Homily 2

“The Angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth,

“To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David, and the virgins name was Mary’ — Luke i.—26-27.

No one will question that that new canticle which only virgins shall be permitted to sing in the kingdom of God, shall be sung by her who is the Queen of virgins, as well as by the others, aye, and that she shall take the lead in singing it. But it seems to me that besides this canticle, in which, though proper to virgins, yet all the virgins, as I have said, shall join with their Queen, there is another more sweet and sublime wherewith she alone shall rejoice the city of God. No one else, even amongst the virgins, shall be found worthy to utter and express the sweet-sounding modulations of this second song. The right to sing it shall be reserved, and justly, to her alone, who alone of virgins glories also in being a mother, and in being the Mother of God. But although she glories thus, she does not glory in herself, but in Him Whom she has brought forth. That is to say, she glories in the Lord Who has made Himself her Son, and Who, having prepared for His Mother a singular glory in heaven, willed also to endow her on earth with a singular grace, whereby, in an ineffable manner, she might conceive without stain and bring forth without corruption. For the only nativity worthy of God was that which made Him Son of the Virgin, just as the only maternity ee worthy of the Virgin was that which made her Mother of God. Now, when the Creator of men willed to become man and to be born in the human way, it was necessary for Him to select, or rather to create for Himself, out of all possible women, such a Mother as He foreknew would be worthy of Him and deserving of His esteem. He therefore decreed that she should be a virgin, from whose immaculate womb He would issue forth immaculate, in order to cleanse all others from their stains.* He likewise decreed that she should be humble, so that she might worthily give birth to one Who is meek and humble of heart, and Who was destined to exhibit to the world, in His own life,a necessary and most salutary example of these two virtues. Therefore, He who had before inspired her with the will to make a vow of virginity,t and had also endowed her with a singular grace of humility, now caused her to experience the joys of motherhood, whilst remaining still an immaculate virgin. For how could the Angel pronounce her full of grace (as is read further on) if she possessed any, even the very least good, which was not the fruit of divine grace ?

Thus she who was destined to conceive and bring forth the Saint of saints, obtained the grace of virginity in order that she might be “ holy in body,” and the grace of humility that she might also be “ holy in spirit.” Adorned, therefore, with these gems of the virtues, all resplendent with this double sanctity of body and spirit, the Royal Virgin “ by her comeliness

The same opinion is expressed by St. Augustine, Lib. de sancta Virginitate c. iv. According to St. Thomas (Sum. Theol., III. q. xxviii. a. iv.) the Blessed Virgin took this vow ‘afler her espousalsand with St. Joseph’s consent.—(Translator.)

and her beauty ” became an object of admiration to heaven, attracting to herself the wondering eyes of its citizens, and even inclining the Heart of the King to desire her beauty ; with the result that she was visited from on high by the celestial ambassador. This is what the Evangelist intimates, when he tells us that the Angel was sent from God to the Virgin. “ The Angel Gabriel,” he says, ‘‘ was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin,” that is, from the Most High to the most humble, from the Lord to the hand-maid, from the Creator to the creature. How great a condescension on the part of God! How great an exaltation for the Virgin! Come hither in haste, allye mothers ; come hither, ye daughters ; come hither all ye who after Eve and on account of Eve have been condemned to bring forth in sorrow. Draw near to this virginal sanctuary. Enter, if you can, your Sister’s modest chamber. Behold, she has received a message from the Lord! Behold, an archangel is conversing with Mary! Put your ear to the door and try to catch what he says to her. Perhaps you shall hear something that may be a source of consolation.

Rejoice, O father Adam, but thou still more, O mother Eve! Rejoice and beglad, both of you, who have been the destroyers of us all, as you are the parents of us all ; and, what added to the misery, you were our destroyers even before you became our parents. Let both of you, I say, find consolation in this Daughter, so singularly endowed and so highly privileged, but thou, especially, from whom the evil originally took its rise and whose reproach has descended upon all women. For behold the time is at hand when that curse shall be taken away, and when the woman shall no longer deserve to be complained of by her husband, who, whilst foolishly attempting to exonerate himself, did net shrink from the cruelty of accusing his wife, saying, “ The woman whom Thou gavest me to be my companion, gave me of the tree and I did eat.” Run, then, O Eve, run to Mary. Take refuge, O mother, with thy Daughter. Let the Daughter answer for the mother, let her take away her mother’s reproach ; let her make satisfaction to the man for the woman’s transgression. For if the man originally fell by the woman, it is also by the woman that he is now lifted up. What is that thou didst say, O Adam? “The woman whom Thou gavest me to be my companion, gave me of the tree and I did eat.” These are “words of malice,” and, instead of excusing, rather increase thy fault. Nevertheless, Wisdom gained the victory over malice, because the reason for pardoning which God tried to obtain from thee, by His questioning, but could not, He has discovered in the treasury of His own inexhaustible mercy. Another woman is now given thee in place of the first, a prudent and humble Eve instead of the proud and foolish one, an Eve who shall offer thee, not the tree of death but the Bread of Life, and who shall yield thee, not the poisoned fruit of bitterness but the delicious fruit of immortality. Change thou, therefore, the wicked words of self-excuse into the voice of praise and thanksgiving, and say to the Lord, “ The woman whom Thou gavest me, gave me of the tree of life and I did eat ; and it has become in my mouth sweeter than honey, because in it Thou hast given me life.” Behold here the purpose for which the Angel was sent from

God to the Virgin. O Virgin, worthy of all admiration, deserving of all honour! O most wonderful of women and venerable over all, who hast repaired the ruin which our parents wrought and recovered life for their posterity !

“The Angel Gabriel,” says the Evangelist, “ was sent to a virgin,” that is, to one who was a virgin in body, a virgin in mind, a virgin who had sealed her virginity by vow, such a virgin as the Apostle describes as “ holy both in body and in spirit”; to a virgin not newly discovered nor discovered by chance, but chosen from eternity, foreknown and prepared for Himself by the Most High, guarded by angels, exhibited by the patriarchs under types and figures, announced from afar by the prophets. ‘‘ Search the Scriptures ’’ and verify what I say. Or do you wish that I should adduce here some of the relevant testimonies? Well, I shall present you with a few out of many. Of whom, then, if not of the Virgin, does the Lord appear to have spoken when He said to the serpent, “I will put enmities between thee and the woman”? But if you are not yet convinced that He was alluding to Mary, attend to what follows, “ She * shall crush thy head.” For whom but Mary was that victory reserved? She undoubtedly crushed the serpent’s venemous head by bringing to naught every attempt of the wicked one to seduce her with his suggestions of pleasure and pride.

Again, whom else but Mary was Solomon seeking when he asked, “ Who shall find a valiant woman ? ” For, being a man of great wisdom, he knew how fragile was the female sex, how weak in body and inconstant in mind.* But he knew also from the Scriptures the promise made by God—and it seemed to him only natural—that he who had conquered by a woman should be conquered by a woman. And hence he cried out in an excess of admiration, ‘“ Who shall find a valiant woman?” That is to say, “ If the salvation of us all, and the recovery of our innocence, and our victory over Satan, thus depend upon a woman, it is absolutely essential to find a valiant woman, who shall be capable of accomplishing so difficult a task. But who shall find such a valiant woman?” However, lest anyone should suppose that he says this in despair, he adds, speaking as a prophet, “Far and far from the uttermost bounds is the price of her.” That is, not vile, not little, not ordinary, not even of the earth, is the worth of this valiant woman, but it must besought in heaven, and notin the heaven which is nearest to us, but “its going out is from the highest heaven.” In the next place consider that bush which Moses once beheld giving forth flames of fire without being burnt. Was not this a type of Mary bringing forth her Infant without feeling the pangs of child-birth ? f And the dry rod of Aaron that « bloomed blossoms,” do you not recognise here a figure of her who conceived although she knew not man? Thus the great miracle of the flowering rod contained a mystery still greater; and it is of this

It is also understood as symbolising her perpetual virginity. Hence the Church sings, “‘ Rubum quem viderat Moyses incombustum conservatam agnovimus tuam laudabilem virginitatem ” (Third Antiphon for Vespers of the Feast of Circumcision).—(Translator.)

the Prophet Isaias speaks where he says, ““ There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root,” signifying by the rod the Virgin, and by the flower of the rod the Virgin’s Offspring.

It may appear to you that what has just been said, namely, that Christ is represented by the flower, is opposed to my previous interpretation of this passage, according to which it is not the flower of the rod that symbolises Him, but the fruit of the flower. You must know, however, that in the same rod of Aaron (which not only “ bloomed blossoms” but also put forth leaves and fruit) we have types of Christ in the leaves and fruit as well as in the blossom. You must know also that in Moses He is designated by neither the fruit nor the flower of the rod, but by the rod itself, with which the Lawgiver on one occasion struck the water and divided it for the people to cross,* and on another the rock, causing a fountain to spring forth for the refreshment of the thirsty. For there is nothing incongruous in different things representing Christ under different aspects. Thus the rod reminds us of His power ; the flower of the good odour of His fame; the fruit of His sweetness; the leaves of His ever-watchful providence, whereby He never refuses to protect under the shadow of His wings all that flee to Him, either from the heat of carnal desires, or from the fury of the impious who afflict them. Oh, how sweet and desirable it is to be sheltered under the wings of Jesus, where the persecuted find a safe asylum and the weary rest and refreshment! “ Have mercy on me,” Lord Jesus, “ have mercy on me, for my soul trusteth in Thee, and in the shadow of Thy wings will I hope until iniquity pass away.” Yet, in the testimony quoted from Isaias, the flower must be understood to symbolise the Son and the rod as relating to the Mother ; because just as the rod “ bloomed blossoms ”? without seed, so did the Virgin conceive without man’s co-operation ; and as the putting forth of the flower did not destroy the freshness of the rod, so neither did her sacred child-birth injure Mary’s virginity.

Let me now bring forward a few more Scriptural testimonies relating to the Virgin Mother and her Divine Son. The fleece of Gideon, which he had shorn from the flesh of the sheep without wounding that flesh, and which, when laid on the floor, was at one time found all wet with dew, though the place about it was dry, at another as dry as the ground was before, whilst now the ground was drenched—what does this fleece signify, if not the flesh assumed from the flesh of the Virgin, without prejudice to her virginity ? * For it was upon her that heaven rained down its mystical dew what time the Fulness of the Divinity poured Itself “‘corporally”’ into her bosom, so that of her plenitude we might all receive, who without her should be nothing better than dry earth. To this twofold miracle, granted to Gideon’s prayer, the Psalmist seems to refer sicut pluvia in vellus descendisti ut salvum faceres genus humanum.” —(Translator.)

very beautifully, when hesays, speaking of Christ, “ He shall come down like rain upon the fleece, and as showers gently falling upon the earth,” alluding in the first part of the verse to the instance in which the fleece was found wet and the floor dry, in the second part to that in which the contrary was the case. For that “voluntary rain? which God hath “set aside for His inheritance’ descended first into the Virgin’s womb, most gently and softly, without the noise and bustle characteristic of human operations. Afterwards it was spread through the world by the mouths of preachers, no longer falling as dew upon the fleece, but descending as showers upon the earth, amidst the clamour of tongues and the tumult of miracles. For those spiritual clouds * who carried this rain remembered the command given them when they received their mission, “ That which I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light; and that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the house-tops.” And so indeed they acted, because, as the Prophet had predicted of them, ‘‘ Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.”

Let us next hear Jeremias announcing a new wonder to the ancients, whilst he longs for with ardour and faithfully promises the coming of Him Whom he was not able to point out as actually present. ‘‘ The Lord,” he says, “ hath created a new thing upon the earth ; a woman shall compass a man.” Now, who is this woman? And who is this man? If he be a man, how can he becompassed by a woman? And if he becompassed by a woman, how is he a man? To speak more plainly, how is it possible for him to be a man and at the same time to be enclosed within his mother’s womb? For this is what the Prophet means when he says a woman shall encompass a man. Those, as you know, are called men, who, after passing through the periods of infancy, boyhood, adolescence, and early manhood, have attained to that which is followed by old age. How then can one who is so advanced becompassed by a woman? Had the Prophet merely proclaimed that a woman should compass an infant, or that a woman should compass a little one, he would have predicted nothing new, nothing marvellous. Such, however, was not his announcement, but that “ a woman shall compass a man.” It is therefore incumbent on us to inquire into the meaning of this “ new thing’ which the Lord “hath created upon the earth,” that a woman should compass a man, and that a man should be so contracted as to be confined within the womb of a woman. What manner of miracle is this? “ Can a man enter a second time into his mother’s womb,” asked Nicodemus, “‘ and be born again ? ”

Let us turn to the conception and child-birth of the Virgin. Perhaps amongst the many wonders and prodigies which shall certainly be found there by diligent inquiry, I may also discover that ‘‘new thing” whereof the Prophet Jeremias speaks. There, beyond doubt, I behold eternity shortened, Immensity contracted, Sublimity levelled down, Profundity made shallow. I contemplate there Light without splendour, the Word without speech, Water Which is thirsty, and Bread That feels hunger. There, too, if thou art attentive, thou mayest notice Omnipotence being ruled, Omniscience being instructed, Virtue supported, God feeding at the breast whilst He nourishes the angels, God wailing with grief whilst consoling the wretched. Thou shalt there, if thou observest, see Joy a prey to sadness, Confidence fearful, Health in suffering, Life enduring death, Strength rendered feeble. Aye, and what is not less astonishing, thou mayest there discover sadness giving joy, fear producing confidence, suffering a source of health, death communicating life, weakness imparting strength. And surely there is none who does not already recognise here that other miracle for which I have been seeking. Is it not easy to discern amongst the prodigies just enumerated, that of the woman compassing the man, when we behold Mary enclosing in her womb “ Jesus, a Man approved of God”? For I call Jesus a man not only when He was described as a “ Man Who was a Prophet, mighty in word and work before God and all the people,” but also, when His Mother, the Mother of God, either bore Him in her womb, or as a tender Infant fondly nursed Him on her lap. Therefore, even whilst He was yet unborn, Jesus was a man, a man not in age but in wisdom, not in bodily strength but in vigour of mind, not in the development of His physical members, but in the maturity of His mental powers. For Jesus was not less wise, or rather I should say, was not less Wisdom, whilst still in the womb than after His birth, when He was a little one than when He was full-grown. Whether, then, we consider Him as the Babe unborn, or as the Infant wailing in the crib, or as the grownup Boy, questioning the doctors in the temple, or as

` the Man of mature age teaching the multitude, He was _ always and equally full of the Holy Ghost. There was not a moment at any period of His life when that _ fulness which He received at His conception was either increased by anything or by anything diminished ; because from the beginning He was perfect, from the beginning I say, He was full “ of the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, of the Spirit of counsel and of fortitude, of the Spirit of knowledge and of piety, of the Spirit of the fear of the Lord.”

Do not think there is anything inconsistent in what I have been saying with that which is written in St. Luke, “ And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age, and grace with God and man.” For what is here said of His growth in wisdom and grace must be understood, not of these qualities in themselves, but of their outward manifestation: not in the sense that anything was added to Him which He had not before, but only that there was an appearance of such an addition whenever He willed it to be so.* Thou, O man, when thou progressest, dost not go forward when thou wilt nor as far as thou wilt. Although thou perceivest it not, thy progress is regulated and thy life ordered by Another. But Jesus, Who disposes thy life, had the disposition of His own life also; and to whom He willed, and when He willed, He showed Himself wise or more wise, or most wise, although in Himself He was never anything but most wise. Similarly, though He was always full of all grace, both that which must be exhibited to the eyes of God and that which is owing to men, He nevertheless made it manifest, at His pleasure, in greater or lesser degree, according to what He knew was consonant with the merits or expedient for the salvation of the beholders. It is evident, then, that with respect to the faculties and endowments of His Soul, Jesus was always a man, although He did not always appear with a fully developed body. For why should I doubt that He was a man in the womb when I have no doubt that He was God in the womb? Surely, it is not so great a thing to be a man as to be God? But see if the Prophet Isaias, who has already told us the meaning of the fresh flowers on Aaron’s rod, does not also explain for us most clearly this strange prodigy announced by Jeremias. ‘‘ Behold,” he says, “a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son.” Here you have the woman that is to compass a man, namely, the Virgin. And as to the man, do you desire to know who he is? “ And his name shall becalled Emmanuel, that is, God-with-us.”’ Therefore, the woman compassing the man is the Virgin Mother conceiving God. Observe here how beautifully and how harmoniously the miraculous deeds * and the mystical words of holy men combine and fit together. Remark also how stupendous must have been this one miracle wrought in relation to the Virgin and within the Virgin, since it was heralded by so many wonders, and promised by so many oracles. All the prophets had the same Spirit, and all, however much they differed from each other in other 1espects, foresaw and predicted in the same Spirit the same great truth, at various times, in various manners, and under various eae d figures. What was revealed to Moses in the bush and the fire, to Aaron in the rod and the flower, to Gideon in the fleece and the dew: the same was clearly announced by Solomon in the valiant woman and her price, more clearly still by Jeremias in the woman and the man she was to compass, and most clearly by Isaias, who explained it of God and the Virgin, and was ‘finally exhibited to view when Gabriel saluted Mary. For the Virgin mentioned by the Prophet is the same of whom the Evangelist writes, “The Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David, and the Virgin’s name was Mary.”

“To a virgin espoused.” Wherefore * was she espoused? Being, I say, a virgin elect, and, as has been shown, destined to conceive as a virgin, and to bring forth as a virgin, it may seem strange that she should have contracted an engagement which was never to be consummated in marriage. No one surely will be foolish enough to say that this was due to chance. That is certainly not the result of chance which appears to be commended by a rational purpose, aye, by a most useful and necessary purpose, a purpose worthy of the counsels of divine wisdom. I will now say what I think on this subject, or rather I will offer the explanation which has occurred to the fathers before me. The reason, then, of Mary’s espousals was the same as that for which the Apostle Thomas was permitted to doubt. It was a Jewish custom that ‘from the day of the betrothal to that appointed for the nuptials, the affianced should be placed under

F the care of her intended husband, who would watch over the virtue of his future wife with a diligence proportionate to his regard for his own honour. Therefore, just as Thomas, by first doubting the truth and then proving it by the testimony of his touch, was made a most firm confessor of the Lord’s resurrection, so also Joseph, by espousing to himself Mary and by closely observing her conduct during the time of engagement, became a most trustworthy witness of her virtue. There is thus a beautiful resemblance between the espousals of the Virgin and the Apostle’s doubt. Each of the two was in itself well calculated to entangle us in the meshes of a similar net of error ; that is to say, Thomas’s doubt might have caused us to suspect his faith, and Mary’s betrothal her virtue. But in both cases, the matter was arranged with such prudence and piety that what should naturally have aroused suspicion has been made the very means of confirming our faith. For, with respect to the resurrection of the Son, I, because I am weak, should more readily believe Thomas, who doubted, and could only be convinced by the evidence of his senses, than Cephas, who assented to the truth as soon as it was announced to him. And as to the Mother’s integrity, I should find it easier to accept the testimony of Joseph, her guardian and associate, than that of the Virgin defending herself by the sole witness of her own conscience. Who, I ask, seeing her with child before marriage, would not rather declare her a sinner than a virgin ? Now it would have been altogether unbecoming that anything such should be said of the Mother of God. It was more tolerable and more proper that, for a time, Christ should be considered to have been born in wedlock in the ordinary way, than born of a sinner. * -

Perhaps it will be said, could not God have given some manifest sign which would at once safeguard the virgin birth and demonstrate the mother’s innocence ? Undoubtedly. But that which men would know could not be kept secret from the demon. Now it was necessary to conceal for a while from “‘ the prince of this world ” the grand design of the divine wisdom. Not that God, if He willed to accomplish His purpose openly, could have any fear of being prevented by Satan. But because, as He “hath done all things whatsoever He would,” not only with might, but also with wisdom, and as He is wont in His other works to attend to the fittingness of things and of seasons, out of regard for order and beauty, so too, in this most magnificent of His works, the work, namely, of ‘our redemption, He willed to display His prudence as well as His power. And although, had He so wished, He could have wrought our salvation in a different manner, nevertheless He preferred to reconcile us to Himself in the way and order in which He knew we had lapsed. Hence, as the devil first seduced the woman and then by the woman conquered the man: so he was to be in turn first deceived by another woman, viz., the

Virgin Mary, and next openly vanquished by another man, that is, by Christ. Thus, whilst the wisdom of piety overreached the cunning of malice, and the virtue of Christ overcame the power of the wicked one, God would be revealed as at once more mighty and more prudent than Satan. So it became incarnate Wisdom to conquer spiritual malice, in order that He might not only “reach from end to end powerfully ” but at the same time “ dispose all things sweetly.” Now, He had already in truth “reached from end to end,” that is, from the height of heaven to the depth of the abyss; and hence the Psalmist says, “ If I ascend into heaven, Thou art there ; if I descend into hell, Thou art present.”” And to both these extremes He had “reached mightily,” since from heaven He had banished the proud, and in hell despoiled the greedy. It was fitting, therefore, that He should likewise ““ dispose all things sweetly,” in heaven and on earth, that, after driving forth the disturber from paradise, He should establish the rest in peace, and descending hither to overthrow the envious one, should first give us the very necessary example of His meekness and humility. Thus should it come to pass by a marvellous arrangement of divine wisdom that He would appear sweet to His friends and mighty to His enemies. The example of His humility I have said, was necessary to us, for where would be the profit of God’s triumph over Satan if we continued proud? There was good reason, therefore, why Mary should be espoused to Joseph, since in this way that which was so holy was kept hidden from the dogs, the virtue of the Mother had the witness of her spouse, and at the same time a defence was provided for the Virgin’s modesty and fair fame.* Could anything be more prudent or more worthy of divine providence? By this single device three objects were attained: the heavenly secret was revealed to Joseph so that he might give testimony of it, it was concealed from the enemy, whilst the Mother’s good name was preserved intact. Without such knowledge how could the just Joseph have spared her whom he must have thought a sinner ? It is written, however. “Whereupon Joseph, her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately.” Well does the Evangelist say that, “ being a just man,” he was unwilling to expose her ; because, as he would not have been just had he spared one whom he knew to be guilty, so neither would he have been just if he condemned one of whose innocence he had had proof. Therefore, “being a just man and not willing publicly to expose her, he was minded to put her away privately.”

But why was he “minded to put her away,” if conscious of her innocence? Here again I will offer an explanation not excogitated by myself, but derived from the fathers. Joseph wished to put away his spouse for the same reason on account of which Peter begged of the Lord to leave him, exclaiming, “ Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man,” and on account of which the Centurion prayed that He would not enter his house, saying, “ Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof.” Thus Joseph also, considering himself unworthy and a sinner, said to himself that it was not befitting for a man like him to live any longer in such intimate relations with one so great and exalted, whose sublime dignity inspired him with awe. He trembled on beholding by the clearest indications that she bore in her bosom the Divinity incarnate; and as he could not fathom the mystery, he “ was minded to put her away.” Peter was frightened at the omnipotence of God; the Centurion feared the Majesty of His presence. In the same way this prodigy, so great and so unparalleled, this mystery, so dark and profound, alarmed Joseph, who was but a man, and hence he was “‘ minded to put her away.” How can you wonder that Joseph deemed himself unworthy of the Virgin Mother’s society when you hear from St. Elizabeth that she could not endure the presence of Mary except with fear and awe? For thus she exclaims : “ Whence is this to me that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? ” Here, then, is the reason for which Joseph “was minded to put her away.” * But wherefore secretly and not rather publicly? It was doubtless to prevent any questions being asked with regard to the separation, and to avoid the necessity of revealing the cause. For what answer could the holy man have given to that stiff-necked people, to that people “ not believing and contradicting ?” ? Were he to tell them all he knew and the proofs he had of her innocence, x ; REL eee Beril, end chcferame also Sh ibridee (Redon oe | cea who claims that its truth was supernaturally made known to her. (Cf. A Lapide, Comment. in Matth. c. i ar e i WR P would they not, those cruel and incredulous Jews, instead of being persuaded, rather have mocked at him and stoned her ? They who, later on, despised and rejected Truth crying out in the temple, how could they have believed Truth when hidden in the womb ? What would they have done to Him whilst yet unborn, on Whom afterwards, when glorified by miracles, they did not hesitate to lay sacrilegious hands? With reason therefore was the just man “minded to put her away privately,” lest otherwise he should be compelled either to lie or to defame the innocent.

Should anyone, however, prefer a different explanation, and believe that Joseph doubted from human reasons, that, “ being a just man,” he was unwilling to live with one whom he suspected, yet, being also merciful, he would not expose her, and so “ was minded to put her away privately ” : I answer briefly that even thus Joseph’s doubting was without blame, seeing that he was deemed worthy of being enlightened by a heavenly oracle. For, as the Evangelist tells us, “‘ while he thought on these things (that is, how he might put her away privately) behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” Such, therefore, are the reasons why Mary was espoused to Joseph, or rather, as the Evangelist expresses it, “to a man whose name was Joseph.” He calls Joseph a man (viv) not because he was Mary’s husband, but to indicate that he was endowed with virtue (homo virtutis). Or, since he is called her husband by another Evangelist, it may be said that, as he necessarily seemed to stand in that relation to her, he was justly entitled to the name. It was therefore right to speak of him as if he really were what people could not help supposing him ; just as he also merited, not indeed to be, but to becalled and reputed the father of the Saviour. So we read in St. Luke, ‘ And Jesus Himself was beginning about the age of thirty years: being (as it was supposed) the Son of Joseph.” Consequently, he was in reality no more the husband of the Mother than he was the father of the Child, although, as I have said, he was called and reputed both for a time, by a special and necessary dispensation.

What t and how great was the dignity of Joseph you may learn from this title, wherewith, although it was purely official, he merited to be honoured by God, so

“Sic igitur dicendum est quod quantum ad primam perfectionem, omnino fuit verum matrimonium Virginis Matris Dei et Joseph . ; . quantum vero ad secundam perfectionem quae est per actum matrimonii . . . non fuit illud matrimonium consummatum.” See also A Lapide, Comment. in Matth. i. 18. —(Translator.)

• The lessons of the second nocturn for the Feast of St. Joseph are taken from this paragraph.—(Translator.)

that he was called and considered the father of God. It may also be conjectured from his own proper name, which undoubtedly signifies “increase.” Remember at the same time that illustrious Patriarch who was sold of yore into Egypt, and be assured that Mary’s spouse has inherited not only his name, but also his chastity, his grace, and his innocence. The elder Joseph, in his being sold into Egypt through the envy of his brethren, typified the betrayal of Christ by His Apostle; whilst the younger, to escape from the envy of King Herod, fled into Egypt by night with the Saviour. The former, true to his allegiance, respected his master’s honour in his mistress ; the latter recognising in his spouse the Virgin Mother of his Lord, became the witness and the guardian of her integrity. The former was gifted with the power of understanding prophetic dreams ; the latter was privileged to become the confidant of God’s mysterious designs and a co-operator in their accomplishment. The one preserved the corn, not for himself but for the people ; the other was chosen to preserve, both for himself and for all the world, “ the Living Bread That came down from heaven.” There can be no manner of doubt that this Joseph, to whom was espoused the Saviour’s Mother, was singularly good and faithful. He was, I say, the good and faithful servant, whom the Lord appointed to be the consolation of His Mother, the support of His Humanity, and His one most faithful coadjutor on earth in the execution of His mighty purpose. To this must be added that he is declared to have been of the house of David. Truly this Joseph was descended from David, truly he came of a royal stock, yet though noble by his ancestry, he was nobler still by his virtues and go ST. BERNARD’S SERMONS character. He was indeed the son of David, and well worthy to have David for his father. He was, I say, the son of David, and that, not only according to the flesh, but also by his faith, by his sanctity, and by his devotion. Him, like another David, the Lord found to be a man according to His own Heart, and one to whom He might safely entrust the most hidden and the most holy secret of His mind. To him, therefore, as to his father David, He “ made known the uncertain and hidden things of His wisdom ” ; and He admitted him to the knowledge of the mystery ‘“‘ which none of the princes of this world knew.” Yea, and Him Whom “ many kings and prophets desired to see and did not see,” desired to hear and did not hear, Him it was granted to Joseph not only to see and to hear, but even to carry in his arms, to lead by the hand, to embrace, to kiss, to support, and to protect. But we must believe that Mary as well as Joseph was descended from David. For unless she also belonged to the house of David she could not have been espoused to one of that royal stock.* Therefore both Mary and Joseph were of David’s line, and in Mary was fulfilled the promise which the Lord gave under oath to David, whilst it was Joseph’s office to be cognisant of that fulfilment and to bear witness to the same.

At the end of the verse occur these words, “ And the Virgin’s name was Mary.” Let me say something

SECOND SERMON ON THE VIRGIN MOTHER or concerning this name also, which is interpreted to mean “Star of the sea,” and admirably suits the Virgin Mother.* There is indeed a wonderful appropriateness in this comparison of her to a star, because as a star sends out its ray without detriment to itself, so did the Virgin bring forth her Child without injury to her integrity. And as the ray emitted does not diminish the brightness of the star, so neither did the Child born of her tarnish the beauty of Mary’s virginity. She is therefore that glorious star, which, according to prophecy, arose out of Jacob, whose ray illumines the entire earth, whose splendour shines out conspicuously in heaven and reaches even unto hell ; a star which, enlightening the universe, and communicating warmth rather to souls than to bodies, fosters virtue and extinguishes vice: She, I say, is that resplendent and radiant star, placed as a necessary beacon above life’s “ great and spacious sea,” glittering with merits, luminous with examples for our imitation. Oh, whosoever thou art that perceivest thyself during this mortal existence to be rather floating in the treacherous waters, at the mercy of the winds and the waves, than walking secure on the stable earth, turn not away thine eyes from the splendour of this guiding star, unless thou wishest to be submerged by the tempest! When the storms of temptation burst upon thee, when thou seest thyself driven upon the rocks of tribulation, look up at the star, call upon Mary. When buffeted by the billows of pride, or ambition, or hatred, or jealousy, look up at the star, call upon Mary. Should anger, or avarice, or carnal desires violently assail the little vessel of thy soul, look up at the star, call upon Mary. If troubled on account of the heinousness of thy sins, confounded at the filthy state of thy conscience, and terrified at the thought of the awful judgment to come, thou art beginning to sink into the bottomless gulf of sadness and to be absorbed in the abyss of despair, oh, then think of Mary! In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from thy lips, never suffer it to leave thy heart. And that thou mayest more surely obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for guide, thou shalt never go astray ; whilst invoking her, thou shalt never lose heart ; so long as she is in thy mind, thou art safe from deception ; whilst she holds thy hand, thou canst not fall; under her protection, thou hast nothing to fear; if she walks before thee, thou shalt not grow weary ; if she shows thee favour, thou shalt reach the goal. And thus thou shalt experience in thyself the truth of what is written, ‘‘ And the Virgin’s name was Mary.’’* But here we must pause for a

*Compare the following eloquent passage from Cardinal Newman :—

“ O my dear children, young men and young women, what need have you of the intercession of the Virgin Mother, of her help, of her pattern! What shall bring you forward in the narrow way, if you live in the world, but the thought and patronage of Mary ? What shall seal your senses, what shall tranquillise your heart, when sights and sounds of danger are around you, but the thought of Mary ? What shall give you patience and endurance when you are wearied out with the brief space, in order that we may contemplate a while the splendour of so grand a luminary. For, to use the words of the Apostle Peter, “it is good for us to be here ” ; and I prefer the delight of gazing in silence upon that which no laboured eloquence can sufficiently describe. Besides, the devout contemplation of this resplendent star shall enable me to address myself with increased fervour to the other discussions which are to follow.

length of the conflict with evil, with the unceasing necessity of precautions, with the irksomeness of observing them, with the tediousness of their repetition, with the strain upon your mind, with your forlorn and cheerless condition, but a loving communion with her? She will comfort you in your discouragements, solace you in your fatigue, raise you up after your falls, reward you for your successes. She will show you her Son, your God and your all. When your spirit within you is excited, or relaxed, or depressed, when it loses its balance, when it is restless and wayward, when it is sick of what it has and hankers after what it has not, when your eye is solicited with evil, and your mortal frame trembles under the shadow of the Tempter, what will bring you to yourselves, to peace and to health, but the cool breath of the Immaculate and the fragrance of the Rose of Sharon ? ’—Discourses to Mixed Congrvegations, pD. 400-401.