May Thy will, O God, be done in us, through us, and by us, this day and always, here and everywhere! Hail, glorious Mother of God; hail, Queen of heaven; hail, my patroness! To thy tender maternal love I commend myself, in order that all my actions may have for their end three things, namely, the glory of thy Son, my own salvation, and my neighbor's good. In every tribulation and sorrow come to my aid and the aid of my friends. Amen.
Fifth Day. The Visitation.
No sooner had Mary heard the words of the angel, announcing that she had been chosen to be the Mother of the long expected Messias, and that her kinswoman Elizabeth was also with child, than she rose up and went with haste into the hill country, and entering into the house of Zachary, saluted Elizabeth. Her heart was full of unselfish love for God and man, and the very love of God which made her heart burn with joy at the coming of Jesus, made it also beat quickly with gladness at the great blessing granted to Elizabeth. The angel had told Zachary that his son John was to be the immediate precursor of the Messias, and Elizabeth had been constantly thinking of all this, longing to know when and whence the Messias should come. Lost in these thoughts she sat on the day of Mary's arrival, and the instant that sweet voice struck on her ear, it was made known to her in a wonderful manner that this was the Mother of the Messias. [pg 190] Rising, she knelt before her, crying, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?” For a moment Mary stood in astonishment—then she realized the greatness of her title of Mother of God, and while the light of ecstasy transfigured her holy face, she exclaimed, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me: and holy is His name. And His mercy is from generation unto generations to them that fear Him. He hath shewed might in His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich He hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy. As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.” The visit which occasioned this beautiful canticle preaches in every line the great virtue of charity which marked Our Lady's life so clearly. The Holy Scripture tells us that Mary remained with Elizabeth for three months, when she returned to her own home.
Prayer.
O Virgin most fair, worthy of all praise and honor! Sanctuary consecrated to God, Virgin Mother, hidden treasure of innocence, splendor of virginity! Thy prayers are favorably received [pg 191] on high. Address them for us to Him, Whom in thy virginity thou didst conceive, Who is true Lord and God, the Author of all creatures. Amen.
Sixth Day. The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
And when the fulness of time was come, “God so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son,” Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. The Emperor Augustus ordered that a great census should be taken in all the provinces of his empire, each family being enrolled in the city of its respective tribe. Thus, in obedience to the order, Mary came to the city of David, and in all its length and breadth there was not room for her to lay her weary head. “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” Gold would doubtless have procured admission to an appropriate shelter, but Joseph had no gold. The evening wind fell cold and piercing on the young virgin, who breathed not a word of complaint though she was scarcely able to support herself. The lonely travellers, seeing themselves rejected by all the world, quitted Bethlehem, and in a poor ruined stable Mary brought forth her first-born Son, the promised Messias, and laid Him in a manger. Great artists have striven to paint the rapture of Mary as she laid her Jesus, her Son, her God, in the manger. Who can understand what it was to see Him, to adore Him as her God, to caress Him as her Child, to forget all her fatigue in her wonderful joy? We can adore Him and watch the movements of our beloved [pg 192] Mother, a model and example of resignation on this night of poverty and humiliation. Glory and praise to thee, O holy Mother, in this thy poverty in Bethlehem! Many a poor mother in sorrow and want will look to thee and find consolation, knowing thy tender heart will sympathize with her. For what are we that we should be better treated than the Mother of Our God?
Prayer.