Virgins and religious are never better pleased than when they are all alone to contemplate at leisure the beauty of their Heavenly Lover. They withdraw within themselves because all their care is in this interior beauty, and to preserve and increase it they are ever attentive to remove anything which could tarnish or disfigure it in the slightest degree. The beauty of the Daughter of Sion is within, says the Psalmist [Ps. 44:14, Douay], because she knows well that the Divine Spouse beholds only her interior, while men see only the exterior [7 Sam. 16:7; Ps. 7:10]. Now this beloved spouse is the soul who consecrates herself to follow His divine loves and who desires to please only Him; therefore she withdraws entirely into herself to prepare for Him an agreeable dwelling place. Thus in religion the exercise of the presence of God is so highly recommended and is of incomparable help. We see the proof of this in the fact that Our Lady, when practicing it and remaining recollected, merited at the same time to be chosen to be Mother of God.
This sacred Virgin was, then, a very perfect religious, as we have said, and she is the special Protectress of souls who dedicate themselves to Our Lord. But let us consider a little the virtues which she practiced and manifested more excellently than all others on the day of her glorious Annunciation, virtues which I will only mention in passing and then I will conclude. First, a virginity and purity which has nothing like it in all creation. Secondly, a sovereign and profound humility, joined and united inseparably to charity.
Virginity and absolute chastity is an angelic virtue; but though it belongs more especially to angels than to men, yet the purity of Our Lady infinitely surpassed that of the angels, having three great perfections above theirs, even that of the cherubim and seraphim. I will touch on only those three points, leaving the rest to the considerations which each of you will make in private during this octave.
The purity and virginity of Our Lady had this excellence, this privilege and supereminence above that of the angels, that it was a fruitful virginity. That of the angels is sterile and can produce no fruit. On the contrary, that of our glorious Mistress was not only fruitful because she produced for us this sweet Fruit of Life, Our Lord and Master, but in the second place she has begotten many virgins. It is in imitation of her, as we have said, that virgins have vowed their chastity. But the virginity of this divine Mother has also the property of restoring and repairing those who had been stained and defiled at some period of their life. Holy Scripture testifies that during her lifetime she called a great number of virgins, so that many accompanied her wherever she went: St. Martha, St. Marcella, the Marys, and many others [Cf. Lk. 8:2-3; Jn. 19:25;Acts 1:14]. But in particular, was it not by means of her and by her example that St. Mary Magdalene, who was a cauldron blackened by a thousand impurities and the receptacle of impurity itself, was afterwards enrolled under the standard of the purity of Our Lady and convened into a crystal vial, resplendent and transparent, capable of receiving and retaining the most precious liquors and most salutary waters?
Therefore the virginity of our divine Mistress is not sterile like that of the angels, but is so fruitful that from the moment it was vowed to God until the present time, it has always brought forth new fruit. And not only is it fruitful itself, but it also begets a fruitful virginity in others; for a soul who dedicates herself perfectly to the divine service will never be alone, but will draw many after her example to follow the "perfumes" which have attracted her. Therefore the sacred lover says to her Beloved: Draw me, and we will run.
Moreover, the virginity of Our Lady surpassed that of the angels because they are virgins and chaste by nature. It is not customary to praise a person for what he has naturally because, being without choice, that does not merit praise. We do not praise the sun because it is luminous, for this property being natural to it, it cannot cease to shine. The angels are in no way praiseworthy because they are virgins and chaste, for they cannot be otherwise. But our sacred Mistress has a virginity worthy to be exalted because it is chosen, elected, and vowed. Although she was married, it was not to the prejudice of her virginity, because her husband was a virgin, and like her had vowed to remain so always. Oh, how dearly did this holy Lady love this virtue. Therefore she bound herself to it by vow. She is always accompanied by virgins and she favors them in a special manner.
Her virginity also surpassed that of the angels because it was tried and tested, which could not be the case with that of the heavenly spirits, for they could not fall from their purity nor receive any attack or trial whatsoever. Our glorious Father, St. Augustine, speaking to the angels, says; It is not difficult for you, O blessed spirits, to be virgins, since you are not and cannot be tempted.
Some may think it strange if I say that the purity of Our Lady was tried and tested, but this is true; she was tested with a very great trial. God forbid that we should think that this trial resembled ours, for being all pure and purity itself, she could not receive the attacks to which we are subject and which torment us who bear temptation within us. These temptations would not have dared to approach the impregnable walls of her integrity. They are so importunate that the great Apostle St. Paul writes that three times he besought Our Lord to take them away, or else to moderate their violence so that he could resist them without offense and without yielding [2 Cor. 12:7-8].
The sacred Virgin was tested when she saw the angel in human form. Do we not notice that she began to fear and be troubled, so that St. Gabriel, knowing it, said to her: "Do not fear, Mary" [Lk. 1:29-30]; for he meant to say: Although you see me in the form of a man, I am not a man, nor do I wish to speak to you from a human perspective. He said this because he noticed that the virginal modesty of Our Lady was disturbed. A holy man writes that modesty is, as it were, the sacristan of chastity. As the sacristan of a church is very careful to lock the doors lest its altars should be robbed, and always looks about to see if anything has been stolen, so the modesty of virgins is always on the watch to see that nothing comes to attack their chastity or endanger their virginity, of which they are extremely jealous; and as soon as they perceive anything questionable, though it should be only the shadow of evil, they are troubled as was the august Mary.
But she was not only virgin par excellence above all others, angels as well as men — she was also more humble than all others. This was manifest excellently on the day of the Annunciation. She then made the greatest act of humility that was ever made or ever will be made by a pure creature; for seeing herself exalted by the angel who saluted her, saying that she was full of grace and that she would conceive a Son who would be both God and man, she was troubled and began to fear [Lk. 1:28-32]. Certainly she was familiar with angels, but she had never before been praised by them, for it is not their custom to praise anyone except sometimes for encouragement in some great undertaking [Jgs. 6:12,14]. Therefore, hearing holy Gabriel offer her such extraordinary praise, she was anxious, thereby teaching maidens who take pleasure in being flattered that they expose themselves to great danger of receiving some blemish to their virginity and purity; for humility is so truly the companion of virginity that virginity will never remain long in the soul that has no humility. Although one may be found without the other, as is often seen in the world where many married persons live humbly, yet it must be confessed that these two virtues cannot exist, one without the other, in virgins, that is, in maidens.
Our Lady, being reassured by the angel and having learned what God willed to do with her and in her, made this supreme act of humility, saying: I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say. She saw herself raised to the highest dignity that ever was or will be, for though it should please God to create anew many worlds, He could never make a pure creature be greater than the Mother of God. This dignity is incomparable; and yet the sacred Virgin is not puffed up, but declares that she will always remain the servant of the Divine Majesty. And to show that she was so and willed to be so, she said: Let it be done to me, all according to His good pleasure — abandoning herself to the mercy of His divine will, protesting that by her own choice and election she will always remain in lowliness, and will preserve humility as the inseparable companion of virginity.
But if these two virtues, humility and virginity, may be found one without the other, this separation cannot exist between humility and charity. They are indivisible, and so joined and united together that one is never found without the other, if they are true and unfeigned. When the activity of the one ceases, it is followed immediately by the activity of the other; as soon as humility has abased itself, charity raises itself up toward Heaven.[10] These two virtues are like Jacob's ladder, upon which the angels were going up and coming down [Gen. 28:12-13]. This does not mean that of themselves they could ascend and descend at the same time; these angels did not do this, for they ascended in order to descend again. Humility would seem to remove us from God, who abides at the top of the ladder, because it always makes us descend, in order to lower, despise, and abase ourselves; nevertheless, it is quite the contrary, for in proportion as we abase ourselves, we render ourselves more capable of ascending to the top of this ladder where we shall meet the Eternal Father.
Our Lady humbled herself and acknowledged herself unworthy of being raised to the high dignity of Mother of God; therefore she was made to be His Mother, for she had no sooner uttered the protestation of her littleness than, having abandoned herself to Him by an act of incomparable charity, she became the Mother of the Most High, who is the Saviour of our souls.
If we act thus, my dear daughters, and unite virginity with humility, immediately accompanying it with most holy charity, which will raise us to the top of Jacob's mystical ladder, we shall certainly be received into the bosom of the Eternal Father, who will cover us with a thousand heavenly consolations. Then, in the enjoyment of these we will sing, after Our Lady and most holy Mistress, the canticle of praise to this God who has given us so much grace to follow Him in this world and to combat under His standard. Amen.
Addition [11]
When the divine lover says: "Draw me," she assures us we cannot do anything without grace, for she immediately adds: "We will run." [Song I:4J.
The most holy Virgin alone was the first to be drawn by the Heavenly Spouse to consecrate and dedicate herself totally to His service. For she was the first to consecrate her body and soul to God by the vow of virginity. But as soon as she was drawn she drew a host of souls who offered themselves to God, to advance under her sacred protection in the observance of a perfect and inviolable virginity and chastity. Ever since she led the way it has always been filled with souls who come to consecrate themselves, by vows, to the service of the Divine Majesty. Most dear souls, whom the glorious Virgin regards when she says: "We will run".' Thereby she assures her Beloved that many will follow her standard, striving under her authority against all kinds of enemies for the glory of His Name [Ps. 79:9].
O what an honor for us to do battle under this valiant captainess! Women seem to have a particular obligation to follow this courageous warrior, who has so infinitely ennobled and honored them.[12] Oh! If God's Mother had an angelic nature, how the cherubim and seraphim should glory in it and consider themselves honored! Our Lady is indeed the honor, prototype, and patron of men and of women who live virtuously and of widows. However, no one can deny that young girls, more than all others, have a certain more particular alliance with her. Their similarity to her virginity, belonging to their sex and condition, gives them a great capacity and advantage in approaching her more closely.
As for myself, I think the reason for making, during all ages, a greater solemnity of their entrance and Profession in religion than that of men is this: Their sex being more fragile, their very courageous act of entering religion should be all the more honored. Also, on these feasts God is pleased to be more honored than in the Profession which men make of living in religion. To tell the truth, men do not make so great a renouncement of their liberty as do women. These latter enclose themselves in celestial prisons of Our Lord — the religious orders — to pass the rest of their days. They are never permitted to go abroad except for certain very rare and special occasions, as to found and establish monasteries.
Men entering religion intend, indeed, to live in obedience according to its Rules and statutes. But, it must be confessed, the renouncement they make of their liberty is not so extreme as that of women. Men still have the freedom to go out, to go from convent to convent, to preach, to hear confessions, and to perform many other exercises of their ministry, which are really diversions for them. They, indeed, leave the world in affection, for all religious ought to do this. Nevertheless, they always have some contact with persons in the world, and this relieves somewhat the rigorous law of monastic enclosure.
When young girls dedicate themselves to God they reject and abandon all that. They renounce even the very thing to which nature clings most tenaciously, their liberty. Thus, it can well be said that these young girls perform an act above nature, and need God's supernatural strength to make so perfect an act as that of dedicating themselves to His divine service by such a complete renouncement. For we do not deceive them, telling them that in religion Our Lord will give them sugar, like children, to coax them. Nor are they told that they will be led to Mount Tabor where they will say with St. Peter: "How good that we are here'" [Matt. 17:4]. On the contrary, they are warned before the novitiate and Profession: You must go to "Mount Calvary," where, with Our Lord, you must be "crucified." You must crucify your understanding, restraining all your thoughts, not admitting any voluntarily but those consonant with your chosen vocation. You must likewise crucify your memory, never dwelling upon any remembrance of what you have left in the world. Finally, you must crucify and attach your own will to the Cross of Our Lord, never using it for your own pleasure, but living in perfect submission and obedience for the rest of your life.
Tell me, please, having represented to young girls only the cross, thorns, lances, nails and, finally, the mortifications of the religious life, is not this a very considerable act which they make, and worthy to be honored? O extremely generous souls who truly manifest that you do battle and advance under the auspices of our holy and glorious Mistress, the most holy Virgin! Oh, doubtless, these young women must have considered that it is the property of love to render the burden light; the bitter, sweet; and the insupportably difficult, easy. Your glorious Father St. Augustine[13] expressed this truth very well, saying[14] that he who loves finds nothing vexatious, unpleasant or too troublesome. "There is no toil," he says, "where there is love, or if there is, it is loved."
Go then, my dear daughters, or rather, come with love to dedicate yourselves to God and to the service of His most pure love. Although you will meet with trials you will love this trouble, being well assured that you will please God and render yourselves acceptable to your dear Patroness who, though she had not the name of religious, nevertheless practiced the exercises of religion. Although she is the Protectress of all people and each vocation in general, she has made herself nevertheless Protectress in a special way of virgins who are dedicated to the service of her Son in religion, seeing that she has been like an abbess who showed by example all that they must do to live religiously. For your consideration I shall touch upon only three points concerning today's Gospel to prove what I say. h tells us that, in addressing himself to this holy Virgin to announce the incomparable Mystery of the Incarnation of the Eternal Word, the angel found her retired and alone in her room, in Galilee, in the city of Nazareth [Lk. 1:26-38].
As to the first point; Our Lady was in the country of Galilee. "Galilee" is a Hebrew word meaning "migration." You know there are two kinds of birds: birds of passage or migrating birds, and those that are not. The former migrate because they go from one country to another, like the swallows and nightingales, which ordinarily are found in these parts only in spring and summer. In winter they migrate, withdrawing to countries where it is spring and warm weather when the cold of winter is here. When our springtime returns they return and once again migrate, that is, pass from one country to another, coming here to recreate us with their pleasant warblings.