At
the moment of the birth of our Princess Mary the Most High sent the archangel
Gabriel as an envoy to bring this joyful news to the holy Fathers in limbo.
Immediately the heavenly ambassador descended, illumining that deep cavern and
rejoicing the just who were detained therein. He told them that already the
dawn of eternal felicity had commenced and that the reparation of man, which
was so earnestly desired and expected by the holy Patriarchs and foretold by
the Prophets, had been begun, since She, who was to be the Mother of the
Messiah, had now been born; soon would they now see the salvation and the glory
of the Most High. The holy prince gave them an understanding of the excellence
of the most holy Mary and of what the Omnipotent had begun to work in Her, in
order that they might better comprehend the happy beginning of the mystery,
which was to end their prolonged imprisonment. Then all the holy Patriarchs and
Prophets and the rest of the just in limbo rejoiced in spirit and in new
canticles praised the Lord for this benefit.
Archangel Gabriel taking the good news to Limbo
The
Most High send innumerable angels to bring the Mother of the eternal Word body
and soul into the empyrean heaven for the fulfilling of his further intentions
regarding Her. The holy angels obeyed the divine mandate and receiving the
child Mary from the arms of her holy Mother Anne, they arranged a new and
solemn procession bearing heavenward with incomparable songs of joy the true
Ark of the covenant, in order that for a short time it might rest, not in the
house of Obededon, but in the temple of the King of kings and of the Lord of
lords, where later on it was to be placed for all eternity. This was the second
step, which most holy Mary made in her life, namely, from this earth to the
highest heaven.
Angels descended from on High to take the infant Mary to heaven
Borne by the hands of the angels the child
Mary entered the empyrean heaven where She prostrated Herself full of love
before the royal throne in the presence of the Most High. The second person of
the divine Trinity now received the child Mary, whom He had chosen as Mother,
as Queen of the universe. Although her real dignity and the purpose of these
ineffable mysteries were unknown to Mary, yet her infant faculties were
strengthened by divine power for the proper reception of these favours. New
graces and gifts were bestowed upon Her, by which her faculties were
correspondingly elevated. Her powers of mind, besides being illumined and
prepared by new grace and light, were raised and proportioned to the divine
manifestation, and the Divinity displayed Itself in the new light vouchsafed,
revealing Itself to Her intuitively and clearly in a most exalted manner. This
was the first time in which the most holy soul of Mary saw the blessed Trinity
in unveiled beatific vision.
The
Queen seated at the side of the Lord, who was to be her Son, and seeing Him
face to face. In this divine consistory and tribunal of the most holy Trinity
it was determined to give a name to the Child Queen. As there is no proper and
legitimate name, except it be found in the immutable being of God himself. His
Majesty wished himself to give and impose that name in heaven. He thereby made
known to the angelic spirits, that the three divine Persons, had decreed and
formed the sweet names of Jesus and Mary for the Son and Mother from the
beginning before the ages, and that they had been delighted with them and had
engraved them on their eternal memories to be as it were the Objects for whose
service They should create all things. Being informed of these and many other
mysteries, the holy angels heard a voice from the throne speaking in the person
of the Father: “Our chosen One shall be
called MARY, and this name is to be powerful and magnificent. Those that shall
invoke it with devout affection shall receive most abundant graces; those that
shall honour it and pronounce it with reverence shall be consoled and vivified,
and will find in it the remedy of their evils, the treasures for their
enrichment, the light which shall guide them to heaven. It shall be terrible
against the power of bell, it shall crush the head of the serpent and it shall
win glorious victories over the princes of hell.”
Our chosen One shall be called MARY
The
Lord commanded the angelic spirits to announce this glorious name to saint
Anne, so that what was decreed in heaven might be executed on earth. The
heavenly Child, lovingly prostrate before the throne, rendered most acceptable
and human thanks to the eternal Being; and She received the name with most
admirable and sweet jubilation. If the prerogatives and graces, which She then
was favoured with, were to be described, it would necessitate an extra book of
many volumes. The holy angels honoured and acknowledged most holy Mary as the
future Mother of the Word and as their Queen and Mistress enthroned at the
right hand of her Son; they showed their veneration of her holy name,
prostrating themselves as it proceeded from the throne in the voice of the
eternal Father, especially those, who had it written on the devises over their
breast. All of them gave forth canticles of praise for these great and hidden
mysteries. In the meanwhile the infant Queen remained ignorant of the real
cause of all that She thus experienced, for her dignity of Mother of the
incarnate Word was not revealed to Her till the time of the Incarnation. With
the same reverential jubilee, the angels return in order to replace Her into
the arms of holy Anne, to whom this event remained a secret, as was also the
absence of her Daughter; for a guardian angel, assuming an aerial body,
supplied her place for this very purpose. More than that, during a great part
of the time in which the heavenly Child remained in the empyrean heaven, her
mother was wrapped in an ecstasy of highest contemplation, and in it, although
she did not know what was happening to the Child, exalted mysteries concerning
the dignity of Mother of God, to which She was to be chosen, were revealed to
her. The prudent matron kept them enshrined within her breast, conferring them
in her thoughts with the duties she owed to her Child.
On the eighth day after the birth of the great Queen multitudes of most beautiful angels in splendid array descended from on high bearing an escutcheon on which the name of MARY was engraved and shone forth in great brilliancy. Appearing to the blessed mother Anne, they told her, that the name of her daughter was to be MARY, which name they had brought from heaven, and which divine Providence had selected and now ordained to be given to their child by Joachim and herself. The saint called for her husband and they conferred with each other about this disposition of God in regard to the name of their Daughter. The more than happy father accepted the name with joy and devout affection. They decided to call their relatives and a priest” and then, with much solemnity and festivity, they imposed the name of MARY on their Child.
The angels also celebrated this event with most sweet and ravishing
music, which, however, was heard only by the mother and her most holy Daughter.
Thus was the divine Princess named by the holy Trinity: in heaven, on the day
of her nativity, and on earth, after eight days.
The angels also celebrated this event with most sweet and ravishing music.
This name was written in the
list of other names, when her mother presented herself at the temple according
to the law. This was the birth, like to which none had been before, and the
like of which cannot again happen in mere creatures. This was the most blessed
birth of which nature was capable, for by it an Infant came into existence,
whose entrance into the world was not only free from all impurities of sin, but
who was more pure and holy than the highest seraphim.
