Mary at Bethlehem

God resolved to confer on mankind the most signal and loving benefit of the Incarnation, and came down upon earth into the desert of this world like a celestial manna, that He might become our food, during our journey to the promised land of Paradise. Our adorable Saviour rendered Himself visible to us at His birth, as a beautiful little Infant, lying in a manger, and this was in the night, when the world was covered with darkness. The Divine Nature of Our Lord Jesus Christ is represented by the honey contained in the manna - because honey is a celestial liquor gathered by the bees from flowers, and it is not distilled from their sap, but collected by them as it descends from heaven with the dew. In like manner the Divine Nature of our adorable Redeemer came down from Heaven, at the moment of the Incarnation, upon this blessed flower of the earth, the Most Holy Virgin, and, having become united with a human nature, preserved it in the bosom of the Most Chaste Mary, as a sweet hive, during the space of nine months.

But let us consider more at length this miracle of Divine Mercy.

The Most Holy Mother of God gave birth to her Divine Son as the stars produce their light; and on this account her name Mary truly signifies Star of the Sea, or Morning Star. The star of the sea is the Polar star, towards which the mariner's needle continually turns; and through this star those who navigate the ocean know how their course is directed.

The Patriarchs, Prophets, and Fathers of the Church turned their eyes towards the Most Holy Virgin, and she was ever the Polar Star and the chosen Port for all poor mortals who navigate the sea of this miserable world, and by her means they may avoid those shipwrecks which occur so often on the rocks and precipices of sin.

Mary was, also, that beautiful Morning Star which brought the joyful news of the coming of the Sun of Justice. The Prophets knew well that a Virgin would conceive and give birth to a Son, at once God and Man, through the operation of the Holy Ghost, and would still remain a Virgin, though she became a Mother: Ecce Virgo concipiet et pariet Filium et vocabitur ejus Emanuel. How should He Who selected her for His Mother, on account of her virginity, impair her integrity? How could the Eternal Word, Purity itself, lessen the virginal purity of His Mother? From eternity He is generated and virginally produced in the bosom of His Father; and although receiving from Him the Divinity, it is not divided, but the Word is always one and the same God with the Father. The Most Holy Virgin here on earth also produces virginally her Divine Son, Our Lord. There is this difference, however, that He will never again enter the bosom of Mary, but He will be eternally generated in the bosom of His Father, being One with Him, in virtue of the unity of the Divine Essence.

This Divine generation may indeed be made the foundation of our meditations on the mystery of Our Lord's Nativity; but it does not admit of a curious inspection, nor should we weary our mind by endeavouring to examine into that which is too sublime for our weak understanding: Generationem ejus quis enarrabit? - 'Who shall declare His generation?' says the Prophet Isaiah.

But now, after having considered the virginal purity of the Most Holy Virgin in giving birth to her Divine Son, let us turn our eyes to this Divine Infant, and see how He allows Himself to be cared for by His Holy Mother, as if He could not do otherwise. Why is this? It is to teach us how to act, Religious especially, who are bound by the sweet chains of the holy vow of Obedience. Our Lord certainly could not make bad use of His Will, or of His liberty, being the Eternal Wisdom; nevertheless He concealed His knowledge, and all His perfections as God and those of His perfect human intellect, under the swathing bands of infancy. He keeps hidden under the veil of holy obedience to the Eternal Father, Who had willed that He should be, as Saint Paul says, in all things like to His brethren, excepting sin. Behold our Model! Let us often visit this Child, lying in a manger; and let us learn from Him how to act in all things according to His Most Holy Will.

But shall we visit Him empty-handed? The shepherds took with them some of their little lambs to present to Him. What can we offer more acceptable to this Divine Pastor of our souls than our hearts as a little offering of our love and the choicest part of our spiritual flock? How dear will this offering be to Him! He will look upon us with mercy in return for our gift; and we shall gladden the Most Holy Virgin, who so much desires our welfare. Let us take with us from her Divine Infant one of His precious tears, the sweet dew of Heaven, and place it on our heart, that it may henceforth feel no other sorrow than that which rejoices this Blessed Infant - that is, sorrow for sin! We should all be like so many simple shepherds watching over the flocks of our affections, ready to adore this our Infant Saviour, as soon as the Angels call us. We should offer Him, as a pledge of our eternal service, the finest lamb we possess; that is, all our love, without any reserve or exception.

Oh, how happy shall we be, and what great consolation shall we receive, if we thus visit the Saviour of our souls!

As the manna had the taste of every kind of food, so this Divine Infant contains in Himself every kind of consolation. Each one can find in Him what he desires, and proportionate to his capacity, provided that he possess the requisite dispositions.

Spiritual Flowers

No flower could be a better emblem of the resplendent virtue of Mary and her singular privilege than the lily; whose three petals may signify that she was a Virgin in her conception of Jesus, a Virgin at His birth, and a Virgin ever afterwards. - Nouet

Mary is the Mystical Lily without spot, in which the Eternal Word espoused our nature. - Nouet

The flower falls from the tree when the fruit is formed; but the Mother of God, who is the tree of life, preserves her flower and her fruit, and by an unheard-of miracle unites maternity to virginity. - Nouet

As the lily lifts its stem on high, so the soul who often receives Jesus Christ should direct its hopes towards heaven in imitation of Jesus, Who is the Flower of the field and the Lily of the valley. The virtue of such a soul has roots deeper than the cedars of Lebanon, which defy the winds and the storms. In the fruitfulness of her good works and in her charity towards the poor, her glory is like that of the olive. The fragrance of her holy life and of her sweet conversation is spread around like the odour of the flowers which bud forth on Mount Lebanon in spring-time. - Saint Cyril

Example

The Devotion of the Saints to the Angelus

1. Saint Alfonso di Liguori omitted no favourable opportunity for showing his tender devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin. Whenever he heard the clock strike, whatever might be his occupation or conversation, he interrupted it to recite the Angelical salutation, saying that one Ave Maria was more valuable than the entire world. He was most exact in the recital of the Angelus. As soon as he heard the sound of the bell, he went down on his knees, even when he happened to be in the public streets. When he became deaf he desired to be warned of the ringing of the bell, and even when at his meals he would break off and kneel down to recite it. Often was he rapt in ecstasy during this prayer from the fervour of his devotion.

2. Saint Charles Borromeo, who was so celebrated for piety and learning, was not ashamed, when Archbishop of Milan, to descend from his carriage or his horse in the open streets to recite the Angelus in honour of Mary.

3. Saint Vincent de Paul, wherever he might be, or in whatever society, even at court, would recollect himself, and kneel down as soon as he heard the sound of the Angelus. He considered himself happy to be able to give public testimony of his filial love of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, and those who were present always followed his example.

All who devoutly recite the Angelus on their knees morning, noon, and evening at the ringing of the bell gain a hundred days' Indulgence each time, and if they continue to say it at least once a day during the course of a month, they may gain a Plenary Indulgence on the usual conditions. Those who are unable to hear the sound of the bell may gain the same Indulgence by reciting the Angelus at the time that it is usually rung. As to those who are much engaged, and who wish to supplicate the Blessed Virgin thrice a day, they can supply for the Angelus the following invocations: Virgin before the birth of your Divine Son, pray for us; Virgin at His birth, pray for us; Virgin after His birth, pray for us. Lastly, those who do not know the prayers can say the Paters and Aves in memory of the Incarnation of the Word in the womb of Mary.

Prayer of Saint Anselm - We beseech you, O Queen of Heaven and Sovereign of the Universe, by the grace which Our Lord conferred upon you in raising you to so sublime a degree of glory, to intercede for us, that the fulness of grace with which you were enriched may render us one day partakers of your glory and happiness. O Mother, full of mercy, interest yourself in our behalf, that we may be able to enjoy the ineffable happiness for which our God deigned to inclose Himself for nine months in your most holy womb. If you deign to pray for us to your Divine Son, you will be assuredly heard. Let the bowels of your maternal mercy speak in our favour. If you, our tender Mother, have no compassion for us, what will become of your most miserable children? What will be our destiny when your Divine Son, as Judge of the living and the dead, will call us to His judgment-seat? Have pity on us then, O Mother of Mercy! Amen.

Ejaculation - See, O Mary, the many dangers by which we are surrounded, and have pity on our miserable condition.

Practice - Let all your actions be done this day for the sole end of pleasing God, that you may thus be able to offer Him the tender lamb of your love.

- text taken from the book A Month of Mary According to the Spirit of Saint Francis de Sales, by Father Gaspar Gilli