MEDITATION FOR MONDAY
“And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us”
(John, 14).
First Prelude: In the company of the holy angel, kneel at the feet of the Blessed Virgin and with profoundest reverence adore the Incarnate Word, dwelling in her as in a living tabernacle.
Second Prelude: O Immaculate Virgin, thou worthy sanctuary of the Divine Word, teach me how to foster union with God by acts of adoration and love, and to glorify Him by the practice of every virtue.
First Point
EFFECTS OF DIVINE GRACE IN MARY
What inexpressible delight filled the heart of the Blessed Virgin when the Saviour took up His abode in her and she was at once mother and virgin! How ardently did she thank God and extol His infinite goodness! Who could count the graces vouchsafed her at this moment? As the sun illumined and warmed the earth immediately after its creation, so Jesus enveloped the Blessed Virgin with His splendor, inflamed her with divine love and flooded her pure soul with an abundance of graces. If the heart of man is there where his treasure is, then the heart of the Blessed Virgin could, henceforth, be in Jesus alone, because Jesus was, in very truth, her joy, her wealth, her all. Her happiness consisted solely in thinking of Jesus, in loving Him, in seeking His pleasure. She lived more for her beloved Son than for herself. Oh, how low, mean and contemptible in her eyes was the world with all its foolish pleasures, its vain concern with perishable things! How unworthy to fascinate a heart created for things eternal, which can, therefore, be satisfied by nothing save God alone.
O most blessed Virgin, admirable Mother of the Redeemer, impart to us of the light and the graces bestowed upon thee at the moment of the Incarnation, that we, too, may seek and find our happiness in Jesus alone; that we may endeavor to live in His presence and suffer ourselves to be guided solely by His love. Oh, how often do we posit our pleasure in the vain and empty things of this world! We experience no desire to converse intimately with God in the secret recesses of our heart, though He alone can make us happy. How many graces and inspirations, what spiritual consolation and merits have we forfeited by reason of our superficiality!
What vigilance do I exercise over myself? Do I not hold useless intercourse, abandon myself to vain desires and worldly pleasures? How far am I, perhaps, removed from seeking happiness in God alone!
Second Point
JESUS PERFECTS THE VIRTUES OF HIS HOLY MOTHER
After the Incarnation of the Son of God, Mary was His living tabernacle. Her love and adoration were more pleasing to her Divine Son than those of all the angels and men combined. Mary was interiorly united with her Divine Son, and had but one heart, one soul, one life with Him. What St. Paul said of himself was true in the most perfect sense of the Blessed Virgin; she no longer lived, but her Divine Son lived in her. In her innermost soul she sought counsel with Him, begged Him to tell her what to do. To resemble Jesus was her sole ambition; to be humble, poor and mortified, meek and loving, like her Divine Son, was the object of her constant desires. Jesus continually addressed Himself to the heart of His Blessed Mother, instructed her, and Mary was ever ready to heed His injunctions.
Moved by the Divine Word, she shared with others the treasures of grace imparted to her. The Son of God urged His mother gently to cross the hills of Judea on a mission of love, to teach us thereby that Mary is our mediatrix and the dispenser of His gifts. Let us rejoice that the first act to which the Saviour incites His Blessed Mother is an act of charity. Should not her example encourage us to a like zeal? Let us beg of Jesus when He comes to us in Holy Communion to live and act in us as He lived and acted in Mary, and to incite us to the practice of every virtue, especially charity and compassion. How can we show our gratitude more effectively than by exercising the duties of our vocation with the love to which Jesus sweetly urged His Blessed Mother immediately after His Incarnation!
Affections: O ever blessed Virgin and Mother of the Redeemer, in union with all the angels, I adore the Divine Word in thy chaste womb. With still greater ardor I unite myself with thy love-inflamed heart, which far surpasses the love of the seraphim and cherubim. Oh, impart to me of the light and grace thou didst receive from thy Divine Son at the moment of the Incarnation. Help me to know and love Him Who chose thee from all eternity for His Mother. Obtain for me, in particular, the grace to give my heart wholly to God alone, in imitation of thy example, that it may live in Him and that divine love reign supreme in my soul.
Resolution: I will endeavor to remain intimately united with God by frequent acts of love.
Spiritual Bouquet: “I live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me.”
Prayer: O Jesus living in Mary . . .
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