Our Monthly Devotions

by Albert A. Lings

Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, receive my prayer. Help me in all my necessities, intercede for me, O glorious one, with my Redeemer, even with Him, thy divine Son, Whom thou didst bear without spot of sin. Deliver me from every snare of the enemy, and from all carnal delights, that by thy intercession I may obtain the pardon of all my sins, steadfast resistance to all my enemies visible and invisible, and the amendment of my life. Amen.

Seventh Day. The Purification.

It was ordered by the Law of Moses that all women should, at a stated time after childbirth, repair to the Temple and present themselves to the priest, in order that they might be purified. Could she who had been immaculately conceived, an immaculate Virgin and Mother, be made more pure? No, certainly not; but obedience required that she should comply with the conditions of the Law, and obedience was one of Mary's greatest virtues. Should not her example fill us with confusion—we who are apt to murmur against any command [pg 193] that is in the slightest manner distasteful to our feelings? The Law also commanded that every first-born son should be offered to God in the Temple, and then ransomed by some gift, according to the condition of the parents. Mary and Joseph were poor, so they took their humble offering of two doves and set out for Jerusalem, to present the Son of God in the Temple. As Mary walked on, with her precious Child clasped in her arms, how little the passers-by suspected Who this first-born Son was! If they could have only known what He was to do for His people, how they would have bowed before Him and adored Him, poor weak Infant as He was! But no, “He came unto His own, and His own knew Him not.” “And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was in him. And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came by the Spirit into the Temple. And when His parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law: he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said: Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word in peace: Because my eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples. A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people, Israel.” As Simeon stands thus with the Babe in his arms, the Holy Ghost shows him the sad, sad future of the Child and Mother. Turning to Mary, he said: “Behold this Child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of [pg 194] many in Israel.... And thy own soul a sword shall pierce.” Oh, the awful sorrow that fell on her young heart! For a moment she bowed down under the crushing burden of her coming pain, but only for a moment; then she stretches out her arms to receive her Child, and murmurs, “Thy will, not mine, be done; be it done unto me according to Thy word.” What a lesson for us to learn, we who are restless and impatient under every little trial! What a contrast to our disobedience and pride when God wishes to take some loved object from us! Oh, let the example of this most perfect of women sink deeply into our hearts, and may we learn from her the great virtues of charity, obedience, humility, and purity.

Prayer.

O Mother of mercy, forsake us not in our hour of trial and temptation! Never allow us to lose courage, but cheer us with thy aid, make us patient under suffering, and render our wills conformable to the will of thy divine Son. Conduct us through the dawn of penance to the fulness of thy light. Amen.

Eighth Day. Simeon's Prophecy.

The holy Simeon had foretold that Jesus should be a stumbling block to many. By these words Mary understood that Jesus would suffer much persecution from the Jews, and her immaculate heart was deluged with sorrow. She saw Anna come into the Temple and heard her acknowledge Jesus as her God. She obeyed everything which the Law ordained, [pg 195] and then with Joseph and her Child returned to the city of Nazareth, with the sharp sword of sorrow within her heart. Oh, the constant grief that followed each ray of joy that lighted her soul! How she suffered at every insult offered to her divine Son—she who loved Him as no other mother ever loved a child! Every look at Jesus, every movement that He made, every word He spoke, brought to her mind the prophecy of Simeon and filled her heart with bitterness. The memory of those words were always before her, and as time passed on she saw Gethsemani and Calvary hourly drawing nearer and nearer. The words of the prophet Isaias came whispering to her heart, “He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before His shearer, and He shall not open His mouth.” Yet ever and anon she murmured, “Thy will, not mine, be done.” Oh, what an example of loving resignation to the will of God! It is astonishing how shallow all human consolation is. Let Our Lady teach us how to suffer without seeking consolation. She suffered in silence; we can make our sorrows in a measure like hers by constantly uniting them to the sorrows of our dearest Lord. With confidence then we may seek the Mother of sorrows, and ask her to be the Mother of our sorrow, to help us bear our burdens to the very end—to be like her, loving and patient with those who cause us pain. It is a consolation to those who mourn to know that our blessed Lady was a lifelong mourner. So let us take up our sorrow bravely, and following in the footsteps of our dear Mother, walk cheerfully on.

Prayer.