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 death of thy Son. And although thou didst love thy only Son with love unspeakable, yet didst thou not hold Him back from ascending the dreadful Cross, but didst with all thy heart submit thyself, together with thy Son, to what had been ordained of God. Thou wast ever forward in condoling with Him in all His pain and anguish, and didst bravely follow Him to the foot of the shameful Cross, taking no heed of the flight of His disciples, nor fearing the savagery of the Jews, preferring to go to death with Him, to deserting thy Son at a time of such anguish and distress.

I bless thee, I praise and extol thee, most faithful and loving Mother of God, heavenly Mary, for that constancy in firm faith and perfect love, which thou didst show, when, on the flight of some of the apostles from fear, and when others only followed their Lord, as if ashamed of Him, thou alone, in the Passion of thy Son, didst never cease to keep burning the unquenchable light of faith; nothing doubting that in three days thy Son would rise again, as He, with His Own Lips, had very clearly foretold. For, when all the friends of Jesus had forsaken Him and fled, thou, O most sorrowful Mother, passing through the raging, surging mob, didst, with a humble following of women, hasten to the Hill of Calvary; that so thou mightest be as near as could be to thy Son, about to die upon the Cross; and mightest once more behold alive Him, from Whom, before His death, thou wert about to hear the words of loving committal to Saint John.

I bless thee, I praise and heartily commend thee, O holy and immaculate Virgin Mary, for thy sorrow-stricken presence at the foot of the Cross of Jesus, where, weary and in anguish, thou didst so