Page:Beautifulpearlso00oreirich.djvu/189

 the light  of  these  words  of  His,  the  narrative  of  the  Evangelists regarding the  last  three  years  of  His  life:  is  it  likely  that  her  welfare, her  comfort,  her  happiness  ever  ceased  to  be  His  care?

Of course,  to  all  who  believed  in  Christ,  and  who,  in  these  first years, risked  everything  by  openly  confessing  Him,  the  Blessed Mother was  an  object  of  special  and  filial  veneration. This was particularly true  of  the  apostles,  who  felt  like  their  disciples  that  in reverencing  and  honoring  the  Mother  they  were  honoring  and reverencing the  Son. S. John  was  now  privileged  to  hold  Christ's place  toward  her. The last  time  she  is  mentioned  by  name  in  the New Testament  is  in  the  first  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, where we  find  her  with  her  near  relatives  in  the  assembly  which elected S.  Matthias. So long  as  S. John  remained  in  Jerusalem Mary was  his  charge,  cherished  and  reverenced  by  that  Virgin Apostle. When, at  the  dispersion  of  the  apostles,  John  went  to  reside in  Ephesus,  thither  also  Mary  went  with  him. It is  probable, however, that  as  John,  like  the  other  apostles,  traveled  through Palestine and  Asia  Minor,  preaching  the  Gospel,  founding  new churches, and  confirming  in  the  faith  such  as  already  existed,  that his adopted  mother  did  not  separate  from  him. Not before  the decade intervening  between  the  years  60  and  70  of  the  present  era, did the  Beloved  Disciple  assume  at  Ephesus  the  government  of  all the churches  of  Anterior  Asia. If our  Blessed  Lady  died  between these dates,  she  must  have  passed  her  eightieth  year. Tradition in the  Church  always  assigned  the  night  of  August  14-15  as  the  date of her  passage  to  a  happy  immortality. On the  15th  of  August  the Church has  always  celebrated  her  Assumption,  that  is,  her  being  received into  Heaven  in  body  and  soul. It was  but  proper  that  the body which  had  known  nothing  of  sin  or  stain,  the  body  of  the Mother of  our  Ransom  on  the  Cross,  should  not  have  been  touched by the  corruption  of  the  grave. All the  bitterness  of  death  had passed over  her  soul  on  Calvary:  her  own  death  was  all  peace  and sweetness and  unspeakable  anticipation  of  the  eternal  reunion  with her Son,  her  Saviour,  her  God.

It must  seem,  to  every  candid  and  reflecting  mind,  both  natural and logical,  that  Christians,  from  the  day  when  Christ  first  began to have  followers  and  worshippers,  should  have  shown  to  His  Mother a singular  reverence. The Apostles,  the  early  disciples,  whose faith had  never  wavered,  or  had  only  been  temporarily  shaken, during the  Saviour's  brief  but  necessary  period  of  suffering,  must have felt  their  veneration  foi  \he  heroic  Mother  very  much  increased by the  preternatural  courage  she  displayed  in  His  hour  of  bitter and mortal  trial.

The narrative  of  S.  John  is  sublime  in  its  simplicity  and  brevity. It is  the  tradition  of  the  Eastern  Church,  derived  from  the  first  believers in  Jerusalem — from  the  contemporaries  and  relatives  of  our Lord and  His  Mother,  that  "  the  coat  without  seam,  woven  from the  top  throughout,"  for  which  the  Roman  soldiers  cast  lots,  while He, the  wearer,  was  hanging  in  His  death-agony  overhead — was the fruit  of  her  labor  of  love. Like the  saintly  mother  of  the  child-prophet  Samuel,  Mary  would  allow  no  hands  but  her  own  to  weave her Son  His  principal  garment. It might  be  said  to  be  His  sole worldly wealth;  and  His  executioners  cast  lots  for  it,  while  she was looking  on,  or  within  reach  of  their  discussion. . .  .  "And the  soldiers  indeed  did  these  things.  Now  there  stood  by  the cross  of  Jesus,  His  Mother,  and  His  Mother's  sister,  Mary  (wife) of  Cleophas,  and  Mary  Magdalen.  .  .  ."  Then  ensued  the  bequeathing to  the  Beloved  Disciple  of  the  dearest  earthly  treasure possessed by  Jesus  of  Nazareth — His  widowed  and  homeless Mother. She, however,  had  been  too  willing  a  learner  in  His school, too  close  an  imitator  of  His  divine  examples,  to  repine  at her  poverty  and  homelessness. Her sorest  trial  was  her  separation from Him.

When the  short  joys  of  the  Forty  Days'  converse  with  Him  after His resurrection,  were  ended — she  had  been  too  well  enlightened by Him  not  to  understand  that  the  divinest  work  yet  reserved  to her  by  Providence,  remained  to  be  fulfilled. This was,  that,  as  she had been  the  Mother  of  the  Body  given  on  the  cross  as  the  ransom for the  entire  race  of  man,  as  she  had  nursed  that  Body  with  more than a  mother's  devotion — so  now  she  should  devote  the  remaining years of  her  life  to  forming  His  mystic  body. His church.

As the  body  of  the  faithful  grew,  first  in  Jerusalem  and  through' out Palestine,  and  next  through  all  the  countries  of  Asia,  Africa, and Europe — the  divinity  of  Christ  was  more  openly,  more  solemnly, more courageously  affirmed. Men and  women  everywhere  bore witness to  it  by  suffering  imprisonment,  stripes,  and  death. They honored their  belief  by  leading  God-like  lives,  even  when  these were not  crowned  by  the  glory  of  martyrdom.

It is  the  constant  affirmation  of  Christian  writers,  that  Christ's Blessed  Mother,  all  through  these  trial-full  years  of  the  infant Church, was  to  Apostles,  disciples,  and  believers  of  every  class  a model  and  a  comforter,  all  that  a  mother  and  such  a  Mother, should be. We find,  that  when  the  Apostles  returned  to  Jerusalem, after the  Ascension,  they  went  to  where  our  Blessed  Lady  was staying — in the  house  of  that  saintly  Mary,  "  the  mother  of  John-Mark  "  (Acts  xii.  12). This is  the  house,  according  to  the  most venerable traditions,  in  which  our  Lord  celebrated  the  Last  Supper, which was  the  first  place  of  meeting  and  divine  worship  for  believers in  Jerusalem. It was  the  centre  and  nursery  of  Christianity in the  great  city  all  through  this  first  period  of  persecution,  loving labor, and  wonderful  growth. "And when  they  were  come  in (from  Mount  Olivet),  they  went  up  into  an  Upper  Room,  where abode  Peter  and  John,  James  and  Andrew,  Philip  and  Thomas, Bartholomew  and  Matthew,  James  and  Alpheus  and  Simon  Zelotes, and  Jude  (the  brother)  of  James.  All  these  were  persevering  with one  mind  in  prayer  with  the  women,  and  Mary  the  Mother  of Jesus,  and  with  His  brethren."

In the  election  of  S.  Matthias,  which  is  next  recorded,  and  which evidently took  place  in  the  same  spacious  Upper  Room,  as  well  as in  the  assembly  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost,  the  text  indicates  that she was  also  present. It was  a  matter  of  course,  that  His  Mother should be  the  very  soul  of  these  meetings,  although  it  was  left  to Peter  and  his  brother-Apostles  to  regulate  everything  that  pertained to the  doctrine  and  discipline  of  the  Christian  society. All through the triumphs  and  trials  which,  alternately,  awaited  the  Apostolic labors, Mary  was  present  to  cheer,  encourage,  and  sustain. What joy filled  her  soul,  when  on  that  very  day  of  Pentecost,  after  S. Peter's  inspired  address  to  the  multitude,  no  less  than  "  three thousand  souls  "  were  baptized  and  added  to  the  body  of  the  faithful! " And  they  were  persevering  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Apostles, and  in  the  communication  of  the  breaking  of  bread,  and  in  prayers. And  fear  came  upon  every  soul:  many  wonders  also  and  signs  were done  by  the  Apostles  in  Jerusalem;  and  there  was  great  fear  in  all. And  all  they  that  believed,  were  together,  and  had  all  things  in  common. Their  possessions  and  goods  they  sold,  and  divided  them  to  all, according  as  every  one  had  need.  And  continuing  daily  with  one accord  in  the  temple,  and  breaking  bread  from  house  to  house, they  took  their  meat  with  gladness  and  simplicity  of  heart,  praising God  and  having  favor  with  all  the  people.  And  the  Lord  increased daily  together  such  as  should  be  saved."

What a  blessed  and  blissful  family  was  that  which  daily  increased around the  Second   Eve,  the  Mother  of  the  New  Life! Heroic