ON

our ison n of Cals of Lothyy all ce to Jesus ith iu trines Hapt the could

ren, it where aculate jomazre an that Let the ebrated ‘à emiss heart |a, nere Virgin, dress us me with b, XV., €).

Lother of the body y of the

ean have

only one objeet, which out what the divine true love it is of the first necessity that with Mary to serve prudent Virgin said to feast of Cana she addresses shall say to you, ¢ of Jesus Christ : “Tf you v comman:

fully convince himse the Blessed Virgin doe does not move his will to deceptive and its natural fruit.

is that. we should fully carry Son of Mary commands. For if alone has the power to unite the wills of men we should have one will Jesus our Lord. What this most the servants at the marriage also to us : «Whatsoever he lo ve" (John ii,5). Now here is the word vould enter into life, keep the Iments" (Matt. xix, 17), Let then each one If of this. that if his piety towards 4 not hinder him from sinning, or amend an evil life, it is a plety it is in proper effect

and lying, wanting a8 it

confirmation of this it may

easily be found in the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. For leaving aside tradition which, as well as Scripture, is a source of truth, how has this per- Immaculate Conception of the Virgin 'atholie mind and feeling as it were inborn

|f anyone desires &

suasion of the appeared so contormet to the ( that is has been held as being one, and in the soul of the faithful ? “We shrink from saying,’ 18 the answer of Dionysius of Chartreux, “ot this woman who was to erush the head of the serpent that she had been erushed by him, and of the Mother of God that she had ever been a daughter of the Evil One” (Sent. d. 8.9 1) No, to the Christian intelligenee the iden ts unthinkable that the flesh of Christ, holy, stainless, innocent, was formed in the womb of Mary of n flesh whieh had ever if only for the briefest moment, contracted any stain. And why 80, but because an infinite opposition separates God from sin ? There certainly we have the origin of the conviction common to all Christinns that Jesus Christ before, elothed in human nature, He cleansed us from our sins in. His blood, necorded Mary the grace and apecial privil served and exempted, from the first mon from all stain of original gin.

ege of being pre rent of her conception,

renum

willed to keep free the only from the stains but, by a spec Jesus Christ, sign 18 transmitted to hapless heritage :

every Mary to corr subdue the passiot

tam

mode ruri gt jt ID

of sin as to have future Mother of His Son not which are voluntary contracted, ial favor and in prevision of the merits of from that other stun of which the said all us sons of Adain by : sort of

. who ean doubt that it isa duty for y his homage to gain the heart of and depraved habits and to is which incite him to evil :

wishes, and no one ought not hould be worthy of her and strive might an It is à divine law that ho have by such ives the form of

LE, then, God has such à horror

one who seeks b et, his vielous

Whoever, moreover,

ao to wish, that his devotion 8 and pertect, should go further main to imitate her example.

those only attain everlasting happiness W faithful following reproduced in themse

the patience and sanctity of Jesus Christ: * for whom

He foreknew, He also predestinated to be made contor-

mable to the image ot His Son; that He might be the

ist many brethren " (Romans viii, 29).

|y is our infürmity that we are easily ess of aueh an example : by

‘God, however another example is proh is both as near to Christ as human

ature allows, and more nearly accords with the weakour nature. And this is no other than the Mother of God, ‘ Such was Mary, very pertinently points out mt Ambrose, ^ that her life is an example lor all.” And therefore, he rightly eoneludes ; ~ Have your eyes, AS an image, the virginity and from whom as (vom a mirror shines forth of chastity and the form of virtue’ (De

first-born amor But such genera discouraged by the greatn the providence of posed to us, whie

n ness of

then before

life of Mary,

the brightness Virginib. tis)

Now if it becomes children not to omit the imita-

tion of any of the virtues of this most Blessed Mother,

wish that the faittul apply themselves by prefer-

he principal virtues which are, 88 it were, the

À joints of the Christian lile—we mean faith,

charity toward Ot

we yel ence to t nerves nn

a God and our neighbor.

hone and