Chapter XVIII

Holy Mass Affords the Sweetest Joy to the Mother of God and to the Saints

Never in her whole life was there a prouder, a happier day for Queen Esther than that upon which King Assuerus chose her from among all the maidens of his kingdom, with his own hand placed a crown upon her head, and made her queen over his vast dominions. No less certain is it that Mary, the blessed Mother of God, had no greater glory and joy than on the day when her divine Son conducted her into the realm of celestial bliss, raised her above all the choirs of angels, and crowned her queen of heaven and earth. It is impossible to conceive joy and glory greater than this. Nevertheless we are not wrong in affirming that holy Mass affords the blessed Mother of God her sweetest joy.

This statement is supported by the words of Blessed Alanus, who says: “Even as Eternal Wisdom made choice of one virgin amongst all others, that of her might be born the Saviour of the world, so that same Redeemer appointed a priesthood to dispense for all time the treasures of His redemption, through the medium of the holy sacrifice of the Mass and the Adorable Sacrament of the Altar. This it is which constitutes the greatest joy of the Mother of God, the greatest felicity of the blessed; this is the surest help of the living, the chief solace o: the departed.”

In this passage Alanus, a zealous servant of Jesus and Mary, asserts in no doubtful terms the excellence of.the Mass, and asserts that naught else gives so great joy to the Mother of God. In order to understand this aright we must remember that, as theologians tell us, the bliss enjoyed by our blessed Lady and the other glorified saints is of a twofold nature: it is essential and accidental. Essential happiness consists in the beatific vision, the knowledge and enjoyment of God, according to the degree of glory to which the saint is admitted on his entrance into heaven. This degree remains the same to all eternity; it is impossible for any one to rise to a higher or sink to a lower one. Accidental happiness, on the contrary, consists in some particular honor or joy which some saint experiences when a favor is shown him by God, when special veneration, or some acceptable service, is rendered to him on earth. For instance, the feast of a saint may be kept with great ceremony, and many prayers offered to him. This accidental happiness, as it is called, the sacred humanity of Christ and all angels and saints are capable of receiving, as we know from the words of St. Luke: “I say to you that even so there shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance.” (Luke 15:7) The joy here spoken of is not essential, but accidental; it is renewed whenever a sinner is converted, and lost should the sinner revert to his evil ways.

From this explanation we see that Blessed Alanus in stating that the Mother of God derives the principal part of her happiness from holy Mass refers to her accidental, not her essential, joy. For although there are many ways whereby we may do honor to Our Lady and afford her pleasure, yet none of the accidental joys we thus procure her equals that which we can give her by hearing Mass. And why is it that we cannot, by reciting rosaries, the Little Office, litanies, psalms, and other prayers with the intention of showing her honor and increasing her joy, do half as much as we can do by piously hearing Mass in her honor, and offering to God her beloved Son, present upon the altar? It is because in the latter case we perform in her honor the highest act of Christian worship, and do God far better service than by the recital of psalms and prayers.

Besides this, we give her another and a most acceptable pleasure by hearing Mass. For since the glory of God and the salvation of sinners are what she above all things loves and desires, it causes her inexpressible joy to see us, by piously hearing Mass, offering to the Holy Trinity the worthiest service: praising, venerating, invoking, rejoicing the Most High, presenting to Him the most precious of all gifts. She sees us, moreover, worshipping her beloved Son with steadfast faith, humbling ourselves before Him in lowly adoration; with penitent hearts striking our breasts, earnestly imploring forgiveness of our sins; reminding God the Father of the pains that divine Son suffered, offering His blood for our cleansing, and assisting at the holy sacrifice with fervor and recollection. What could be more desirable, more delightful, more gratifying to the heart of Mary?

The following anecdote, related by the famous historian Baronius, will serve to show the joy one can give the Mother of God by hearing Mass in her honor, and how gladly she grants the petitions of those who assist at the holy sacrifice for that object.

In the year 998 Robert, the King of France, at the head of a large army, laid siege to the Castle of St. Germain, not far from Anjou. The besieged made a valiant defence, and succeeded in harassing the enemy so much that on the sixth day of the siege the king, exasperated at their resistance, resolved to take the fortress by storm. On hearing this the garrison were sadly cast down; in their distress they appealed for help and counsel to a pious Benedictine monk named Father Gislebert. He exhorted them to put their trust in Mary, and hear a Mass in her honor. This Mass he himself said at Our Lady’s altar in the principal church, all the people devoutly assisting. The blessed Mother of God was not slow to make known the power of a Mass said in her honor. While it was being celebrated, a dense fog closed round the fortress, completely shutting it out from the sight of the besiegers, so that their gunners could not take aim. The besieged, however, saw the enemy as distinctly as ever, and did deadly work with their arrows. At length the king, seeing his men falling on every side, and fearing lest, if the combat were prolonged, his whole army would be cut off, sounded a retreat, and withdrew in high dudgeon.

Although miracles of this description are of rare occurrence, yet we may be sure that never is Mary invoked in vain. An appeal to her is always rewarded, and is far more efficacious than an appeal to any other saint This was revealed to a Dominican saint by the Mother of God herself; he has left it in writing for our benefit:

1. “What Mary asks of God she invariably obtains.

2. “God withholds His mercy from no one for whom Mary prays.

3. “The world would long since have been destroyed had not Mary upheld it by her intercession.

4. “The love of Mary for sinners is greater than that of any one human being for another.

5. “Such is the love of Mary for sinners that, did God permit, she would be willing to make atonement for each one by daily bearing all the sufferings of the world.

6. “The least service shown to Mary, were it merely the recital of the Angelic Salutation, is worth more than an act a thousandfold greater performed in honor of one of the other saints.

7. “A single Ave Maria is of more value than any temporal gift of body or soul, of life or death.

8. “As the firmament of heaven surpasses all the stars in magnitude, so does the loving-kindness of Mary surpass that of all the saints.

9. “As the sun exceeds in its beneficent action all the other orbs, so does the assistance Mary renders 11s exceed that of all the other saints.

10. “The veneration shown to Mary rejoices all the blessed.

11. “The veneration paid to the saints may be compared to silver; that which is paid to Mary may be compared to gold; that which is paid to Christ, to precious gems; while that which is paid to the Holy Trinity is like the stars in splendor.

12. “Never does a day pass without some souls being rescued from purgatory by Mary.”

These twelve privileges or graces are the crown of twelve stars which St. John saw encircling Our Lady’s head. He who ponders them well cannot fail to feel himself irresistibly drawn to the service and veneration of Mary. Who would not gladly say a Hail Mary in her honor when he hears that she herself declares this short prayer to be worth more than any gift of body or soul? Who would not rejoice to enroll himself in her service when he is told that what he does for her is of far greater value than what is done for any other saint? Let us serve her, then, with zeal and fervor, especially by hearing Mass, and offering to her the sacrifice of her dear Son. For every time Mass is said Jesus is bore anew in a mystic manner, and Mary’s high dignity as His Mother is renewed. This Blessed Alanus tells us: “Whenever a priest neglects to say Mass, he robs the holy Mother of God of a portion of her maternal glory.” Hence, whenever a priest says Mass, he renews the honor due to Mary as Mother of God, because she then, as it were, gives birth to her Son anew, and feels again the rapture she felt at that auspicious moment

It will be both profitable and consoling for us to know to what extent and in what manner holy Mass can benefit the saints, and how it can be heard and celebrated on their festivals to their greater glory. We have already seen, in this chapter, how their accidental joy may be increased; it will be well to remind ourselves that it is our bounden duty to honor the saints. God Himself desires that we should glorify His faithful servants. He says: “Whosoever shall glorify Me, him will I glorify,” (1 Kings 2:30) Moreover, the saints merit our veneration, because upon earth they shunned honors, they humbled themselves and deemed themselves worthy of scorn; they were, too, unjustly despised, mocked, and persecuted by the wicked; and on this account God wills that their innocence should be made clear as the day, and they should be praised and honored throughout all Christendom.

Of this we have an instance in Mardochai, who, although he was a pious servant of God, was persecuted by the proud \man and condemned to death. But

God defeated the evil man’s designs, and so directed the course of events as to cause them to conduce to the public exaltation of His faithful servant. For when King Assuerus said to Aman: “What ought to be done to the man whom the king is desirous to honor i Aman answered: The man whom the king desireth to honor ought to be clothed with the king’s apparel, and to be set upon the horse that the king rideth upon, and to have the royal crown upon his head; and let the first of the king s princes and nobles hold his horse, and going through the street of the city, proclaim before him: Thus shall he be honored whom the king hath a mind to honor And the king said to him, Make haste and take the robe and the horse, and do as thou hast spoken to Mardochai the Jew.” (Esther 6:6-10)

Now if this heathen monarch caused such great honor to be paid to Mardochai on account of his fidelity, what, think you, will be the glory which our infinitely grateful God will show, and will command all the company of heaven to show, to His faithful servants for the services they have rendered Him, both on the day of their triumphant entry into the celestial courts, and also when the Church throughout all the world celebrates their feasts? For by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost He taught the Church, on the day set apart for the commemoration of His eminent servants and chosen saints, to honor and glorify them by prayers, devotions, panegyrics, pilgrimages, and processions; above all, by the holy sacrifice of the Mass. For thus shall those be honored whom the heavenly King desireth to honor.

The best means of honoring the saints is by offering the holy sacrifice of the Mass to God for their glory. Although the Mass is a representation of Christ’s passion, and is offered up to Almighty God alone, yet the saints derive joy and glory from it, because it is celebrated in their honor, and fills all heaven with joy.

And if special mention is made of them by name their joy and glory are still further enhanced, and the Mass is still more delightful to them, according to the testimony of St. Chrysostom: “When a public ovation is offered to a king, the officers who have shared with him the perils of the war, and have borne themselves valiantly, are also mentioned by name, that they may likewise share in the glory of his triumph. So it is with the saints. They are honored and glorified in the presence of their Lord when His passion and death are triumphantly represented in holy Mass, and they too receive special mention, and the heroic deeds they achieved against their hellish foe are lauded and magnified. Then glory is given to God Almighty, for the might wherewith He fortified them in the strife, for the grace by means of which He secured them the victory/’” One can give no greater satisfaction to the saints “—we quote the words of Molina—” than by offering the holy Mass to God in their name, thanking Him for the gifts He bestowed on them, commemorating their meritorious deeds, and offering these to the Holy Trinity in union with the sacrifice of the Mass.“

On this subject we read in the revelations of St. Gertrude that “On the feast of St. Michael, while present at Mass, she offered the adorable body and blood of Christ to God, saying: To the honor of this great prince I pre sent to Thee, O dearest Lord, this most holy sacrament, to the eternal praise of all the angelic host, and the increase of their joy, their glory, and their felicity. She was then permitted to see in how wondrous a manner the Godhead received the sacrifice thus offered, and how the angelic spirits rejoiced with a joy so unspeakable that, had they not already been in possession of supreme happiness, it would have sufficed to make them happy to all eternity. For this the angels came, according to their order of rank, and reverently gave thanks to the saint.” This passage has been examined and approved by learned monks and theologians, so that the statement contained in it cannot be contested. It is not said, be it observed, that St. Gertrude offered the Adorable Sacrament to the angels, but to God the Father, Who made it one with the Godhead, while the satisfaction thus afforded to Him was so great that of its infinite abundance the angels received an accession of celestial joy. The same thing occurs whenever thou dost offer the holy sacrifice to God the Father in honor of some saint.

In confirmation of the above we will quote a similar instance from the same source. Shortly after the death of one of the nuns of St. Gertrude’s convent at Helpede in Saxony, in the odor of sanctity, another religious of the same house, hearing Mass for the deceased, said to God at the time of the elevation: “I offer to Thee, heavenly Father, this sacred host, the body and blood of Jesus, on behalf of our deceased sister; and with it I offer to Thee the love of His sacred Heart, which ever throbbed for Thee.” Thereupon the spiritual vision of the nun was enlightened; she beheld her sister in religion, who was already in heaven, and who appeared now to be invested with a higher dignity, vested in more glorious apparel, surrounded with more splendid attendants. And the same took place whenever that religious made the same offering for the deceased.

Richly, indeed, was that offering rewarded! Who would believe that the accidental joy of the blessed could be thus augmented did we not receive the assurance on trustworthy authority? The revelations do not state that the soul was raised to a higher place, but that it appeared as if she were raised to a higher degree of glory. For a higher degree of glory belongs to the essential joy of the blessed, and, as we have said, that admits of no augmentation. Nevertheless the soul in question experienced a wonderful increase of accidental joy in consequence of the Mass being offered on her behalf.

Hence we may conclude that by offering one single Mass we can honor the saints in a manner most acceptable to God, and which enhances the felicity they enjoy. If, therefore, thou art desirous to glorify any particular saint, thy patron saint, for example, hear Mass in his honor; and at the elevation of the host offer the Son of God to His eternal Father for the greater glory and joy of thy patron. Look in the calendar every morning, and at Mass say to the saint who is commemorated that day that thou wilt hear the Mass in his honor; and at the elevation offer the holy sacrifice to God with that intention. At the hour of death thou wilt know how much merit thou hast gained by this practice*

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