Sunday, December 30, 2012 - Litany Lane Blog:
Respect, Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14, Psalms, 128:1-5,Luke 2:41-52, Return from Eqypt, The Interior Trials of Mary, Finding Jesus in the Temple
Good Day Bloggers! Happy New Year et Bonne Annee!
Wishing everyone a Blessed Week!
Year of Faith - October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Purgatory and/or Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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December 25, 2012 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
Our Lady came with little Jesus in her arms and she did not give a message, but little Jesus began to speak and said : “I am your peace, live my commandments.” With a sign of the cross, Our Lady and little Jesus blessed us together.
December 2, 2012 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
Dear
children, with motherly love and motherly patience anew I call you to
live according to my Son, to spread His peace and His love, so that, as
my apostles, you may accept God's truth with all your heart and pray for
the Holy Spirit to guide you. Then you will be able to faithfully serve
my Son, and show His love to others with your life. According to the
love of my Son and my love, as a mother, I strive to bring all of my
strayed children into my motherly embrace and to show them the way of
faith. My children, help me in my motherly battle and pray with me that
sinners may become aware of their sins and repent sincerely. Pray also
for those whom my Son has chosen and consecrated in His name. Thank
you."
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Today's Word: respect re·spect [ri-spekt]
Origin: 1300–50; (noun) Middle English (< Old French ) < Latin respectus action of looking back, consideration, regard, equivalent to respec-, variant stem of respicere to look back ( re- re- + specere to look) + -tus suffix of v. action; (v.) < Latin respectus past participle of respicere
noun
1. a particular, detail, or point (usually preceded by in ): to differ in some respect.
2. relation or reference: inquiries with respect to a route.
3. esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability: I have great respect for her judgment.
4. deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment: respect for a suspect's right to counsel; to show respect for the flag; respect for the elderly.
5. the condition of being esteemed or honored: to be held in respect.
verb (used with object)
9. to hold in esteem or honor: I cannot respect a cheat.
10. to show regard or consideration for: to respect someone's rights.
11. to refrain from intruding upon or interfering with: to respect a person's privacy.
12. to relate or have reference to.
Idioms
13. in respect of, in reference to; in regard to; concerning.
14. in respect that, Archaic. because of; since.
15. pay one's respects,
a. to visit in order to welcome, greet, etc.: We paid our respects to the new neighbors.
b. to express one's sympathy, especially to survivors following a death: We paid our respects to the family.
16. with respect to, referring to; concerning: with respect to your latest request.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 128:1-5
1 [Song of Ascents] How blessed are all who fear Yahweh, who walk in his ways!2 Your own labours will yield you a living, happy and prosperous will you be.
3 Your wife a fruitful vine in the inner places of your house. Your children round your table like shoots of an olive tree.
4 Such are the blessings that fall on those who fear Yahweh.
5 May Yahweh bless you from Zion! May you see Jerusalem prosper all the days of your life,
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Today's Epistle - Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14
2 for the Lord honours the father above his children and upholds the rights of a mother over her sons.3 Whoever respects a father expiates sins,
4 whoever honours a mother is like someone amassing a fortune.
5 Whoever respects a father will in turn be happy with children, the day he prays for help, he will be heard.
6 Long life comes to anyone who honours a father, whoever obeys the Lord makes a mother happy.
12 My child, support your father in his old age, do not grieve him during his life.
13 Even if his mind should fail, show him sympathy, do not despise him in your health and strength;
14 for kindness to a father will not be forgotten but will serve as reparation for your sins.
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Today's Gospel Reading - Luke 2: 41-52
Mary and Joseph find Jesus
Among the doctors in the Temple in Jerusalem
Luke 2: 41-52
Among the doctors in the Temple in Jerusalem
Luke 2: 41-52
1. Opening prayer
Father in heaven, you are my creator,
you welcome me through Jesus Christ your Son, you guide me by your Holy
Spirit. Enlighten my mind so that I may understand the meaning of the
life you have granted me, the plan you have for me and for those you
have placed at my side. Enkindle fire in my heart so that I may follow
your revelation joyfully and enthusiastically. Strengthen my weak will,
unite it to the will of others so that, together, we may do your will
and thus build the world as one family more and more in your image. You
who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen
2. Lectio: A reading of Lk 2:41-52
41
Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the
Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to
custom; 43 and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the
boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44
but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and
they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; 45 and when they
did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 After
three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions; 47 and all who heard him
were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when they saw
him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you
treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you
anxiously." 49 And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did
you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" 50 And they did not
understand the saying which he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with
them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept
all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favour with God and man.
3. A time of silence so that the Word of God may enter our hearts and enlighten our lives.
4. Meditatio: A few questions to direct our meditation and practice.
Why does Luke, the Evangelist, tell us
this story in Jesus’ life? Where is the climax, the centre of the
passage? There are times when family (community) relationships become
tense and difficult and misunderstandings take place. Do we seek
autonomy and independence? Who or what becomes more important at a
particular time in our life? Can we organise hierarchically our
relationships, our self-affirmation, our values, our tasks, morality?
Today, we often find “enlarged” families (multi-ethnic communities)
with re-married parents, partners, daughters and sons, sisters and
brothers, grandparents, parents of one partner and not of the other. On
whom can we rely? Can we submit to one person or just rebel?
5. A key to the reading
We find ourselves among the so-called
infancy stories according to Luke (chap. 1-2). This is the final
passage, a theological and christological prologue rather that a
historical one, where we are presented with motifs that recur later in
Luke’s catechesis: the Temple, the journey towards Jerusalem, divine
filiation, the poor, the merciful Father, etc. Reading back, in Jesus’
childhood there already appear signs of his future life. Mary and
Joseph take Jesus to Jerusalem to take part in one of the three
pilgrimages (the Passover, Pentecost and the feast of the Tabernacles)
prescribed by the Law (Dt 16:16). During the seven days of the feast,
people took part in the cult and listened to the Rabbis who discussed
beneath the portico of the Temple. “The boy Jesus stayed behind in
Jerusalem”, the city the Lord chose for his throne (2K 21:4-7; Jer
3:17; Zc 3:2), and where the Temple is found (Ps 68:30; 76:3; 135:21),
the only place of worship for the Jews (Jn 4:20). Jerusalem is the
place where “all that was written by the prophets concerning the Son of
man will be fulfilled” (Lk 18:21), the place of “his departure” (Lk
9:31.51; 24:18) and of his appearances after the resurrection (Lk
24;33.36-49). His parents “sought him” anxiously and troubled
(44.45.48.49). How is it possible to lose a son, not to realise that
Jesus is not in the caravan? Is it Christ who has to follow others or
vice versa? “Three days later” the “passion” ends and they find Jesus
in the Temple, among the doctors, teaching to the amazement of all. The
characteristics of his mission begin to unfold and this mission is
summarised in the first words that Jesus speaks in Luke’s Gospel “Why
were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be busy with my
Father’s affairs?” But who is his father? Why seek him? This is the
same father mentioned in Jesus’ last words, in Luke, on the cross
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (23:46) and at the
ascension into heaven “And now I am sending down to you what the Father
has promised” (24:49). Above all, we must seek to obey God, as Peter
well understood after Pentecost (Acts 5:29), seek the Kingdom of God and
his justice (Mt 6:33), seek the Father in prayer (Mt 7:7-8), seek
Jesus (Jn 1:38) and follow him. Jesus proclaims his dependence - “I
must” – on his heavenly Father. He reveals the Father in his immense
goodness (Lk 15), but he thus creates a distance, a break, with his
family. Before all affective ties, all personal fulfilment, all
affairs… comes God’s project. “Father, if you are willing, take this
cup away from me. Nevertheless, let your will be done, not mine” (Lk
22: 42). Simeon’s prophecy (Lk 2:34) begins to happen for Mary, “but
they did not understand”. His parents’ lack of understanding is also
that of his disciples concerning the foretelling of the passion
(18:34). Rebel? Submit? Walk away? Jesus “went down with them and came
to Nazareth and lived under their authority”, says Luke, and Mary
“stored up all these things in her heart”. Mary’s attitude expresses
the development of faith in a person who grows and progresses in
knowledge of the mystery. Jesus reveals that obedience to God is the
essential condition for fulfilling one’s life, for a way of sharing in
the family and in community. Obedience to the Father is what makes us
brothers and sisters, teaches us to obey each other, to listen to each
other and recognise God’s plan in each other. Such an atmosphere
creates the conditions necessary to grow “in wisdom, in stature, and in
favour with God and men” and to journey together.
6. Oratio: Psalm 83 (84)
The pilgrim’s hymn
How lovely is thy dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young, at thy altars,
O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young, at thy altars,
O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in thy house,
ever singing thy praise!
Blessed are the men whose strength is in thee,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
ever singing thy praise!
Blessed are the men whose strength is in thee,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear,
O God of Jacob!
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear,
O God of Jacob!
7. Contemplatio: Closing prayer
I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, because you have revealed to me your goodness and your love. You
really are the only One who can give full meaning to my life. I love
my father, but you are my Father; I love my mother, but you are my
Mother. Even if I had not known the love of my parents, I know that you
are Love, you are with me and you are waiting for me in your eternal
dwelling place prepared for me from the beginning of creation. Grant
that, together with me, the members of my family, sisters and brothers,
all those who journey in community with me, may do your will so as to
foreshadow on earth and then enjoy in heaven the wonders of your love.
Amen
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: Feria
Feast Day: December 30
Patron Saint:
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Today's Snippet I: Flight into Egypt
Book 4, Chapter 9
The Mystical City of God,
The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
THE
SWEET AND INTIMATE COMMUNICATIONS OF JESUS AND MARY; THEIR RETURN FROM EGYPT.
These words of the Infant Jesus, being full of divine life,
filled the heart of the patriarch saint Joseph with new love, reverence and joy.
He fell on his knees before the infant God with the profoundest humility and
thanked Him for having called Him "father" by the very first word
spoken to him. He besought the Lord with many tears to enlighten him and enable
him to fulfill entirely his most holy will, to teach him to be thankful for
the incomparable benefits flowing from his generous hands. Parents who
love their children very much are touched with consolation and pride to see
their children show great signs of wisdom and virtue; and even when this is not
the case, they are naturally inclined to extol and make much of their childish
pranks and sayings; for all this is the result of their tender affection for
their young offspring. Although saint Joseph was not the natural, but the
foster-father of Jesus, his love for Him exceeded by far all the love of parents
for their children, since in him grace, or even natural love, was more powerful
than others, yea than in all the parents together. Hence the joy of his soul is
to be measured by this love and appreciation of saint Joseph as being the
foster-father of the Infant Jesus. For he at the same time heard himself called
the father of the Son of the eternal Father, and saw Him so beautiful in grace,
while listening to such exalted wisdom and knowledge in the Child.
During the whole of this first year his sweetest Mother had
wrapped the infant God in clothes and coverings usual with other children; for
He did not wish to be distinguished in this from others, and He wished to bear
witness to his true humanity and to his love for mortals, enduring this
inconvenience otherwise not required of Him. His boundless love for mortals
inflamed Her with loving gratitude toward the Lord and produced in her heroic
acts of many virtues. Seeing that the Child Jesus desired no footgear and only
one garment, She said to Him: "My Son and my Lord, thy Mother has not the
heart to allow Thee to go barefoot upon the ground at thy tender age; permit me,
my Love, to provide some kind of covering to protect them. I also fear that the
rough garment, which Thou askest of me, will wound thy tender body, if thou
permit no linen to be worn beneath." "My Mother, I will permit a
slight and ordinary covering for my feet until the time of my public preaching
shall come, for this I must do barefooted. But I do not wish to wear linen,
because it foments carnal pleasures, and is the causes of many vices in men. I
wish to teach many by my example to renounce it for love and imitation of
Me."
Immediately the great Queen set diligently about fulfilling
the will of her most holy Son. Procuring some wool in its natural and uncolored
state, She spun it very finely with her own hands and of it She wove a garment
of one piece and without any seam, similar to knitted stuff, or rather like
twilled cloth; for it was woven of twisted cords, not like smooth-woven goods.
She wove it upon a small loom, by meshes, crocheting it of one seamless piece in
a mysterious manner (John 19, 23). Two things were wonderful about it: that it
was entirely even and uniform, without any folds, and that, at her request, the
natural color was changed to a more suitable one, which was a mixture of brown
and a most exquisite silver-gray, so that it could not be called either,
appearing to be neither altogether brown, nor silvery, nor gray, but having a
mixture of them all. She also wove a pair of sandals of strong thread, like
hempen shoes, with which She covered the feet of the infant God. Besides these
She made a half tunic of linen, which was to serve as an undergarment. In the
next chapter I shall tell what happened when She clothed the Infant Jesus.
From the time the Child Jesus was on his feet He commenced to
retire and spent certain hours of the day in the oratory of his Mother. As the
most prudent Mother was anxious to know his wishes in regard to her interactions
with Him, the Lord responded to her mute appeal, saying: "My Mother, enter
and remain with Me always in order that thou mayest imitate Me in my works for I
wish that in thee be modeled and exhibited the high perfection which I desire to
see accomplished in the souls. For if they had not resisted my first intentions
(I Tim. 2, 4), they would have been endowed with my most abundant and copious
gifts; but since the human race has hindered this, I have chosen thee as the
vessel of all perfection and of the treasures of my right hand, which the rest
of the creatures have abused and lost. Observe me therefore in all my actions
for the purpose of imitating Me."
Thus the heavenly Lady was installed anew as the Disciple of
her most holy Son. Thenceforward passed such great and hidden mysteries between
these Two, that not until the day of eternity will they be known. Many times the
divine Child prostrated Himself on the ground, at others He was raised from the
ground in the form of a cross, earnestly praying to the eternal Father for the
salvation of mortals. In all this his most loving Mother imitated Him. For to
Her were manifest the interior operations of his most holy soul, just as well as
the exterior movements of his body. Of this knowledge of most pure Mary I have
spoken in other parts of this history and it is necessary to point it out often,
because this was the source of the light which guided Her in her holy life. It
was such a singular blessing that all creatures together will not be able to
understand or describe it by their united powers. The great Lady did not always
enjoy visions of the Divinity; but always the sight of the most holy humanity
and soul of her Son with all their activities. In a special manner She was
witness of the effects of the hypostatic and beatific union of the humanity with
the Divinity. Although She did not always see this glory and this union
substantially; yet She perceived the interior acts by which his humanity
reverenced, loved and magnified the Divinity to which it was united; and this
privilege was reserved solely to most holy Mary.
On these occasions it often happened that the Child Jesus in
the presence of his most holy Mother wept and perspired blood, for this happened
many times before his agony in the garden. Then the blessed Lady would wipe his
face interiorly perceiving and knowing the cause of this agony, namely the loss
of the foreknown and of those who would be ungrateful for the benefits of their
Creator and Redeemer and in whom the works of the infinite power and goodness of
the Lord would be wasted. At other times the blessed Mother would find Him
refulgent with heavenly light and surrounded by angels that sang sweet hymns of
praise; and She was made aware, that the heavenly Father was pleased in his
beloved and Onlybegotten Son (Matth. 17, 5). All these wonders commenced from
the time when at the age of one year He began to walk, witnessed only by his
most holy Mother, whose heart was to be the treasure-house of his wonders. The
works of love, praise and worshipful gratitude, his petitions for the human
race, all exceed my ability to describe. I must refer the understanding of it to
the faith and piety of the Christians.
Many of the children of Heliopolis gathered around the Child
Jesus, as it is natural with children of similar age and condition. Since they
were free from great malice and were not given to inquire, whether He was more
than man, but freely admitted the heavenly light, the Master of truth welcomed
them as far as was befitting. He instilled into them the knowledge of God and of
the virtues; He taught and catechised them in the way of eternal life, even more
abundantly than the adults. As his words were full of life and strength. He won
their hearts and impressed his truths so deeply upon them, that all those, who
had this good fortune, afterwards became great and saintly men; for in the
course of time they ripened in themselves the fruit of this heavenly seed sown
so early into their souls.
The Child Jesus reached the end of his seventh year while
in Egypt, which was also the term set by the eternal Wisdom for his mysterious
sojourn in that land. In order that the prophecies might he fulfilled, it was
necessary that He return to Nazareth. This decree the eternal Father
intimated to his most holy Son on a certain day in the presence of his
holy Mother and while She was with Him in prayer. She saw it mirrored in his
deified soul and She saw how He submitted to it in obedience to the Father.
Therein the great Lady joined Him, although they had already become better
acquainted and habituated to their present abode than to their own native city
of Nazareth. Neither the Mother nor the Son made known to saint Joseph this new
decree of heaven. But in that very night the angel of the Lord spoke to him in
his sleep, as Matthew relates (Matth. 2, 19), and bade him take the Child and
its Mother and return to the land of Israel for Herod and those who with him had
sought the life of the Child, were dead. So much value does the Almighty set on
the proper order in created things, that, though Jesus was the true God and his
Mother so highly exalted above saint Joseph in sanctity, He did not permit the
arrangements of this journey to proceed from his Son nor from his Mother, but
from saint Joseph, who was the head of this Family. God intended to teach all
mortals, that He wishes all things to be governed by the natural order set up by
his Providence; and that the inferiors and subjects of the mystical body of the
Church, even though they may excel in virtue and in certain other respects, must
obey and submit to their superiors and prelates in the visible order.
They departed for Palestine in the company of angels as on
their way thence. The great Queen sat on the ass with the divine Child on her
lap and saint Joseph walked afoot, closely following the Son and Mother. On
account of the loss of such great Benefactors their acquaintances and friends
were very sorrowful at the news of their departure; with incredible weeping and
sighing they saw Them leave, knowing and loudly complaining, that they were now
losing all their consolation and refuge in their necessities. If the divine
power had not interfered, the holy Family would have found great difficulty in
leaving Heliopolis; for its inhabitants began to feel the night of their
miseries secretly setting upon their hearts at the parting of the Sun, which had
dispersed and brightened its darkness (John 1, 9). In traversing the inhabited
country they passed through some towns of Egypt, where They scattered their
graces and blessings. The news of their passage spreading about, all the sick,
the afflicted and disconsolate gathered to seek Them out, and they found
themselves relieved in body and soul. Many of the sick were cured, many demons
were expelled without their knowing who it was that thus hurled them back to
hell. Yet they felt the divine power, which compelled them and wrought such
blessings among men.
They reached Nazareth, their home, for the Child was to be
called a Nazarene. They found their former humble house in charge of the devout
cousin of saint Joseph, who, as I have mentioned in the twelfth chapter of the
third book, had offered to serve him while our Queen was absent in the house of
Elisabeth. Before They had left Judea for Egypt, saint Joseph had written to this
woman, asking her to take care of the house and what it contained. They found it
all in good condition and his cousin received Them with great joy on account of
her love for the great Queen, though at the same time she did not
know of her dignity. The heavenly Lady entered with her Son and saint Joseph,
and immediately She prostrated Herself in adoration of the Lord and in
thanksgiving for having led Them, safe from the cruelty of Herod, to this
retreat, and preserved Them in the dangers of their banishment and their long
and arduous journeys. Above all did She render thanks for having returned in
company with her Son, now grown both in years and in grace and virtue (Luke 2,
40).
Taking counsel with her divine Child She proceeded to set up
a rule of life and regulate her pious practices; not that She had failed to
observe a rule of life on her journey; for the most prudent Lady, in imitation
of her Son, had always observed the most perfect order according to
circumstances. But being now peacefully settled in her home She wished to
include many exercises, which on the journey were impossible. Her greatest
solicitude was always to cooperate with her most holy Son for the salvation of
souls which was the work most urgently enjoined upon her by the eternal Father.
Toward this most high end our Queen directed all her practices in union with the
Redeemer, and this was their constant occupation, as we shall see in the course
of this second part. The holy Joseph also ordered his occupations and his work
so as most worthily to earn sustenance for the divine Child and his Mother as
well as for himself. That which in other sons of Adam is considered a punishment
and a hardship was to this holy Patriarch a great happiness. For while others
were condemned to sustain their natural life by the labor of their hands in the
sweat of their brows, saint Joseph was blessed and consoled beyond measure to
know, that he had been chosen by his labor and sweat to support God himself and
his Mother, to whom belonged heaven and earth and all that they contain (Esther
13, 10).
The Queen of the angels herself undertook to pay the debt of
gratitude due to saint Joseph for his labors and solicitude. Accordingly She
provided his meals and attended to his comforts with incredible care and most
loving gratitude. She was obedient to him in all things and humbled Herself
before Him as if She were his handmaid and not his spouse, or, what is more, not
the Mother of the Creator and Lord of all. She accounted Herself unworthy of
existence and of being suffered to walk upon the earth; for She thought it just,
that She should be in want of all things. In the consciousness of having been
created out of nothing and therefore unable to make any return for either this
benefit or, according to her estimation, for any of the others, She established
in Herself such a rare humility, that She thought Herself less than the dust and
unworthy to mingle with it. For the least favor She gave admirable thanks to the
Lord, as to the first cause and origin of them all, and to creatures as to the
instruments of his bounty. To some She gave thanks because they conferred favors
upon Her, to others because they had denied them; and to others again because
they bore with Her in patience. She acknowledged Herself as indebted to all of
them, though She filled them with the blessings of sweetness and placed herself
at the feet of all, seeking ingenious means and artifices to let no instant and
no occasion pass for practicing the most perfect and exalted virtues to the
Admiration of the angels and the pleasure and the delight of the Most High.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of
Agreda, Spain.)
My daughter, while journeying at the command of the Lord from
one country to another and during the works enjoined upon me, my heart
was never troubled nor my spirit cast down; for I always held myself prepared to
fulfill entirely the will of God. Although the Lord made known to Me his high
ends, yet this was not always done at the beginning, thus permitting me to
endure so much the greater sufferings; for in obeying the Lord no further
reason is necessary than that the Lord Creator so commands and disposes. The
souls must accustom themselves to look for this motive alone and to learn solely
to please the Lord, without distinguishing between fortunate or unfortunate
events and without looking to their own inclinations. In this kind of wisdom I
wish that thou advance. In imitation of me and to satisfy thy obligations toward
my most holy Son, do thou receive prosperity or adversity in this mortal life
with unmoved countenance and with equanimity and peace or mind. Let not the one
grieve, nor the other vainly rejoice thee; but attend only to all that which the
Almighty ordains according to his pleasure.
Human life is interwoven thus variously with both kinds of
events; some of them according, others contrary to the likings of mortals; some
which they, abhor others which they desire. As the human heart is limited and
narrow it immoderately inclines to extremes, boundlessly desiring what it loves
and likes, and, on the other hand, grieving and sorrowing at what it abhors and
dislikes. These changeful moods and fluctuations create danger for all or many
virtues. The disorderly love for one creature which it cannot attain, moves the
soul presently to desire another, expecting a balm for its disappointment in the
former. And if it is successful, the soul becomes involved and flurried in the
desire of retaining what it possesses, thus casting itself by these velleities
into still greater disorders and passions. Attend, therefore, dearest, to this
danger and attack it at the root by preserving thy heart independent and riveted
only on the divine Providence, without ever allowing it to incline toward what
it desires or longs for, or to abhor what is painful to it. Let the will of the
Lord be thy only delight and joy. Let neither thy desires draw thee on, nor thy
fears dishearten thee. Let not thy exterior occupations, and much less thy
regard or attention to creatures, ever impede thee or divert thee from thy holy
exercises, attending always to my example. Seek thou lovingly and diligently to
follow in my footsteps.
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Today's Snippet II:
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Book 5, Chapter 1
The Mystical City of God,
The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
Concerning the Perfection with which the most Holy Mary copied
and Imitated the Activity of the Soul of Christ;
how the Incarnate
Word Instructed Her in the Laws of grace, the Articles of Faith,
the Sacraments, the Ten Commandments; and with what
Alacrity and Noble Promptitude She Corresponded. Also concerning the Death of Saint Joseph, the
Preaching of Saint John, the call of the First Disciples and the Baptism
Of the Virgin Mary, our Blessed Lady
INTERIOR TRIALS OF MARY; JESUS IN THE TEMPLE.
Already Jesus, Mary and Joseph had settled in Nazareth and
thus changed their poor and humble dwelling into a heaven. In order to describe
the mysteries and sacraments which passed between the divine Child and his
purest Mother before his twelfth year and later on, until his public preaching,
many chapters and many books would be required; and in them all, I would be able
to relate but the smallest part in view of the vastness of the subject
and the insignificance of such an ignorant woman as I am. Even with the light
given me by this great Lady I can speak of only a few incidents and must leave
the greater part unsaid. It is not possible or befitting to us mortals to
comprehend all these mysteries in this life, since they are reserved for future
life.
Shortly after their return from Egypt to Nazareth the Lord
resolved to try his most holy Mother in the same manner as He had tried her in
her childhood as the first-born Daughter of the new Law of grace, the
most perfect copy of his ideals and the most pliant material, upon which, as on
liquid wax, should be set the seal of his doctrine of holiness, so that the Son
and the Mother might be the two true tablets of the new law of the world (Exod.
31, 18). For this purpose of the infinite wisdom He manifested to Her all the
mysteries of the evangelical law and of his doctrine; and this was the subject
of his instructions from the time of their return from Egypt until his public
preaching, as we shall see in the course of this history. In these hidden
sacraments the incarnate Word and his holy Mother occupied themselves during the
twenty-three years of their stay in Nazareth. As all this concerned the heavenly
Mother alone (whose life the holy Evangelists did not profess to narrate), the
writers of the Gospel made no mention of it, excepting that which was related of
the Child Jesus, when, in his twelfth year, he was lost in Jerusalem. During all
those years Mary alone was the disciple of Christ.
In order to rear in the heart of the purest Virgin this
edifice of holiness to a height beyond all that is not God, the Lord laid its
foundations accordingly, trying the strength of her love and of all her other
virtues. For this purpose the Lord withdrew Himself, causing Her to lose Him
from her sight, which until then had caused Her to revel in continual joy and
delight. I do not wish to say, that the Lord left her bodily; but, still
remaining with Her and in Her by an ineffable presence and grace, He hid himself
from her interior sight and suspended the tokens of his most sweet affection.
The heavenly Lady in the meanwhile knew not the inward cause of this behavior,
as the Lord gave Her no explanation. Moreover her divine Son, without any
forewarning showed Himself very reserved and withdrew from her society. Many
times He retired and spoke but few words to Her, and even these with great
earnestness and majesty.
This unannounced and unexpected change was the crucible in
which the purest gold of the love of our Queen was cleansed and assayed.
Surprised at what was happening, She immediately took refuge in the humble
opinion She had of Herself, deeming Herself unworthy of the vision of the Lord,
who now had hidden Himself. She attributed it all to her want of correspondence
and to her ingratitude for the blessings She had obtained from the most generous
and exalted Father of mercies. The most prudent Queen did not feel so much the
privation of his delightful caresses, as the dread of having displeased him and
of having fallen short in his service. This was the arrow that pierced Her heart
with grief. One filled with such true and noble love could not feel less; for
all delight of love is founded in the pleasure and satisfaction given by the
lover to the one beloved, and therefore He cannot rest, when he suspects that
the beloved is not contented or pleased. The loving sighs of his Mother were
highly pleasing to her most holy Son. He was enamored with Her anew and the
tender affection of his only and chosen One wounded his heart (Cant. 4, 9). But
whenever the sweet Mother sought Him out in order to hold converse with Him He
continued to show exterior reserve. Just as the flame of a forge or a
conflagration is intensified by the application of insufficient water, so the
flame of love in the heart of the sweetest Mother was fanned to an intenser
blaze by this adversity.
The single-hearted Dove exercised Herself in heroic acts of
all the virtues. She humbled Herself below the dust; She reverenced Her Son in
deepest adoration; She blessed the Father, thanking Him for his admirable works
and blessings and conforming Herself to his wishes and pleasure; She sought to
know his will in order to fulfill it in all things; She unceasingly renewed her
acts of faith, hope and burning love; and in all her actions and in all
circumstances this most fragrant spikenard gave forth the odor of sweetness for
Him, the King of kings, who rested in her heart as in his flowery and perfumed
couch (Cant. 1, 11). She persevered in her tearful prayers, with continual
sighing and longing from her inmost heart; She poured forth her prayers in the
presence of the Lord and recounted her tribulation before the throne of the God
(Ps. 141, 3).
Upon the request of the loving Mother saint Joseph had made a
couch, which She covered with a single blanket and upon which the Child Jesus
rested and took his sleep; for from the time in which He had left the cradle,
when they were yet in Egypt, He would not accept of any other bed or of more
covering. Although He did not stretch Himself out on this couch, nor even always
made use of it, He sometimes reclined in a sitting posture upon it, resting upon
a poor pillow made of wool by the same Lady. When She spoke of preparing for him
a better resting-place, her most holy Son answered, that the only couch upon
which He was to be stretched out, was that of his Cross, in order to teach men
by his example (I Pet. 2, 21), that no one can enter eternal rest by things
beloved of Babylon and that to suffer is our true relief in mortal life.
Thenceforward the heavenly Lady imitated him in this manner of taking rest with
new earnestness and attention. Thirty days passed in this conflict; and they
equalled many ages in the estimation of Her, who deemed it impossible to live
even one moment without the love and without the Beloved of her soul. After such
delay (according to our way of speaking), the heart of the Child Jesus could no
longer contain itself or resist further the immense force of his love for his
sweetest Mother; for also the Lord suffered a delightful and wonderful violence
in thus holding Her in such a suspense and affliction. It happened that the
humble and sovereign Queen one day approached her Son Jesus, and, throwing
Herself at his feet, with tears and sighs coming from her inmost heart, spoke to
Him as follows: "My sweetest Love and highest Good, of what account am I,
the insignificant dust and ashes, before thy vast power? What is the misery of a
creature in comparison with thy endless affluence? In all things Thou excellest
our lowliness and thy immense sea of mercy overwhelms our imperfections and
defects. If I have not been zealous in serving Thee, as I am constrained to
confess, do Thou chastise my negligence and pardon it. But let me, my Son and
Lord, see the gladness of thy countenance, which is my salvation and the
wished-for light of my life and being. Here at thy feet I lay my poverty,
mingling it with the dust, and I shall not rise from it until I can again look
into the mirror, which reflects my soul."
These and other pleadings, full of wisdom and ardent love,
the great Queen poured humbly forth before her most holy Son. And as his
longings to restore her to his delights were even greater than those of the
blessed Lady, He pronounced with great sweetness these few words "My
Mother, arise." As these words were pronounced by Him, who is Himself the
Word of the eternal Father, it had such an effect, that the heavenly Mother was
instantly transformed and elevated into a most exalted ecstasy, in which She saw
the Divinity by an abstractive vision. In it the Lord received Her with sweetest
welcome and embraces of a Father and Spouse, changing Her tears into rejoicing,
her sufferings into delight and her bitterness into highest sweetness. The Lord
manifested to Her great secrets of the scope of his new evangelical law. Wishing
to write it entirely into her purest heart, the most holy Trinity appointed and
destined Her as his first-born Daughter and the first disciple of the incarnate
Word and set Her up as the model and pattern for all the holy Apostles, Martyrs,
Doctors, Confessors, Virgins and other just of the new Church and of the law of
grace, which the incarnate Word was to establish for the Redemption of man.
Some days after our Queen and Lady with her most holy Son and
saint Joseph had settled in Nazareth, the time of the year in which the Jews
were obliged to present themselves before the Lord in the temple of Jerusalem,
was at hand. This commandment obliged the Jews to this duty three times each
year, as can be seen in Exodus and Deuteronomy. But it obliged only the men, not
the women (Exod. 23, 17); therefore the women could go or not, according to
their devotion; for it was neither commanded nor prohibited to them. The
heavenly Lady and her spouse conferred with each other as to what they should do
in this regard. The holy husband much desired the company of the great Queen,
his wife, and of her most holy Son; for he wished to offer Him anew to the
eternal Father in the temple. The most pure Mother also was drawn by her piety
to worship the Lord in the temple; but as in things of that kind She did not
permit Herself to decide without the counsel and direction of the incarnate
Word, her Teacher, She asked his advice upon this matter. They finally arranged,
that two times a year saint Joseph was to go to Jerusalem by himself, while on
the third occasion They would go together. The Israelites visited the temple on
the feast of the Tabernacles (Deut. 16, 5), the feast of the Weeks, or
Pentecost, and the feast of the unleavened Breads or the Pasch of the
preparation. To this latter the sweetest Jesus, most pure Mary, and Joseph went
up together. It lasted seven days and during that time happened what I shall
relate in the next chapter. For the other solemnities saint Joseph went alone,
leaving the Child and the Mother at home.
As I have said, Mary and Joseph repeated their visit to the
temple at the feast of the unleavened Bread every year. Also when the divine
Child was twelve years old and when it was time to allow the splendors his
inaccessible and divine light to shine forth, They went to the temple for this
feast (Luke 2, 42). This festival of the unleavened Bread lasted seven days,
according to the command of the divine law; and the more solemn days were the
first and the last. On this account heavenly Pilgrims remained in Jerusalem
during the whole week, spending their time in acts of worship and devotion as
the rest of the Jews, although on account the sacraments connected with each of
Them their worship and devotion was entirely different and greatly above that of
the others. The blessed Mother and holy Joseph received during these days favors
and blessings beyond the conception of the human mind.
Having thus spent all the seven days of the feast. They
betook themselves on their way home to Nazareth. When his parents departed from
Jerusalem and were pursuing their way homeward, the Child Jesus withdrew from
them without their knowledge. For this purpose the Lord availed Himself of the
separation of the men and women, which had become customary among the pilgrims
for reasons of decency as well as for greater recollection during their return
homeward. The children which accompanied their parents were taken in charge
promiscuously either by the men or the women, since their company with either
was a matter of indifference. Thus it happened that saint Joseph could easily
suppose that the Child Jesus had remained with his most holy Mother, with whom
He generally remained. The thought that She would go without Him was far from
his mind, since the heavenly Queen loved and delighted in Him more than any
other creature human or angelic. The great Lady did not have so many reasons for
supposing that her most holy Son was in the company of saint Joseph: but the
Lord himself so diverted her thoughts by holy and divine contemplations, that
She did not notice his absence at first. When afterwards She became aware of her
not being accompanied by her sweetest and beloved Son, She supposed that the
blessed Joseph had taken Him along and that the Lord accompanied his
foster-father for his consolation.
Thus assured, holy Mary and Joseph pursued their home journey
for an entire day, as saint Luke tells us. As the pilgrims proceeded onwards
they gradually thinned out, each taking his own direction and joining again with
his wife or family. The most holy Mary and saint Joseph found themselves at
length in the place where they had agreed to meet on the first evening after
leaving Jerusalem. When the great Lady saw that the Child was not with saint
Joseph and when the holy Patriarch found that He was not with his Mother, the
two were struck dumb with amazement and surprise for quite a while. Both,
governed in their judgment by their most profound humility, felt overwhelmed
with self-reproach at their remissness in watching over their most holy Son and
thus blamed themselves for his absence; for neither of them had any suspicion of
the mysterious manner in which He had been able to elude their vigilance. After
a time they recovered somewhat from their astonishment and with deepest sorrow
took counsel with each other as to what was to be done (Luke 2, 45). The loving
Mother said to saint Joseph: "My Spouse and my master, my heart cannot
rest, unless we return with all haste to Jerusalem in order to seek my most holy
Son." This they proceeded to do, beginning their search among their
relations and friends, of whom, however, none could give them any information or
any comfort in their sorrow; on the contrary their answers only increased their
anxiety, since none of them had so much as seen their Son since their departure
from Jerusalem.
Thus this sincerest Dove persevered in her tears and groans
without cessation or rest, without sleeping or eating anything for three whole
days. Although the thousand angels accompanied Her in corporeal forms and
witnessed her affliction and sorrow, yet they gave Her no clue to find her lost
Child. On the third day the great Queen resolved to seek Him in the desert where
saint John was; for since She saw no indications that Archelaus had taken Him
prisoner, She began to believe more firmly, that her most holy Son was with
saint John. When She was about to execute her resolve and was on the point of
departing for the desert, the holy angels detained Her, urging Her not to
undertake the journey, since the divine Word was not there. She wanted also to
go to Bethlehem, in the hope of finding Him in the cave of the Nativity; but
this the holy angels likewise prevented, telling Her that He was not so far off.
Although the blessed Mother heard these answers and well perceived that the holy
angels knew the whereabouts of the Child Jesus, She was so considerate and
reserved in her humility and prudence, that She gave no response, nor asked
where She could find Him; for She understood that they withheld this information
by command of the Lord. With such magnanimous reverence did the Queen of the
angels treat the sacraments of the Most High and of his ministers and
ambassadors (II Mach. 2, 9). This was one of the occasions in which the
greatness of her queenly and magnanimous heart was made manifest.
Not all the sorrows suffered by all the martyrs ever reached
the height of the sorrows of most holy Mary in this trial; nor will the
patience, resignation and tolerance of this Lady ever be equalled, nor can they;
for the loss of Jesus was greater to Her than the loss of anything created,
while her love and appreciation of Him exceeded all that can be conceived by any
other creature. Since She did not know the cause of the loss, her anxiety was
beyond all measure, as I have already said. Moreover, during these three days
the Lord left Her to her natural resources of nature and of grace, deprived of
special privileges and favors; for, with the exception of the company and
companionship of the angels, He suspended all the other consolations and
blessings so constantly vouchsafed to her most holy soul. From all this we can
surmise what sorrow filled the loving heart of the heavenly Mother. But, O
prodigy of holiness, prudence, fortitude and perfection! In such unheard of
affliction and sorrow She was not disturbed, nor lost her interior or exterior
peace, nor did She entertain a thought of anger or indignation, nor allowed
Herself any improper movement or expression, nor fell into any excess of grief
or annoyance, as is so common in great affliction with other children of Adam,
who allow all their passions and faculties to be disarranged, yea even in small
difficulties! The Mistress of all virtue held all Her powers in heavenly order
and harmony; though her sorrow was without comparison great and had pierced her
inmost heart, She failed not in reverence and in the praise of the Lord, nor
ceased in her prayers and petitions for the human race, and for the finding of
her most holy Son.
With this heavenly wisdom and with greatest diligence She
sought Him for three successive days, roaming through the streets of the city,
asking different persons and describing to the daughters of Jerusalem the marks
of her Beloved, searching the byways and the open squares of the city and
thereby fulfilling what was recorded in the Canticles of Solomon (Cant. 5, 10).
Some of the women asked Her what were the distinctive marks of her lost and only
Son; and She answered in the words of the Spouse: "My Beloved is white and
ruddy, chosen out of thousands." One of the women, hearing Her thus
describing Him, said: "This Child, with those same marks, came yesterday to
my door to ask for alms, and I gave some to Him; and his grace and beauty have
ravished my heart. And when I gave Him alms, I felt myself overcome by
compassion to see a Child so gracious in poverty and want." These were the
first news the sorrowful Mother heard of her Onlybegotten in Jerusalem. A little
respited in her sorrow, She pursued her quest and met other persons, who spoke
of Him in like manner. Guided by this information She directed her steps to the
hospital of the city, thinking that among the afflicted She would find the
Spouse and the Originator of patient poverty among his own legitimate brethren
and friends (Matth. 5, 40). Inquiring at that place, She was informed that a
Child of that description had paid his visits to the inmates, leaving some alms
and speaking words of much consolation to the afflicted.
The report of these doings of her Beloved caused sentiments
of sweetest and most tender affection in the heart of the heavenly Lady, which
She sent forth from her inmost heart as messengers to her lost and absent Son.
Then the thought struck Her, that, since He was not with the poor, He no doubt
tarried in the temple, as in the house of God and of prayer. The holy angels
encouraged Her and said: "Our Queen and Lady, the hour of thy consolation
is at hand: soon wilt Thou see the Light of thy eyes; hasten thy footsteps and
go to the temple." The glorious patriarch saint Joseph at this moment again
met his Spouse, for, in order to increase their chance of finding the divine
Child, they had separated in different directions. By another angel he had now
been likewise ordered to proceed to the temple. During all these three days he
had suffered unspeakable sorrow and affliction, hastening from one place to
another, sometimes without his heavenly Spouse, sometimes with Her. He was in
serious danger of losing his life during this time, if the hand of the Lord had
not strengthened Him and if the most prudent Lady had not consoled him and
forced him to take some food and rest. His sincere and exquisite love for the
divine Child made him so anxious and solicitous to find Him, that he would have
allowed himself no time or care to take nourishment for the support of nature.
It was very near to the gate of the city, that the divine
Child turned and hastened back through the streets. Foreseeing in his divine
fore-knowledge all that was to happen, He offered it up to his eternal Father
for the benefit of souls. He asked for alms during these three days in order to
ennoble from that time on humble mendicity as the first-born of holy poverty. He
visited the hospitals of the poor, consoling them and giving them the alms which
He had received; secretly He restored bodily health to some and spiritual health
to many, enlightening them interiorly and leading them back to the way of
salvation. On some of the benefactors, who gave Him alms, He performed these
wonders with greater abundance of grace and light; thus fulfilling from that
time on the promise, which He was afterwards to make to his Church; that he who
gives to the just and to the prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive the
reward of the just (Matth. 10, 41).
Having thus busied Himself with these and other works of his
Father, He betook Himself to the temple. On the day which the Evangelist
mentions it happened that also the rabbis, who were the learned and the teachers
of the temple, met in a certain part of the buildings in order to confer among
themselves concerning some doubtful points of holy Scriptures. On this occasion
the coming of the Messias was discussed; for on account of the report of the
wonderful events, which had spread about since the birth of the Baptist and the
visit of the Kings of the east, the rumor of the coming of the Redeemer and of
his being already in the world, though yet unknown, had gained ground among the
Jews. They were all seated in their places filled with the sense of authority
customary to those who are teachers and considered as learned. The Child Jesus
came to the meeting of these distinguished men; and He that was the King of
kings, and Lord of lords (Apoc. 19, 16), the infinite Wisdom itself (I Cor. 1,
24), and who corrects the wise (Wis. 7, 15), presented Himself before the
teachers of this world as an humble disciple, giving them to understand that He
had come to hear the discussion and inform Himself on the question treated of,
namely: whether the Messias was already come, or, if not, concerning the time in
which He should come into the world. Therefore the divine Child presented
Himself to the disputants, manifesting the grace poured out over his lips (Ps.
44, 3). He stepped into their midst with exceeding majesty and grace, as one who
would propose some doubt or solution. By his pleasing appearance He awakened in
the hearts of these learned men a desire to hear Him attentively.
The scribes and learned men who heard Him were all
dumbfounded. Convinced by his arguments they looked at each other and in great
astonishment asked: "What miracle is this? And what prodigy of a boy!
Whence has He come and who is the Child?" But though thus astonished, they
did not recognize or suspect who it was, that thus taught and enlightened them
concerning such an important truth. During this time and before Jesus had
finished his argument, his most holy Mother and saint Joseph her most chaste
spouse arrived, just in time to hear him advance his last arguments. When He had
finished, all the teachers of the law arose with stupendous amazement. The
heavenly Lady, absorbed in joy, approached her most loving Son and in the
presence of the whole assembly, spoke to Him the words recorded by saint Luke:
"Son, why hast Thou done so to us? Behold thy father and I have sought Thee
sorrowing" (Luke 2, 48). This loving complaint the heavenly Mother uttered
with equal reverence and affection, adoring Him as God and manifesting her
maternal affliction. The Lord answered: "Why is it that you sought Me? Did
you not know that I must be about my Father's business?"
The Evangelist says that they did not understand the mystery
of these words (Luke 2, 50); for it was hidden at the time to most holy Mary and
saint Joseph. And for two reasons; on the one hand, the interior joy now reaping
what they had sown in so much sorrow, and the visible presence of their precious
Treasure, entirely filled the faculties of their souls; and on the other hand,
the time for the full comprehension of what had just been treated of in this
discussion had not yet arrived for them. Moreover, for the most solicitous Queen
there was another hindrance just at that time, and it was, that the veil,
concealing the interior of her most holy Son had again intervened and was not
removed until some time later. The learned men departed, commenting in their
amazement upon the wonderful event, by which they had been privileged to hear
the teaching of eternal Wisdom though they did not recognize it. Being thus left
almost alone, the blessed Mother, embracing Him with maternal affection, said to
Him: "Permit my longing heart, my son, to give expression to its sorrow and
pain; so that it may not die of grief as long as it can be of use to Thee. Do
not cast me off from thy sight; but accept me as thy slave. If it was my
negligence, which deprived me of thy presence, pardon me and make me worthy of
thy company, and do not punish me with thy absence." The divine Child
received Her with signs of pleasure and offered Himself as her Teacher and
Companion until the proper time should arrive. Thus was the dove-like and
affectionate heart of the great Lady appeased, and They departed for Nazareth.
They arrived at Nazareth, where they occupied themselves in
what I shall record later on. The evangelist Luke compendiously mentions all the
mysteries in few words, saying the Child Jesus was subject to his parents,
namely most holy Mary and saint Joseph, and that his heavenly Mother noted and
preserved within her heart all these events; and that Jesus advanced in wisdom,
and age, and grace with God and men (Luke 2, 52), of which, as far as my
understanding goes, I will speak later on. Just now I wish only to mention, that
the humility and obedience of our God and Master toward his parents were the
admiration of the angels. But so was also the dignity and excellence of his most
blessed Mother, who thus merited that the incarnate God should subject himself
and resign Himself to her care; so much so, that She, with the assistance of
saint Joseph, governed Him and disposed of Him as her own.
To the obedience and subjection of her most holy Son the
great Lady on her part responded by heroic works. Among her other excellences
She conceived as it were an incomprehensible humility and a most heartfelt
gratitude for having regained the companionship of her Son. This blessing, of
which the heavenly Queen deemed Herself unworthy, vastly increased in her most
pure heart her love and her anxiety to serve her divine Son. And She was so
constant in showing her gratitude, so punctual and solicitous to serve Him,
kneeling before Him and lowering Herself to the dust, that it excited the
admiration of the highest seraphim. Moreover, She sought with the closest
attention to imitate Him in all his actions as they became known to Her and
exerted Herself most anxiously to copy them and reproduce them in her own life.
The plenitude of her perfection wounded the heart of our Christ and Lord, and,
according to our way of speaking, held him bound to Her with chains of
invincible love (Osee 11, 4). His being thus bound as God and as Son to this
heavenly Princess, gave rise to such an interchange and divine reciprocity of
love, as surpasses all created understanding. For into the ocean of Mary's soul
entered all the vast floods of the graces and blessings of the incarnate Word;
and this ocean did not overflow (Eccles. 1, 7), because it mined the depth and
expanse necessary to receive them.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of
Agreda, Spain.)
My daughter, all the works of my most holy Son and my own
actions are full of mysterious instruction and doctrine for the mortals who
contemplate them diligently and reverently. The Lord absented
Himself from me in order that, seeking Him in sorrow and tears, I might find Him
again in joy and with abundant fruits for my soul. I desire that thou imitate me
in this mystery and seek Him with such earnestness, as to be consumed with a
continual longing without ever in thy whole life coming to any rest until thou
holdst him and canst lose Him no more (Can. 5, 4). In order that thou mayest
understand better this sacrament of the Lord, remember, the infinite Wisdom made
men capable of his eternal felicity and placed them on the way to this
happiness, but left them in doubt of its attainment, as long as they have not
yet acquired it and thus filled them with joyful hope and sorrowful fear of its
final acquisition. This anxiety engenders in men a lifelong fear and abhorrence
of sin, by which alone they can be deprived of beatitude and thus prevent them
from being ensnared and misled by the corporeal and visible things of this
earth. This anxiety the Creator assists by adding to the natural reasoning
powers, faith and hope, which are the spurs of their love toward seeking and
finding their last end. Besides these virtues and others infused at Baptism He
sends his inspirations and helps to keep awake the soul in the absence of its
Lord and to prevent forgetfulness of Him and of itself while deprived of his
amiable presence. Thus it pursues the right course until it finds the great
goal, where all its inclinations and longing shall be satiated.
Hence thou canst estimate the listless ignorance of mortals
and how few stop to consider the mysterious order of the creation and
justification and all the works of the Almighty tending toward this exalted end.
From this forgetfulness flow so many evils endured by men while they appropriate
so many earthly goods and deceitful delights, as if they could ever find in them
their ultimate end. The height of perversity opposed to the order of the
Creator, is that mortals in this transitory and short life rejoice in visible
things as if they were their last end, while they ought, on the contrary, to
make use of creatures to gain, not to lose, the highest Good. Do thou,
therefore, my dearest, be mindful of this dangerous human folly. Consider all
delights and joys of the world as insanity, its laughing as sorrow, sensible
enjoyment as self deceit, as the source of foolishness, which intoxicates the
heart and hinders and destroys all true wisdom. Live in constant and holy fear
of losing eternal life and rejoice in nothing except in the Lord until thou
obtainest full possession of Him.
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