. The Feast of the Annunciation.

"Hail, full of grace ! The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women." These words, so blessedly familiar to our lips since our lips learned to utter articulate sounds, were first spoken by the Archangel Gabriel in that supreme crisis of the world's history, which we commemorate on the twenty-fifth of March. It is the Archangel's part of the first Hail Mary of all—first out of the countless millions of times that that angelical salutation has been and will be addressed to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

I have called the moment of the Annunciation the supreme crisis in the history of the human race. Books have been written about the "Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World," and certain events are sometimes singled out as turning-points in the fortunes of various countries. But the one real crisis, the central epoch in the history of fallen man, was that moment in which the Angel of the Annunciation stood waiting for the consent of the Blessed Virgin, "The consent of Mary to the Incarnation of the Son of God" says St. Thomas Aquinas, "was necessary in order that the Redemption of Mankind should spring from the consent of a woman to the proposition of an angel coming to salute her from God, as the ruin of mankind had arisen from the consent given by a woman to the suggestion of an evil angel."

The mystery, therefore, commemorated on the twenty-fifth of this month was very much more than merely the Annunciation, the announcement of the dignity conferred on Mary. It was in some sort almost a negotiation; it was a solemn embassy from the Most High God to His lowly Handmaid. The almighty and all-merciful God (as the great Pope, St. Leo, says finely, in the first lesson of the second nocturn of Matins for the Feast)— '' the almighty and all-merciful God, whose nature is goodness, whose will is power, and whose work is mercy," in His infinite power and wisdom knows how to reconcile the absolute supremacy of His own Divine Will with the perfect freedom of the service which He accepts from His poor human creatures; and here was the greatest act of service that any mere creature has ever performed, or could ever perform.

But we are not going to consider the Annunciation as another name for the Incarnation.
The feast, indeed, which commemorates that mystery, though it is no longer a feast of obligation except in Ireland, and perhaps a few other places, might well put forward solid claims to the highest rank in the hierarchy of the Church's festivals, with Christmas and Easter and Pentecost; (It would be pre-eminently entitled to an octave ; but as Ash Wednesday varies from February 4th to March 10th, March 25th, Lady Day, must fall between the second week of Lent at the earliest and Holy Week at the latest There are no octaves during; Lent.) for in the first instant that a Heart began to beat which was at once a human heart and the Heart of God, in that same instant the world was virtually redeemed. One sigh of that Heart, one tear shed by Jesus, would have been adequate atonement for the sins of a thousand fallen worlds. But let us only worship with silent awe this crowning mystery of God's love and power, while we dwell for a little, not on God's part in it, but on the Archangel's part and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary herself* His part was to say, "Ave, gratia plena," and hers was to answer, "Fiat mihi."

Yes, the feast of the Annunciation is the feast of the Hail Mary. The "Hail Mary" is by itself a sufficient note of the true Church of God. If we could imagine the Archangel Gabriel sent back to this earth, so far ignorant as to require such marks and tokens to distinguish the Christian Church. from all pretenders, the "Hail Mary" would be proof enough, for him, it would be easy for him to discover those who use his words, who follow his example, who adopt his attitude towards the Blessed Mother of our Redeemer, and to pronounce that those who act thus are the true children of the Church which the Son of Mary established upon earth.

Nothing but ignorance, deception, and a terrible mistake could make any sincere, well-disposed Christian unwilling to say the "Hail Mary''; for, as the catechism taught us long ago, the Angel Gabriel and St. Elizabeth made the first part of it, and the Church made the last.

We began by repeating the Archangel's portion of this brief but mighty prayer, "Hail, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed are thou amongst women."There he paused. He did not add, "Blessed is the fruit of thy womb." It was too soon to say this. This was to be supplied soon after in the amiable mystery of the Visitation by the mother of the Precursor* When the Archangel contributed his quota to the "Hail Mary,'' the Incarnation was not yet accomplished. He who was to come had not yet come, but was waiting for the Fiat of the lowly Virgin, who in her turn waited till God's designs were sufficiently revealed to her, and she understood that the Divine Maternity would not destroy, but enhance and elevate, her immaculate virginity. Then, and not till then, did she see clearly what God wanted from her, and at once she bowed her head and said, "Be it done to me according to Thy word:" Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.

By this Fiat a greater prodigy was accomplished than that which followed the original fiat of creation- In the beginning God said, ''Fiat lux '' : " 'Let light be made,' and light was made." And again, " He spoke, and all things were made," says the Royal Psalmist. But if we may dare to compare the infinite works of God,, one with another, the Redemption was a greater exercise of His power than the Creation. The Church makes this assertion every day in the Mass. Just after the Offertory the priest reminds God that He founded the human race in a marvellous manner, but that He has redeemed it in a manner vet more marvellous. Mirabiliter condidisti, et mirabilius reformasti. That more marvellous reformation, that " copious redemption,'' began to be accomplished when the Blessed Virgin by her Fiat fixed the moment of the coming of Him who was to come, the moment when "the Word was made Flesh and dwelt amongst us."

We must not, however, imagine that the Blessed Virgin's Fiat was merely an acceptance of the unspeakable dignity of Mother of God. The Annunciation is called the first of the five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary; but the joy was not unmingled with fear and pain. The Divine Son of that Immaculate Maiden was to be the Man of Sorrows, and she herself was to be the Mater Dolorosa. For her, too, all the sufferings of life lay between her then and her heavenly crown. The consent of the Blessed Virgin was not so much required for the Incarnation in itself as for the Incarnation as including Redemption. The Incarnation itself would have brought to the mother of the Incarnate Word dignity, greatness, exaltation, glory, and joy, and these not purchased by any sacrifice ; and there was no need that God should ask the consent of a creature to the reception of a favour which was to carry with it no pain or suffering. But it is far otherwise with Redemption, which was, indeed, to bring glory and honour to the Mother of the Redeemer, but glory and honour to be bought by an unspeakable painful sacrifice which was to change all her life into one long martyrdom and to make her the Queen of Martyrs. Queen of Martyrs indeed she is, not only because she is enthroned in dignity high above the martyrs, but also and chiefly because the pangs of her martyrdom far surpassed the pangs of all the martyrs combined. When life is over, and our crown is won, how little will seem all the cares and labours and sufferings that shall have helped to gain for us that crown ! But it is very different while those trials are still before us, or pressing heavily upon us. So for the glorious title of Mother of God—what was it to bring to the Blessed Virgin during all the years of her life but an inconceivably painful martyrdom, a crucifixion of heart multiplied as many times as there are souls to be redeemed or sins to be expiated by the Precious Blood of her Son ? Her Fiat— which drew the God of heaven to rest in the bosom of her nothingness, as the Fiat of God had drawn out of nothingness all things that are—that " Be it done to me " was as it were a permission to her Creator and Lord not to heap His favours upon her, but to lay upon her the heaviest cross ever borne, except by Him who died upon the cross. And this cross of her's she embraced not only at the foot of her Son's cross on Calvary by the consent which she then gave to His Passion and Death ; nor only when Simeon thirty years earlier had told her of the sword which was to pierce her soul and which she bore in her soul ever after ; but she had already embraced her cross beforehand from that solemn moment on which this meditation fixes our thoughts. " In that moment of the Incarnation," says Father Jeanjacquot, S J., " she understood all that Redemption was to cost the Redeemer, and consequently the Mother of the Redeemer ; for it befitted the infinite wisdom and goodness of God to give her that perfect knowledge from that very moment; in order that she might lose nothing of the merit of her self-immolation in this first moment of her consent." Thus the awful shadow of Calvary was upon her from the first; for from the first she knew that to be the Mother of Jesus was to have a mother's share in the lifelong sorrows of Jesus and in His most bitter death.

These are some of the thoughts that in one form or another, more or less consciously, are brought up before our minds, not only by the great feast of the Annunciation, but by the devout repetition, and especially now and then by the slower and more earnest repetition, of that little prayer which hails our Blessed Lady as full of grace—those first words which the God of truth and wisdom, who reads the heart, who knows all the hearts that He has made, bade His Archangel address to His meek and humble Handmaid- Full of grace, full of that which alone attracts the eye of God, which alone delights the heart of God, and to each degree of which a degree of everlasting glory corresponds. Full of grace already, even then ; and she had not yet yielded that consent which gave her a mother's share in the joys and sorrows of our Saviour; she had not yet borne in her womb the Giver of all graces had not yet brought Him forth and been a mother to Him, and guarded and cherished Him through all the holy years of Nazareth; and she had not yet stood beside the cross, and had not jet resigned her Son to the tomb first, and afterwards to Heaven, while she herself waited on through the long years of prayer and longing and resignation between His Ascension and her Assumption. If she was such at the beginning, what was she at the end when she had reached that fulness of grace which the heart of Jesus was content should be the portion of His Blessed Mother for ever in the kingdom of His glory ? What is she now in her place in heaven, such as St. Bernard and St. Alphonsus and many another have tried to describe for us, such as she was in the pious meditations of St. Stanislaus, St. Aloysius, St. John Berchmans, and all the saints and sinners that in the days of their pilgrimage have raised their hearts to her as their Queen and their Mother, even as we must try to do. Hail, full of grace ! Now, indeed, " the Lord is with thee," and thou art with Him in His Kingdom, close to Him for ever. Pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death.

Saint Joseph; The Virgin Marriage (About The Year 7 B.C.)—The Annunciation (25 MARCH, 6 (?) B.C.) part 1.

The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne by Leonardo da Vinci 

GOD had sanctified Joachim and Anne beforehand, to make them worthy of Mary; and, after having given her to them, He blessed them anew because of her. The stream of blessings received by the Immaculate flowed back upon her parents. Her presence under their roof, her first words and the first outward signs of her piety, the sacrifice of leaving her in the Temple and the sight of her ardour in giving herself to God, the discovery, when they went to visit her, of her marvellous progress— all these things had been for them, encouragement and help in holiness. When they had attained the abundant measure of grace which made them solemnly honoured by all the Christian Church, God called them from this world. This happened, it is commonly affirmed, during the sojourn of Mary in the Temple. 1

The separation from them had been the first sorrow of their daughter, and losing them was a grief still more bitter. For, the more Mary loved God, the more she loved, in Him and for Him, all her relatives. In surrounding with an ardent affection those to whom she owed her existence, and those who had consecrated her life to prayer and to the service of the Temple, she was conforming to the Divine will; in ministering to them, perhaps at the time of their death, and certainly mourning them with a profound grief, she was also acting in accordance with the most holy and pure love. But her sorrow was peaceful, with an inward consolation, for she knew that they slept in the grace of God, and in expectation of the Redeemer, who would open to the righteous the gates of heaven.

Perhaps her orphan condition had some influence upon that " state of humility" 2 of which Mary spoke soon afterwards. " When my father and my mother forsake me," she could say in her prayer, " then the Lord will take me up." 3 The more she was separated from human affection, the more did God Himself direct the conduct of her life.

It was not only the loss of her parents that estranged her from the world. Voluntarily, and from her inmost heart, she had forever detached herself from the world. We see by one of her sayings to the angel Gabriel, that before the day of the Annunciation, she had, in a definite manner, dedicated her virginity to God. 4 We do not know, however, at what precise period she renewed this vow. 5 It agrees so exactly with our idea of Mary that we need not seek too far for its origin. From her first act, her love of the Immaculate was shown in the gift of her whole self; this gift excluded beforehand everything which could share her heart; it included a most pure intention of pleasing God in all things, and a perfect consecration to His service. The day came when Mary comprehended how acceptable is virgin purity in the divine sight. And from that time, desirous of always preserving that precious virtue, and of making by a vow the practice of it more steadfast and perfect, she bound herself by a formal and explicit undertaking. It sometimes pleases God to put this promise in the hearts and on the lips of children who are called to a state of great perfection. Who can say how early the Holy Spirit inspired her, the most perfect, the most enlightened of His creatures, to do that which caused her to be for ever known as " the Virgin " ? " After her shall virgins be brought to the king " 6 ; but it is she who raises above the world the standard of virginity; she stands first, because no one before her had taken a similar vow, or at least because the finest virtues belong in a special manner to the grace of the New Testament which blossomed in the world only after the appearance of Mary and Jesus.

In taking a pledge so new among the people of Israel, Mary certainly did not believe, as has occasionally been too lightly said, that she renounced the possibility of becoming the mother of the Messiah. But neither did she dream of thereby anticipating that motherhood. Very far from hoping for herself so great an honour, and entirely free from every personal consideration, her mind dwelt upon God alone, her single and most pure intention was to please Him. Having besides, an intimate experience of the influence of grace, and feeling that she therein followed the direction of the Spirit of God, she gave herself up to His guidance; without foreseeing anything, she referred to Providence the difficulties which might influence her decision, at an age when all others would have followed a different course.

According to the divine plan, the Word made flesh must be born of a virgin. But it was not fitting that this great miracle should be exposed to the sight or to the discussion of men: the righteous believed it from the Word of God, and on the testimony of a trustworthy revelation ; while it remained hidden to the unbelieving. It was, says a very ancient tradition, 7 hidden even from the spirits of evil; for it is a belief very wide-spread, and founded upon Scripture, that evil spirits never knew clearly and with certainty that Jesus was the Son of God. 8

Further, it was necessary that the Virgin, chosen of God, should have in this world a help and support to take care of her and her Son. During the days of the birth of the Messiah, which were to be days of trial, of poverty, and even of flight into a far country, it was fitting that the young mother should have a protector at her side. And it was also suitable that the Child should have near His cradle some one who, in the name of His only Father in heaven, should take the place of an earthly father, guarding Him, working for His support, and later, initiating Him into that laborious life which He was destined to lead for many years.

It was therefore under the veil of marriage that the mystery was accomplished. In that virgin, and yet very real union, the bride and bridegroom truly gave themselves to each other, but as one would give jewels already consecrated to God, which one would deliver into faithful hands, to be guarded with a supreme reverence. They would exchange their tendernesses, their cares, the anticipation of each other's wishes, and enjoy all that happiness which makes for married people the community of life; but their mutual affection into which nothing earthly entered, encroached in no degree upon the entire dedication of their hearts to God alone. It was in God that they loved each other ; they were united only to help one another to serve Him better; they would have no other thought than Him, no other desire than that of pleasing Him. 9 And soon, the Child which heaven would miraculously bring to their chaste home, would be for them an incomparable blessing, and the supreme bond of their hearts in the love of God alone. Such a holy and perfect union as this goes far beyond earthly thought ; the idea of it could come only from heaven; and, if every marriage reminds us in some degree of the reciprocal love of Christ and His Church, 10 none ever symbolised as theirs that fruitful and virgin union.

It was necessary then, to find "a faithful and wise servant, whom God might appoint to be the comfort of His mother, the foster-father of His own flesh, and the only and trusty helper in the eternal counsels. 11 " This man, to whom all ages owe their gratitude, since, after Mary, he helped to introduce the Saviour to the world; this man, who has a right to special worship on the part of the Church, since, as guardian of the body of Christ, he is thereby constituted the protector of His mystic body; this man, God had long beforehand chosen and prepared. He was a relative of the Virgin, older than she by perhaps fifteen or twenty years, 12 the brother of Cleophas, the son born of Jacob to be the lawful heir of Heli, the humble carpenter, Joseph.

Concerning his early years, Scripture is absolutely silent. The Gospel speaks of him briefly, in giving the ancestry of Jesus, then it leaves him in obscurity. For a long time Joseph was neither known nor honoured among the faithful as he deserved to be. It was only after long ages, at the time marked out by Providence, that Christian thought fully comprehended how much nobleness and sanctity there was in his character. The inner life overflowed in the soul of this silent and unknown artisan; the rarest virtues there attained their full development; the love that is charity reigned there and governed all his acts. The Gospel, in passing, calls him " just"; and a moment of reflection makes us understand with what entire justice he acted, and what perfection was his. For it was to his faithful hands that God confided His immaculate mother ; his heart was bound to the heart of Mary, and therefore to the heart of Jesus also, by the most intimate affinity and the purest affection; and in short, since he was judged worthy of contracting that union, which required a likeness of soul and a certain equality, it must be that no one, so much as he, could have resembled the queen of angels, and could not in the same degree have sustained comparison with her.

No document worthy of credence tells us how Joseph was chosen to be the guardian of Mary, or the circumstances of Mary's acceptance of Joseph as a husband. 13 The Church, in its liturgical prayer, speaks of this as the ineffable Providence of God. 14 And, in fact, the only possible explanation is the intervention of the wisdom and power of God, guiding by secret and wonderful ways the souls who confide in Him. Mary, in choosing virginity, gave herself up to that Providence which is always faithful. Providence inspired Joseph with a resolution similar to that of Mary; it made known to each of them the intention of the other; 15 it manifested to them that it would be pleasing to God to see them united, in order that they might together preserve what they had promised to Him.

According to the customs of the Jews, marriage comprised three successive acts. There was at first some negotiation between the two families, and an understanding — and it was here that God intervened —ending in the free consent of both parties, and their promise to wed each other.

1 Painters have frequently represented Saint Anne with Mary and the Child Jesus in their pictures of the Holy Family. But the greater number of writers place the death of Mary's parents before the Incarnation. There are, however, no texts of real historical value, nor decisive arguments on one side or the other.

2 St Luke i. 48. Mary could above all say that God had regarded His servant who was but a humble creature and nothing before the Creator. Nevertheless, it is possible that in the word Taireivwcrts, which expresses the state of humiliation, is also comprehended the humble condition to which she found herself reduced in the eyes of the world.

3 Psalm xxvii. 10.

4 St Luke i. 34.

5 Theologians have put forward various hypotheses. According to St Thomas (3b p., q. xxviii., a. 4), there was at first the desire, or rather, a conditional vow ; then the will of God being clearly made known, an absolute vow at the time of marriage. According to Suarez (De mysteriis Christi, t. II., disp. vi., sect. 2), "... Many virgins are consecrated to God by the vow of chastity, almost from the cradle ; there is every reason to believe the same of her, the chief of all virgins, who stands at the head of them all and is their perfect pattern." Of these two opinions I incline to that expressed in the passage quoted from Suarez. I have added the distinction between entire implicit consecration to God, and explicit consecration by the vow of virginity.

6 Psalm xliv. 15 (Vulgate).

7 Ignatius of Antioch: Epistola ad Ephesios, xix. (PG. v. 660).

8 This ignorance can only be explained by two reasons : the intelligence of evil spirits, turned away from truth and all that is good, is unable to fathom the mysteries of God and spiritual things ; and further, God can stay them upon the threshold of the sanctuary and prevent them from giving a complete account of what they have learned.

9 See I Corinthians vii. 32-35.

10 Ephesians v. 23-32.

11 St Bernard : super missus est homilia ii., § 16 (PL. clxxxiii. 69-70).

12 Propriety, but a propriety which is self-evident, is the chief and excellent ground of this assertion. God wished that His Son should be born under the appearance of marriage, and it was therefore necessary to make that marriage as suitable and well-assorted as was possible. Without doubt then, He gave the Virgin a spouse who was virgin also, of an age which commanded respect, without being too far removed from Mary's age. This is the reason why at the present day everyone thinks of Saint Joseph, at the time of the birth of Jesus, as a man of thirty or thirty-five years old. It was by following a false idea, and not depending upon traditional documents, that the authors of the apocryphal Gospels saw in Mary's guardian the octogenarian whom they described. This conclusion must be altogether abandoned, and it is to be regretted that any of their wrong conceptions have found their way into a part of ancient ecclesiastical literature, and in consequence into Christian art.

13 It appears impossible to separate the truth, underlying the legend of the rods sent to the High Priest in order to obtain a sign from heaven. This legend, moreover, presents itself with diverse variations and corrections. The most ancient version which has come down to us (Protevangelium of Jesus, viii., ix.) conforms neither to history, nor to the dignity of St Joseph, nor to any probability of truth. How can we credit that summons of the suitors at the sound of the trumpet, and that dazzling miracle, when God desired silence and secrecy ? By the side of the legendary explanation, it has been attempted to give the scientific explanation that some considerations relating to kinship and Jewish legislation may have obliged Mary and Joseph to make a mutual agreement ; but all this is very uncertain.

14 Prayer of the Patronage of St Joseph.

15 " Ad secundum, dicendum quod beata Virgo, antequam contraheret cum Joseph, fuit certificata divinitus quod Joseph in simili proposito erat; et ideo non se commisit periculo nubens." St Thomas on the fourth book of the Sentences, dist. xxx., quest, ii., art. I, solution 2, ad 2nn .

From SAINT MARY THE VIRGIN BY RENE-MARIE DE LA BROISE
TRANSLATED BY HAROLD GIDNEY