CHAPTER IV.

TO THEE DO WE CRY, POOR BANISHED CHILDREN OF EVE.

SECTION I-On the promptitude of Mary in assisting those who invoke her.

RULY unfortunate are we poor children of Eve; for, guilty before God of her fault, and condemned to the same penalty, we have to wander about in this valley of tears as exiles from our country, and to weep over our many afflictions of body and soul. But blessed is he who, in in the midst of these sorrows, often turns to the comfortress of the world, to the refuge of the unfortunate, to the great Mother of God, and devoutly calls upon her and invokes her! "Blessed is the man that heareth me, and that watcheth daily at my gates."1 Blessed, says Mary, is he who listens to my counsels, and watches continually at the gate of my mercy, and invokes my intercession and aid. The holy Church carefully teaches us her children with what attention and confidence we should unceasingly have recourse to this loving protectress; and for this purpose commands a worship peculiar to Mary. And not only this, but she has instituted so many festivals that are celebrated throughout the year in honour of this great Queen: she devotes one day in the week, in an especial manner, in her honour: in the Divine office, all ecclesiastics and religious are daily obliged to invoke her in the name of all Christians; and, finally, she desires that all the faithful should salute this most holy Mother of God three times a day, at the sound of the angelus bell. And, that we may understand the confidence that the holy Church has in

1 Beatus homo, qui audit me et qui vigilat ad fores meas quotidie.—Prov, viii

Mary, we need only remember that in all public calamities she invariably invites all to have recourse to the protection of this Divine Mother, by novenas, prayers, processions, by visiting the churches, dedicated in her honour, and her images. And this is what Mary desires. She wishes us always to seek her and invoke her aid; not as if she were begging of us these honours and marks of veneration, for they are in no way proportioned to her merit; but she desires them, that by such means our confidence and devotion may be increased, and that so she may be able to give us greater succour and comfort. She seeks for those,' says Saint Bonaventure, who approach her devoutly and with reverence, for such she loves, nourishes, and adopts as her children.'1

This last-named Saint remarks, that Ruth, whose name signifies seeing and hastening,' was a figure of Mary; 'for Mary, seeing our miseries, hastens in her mercy to succour us.'2 Novarino adds, that Mary, in the greatness of her desire to help us, cannot admit of delay, for she is in no way an avaricious guardian of the graces she has at her disposal as Mother of Mercy, and cannot do otherwise than immediately shower down the treasures of her liberality on her servants.' 3

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O how prompt is this good Mother to help those who call upon her. "Thy two breasts," says the sacred Canticle, "are like two roes that are twins."4 Richard of Saint Lawrence explains this verse, and says that, as roes are swift in their course, so are the breasts of Mary prompt to bestow the milk of mercy on all who ask it. By the light pressure of a devout salutation and prayer they distil large drops.' The same author assures us that the compassion

1 Ipsa tales quærit, qui ad eam devote, et reverenter accedant. Hos enim diligit, hos nutrit, hos in filios suos suscipit.-Stim. Am. p. iii, cap. 16.

2 Videns etiam nostram miseriam est, et festinans ad impendendam suam misericordiam.-Spec. B. M. V. lect. v.

3 Nescit nectere moras benefaciendi cupida, nec gratiarum avara custos est:• tardare nescit molimina misericordia mater, beneficentiæ suæ thesauros in suos effusura.-Nov. Umbr. Virg. Exc. lxxiii.

* Duo ubera tua, sicut duo hinnuli capreæ.-Cant. iv. 5.

5 Compressione levissima devotæ salutationis et orationis, larga distillabit stillicidia.-Lib. i, cap. 7.

of Mary is poured out on every one who asks it, even should it be sought for by no other prayer than a simple 'Hail Mary.' Wherefore Novarino declares that the Blessed Virgin not only runs but flies to assist him who invokes her. She,' says this author, 'in the exercise of her mercy, knows not how to act differently from God; for, as He flies at once to the assistance of those who beg His aid, faithful to His promise, "Ask and shall receive," you Mary, whenever she is invoked, is at once ready to assist him who prays to her. 'God has wings when He assists His own, and immediately flies to them; Mary also takes wing when she is about to fly to our aid.' 2

SO

And hence we see who the woman was, spoken of in the following verse of the Apocalypse, to whom two great eagle's wings were given, that she might fly to the desert. "And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the desert."s Ribeira explains these wings to mean the love with which Mary always flew to God. 'She has the wings of an eagle, for she flies with the love of God.'4 But the blessed Amadeus, more to our purpose, remarks, that these wings of an eagle signify the velocity, exceeding that of the Seraphim, with which Mary always flies to the succour of her children.'5

This will explain a passage in the Gospel of St. Luke, in which we are told, that, when Mary went to visit and shower graces on Saint Elizabeth, and her whole family, she was not slow, but went with speed. The Gospel says, "And Mary, rising up, went into the hill country with haste."6 And this is not said of her return. For a similar reason, we are told, in the sacred Canticles, that the hands of Mary are used to the lathe : "Her hands are

1 Petite et accipietis. Joan. xvi, 24.

2 Alis utitur Deus, ut suis opituletur, statim advolat: alas sumit et Virgo, in nostri auxilium advolatura.-Excurs. 73.

3 Et data sunt mulicri alæ duæ aquilæ magnæ, ut volaret in desertum.— Apor xii, 14.

Pennas habet aquilæ, quia..
... amore Dei volat.-In Apoc. xii, 4.

5 Motu... celerrimi senas seraphim alas excedens... ubique suis ut Mater jucundissima et mirificentissima occurrit.-De Laud. Virg. Hom. viii.

6 Exurgens autem Maria in diebus illis abiit in montana cum festinatione,Luc. i, 39.

skilful at the wheel," meaning, says Richard of St. Lawrence, 'that as the art of turning is the easiest and most expeditious mode of working, so also is Mary the most willing and prompt of all the Saints, to assist her clients.' 2 And truly she has the most ardent desire to console all, and is no sooner invoked than she accepts the prayers, and helps.' St. Bonaventure then was right in calling Mary the salvation of all who call upon her;'4 meaning, that it suffices to invoke this Divine Mother, in order to be saved, for, according to Richard of St. Lawrence, she is always ready to help those who seek her aid. 'Thou wilt always find her ready to help thee.'5 And, Bernardine de Busto adds, "That this great Lady is more desirous to grant us graces, than we are desirous to receive them.'6

Nor should the multitude of our sins diminish our confidence, that Mary will grant our petitions, when we cast ourselves at her feet. She is the Mother of Mercy, but mercy would not be needed did none exist who require it. On this subject, Richard of St. Lawrence remarks, That as a good mother does not shrink from applying a remedy to her child, infected with ulcers, however nauseous and revolting they may be, so also is our good Mother unable to abandon us, when we have recourse to her, that she may heal the wounds caused by our sins, however loathsome they may have rendered us.'7 This is exactly what Mary gave Saint Gertrude to understand, when she showed herself to her, with her mantle spread out to receive all who had recourse to her. At the same time the Saint

1 Manus illius tornatiles.-Cant. v, 14.

2 Sicut ars tornandí promptior est aliis artibus, sic Maria ad benefaciendum promptior est omnibus Sanctis.-De Laud. Virg. lib. v, cap.. 2.

3 Omnes consolatur... et vel tenuiter invocata præsto adest.-Can. Vit. Spirit.

cap. 18.

Tu Salus te invocantium.-Hym. de B. V. ad inst. Te Deum.

5 Invenies semper paratam auxiliari.†

6 Plus... desiderat ipsa facere tibi bonum... quam tu accipere concupiscas. -Mar. p. ii, Serm, 5 de Nat. B. V.

7 Non enim Mater hæc dedignatur peccatores, sicut nec bona Mater filium scabiosum, quia propter peccatores factam se recolit misericordiæ genitricem. Ubi enim non est miseria, misericordia non habet locum.-De Laud. Virg. lib. iv, cap, 22,

was told that 'Angels constantly guard the clients of this Blessed Virgin, from the assaults of hell.'1

This good Mother's compassion is so great, and the love . she bears us is such, that she does not even wait for our prayers in order to assist us; but, as it is expressed in the Book of Wisdom, "she preventeth them that covet her, so that she first sheweth herself unto them. "2 Saint Anselm applies these words to Mary, and says that she is beforehand with those who desire her protection. By this we are to understand, that she obtains us many favours from God before we have recourse to her. For this reason Richard of Saint Victor remarks, that she is called the moon, "Fair as the moon," meaning, not only that she is swift as the moon in its course, by flying to the aid of those who invoke her, but that she is still more so, for her love for us is so tender, that in our wants she anticipates our prayers, and her mercy is more prompt to help us than we are to ask her aid.3 And this arises,' adds the same Richard, 'from the fact, that the heart of Mary is so filled with compassion for poor sinners that she no sooner sees our miseries than she pours her tender mercies upon us. Neither is it possible for this benign Queen to behold the want of any soul without immediately assisting it.' 4

Mary, even when living in this world showed, at the marriage feast of Cana, the great compassion that she would afterwards exercise towards us in our necessities, and which now, as it were, forces her to have pity on and assist us, even before we ask her to do so. In the second chapter of Saint Luke, we read, that at this feast the compassionate Mother saw the embarrassment in which the bride and bridegroom were, and that they were quite ashamed on seeing the wine fail; and therefore, without being asked, and listening only to the dictates of her com

1 Rev. Lib. iv, cap. 49.

2 Præoccupat, qui se concupiscunt, ut illis se prior ostendat.-Sap. vi, 14. 3 Velocius occurrit ejus pietas, quam invocetur, et causas miserorum anticipat. In Cant. cap. xxiii, 2.

Adeo pietate replentur ubera tua, ut alicujus miseriæ notitia tacta, lac fundant misericordiæ: nec possis miserias scire, et non subvenire.-In Cant. cap. xxiii.