' STAND FAST IN THE FAITH '

New Zealand Tablet, 3 December 1914, Page 11

' STAND FAST IN THE FAITH '

(A Weekly' Instruction specially written for the N.Z. ; Tablet by Ghimel.) " .

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Question. Catholics look up to Mary as the Mother of God, and invoke her help is there any plain, positive evidence in the Gospels to justify, that attitude? Answer, (a) Our Lord worked His first miracle at His Mother’s intercession. Apparently He did, not intend to perform any miracles until the beginning of His public life; but at her request He anticipated the hour for the manifestation ■of His divine power. This incident at Cana is then a clear proof of Mary’s position in the eyes of her Son, and Catholics are surely on safe ground in considering her in the same light. * (b) In the Gospel written by St. Luke we have accounts of the Annunciation to our Lady, the birth of our Lord, the worship of the shepherds, and the visit to Elizabeth. The knowledge of these events could have come to St. Luke only from Mary (directly, or at any rate indirectly), for she alone could know them at first hand. Keeping this fact in mind we can appreciate.'the meaning of the narrative of the Visitation. Mary learnt that her cousin Elizabeth was about miraculously to become a mother, and at once set out to pay her a visit. When she arrived at the house and had greeted Elizabeth, Elizabeth ‘ was filled with the Holy Ghost, and cried out with a loud voice, saying: Blessed art thou among, women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this unto me, that the Mother of my Lord should come unto me ? For, lo ! as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed. . . . And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord; and “my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because He hath regarded the lowliness of His handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me ... and holy is His Name’ (St. Luke i.). What have we here ? On the one hand our Christian faith tells us that as Mary hastened on her visit to her cousin she bore her son, Jesus, within her bosom; even at that hour (for she had given her consent to the Incarnation). Our Lady was the living shrine of the Godhead. Yet, on the other hand, we read that Elizabeth, acting, be it noted, Under the influence of the Holy Ghost, ascribes the rejoicing of her unborn child to the greeting of Mary ‘So soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears the babe leaped in my womb for joy.' The explanation? Simply this : Sacred Scripture is here making known to us a new truth—namely, that while all good gifts in the supernatural order come to us from God, and through Jesus our Saviour alone, yet some extraordinary gifts 'Wjere given in this way at the sound of Mary’s voice. And if that was her position on earth, is it likely to be less now, when she is in heaven ? , .

(c) Read again the first chapter of St. Luke and note the many strange . statements contained therein. Mary declares that an angel came to'visit her; that he told her she would become a mother- through the overshadowing power of the Holy Ghost; that this Son would be called the Son of God and Jesus, that is, the Saviour; that she was greeted as the Mother of my Lord’ By Elizabeth;-that as a result of God’s goodness to her all generations should call her blessed. Statements such as these on the lips of any ordinary woman would make us believe she was the victim of gross delusions. But as a. matter of fact in this case the statements have been shown to be true !, Her Son is worshipped throughout the Christian world as God; He is hailed as the Saviour of men; she herself holds a unique.place in the hearts of every generation. of Catholics. Divine power surely must be recognised in the prophecies uttered by this unknown ;i maiden

of Nazareth, and in the fulfilment of the prophecies. And if such be the case, as it certainly is, are not Catholics justified in thinking that Mary has been marked out for special honor by God Himself,, and that consequently she must ever have a 'cherished place in,-their hearts ? . i .