Our blessed mother's birth-day

Other children are born into this world, not only deprived of grace and reason, but infected with sin and children of wrath, condemned to misery and death; but holy Mary came into this world a babe, it is true, in age, but great in merit and virtue. She was sanctified in her Mother's womb above all Saints and Angels, and was born a Saint, and a great Saint.

I. Men usually celebrate the birth-day of their children with great feastings and rejoicings; but, indeed, they should pity them rather and show signs of mourning and grief when they reflect that their children are born, not only deprived of grace and reason, but worse than this, — they are infected with sin and are children of wrath condemned to misery and death. But it is right to celebrate with festivity and universal joy the birth of our holy infant Mary. She saw the light of this world, a babe it is true in age, but great in merit and virtue. She was born a Saint and a great Saint.

Speaking particularly of Mary's sanctity before her birth, St. Vincent Ferrar says that "the Blessed Virgin was sanctified in her mother's womb above all Saints and Angels." For as Mary was chosen to be the Mother of God, it was becoming that God should adorn her, in the very first moment of her existence, with an immense grace and one of a superior order to that of all men and Angels, since her grace had to correspond to the immense and most glorious dignity to which God exalted her. The measure whereby we may know the greatness of Mary's graces is her dignity of Mother of God.

And not only was Mary the predestined Mother of God, but she was destined to be the universal mediatress of the world's salvation, the mediatress of all the graces conferred on men and Angels. The holy Church wishes us to understand this when she honours the Divine Mother by applying to her the words of Ecclesiasticus: In me is all grace of the way and of the truth. In me is all hope of life and of virtue (Ecclus. xxiv. 25). "Magnify the finder of grace," says St. Bernard, "the mediatress of salvation, the restorer of worlds — this am I taught by the Church proclaiming it; and thus also does she teach me to proclaim it to others." And Richard of St. Victor says: "By Mary every creature is repaired; by her the ruin of the Angels was remedied; and by her the human race was reconciled." "By this holy Virgin all creation has been restored and reinstated in its primitive condition," says St. Anselm.

O holy and heavenly infant, thou who art the destined Mother of my Redeemer, and the great mediatress of miserable sinners, have pity on me! Behold now at thy feet another ungrateful sinner who has recourse to thee seeking thy compassion. It is true that for my ingratitude to God and to thee I deserve that God and thou should abandon me, but thou dost not refuse to succour all who recommend themselves to thee with confidence. Receive then the supplication of a sinner who places in thee the whole hope of his salvation.

II. Let us be convinced, then, that our heavenly child Mary, as the appointed mediatress of the world and the destined Mother of the Redeemer, received at the very beginning of her existence graces exceeding in greatness that of all the Saints together. How delightful a sight, therefore, must the beautiful soul of this happy child have been to Heaven and earth, even while yet in her mother's womb! She was the most amiable creature in the eyes of God, because already laden with grace and merit she could say: When I was a little one I pleased the Most High. And she was at the same time the creature who, above all others the world had ever known, loved God the most; so much so, indeed, that if she had been born after her most pure Conception, she would have come into the world richer in merits and more holy than all the Saints together. Oh, how much greater must her sanctity, then, have been at her Nativity, coming into the world, as she did, with all the merits she acquired during the whole of the nine months she remained in the womb of her mother.

Let us, then, rejoice with our beloved infant Mary, who was so holy, so dear to God, so full of grace! And let us rejoice not only on her account, but also on our own, for Mary was born full of grace for her own glory, but also for our good. For what St. John says of Jesus, And of his fulness we have all received, the Saints say of Mary "of whose plenitude we all receive."

O most exalted of all creatures in the world, O Saint of Saints, O holy Mary! O abyss of charity, full of grace, succour a miserable sinner who by his own fault has lost the Divine friendship! O Lady, do this for the love of God Who has made thee so great, so powerful, and so compassionate. This is my hope. Amen.