7) Mary's meek and kindly heart

Renewal of Consecration to Jesus through Mary

Two days remain before the great feast of the Annunciation, postponed this year because Easter came early. St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort recommends the Annunciation as being a fitting day for consecration to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary (or for renewal of consecrations). He mentions this in his work True Devotion to Mary (1712) where he also refers approvingly to La triple couronne de la bien-heureuse Vierge Mère de Dieu (The Triple Crown of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God), by Fr F Poiré, published in 1634

In the days remaining before the Annunciation, I am posting excerpts taken from chapter 11 of the  of fourth treatise  in The Triple Crown of the Blessed Virgin. This chapter addresses eight great qualities of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. The seventh excerpt concerns her meek and kindly heart.

7) Mary's meek and kindly heart

Meekness, accorder to the Angelic Doctor, is a gentleness of spirit arising from a certain goodness of heart which has an aversion to anything that might hurt another person. It is for this reason closely tied to the virtue of charity and is numbered among the principal virtues. St Basil went to far as to name it the greatest of all, occupying a place amongst  the first beatitudes. This consideration should suffice to show us the Mother of God must have possessed meekness to the highest degree . . . If meekness is a quality inseparable from the maternal spirit, then in whom would it more fittingly be found than in the Mother of Love and the Mother of all the Saviour's children? That same Saviour, who was meek above all others, recommended this virtue so highly, as being neither more nor less than the high point of His teaching. This being so, then how could the glorious Virgin, who was the soul and spirit of His divine classes, have failed to have this virtue in a high degree, or how could the great Teacher have filled her with it in abundance? Holy Church gives proof of this in the titles she has bestowed on Mary: Virgin most rare, Meek beyond compare [Vierge singulière, la Débonnaire sans pair]

Mary's meekness reveals her friendliness and helpfulness, qualities such that others esteemed her altogether admirable and lovable.

Mary's friendliness

I say that Mary was very friendly because you would be gravely mistaken to think she paid lip service to the idea, offering saccharine words or empty gestures, such as those forming the ordinary traits of decorum. She was too sincere a person for these superficialities and affectations, knowing nothing of such deceptions. Her meekness sprang from a well of sweetness in the depths of her heart, which meant it was impossible for her to learn that someone was in trouble without being herself affected . . . She could say with St Paul, and with greater truth: Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is scandalized, and I am not on fire? [2 Cor. xi. 29] She could say with Job, but more fittingly and with no comparison: For from my infancy mercy grew up with me: and it came out with me from my mother's womb: [Job xxxi. 18]  She could also address the Lord God with David, and with greater justification: O Lord, remember Mary, and all her meekness.[Ps. cxxxi. 1 adapted by Fr Poiré]

For if ever a heart were tender, compassionate and kindly, it was the heart of Mary, the Mother of Love. 

Mary's helpfulness

The Virgin truly cherished her beloved solitude, more than can be imagined; but ask St Ambrose if that stopped her going out into the world when she was drawn by someone in need of help. He will reassure you:

that none was more prompt to help the needy, to visit the sick, to comfort the afflicted and to take on herself, if this were possible, all the burdens of the poor and wretched.

Did she ever lack the commodities to help those in need? Then she would console them at least with her words and support them in such a way that they received a hundred times more help from Mary than from others. Was she unable to offer either? In such cases nothing could stop her charitable prayers which were invariably followed by an outcome favourable to the intention for which the prayers were offered.

Mary most admirable and lovable

All this renders her meekness so pleasing and attractive that it is impossible not to love her. In vain you may speak to me of Moses, who is honoured by Sacred Scripture as a man exceeding meek above all men that dwelt upon earth [Num. xii. 3]. In vain did the holy man Job say that the men of his tabernacle had such affection for him that they wanted to eat his flesh and devour his caresses [Who will give us of his flesh that we may be filled? Job xxxi. 31] In vain did St Ambrose pour forth waves of his golden eloquence to show everyone that the incomparable David was the true idea of a Prince who was altogether lovable by reason of his meekness. In vain, for there could be no comparison with the gentleness of the Blessed Virgin, who was higher than them all in this respect . . . In fact, you will see that in every place and throughout history, the gentleness of the Mother of God has put down roots so deeply into people's hearts that it would be easier to conceive of man without the power of reason, or of fire without heat, than to imagine Mary without meekness. Accordingly, she is loved and venerated for this reason. 

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.