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Show "QUEEN OF MAY." THE MONTH OF MAY is once more upon us, and the joy and gaiety which it brings are everywhere seen and felt. Nature herself, for months past, held, as it were, in the iron bonds of an enforced en-forced slavery, now proclaims her gratitude grat-itude for being free. The birds carol forth their songs of sweetest melody, the flowers, yielding to the kiss of old "Father Sol," bud forth in rich profusion pro-fusion of tints and hues, the trees and meadows are in sympathy and don their robes of emerald green all nature na-ture is clothed in her richest garb to greet the return of the glorious May. All this, bespeaking the joy and gladness glad-ness of inanimate nature, finds a responsive re-sponsive echo In the heart of man, the nobler creation, and he is joyous, too. From time immemorial May has been to him a time of gladness. The outbreak out-break into new life and beauty which marks all nature Instinctively inspires him. The first emotion is a desire to seize some part of that profusion of flower . or blossom which spreads around, to set up in decorative fashion, fash-ion, and to let the pleasure which it excites find expression in mirth and song. Even among pagans the tendency ten-dency has been to render to this vegetable vege-table trophy a sort of homage. In some countries, especially in England, as we learn from historians, it was customary during the middle ages for all, both high and low even the court itself to go out Into the fields and woods on the first May morning at an early hour "to fetch the flowers fresh." The trophies of the expedition were carried home by the people amidst all possible signs of joy and merriment, and used to decorate the doors and windows of their homes. The custom was popularly known as "going a-Maying." In many instances in-stances the fairest maid of the village was crowned with flowers as the "Queen of May," placed in a little bower or arbor, where she sat In state, receiving the homage and admiration of the youthful revelers, who danced and sang around her. The Church has taken up this custom cus-tom with all its ancient enthusiasm, but it has taken a spiritual turn. Her children are enthused and filled with the spirit of glorious May, but how differently! Of old It was the spirit of the world; today it is the spirit of God; of old some vain "beauty of the village" was chosen, today is chosen as "Queen of the May" Mary, the Immaculate Im-maculate Virgin Mother of God, the "Lily of the Valley," the "Cypress of Lebanon"; of old flowers were gathered gath-ered to decorate the doors and windows win-dows of homes; today they are gathered gath-ered to decorate the shrines of Mary. Today in every land and every clime to the Catholic heart the mere mention men-tion of May suggests a thought of Mary; in every land and every clime this month is known as the "Month of Mary. "Our Lady's Month." Her sweet name is uttered by thousands of preachers; her praises are sung by millions of loving children, and her memory stirs the hearts of every member mem-ber of the church throughout the world. Is it not only right and just that we should thus publicly proclaim our esteem es-teem and reverence for one, at once so truly great and glorious in herself, and yet so intimately related to each and every one of us? The-world is wont to honor its heroes of a day, to commemorate com-memorate their achievements, and to keep their memory fresh and green.. It raises costly monuments to their honor, places their images in conspicuous conspicu-ous positions, and glories in their well-earned well-earned fame. And we, who are, as St. Paul reminds us, "fellow citizens with the saints," ought surely to be ready to do as much, and, indeed, immeasurably immeas-urably more for the heroes and great ones of the church for those whom the church has declared "blessed," and whom she has raised upon her very altars for our veneration. Their glory shall never fade, time cannot tarnish it, calumny cannot reach it it is as enduring as God Himself, for it is not dependent upon th fickle and often false judgment of men. Now, among these, but immeasurably the greatest and the highest and the saintliest, is the incomparable Queen of the Heavenly Heav-enly Host, "Mary Most Holy." Why, it may be asked, do we honor her? What forms the basis and foundation foun-dation of our profound esteem? Our esteem rests upon no mere fancy, but springs up from the very heart of the Christian faith because she is the Mother of God. The Catholic church has been frequently fre-quently censured by Protestants as being guilty of idolatry in giving to Mary the honor and worship due to God alone; but this is an imputation which no one, but one totaly ignorant of the teaching and practice of the Catholic church, could fabricate. The Catholic, church teaches and always taught that supreme worship, or what theologians call "Cultus Latriae," can be given only to a divine Person. Consistently, Con-sistently, therefore, if the Catholic church taught that "supreme worship" must be given to Mary, it should also hold that Mary is a divine person; and this would be equivalent to a de nial of the Incarnation. For if Mary were a divine person, how could she give to Christ, whose mother she is, that flesh and blood wherewith He redeemed re-deemed us? The Catholic church does not, and never did, teach any such doctrine, much less practice it. But the Catholic church does, and always did, teach that Mary is really and truly the "Mother of God," and that, as such, she is the highest of all crea-tuers, crea-tuers, and, therefroe, deserves the highest worship that can be given to creatures. This the Catholic church gives her, and nothing more. But is Mary really and truly the "Mother of God?" Yes; for, as all will admit, she is the "Mother of Christ," and in Christ, though there are two natures, the human and divine, there is but one Person, and that a divine Person. Now the object, or "term" of generation is not any one nature taken in itself, but the person; and Christ, in whom there is but one person, and that divine, was born of Mary. There fore, Mary is the mother of a divine person; in other words, she is the "Mother of God." But a Nestorian will object: "But Mary did not generate gener-ate the divine nature of Christ." True; neither does any mother generate the soul of the child, yet she is none the less truly its mother. And why? Because Be-cause the term of generation is not the nature, but the person.' God, in His divine nature, was not indeed born of Mary, any more than He died on the cross in that nature; i for in that nature He is eternal and immortal can neither be born nor die. But God in His human nature was born of Mary, and, therefore, what was born of Mary was not simple humanity, but God Himself in His humanity, or human hu-man nature. Therefore, as by the Incarnation In-carnation human nature becomes really real-ly and substantially the nature of God, Mary Is as truly the "Mother of God" as any mother Is or can be the mother of her son. The relation of mother arid son, by virtue of the hypostatic union, really and truly subsists between God and Mary, and must forever subsist. We must say this or deny altogether the Incarnation. This granted, Mary necessarily holds to God a peculiar relation a superior su-perior and more Intimate relation tha is or can be held by any other crea- -ture. It is not possible to assign her in creation a rank above her real rank. She holds, and always will hold, the relation of Mother of God, and as her Son is universal King, she Is universal Queen-mother. She is, by the very fact of that relation, placed above every other creature above all the choirs, thrones, dominations, angels and archangels in heaven, and can be below none but God Himself. ' Seeing, then, Mary's exalted dig- nity, why should we not honor her? Fine Christians we should be, indeed, if we refused her the honor that is due to her; and great honor and respect re-spect would we show to Him who has given her that exalted rank above every other creature in heaven, on earth and under the earth(?) She i3 the greatest and most exalted in dignity, dig-nity, because she is the Mother of God, and she is the greatest in sanctity, because she has been adorned with the plenitude of grace. Well might we thy praises utter, Clustering round thee night and day, Placing flowers upon thy altar, To honor thee, our "Queen of May." W. F. M. |