Contract(1): of Holy Matrimony

of Holy Matrimony

with the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

( 1 6 6 8 ) Jesus, Mary, Joseph 0 admirable and most amiable Mary, Mother of God, only Daughter of the eternal Father, Mother of the Son of God , Spouse of the Holy Ghost, Queen of heaven and earth, it is no wonder thou art willing to be the spouse of the least of all men and greatest of all sinners, Whe bad the boldness to choose thee from his tenderest years to be his most unparalleled spouse, and to consecrate his body, heart and soul wholly to thee. The truth is that thou dost wish to imitate the infinite goodness of thy Son Jesus Who is willing to be the spouse of a sinful and wretched soul. May all the angels, saints, creatures and the Creator Himself praise and bless thee eternally for it, and atone for all m y countless acts of ingratitude and infidelity against thee.

Since thou hast already shown such great kindness, 0 most charitable of all creatures, deign to accept the conditions of our holy union which I am about to write down on this paper. It will serve as the contract, or rather, as a copy of the contract, of which I implore the Holy Spirit to be the notary, that He may record it in thy Heart and in mine in the golden and indelible letters of His pure love.

Whereas the husband is the head and superior of the wife, and whereas she is subject to his authority, I wish to respect and honor thee as my Queen and sovereign Lady, and I desire my whole being, with all its dependencies and appurtenances, to be fully subject to thy power, that thou mayest dispose of them all according to thy pleasure.

Whereas a portion of the wife's dowry remains in the hands of her husband-an arrangement popularly known as a changeable gift-who (1). A somewhat similar fact is found in the life of St. Robert, Abbot of Citeaux. St. Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury, once told his aunt that when he was very young he chose the Blessed Virgin Mary as his spouse and placed a gold ring on the finger of her statue in taken of his promise.

uses it as he deems best, I desire to appropriate and retain nothing of the dowry thou hast brought me, that is to say, the numberless graces and favors which the heavenly Father has granted me through thy intercession. I willingly surrender all claims to any advantage for my private interests, placing these graces in thy hands, together with all the fruits they have yielded, so that thou mayest return them to Him Who is their primary source, and to Whom alone may all glory for them be eternally rendered.

Whereas the wife, after her husband's death, retains only a portion of her wealth as her marriage settlement, it is my intention, 0 my most honored Lady, that all that I am, all of which I am capable, all that I possess in body and soul, nature and grace, all that I hope for in glory, and i n general, all that belongs to me in either the spiritual or temporal order, or that depends on me in any way whatsoever, be thine entirely and without reservation, that thou mayest do with them what thou wilt. But all that is nothing. 0, had I a hundred million worlds, how gladly would I give them to thee, 0 my Holy Spouse! Truly, if through the impossible I were a divine being, like thy Son Jesus, I would give myself to thee with the utmost happiness, in union with the same love with which He gave Himself to thee.

Whereas the wife must conform to her husband and become like him, according to these divine words: Faciamus homini adjutorium simile sibi , '(1)I desire with all my heart to strive to become like thee, 0 my Queen, through a careful imitation of thy holy life and eminent virtues. I beseech thee to use thy God-given power to destroy in me whatever may prevent my doing so, and to impress upon me a lively image and perfect likeness of thyself.

Just as husband and wife must live together in the same house, so also do I desire to dwell with thee in the most amiable Heart of Jesus, which is also thy Heart. Grant that I may never leave it, I beg of thee, but that I may have no other dwelling in time and in eternity.

Just as the wife is inseparable from her husband and is obliged to follow and accompany him everywhere, so also do I beseech thee, my all-good, to be ever with me, in all places, at all times and in all my (1). Gen. 2, 18.

actions, that thou mayest guide and govern me in all things, according to the most adorable will of thy Son.

Just as the honor of the wife, which is her husband's glory, must be very dear and precious to him, so do I protest my desire to be especially fervent in honoring and having honor paid thee i n every way I can, with the help of the grace of thy Son.

Just as husband and wife must love each other with a love that is sincere, constant and cordial, so have I every imaginable proof, 0 my all-lovable one, of thine incomparable affection for me; thou clost likewise behold the fires and flames, the sincerity and tenderness of my heart in thy regard. 0 my all-desirable Queen, what do I wish, what do I love, in heaven and on earth, after thy Jesus and mine, other than thee! 0 thou sole object of my heart, second only to my God, what would I not do and suffer for thy love! I know there is nothing more pleasing to thy Son and thee than to labor for the salvation of souls. Surely thou art aware of my feelings in that respect! 0, that I had all the hearts of men and angels, with all the capacity to love which ever was and ever shall be, that I might avail myself of them to love Jesus, the Son of Mary, and Mary, the Mother of Jesus! But even then I should not be content. One must have the heart of a God in order to love worthily a God-Man and a Mother of God. Thanks be to Him, I have such a one, for, since Jesus has given Himself wholly to me, His Heart is consequently mine. Yes, the Heart of Jesus is my own heart. It is in the love of this Heart that I wish to love my most kind Saviour and His most amiable Mother, and that I desire to love them deeply, ardently, tenderly, solely and eternally. I wish to love only what they love, I hate only what they hate, rejoice over nothing save what affords them happiness, grieve over nothing except what displeases them. And I wish to find all my consolation and delight in thinking of them, conversing with them, speaking of them and hearing them spoken of, being active in their service, suffering for love of them, and dying ten thousand times, were it possible, for Jesus and Mary.

Just as husband and wife have a mutual obligation to aid and console each other in their infirmities, illnesses and afflictions, it is my desire to serve, help and console thee, according to the power God has granted me, in the persons of the poor, sick and afflicted, in whom I shall see

thee as the mother in her children. I beseech thee, too, my all-gracious one, to help, protect and sustain me in my spiritual and corporal needs.

just as husband and wife should have but a single heart and soul, grant, 0 Queen of my heart, that I may have but one soul, one mind, one will and one heart with Thee. To that end, deprive me of my own heart and give me thine, according to thy word, that I may sing for all eternity:

0 qualis haec benignitas!

Ardens Mariae charitas

Meum sibi cor abstulit,

Suum mihi Cor praebuit

May this sacred Heart of my dearest Mary be the soul of my soul and the spirit of my spirit ; may this amiable Heart be the principal of my life and all my thoughts, words, actions, feelings and affections; may I perform all my actions and bear all my trials and afflictions in the love, charity, humility, submission, patience and the other holy dispositions and intentions of this most holy Heart.

Just as the wife should redouble her care of her husband and her affection toward him during his last days and at the hour of his death, so also do I ask thee, 0 beloved of my soul, to be present and near me personally On my last day and during my final hour, according to thy promise, in order to defend me against the enemies of my salvation; to strengthen and comfort me; to prepare me for a holy death; to give me a share in the holy dispositions with which thou didst die; to receive my soul when it leaves my body; to lodge it within thy bosom and thy maternal Heart, for thou art the Mother and Spouse of my Jesus; to elevate it unto thyself in heaven, that there I may love, praise and glorify for ever the most Holy Trinity, together with thee and with all the angels and saints.

Just as the wife should care for the children that her husband has left her after his death, so do I beseech thee with all my heart, 0 my all-charitable one, to take very special care of all the spiritual children God has given me; they are thy children, too, since He has given them to me through thy intercession. I place them all, from this moment forward, in thy loving care, beseeching thee to preserve them so well

that not a single one may perish. I also place in thy blessed hands the Communities over which divine Providence has given me charge, or with which He has granted me a special bond of unity; and all those persons who have any friendship and charity toward me, or who have recommended themselves to my prayers, or to whom I have any obligation whatsoever, without forgetting those who have felt any hatred or aversion toward me, for whom I pray thee to ask pardon of divine Mercy.

But above all else, I recommend to thee most earnestly, 0 my loving Mother, the little Congregation of Jesus and Mary, which thy Son and thou have given me, entreating thee, 0 my Queen, by all the kindness of thy most benign Heart, to make up all my omissions in its regard; to annihilate anything that may obstruct the designs of God for it; to protect, bless and govern it in all things. Remember, 0 most kind and powerful Virgin, that thy Son Jesus is its Founder, Superior and Father; that thou arc its foundress, superioress and mother; and that it is wholly dedicated and consecrated to thy most Holy Heart. Grant then, I beseech thee, that all the children of this Congregation may be true children of thy Heart, and that to that end they may make a complete renunciation of their own wills in order to comply everywhere and in all things with the most adorable will of God. Expel all those who wish to live according to the desires of their own hearts, and do not allow anyone of that character to enter. Bless and favor in every way those who faithfully observe the rules which are established in this Congregation. Bless, too, with thy holiest blessings all who love and protect it. But most of all do I ask of thee, 0 my amiable Princess, that thou grant it a superior pleasing to thy Heart, who may make amends for the countless mistakes I have made in its regard, and who may rule it in thy spirit, which is the spirit of thy Son.

Those are the conditions of the contract of holy matrimony into which thou has desired me to enter with thee, 0 Queen of heaven, as with the most holy spouse of my spirit and heart. Once again I entreat thee to look with favor upon it and to sign it with the blood of thy virginal Heart, just as I am going to sign it with my ownblood, in the ardent desire of affixing my signature with the last drop of my heart's blood. Grant that it may be accepted and signed by thy adorable

Father, Who is also my Father; by thy Son Jesus, my Redeemer; by thy Spouse, the Holy Spirit; by thine own father, St. Joachim; by thy mother, St. Anne; by thy spouse, St. Joseph; and that thy good guardian angel St. Gabriel, my own guardian angel, St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist, all the saints who had particular devotion for thee while they were on earth, and all the other angels and saints, may sign it as witnesses; and that the Holy Spirit may imprint thereon the eternal seal of His divine love. Amen, amen! So be it!

Dated at Caen, in the house of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, on Saturday, this 28th day of April, 1668.

JOHN EUDES, missionary priest of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary.