the Lord shall rest upon him,"1 makes a beautiful remark, saying: Whoever desires the seven-fold grace of the Holy Spirit, let him seek for the flower of the Holy Ghost, in the rod.' That is, for Jesus in Mary; 'For by the rod we find the flower, and by the flower, God.' And in the twelfth chapter of the same work, he adds, 'If you desire to possess this flower, bend down the rod, which bears the flower, by prayer; and so you will obtain it.' 2 The seraphical father, in his sermon for the Epiphany, on the words of St. Matthew, "They found the child, with Mary, his Mother," reminds us, that if we wish to find Jesus, we must go to Mary.3 We may then conclude, that in vain shall we seek for Jesus, unless we endeavour to find him with Mary. And so Saint Ildephonsus says, 'I desire to be the servant of the Son; but because no one will ever be so, without serving the Mother, for this reason I desire the servitude of Mary.'4

EXAMPLE.

Belluacencis and Cæsarius relate, that there was a certain noble youth, who had reduced himself by his vices, from a state of opulence, in which he had been left by his father, to one of such poverty, that he was obliged to beg his bread. He left his country, that he might be able to live with less shame in a place where he was unknown. On his road, he one day met a man, who had formerly been his father's servant. This man, seeing him in such affliction, on account of the distress into which he had fallen, told him to be of good heart, for he would take him to a prince who was so liberal, that he would be

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1 Et egredietur virga de radice Jesse, et flos de radice ejus ascendet, et requiescet super cum Spiritus Domini.-Is. xi, 1.

2 Quicumque septiformem Spiritus Sancti gratiam adipisci desiderat, ipse florem Spiritus Sancti in virga quærat: per virgam enim ad florem, per florem ad spiritum, in ipso requiescentem pervenimus. Si hunc florem habere desideras, virgam floris precibus flectas.-Spec. B. M. V. Lect. vi et xii.

3 Invenerunt puerum cum Maria matre ejus. Si ergo hunc puerum vis invenire, ad Mariam accede.-Serm. iv, Dom. infr. 8, Nat. D.

4 Ut sim devotus servus Filii (generati), servitutem fideliter appeto genitricis. -De Virginitate S. Mar. cap. xii.

vided with all he could desire. This abandoned wretch was a sorcerer; and one day he led the poor youth to a wood, near a lake, and began to address an invisible person. The youth asked him to whom he was speaking? he replied, To the devil;' but seeing that the young man was alarmed, he encouraged him, and told him to fear nothing; and then continued to address the evil spirit, and said: 'Master, this young man is reduced to the greatest poverty; he would wish to be reinstated in his possessions.*

If he will obey me,' replied the fiend, 'I will make him richer than ever; but, in the first place, he must renounce God.' This horrified the young man; but being incited to it by that cursed magician, he complied, and renounced his God. 'But that is not enough,' added the devil,'' he must also renounce Mary, for to her we are indebted for our greatest losses. Oh, how many does she not snatch from our hands, and lead back to God, and save.' 'Ah, no,' answered the youth, 'that I will never do; deny my Mother, indeed! she is all my hope; rather would I go begging all my life long; and so saying, he left the spot. On his return, he passed by a church dedicated to Mary. The afflicted youth entered, and east himself on his knees before her image, and began to weep, and implore her to obtain him the pardon of his sins. He had scarcely done so, when Mary began to intercede with her Son, for the poor wretch. Jesus at first replied: But, Mother, this ungrateful soul has denied me.' But on seeing that his Mother did not cease to pray, he said, finally, O Mother, I never denied thee anything; he is forgiven, since thou askest it.' The person who had purchased all the property of the young spendthrift, was concealed in the chapel, and heard all that passed, and witnessed the compassion of Mary towards this sinner. He had an only daughter, and determined to give her to the young man in marriage, and make him heir of all he possessed. And thus did this youth recover both the grace of God and his temporal possessions, by the means of Mary.

PRAYER,

O my soul, see what a sure hope of salvation and eternal life our Lord has given thee, by having in his mercy inspired thee with confidence in the patronage of His Mother; and this, notwithstanding that so many times, by thy sins, thou hast merited his displeasure and hell. Thank thy God, and thank thy protectress, Mary, who has condescended to take thee under her mantle for of this thou mayest be well convinced, after the many graces that thou hast received by her means. O yes, I do thank thee, my most loving Mother, for all thou hast done for me, who am deserving of hell. And from how many dangers hast thou not delivered me, O Queen! How many inspirations and mercies hast thou not obtained for me from God? What service, what honour, have I Sever rendered thee, that thou shouldst do so much for me?

I know that it is thy sole goodness that has impelled thee. Ah! too little would it be, in comparison with all that I owe thee,-did I shed my blood and give my life for thee; for thou hast delivered me from eternal death; thou hast enabled me, as I hope, to recover Divine grace; to thee, in fine, I owe all I have. My most amiable Lady, I, poor wretch that I am, can make thee no return, but that of always loving and praising thee. Ah, disdain not to accept the tender affection of a poor sinner, who is inflamed with love for thy goodness. If my heart is unworthy to love thee, because it is impure and filled with earthly affections, it is thou who must change it. Ah! change it, then. Bind me to my God, and bind me so that I may never more have it in my power to separate myself from His love. Thou askest of me that I should love thy God, and I ask of thee that thou "shouldst obtain this love for me, to love Him always; this Pis all that I desire. Amen.

im• *།“,f**

b

SECTION II.-The same subject continued.

Saint Bernard says, 'that as a man and a woman cooperated in our ruin, so it was proper that another man and another woman should co-operate in our redemption; and these two were Jesus, and His Mother Mary.' There is no doubt,' says the Saint, that Jesus Christ alone was more than sufficient to redeem us, but it was more becoming that both sexes should co-operate in the reparation of an evil, in causing which both had shared.' Hence blessed Albert the Great calls Mary the Helper of Redemption;' and this Blessed Virgin herself revealed to Saint Bridget, that as Adam and Eve sold the world for an apple, so did she with her Son redeem it as it were with one heart.'2 This is confirmed by Saint Anselm, who says, that although God could create the world out of nothing, yet when it was lost by sin, He would not repair the evil without the co-operation of Mary.'3

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Suarez says, that Mary co-operated in our salvation in three ways; first, by having merited by a merit of congruity the incarnation of the word; secondly, by having continually prayed for us whilst she was living in this world; thirdly, by having willingly sacrificed the life of her Son to God.' For this reason our Lord has justly decreed, that as Mary co-operated in the salvation of man with so much love, and at the same time gave such glory to God, so all men, through her intercession, are to obtain their salvation.

Mary is called the co-operator in our justification; for to her God has entrusted all graces intended for us ;'4 and therefore Saint Bernard affirms, that all men, past, pre

1 Congruum magis, ut adesset nostræ reparationi sexus uterque, quorum corruptioni neuter defuisset.-Serm. in Sign. Magn.

2 Sicut enim Adam et Eva vendiderunt mundum pro uno pomo, sic Filius meus et ego redemimus mundum quasi cum uno corde.-Lib. i, c. 35.

Qui potuit omnia de nihilo facere, noluit ea violata sine Maria reficere.In Depr. li, ad B. V.

Auxiliatrix nostræ justificationis, quia Deus omnes gratias faciendas Mariæ comm'sit.

sent, and to come, should look upon Mary as the means and negociator of the salvation of all ages.'1

Jesus Christ says, that no one can find him unless the Eternal Father first draws him by the means of Divine grace: "No one comes to me, unless my Father draws him." 2 Thus also does Jesus address his Mother, says Richard of Saint Lawrence: No one comes to me, unless my Mother first of all draws him by her prayers.'3 Jesus was the fruit of Mary, as Saint Elizabeth told her: "Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb."4 Whoever, therefore, desires the fruit, must go to the tree; whoever desires Jesus, must go to Mary; and whoever finds Mary, will most certainly find Jesus.

When Saint Elizabeth saw that the most Blessed Virgin had come to visit her in her own house, not knowing how to thank her, and filled with humility, she exclaimed: "And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should visit me ?"5 But how could this be, we may ask? Did not Saint Elizabeth already know, that not only Mary, but also Jesus, had entered her house? Why then does she say, that she is unworthy to receive the Mother; not rather, that she is unworthy to receive the Son, who had come to visit her. Ah, yes, it was that the Saint knew full well that when Mary comes she brings Jesus, and therefore it was sufficient to thank the Mother without naming the Son.

and

"She is like the merchant's ship, she bringeth her bread from afar."6 Mary was this fortunate ship that brought us Jesus Christ from heaven, who is the living bread that comes down from heaven to give us eternal life; as He himself says: "I am the living bread, which

1 Ad illam... sicut ad medium, sicut ad arcam Dei, sicut ad rerum causam, sicut ad negotium sæculorum respiciunt, et qui cælo habitant, et qui in inferno, et qui nos præcesserunt, et nos qui sumus, et qui sequentur.-Serm. ii, in Pentec. 2 Nemo potest venire ad me, nisi Pater, qui misit me traxerit eum.-Joan. vi, 44.

3 Nemo venit ad me, nisi Mater mea suis precibus traxerit eum. †

4 Benedicta tu inter mulieres, et benedictus fructus ventris tui.--Luc. i, 43.

5 Et unde hoc mihi, ut veniat Mater Domini mei ad me ?-Luc. i, 43. Facta est quasi navis institoris, de longe portans panem suum.-Prov. xxxi, 14.