St Chantal on Prayer

Fix Your Gaze on Him

Anybody who, when praying to God, notices that he is praying, is not entirely attentive to prayer.  He is turning away his attention from the God, to Whom he is praying, in order to think of the prayer by which he is praying.  The very pains we take to prevent distractions often work upon us as a considerable distraction.  What is most praiseworthy in all spiritual activity is complete simplicity.

Do you wish to gaze upon God?  Gaze upon Him then, and put your mind on this.  If you begin to reflect and to turn your eyes upon self in order to learn what sort of attitude you are maintaining as you gaze upon Him, then it is no longer upon Him that your gaze is fixed, but upon your own conduct, and upon yourself.  Anyone who is engaged in fervent prayer does not so much as know if he is in prayer or not, so great is the ardor of holy love.  He carries on no self-examination, but holds himself fixed and fastened in God.

It is certain that distractions are multiplied ordinarily according to the degree of one's vivacity of mind, and that there are minds so restless as to be distracted during the entire time of an Office.  Yet the will of such a person is no more guilty than would be the case as regards dreams coming to them in sleep.  Patience in these cases, a continuous desire for God, renewed from time to time, is often of more worth and profit to the soul, than an entirely peaceful, calm, and pleasant power of attention.

St Chantal on Prayer

July 5th
Prayer -- God's Work in Us

Of ourselves, we could never take a single step in the holy way of prayer.  This is why the sacred spouse cries out in her helplessness :  "Draw me," that is, make the first move, for I do not know how to waken myself by my own power.  But, when You will have stirred me, then, Oh dear Bridegroom of my soul, we shall run forward.  You will run before me, drawing me always forward, and I will follow You in haste, accepting Your attraction; and thus You will draw me by the odor of your ointments.

St Chantal on Prayer

July 4th
With Love and for Love

There is no harm in seating ourselves for awhile, when necessity demands, but we should not so remain during the whole time of prayer.  Such tender care of self is not to be always practiced, for it is dangerous and can do much harm in the way of salvation.  It does not upset me to learn that someone has fallen asleep at prayer, so long as everything possible has been done to achieve recollection.  Drowsiness must be humbly borne, and we must hold ourselves before God like a statue to receive whatever God  may send.  Our Lord is sometimes pleased to watch us struggling against sleep through the whole time of prayer without wishing to deliver us.  This we must endure calmly and must even welcome our pitiful condition.  Never say that there is nothing to be done, becuase something always lies within our power if we wish it.  Otherwise we shall be maintaining that our Lord has ordered the impossible, and this is not so.  We can do all things with grace, and grace never fails us.

St Chantal on Prayer

July 3rd
St Chantal on Prayer
With Love and for Love

Fidelity of soul towards God consists in being perfectly resigned to His holy will, in enduring everything that His goodness allows in our lives, and in carrying out all our duties with love and for love, especially that of prayer.  In prayer we must converse with our Lord very similarly concerning our little needs, telling Him what they are, and remaining submissive to anything He may wish to do with us.  We  must with constancy reject the distractions which come to us in prayer and during the Office.  By way of preparations for prayer, the thing to do is to go at it with deep humility and awareness of our nothingness.  We must invoke the help of the Holy Spirit and that of our good angel, and then hold ourselves very still during this time in God's presence, full of faith that He is more in us than we in ourselves.  And though our prayer be without words or consideration, there is no danger in this, because the good success of prayer depends neither on words nor on study.  Rather it is the simple raising of our minds to God:  and the more simple and the more striped of feeling, the surer.  As for thinking of our sins during prayer, this we must never do.  A simple humbling of our soul before God as regards all our offenses, without thought of this one or that, is enough.  Most of the time, such thoughts only act as distractions.

St Chantal on Prayer

July 2nd
St Chantal on Prayer
Keep Your Eyes Upon God

So stand firm and endure, without reflecting on all that is going on within you.  Leave all that to God without giving it a thought.  It is the sacrifice of your son Isaac that God demands of you, and not the sacrificing of him a single time, but over and over by the abandonment of yourself in Him.  As a result all you have to do is, from time to time, to utter a few words, above all the following which may be your only prayer:  "My God, into Your hand I commend my spirit," or perhaps:  "My God, my soul is in Your holy grasp.  No longer am I able to see what is going on in it, but to You I leave all care of it, and wish nothing further than to take heed of Your will alone.  My great enlightenment is not to enjoy any; my joy will be found in heaven, and none other holds my heart.  My wealth lies in the privation of any good which the human mind can discern; my peace is in war; my tranquility lies in confusion.  The fire of my love for God flames in the thicket of sharp thorns which stab me on every side, without a hope for any end or fulfillment of my labors; rather every day do they increase.  My consolation is to be without any; my death is not to die; my riches are found in the poverty and bareness of the cross upon which my Lord gave His life, deprived of all earthly and heavenly comfort.  There is the road marked out for me, I seek no other.  Our Lord had granted me much in the way of sensible consolations, all these He has removed.  My He be forever blessed!  Amen."

July 1st
St Chantal on Prayer
Keep Your Eyes Upon God

Faith without works is never enough.  It is not a feeling of faith or of hope which will save us, but rather what we do supported by the mercy of God.  Now in actual fact you do possess these precious theological virtues, and your works make this plain by the faithfulness with which you observe the law of God and our laws.  To conduct oneself in this fashion is to have faith of the right kind, because feelings of affection for the virtues are not within our power, but we can always work at them.  At the moment this is what God asks of you, while He holds you in this state of general interior suffering and in a privation of every sort of enlightenment and knowledge.  But throughout all this it lies within our power to work away at the virtues.  It is to this task that you are giving yourself at present.  God is pleased with you because you are accomplishing His holy will.  In the general interior martyrdom which God is making you endure, what you are doing is quite enough.  So, give no thought any further to your troubles nor to your confusion of mind, nor to the fears and anxieties which all these efforts are causing, however violent and frightening they may seem.  In place of this, hold your gaze upon God in patience and let Him do what He wills.  This is the instruction of our blessed father, and a great piece of teaching it is.

June 30th
St Chantal on Prayer
Keep Your Eyes Upon God

You have so often given yourself to God, and assured Him that He might take away from you anything that was not of Him.  Now He has done so, He has at last taken you at your word.  Well, what are we to say?  He withdraws His sensible gifts; He has removed these consolations so that there might remain in your soul nothing but Himself alone.  So you must bless Him for what He has accomplished and remain patient and submissive, without a look at what you have done, at what your are doing, nor at what you may do in the future.  In place of all such thinking, try to practice the lesson of our blessed father who told us:  "Keep your eyes upon God and let Him do His will."

As the much-loved spouse of our Lord then, be of good heart, find your consolation in the will of God and rest assured that your faith, your hope and your love of Him are greater and more perfect than they have ever been.  But this love is one of suffering, and in general quite devoid of any satisfaction.  So hold fast in the assurance that I am giving you upon the part of God and of our blessed father, that father who so often told us that a way lined with crosses is always the better way.  Therefore, do not trouble yourself any more because you have no feeling.

June 29th
St Chantal on Prayer
Giving Without Counting the Cost

Do not seek your own contentment, nor make any act of reflection, nor do anything to learn what is going on in yourself, no matter how it may seem, though in your eyes what is happening appears frightful and though you feel it most vividly and painfully.  Turn your mind back in all gentleness upon God without mentioning to Him your trouble, and there remain as best you can, patient and enduring, without making any interior act nor anything else of the sort, for any reason whatever, not even during metal prayer or as a way of preparing for mental prayer.  Find your contentment in thus resting in God, near God, or under His eye, whatever seems possible, pretending that you are not aware of your own trouble.  Above all be faithful to this:  never to attempt to get rid of your trial, not to wish to know it well enough so as to be able to speak of it; let it be enough for you to know that this cross is from God.  Leave the care of your interior life entirely to God.  Concern yourself with it no longer.  Simply be patient and submissive; distract yourself by some sort of external occupation; think of the resolutions which you have made and do not allow yourself to be upset by all the racket that is going on in the lower part of your soul.  Do not even appear as if you were aware of these revolts and resign yourself to spend your old age in this condition of suffering if it be God's good pleasure.  Let me assure you that He is sheltering you in His arms..  So, even though you feel nothing of this, remain content with your discontent.  To hold oneself in patience when suffering is already a high state of prayer, you may be sure, so do not force yourself to conscious acts.  To gaze upon God while suffering with gentleness and submission is quite enough.  Virtuous feelings do not lie within our power, but virtuous conduct does indeed lie within our power, and this it is that God requires of you at the moment, while He holds you on the cross.  The way of generous suffering is the way to heaven.  Stand fast, and bear your cross without thinking about it.  Our Isaac must be sacrificed over and over again by the giving of ourselves to God without counting the cost.

June 28th
St Chantal on Prayer
Rise Above Self

Make no response then nor so much as pretend to see or to feel either temptations or troubles, no matter how they show themselves.  Give no heed to anything which goes on within your conscience, no  matter how agonizing it may be.  Look at God.  Do this and nothing more.  Or remain in Him, or near Him, in peace of mind and utter trust, completely given over to His care, without a deliberate act and without seeking a deliberate act, for God means you to hold yourself in a thoroughly passive state.  So, all you have to do is to calm yourself, set yourself at peace, and establish yourself in tranquility.  Be sure that you never fail in your resolution which is not to desire to be delivered from this cross which has been given you by God.  Submit yourself humbly and with a good heart to this holy intention of His.  Make not the slightest effort to escape it nor to find your way out of it, nor even to know what sort of thing it is.  In short, endure with humble gentle patience the weaknesses, the sense of being crushed, and any sort of grief, fear, trouble, desolation, with anything else which may happen to you, without alarm nor so much as a deliberate reflection to determine what you are doing, nor what may come upon you.  I beg you again, gaze upon God simple and straightforwardly, and let Him do as He pleases.  Since you have confided to Him and placed in His hands all that you are, having rid yourself of everything let Him now take charge, for you have made exception of nothing, but have handed over everything to His faithful love, and now you must work out your salvation on this cross, though it means that never again in your life you enjoy a bright or happy day.

June 27th
St Chantal on Prayer
Rise Above Self

To rise above self -- this is what must be done -- above all feelings, all opinions and dislikes, so that we gaze upon God and bind ourselves to Him by a simple assent.  We must march on as if blind, following His providence with confidence, even in the midst of temptation, feelings of abandonment, fears and every sort of trouble, if it be God's good pleasure that we serve Him in this wise.  For what have we done if not to strip ourselves and abandon ourselves without recourse into His blessed hands.  To Him we have confided the care of all that concerns us without exception.  So we must not give any of this a single thought, but rather hold fast to the directions and the last resolutions of our blessed father which teach us never to rest our minds voluntarily in anything but God, not asking ourselves what our soul is doing, or what it has done or will do.

June 26th
St Chantal on Prayer
Abandonment and Trust

I may add that it is this that our blessed father [St Francis de Sales] would always order me to practice, holding the mind in all simplicity and directness, without act or effort, in that simple gaze upon God and contemplation of God, in total surrender to His will; without a wish to see, or feel, or carry out any work, but merely content to remain in His presence -- relaxed, at peace, confident, patient, never inspecting self to see how things are going, nor what one is doing, feeling or enduring.  No, you must not inquire what your soul is doing, has done, or will do, nor what may happen to it in any future event or contingency.  From this position you  must not budge because this sole and single gaze upon God embraces all our duty, especially in a state of suffering.

Of course, all this you know already and I am simply assuring you now of the truth of it.  So hold fast to this simple state, and at the instant that you notice your mind drifting away from it, draw yourself back gently, without strain, or looking about, or self-dissection, concerning anything whatever.  One thing alone is necessary:  it is to have God.  In short, then, no matter what is going on, we must hold both our attention and our love on God, not wasting our time in studying what is happening to ourselves, nor what is its cause.  Our Lord asks this of us.

Carry on with your holy Communions and other spiritual duties as usual, without asking yourself how you are discharging them, and leave to God Himself all care for your salavtion and spiritual life, along with everything else which concerns you.  To Him you have sacrificed all, to Him given up all:  so let Him take charge.  Amen.  May God be blessed.

June 25th
St Chantal on Prayer
Abandonment and Trust

Make no effort to work your way out, nor to overcome your trial, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, periods of darkness, anxieties, frustrations, wild thoughts, nor anything of the like, no matter what they may be or how they may be going on in your heart, no matter how painful a martyrdom they may bring.  Never be startled nor frightened at such things, nor make any reflection upon them other than this, which is to take them only as grievous temptations.  Hold yourself far above them, pretending that they simply are not there, even though you feel them all so keenly.  Hide your distress from your very self, and say nothing about it neither to God nor to yourself.  Do not examine it even for so long as to imagine how you might find words to tell someone else what it is, and never make it the subject of an examen.  Hold your eyes on God and leave the doing to Him.  That is all the doing you  have to worry about, and the only activity which God asks of you and towards which it is He alone who is drawing you.

June 24th
St Chantal on Prayer
Abandonment and Trust

Now, to sum up in a few words what I have been suggesting to you as a cure for your ills, I entreat you, by that obedience which you owe to the divine Will, that Will which is conveyed by the superior whom you see in God and as you see God in her, that you hold firm trusting in the guarantee which I give you as from God, that your faith, hope, and charity are greater and more perfect in you than they have ever been.  So stop asking yourself if you possess them or if you possess any virtue.  Do not go to the trouble of conscious renewals of your resolutions, but simply advert to them with all good will and hold fast in that absolute trust which has been granted to you.  Never give way to the desire to be liberated from your difficulties.  This is a privilege which is from God in order to make you perfect in every virtue.  It is a reward and not a punishment, make no doubt of this.  What God desires is that you bear this burden patiently, with complete surrender to His holy good pleasure, without permitting your mind to seek, nor inquire what is going on within you; without allowing your self to discuss, nor even to glance at temptations, no matter what their type, nor even to consider why this trial has been imposed upon you.

June 23rd
St Chantal on Prayer
In His Good Pleasure

In the same way, your love of God, your faith, your hope are all the greater in that they are cut off from every sensible satisfaction and comfort.  All this pleasant and sensible side of your spirituality is now buried in God as in a divine furnace, so that, the more all is lost to your feelings, the greater and more precious is the fragrance before God, by reason of your humble acceptance of His will which makes you thus die to your very self, so that there is nothing you can say except:  "It is finished!  My God, I have confided my entire being to Your hands, so that You may do as You wish with me, according to Your good pleasure.  I leave to You the care of my interior state.  Watch over it as it may please You.  All I wish to take responsibility for is my faithfulness to holy patience, and to the task of maintaining my mind in that utterly sole and simple gaze upon You, with  no concern for anything else whatever."

It is thus that You must put to death in yourself every source of reflection or activity, remaining there in God's presence as it may please Him, patient and enduring, faithful to your role, holding to your spiritual exercises, and following the lead of what is good or best, cost what it may, with the support of divine grace.

June 22nd
St Chantal on Prayer
In His Good Pleasure

Now, as to whether this state will go on for long, this is something which we must leave to God.  We must not wish to know when it will end, nor wish to be set free from it.  Should it please His goodness to abandon you in this condition even until the day of judgment, bow down before His holy will.  Your sole fear in these sufferings is that of offending God, of not being pleasing to Him, and of not being able to serve and glorify Him forever.  Now I promise you, on the part of Him to whom you have dedicated yourself for so long, that this condition in which you find yourself is more pleasing to Him than if by His grace you were raised to the third heaven, or rejoiced in all the convictions and feelings of virtue of which God has now robbed you.  Because in their effects, and in their substance, you do possess all these virtues but you are without the awareness and the sensible feeling of them.  Indeed, this is why you hold them in a purer state, more perfectly, and to a higher degree.  This state is similar to that which our blessed father was talking about concerning contemplation, which is like a quintessence of flowers from which we extract a perfume.

June 21st
St Chantal on Prayer
In His Good Pleasure

Now then, since God has removed from you the knowledge, the enlightenment, and the consciousness of the graces which He had placed in you, and has thus entirely reduced you to poverty, it is His desire that you remain patient and submissive to His good pleasure.  You are not to wish either to see or to know where your faith lies, nor where are any of the other virtues, tastes, consolations, feelings, or whatever you please, and in brief, all the graces, consolations and feelings of inward devotion; contenting yourself with the knowledge that God holds all these things within Himself, and that, by maintaining your union with Him, you possess and hold within yourself all that is His.  But above all do not waste any time deliberately considering in what fashion you are united to God, nor in examining the degree of your submission, abandonment to His will, and trust in Him.  Be content that God should know these things and should see them, and be confident that all He asks of you at present is that you dwell in Him in patient peace and silence, gazing upon Him, as best you can, while He works His divine labors within your soul.

June 20th
St Chantal on Prayer
In His Good Pleasure

God wishes you to hold yourself in an extremely passive state.  Do not examine yourself in order to learn if you are to persevere, if you are being faithful, if you are pleasing to God.  Empty yourself of your very self and of every anxiety, apprehension, trouble, or fear as to how long this state will last, this state in which everything causes you fear and brings you trouble.  Your remedy will be a simple gazing upon God, with no attempt to reply to Him.  Once more, in God's name I tell you this.  You look into yourself far too much.  Do not any longer find cause for trouble in your trouble.  Never speak of it, neither to God nor to yourself, nor ever so much as look at it for long enough to be able to find words, to describe it, nor express it to anybody whatever; and never make it the subject of any examine.  Hide your grief from your very self, and hold your eyes on God as if you did not feel it and, if you can speak to Him at all, let it be about Himself and not about your difficulties.  Keep your eyes raised to heaven, and be content to repeat over and over with a smile filled with confidence:  O eternity!  O eternity!

Remain subject to the good pleasure of the will of God who is making you poor, by depriving you of any sort of inward contentment.  For He has entirely removed from you the awareness of the gifts placed in you by His grace, these gifts which His mercy has so infused into your soul that they may no longer be separated from your interior life.  But the divine Guide, in order to make you climb to a still higher sanctity, has taken your faith, hope and love for His divine goodness, your trust, the abandonment and security which you felt in Him and all the interior powers of your soul.  All these precious gifts, which He himself had placed in you, He has cast into the crucible and fire of His purest and holiest love, so that He might consume away and annihilate in you any sort of pleasure or contentment or complacency -- I do not speak of the earthly kind, for this work is long since accomplished.  This Divine Master wishes to destroy in you the pleasure which you enjoy of finding in yourself all these gifts and graces which, by His mercy, He had granted to you.  And just as He has given them, so has He taken them away, that is, as regards your awareness of them, so that it might be He alone who will occupy your soul, and not His gifts.

June 19th
St Chantal on Prayer
Faith, the Science of Saints

When at prayer, we must have eyes and ears for nothing but God.  If an angel appeared before us, we ought not to bestow upon him a single glance, for we are speaking to a Mightier than he.

Anybody who always maintains the right attitude is always ready for prayer, and indeed is always praying.  Show God that you love Him to this degree, that you would be willing to love Him just as much for a small reward as for a mighty one.

When all else has forsaken us, it is then that we are least forsaken by God.  He is never under greater pressure to come to our rescue than when He sees us deprived of all other help.  Now, if God finds Himself urged to our rescue when He sees us deprived of everything else, how much more will He feel the obligation to succor us when it is He Himself who is responsible for out abandonment?  Anyhow, what can it matter if we are forsaken by God so long as He hears our prayer?  Which of us would not be ready, for love o f Him, to see taken from us everything there is in heaven and on earth, and even to see God Himself taken from us for love of Him, if only at least we could cry out to Him:  "What is there for me in heaven, and what shall I see upon earth, other than my God?"

June 18th
St Chantal on Prayer
Faith, the Science of Saints

A good and perfect prayer requires that we forget self, that we be ready to sacrifice all that we are for God; let us not deceive ourselves, God demands this much of us, He will not take over the management of our lives for anything less.  There is no state in which it suits Him more to find us than in that of humiliation.  To be little before God is not enough, we must be nothing, nothing at all.  This is the foundation upon which He builds, because it pleases Him to  make things out of nothing.  The more and more we reduce ourselves to nothingness, the greater shall be the things He will work in us.  Whether God is granting you His graces, or whether He be taking them away, whether He be stripping you and depriving you even of that which you possess, you must submit yourself humbly to His will, you must take His side against your own, and never seek support or comfort in anything but Him.

June 17th
St Chantal on Prayer
Faith, the Science of Saints

Faith is the light of a new universe, it is the science of saints.  In prayer more is accomplished by listening than by talking.  It is our business to give ear to the Son of God and not to speak.  We are not worthy to utter a word in His presence.  Let us leave to God the decision as to what shall be said, without troubling ourselves to find a theme or subject in our own minds.  God speaks to the heart only when the heart is recollected.  You tell me that you have no thoughts, that you have no feelings toward God.  But if it is God Himself you hold, why be concerned about anything else?  What does there remain for you to desire?

Here you are at prayer.  God is granting you nothing whatever.  Well, if you did not know how to do anything else, you could adore Him, adore His presence, adore His ways, His works; and, for such a prayer, what need is there of great and high thoughts?  You adore Him better by your silence than by your speeches.  If you are incapable of anything whatever, then suffer.  If you cannot pray by effort, then you will pray by endurance.  In such an extremity, turn your face towards the Blessed Virgin, or towards any of the saints.  Beg them to make your prayer for you, or to grant you some share in that prayer which they utter forever in heaven.

Are we then to be entirely idle and inactive in prayer?  No, we must submit our minds to the Holy Spirit who means to be our light and our guide.  Were you to do no other thing than to stand in the presence of God and consume your life away before Him, like a candle burning itself up in the presence of the Sacrament, would you not be blessed and fortunate?

June 16th
St Chantal on Prayer
States of Prayer

The spells of dryness which we experience in prayer are caused by nothing but our warmth of love for God.  Anyone who is in love finds it easy to hold attention on that which is loved.  If our mind refuses to pronounce a word, let us make our hearts speak for us.  Suppose we were to say nothing more to God than this, that we love Him, that He is worthy of our love -- that would be enough.  With Him there is no need for long speeches.  In heaven the angels utter no other word than this:  Holy.  This is their entire prayer, and in the region of eternal bliss they are occupied with this single word as an act of homage to the single Word of God who lives eternally.

God is light and darkness, both at once.  He is light or darkness, as He pleases, to whom He pleases.  If it is His will to be darkness for you, then look for nothing better.  We shall be treating the things of God with greater reverence if we gaze upon them only in the shadows and darkness of faith without wishing to see  clearly into them; I might even say by the light of grace, because there is more respect in our humbling ourselves before the mysteries of God, than in the attempt to raise ourselves to the level of these mysteries by the use of our understanding.

June 15th
St Chantal on Prayer
States of Prayer

One kind of prayer is a tranquil attention of the soul to God, which has the effect of calming the over-activity of our mental faculties, and which brings us interior silence and the repose of all our powers!  What a fine thing it is oftener to listen to God speaking in our very depths, than to speak to Him.

Another sort of prayer is that in which the soul enjoys this peace as a lasting state, and through making no act, finds itself nonetheless always inclined to wish all that God may wish of it.  This love of the will of God is its very meat and drink.

There is another sort of prayer in which the soul fastens itself as it were on God, and this takes place when the soul attends to God, using every one of its faculties, without even noticing that it is using these powers which it possesses.

There is still another way of prayer which is that of struggle and of trouble.  This happens when we find ourselves oppressed by continued and violent temptations.  In this condition what is needed is a great faithfulness to God, with a quiet and direct putting aside of the subjects of our trouble.

There is again a prayer of poverty and abandonment.  In this kind the soul is incapable of any act, and can overcome its difficulties only by patience and humility.  In such a state these are the remedies which the soul must employ.  We must welcome our poverty in a spirit of penance and as an act of homage to the divine justice, unite ourselves to the poverty of the Son of God.

June 14th
St Chantal on Prayer
Lose All to Find All

It is in a spiritual fashion that God gives Himself, reaching to the deepest depths of the heart with His inspirations, and uniting Himself so gently with the soul that words cannot express what happens.  The net result is that whoever is thus joined to God becomes one spirit with Him.  Let us drown ourselves then in this Ocean of holiness, of infinite purity.  If we lose all, we shall thereby gain all.  The divine Heart will never fail us, this I tell you for certain, if we do not fail Him.  And ever if we did, He would not fail us, because His fidelity is greater than our unfaithfulness.  He is not one of those who breaks faith with a person who has broken faith with Him, and we shall forever find Him ready to call us back.

Let us humble ourselves before the grandeur of God, let us make ourselves nothing in the presence of this adorable Unknown, let us lose ourselves forever with never a thought of finding ourselves again, let us plunge into this divine abyss.  If only we could say in utter truth these words:  "My God is my all," we would never find our prayer long or boring.

When boredom descended upon us in prayer, that simple phrase said from the heart would act like a spell to drive away our weariness and disgust.  David declared that God hearkens to the desires of the poor, and this is why it is sufficient in order to make a good prayer, merely to tell God:  "All my desires are before you and my groanings are not hidden from your sight."

St. Bonaventure offers us this advice for prayer:  "If you wish God to stoop down to reach you, carry the woes of Christ crucified in your heart."

June 13th
St Chantal on Prayer
A Committed Heart

Anyone who has learned from our Lord how to look within himself, and how to long for His presence in the deepest recesses of his heart -- I can scarcely tell if such a person would not choose for a time to endure the pangs of hell rather than to return to the delights, or better to the vexations, of earth.  The more we empty ourselves of whatever is not of God, the more He will fill us with Himself.  So let us give up all thought of looking after ourselves in order that God may take charge of us.

The soul is carrying on a mystical silence when, refusing to speak to any creature, nor even to God Himself, it listens with a great interior attention.  Such a silence pays a sublime tribute to God.  Silence itself brings immense blessings to us, for it separates us from creatures in order to join us to God who is the sole source of our purity of intention.  It is said in Holy Scripture:  Listen, O Israel, and speak no word!  So let us also try to break off all conversation with creatures and to give heed to our God.  A single word from Him is worth more than ten thousand of our own invention.

June 12th
St Chantal on Prayer
A Committed Heart

Let us be sure that we understand what an honor it is for us to spend time in prayer, as much time as we wish, as intimately as we wish.  The man who wins from his prince an audience an hour long counts himself lucky, and our God, before whom the kings of the earth are less than a spark in the full blaze of the sun, and less than a little worm in the presence of the highest angels -- this great God, nevertheless, shows Himself eager to hear us at any hour of the day or night that suits us to address Him.

The only thing which is absolutely indispensable to prayer is our heart and, though  if this part of us be not committed all the rest is only a hollow mockery, nevertheless with heart alone given to prayer we never lack for anything.  We must not be surprised if those who give themselves to prayer pay so little heed to the things of this earth because, forever holding themselves in God's presence, they find themselves lifted to so great a height and see earthly things from so far off, so that it is as if they almost lost sight of them entirely.

St. John Climacus calls prayer the salvation of the world, the great beauty of the angels, the origin of grace, and the most glorious possession which men can hold in this world, as if to say that, sure in the possession of so great a treasure, they will pay scant attention to anything else.

It matters little what work God carries on in the soul, because the soul must not be attached to the work being done by God in the soul, but to God who is doing the work.

June 11th
St Chantal on Prayer
"Speak Lord..."

In prayer one must hold fast and never let go because in this game, he who gives up, loses all.  If it seems that no one is listening to you, then cry out still louder.  If you are driven out of one door, go back in by the other.  If you are told, as was the Canaanite woman, that you do  not deserve the grace for which you are asking, then reply like her that you lay no claim to unusual favors, but only hope to eat the crumbs which fall from the divine table.

Since God is infinitely above all things, the soul must in its turn raise itself infinitely to attain Him.  The heavenly Bridegroom speaking to His bride, when she turns to Him in prayer, compares her to a pillar of smoke which  mounts up towards the sky without finding anything which can hinder its climb.

June 10th
St Chantal on Prayer
"Speak Lord..."

The very essence of mental prayer, St. Francis de Sales used to say, consists in talking to ourselves and with God, praising and blessing Him because of what He is, speaking to Him as would a child to his father, a disciple to his master, a subject to his king, a poor beggar to a rich man, a criminal to his judge, a wife to her husband; in short, as we might to a faithful friend; like an utterly ignorant person, humbly silent, not knowing what to say, begging for divine treasure at the doorway of the heavenly court.

Should it happen during prayer that we experience some impulse from God by means of which He indicates that He wishes to communicate Himself to us, we must then halt all our own activity and come to a full stop, in order to give place to His coming and not to hinder Him by any action which might go counter to His will.   Rather by an interior silence and a deep reverence we must make ourselves ready to receive what He may send.  Sometimes, when we sense His coming, we may say to Him:  "Speak, Lord, your servant hears."  Then, opening up our heart in great peace and consenting to His grace, we must resolve to draw profit from it, obedient to the impulse received at prayer.

June 9th
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer

What we do in prayer must be determined according to our attraction, whether it be by meditation or by a simple gazing upon God, according as He may lead us.

Every meditation must be ended by three acts which we should never fail to make.  The first is thanksgiving; the second, the offering of our prayer; the third, an act of petition, by which we implore God's aid in order to carry out the good resolutions which we have made.  We must gather a little bouquet of devotion made up of the chief acts of love which we have carried out in order that we may savor it throughout our day.

June 8th
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer

When the hour comes for prayer, our soul which has been awaiting this blessed moment with a holy impatience, must rise up without delay, at the given signal in order to receive the honor which is about to be paid to us.  Then we must call down the Holy Spirit, invoke the Blessed Virgin, our good angel, and take some of the saints to act as advocates in our appeal, and to keep us company in God's presence.

The  most suitable state of mind for mental prayer is that which will lead us into it with a heart completely detached, so that the soul, in all its interior powers and resources, may appear naked before God and may bow down before His will, sometimes doing this by means of a deliberate act and fresh intention.

If prayer is to be good it must be carried out with attention and reverence.  To tell the truth, would it be reasonable for almighty God, before whom the angels efface themselves in awe, to give any heed to a person who addresses Him without due reverence?

June 7th
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer

In order to put yourself in the presence of God you will picture Him as filling the entire universe, and you will see Him in every place, like the air which we know penetrates everywhere.  Sometimes, we may gaze upon God all about us, surrounding us on every hand, while we ourselves are in Him like a fish in the sea, or like the birds lost in the air.  Or perhaps it may be necessary for us to withdraw into ourselves, into that inner chamber of our hearts, and there, with a calm and steady eye, to consider how the divine essence lives throughout our soul and fills our inner self, to think how the Father there contemplates Himself, and how Father and Son produce the Holy Spirit.

Another way is to gaze upon our Lord in the Holy Sacrament of the altar.  In order to do Him reverence there, it will be enough to recall what the faith teaches us, that this is God made man, and that this same Man is seated a the Father's right hand in eternity.  Finally, we must humble ourselves and acknowledge that we are unworthy to speak to God, saying like Abraham:  "I will speak to my Lord, I who am but dust and ashes."

June 6th
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer

The fundamental state of mind for mental prayer is that purity of intention by which we are resolved that everything we do shall be for the glory of God alone.   The second condition is a complete self-resignation which may make us indifferent to anything that can happen to us.  The third is a complete giving up of our own opinions so that we labor only at that which God has given us for our labor.

When we begin mental prayer we must call home all the faculties of our soul and must tell ourselves:  "So  now you are going to appear before God and to deal with Him; everything else has got to be dropped."

Believe me, bring to your prayer the deepest peace of heart you can.  Shut yourselves within this little interior heaven without allowing yourselves to be distracted by the things of sense, and be certain that you will not fail to drink the water of the divine cistern.

June 5th
St Chantal on Prayer
Mental Prayer

The great method for mental prayer is simply this:  that there is none when the Holy Spirit has taken charge of the person who is meditation, for then He does with the soul as it pleases Him, and all rules and methods vanish away.  In the hands of God the soul must become like clay in the hands of a potter, who from it can form any sort of dish; or, if you like, the soul must become like soft wax receptive to the impression of a seal, or like a blank sheet upon which the Holy Spirit writes His divine will.  If, when entering upon prayer, we could make ourselves a mere capacity for receiving the spirit of God, this would suffice for all  method.  Prayer must be carried on by grace, and not by deliberate art.  Enter into your prayer by faith, remain in it in hope, and do not abandon it except by virtue of that charity which asks only to work and to endure.

June 4th
St Chantal on Prayer

Mortification and prayer are the two wings by which one may take one's flight into those holy resting places in which one may find one's peace in God far from the business of men.  Just as birds would never be able to mount the air on a single wing, so we must not allow ourselves to think that by means of mortification alone, without the aid of prayer, a soul will ever take flight in order to raise itself to God.  Penances without prayer are useless pains; prayer without penance is food without salt which easily goes bad.

Hence it is absolutely necessary to fit our souls with those two wings in order that we may make our flight to the heavenly court in which we may find contentment of soul in conversation with our God.  The thing we have to do is to strip ourselves completely of everything, to give up everything created, devoting ourselves to the  mortification of our passions until we are their masters, stamping firmly on them whenever they show a tendency to rebel.  Our own will we must oblige to bear the yoke, our own judgment we must make flexible, wishing to depend on God in everything that concerns our interior life.

June 3rd
St Chantal on Prayer

The first piece of advice about prayer is that anybody who wishes to pray, unless drawn and raised to God in an extraordinary fashion, must prepare himself according to the phrase of the wise man:  "Before prayer prepare your soul, think where you are going and to whom you mean to speak."

Of meditations badly made, so very many are only the result of a lack of preparation.  This preparation is twofold, the first remote and the second proximate.  Remote preparation consists in nothing more than this: Peace of conscience, watchfulness over our senses, a normal awareness of God, a familiar conversation with the Divine Majesty in one's soul, and above all the liberation of the soul from all ungoverned affections and passions.  The fact is that we must strip ourselves of anything which can trouble our minds or conscience and which can prevent us from maintaining ourselves in a spirit of recollection and interior liberty.

June 2nd 
Chapter Thirty of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
Of the Eternal Royalty of Love

Upon her head, like that of a queen, is placed a crown of twelve stars.  These twelve stars on the brow of Mary are the twelve prerogatives of the Queen and of the Mother before God in heaven.  She possesses, indeed, in the Church Triumphant, surpassing all other blessed spirits, four special prerogatives:  the power of listening with great goodness; of condescending with great mercy; of intervening for us with great power; and of succoring on earth with great ease.

She, has besides, in the Church Triumphant, four privileges, outstanding among all:  she is resplendent more than all others; she is glorified more than all others; she is loved more tenderly than all others; she is honored more fervently than all others.

Mary possesses also, in relation to the Trinity, four particular favors, which are for her like brilliant stars midst fainter stars.  Better, truly, than those who contemplate the glory of the Divine Trinity:  she contemplates fully the Divine Trinity Itself; she knows with greater joy Its sweetness; she comprehends with greater profundity Its mysteries; she tastes with greater charm its richness.

Listen again, listen devoutly, to what the greatest of the servants of Mary, the doctor of gentle speech, St Bernard, said to his religious about the stars which form a crown on the forehead of the Virgin:  "No one can estimate the importance of the jewels, no one can count the number of the gems which adorn the diadem of Mary in Heaven.  It is an undertaking above our power, that of examining the value, or of scrutinizing the composition of her brilliant aureole.  We shall undertake to do so with humility.  Without wishing to penetrate the secrets of the Lord, it seems that one can see in the twelve stars the twelve prerogatives of our Mother.  We find indeed in the Virgin Mary, privileges granted to her soul, privileges infused into her heart, privileges attached to her body.  And if we multiply this number three, by the number of the four known favors, we shall find the number of twelve stars which shine on the brow of Mary, our Queen.  We find these wonders, at her birth, in the salutation she received form the angel, in the overshadowing of her by the Holy Spirit, and finally in the conception of Jesus Himself."

O most loving Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, Mistress of the Earth, O you, the Joy of Saints, and the Salvation of sinners, listen to the appeals of our repentant hearts!  Listen to the desires of our souls at prayer!  Come to the help of the poor and the infirm!  Renew the courage of the afflicted!  Protect your children against their enemies!  Deliver them from the snares of the devils!  Lead them near to you in blessedness in heaven, where you reign with your Son in the midst of the elect for all eternity!

June 1st
Chapter Twenty-Nine of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
The Divine Intervention of Mary

O Mother of tenderness and Mother of sweetness, Mother of mercy and Mother of Love! incomparable Virgin, worthy to be loved, Mother who alone merited to have as Son, the Son of God Himself, born of you!  You are at the same time Mother to all and a Mother to each one of us.  You  give to all and to each his part of your heart and his portion of your love.  O Virgin blessed among all virgins, Mother of men and Queen of Angels, come, take away from me the weight of my sins, draw me far from earth and close to you!  Infuse into my softened soul your grace, like to the life-giving dew of the sky, so that from here on earth, I may feel that you are the Mother of mercy.

Reflect upon what Jesus is.  He is the Son of God, the Savior of all, the King of heaven and earth, He is the hope of the just and the peace of the meek.  He is the strength of the weak and the way of the wanderers.  He is the support of those whom misfortune oppresses:  He is the succor of those who suffer tribulation:  He is the refuge of those who are of good heart.

Honor both the Son and the Mother, and you will be in return blessed by the Father.  You give honor and glory to Jesus each time that you honor the Mother.  Place Mary as a seal upon your heart and as a seal upon your acts.  In all your works and in all your pleasures, in the midst of your joys and sadnesses, let the name of Jesus and the name of Mary be often on your lips and always in your heat.

Let all peoples and tongues, let all creatures serve you, O Mary!  Let all bow before you!  Let the heavens say of you:  Rejoice, O Mary, throughout eternity; and let the earth respond:  Rejoice for eternity and beyond.  Let all the saints proclaim your name, O Mother, your sublime name, and let all the blessed rejoice before you and before your Son, Our Lord and our eternal Master.

May 31st
Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
The Mediation of Mary With God

I am the Mother of mercy to the heart filled with compassion:  I am the mysterious ladder of sinners, I am the hope and pardon of the culpable, I am the consolation of afflicted souls, I am the joy and the fruition of the blessed.   Come to me, all you who love me, come and you will be filled with my consolation.  Come, because I have pity on all those who pray to me:  Come to me!  Come everyone, just and sinners.  I shall also pray to the Eternal Son, my Son, so that He will pardon each of you through the Holy Spirit.  I call to all of you, and I await all of you; I desire to see you all, everyone of you, come to me.  I scorn no sinner, indeed far from that, I rejoice with the angels in heaven over one sinner who is converted and returns.  Thus bears fruit the blood of my sweet Son, offered to God for the salvation of the entire world.

Come to me, come children of men, my mother's heart protects you with God.  I shall myself bear His aroused anger, if it be necessary, and I shall appease Him until you are pardoned.  Change your ways and turn to God!  You have offended His love and His grace, but ask pardon and I shall obtain for you indulgence and peace.  I have been chosen by God Himself to be mediatrix for you, between heaven and you, between the world and God.

O word filled with grace and sweetness!  O kind word heard from heaven itself, word that consoles, word that comforts; word that delights the sinner and the just, voice of the mother, voice that resounds in the heart as a gentle harmony in heaven.

I confide myself and my cause to your tenderness, O Mother, now, in the future, and at every moment.  From the day you spoke to me, an orphan, I have been transformed into a new man, and I have felt in  my soul new strength.  I was weighted down, without hope or life:  at your call, O my Mother, I felt that a new courage, and a new joy were coming to lift me up.

May 30th
Chapter Twenty-Seven of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
Frequent Invocation of Mary

Like to the fragrant myrrh, I give and I have given the sweetness of perfumes.  Reflect, O my son, reflect carefully on the example and the actions of Mary.  She is that myrrh, fragrant and choice which produced a perfume and a fruit, Jesus.  She is the one who carries to earth and to men the abundance of sweet consolations.

Guard in the depth of your heart the name of Mary and you will be consoled.  To be loved by Mary is to possess a treasure.  The love of Mary extinguishes the fire of the passions and brings to the soul the freshness of the virtues.  The love of Mary teaches you to scorn the world and to serve God in humility.  The love of Mary ever leads you away from evil and ever guides you to practice good.

Therefore love Mary with a special love, and you will receive from her special graces.  Invoke Mary, and you will be victorious.  Honor Mary, and you will have happiness.  Two particular graces are the fruit of devotion to the Virgin Mary.  The first is to know how to praise God in prosperity; the second is to be able to be patient in adversity.

It is thus that Mary always glorified the Lord for the generous benefits she received from His hand while on earth.  It is thus that she showed herself in trials, always sweet and always ready to choose abasement rather than exaltation.

O Virgin most holy, O glorious Mary, O Mother, you are the gate of paradise, the source of life, the temple of the Lord, the beloved sanctuary of the Holy Ghost.  Whatever I can see of grace and beauty in human creatures; whatever I find of the sublime and great in the saints united to God in heaven; all this can I apply without error to your excellence and to your dignity.  It is very just and suitable that I apply myself, and with me all creatures, to praise unceasingly her whom I have chosen for advocate and mother, not only here below but in heaven beyond life, so as to merit through her eternal glory.  The glory of Jesus, Her Son, thrice holy!

May 29th
Chapter Twenty-Six of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
The Maternal Intercession of Mary

It is a salutary practice for all to evoke the memory of the holy and glorious Virgin Mary and to confide themselves to her in all dangers as an unhappy child confides himself to his mother.  The name of Mary frequently invoked brings to the soul assurance and comfort.  In her turn, Mary is always ready to say to her Son the word of grace in favor of anyone who suffers and who bears the burden of sorrow.

Indeed, if Mary did not intercede in heaven for the world, how would the world be able to subsist in the midst of the sins, and in the mire of the vice in which it would dwell?  But, first of all, what ought you to ask of Mary?  In the fist place, pardon for the sins committed; next, the grace of practicing humility, because it is humility alone which is pleasing to God.  You ought also to seek out poverty and not to glorify yourself for gifts received, if you do not wish to lose your poverty itself.

Seek all that you desire to obtain from God, through Mary, for her power extends over the earth and over purgatory.  Her glory is great and her grace is powerful, surpassing that of the archangels, the angels, and the saints, rising to God who is the cause of her grandeur and glory.  But this power, these glories and these favors, she has then that she may distribute them to us who live here below and who ask her for them.

To ask pardon for your sins and to remain humble is what please God and Mary most.  Indeed it is because of her humility that Mary glorified herself before God, whereas she always kept silence about the other virtues and the other graces.  Humility everywhere; humility in everything.

Come, O my soul, come to embrace the one whom you love!  Cover with kisses Mary, your Mother and the Mother of God.  Kiss also her Son Jesus, the most beautiful of children among all the children of men.  You, O Mary, are accustomed to hearing the prayer of the poor and of orphans, and you never send away unconsoled those who persevere in coming to pray to you.  

You, O Mary, are the virgin Mother of a God, you are the mysterious and loving tree, engendered by the eternal line of kings, the tree which has produced the mysterious flower announced for the salvation of the whole world.  Jesus, our Savior and the savior of all, to whom be honor and glory for eternity.

May 28th
Chapter Twenty-Five of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
How One Must go to Jesus Through Mary

Happy is he who daily comes to offer his homage, his praise, his heart, and his love to Jesus and Mary.  Happy is he who invokes them and seeks them !  Oh! what sweetness is there in the name of Jesus!  What sweetness also in the name of Mary.  Happy is the pilgrim who in time of exile remembers constantly his fatherland on high, where Jesus and Mary, surrounded by choirs of angels, await him to give him joy for all eternity!  Happy is the traveler who does not seek for a dwelling place here, but who always aspires to reign and to live with Christ in heaven!  Happy are the poor and indigent who each day come to ask for bread at the table of the Mater, and who do not cease to plead, praying until they have received a few crumbs!  Happy is he who is called to the feat of the Lamb, and approaches daily the banquet of the altar while waiting for the eternal banquet of heaven!

Every time that the faithful receive Communion, or that the priest offers the Holy Sacrifice, so often do they receive in union with Jesus and Mary food for the soul.  He who communicates becomes by that act the apostle of Jesus, the page of Mary, the companion of the saints, the brother of the apostles, an intimate of God, the kinsman of the saints, and the heir of the happiness of heaven.  Flee confusion, avoid dissipation of the soul, watch carefully over both your heart and your sense, if you wish to please Jesus and Mary.  You will then receive all succor from on high, and, always, when you call for aid in the midst of perils, and in the greatest dangers, you will be heard by the Master Himself.  It is thus that once on a tempestuous night the frightened apostles called upon Jesus.  At once Jesus coming to them said, "Why are you fearful?  O men of little faith!  I am here; do not fear."

The voice of Jesus has the sweetness that consoles, the strength that supports, the joy that reassures, the grace that absolves, the goodness that pardons.  The voice of Mary also reconciles, and adds to the sweetness of the honey the strength of its comb.

Oh, how pleasing, sweet and agreeable to hear your voice, O Mary, my Mother!  What voice?  The caressing and divine voice heard by John, the beloved disciple, the voice that said, "My son, behold your Mother."  The apostle heard it from the lips of Jesus.  I wish to hear it from your own lips.  

O Mary!  Say to your servant, "My son, here is your Mother: here she is near to you."  At this voice, my soul, rekindled with joy, will find again strength and consolation, as John found them on receiving his Mother.  Let your voice, sweeter than all others, come to my ears!  O Mary, let it come to my heart!  Your fruitful maternal words will bring to me the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

May 27th
Chapter Twenty-Four of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
How to Honor and Glorify Mary

Oh, if you would only progress in the praise and in the love of Jesus!  If you would from day to day serve better His divine Mother and honor her better!  But alas, you are weak, lukewarm, and negligent, often blamable and burdened with  numerous sins, unworthy even to name Jesus and Mary.  How then can you praise them worthily?  Praise is questionable when seen on the lips of a sinner.  Holiness can only be worthily praised by those who are themselves holy, and not by sinners.  What then must you do?  Be silent or speak?  Wretched are you if you keep silent; wretched if you speak unworthily.

How then should one act in order to find mercy with God and not to merit reproach?  Nothing is better to attract the love of Jesus and the compassion of His divine Mother than to humiliate yourself in all things, and at all times, and to put yourself always in the last place.  Have a lowly opinion of yourself; consider yourself as worth nothing; God will be lenient with you and will pardon you:  Mary will pray for you and will console you.  Far from being confounded in their presence, you will, on the contrary, receive, for your praises an abundant and unending reward.

If you can do no better in your life, at least in everything that depends on you let your intention replace the action until you are able to improve.  Let those who are fervent and full of devotion pray fervently and devoutly; let those who have little love or ardor offer to Jesus at least the little they have through the hands of Mary, the Mother of the living flame.

Alas!  We would be unworthy by ourselves to appear in the presence of the Mother of God, and to speak in order to pray worthily before her, if Mary herself did not call sinners to the consoling assembly of the saints, according to the beloved word of the royal prophet:  "The poor and needy shall come to praise thy name."

Comfort with your holy words, O Mary, my sorrowful soul and my dejected heart.  Say only one word and once again I shall regain courage from your consolation.  I do not ask for a difficult or an impossible work, but only that you might say to my heart and to my soul that intimate word of encouragement which alone can give back to me joy and happiness.

I come to you as an abandoned son:  receive me with a mother's smile, O Mary, so that your repentant servant may know that he has found grace and pardon.  Give me the help that my heart solicits and the consolation that my soul desires: give them to me without delay, O my mother!

May 26th
Chapter Twenty-Three of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
How to Pray and Meditate According to Mary's Example

Before undertaking a work of piety, before beginning an ordinary task, lift your heart to heaven; invoke Jesus and Mary and  confide yourself to their protection.  Offer to God both yourself and your actions: your works will then become meritorious; they will be, at the same time, pleasing to God, useful to your neighbor, and profitable to yourself.

Let your intention be always pure, and let your will be directed toward the good.  Work in silence and speak rarely, but let your prayer unceasingly rise to God daily through the thrice holy name of Jesus.  Begin here below to chant, to love, to praise Jesus through the intercession of His Mother Mary.  Praise often their glory and their name so as to merit to reign with them in heaven.

To praise Jesus is to possess sweetness and charm in your soul: to praise Mary is to possess beauty.  When your soul is happy, sing: when it is sad, pray.  The more often you exercise yourself in praise the more you will feel love deepen within you, and the more you will see devotion grow.  Do not forget: you will not be forgotten.  Be attentive, vigilant over yourself, and you will find in this way zeal and attention.  You must bleed from the blows of a trial, you must be weighed down by adversity, in order to experience the joy of union with God and better to appreciate His grace.

Happy is he who knows how to listen to the counsel of Jesus and Mary for his own amendment!  He will find joy if he has known tears, because pity in the divine Heart of Jesus surpasses the horror of our sins, and the heart of Mary is a limitless treasure of mercy and compassion for us.

O Mary, receive, at the return of its exile, my poor soul distraught among the perils of this world; lead it yourself to the gate of heaven in order to introduce it to the joys of paradise.  Place me near you and say to Jesus the sweet and consoling word, the word of pardon.  You who have received from the mouth of an angel the gratifying Ave of the salutation, grant me the power often to repeat reverently your name so full of sweetness.  Receive, O Mary, my Queen and Mother, the fervent prayer of your servant and shed upon him from your throne on high, looks of tenderness and mercy.

May 25th
Chapter Twenty-Two of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
The Works and Example of Mary

For my  spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb.  It is in all truth that these lovely words, words of eternal wisdom, are said about Mary, the mother of Jesus our Savior.  Jesus is gentle to us; Mary is all sweetness.  There is in them neither bitterness nor sadness, but compassion, sweetness, love, and an untiring eternal mercy.  Happy is he who follows the example of Jesus!  Happy is he who confides himself to the love of Mary!  He will unfailingly secure help and support from them.

Gather together as souvenirs the actions and words of Jesus while on earth.  What He did, what He said: you will find in these more than all the treasures of the world.  Meditate with equal attention on the words and actions of Mary:  They will be for you a help and support more pleasing to the heart than balm and perfumes.

Just as the body has need of food in order to live; and perfume in order to be sweet-smelling, so too the soul has need of virtues to keep alive, and of meditations to remain strong.  The more the soul gives itself to elevated matters, the more it confides itself to wise directors, the better it acquires the glorious science of the saints, and the more quickly it attains the joys of the blessed.  Jesus and Mary are for us in every way sublime masters and models of sanctity; keep them constantly before your eyes and be attentive to them.  Unite yourself to them; enter into intimacy with them.

Everywhere that anyone speaks on the mysteries of Jesus our Savior and of Mary His mother, listen carefully, and think often of what the names of Jesus and Mary hold for you of strength and sweetness.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, ever virgin, mother enriched while on earth with so many favors that the mind of man can neither comprehend them nor speak of them in their greatness, behold me before you, I am your servant, humbly prostrate at the foot of your throne, with all the ardor of a heart which knows how to love.

You are elevated above the archangels, holy Mother of God; you deserve to be, because you have been the most humble of women.  You have found grace even in the eyes of God, O Virgin all beautiful and Mother incomparable.  There is not in heaven nor on earth a creature worthy to be compared to you.  Again I kneel humbly at your feet, O Mary, in order to be better able to offer you praises from reverent lips and a sinless heart.

May 24th
Chapter Twenty-One of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
The Glorious Mysteries:  The Interior Life of Mary

Willingly remain in solitude and silence in order to pray better:  It is thus that Mary dwelt with the angel, alone in her retreat and speaking only with him....To retire and to be silent after the example of Mary is the only means of having peace of heart, of obtaining from God the gift of prayer.  Watch the bee eager to gather its honey; it passes through the flowers but without attaching itself; scarcely laden with its sugar, it flees hastily toward the hive and hides the honey, so as to be able to enjoy it during the winter in solitude and tranquility.  It thus encloses the fragrance of the perfume for fear that by going forth, flying hither and yonder, it may thus lose the fruit of its work.

Besides, perfumes carefully enclosed in their containers are better preserved.  On the contrary, those which are left open, are not slow to lose their fragrance.  Nor do flowers too often handled delay in losing their freshness.  A flower blooms well only in gardens: it is sheltered behind walls.  Roses born in the shade of the enclosure open quickly and are long fragrant; while those which are sown along the highways lose their odor, wither, and die.  In like manner, a torch lit in high wind is likely to be extinguished; while the light protected by a shade remains burning.  So it is with our devotion; it is conserved and grows in retirement, whereas it evaporates and is lost in noise.

Three things are especially necessary for man; three things are pleasing to God, to Mary and to the angels:
manual labor to counteract physical desire, love of study to counteract heaviness of heart, attention in prayer to counteract the art of the demon.  Therefore, love retirement and work often if you wish to have peace of heart.

You are sweet and beautiful, O Mary, my mother, holy Mother of God full of grace.  He alone could enumerate your virtues who could enumerate the stars in the heavens.  Just as the visible sky appears above the earth, lofty and sublime, so does your life appear exalted above our lives.  You alone merit to have been chosen from all eternity for the Mother of God.  And of being, in time, consecrated by the Holy Spirit; greeted by angels; instructed by the archangel and overshadowed by the spirit of the Lord.

May 23rd
Chapter Twenty of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
How to Act After the Example of Mary

My memory will live in the succession of centuries, is said in Ecclesiastes in reference to Mary.  Mary, humble and poor in everything, a model of patience and perfection, from the day of her birth until the hour of her death lived poor and hidden, a life of suffering.  You who suffer, come to her always, and each day search for what you can put at her feet, as at the feet of a mother, in eager token of respect and love.  If you wish to rejoice in heaven with Mary, suffer poverty on earth with Mary.  Take for a  model her examples both of poverty and humility.  Flee the vain amusements of men; watch lest you offend by useless words or unworthy acts, either Jesus your God, or Mary your mother.

It is certainly not a simple and slight fault to offend such loving protectors.  They see at all times how you work and how you try to reform yourself; and, depending on your efforts, they regulate their help.  However, their love surpasses your wickedness, and their goodness always incites repentance.  If you realize that you have erred, change your resolution for the better.  Persevere in the good and know how to give thanks for all the gifts received.  It is thus that Mary acted in her life of union with Jesus here on earth.  Learn from the example of this goodness to accept the annoyances of life, to submit yourself in everything to the unknown designs chosen for you by God from all eternity.  Jesus will then be for you a protector, and Mary a loving and faithful mother.  Be on your part a devoted child, a faithful servant, always eager for that which is good.

I greet you with composure, Virgin full of grace, the Lord is with you!  I greet you, sole hope of the poor!  I greet you, gentle mother of orphans!  I have revealed to you, up until now to you alone, my failings:  henceforth I shall reveal them with still more assurance, because I feel that a great virtue flows from you, and that your name exhales a perfume that embalms the heart and comforts the soul.  O sweet name of Mary, name of grace and charm, name always sweet to say, and sweet to think upon, name fashioned in heaven, name carried by the angels, name recommended by the Gospel to men, when as if by making of it a eulogy: the name of the chosen virgin was:  Mary!

May 22nd
Chapter Nineteen of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
How One Must Serve Jesus After Mary's Example

Who are the highest in heaven, and who were the most humble on this earth among the creatures endowed with life?  Is it not Jesus?  Is it not Mary?  Jesus made Himself for us the servant of all, and Mary calls herself a servant.  The earth proclaims the grandeur and the heavens in chorus sing the sublime dignity of Jesus and Mary, here below and on high.  Oh, you may unite your voice to these voices, to sing the sweet names of Jesus and Mary!  It is also good to put yourself in the service of those who have made themselves our servants.  Indeed, serve the Lord, you sons of men, serve Him who first deigned to serve you.  Serve Mary too: she gave you the example of being humble and of giving service.  It is a duty for you and it is to your advantage to honor before all, these two powerful models.  You must pray to them daily, even hourly, because they have the power to conquer the enemy and to procure the joys of victory.

Thus, in every condition hurry to Jesus and, at the same time, hurry to Mary.  Expose to them always your needs and your troubles.  Confess your sins and weep for your forgetfulness: arouse your hope and wait for grace.  If you fall, alas! with facility, hasten to rise all the more quickly.  Sincere prayers are always listened to and true pleadings are always heard.  The angels in their turn will rejoice for you on seeing you cleansed from the ugliness of sin.  For your part, avoid sin henceforth.  Mary will obtain for you the pardon of Jesus.  Pray to Jesus and Mary for the honor that is due to them: Jesus and Mary will then give you assistance and  courage.

It is to you, O Jesus,  my Lord and my God, to you, O Mary, Mother of God and my mother, that I wish to confide my body and soul.  You alone are my hope and my help in my troubles and in my tribulations.  Let your tenderness and your affection sustain me everywhere!  This is my only prayer.

May 21st
Chapter Eighteen of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
How to Suffer After the Example of Mary

If you truly love your mother Mary, and if you truly desire her patronage in the midst of your own tribulations, remain with her standing near the cross.  Share with a full heart in her mother's sorrows and in the sorrows of Christ, he beloved Son: she will then be near you at the hour of death.  He who often and lovingly meditates on the sorrows borne by Jesus, and on the tears shed by His mother, can have full confidence in the mercy and pity of God, and likewise in His affection and in that of His divine mother!  Oh! how happy at the hour of death will be that soul which on every day of its life loved deeply both Jesus and Mary, and each day found its place near the cross, in union with Jesus and Mary!

Happy the one who, scorning all earthly consolation, chose in this life Mary for his consolation and his mother.  There is no doubt that at the hour of his death, this mother will say to her Son the blessed and gentle word that consoles the poor and helps the orphan.

If you love Jesus, come, take up His cross; walk with the cross; remain near the cross; embrace this cross and do not forsake it until you have arrived near the One who gives the glory to the cross.  If you wish in your trials, in spite of the sorrow, to find some consolation, go to Mary at once both virgin and mother, to the mother who watches near the cross, to the virgin who weeps at the foot of the cross.

I come again to ask you Mary, Mother of God and my mother, to be willing to look upon me favorably, and to consider me with a compassionate heart, now, in the future, and at the hour of death.  Receive me as a son under your protection; enfold me maternally in your arms at all times, but especially at my last hour.  Remember me, and come to my aid, you who are my sovereign and my mother.  Console my soul affrighted at itself, O you, my sole hope in my tribulations.  Defend it against the assaults of the demon, so that he will never dare to approach it, in the presence of you who deign to visit it.  Obtain for me, Mary, I plead with you, through your pious intercession pardon and indulgence from your Son, whom I have so often and so greatly, alas! offended by my faults and my sins.

May 20th
Chapter Seventeen of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
The Bitterness of Mary

She remained alone at the foot of the Cross, she stood alone, Mary, the mother of Jesus, as the apostle tells us in his divine account.  After the memory of the cross of Jesus, the most beautiful memory is that of Mary, His Mother, who alone had the courage to remain standing near her Son dying on the cross, dying to save the world from death....

No mother in this world in giving birth to a beloved child felt a happiness equal to that of Mary, who alone had for a Son the same Son as God.  No mother experienced a sorrow equal to that of Mary, at the death of her Son.  Mary had to suffer in her compassion all the sorrows of her Son in the Passion.  Indeed she stood near the cross in tears, her heart feeling at every grief the pain of a sword which transpierced it with bitterness.  It was truly a marvel that she was able to support in her virginal body a like suffering; for her soul experienced at each torture, a torture equal to that of her Son.  O ineffable martyrdom, ineffable grief of a mother, more cruelly agonized in her heart at the sight of her dying Son, than a martyr in his body overwhelmed by torment.

O Mother, I know that I am not worthy to lift my eyes to to your admirable face, to this holy face haloed by glory, which the angels of heaven wonder at on their knees.  You appear to me, O Mother, as adorned with deep-hued roses and foliage of gold, and I remain frightened by my impurity.  However, O Mary, because of your goodness I retain in spite of everything, the assured hope of obtaining once more the grace of pardon if you deign to intercede again for me.  What may I wish, expect, or desire to obtain from the most indulgent of mothers, as from the most compassionate of virgins, if it is not pardon and consolation in the calmness and joy of a sincere repentance?

May 19th
Chapter Sixteen of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
The Griefs and Sufferings of Mary

Mary did not live a single day without suffering; nevertheless in the midst of her greatest sufferings she was never without consolation.  Every grief borne for Jesus brings to the soul sweetness and joy.  The more we suffer under the weight of the blows, the more we merit the favors of grace.

Yes, Mary suffered, and suffered sorrowfully, because of the sins of the great mass of men.  She suffered in like measure with the just, with those tried by temptations and troubles.  She suffered for the ingratitude of men to whom God sent His Son in order to reopen the lost Paradise; and for the obstinate loss of the wicked who prefer to heaven things of this earth, and who refuse to listen to the Word of God.  She suffered to see the just oppressed; the impious, far from God, everywhere victorious; the poor scorned and the rich exalted. She suffered to see in all places lukewarmness brought to the service of God, and the haste which offended Him.  She suffered to see the world given over to evil, refusing to turn its eyes toward the light that God Himself came to bring into the world.  These sorrows were like piercing blades sheathed in this Mother's compassionate heart.  Yet, she was patient -- always, suffering in silence a life of martyrdom, weeping for the salvation of men.

Come, O Mary, tender and gentle Mother, to pay a visit to my soul in its tribulation.  You alone can give peace, for you alone know how to bring sweetness to the sufferings of the heart.  Come, extend your hand to the fallen servant, come, lift him up again by grace.  Hasten, O Mary, chosen Mother of God, to show to us all once more the abundance of your piety.  You see me, fallen so low, yet I have not forgotten you, nor shall I ever forget you, O my Mother.

May 18th
Chapter Fifteen of Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
Seeking Christ After the counsels of Mary

If it happens sometimes that you lose Christ, do not despair, do not give up, do not cease to give yourself in prayer, do not seek earthly consolation; remain in solitude and weep for yourself; then only will you find Jesus once again, you will find Him in the temple of your heart.  No, it is not at the crossroads of the city, nor in the gatherings of those who amuse themselves, nor among earthly reunions, that Jesus is found; but certainly only in the midst of the just, and in the company of the saints.

It is in tears that you must seek Him whom you have lost in pleasures.  It is by faithful service that you must attract Him whom you have deserted by negligence.  It is by humility that you must recall Him whom you have driven afar by pride.  It is by prayer that you must draw Him who does not listen to a heedless heart.  It is with fear and trembling that you should pray to Him who loves not pride and laziness.  It is with gratitude that you should praise Him who is ever ready to give His grace.  It is with an ardent love that you must love Him who loves everyone and pardons everyone, who gives His graces to all without regret, who has never abandoned anyone.

O Mary, O Mother, when the gates of heaven are closed because of my sins, when on all sides entrance is forbidden to me, when all strength and all counsel abandon  me, when I am unable to aid myself in anything, when the weariness of life and grief of heart overwhelm me to the point of no longer loving anything, when the sun of joy is changed into a night of mourning, when consolations from on high vanish, and when despair presses in upon me from every part, when the wind of temptations arises, and the waves of passion grow stronger, when illness itself overpowers me, when all adversities gather and fight against me, where shall I flee and to whom shall I turn, if it is not to you, Mary, who alone knows how to console the unfortunate and to succour the wretched?  Toward whom then shall I turn to attain unhindered, the haven of salvation, to whom if not to you, Mary, Star of the Sea, who shines always in the firmament, who always offers the flaming torch of grace.

May 17th

Chapter Fourteen of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis

Mary's Love and Sorrow

The infant Jesus remained at Jerusalem after the Pasch and was lost; and His parents did not at first perceive it on their return....Alas! how could there be a festival for the parents experiencing so harrowing a trial.  For there is no misfortune more dreadful for the sad and afflicted, than to lose that which may alone serve as a consolation to them....

Likewise, it was to give us a model of patience in grief that God permitted Mary to lose her Son, that after having lost Him she might seek Him weeping; that she might find Him only after three days, and that after having found Him, she might more joyfully take back with her her Treasure.

Let none dare to rely upon himself as if he possessed Christ alone for himself.  Let no one scorn others, for he knows not if he himself is pleasing to God.  Thus Jesus remains hidden for many and manifests Himself only to a few.  He showed His Divinity when He wished, and when He wished He hid Himself, acting always with a purpose and for a reason.

Come then to may aid in this great sorrow, O Mother of God and Mother of Mercy.  Help me, divine Mistress Mary, you who give access in heaven to Life.  I seek in you peace and happiness.  You know how sorrowful it is to lose Jesus, and also how sweet to find Him again.  If this trial was sent to you, Mary, to you who were sinless, what wonder if it is imposed upon me who so often have offended my God?  What must I do to find Jesus again?

Oh, if there is for me any hope of finding Him once more, it is in your help that I have placed my hope, O Mary.  It is in your aid and in your merits, you who are more cherished and nearer to Him than any one else. Teach me then to seek my Beloved until I have found Him.  O Mary, accompany me yourself.  Then shall I chant joyously with you:  "Congratulate me for I have found my Beloved, the Beloved of  my heart, He for whom my soul longs."

May 16th
Chapter Thirteen of the Imitation of Mary
The Exultations of Mary

My soul has exulted before God, my Saviour.  Exult again and again, Mary, because you give to the world the joy of its salvation.  Rejoice, O Immaculate Mother, because you preserve the honor of virginity.  Exult with happiness, virgin made mother, because you preserve the honor of virginity, from the maledictions which weigh upon women.

You can surely rejoice before God.  Him whom the earth and heaven united, could not contain, you have within you.  You warm Him in your arms, you place Him joyfully in His crib, you alone, Mother, can adore Jesus, your Son, born of you in time, He who, before you, before all time, possesses God as Father from all eternity.  You alone fulfill the duties of a mother to the God who confers maternity on you.  You alone can truly exult in Him who renders you sublime and heavenly.

O Mary, I know my sins and my failings.  I know that I am unworthy to see Jesus, but I am unable to rest until I have contemplated Him.  Neither can I forbear to plead, for I know He wishes to be asked.  My heart urges me to insist, for I know that you, too, wish that we ask.  Thus, O my Mother, I desire to persevere in prayer and contemplation.

May 15th
Chapter Twelve
The Delights of Mary

No language on this earth will be able to express the delights and joys of the virgin Mary.  No  mind will ever be able to comprehend the abundance of her joys as virgin, the greatness of her consolations as mother; For, the more abundant is the infusion of grace, the more numerous also are the gifts of happiness.  In like manner, the more frequent are the visits of God, the more ardent, too are desire and love.

Imitate, therefore, the Mother of the Saviour, so as to be numbered among her children.  Try attentively to walk in the steps of Mary on the road of virtue, in order to attain to glory with her.

Have intense grief for your past lukewarmness, for your faults, Alas! not yet overcome.  Pray that all creatures may glorify God and observe His laws.  Give thanks for the divine benefits granted through the Mother of God.  Render to her all honor and all reverence; for, if the natural law obliges children to love their mother according to the flesh, how much  more ought we to testify affection and show tenderness to the Mother of grace?  It is a duty to love above all mothers Mary who is, at the same time, Mother of God, Mother of Holy Church, and our own Mother.

How shall I ever be sad of heart when you give your consolation, Mary?  How could one fear the enemy, one who can, at each moment, have recourse to you?  Incline, O Mother filled with tenderness, incline your ears to my  humble prayers.

Incline, O Mother filled with tenderness, like Rebecca, toward your servant, and give him a few drops to drink.  Pour into me a part, however small it may be, of that grace and of that sweet consolation which is mysteriously hidden in you.

This grace is at all times desirable for all persons, it is always pleasant to receive; it is indispensable for me at this moment.  The smallest drop placed on lips by you, Mary, seems to me so powerful and so great in its excellence, that all other pleasures on earth seem vile, without value, and equal to nothing.

May 14th
Part II, the Sorrowful Mysteries
Chapter Eleven of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
The Pious Patronage of Mary

Happy is he who knows how to accept in this life, both Jesus and Mary, and the angels and the saints, for guides on the way and counselors in doubt, for masters at work and directors in repose, for companions at home and friends when abroad, for aids in combat and helpers in dangers, for patrons at death and judges at judgment, for intercessors with God and co-heirs to heaven.

You, who wish to leave the world and its attractions, let Jesus and Mary be your only  loves: let God be your Father and Jesus your brother; let Mary, henceforth, be your only Mother.  Take the angels for your friends, the unfortunate for your brothers, the humble and the poor for your companions.

If you are with us in the struggle, Mary, who then will dare to rise against us?  And if you give us your protection, who then will ever be able to repulse us?  Extend over me, extend your arms, Mary, because I wish to seek my refuge in your shadow.  

Say to my soul:  I am your advocate, fear nothing,.  As a mother consoles her son, thus I shall console you, my child.  How sweet are your words, Mary, and how your voice consoles me, Mother!  Allow my heart always to hear it.

May 13th
Chapter Ten of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
The Divine Maternity of Mary

A new marvel appears in creation:  by the power of God a woman encompasses the Creator in her flesh.  What is this marvel, O Lord Jesus, but your conception by the Holy Ghost and your nativity of the Virgin Mary?  It is the nativity not yet understood here below, it has not had a parallel, it will never have an equal.  O holy and truly blessed nativity which puts to flight the ancient sin, and which brings to the world a new sanctity.

Rise, new Mother; sing, O Mary, you are the woman spoken of by the prophet, you are she who by her maternity merits this ineffable glory, this indescribably glory, for you have borne within your womb, O Immaculate One, enclosed in your virginal flesh Him whom the whole world knows not how to contain:  You have thus become more than the whole universe.

There is not here below a woman equal to you in power, in grandeur, in beauty, in meekness, in charity, in sweetness, in compassion, in fidelity, nor in love.

I desire, today, to choose you for my mother, and I desire, Mary, to confide myself entirely to you.  I would desire that this choice might be confirmed by you forever; for it suffices for me, Mary, to be able to be united to you for all time.  I shall then greatly rejoice in your name, and I shall magnify your praises for all eternity, O Mary.

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.

May 11th 
Chapter 8 of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
On the Beauty and Lineage of Mary

O Mary, illustrious Virgin, engendered from the fruitful race of patriarchs, nourished by the holy descendants of priests, O Mary, honored with the dignity of pontiffs, announced by the choir of prophets, heiress of the grandeur of kings, illustrious daughter of the house of David, supreme glory of the tribe of Juda.  Sacred heroine of the valiant people of Israel, living symbol of a holy  nation, miraculous child of blessed parents, you merit glory and praise, you merit tenderness and love.

Your name is proclaimed in the whole universe, O Mary! from the rising to the setting of the sun, among all nations....Everywhere, too, and every day your name is preached in churches and chapels, in cloisters, in fields, in deserts.

Its love is so great, its love is so gentle, that it can without ever tiring, chant, contemplate, meditate and fete your mysteries, mindful of the words of Wisdom.

Come then, O Mary, sweet Virgin whom I love!  Come then,my hope and my consolation!  Come, for when I am near you, when I hear your voice, it seems that I am near you, when I hear your voice, it seems that I already possess all good, it seems that I am sheltered from all evil,

Recalling your sweet clemency, I come to seek refuge under your aegis, O Mary, you who know how to give to the weak, strength, to the captive, freedom, be for me all merciful, be by your love a mother to me.

Thus I shall know through having experienced it how you console with charm, and how you defend with assurance, all those who are faithful in serving you.

May 10th
Chapter Seven of the Imitation of Mary, by Thomas a Kempis
The Greatness and Privileges of Mary

In order to succeed in knowing, at least in part, the greatness and dignity of the virgin Mary, note briefly the eminent graces with which God has clothed her, while exalting her above angels and saints in heaven and above all men on earth.

By testimony of the Holy Scripture Mary was from all time, and will be always, the holiest virgin among all virgins, the most beautiful woman among all women, the sweetest mother among all mothers, the purest daughter among all daughters, the gentlest mistress among all mistresses, the most illustrious queen among all queens.

In her are found again assembled, dwelling and shining with an unequalled brilliance, all virginal beauty and all virtuous charm, all divine thought and all the love of the heart, every virtuous work and every fruit of sanctity.

O Mary, Star that shines in the sky, Virgin, Queen of Heaven, Sovereign of the World, no woman can be compared with you, no matter with whatever virtues heaven may have adorned her, because you are unique in the midst of the elect.

O Miracle ineffable, O joy unhoped for!  This Son of the Living God to save the universe becomes your Son, and you are His mother!

Thus you became our mediatrix, and the mediatrix of the entire world.  O Mary, the  most beautiful of all women, let the whole world glorify you, honor you, sing to you, and love you!  May every creature repeat your praises in heaven and on earth, now and forever.