Chapter XXV. Of the Devotion of Catholics to the Blessed Virgin, Mary; Of her Perpetual Virginity; Of the Beads, Rosary, and Angelus Domini

Q. What is the meaning of the great respect and devotion of Catholics to the blessed Virgin Mary?

A. It is grounded, first, upon her great dignity of Mother of God, and the close relation which she has thereby to Jesus Christ her Son; for how is it possible to love and honour Christ with our whole heart, and not value and love his blessed Mother?

Secondly, it is grounded upon that super-eminent grace which was bestowed upon her to prepare her for that dignity; upon account of which she was saluted by the angel Gabriel, St. Luke i. 28. ' full of grace,' (which the Protestants, who are no great friends of this ever-blessed Virgin, have chosen rather to translate highly favoured;) and both by the angel and by St. Elizabeth, St. Luke i. 42, she is styled, ' Blessed among women.'

Thirdly, it is grounded upon her extraordinary sanctity; for if she was full of grace before she conceived in her womb the fountain of all grace, to what a degree of sanctity and grace must she have arrived during so many years as she lived afterwards? especially since she bore nine months in her womb the author of all sanctity, and had him thirty years under the roof, ever contemplating him and his heavenly mysteries, St. Luke ii. 19 and 51; and on her part never making any resistance to the affluence of his graces ever flowing in upon her happy soul.

Fourthly, it is grounded upon that super-eminent degree of heavenly glory, with which God has now honoured her, in proportion to her grace and sanctity here upon earth, and the great interest she has with' her blessed Son, and through him with his heavenly Father.

Q. Is there any thing in scripture that insinuates this great devotion, that should be in all ages to this blessed Virgin?

A. Yes, it was foretold by herself in her Canticle, St. Luke i. 48. 'Behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed?'

Q. Do you then allow divine honour or worship to the blessed Virgin Mary?

A, No certainly: the church in this, as in all other things, keeps the golden mean between the two extremes: she condemns those that refuse to honour this blessed Mother of God; but those much more that would give her divine worship. She thinks no honour that can be given to any pure creature too great for this blessed Virgin: but as she knows that there is an infinite distance still between her and God, she is far from offering sacrifice to her, or paying her any worship that belongs to God alone. And whatever honour she gives the Mother, she refers it to the glory of the Son, as the chief motive and end of all her devotions.

Q. But why do you call the blessed Virgin the Mother of God?

A. Because she is truly the Mother of Jesus Christ, who is true God and true man, and consequently she is truly the Mother of God; not by being Mother of the Divinity, but by being Mother of him who in one and the same Person is both God and man. Hence she is called by St. Elizabeth, Luke i. 'The Mother of my Lord.''

Q, Why does the church in her hymns and anthems style the blessed Virgin, mother of mercy.

A, Because she is the Mother of him who is the fountain of all grace and mercy; and is both most willing by reason of her super-eminent charity, and most able by her great interest with her Son to obtain grace and mercy for us.

Q. And why is she styled the queen of heaven, or the queen of angels and saints?

A, Because she is the Mother of the King of heaven, and the greatest of all the saints.

Q. What then do you think of those that presume to say she was no more than any other woman; nor ought to have any regard or honour paid to her?

A, Such as these have very little regard to Jesus Christ, whose Mother they treat with such contempt.

Q. And what do you think of the opinion of those that say, she had children by St. Joseph after the birth of our Saviour?

A, This was a heresy condemned by the church near fourteen hundred years ago, as contrary to apostolical tradition, and to the very creed of the Apostles, which styles her Virgin. And that indeed she had determined by vow never to know man, the holy fathers gather from her words to the angel, St. Luke i. 34. ' How shall this be, for I know not man?'

Q. Who then were they that are called in the scripture the brethren of our Saviour?

A, They are named by St. Mark vi. 3. James and Joses or Joseph, and Jude, and Simon or Simeon: these were the sons of Mary, the wife of Cleophas, whom the gospel calls the sister, that is, the near kinswoman of the blessed Virgin, and therefore her sons are called our Saviour's brethren, according to the usual scripture phrase, by which those that are near a-kin are called brothers and sisters.

If you ask me how I prove that Mary, the wife of Cleophas was niother to James and Joses, &c. I prove it evidently by comparing the gospel together: St. Mathew chap, xxvii. ver. 66, acquaints us, that amongst the women, who had followed our Saviour from Galilee ministering to him, and who were present at his death, were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and loses, &c. which same thing is attested by St. Mark chap. XV. ver. 40. Now St. John xix. 25. expressly informs us, that this Mary, who stood by the cross, was sister to the blessed Virgin and wife of Cleophas: so that James, Joses, &c. as it is manifest from the gospel, were not children of our Lady, but of her kinswoman Mary the wife of Cleophas.

Q, But why then is our Saviour called her first-born, St. Matt. i. 25. and St. Luke ii. 7.

A, It is a Hebrew phrase, not signifying that any were born after him, but that no one was born before him.

Q. And why is it said of St. Joseph, St. Matt. i. 25. Uhat he knew her not till she had brought forth,' &c.

A, This also was said, according to a propriety of speech amongst the Hebrews, to signify what was not done before without meddling with the question what was done after: this latter being foreign to the great point which the Evangelist had then in view, which was to assure us that Christ was born of a virgin. We have examples of the like expressions in the Old Testament; as when, Psalm cix. (alias ex.) it is said, 'The Lord saith to my Lord, sit thou on my right hand till I make my enemies thy footstool.' Will he therefore cease to sit at the right-hand of his Father, after his enemies are made his footstool; no certainly.

I Q. What is the common address which the church makes to the blessed Virgin Mary?

A, The angelical salutation of the Hail Mary: a great part of which is taken out of the gospel, St. Luke i. 28, and 42; and the other part is added by the church to beg the prayers of the blessed Virgin for us sinners.

Q. Why do Catholics so often repeat the Hail Mary?

A. To commemorate the Incarnation of the Son of God; to honour his blessed Mother, and to desire her prayers.

Q, What is the meaning of the Beads?

A, It is a devotion consisting of a certain number of Our Fathers, and Hail Maries, directed for the obtaining of blessings from God, through the prayers and intercession of our Lady.

Q. But is it not highly absurd, that according lo the common way of saying the Beads, there are repeated ten Hail Maries for one Our Father?

A, It would be absurd indeed and blasphemous too, if the meaning of this were to signify that the blessed Virgin is either more powerful or more merciful than her Son; or that we have a greater confidence in her than in him: but we are far from any such notions.

Q, Why then is the Hail Mary repeated so much oftener in the Beads than the Lord's Prayer?

A. Because the Beads being a devotion particularly instituted to commemorate the Incarnation of Christ, and to honour him in his blessed Mother, it was thought proper to repeat so much the oftener that prayer which is particularly adapted to these ends. In the mean time it may be proper to take notice, first, that if in the Beads there be ten Hail Maries said for one Our Father; in the Mass and Office of the church almost all the prayers are directed to God alone. Secondly, that every Hail Mary, both by the nature of the prayer, and the intention of the church, is directed more to the honour of the Son than of the Mother; as well because the church, in honouring the Mother, has principally in view the honour of the Son; as also because this prayer particularly relates to the Incarnation of Christ; and if withal it begs the prayers of the blessed Virgin, it is plain that he is more honoured to whom we desire she should address her prayer, than she, whom we only desire to pray for us.

To which, if we add, that her prayers are tea times better and more acceptable to God than ours, it will appear no ways absurd that we should frequently desire her prayers. For as to the repetition of the same prayel*, it is what is recommended to us by the example of our Lord, St. Matt. xxvi. 42, 44, &c. and has nothing of absurdity in it.

Q. What is the meaning of the Rosary?

A. The Rosary is a method of saying the Beads, so as to meditate upon the Incarnation, Passion and Resurrection of Christ. And it is divided into three parts, each part consisting of five Mysteries, to be contemplated during the repeating of five decads or tens upon the Beads. The first five are called the five joyful Mysteries: viz. the Annunciation, when our Lord was first conceived in his Mother's womb; the Visitation when the blessed Virgin visited her kinswoman St. Elizabeth, and by her was declared blessed among Women, 6lc, the Nativity of our Lord; his Presentation in the Temple, together with the Purification of the blessed Virgin; and his being found in the Temple in the midst of the doctors, &c. The five next are called the dolorous or sorrowful Mysteries, as having relation to the Passion of Christ; and are his Prayer and Agony in the Garden; his being scourged at the Pillar; his crowning with Thorns; his Carriage of the Cross; and his Crucifixion and

Death: the five last are called the five glorious Mysteries, viz. the Eesurrection of our Lord; his Ascension into Heaven; the Coming of the Holy Ghost; the Assumption of the blessed Virgin; and her Coronation; together with the eternal Glory of the Saints in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Q. What is the meaning of giving three tolls with the bells every morning, noon and night, in all Catholic countries?

A, This is to remind the faithful of the great mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God; and it is the practice of all good christians, when they hear these bells, to perform the devotion which we call the Angelus Domini.

Q. What is this devotion, and in what manner is it performed?

A, The bell tolls three times, with a short space between each time. At the first toll we say, 'The Angel of the Lord declaimed to Mary, and she conceived of the Holy Ghost;' then we say the Haii Mary, &c. At the second toll we say, 'Behold the hand-maid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word,' Hail Mary, &c. At the third toll we say, 'And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt amongst us;' Hail Mary, &c. Then we conclude with the following prayer.

Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord! thy grac€ into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by his passion and cross be brought to the glory of his resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord, Amen.

This devotion is used in all Catholic countries, and is called the Angelus Domini, from the first words, the Angel of the Lord, &;c.