She Could Find No Peace, And Was Forced,
As It Were, To Go To Confession.
As It Were, To Go To Confession.
Mary is that happy ark in which he who takes refuge will never suffer the shipwreck of eternal ruin.
Even the brutes were saved in the time of the deluge in the ark of Noe; so, under the mantle of Mary, even sinners are saved.
St. Gertrude one day saw Mary with her
mantle extended, beneath which many wild beasts, lions, bears, and
tigers had sheltered themselves; and Mary not only did not cast them
from her, but received them with pity and caressed them.
And by this the saint understood, that the vilest sinners, when they
flee to Mary, are not cast out, but welcomed and saved from eternal
death. Let us enter, then, into this ark, and seek refuge under the
mantle of Mary; for she certainly will not reject us, and will surely
save us.
It is narrated by Father Bevius, of a very
sinful person named Helen, that having gone to church; she accidentally
heard a sermon on the rosary.
As she went out she bought one but carried
it hidden, so that it should not be seen. Afterwards, she began to
recite it; and although she recited it without devotion, the most holy
Virgin infused into her heart such consolation and sweetness in it, that
she could not cease repeating it.
And by this she was inspired with such a
horror of her evil life, that she could find no peace, and was forced,
as it were, to go to confession. She confessed with so much contrition,
that the confessor was amazed.
Having finished her confession, she went
immediately before an altar of the blessed Virgin, to thank her
advocate; she recited her rosary, and the divine mother spoke to her
from her image, and said, “Helen, you have too long offended God and me;
henceforth change your life, and I will bestow upon you many of my
favors.”
The poor sinner, in confusion, answered:
“Ah, most holy Virgin, it is true that hitherto I have been very sinful,
but thou, who art all-powerful, assist me; I give myself to thee, and
will pass the remainder of my life in doing penance for my sins.”
Assisted by Mary, Helen bestowed all her
goods upon the poor, and commenced a rigorous penance. She was tormented
by dreadful temptations, but she continued to recommend herself to the
mother of God; and always, with her aid, came off victorious.
She was favored also with many supernatural
graces, as visions, revelations, and prophecies. At last, before her
death, of which she had been warned a few days previously by Mary, the
Virgin herself came with her Son to visit her; and in death, the soul of
this sinner was seen, in the form of a beautiful dove, ascending to
heaven.
PRAYER:
Behold, oh mother of my God, Mary, my only
hope, behold at thy feet a miserable sinner, who implores thy mercy.
Thou art proclaimed and called by the whole Church, and by all the
faithful, the Refuge of Sinners; thou then art my refuge; it is thine to
save me. Thou knowest how much thy Son desires our salvation. Thou,
too, knowest what Jesus Christ suffered to save me.
I offer to thee, oh my mother, the
sufferings of Jesus; the cold which He endured in the stable, the steps
of His long journey into Egypt, His toils, His sweat, the blood that He
shed, the torments which caused His death before thy eyes upon the
cross; show thy love for this Son, whilst I, for the love of him, beg
thee to aid me.
Extend thy hand to a fallen creature, who
asks pity of thee. If I were a saint, I would not ask for mercy; but
because I am a sinner, I have recourse to thee, who art the mother of
mercies. I know that thy compassionate heart finds consolation in
succoring the wretched, when thou canst aid them, and dost not find them
obstinate in their sins.
Console then, today, thy own compassionate
heart, and console me; for thou hast a chance to save me, a poor wretch
condemned to hell; and thou canst aid me, for I will not be obstinate.
I place myself in thy hands; tell me what I
must do, and obtain for me strength to do it, and I will do all I can
to return to a state of grace.
I take refuge beneath thy mantle. Jesus
Christ wishes me to have recourse to thee, that, for thy glory and His,
since thou art His mother, not only His blood, but also thy prayers, may
aid me to obtain salvation.
He sends me to thee that thou mayest assist
me. Oh Mary, I hasten to thee, and in thee I trust. Thou dost pray for
so many others, pray, and say also one word for me. Say to God, that
thou desirest my salvation, and God certainly will save me. Tell Him
that I am thine; this is all I ask from thee. Amen.
“Stories
of Mary” are taken from the Glories of Mary, translated from the Italian
of St. Alphonsus Liguori; New Revised Edition, P.J. Kennedy & Sons.
Copyright 1888 by P.J. Kennedy
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