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!
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
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!
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!
Sunday, May 26, 2013
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.
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.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
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.
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.
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.
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