Page:Beautifulpearlso00oreirich.djvu/190

 prayer, heroic  poverty,  heroic  charity:  one  mind,  one  heart,  one faith; brother  sharing  with  brother  earthly  goods  as  well  as divinest  graces — and  the  supernatural  fervor  of  all  fed  and  sustained by  that  "  Supersubstantial  Bread,"  the  "communication" of which,  like  a  heavenly  fire  kindled  in  the  hearts  of  the  receivers, made men  and  women  the  light  of  the  world,  and  the  Gift  within them shed  abroad,  wherever  they  went,  the  sweet  odor  of  Christ.

Surely the  sons  of  the  "Valiant  Woman"  were  rising  up  before the nations  and  calling  her  "Blessed" — aye. "Blessed among women."

It is  usual  with  Protestants,  in  speaking  of  the  Blessed  Virgin Mary, to  show  a  repugnance  to  calling  her  "  the  Mother  of  God." In so  doing,  they  are  doing,  unawares,  what  Nestorius  and  his  master, Theodore  (afterward  Bishop  of  Mopsuestia),  a  teacher  in  the school of  Antioch,  openly  taught  people  to  do  in  the  beginning  of the  fifth  century. In the  preceding  centuries  such  men  as  Origen, S. Alexander  of  Alexandria,  and  S.  Athanasius,  only  expressed  the common belief  and  orthodox  sense  of  Christians,  by  emphatically calling Mary  "  the  Mother  of  God."

Arianism and  Nestorianism  are  the  legitimate  parents  of  modern Unitarianisra. Arius denied  the  divinity  of  the  Son  of  God,  and therefore refused  to  Christ,  the  Incarnate  Son,  the  title  and  quality of true  God. Theodore and  Nestorius,  while  admitting  that  the Son was  God,  denied  that  the  man  Christ,  born  of  the  Virgin Mary, was  in  any  sense  true  God. 'It is  madness  to  say"  (such are  his  words)  "  God  was  born  of  the  Virgin;  not  God,  but  the temple in  which  God  dwelt  was  born  of  Mary."  These  false teachers  affirmed  that  the  Divine  Word  had  His  dwelling  in  every human  soul;  but  in  Christ  He  manifested  extraordinary  power. He  participated  of  the  glory  of  the  Word  and  Son  more  than  any other  human  being;  but  it  was  only,  after  all,  a  difference  in  degree. It  was,  according  to  them,  an  error  to  say  "  God  was  born of the  Virgin  Mary,"  "God  suffered,  rose  again  from  the  tomb, and ascended  into  Heaven."  These  things  could  only  be  affirmed of  human  nature.

The whole  Nestorian  controversy  thus  turned  on  the  great  dogma, or doctrinal  fact,  whether  Mary  was  and  should  be  called  "the Mother  of  God." On June  22d,  431,  a  general  council  assembled at Ephesus — the  city  in  which  Mary  had  spent  the  last  years  of  her life, and  which  cherished  toward  her  a  deep  and  tender  piety. The cathedral church  in  which  the  160  bishops  met,  under  the  presidence  of  S.  Cyril,  Patriarch  of  Alexandria,  who  represented  Pope S. Celestine  I. — was  named  in  honor  of  "the  Mother  of  God." The session  lasted  far  into  the  night,  and  the  doctrine  of  Nestorius and his  school  was  solemnly  condemned — the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary was declared  to  be  truly  θεοτοκος,  Mother  of  God.

The city,  thereupon,  was  spontaneously  illuminated,  and  the bishops, on  issuing  from  the  cathedral,  were  escorted  to  their  lodgings by  the  joyous  multitude,  bearing  lighted  torches,  and  breaking forth into  hymns  of  praise  and  thanksgiving.

It must  not  be  forgotten  that  it  was  the  Person  of  Christ  Himself, at  once  both  true  God  and  true  man,  who  thus  triumphed  in this  solemn  definition  of  faith. The heretics  denied  that  the  Son of the  Virgin  Mary  was  God;  the  bishops  of  the  East  and  West assembled affirmed  that  He  was,  and  that  she  was  most  truly Mother of  God.

Her honor,  therefore,  was  reflected  on  her  Son. But, while  He is  very  God,  she  is  only  a  human  being;  she,  the  Mother  of  Christ, is only  a  creature — the  most  highly  honored  indeed  of  all  created beings; while  He  is  Creator.

In going  back  to  the  time  of  the  Council  of  Ephesus,  A.  D.  431 — two years  before  S.  Patrick,  sent  by  the  same  Pope  Celestine  I., landed in  Pagan  Ireland,  we  are  amazed  to  find,  in  the  writings of such  men  as  S.  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  and  in  the  authentic  descriptions of  popular  manners  among  Eastern  Christians,  how deeply reverence  for  the  Mother  of  God  had  penetrated  all  classes in the  community. The great  Christian  writers  of  that  and  the preceding century — these  saintly  men  whom  we  call  the  Fathers  of the  Church,  speak  of  Mary,  not  only  as  the  Mother  of  God,  but  as the  "Second  Eve." Long before  them,  one  whose  doctrine  was derived from  the  immediate  disciples  of  the  Apostles — S.  Irenaeus — draws out  an  elaborate  parallel  between  Mary  and  the  first  Eve. " Mary,  by  her  obedience,  became  both  to  herself  and  to  all  mankind the  cause  of  salvation.  .  .  .  The  knot  of  Eve's  disobedience was  loosed  by  Mary's  obedience.  .  .  .  What  the  Virgin  Eve  bound by  unbelief,  that  the  Virgin  Mary  unbound  by  faith.  ...  As  by  a Virgin  the  human  race  had  been  given  over  to  death,  so  by  a  Virgin it  is  saved."

It is  also  to  be  remarked  here,  that  just  as  the  title  "Virgin Mother  "  was  given  to  the  Church  by  the  early  Fathers,  so  we  find them applying  the  same  prophetic  passages  of  Scripture  both  to  the Virgin Mother  of  Christ,  and  to  His  spouse  the  Church,  who  is  the Virginal Mother  of  His  children  here  below. Indeed, it  is  but natural to  assume  that  she  who  is  the  Parent  of  Christ  our  Head, entertains all  a  parent's  affection  for  His  members,  and  performs towards them  throughout  the  ages,  both  in  Heaven  and  on  earth, all a  Mother's  offices  of  love  and  watchfulness.

Hence, the  constant  application  now  to  the  Church,  and  now  to the  Immaculate  Mother,  of  that  passage  in  Apocalypse  xii. i: "And a  great  sign  appeared  in  Heaven,  a  woman  clothed  with  the sun  and  the  moon  under  her  feet,  and  on  her  head  a  crown  of twelve  stars.  And  being  with  child,  she  cried  travailing  in  birth, and  was  in  pain  to  be  delivered.  And  there  was  seen  another  sign  in Heaven:  and  behold  a  great  red  dragon  having  seven  heads  and  ten horns.  .  .  .  And  the  dragon  stood  before  the  woman,  who  was ready  to  be  delivered,  that,  when  she  should  be  delivered,  he  might devour  her  son.  .  .  .  And  her  son  was  taken  up  to  God  and  to His  throne.  And  there  was  a  great  battle  in  Heaven;  Michael and  his  angels  fought  with  the  dragon,  and  the  dragon  fought  and  his angels.  .  .  .  And  that  great  dragon  was  cast  out,  that  old  serpent, who  is  called  the  Devil  and  Satan,  who  seduceth  the  whole  world." It is  only  carrying  out  the  idea  of  S.  Irenaeus,  to  see  the  conflict prophesied in  Genesis  iii. 14, 15,  at  the  very  beginning  of  Revealed History, described  as  it  happened  in  the  last  half  of  the  first  century of Christianity,  as  it  has  continued  down  to  our  own  day. The Second Eve  is  foretold  to  the  First  in  the  memorable  passage: "I will  put  enmities  between  thee  and  the  woman,  and  thy  seed and  her  seed:  she  shall  crush  thy  head  and  thou  shalt  lie  in  wait for  her  heel.  To  the  woman  also  He  said:  I  will  multiply  thy sorrows,  and  thy  conceptions:  in  sorrow  shalt  thou  bring  forth children.  ..."

The enemy  of  God  and  of  mankind  has  never  ceased  from  that day till  now,  to  make  war  on  God's  children  here  below;  in  the Old Law  on  the  Church  which  God  established  through  Moses — amid what  "sorrows"  did  she  bring  forth  sons  to  God! In the New Law,  how  the  battle  has  gone  on,  between  the  Church  of Christ  and  the  seven-headed  serpent  of  Heresy — ever  watchful  to devour  each  generation  of  Christians! It is  surely  in  sorrow, especially in  our  days,  that  the  Church  brings  forth  her  children; and she  needs  the  embattled  hosts  of  Michael,  invisibly  aiding  her, to cast  out  the  Old  Serpent,  the  Adversary.