TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF MONSEIGNEUR DE LA BOUILLERIE, Archbishop of Perga, Coadjutor of Bordeaux.
VIII.
Amongst created beings, which is the soul which presents itself to us as the model of holiness ? That one which has received the most grace, and is the most closely united to the adorable Person of the Saviour.
Mary is full of grace, says the angel, and in one word he explains her holiness : " The Lord is with her."
In truth, from all eternity, the Lord covers Mary with His shadow, and from the moment when she is conceived, He preserves her from all taint. In the mystery of the Incarnation, the Word took Flesh in her, and He dwells first in her chaste womb for nine months. At Bethlehem, at Nazareth, on the roads of Judaea, she is ever near her Son. On the Mount of Calvary she stands beside the cross. Finally, after the Ascension, she retires with the Apostle John, in order to live only by the Eucharist. " The Lord is always with her!" Yes, doubtless, and it is for this cause that all the virtues abound in the heart of Mary.
VIII.
Amongst created beings, which is the soul which presents itself to us as the model of holiness ? That one which has received the most grace, and is the most closely united to the adorable Person of the Saviour.
Mary is full of grace, says the angel, and in one word he explains her holiness : " The Lord is with her."
In truth, from all eternity, the Lord covers Mary with His shadow, and from the moment when she is conceived, He preserves her from all taint. In the mystery of the Incarnation, the Word took Flesh in her, and He dwells first in her chaste womb for nine months. At Bethlehem, at Nazareth, on the roads of Judaea, she is ever near her Son. On the Mount of Calvary she stands beside the cross. Finally, after the Ascension, she retires with the Apostle John, in order to live only by the Eucharist. " The Lord is always with her!" Yes, doubtless, and it is for this cause that all the virtues abound in the heart of Mary.
