Carmelite QuotesQuote of the day, 8 December: Blessed Marie-Eugène
The Holy Church has established a feast to praise and thank God for the marvel of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. The Immaculate Conception is, indeed, an exception to this law of misery and privation that strikes all humanity coming into this world since the fall of our first parents.
At Mass, the holy Church had us read, in the Book of Wisdom, the passages that concern in a special way the Word of God—the Wisdom of God—always present before the gaze of the Most Holy Trinity before anything existed, and present as He created all things.
This assimilation of the Virgin Mary to divine Wisdom shows us that, from all eternity, when God was bringing forth His creative work, His contemplation did not rest only upon the distant vision of the Incarnate Word and His Church—His masterpiece, the end of all things, the goal of His creation. Already, He was distinguishing, in a clear and precise way, this Immaculate Conception whose realization filled Him with joy in advance.
Let us enter into this joy of God, which we sense in these passages from the Book of Wisdom. God rejoiced beforehand, and He rejoiced immeasurably when His work was accomplished. In doing so, He affirmed His power—the power of His Love and His mercy. Let us rejoice today in the joy of God. And let us also offer our congratulations to the Blessed Virgin in her joy.
Did she realize the privileges she had received? Perhaps not. The Virgin was so humble, so simple; the light within her was so pure that she scarcely perceived she could ever have been stained. She hardly saw how she had been preserved. But now, in heaven, she certainly sees it; today she sings the mercy of God. Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Saint John of the Cross—they all sang this mercy, just as we ourselves sing it.
On certain days of grace, we feel in a special way the weight of God’s grace upon our souls. The Virgin sang it; let us unite ourselves to her canticle of thanksgiving. We will offer the merits of the Sacrifice of the Mass to help her, in a certain way, to sing even more perfectly this glory of God and her gratitude toward the Eternal One.
Blessed Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus
La Vierge Marie Toute Mère, “Marvel of Mercy” (excerpt)
Marie-Eugène de l’Enfant-Jésus, B & Centre Notre-Dame de Vie 1988, La Vierge Marie Toute Mère, Editions du Carmel, Toulouse.
Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
Featured image: This cope hood featuring an image of Mary Immaculate was created ca. 1850 by the Dominican Sisters of St Catherine of Siena in Staffordshire, England. Image credit: Lawrence Lew OP (Some rights reserved)
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