September 8 — Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Ma.rt $

men gaudete fideles. * Stella Maria maris hodie processit ad ortum.

I$jr. Stirps Jesse virgam produxit, virgaque florem: • Et super hunc florem requiescit Spiritus almas. f. Yirgo Dei Genitrix virga est, flos Filius ejus. ° Et super hunc florem requiescit Spiritus almus.

I$r. Ad nutum Domini nostrum ditantis honorem: ° Sicut spina rosam, genuit Judaea Mariam.

It. Ut vitium virtus operiret, gratia culpam. * Sicut spina rosam, genuit Judaea Mariam.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. • Sicut spina rosam, genuit Judaea Mariam.

At length, 0 Mary, our earth possesses thee! Thy birth reveals to it the secret of its destiny, the seoret of that love which called it from nothingness, that it might beoome the palaoe of the God who dwelt above the heavens. But what a mystery, that poor, weak humanity, inferior to the angels by nature, should be chosen to give to the angels their King and their Queen ! Their King they will soon adore, a new-born Babe in thine arms ; their Queen they reverence to-day, admiring thee in thy cradle as only angels can admire. In the beginning these morning stars, these noble spirits, contemplated the manifestations of almighty power, and praised the Most High ; yet never did their eager gaze discover it behold the divine light. ° Mary, the star of the sea, today arose in the henvens.

I$r. The rod of Jesse produced a branch, and the branch a flower: ° And upon the flower rests the Spirit of love. t. The Virgin Mother of God is the branch, the flower is her Son. # And upon the flower rests the Spirit of love.

I$f. At the will of the Lord enriching us with honour: ° Mary sprang from Judaea as the rose from the thorn.

"f. That vice might be overcome by virtue, and sin by grace. ° Mary sprang from Judaea as the rose from the thorn.

Glory be to the Father, &c. 0 Mary sprang. frafcfe AtTTEll PENTfcCOST suoh a marvel as that which delights their eyes at this hour: God, more purely imaged under a oorporeal veil, under the fragile form of an infant one day old, than in all the strength and all the beauty of their nine angelic choirs ; God, so oaptivated by such weakness united, by His graoe, to suoh love, that He made it the culminating point of His work by determining to manifest His Son therein !

Queen of angels, thou art our Queen also ; accept us as thy liegemen. On this day, when the first movement of thy holy soul was towards God, and the first smile of thy lovely eyes was for thy happy parents, may holy Anne allow us to kneel and kiss thy little hand, already filled with the divine bounties of which thou art the predestined dispenser. And now, grow up, sweet little one ! Let thy feet be strengthened to crush the serpent, and thy arms to carry the treasure of the world! Angels and men, the whole of nature, God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, all are awaiting the solemn moment, when Gabriel may fly down from heaven to hail thee full of graoe, and bring thee the message of eternal love.

FEAST OF THE MOST HOLT NAME OF MART

'And the Virgin's name was Mary. 1 Let us speak a little about this name, which signifies star of the sea, and which so well befits the Virgin Mother. Rightly is she likened to a star: for as a star emits its ray without being dimmed so the Virgin brought forth her Son without receiving any injury; the ray takes nought from the brightness of the star, nor the Son from His Mother's integrity. This is the noble star risen out of Jacob, whose ray illumines the whole world, whose splendour shines in the heavens, penetrates the abyss, and, traversing the whole earth, gives warmth rather to souls than to bodies, cherishing virtues, withering vioes. Mary, I say, is that bright and incomparable star, whom we need to see raised above this vast sea, shining by her merits, and giving us light by her example.

Oh ! whosoever thou art that seest thyself, amid the tides of this world, tossed about by storms and tempests rather than walking on the land, turn not thine eyes away from the shining of this star if thou wouldst not be overwhelmed by the hurricane. If squalls of temptations arise, or thou fall upon the rocks of tribulation, look to the star, oall upon Mary. If thou art tossed by the waves of pride or ambition, detraction or envy, look to the star, oall

1 St. Luke, i. 27.

TIME AFTER PENTECOST upon Mary. If anger or avarioe or the desires of the flesh dash against the ship of thy soul, turn thine eyes towards Mary. If, troubled by the enormity of thy orimes, ashamed of thy guilty oonsoienoe, terrified by dread of the judgment, thou beginnest to sink into the gulf of sadness or the abyss of despair, think of Mary. In dangers, in anguish, in doubt, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let her be ever on thy lips, ever in thy heart ; and the better to obtain the help of her prayers, imitate the example of her life. Following her, thou strayest not ; invoking her, thou despairest not ; thinking of her, thou wanderest not ; upheld by her, thou f allest not ; shielded by her, thou f earest not ; guided by her, thou growest not weary ; favoured by her, thou readiest tne goal. And thus dost thou experience in thyself how good is that saying: And tne Virgin's name was Mary.' 1

Thus speaks the devout St. Bernard, in the name of the Church. But his pious explanation does not exhaust the meanings of this blessed name of Mary. St. Peter Chrysologus adds in this same night Office: 'Mary in Hebrew signifies lady or sovereign: and truly the authority of her Son, who is the Lord of the world, constituted her Queen, both in faot and in name, from her very birth.' 2

Our Lady : suoh is the title which befits her in every way, as that of Our Lord beseems her Son ; it is the doctrinal basis of that worship of hyperdulia whioh belongs to her alone. She is below her Son, whom she adores as we do ; but above all God's servants, both angels and men, inasmuoh as she is His Mother. At the name of Jesus every knee is bent; at the name of Mary every head is bowed.

1 Lessons of the 2nd nocturn of the feast, ex Bernard. Romil. ii. super Missus est. * Peter Chrys. Sermon cxlii, de Atnuntiat.

Homily of the 3rd Nocturn.