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| Devotion to The Blessed Virgin |
Devotion, consisting of veneration, love and imitation, towards the Mother of Jesus is an integral portion of the Christian life.
1. It is a duty we owe to God. He manifests His perfections to us, not directly, but through creatures. We discern Him in nature, in mankind, in our own mind and conscience, in Holy Scripture; but besides this "God is wonderful in His saints" (Ps. Ixvii. 36). Especially is He wonderful in the Blessed Woman who is the most perfect of all the works of His hand after the Divine Humanity. More than all other creatures, she is calculated to lead our minds towards God. Of her, more than all, we should say: "To me Thy friends, O Lord, are made exceedingly honourable" (Ps. cxxxviii. 17).
2. Christ and His Mother manifest one another. The more we realize that He is true God of true God, the more shall we appreciate her dignity, who was so closely associated with Him. The greater our esteem for the wonderful privileges of the Mother, the more shall we be impressed by the unapproachable sanctity of Him who demanded so much in her, and conferred so much upon her. She is made great by her Son and for her Son; the honour or the reproach directed towards her are reflected on Him.
3. As being thoroughly man, and as a model for all the relations of life, Christ's chief human affection was that which He felt for the Mother who gave Him life. By being devout towards her you will fulfill the command: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. ii. 6).
