May 12th
Chapter Nine of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
Symbols of Mary

You are, O Mary  the dwelling place of God, you are also, O Mary, the gate of heaven; the garden of delights; the source of graces; the glory of angels; the salvation of men.  You are the art of living; the splendor of virtue; the light of day; the hope of the unhappy; the health of the sick; the mother of orphans.  O Virgin of virgins, all beautiful and fragrant, you have in yourself, O Mary, the brilliance of the star, the charm of the rose, the beauty of the dawn, the gentleness of the moon, the depth of the pearl, the splendor of the sun.

We all hasten then to you, O Mary, as sons to a beloved mother, as orphans to a mother whom they love.  Through your merits protect us from all evil.  through your prayers deliver us from all peril.

O Mary, golden rose, sweet and beautiful at once, may my urgent prayers rise to you!  Here I stand, knocking at the door of your dwelling, assured of obtaining your mercy, in the midst of my sorrows and tribulations.  Indeed, you are the Mother of mercy, and you give to the sinner hope of pardon.

Your tenderness, O Mary, and your goodness surpass all that can be expressed here below.  You are elevated above the glory , above the honors which the saints possess, higher than the virtues, the benignity, the sweetness and the charm of blessed spirits.

And if it were not thus, O Mary, how could you inundate the unfortunate with so much sweetness, with so many consolations, with such great hope, and such great contrition.  You will never be impoverished, for in you is conceived the Source of all goodness, You are the ornament of the heavens, and the joy of the saints, and you are the tabernacle of the Holy of Holies.

Our forefathers longed for you for aeons.  You, the chosen mother and the elected virgin, who was to grant all pardon on earth and all fullness in heaven.