Saturday - Day of Our Lady

Sexagesima Week. "Of Mary's Chastity" from the "The Glories of Mary" by St. Alphonsus Liquori.

Since the fall of Adam, the senses being rebellious to reason, chastity is of all virtues the one which is the most difficult to practice. Saint Augustine says:'Of all the combats in which we are engaged , the most severe are those of chastity; its battles are of daily occurrence, but victory is rare. May God be ever praised, however, who in Mary has given us a great example of this virtue. 'With reason' says Richard of Saint Lawrence, 'is Mary called the Virgin of virgins; for she, without the counsel or example of others, was the first who offered her virginity to God'. Thus did she bring all virgins who imitate her to God, as David had already foretold: "After her shall virgins be brought.....into the temple of the King." Without counsel and without example. Yes; for Saint Bernard says: 'O Virgin, who taught thee to please God by virginity, and to lead an angel's life on earth?' 'Ah,' replies Saint Sophronius, 'God chose this most pure Virgin for His Mother, that she might be an example of chastity to all.' therefore does Saint Ambrose call Mary 'the standard-bearer of virginity. By reason of her purity the Blessed Virgin was also declared by the Holy Ghost to be beautiful as the turtle-dove'. 'Mary', says Aponius, 'was a most pure turtle-dove' For the same reason she was called a lily: "As the lily among the thorns, so is my love among the daughters." On this passage Denis the Carthusian remarks, that 'Mary was compared to a lily amongst thorns, because all other virgins were thorns, either to themselves or to others; but that the Blessed Virgin was so neither to herself nor to others;' for she inspired all who looked at her with chaste thoughts. This is confirmed by Saint Thomas, who says, that the beauty of the Blessed Virgin was an incentive to chastity in all who beheld her. Saint Jerome declared that it was his opinion that Saint Joseph remained a virgin by living with Mary; for, writing against the heretic Helvidius, who denied Mary's virginity, he says 'Thou sayest that Mary did not remain a virgin, but even that Joseph preserved his virginity through Mary. An author says, that so much did the Blessed Virgin love this virtue, that, to preserve it, she would have been willing to have renounced even the dignity of Mother of God. This we may conclude from her answer to the archangel, "How shall this be done, because I know not man?" and from the words she afterwards added "Be it done to me according to thy word," signifying that she gave her consent on the condition that, as the angel has assured her, she should become a Mother by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost. Saint Ambrose says, that 'whoever has preserved chastity is an angel, and that he who has lost it is a devil.' Our Lady assures that those who are chaste become angels, "They shall be as the angels of God in heaven." But the impure become as devils, hateful in the sight of God. Saint Remigius used to say that the greater part of adults are lost by this vice. Seldom, as we have already said with St. Augustine, is a victory gained over this vice. But why? It is because the means by which it may be gained are seldom made use of. These means are three, according to `Bellarmine and the masters of a spiritual life: fasting, the avoidance of dangerous occasions, and prayer. By fasting, is to be understood especially mortification of the eyes and of the appetite. Although our Blessed Lady was full of Divine grace, yet she was so mortified in her eyes, that, according to Saint Epiphanius and Saint John Damascen, she always kept them cast down, and never fixed them on any one; and they say that from her very childhood her modesty was such, that it filled every one who saw her with astonishment. Hence Saint Luke remarks, that, in going to visit Saint Elisabeth, "she went with haste," that she might be less seen in public. Philibert relates, that, as to her food, it was revealed to a hermit named Felix, that when a baby she only took milk once a day. Saint Gregory of Tours affirms, that throughout her life she fasted; and Sanit Bonaventura adds, 'that Mary would never have found so much grace, had she not been most moderate in her food; for grace and gluttony cannot subsist together.' In fine, Mary was mortified in all, so that of her it was said, "my hands dropped with myrrh."
The second means is to fly the occasion of sin: "He that is aware of the snares shall be secure." hence Saint Philip Neri says, that, 'in the war of the senses, coward conquer:' that is to say, those who fly from dangerous occasions. Mary fled as much as possible from the sight of man; and therefore Saint Luke remarks, that in going to visit Saint Elisabeth, "she went with haste into the hill country." An author observes, that the Blessed Virgin left Saint Elisabeth before Saint John was born, as we learn from the same Gospel, where it is said, that "Mary abode with her about three months, and she returned to her own house. Now Elisabeth's full time of being delivered was come, and she brought forth a son." And why did she not wait for this event? It was that she might avoid the conversations and visits which would accompany it.
The third means is prayer. "And as I know." said the wise man, "that I could not otherwise be continent except God gave it....I went to the Lord and besought Him." The Blessed Virgin revealed to Saint Elisabeth of Hungary, that she acquired no virtue without effort and continual prayer. Saint John Damascen says, that Mary 'is pure, and a lover of purity.' Hence she cannot endure those who are unchaste. But whoever has recourse to her will certainly be delivered from this vice, if he only pronounces her name with confidence. The venerable John d'Avila used to say, 'that many have conquered impure temptations by only having devotion to her Immaculate conception.' O Mary, O most pure Dove, how many are now in hell on account of this vice! Sovereign Lady, obtain us the grace always to have recourse to thee in our temptations, and always to invoke thee, saying, 'Mary, Mary, help us'. Amen.