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DISCOURSE III
THE PRESENTATION OF MARY
November 21.
The
Offering that Mary made of herself to God was prompt without delay, and
entire without reserve.
There never was, and never will be, an offering on
the part of a pure creature greater or more perfect than that which Mary
made to God when, at the age of three years, she presented herself in the
temple to offer him, not arommtical spices, nor calves, nor gold, but her
entire self, consecrating herself as a perpetual victim in his honor. She
well understood the voice of God, calling her to devote herself entirely
to his love, when he said, Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my
beautiful one, and come! (Surge,
propera, Amica mea . . . et veni"Cant. ii. 10) Therefore
her Lord willed that from that time she should forget her country, and
all, to think only of loving and pleasing him: Hearken, O daughter,
and see, and incline thine ear; and forget thy people, and thy father's
house ("Audi, Filia, et vide, et
inclina aurem tuam; et obliviscete populum tuum et domum patris tui"Ps.
xliv. 11). She with promptitude and at once obeyed the divine
call. Let us, then, consider how acceptable was this offering which Mary
made of herself to God; for it was prompt and entire. Hence the two
points for our consideration are, first, Mary's offering was prompt and
without delay; secondly, it was entire and without reserve.
I
Mary's offering was prompt. From the first
moment that this heavenly child was sanctified in her mother's womb, which
was in the instant of her Immaculate Conception, she received the perfect
use of reason, that she might begin to merit. This is in accordance with
the general opinion of theologians, and with that of Father Suarez in
particular, who says, that as the most perfect way in which God sanctifies
a soul is by its own merit, as St. Thomas also teaches
(P. 3, q. 19, a. 3), it is
thus we must believe that the Blessed Virgin was sanctified: "To be
sanctified by one's own act is the more perfect way. Therefore it is to
be believed that the Blessed Virgin was thus sanctified"
(Sanctificari per proprium actum, est
perfectior modus; ergo credendum est, hoc modo fuisse sanctificatam
Virginem"De Inc. p. 2, d. 4, s. 8). And if this privilege
was granted to the angels, and to Adam, as the angelic Doctor says, much
more ought we to believe that it was granted to the divine Mother, on
whom, certainly, we must suppose that God, having condescended to make her
his Mother, also conferred greater gifts than on all other creatures.
"From her," says the same holy Doctor, "He received his human nature, and
therefore she must have obtained a greater plenitude of grace from Christ
than all others" ("Ex ea accepit humanam
naturam; et ideo prae caeteris majorem debuit a Christo gratiae
plenitudinem obtinere"P. 3, q. 27, a. 5). "For being a
mother," Father Suarez says, "she has a sort of special right to all the
gifts of her Son" ("Unde fit ut singulare
jus habeat ad bona Filii sui"De Inc. p. 2, d. 1, s. 2);
and as, on account of the hypostatic union, it was right that Jesus
should receive the plenitude of all graces, so, on account of the
divine maternity, it was becoming that Jesus should confer, as a natural
debt, greater graces on Mary than he granted to all other saints and
angels.
Thus, from the beginning of her life,
Mary knew God, and knew him so that "no tongue" (as the angel declared to
St. Bridget) "will ever express how clearly this Blessed Virgin understood
his greatness in that very first moment of her existence." And thus
enlightened, she instantly offered her entire self to her Lord, dedicating
herself, without reserve, to his love and glory. "Immediately," the angel
went on to say, "our Queen determined to sacrifice her will to God, and to
give him all her love for the whole of her life. No one can understand
how entire was the subjection in which she then placed her will, and how
fully she was determined to do all according to his pleasure"
(Serm. Ang. c. 14).
But the immaculate child, afterwards
understanding that her holy parents, Joachim and Anne, had promised God,
even by vow, as many authors relate, that if he granted them issue, they
would consecrate it to his service in the temple; as it was, moreover, an
ancient custom amongst the Jews to take their daughters to the temple, and
there to leave them for their education (for which purpose there were
cells contiguous) as it is recorded by Baronius
(Appar. ad Ann. n. 47).
Nicephorus, Cedrenus, and Suarez, with Josephus the Jewish historian and
also on the authority of St. John Damascene
(De Fide Orth. L. 4, c. 15),
St. George of Nicomedia, St. Anselm, and St. Ambrose
(De Virg. l. 1), and as we
may easily gather from the Second book of Machabees, where, speaking of
Heliodorus, who besieged the temple, that he might gain possession of the
treasure there deposited, says, Because the place was like to come into
contempt . . . and the virgins also that were shut up came forth, some to
Onias" (Pro eo quod in contemptum locus
esset venturus . . . Virgines, quae conclusae errant, procurrebant ad
Oniam"2 Machab. iii. 18).
Mary hearing this, I say, having
scarcely attained the age of three years, as St. Germanus
(Enc. In S. Deip.) and St.
Epiphanius attestthe latter of whom says, "In her third year she was
brought to the temple" ("Tertio anno,
oblate est in Templo")an age at which children are the most
desirous and stand in the greatest need of their parents' care, she
desired to offer and solemnly to consecrate herself to God, by presenting
herself in the temple. Hence, of her own accord, she requested her
parents with earnestness to take her there, that they might thus
accomplish their promise. And her holy mother, says St. Gregory of Nyssa,
"did not long delay leading her to the temple, and offering her to God"
(Anna haud cunctata est eam ad Templum
adducere, ac Deo offerre"In Nat. Chr.).
Behold now Joachim and Anne,
generously sacrificing to God the most precious treasure that they
possessed in the world, and the one that was dearest to their heart,
setting out from Nazareth, carrying their well-beloved little daughter in
turns, for she could not otherwise have undertaken so long a journey as
that from Nazareth to Jerusalem, it being a distance of eighty miles, as
several authors say. They were accompanied by few relatives, but choirs
of angels, according to St. George of Nicomedia
(Or. de Ingr. B. V.),
escorted and served the immaculate little Virgin, who was about to
consecrate herself to the divine Majesty. How beautiful are thy steps,
O prince's daughter! ("Quam pulchri,
sunt gressus tui . . . Filia principis!"Cant. vii. 1) O,
how beautiful (must the angels have sung), how acceptable to God is thy
every step, taken on thy way to present and offer thyself to him! O noble
daughter, most beloved of our common Lord!
"God himself, with the whole heavenly
court," says Bernardine de Bustis, "made great rejoicings on that day,
beholding his spouse coming to the temple"
("Magnam quoque festivitatem fecit Deus cum Angelis, in deductione suae
Sponsae ad Templum"). For he never saw a more holy creature, or
one whom he so tenderly loved, come to offer herself to him
("Quia nullus unquam Deo gratior usque ad
illud tempus templum ascendit"Marial. p. 4, s. 1). "Go
then," (says St. Germanus, archbishop of Constantinople), "go, O Queen of
the world, O Mother of God, go joyfully to the house of God, there to
await the coming of the divine Spirit, who will make thee the Mother of
the Eternal Word. Enter with exultation the courts of the Lord, in
expectation of the coming of the Holy Ghost, and the Conception of the
only-begotten Son of God" ("Abi, ergo. O
Domina Mater Dei! in atria Domini, exsultans et exspectans Sancti Spiritus
adventum, et unigeniti Filii conceptionem"Enc. In S. Deip).
When the holy company had reached the
temple the fair child turned to her parents, and on her knees kissed their
hands and asked their blessing; and then, without again turning back, she
ascended the fifteen steps of the temple (according to Arius Montano,
quoting Josephus), and as we are told by St. Germanus, presented herself
to the priest, St. Zachary. Having done this, she bade farewell to the
world, and renouncing all the pleasures that it promises to its votatires,
she offered and consecrated herself to her Creator.
At the time of the deluge a raven sent
out of the ark by Noah remained to feed on the dead bodies; but the dove,
without resting her foot, quickly returned to him into the ark
("Reversa est ad eum in arca"Gen.
viii. 9). Many who are sent by God into this world unfortunately
remain to feed on earthly goods. It was not thus that Mary, our heavenly
dove, acted; she knew full well that God should be our only good, our only
hope, our only love; she knew that the world is full of dangers, and that
he who leaves it the soonest is freest from its snares: hence she sought
to do this in her tenderest years, and as soon as possible shut herself up
in the sacred retirement of the temple, where she could better hear his
voice, and honor and love him more.
Thus did the Blessed Virgin in her
very first actions render herself entirely dear and agreeable to her Lord,
as the holy Church says in her name: "Rejoice with me, all ye who love
God; for when I was a little one I pleased the Most High
("Congratulamini mihi, omnes qui diligitis
Dominum, quia, cum essem parvula, placui Altissimo"Off. B. V. resp.
2). For this reason she was likened to the moon; for as the moon
completes her course with greater velocity than the other planets, so did
Mary attain perfection sooner than all the saints, by giving herself to
God promptly and without delay, and making herself all his without
reserve.
Let us now pass to the second point,
on which we shall have much to say.
II
The enlightened child well knew that God does not
accept a divided heart, but wills that, as he has commanded, it should be
consecrated to his love without the least reserve: Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with thy whole heart ("Diliges
Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo"Deut. vi. 5). Hence
from the first moment of her life she began to love God with all her
strength, and gave herself entirely to him. But still her most holy soul
awaited with the most ardent desire the moment when she might consecrate
herself to him in a more solemn and public way. Let us, then, consider
with what fervor this loving and tender Virgin, on finding herself
actually enclosed in the holy place, first prostrate, kissed that ground
as the house of her Lord; and then adored his infinite majesty, thanked
him for the favor she had received in being thus brought to dwell for a
time in his house, and then offered her entire self to God, wholly,
without reserving anythingall her powers and all herscenes, her whole
mind and her whole heart, her whole soul and her whole body; for then it
was, according to many authors, that to please God "she vowed him her
virginity," a vow which, according to the Abbot Rupert, "Mary was the
first to make" ("Deo prima vovisti votum
virginitatis"In Cant. l. 3). And the offering she then
made of her entire self was without any reserve as to time, as Bernardine
de Bustis declares: "Mary offered and dedicated herself to the perpetual
service of God" ("Maria seipsam perpetuis
Deo obsequiis obtulit et dedicavit"Marial. p. 4, s. 1); for
her intention was to dedicate herself to the service of his divine majesty
in the temple for her whole life, should such be the good pleasure of God,
and never to leave that sacred place. O, with what effusion of soul must
she then have exclaimed, My beloved to me, and I to Him!
("Dilectus meus mihi, et ego illi!"Cant.
ii. 16). Cardinal Hugo paraphrases these words, saying, "I will
live all his, and die all his" ("Ego illi
tota vivam, et total moriar"). "My Lord and my God," she said, "I
am come here to please Thee alone, and to give Thee all the honor that is
in my power; here will I live all Thine, and die all Thine, should such be
Thy pleasure; accept the sacrifice which Thy poor servant offers Thee, and
enable me to be faithful to Thee."
Here let us consider how holy was the
life which Mary led in the temple, where, as the morning rising
(Quasi aurora consurgens"Cant. vi.
9), which rapidly bursts out into the full brightness of mid-day,
she progressed in perfection. Who can ever tell the always-increasing
brightness with which her resplendent virtues shone forth from day to day:
charity, modesty, humility, silence, mortification, meekness. This fiar
olive-tree, says St. John Damascene, planted in the house of God, and
nurtured by the Holy Ghost, became the dwelling-place of all virtues; "led
to the temple, and thenceforward planted in the house of God, and
cultivated by the Spirit, she as a fruitful olive-tree became the abode of
all virtues" ("Ad templum adducitur; ac
deinde in domo Dei plantata atque per Spiritum saginata, instar olivae
frugiferae, virtutum omnium domicilium efficitur"De Fide Orth. l.
4, c. 15). The same saint says elsewhere, "that the countenance of
the Blessed Virgin was modest, her mind humble, her words proceeding from
a composed interior were engaging" (De
Nat. B. M. or. 1). In another place he asserts that she turned
her thoughts far from earthly things, embracing all virtues; and thus
exercising herself in perfection, she made so rapid progress in a short
time, that she merited to become a temple worthy of God
(De Fide, ut supra).
St. Anselm also speaks of the life of
the Blessed Virgin in the temple, and says that "Mary was docile, spoke
little, was always composed, adid not laugh, and that her mind was never
disturbed. She also persevered in prayer, in the study of the sacred
Scriptures, in fastings, and all virtuous works"
(Forma et Mor. B. M.).
St. Jerome and St. Bonaventure enter
more into detail. They say that Mary thus regunalted her life: In the
morning until the third hour she remained in prayer; from the third hour
until the ninth she employed herself with work; and from the ninth hour
she again prayed until the angel brought her her food, as he was wont to
do. She was always the first in watchings, the most exact in the
observance of the divine law, the most profoundly humble, and the most
perfect in every virtue. No one ever saw her angry: her every word
carried such sweetness with it that it was a witness to all that God was
with her (Med. vitae Chr. c. 3).
We read in St. Bonaventure's Life
of Christ, that the divine Mother herself revealed to St. Elizabeth of
Hunger that "when her father and mother left her in the temple she
determined to have God alone for her Father, and often thought how she
could please him most" ("Cum pater meus et
mater mea me dimiserunt in Templo, statui in corde meo habere Deum in
Patrem; et frequenter cogitabam, quid possem facere Deo gratum").
Moreover, as we learn from the Revelations of St. Bridget, "she determined
to consecrate her virginity to him, and to possess nothing in the w3orld,
and to give him her entire will" ("Vovi
observare virginitatem, Nihil unquam possidere in mundo; et ei (Deo) omnem
voluntatem meam commisi"Rev. l. 1, cap. 10). Besides this,
she told St. Elizabeth that of all the commandments to be observed she
especially kept this one before her eyes: Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God ("Diliges Dominum Deum tuum");
and that at midnight she went before the altar of the temple to beg that
he would grant her the grace to observe them all, and also that she might
live to see the birth of the Mother of the Redeemer, entreating him at the
same time to preserve her eyes to behold her, her tongue to praise her,
her hands and feet to serve her, and her knees to adore her divine Son in
her womb. St. Elizabeth, on hearing this, said, "But, Lady, wast thou not
full of grace and virtue?" Mary replied, "Know that I considered myself
most vile and unworthy of divine grace, and therefore thus earnestly
prayed for grace and virtue." And finally, that we might be convinced of
the absolute necessity under which we all are of asking the graces that we
require from God, she added: "Dost thou think that I possessed grace and
virtue without effort? Know that I obtained no grace from God without
great effort, constant prayer, ardent desire, and many tears and
mortifications."
But above all we should consider the
revelation made to St. Bridget of the virtues and practices of the Blessed
Virgin in her childhood, in the following words: "From her childhood Mary
was full of the Holy Ghost, and as she advanced in age she advanced also
in grace. Thenceforward she determined to love God with her whole heart,
so that she might never offend him, either by her words or actions; and
therefore she despised all earthly goods. She gave all that she could to
the poor. In her food she was so temperate, that she took only as much as
was barely necessary to sustain her body. Afterwards, on discovering in
the sacred Scriptures that God was to be born of a Virgin, that he might
redeem the world, her soul was to such a degree inflamed with divine love,
that she could desire and think of nothing but God; and finding pleasure
in him alone, she avoided all company, even that of her parents, lest
their presence might deprive her of his remembrance. She desired, with
the greatest ardor, to live until the time of the coming of the Messiah,
that she might be the servant of that happy Virgin, who merited to be his
Mother." Thus far the Revelation of the Bridget
(Rev. l. 3, c. 8; l. 1, c. 10).
Ah, yes, for the love of this exalted
child the Redeemer did indeed hasten his coming into the world; for whilst
she, in her humility, looked upon herself as unworthy to be the servant of
the divine Mother, she was herself chosen to be this Mother; and by the
sweet odor of her virtues and her powerful prayers she drew the divine Son
into her virginal womb. For this reason Mary was called a turtle-dove by
her divine Spouse: The voice of the turtle is heard in our land
("Vox Turturis audita est in terra
nost4ra"Cant. ii. 12. 23). Not, only because as a
turtle-dove she always loved solitude, living in this world as in a
desert, but also because, like a turtle-dove, which always sighs for its
companions, Mary always sighed in the temple, compassionating the miseries
of the lost world, and seeking from God the redemption of all. O, with
how much greater feeling and fervor than the prophets did she repeat their
prayers and sighs, that God would send the promised Redeemer! Send
forth, O Lord, the Lamb, the ruler of the earth
("Emitte agnum, Domine, Dominatorem terrae"Is.
xvi. 1). Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the
clouds rain the Just ("Rorate, coeli,
desuper, et nubes pluant Justum"Ib. xiv. 8). O that
thou wouldst rend the heavens, and wouldst come down!
("Utinam dirumperes coelos, et descenderes"Ib.
lxiv. 1).
In a word, it was a subject of delight
to God to behold this tender virgin always ascending towards the highest
perfection, like a pillar of smoke, rich in the sweet odor of all virtues,
as the Holy Ghost himself clearly describes her in the sacred Canticles:
Who is she that goeth up by the desert as a pillar of smoke, of
aromatical spices, of myrrh and frankincense, and of all the powders of
the perfumer? ("Quae est ista quae
ascendit per desertum, sicut virgule fumi ex aromatibus myrrhae, et thuris,
et universi pulveris pigmentarii?"Cant. iii. 6). "This
child," says St. Sophronius, "was truly God's garden delights; for he
there found every kind of flower, and all the sweet odors of virtues"
("Vere Virgo erat Hortus deliciarum, in
quo consita sunt universa fiorum genera et odoramenta virtutum"De
Assumpt.). Hence St. John Chrysostom affirms
(Ap. Canis. De M. Ceip. l. 1, c.
13), that God chose Mary for his Mother in this world because he
did not find on earth a Virgin more holy and more perfect than she was,
nor any dwelling more worthy than her most sacred womb. St. Bernard also
says, "that there was not on earth a more worthy palce than the virginal
womb" ("Nec in terries locus dignior uteri
virginalis templo"In Assumpt. s. 1). This also agrees with
the assertion of St. Antoninus, that the Blessed Virgin, to be chosen for,
and destined to the dignity of Mother of God, was necessarily so great and
consummate in perfection as to surpass all other creatures: "The last
grace of perfection is that which prepared her for the conception of the
Son of God" ("Ultima gratia perfectionis
est praeparatio ad Filium Dei concipiendum"P. 4, 5. 15, c. 6, #2).
As, then, the holy child Mary
presented and offered herself to God in the temple with promptitude and
without reserve, so let us also present ourselves this day to Mary without
delay and without reserve; and let us entreat her to offer us to God, who
will not reject us when he sees us presented by the hand of that blessed
creature, who was the living temple of the Holy Ghost, the delight of her
Lord, and the chosen Mother of the Eternal Word. Let us also have
unbounded confidence in this high and gracious Lady, who rewards, indeed,
with the greatest love the homage that she receives from her clients, as
we may gather from the following example.
EXAMPLE
We read in the life of Sister Domenica del
Paradiso, written by the Dominican Father Ignatius del Niente, that she
was born of poor parents, in the village of Paradiso, near Florence. From
her very infancy she began to serve the divine Mother. She fasted every
day in her honor, and on Saturdays gave to the poor her food, of which she
deprived herself. Every Saturday she went into the garden and into the
neighboring fields, and gathered all the flowers that she could find, and
presented them before an image of the Blessed Virgin with the Child in her
arms, which she kept in the house. But let us now see with how many
favors this most gracious Lady recompensed the homage of her servant. One
day, when Domenica was ten years of age, standing at the window, she saw
in the street a lady of noble bearing, accompanied by a little child, and
they both extended their hands, asking for alms. She went to get some
bread, when in a moment, without the door being opened, she saw them by
her side and perceived that the child's hands and feet and side were
wounded. She therefore asked the lady who had wounded the child. The
mother answered, "It was love." Domenica, inflamed with love at the sight
of the beauty and modesty of the child, asked him if the wounds pained
him? His only answer was a smile. But, as they were standing near the
statue of Jesus and Mary, the lady said to Domenica: "Tell me, my child,
what is it that makes thee crown these images with flowers?" She replied,
"It is the love that I bear to Jesus and Mary." "And how much dost thou
love them?" "I love them as much as I can." "And how much canst thou
love them?" "As much as they enable me." "Continue, then," added the
lady, "continue to love them; for they will amply repay thy love in
heaven." The little girl then perceiving that a heavenly odor came forth
from those wounds, asked the mother with what ointment she anointed them,
and if it could be bought. The lady answered, "It is bought with faith
and good works." Domenica then offered the bread. The Mother said, "Love
is the food of my Son: tell him that thou lovest Jesus, and he will be
satisfied." The child at the word love seemed filled with joy, and
turning towards the little girl, asked her how much she loved Jesus. She
answered that she loved him so much, that night and day she always thought
of him, and sought for nothing else but to give him as much pleasure as
she possibly could." "It is well," He replied: "love him, for love will
teach thee what to do to please him." The sweet odor which exhaled from
those wounds then increasing, Dominca cried out, "O God! this odor makes
me die of love." If the odor of a child is so sweet, what must that of
heaven be? But behold the scene now changed; the Mother appeared clothed
as a Queen, and the child resplendent with beauty like the sun. He took
the flowers and scattered them on the head of Domenica, who, recognizing
Jesus and Mary in those personages, was already prostrate adoring them.
Thus the vision ended. Dominica afterwards took the habit of a
Dominicaness, and died in the odor of sanctity in the year 1553.
Prayer
O beloved
Mother of God, most amiable child Mary, O that, as thou didst present
thyself in the temple, and with promptitude and without reserve, didst
consecrate thyself to the glory and love of God, I could offer thee, this
day, the first eyars of my life, to devote myself without reserve to thy
service, my holy and most sweet Lady! But it is now too late to do this;
for, unfortunate creature that I am, I have lost so many years in the
service of the world and my own caprices, and have lived in almost entire
forgetfulness of thee and of God: Woe to that time in which I did not
love thee!
("Vae
tempori illi, in quo non amavi te!")
But it is better to begin late than not at all. Behold, O Mary, I this
day present myself to thee, and I offer myself without reserve to thy
service for the long or short time that I still have to live in this
world; and in union with thee I renounce all creatures, and devote myself
entirely to the love of my Creator. I consecrate my mind to thee, O
Queen, that it may always think of the love that thou deservest, my tongue
to praise thee, my heart to love thee. Do thou accept, O most holy
Virgin, the offering which this miserable sinner now makes thee; accept
it, I beseech thee, by the consolation that thy heart experienced when
thou gavest thyself to God in the temple. But since I enter thy service
late, it is reasonable that I should redouble my acts of homage and love,
thereby to compensate for lost time. Do thou help my weakness with thy
powerful intercession, O Mother of Mercy, by obtaining me perseverance
from thy Jesus, and strength to be always faithful to thee until death;
that thus always serving thee in life, I may praise thee in Paradise for
all eternity. Amen. |