Chapter 21: For the Vigil and Feast of the Annunciation. Exercises of devotion to the Blessed Virgin

As St. Gertrude heard the bell for Chapter on the Vigil of the Annunciation, and endeavoured to recollect herself in God, she beheld the Lord Jesus and His Virgin Mother seated in the place of the Superior, and waiting with great tranquillity until the sisters had assembled, receiving each as she entered with the tenderest marks of friendship and affection. When the Feast of the Annunciation was read in the Marty rology,t Jesus turned to His Mother and saluted her with such goodness and condescension, as to renew in her that sweet and inestimable joy which she had felt when His Divinity took flesh in her womb, and united itself to our nature. When the community began to recite the Miserere, our Lord placed each word in the hand of His Virgin Mother under the form of pearls of different colours. She saw that the Blessed Virgin had a quantity of sweet perfumes * in her bosom, which she mixed with the pearls — that is, with the prayers of the religious — which her Son had presented to her.

t "Kalendario." J " Olf actoriola. "

The Saint understood that these perfumes signified the crosses which the religious had suffered on the preced ing day, without having given any occasion for them ; and when she marvelled why these crosses were repre sented as perfumes, our Lord told her : " As a delicate person is more pleased with perfumes than with any other present, so do I delight in the hearts of those who suffer their trials with humility, patience, and thanksgiving, abandoning themselves entirely to My paternal good ness, which converts both prosperity and adversity to their good."

As Gertrude began to reflect why our Lord had in structed her now and on many other occasions by corporal visions, he recalled to her mind the words which had been chanted that day of the closed gate which the Prophet Ezechiel had seen, and said to her : " As I have explained the manner and order of My Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection to the prophets by mystical figures and simili tudes, so I use sensible things to make men comprehend what surpasses the apprehension of their senses. For this reason, no one should esteem spiritual things less because they are represented under corporal images; but rather

2 A should endeavour to render themselves capable thereby of tasting the sweetness contained therein."

While the Ave Maria * was chanted at Matins, St. Ger trude beheld three streams, which flowed with a gentle im petuosity from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost into the heart of the Blessed Virgin, and flowed back again from her heart with the same impetuosity to its original source. The Saint understood by this that the Blessed Virgin is most powerful after the Father, most wise aftei the Son, and most benign after the Holy Ghost, t She knew also, when any one recited the Ave Maria with de votion, that these three streams sweetly encompassed the Blessed Virgin, and then returned to their source in the Heart of Jesus Christ, and from them little streams of joy and salvation flow forth on the saints and angels, and especially on those who recite the Angelic Salutation with devotion, which renews in them all the benefits which they acquire by the Incarnation of the Son of God.

Each time also that they recited any words referring to the chastity of the Blessed Virgin, such as these : " Domu^ pudici pectoris ; clausa parentis viscera," <kc., J all the saints rose up, and reverenced her as their queen and mistress, returning most fervent thanks to God for all the favours which He had granted to men through her. The Arch- .•uigel Gabriel appeared also as if arrayed in a new brilliancy each time that the Annunciation was mentioned, which was effected by his ministry ; and at the name of St. Joseph, t " Potentissima post Patrem ; sapientissima postFilium; et benignissima post Spiritura Sanctum."

• From the hymn at Lauds on Christmas-day, A solis ortits cardinc, which may have been then sung on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin the spouse of the Virgin Mother, all the saints made a pro found inclination to him, testifying, by the serenity and sweetness of their looks, that they rejoiced with him for his exalted dignity.

During Mass, at which St. Gertrude communicated, she beheld the Mother of God, gloriously adorned with every virtue ; and she prostrated humbly at her feet, beseeching her to dispose her to receive worthily the august Sacra ment of the Body and Blood of her Divine Son. The Blessed Virgin then gave her a magnificent necklace, which had seven rays or points, to each of which a precious stone was attached, and these stones indicated the signal virtues which had pleased our Lord most in His Blessed Mother. The first was her exquisite purity ; the second, her faith ful humility ; the third, her ardent desires ; the fourth, her clear knowledge ; the fifth, her unquenchable love ; the sixth, the sovereign pleasure which she took in God ; the seventh, her peaceful tranquillity. When St. Gertrude appeared before our Lord with this collar, He was so won by the brilliancy of her virtues, that He inclined lovingly towards her ; drawing her to Himself, and enclosing her as it were in His bosom, He honoured her with His pure and holy caresses.

At the Antipbon for the Magnificat — Arte mirabili — the Holy Spirit appeared to come forth from the Heart of our Lord like a soft wind, which gently moved the collar with which the Saint was adorned, chanting this Antiphon us on a musical instrument in honour of the Most Holy Trinity. Then, at the words of the Gospel Ecce andlla, St. Gertrude saluted the Mother of God with great devotion recalling to her the ineffable joy which she had experienced when she abandoned herself and all that concerned her, with perfect confidence, to the Divine will. The Blessed Virgin replied to her, with a look of exceeding serenity : " When any one reminds me devoutly of this, I will truly be to them what they ask in the hymn Monstra te esse matrem, which is used on this Feast, showing myself in truth the Mother of the King of Glory and the advocate of men, using my power with the King to succour them, and assisting them with the tenderest compassion."

When the Antiphon Ucec est dies f was chanted, at the words, " Hodie Deus homo factus est," the community prostrated, to honour the glorious Incarnation of our Lord, and the Son of God, remembering the love which had made Him become man, rose from His regal throne, and, standing before His Father, said to Him : " Eternal Father, My brethren are come to Me" (Gen. xlvi. 31). And the Eternal Father was moved to compassionate and show grace to these brethren for whom His only and beloved Son interceded thus lovingly and tenderly, with infinitely more affection than Pharao felt for Joseph when he rejoiced with him at the arrival of his brothers.

As St. Gertrude inquired what devotion would be most acceptable to the Blessed Virgin at this time, she taught her that any one who recited the Ave Maria devoutly fortyfive times each day during the Octave, in memory of th«

' ' Show thyself a mother ; Offer Him our sighs, Who for us incarnate Did not thee despise."

From the hymn Ave maris Stella, at Vespers, Feasts of the Blessed Virgin.

t This was formerly sung at procession after Vespers. Gerber^ Vet. Lit. Allmannicce, p. ii. p. 231.

INSTRUCTION IN THE " AVE MARIA." 373 time our Lord had remained in her holy womb, they would render her the same service as if they had attended her with the greatest care from the moment of the conception to the time of the birth ; and as she couid have refused them nothing under such circumstances, so now she would be equally willing to give all they asked.

Tho Saint was then instructed to say the Ave Maria in this manner : at the words " Ave Maria," to desire the consolation of the afflicted ; at the words " gratia plena," to ask grace for those who had it not ; at " Dominus tecum," to pray for sinners ; at " benedicta tu in mulieribus," to ask grace for those who had begun to live well ; at " benedictus fructus ventris," to pray for the perfection of the elect ; to repeat the words " Jesus, splendor-paternse charitatis," that all may know Him ; and " figura substantiae ejus," to obtain Divine love : for these words — " Jesus, splendour of the Father's glory, and image of His substance" — should be repeated at the end of each Ave Maria.