9
recovered their health which had been
despaired of by the best physicians!
Still, there are souls who are sick not
only in body, but also spiritually. In
their days of levity and strength, they
lived in forgetfulness of God and, now,
are thrown on their sickbed in a state
of sin. They have no peace but feel
doubly the misery of their sickness,
the remembrance of their sinful life,
their continued impenitence and the
thought of approaching death and
judgement. These thoughts can bring
them to the verge of despair. In many
such instances, Mary has obtained the
grace of repentance and forgiveness for
the sinner, and even the restoration of
bodily health.
We MUST Do OUR PART!
Dear Christian soul, we must thank
God for having given us Mary for our
Protectress in every necessity! Do we
thank Him for having given us this
Mother of Mercy who can help us in·
every need? We must not neglect to do
what is required on our part in order
to obtain help. If we ask for health, we
must make use of the natural means
which are available to us. If we ask for
prosperity, we must labor diligently and
be economical; if we ask for the grace
of repentance, we must avoid the
occasions of sin, earnestly and fervently
fight against our evil inclinations and
passions and make a sincere Confession.
If we ask for a holy death, we must walk
in the presence of God, receive the
Sacraments often, be prompt to reject
temptations and exact in the fulfillment
of our daily duties. If we fulfill these
conditions, we will experience the
power of the holy Virgin and it will be
our sweetest consolation in life and in
death. Mary comes to our aid with the
power of a Queen and a Mother. She
assures help to all who seek shelter
beneath her protecting mantle in the
manifold dangers of body and soul,
which beset us during the course of our
lives. Mary is a secure haven of peace
and the port of our eternal salvation.
Mary is the hope of the Church in the
dangers which beset Her from within
and without. The history of past ages
and the annals of the Church recount
the innumerable calamities averted
from Christendom through Mary’s
intercession: storms have been calmed,
Christian nations have been delivered
from barbarians and the oppression
of schisms, heresies and wars. In the
continual warfare of man upon
earth, we have the most holy Virgin,
conceived without sin, as terrible
to hell as an army set in battle array
to defend us.
As children of this tender Mother, we
must never lose courage as long as we
can pronounce the name of Mary. She
will defend and protect our souls in
the severest trials. The name of Mary
is like unto an oil poured out which
will strengthen our souls. It will warm
and purify our hearts and make them
capable of the greatest sacrifices. The
affair of our eternal salvation should
be the only concern that is truly
important in our lives.