Discourse VIII — Another Discourse on the Assumption of Mary

1. How glorious was the triumph with which Mary went to heaven.
2. How exalted was the throne to which she was raised in heaven.

It would seem right that the holy Church on this day of the Assumption of Mary into heaven should invite us to weep rather than to rejoice, since our sweet Mother departs from this earth and leaves us deprived of her dear presence, as St. Bernard says: Plangendum nobis, quam plaudendum magis esse videtur. But no — the holy Church invites us to rejoice: Gaudeamus omnes in Domino diem festum celebrantes sub honore B. Mariae Virginis. And with good reason: if we love this Mother of ours, we should rejoice more in her glory than in our own particular consolation. What son would not rejoice — even if separated from his mother — upon hearing that she is going to take possession of a kingdom? Mary today goes to be crowned Queen of Heaven, and can we not celebrate if we truly love her? Gaudeamus omnes, gaudeamus. And to console ourselves further in her exaltation, let us consider: 1. How glorious was the triumph with which Mary went to heaven. 2. How exalted was the throne to which she was raised in heaven.

Point I

After Jesus Christ our Savior had completed the work of Redemption by his death, the angels longed to have him in their homeland of heaven; hence, continually praying, they repeated to him the words of David: Surge, Domine, in requiem tuam tu et arca sanctificationis tuae (Ps. CXXXI, 8): Come, Lord, now that you have redeemed mankind, come to your kingdom with us, and bring with you also the living ark of your sanctification — that is, your Mother, who was the ark sanctified by your dwelling in her womb. Thus St. Bernardine has the angels say: Ascendat etiam Maria tua sanctissima Mater, tui conceptione sanctificata. The Lord therefore finally willed to fulfill the desire of those heavenly citizens by calling Mary to paradise. But if he willed that the Ark of the Covenant should be introduced into the city of David with great pomp — Et David et omnis domus Israel ducebant arcam testamenti Domini in iubilo et clangore buccinae (II Kings VI, 14) — with far nobler and more glorious pomp he ordained that his Mother should enter heaven. The prophet Elijah was carried to heaven in a chariot of fire, which, as interpreters hold, was nothing but a company of angels who raised him from the earth. But to lead you to heaven, O Mother of God, says Rupert the Abbot, a single company of angels was not enough; the very King of Heaven himself came to accompany you with his entire heavenly court: Ad transferendum te in caelum non unus tantum currus igneus, sed totus cum rege suo Filio tuo venit atque occurrit exercitus angelorum.

St. Bernardine of Siena is of the same mind — that Jesus Christ himself came from paradise to meet Mary and accompany her: Surrexit gloriosus Iesus in occursum suae dulcissimae Matris. And precisely for this reason, says St. Anselm, the Redeemer willed to ascend to heaven before his Mother arrived there — not only to prepare her throne in that royal court, but also to make her entry into heaven more glorious by accompanying her himself, together with all the blessed spirits: Prudentiori consilio illam praecedere volebas, quatenus in regno tuo ei locum praeparares, et sic comitatus tota curia tua festivus ei occurrens, sublimius, sicut decebat, tuam Matrem ad te exaltares.

Hence St. Peter Damian, contemplating the splendor of this Assumption of Mary into heaven, says we shall find it more glorious than the Ascension of Jesus Christ, because at the Redeemer's Ascension only the angels came to meet him, but the Blessed Virgin went to glory with the escort and retinue of the very Lord of Glory and of the entire blessed company of saints and angels: Invenies occursum huius pompae digniorem quam in Christi Ascensione; soli quippe angeli Redemptori occurrere potuerunt, Matri vero Filius ipse cum tota curia tam angelorum quam sanctorum occurrens, duxit ad beatae consistorium sessionis. Hence Abbot Guerric has the divine Word speak thus: Ego ut Patrem honorarem ad terram descendi; ut Matrem honorarem ad caelum reascendi: I, to give glory to my Father, descended from heaven to earth; but then, to render honor to my Mother, I ascended again to heaven, so as to come and meet her and accompany her with my presence to paradise.

Let us go on considering, then, how the Savior came from heaven to meet his Mother, and at their first meeting said to her, to console her: Surge, propera, amica mea, columba mea, formosa mea, et veni. Iam enim hiems transiit... et recessit (Cant. II, 10): Come, my dear Mother, my beautiful and pure dove, leave this valley of tears where you have suffered so much for love of me. Veni de Libano, sponsa mea, veni de Libano, veni: coronaberis (Cant. IV, 8). Come, in both soul and body, to enjoy the reward of your holy life. If you have suffered much on earth, far greater is the glory I have prepared for you in heaven. Come there to sit near me; come to receive the crown I shall give you as Queen of the universe.

Behold, Mary now leaves the earth, and remembering so many graces there received from her Lord, she gazes upon it with both affection and compassion, leaving there so many poor children amid so many miseries and dangers. Behold, Jesus extends his hand to her, and the blessed Mother already rises into the air, already passes the clouds, already passes the spheres. Behold, she has already arrived at the gates of heaven. When monarchs enter to take possession of their kingdom, they do not pass through the gates of the city; rather, the gates are either removed entirely or they pass over them. Therefore, just as the angels, when Jesus Christ entered paradise, cried out: Attollite portas, principes, vestras, et elevamini, portae aeternales, et introibit rex gloriae (Ps. XXIII, 7), so now, as Mary goes to take possession of the kingdom of heaven, the angels who accompany her cry out to those within: Attollite portas, principes, vestras, et elevamini, portae aeternales, et introibit regina gloriae: Quickly, O princes of heaven, lift up, remove the gates, for the Queen of Glory must enter!

Behold, Mary now enters the blessed homeland. But as she enters and those heavenly spirits behold her so beautiful and glorious, they ask the angels who come from outside, as Origen contemplates: With one voice all in heaven rejoiced, crying: Quae est ista quae ascendit de deserto, deliciis affluens, innixa super dilectum suum? (Cant. VIII, 5): Who is this creature, so lovely, who comes from the desert of the earth — a place of thorns and thistles — yet she comes so pure and so rich in virtue, leaning upon her beloved Lord, who deigns to accompany her with such honor? Who is she? The angels who accompany her reply: She is the Mother of our King, she is our Queen, she is the blessed among women — the one full of grace, the Holy of Holies, the beloved of God, the Immaculate One, the Dove, the most beautiful of all creatures. And thereupon all those blessed spirits begin to bless her and praise her, singing — better than the Hebrews said to Judith: Tu gloria Ierusalem, tu laetitia Israel, tu honorificentia populi nostri (Judith XV, 10): O our Lady and Queen, you are the glory of paradise, the joy of our homeland, you are the honor of us all; be ever welcome, be ever blessed; behold your kingdom, behold, we are all your vassals, ready at your commands.

Then all the saints who were at that time in paradise came to welcome her and greet her as their Queen. All the holy virgins came: Viderunt eam filiae et beatissimam praedicaverunt... et laudaverunt eam (Cant. VI, 8). They said: We too, O most blessed Lady, are queens of this kingdom, but you are our Queen, for you were the first to give us the great example of consecrating our virginity to God; we all bless and thank you for it. Then the holy confessors came to greet her as their teacher, who had taught them so many beautiful virtues by her holy life. The holy martyrs also came to greet her as their Queen, because by her great constancy in the sorrows of her Son's Passion she had taught them, and also obtained for them by her merits, the fortitude to give their lives for the faith. St. James also came — the only one of the Apostles then in paradise — to thank her on behalf of all the Apostles for all the comfort and help she had given them while on earth. Then the prophets came to greet her, and these said to her: Ah, Lady, you are the one foreshadowed by our prophecies. The holy patriarchs came and said to her: O Mary, you are the one who was our hope, so long and so greatly sighed for by us. But among them, with even greater affection, our first parents Adam and Eve came to thank her: Ah, beloved daughter, they said, you have repaired the damage we did to the human race; you have obtained for the world that blessing lost through our fault; through you we are saved — may you be ever blessed.

Then St. Simeon came to kiss her feet, and joyfully recalled the day when he received the infant Jesus from her hands. St. Zechariah and St. Elizabeth came, and again thanked her for that loving visit she made to their home with such humility and charity, through which they received such great treasures of grace. St. John the Baptist came with even greater affection to thank her for having sanctified him by means of her voice. But what must her dear parents St. Joachim and St. Anne have said when they came to greet her? Oh God, with what tenderness they must have blessed her, saying: Ah, beloved daughter, what a fortune it has been for us to have such a daughter! Ah, you are now our Queen, for you are the Mother of our God; as such we greet you and adore you. But who can then comprehend the affection with which her dear spouse St. Joseph came to greet her? Who can ever describe the joy the holy patriarch felt upon seeing his spouse arrived in heaven with such triumph, made queen of all paradise? With what tenderness he must have said: Ah, my Lady and spouse, when shall I ever be able to thank our God enough for having made me the spouse of you, who are his true Mother? Through you I merited on earth to attend upon the childhood of the Incarnate Word, to hold him so often in my arms, and to receive so many special graces from him. Blessed be the moments I spent in life serving Jesus and you, my holy spouse. Behold our Jesus; let us console ourselves, for he no longer lies stretched upon straw in a stable as we saw him born in Bethlehem; he no longer lives poor and despised in a workshop as he once lived with us in Nazareth; he is no longer fixed to an infamous scaffold as he died for the salvation of the world in Jerusalem; but he sits at the right hand of the Father as King and Lord of heaven and earth. And behold, my Queen, we shall never again be separated from his holy feet, but shall bless and love him for all eternity.

Then all the angels came to greet her, and she, the great Queen, thanked them all for the assistance they had given her on earth, thanking especially the Archangel St. Gabriel, who was the happy messenger of all her fortunes when he came to bring her the news of being made the Mother of God. Then the humble and holy Virgin, kneeling, adored the divine Majesty, and, wholly lost in the knowledge of her own nothingness, thanked him for all the graces bestowed upon her through his goodness alone, and especially for having made her the Mother of the Eternal Word. Let whoever can, then, comprehend with what love the Most Holy Trinity blessed her. Let them comprehend what welcome the Eternal Father gave to his daughter, the Son to his mother, the Holy Spirit to his spouse. The Father crowns her by sharing with her his power; the Son, his wisdom; the Holy Spirit, his love. And all three divine Persons, placing her throne at the right hand of Jesus, declare her the universal Queen of heaven and earth, and command the angels and all creatures to recognize her as their Queen, and as Queen to serve and obey her. And here let us pass to consider how exalted was the throne to which Mary was raised in heaven.

Point II

But if the human mind, says St. Bernard, cannot comprehend the immense glory God has prepared in heaven for those who loved him on earth, as the Apostle tells us, who shall ever grasp quid praeparavit gignenti se? — what glory he has prepared for his beloved Mother, who on earth loved him more than all men, indeed, from the very first moment of her creation loved him more than all men and all angels together? The holy Church is right, then, to sing that, Mary having loved God more than all the angels, she was raised in heaven above all the angels: Exaltata est sancta Dei Genitrix super choros angelorum ad caelestia regna. Yes, exalted, says Abbot William, above the angels, so that she sees no one placed above her but her Son, who is the Only-begotten of God: Matrem dico exaltatam super choros angelorum, ut nihil contempletur super se Mater, nisi Filium suum.

Hence the learned Gerson asserts that since all the orders of angels and saints are distinguished into three hierarchies, as the Angelic Doctor teaches (q. 108) with St. Dionysius, Mary constitutes in heaven a hierarchy apart — the most sublime of all and second only to God: Virgo sola constituit hierarchiam secundam sub Deo hierarcha primo. And as St. Antoninus adds, just as the mistress differs incomparably from her servants, so incomparably greater is the glory of Mary than that of the angels: Virgo est domina angelorum, ergo et improportionabiliter est supra omnem hierarchiam angelorum exaltata. And to understand this, it suffices to know what David told us — that this Queen was placed at the right hand of her Son: Astitit regina a dextris tuis (Ps. XLIV, 10). Which St. Athanasius explained precisely of Mary: Collocatur Maria a dextris Dei.

The works of Mary, as St. Ildephonsus says, certainly surpassed incomparably in merit the works of all the saints, and therefore her reward and glory cannot be comprehended: Sicut est incomparabile quod gessit, ita et incomprehensibile praemium et gloria inter omnes sanctos quam meruit. And if it is certain that God rewards according to merit, as the Apostle wrote — Reddet unicuique secundum opera eius (Rom. II, 6) — then certainly, says St. Thomas, the Virgin, who surpassed in merit all men and angels, had to be raised above all the heavenly orders: Sicut habuit meritum omnium et amplius, ita congruum fuit ut super omnes ponatur ordines caelestes. In sum, adds St. Bernard, let the singular grace she acquired on earth be measured, and from that let the singular glory she obtained in heaven be measured: Quantum enim gratiae in terris adepta est, tantum et in caelis obtinet gloriae singularis.

The glory of Mary, observes a learned author (Father La Colombiere), was a full glory, a complete glory — unlike that enjoyed by the other saints in heaven. It is true that in heaven all the blessed enjoy a perfect peace and full contentment; nevertheless, it will always be true that none of them enjoys that glory he might have merited if he had served and loved God with greater fidelity. Hence, although the saints in heaven desire nothing more than what they enjoy, in fact they would have something to desire. It is likewise true that sins committed and time lost cause no pain there; but it cannot be denied that greater good done in life, innocence preserved, and time better employed give immense contentment. Mary in heaven desires nothing and has nothing to desire. Which of the saints in paradise, says St. Augustine, if asked whether he has committed sins, can answer no — except Mary? It is certain, as the sacred Council of Trent has declared (Session VI, can. 23), that Mary never committed any fault, any slightest defect. Not only did she never lose divine grace, nor ever obscure it, but she never left it idle. She performed no action that did not merit; she spoke no word, had no thought, drew no breath that she did not direct to the greater glory of God. In short, she never grew cold or stopped for a single moment in her course toward God; she never lost anything through negligence; she always corresponded to grace with all her strength and loved God as much as she could possibly love him. Lord, she now says to him in heaven, if I have not loved you as much as you deserve, at least I have loved you as much as I could.

In the saints, graces were diverse, as St. Paul says: Divisiones... gratiarum sunt. So each of them, by corresponding to the grace received, excelled in some particular virtue — one in saving souls, another in leading a penitential life, another in bearing torments, another in contemplation. Hence the holy Church, in celebrating their feasts, says of each one: Non est inventus similis illi. And according to their merits they are distinguished in glory in heaven: Stella enim a stella differt (I Cor. XV, 41). The apostles are distinguished from the martyrs, the confessors from the virgins, the innocents from the penitents. The Blessed Virgin, having been filled with every grace, was more sublime than any individual saint in every kind of virtue. She was the apostle of the apostles, the queen of martyrs since she suffered more than all; she was the standard-bearer of virgins, the model of the married; she united in herself perfect innocence with perfect mortification; she united, in sum, in her heart all the most heroic virtues ever practiced by any saint. Hence it was said of her: Astitit regina a dextris tuis in vestitu deaurato, circumdata varietate (Ps. XLIV, 10); for all the graces, the merits, the privileges of the other saints are all found gathered together in Mary, as the Abbot of Celles says to her: Sanctorum omnium privilegia, o Virgo, omnia habes in te congesta.

In such a way that as the splendor of the sun exceeds the splendor of all the stars united together, so, says St. Basil, the glory of the divine Mother surpasses that of all the blessed: Maria universos tantum excedit, quantum sol reliqua astra. And St. Peter Damian adds that just as the light of the stars and of the moon disappears — as though they no longer existed — when the sun appears, so Mary so far obscures in glory the splendor of men and angels that they almost seem invisible in heaven: Sol ita sibi siderum et lunae rapit positionem, ut sint quasi non sint. Similiter et virga Iesse utrorumque spirituum habet dignitatem, ut in comparatione Virginis nec possint apparere. Hence St. Bernardine of Siena asserts, with St. Bernard, that the blessed participate in part in the divine glory, but the Virgin has in a certain way been so enriched with it that it seems a creature could not be more closely united to God than Mary is: Divinae gloriae participatio ceteris quodammodo per partes datur, sed secundum Bernardum B. Virgo Maria penetravit abyssum, ut, quantum creaturae conditio patitur, illi luci inaccessibili videatur immersa. To this is joined what Blessed Albert the Great says — that our Queen contemplates God very closely and incomparably more than all other heavenly spirits: Visio Virginis Matris super omnes creaturas incomparabiliter contemplatur maiestatem Dei. And the aforementioned St. Bernardine says further that just as the other planets are illuminated by the sun, so all the blessed receive greater light and joy from the sight of Mary: Quodammodo sicut cetera luminaria illuminantur a sole, sic tota caelestis curia a gloriosa Virgine laetificatur. And elsewhere he similarly asserts that the Mother of God, ascending to heaven, has increased the joy of all its inhabitants: Gloriosa Virgo cum caelos ascendit, supernorum gaudia civium cumulavit. Hence St. Peter Damian said that the blessed have no greater glory in heaven after God than to enjoy the sight of this most beautiful Queen: Summa gloria est post Deum te videre. And St. Bonaventure: Post Deum maior nostra gloria et maius nostrum gaudium ex Maria est.

Let us rejoice, then, with Mary over the exalted throne to which God has raised her in heaven. And let us rejoice also for ourselves, for if our Mother has left us with her bodily presence by ascending gloriously to heaven, she has not left us in her affection. Indeed, being there closer and more united to God, she knows our miseries better, and from there she compassionates us more and can better help us. And what — says St. Peter Damian to her — O blessed Virgin, because you have been so highly exalted in heaven, have you therefore forgotten us wretched ones? Numquid, o B. Virgo, quia ita glorificata es, ideo nostrae humilitatis oblita es? No, God forbid that we should think it; so merciful a heart cannot fail to compassionate our great miseries: Absit, he adds, non convenit tantae misericordiae tantae miseriae oblivisci. If great was the pity Mary had toward us while she lived on earth, far greater, says St. Bonaventure, is it in heaven where she reigns: Magna fuit erga miseros misericordia Mariae exsulantis in mundo, sed multo maior est regnantis in caelo.

Let us dedicate ourselves, then, to serving this Queen, to honoring and loving her as much as we can, since she is not — says Richard of St. Lawrence — like other rulers who burden their subjects with taxes and duties; rather, our Queen enriches her servants with graces, merits, and rewards: Regina Maria non gravat tributis, sed largitur servis suis divitias, dona gratiarum, thesauros meritorum et magnitudinem praemiorum. And let us pray to her with Abbot Guerric: O Mother of mercy, you are already seated so near to God, Queen of the world upon so sublime a throne — feast upon the glory of your Jesus and send us, your servants, the remnants that are left. You already feast at the Lord's table; we beneath the table here on earth, like poor little dogs, beg your compassion: O mater misericordiae, saturare gloria Filii tui, et dimitte reliquias parvulis tuis. Tu ad mensam Domini, nos sub mensa catelli.

Example

Father Silvano Razzi relates (Book 3, Miracles of the Blessed Virgin) that a devout cleric, greatly enamored of our Queen Mary, having heard her beauty so praised, ardently desired to see his Lady once; and so with humble prayers he begged this grace of her. The merciful Mother sent word through an angel that she wished to grant him the favor of letting herself be seen by him, but on this condition: that after seeing her he would become blind. The devout man accepted the condition. Behold, one day the Blessed Virgin appeared to him. Not wishing to become totally blind, at first he looked at her with only one eye; but then, captivated by Mary's great beauty, he wished to gaze upon her with both, and at that moment the Mother of God disappeared. Having lost the presence of his Queen, in his grief he could not cease weeping — not for the lost eye, but for not having beheld her with both eyes. Therefore he returned to beg her to appear to him once more, and he did not care about losing the sight of the other eye that remained, becoming completely blind. Happy and content, he said, I shall be, O my Lady, if I become entirely blind for so beautiful a reason, which will leave me more enamored of you and your beauty. Behold — Mary once again wished to satisfy him, once again consoled him with her sight; but because this loving Queen never does harm to anyone, appearing to him the second time she not only did not take the other remaining eye but also restored the eye he had lost.

Prayer

O great, exalted, and most glorious Lady, prostrate at the foot of your throne we adore you from this valley of tears. We rejoice in the immense glory with which the Lord has enriched you. Now that you are seated as Queen of heaven and earth, do not forget us, your poor servants. Do not disdain, from that exalted throne where you reign, to turn your merciful eyes toward us in our wretchedness. The closer you are to the fountain of graces, the more abundantly you can supply them to us. In heaven you see our miseries better; therefore you must compassionate us more and assist us more. Grant that on earth we may be your faithful servants, so that we may come to bless you in paradise. On this day, when you are made Queen of the universe, we too consecrate ourselves to your service. In your great joy, console us also today by accepting us as your subjects. You are our Mother.

Ah, most sweet Mother, most lovable Mother, your altars are surrounded by many people, some asking to be healed of an illness, some to be provided for in their needs, some seeking a good harvest, some the winning of a lawsuit. We ask of you graces more pleasing to your heart: obtain for us to be humble, detached from the earth, resigned to the divine will; obtain for us holy love of God, a good death, and paradise. My Lady, change us from sinners into saints; work this miracle, which will bring you more honor than if you were to give sight to a thousand blind and raise a thousand dead. You are so powerful before God; it suffices to say that you are his Mother, his dearest one, full of his grace — what could he ever deny you?

O most beautiful Queen, we do not presume to see you on earth, but we wish to come and see you in paradise; and you must obtain this for us. So we surely hope. Amen. Amen.