Part eight (*), Chapter III: Heart of Mary, Miracle of Love

Heart of Mary, Miracle of Love

SANCTIFYING grace is a great queen who never walks alone, but is alway accompanied by the three theological virtues, the four cardinal virtues, the seven gifts and twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost and the eight evangelical beatitudes.

All these virtues and graces are found within the most august Heart of the Mother of God. As her Heart is the abode of sanctifying grace, it is likewise the palace of the virtues, gifts and beatitudes, these heavenly princesses who can never be separated from their queen. Her most holy Heart is an ocean of grace, encompassing all the grace merited for us by the Precious Blood of Our Saviour. As grace raises the holiness of her blessed Heart above all the sanctity of Heaven and earth, so all the virtues reigning in her Heart shine more brightly by far than in all other hearts of the Church Triumphant and Militant.

It would give me great pleasure to describe the marvellous perfections. of each virtue, but lack of space obliges me to speak only of her most ardent love for God, her surpassing charity towards us, her most profound humility, and her perfect submission to the divine Will.

Let us begin with love, and say boldly that the admirable Heart of the Mother of Our Saviour isa living miracle of love. My intention is to show you the principle and origin of the love of God which consumes the Blessed Virgin's Heart, the qualities and perfections of that love, and its marvellous effects.

Would you know the origin and principle of this peerless love? Then raise the eyes of faith to the adorable Heart of the Father of all goodness, to the ineffable Heart of the Holy Ghost, who is the essential and uncreated love. There you shall behold the primal and eternal source of the greatest love that ever was or shall be in the heart of any creature save that of Christ.

The Eternal Father, having willed to communicate His divine Paternity to the Blessed Virgin by making her the Mother of His only begotten Son, made her participate in His own paternal love, that she might love

His Incarnate Son with a love worthy of the Mother of God made Man. The Son of God, on His part , united His most holy Mother to Himself so intimately that, after the hypostatic union, there never was or can be a union so close as that which binds our Saviour to His Blessed Mother. Undoubtedly He communicated to her His love for His Heavenly Father, and thus prepared her to cooperate with Him in fulfilling that divine Father's will concerning the great work entrusted to Him, the work of the redemption of the world.

Then the Holy Ghost, having chosen this Virgin of virgins to be His Spouse, must have inflamed Her virginal Heart with a love worthy of so exalted a privilege; namely the love which the chosen Bride of God must experience for His divine spouse, who is Himself all love, and has transmuted,muted her with love, so that the Bride may become like unto the Bridegroom.

Such is the principle, such the source of the divine love burning in the Heart of the Queen of Heaven for the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Let us now mention the rare perfections that enrich the Heart of Mary. Here are twelve principal characteristics that impart a marvellous lustre to the sublime love of Mary's Heart. Hers is a love most holy, most wise, most prudent, most strong, most ardent, most zealous, most constant, most vigilant, most patient, most faithful, most joyful and most pure.

As for the effects of the love that reigns in the Heart of the Queen of Heaven, it would be easier to count the stars of the firmament than to number them. Count, if you can, all the moments Our Lady spent on earth, and you will be counting as many operations of Mary's love for God, for she never ceased to love Him a single moment during the entire course of her life. Count all her thoughts, words and actions, the exercise of every faculty of her soul, and of all her interior and exterior senses, and you will likewise be counting as Many effects of her love, for she obeyed most perfectly the command of her Divine Spouse. "Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm." (1) Hence all her interior and external actions were stamped with the seal of divine love. Count all the acts of faith, hope, charity, justice, prudence, fortitude, temperance, humility, obedience, patience and all other moral virtues which she practiced. during the years of her life, and you will again be counting as many manifestations of her love, because that love was the principle, the soul and the life of all her virtues. Count all the services she so lovingly rendered to her dearest Son, as His birth, during His childhood and throughout His entire life; all the steps she took in her journeys with (1). Cant. 8, 6.

Him and for Him; all the burdens, pains and anguish she bore for Him on account of her incredible love for Him; all the tears so abundantly shed for Him and you will still be counting further effects on her in. comparable love.

But, to say much in few words, you should understand that perfect love possessed, filled and penetrated so completely the heart, soul, and all the faculties of the Virgin Mother that it constituted the soul of her soul, the life of her life, the mind of her mind and the heart of her heart. Thus love inspired and accomplished everything in her and by her. If she prayed, love prayed in and by Mary, if she adored God, love adored and praised Him in her and through her; if she spoke love spoke by her lips; if she was silent, her silence stemmed from love; if she worked, love motivated her action; i f she rested, love caused her repose; if she ate or drank, it was in obedience to the words of the Holy Ghost, who is essential love: "Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the glory of God." (2) If she mortified herself, her decision was moved and guided by the same love, which kept her in a state of constant mortification.

Finally, the virginal Heart of Mary became so completely transfigured by love, that Suarez(3) boldly affirms that the effects and acts of its love were innumerable. Now if St Bernardine writes that the seven words spoken by the Blessed Virgin, as related in the holy Gospel, were seven flames of love, what shall we say of all the acts and effects of love which sprang from that glowing furnace, except that they were as many fires and flames of divine love, which would be capable of kindling all the hearts in the universe, if no obstacles were raised by the frigidity of sin? To this we must add the further words of St. Bernardine: "The Blessed Virgin's love for her Son was so great that she would have been willing to die for Him times without number." (4) Furthermore, it is quite certain that Our Lady's love was almost without limit or measure. Hence one must not hesitate to say she would have been ready to suffer as many deaths and as many infernal torments for her Son's sake as there are atoms in the air and grains of sand on the seashore. Now count all the acts of love mentioned by Suarez and by St. Bernardine, as well as all the deaths and infernal torments she would gladly have suffered, and you will count the effects of the love that consumes the marvellous Heart of the Mother of Fair Love.

Nor is this all. You must also count the numberless acts and the myriade. (2). I Cor. 10, 31. (3). In 4 Part. dispute. 18, sot 4, 5. (4). The Saint does not give the reference for this quotation.

effects of love that were ever produced in Heaven and on earth by the hearts of all the Seraphim and other angelic Spirits, of all the holy Confessors, of all the holy Virgins and of all the Saints, and you will still be counting as many effects of the ineffable love that burns in the Heart of our Saviour's Mother. It is undoubtedly true that Quod est causa causae, est causa causati, that the effects proceeding from a cause must be attributed to the principle and origin of that cause. Now it is a doctrine of faith that Mary is the Mother of the God of love. We must conclude, therefore, that the love which burns in the hearts of all the angels, and saints, and all the acts and effects of love ever produced by them, having proceeded from the adorable Heart of that God of love, are to be reckoned among the effects of the admirable Heart of His holy Mother. "is is what St. Bernard has in mind when he tells us that God had decreed that we should receive everything through Mary. (5) And another holy Doctor adds: "Without Mary's petition and intercession, nothing comes down to us from Heaven." (6)

This is also signified by the words of Raymund Jourdain: "Whatever good and precious things the world possesses has come to it through Mary, in Mary, with Mary and from Mary."(7) And have we not heard St. Irenaeus explain that God accomplished die mystery of the Incarnation only with the consent of the glorious Virgin became He willed that she should be the principle of every good for mankind? (8)

0 Jesus Christ, God of love, may all the hearts and tongues of angels and of men love and glorify thee infinitely and eternally for having established such a furnace of love in thy peerless Mother's divine Heart. 0 God of my heart, I offer thee all her love to atone for the icy coldness of m y miserable heart. 0 Mother of love, send into our hearts wine living sparks from the divine fire that burns in thy virginal Heart, and be pleased to associate thy unworthy children with thee in all the love and glory thou dost forever render to the most adorable and amiable Trinity.

(5). Totum nos Deus habere voluit per Mariam. Serm. de Nativ. B. Virg. (6). Sine negotiatione et sine petitione Mariae nihil descendit de caelo. The reference for the text i s not given in the original work of St. John Eudes. (7). In Prol. Contempl. B. Virg. (8). Quod vult illam Deus omnium bonorum esse principium. Quoted by Salazas in Cap. 31 Prov. Versus 29, num. 179. 226-