Much is said of inventors, financiers, and soldiers. Poets are studied, artists are criticized, politicians are followed.1 Women have their share in sustaining the world. Clubs discuss and admirers emulate a Martha Washington, a Mary Queen of Scotts, a Madame Pompadour, a Madame Blavatsky, a Carrie Nation. Men and women come and go, life is lived, history is made. As the blowing hurricane, from time to time, stirring history turns its pages. The history beautiful is ever serene and noble as the crystal waters of an unpolluted stream. The makers of the history beautiful are the Saints and saintly people.
The source of Christian morals, as eternal Truth, is infinite. In this 20th Century, it may be said that Christianity has but commenced to be a historic study, an ethical precentor, a life-creating power. Thus of the same, it could have been said ten and fifteen centuries ago. Will this be so a hundred years hence? I can not comprehend all the light of the glory of the person of Jesus Christ. Many brave hearts and strong minds have bowed in homage before the meek Nazarene.
If there is a sincere intention in true devotion to draw nigh unto the Teacher, the Savior, and the Lover of mankind, why not make the acquaintance of His Mother? Why not? To be in company with the Saints, does it not imply that one is a step or two nearer to their adorable Master? Should a desire to continue in the fellowship of the elect prompt one to know a little clearer and nearer her who was in Bethlehem the first and on Calvary the last and first friend of the Son of God, then why not seek to know and to love Mary His Mother? In her character, we have an example of implicit obedience to God. Such virtues as moderation, silence, thoughtfulness, patience, love of work, humility, fill the life of the Virgin to a much greater degree than they do any of the histories of great personages of whatsoever time or place, only Christ her Son excepted. Flowers of the valley, or the field, plants of the woods, blossoms from the mountain tops, are these natural beauties valued less than the cultured pot flower? Is our age advanced beyond the necessity of quiet contemplation, gentle ministration, constant devotion, pure wholesomeness? Humble yourselves, ye prying investigators. Wonder and rejoice, ye lowly contemplators. Throw down, O proud intellect, the fragile weapons of willful sophistry, and learn to love the free captivity of faith!
And thou, soul, who in a godly manner seekest thy salvation, be taught by the word and example of the Virgin to what lofty heights we are led, how much is achieved, how perfectly God is pleased by this humble and seemingly obscure virtue,—obedience; the obedience of faith in its high, substantial spiritual sense, means the subjection of the human will, created and depended, unto the divine will, creating and sovereign.
He who understands not or seeks an excuse, may say: how is it possible to live on obedience, that is, to be constantly employed in the fulfillment of the divine will? It is then possible entirely to suppress one’s own will, which naturally exists, and which it is impossible to annul? And is it possible to know at every moment the will of God? Happy are the elect ones unto whom God sent His messengers; bat, even to the elect these occasions were rare. He who speaks thus proves not that perfect obedience is difficult of accomplishment, but that he who does not exercise himself in work knows not how to perform it.
If you sincerely desire to know the will of God, there exists also for you an angel, who is both near and ready. This is your conscience. Listen to your conscience, drown not its still small voice by the tumults of your passions, and the will of God shall be revealed to you, and you shall be in the path of obedience.
There is a still more impressive and perfect proclamation of the Divine will, which you may read in the holy Scriptures, hear at church, behold in the examples of saints. Hearken unto it, and the Divine will shall be made clear to you, and obedience shall become more easy and sure. Everything throughout the world is ruled by Divine Providence, and consequently by the will of God in so far as it is not procured by the will of man. And therefore in everything that happens to you, you may see the will of God. There comes prosperity, and announces the Divine will, that you must thank God. There comes adversity, and proclaims to you the will of God, that you should endure. For obedience is shown not only in doing the will of God, but also in abstaining from acting against the Divine Will, and above all, in bearing unmurmuringly according to the will of God. Learn to say meekly unto the messenger of the heavenly will, be it unto me according to thy word. But learn also, at the sight of the cross, bravely to say, not my will, but Thine be done, O my heavenly Father!
What shall we say of the silence of Mary? It is not noised about in all that great history crowded into the four little books of the Gospels. The Evangelists silently revere the silence of the Virgin. Joseph is in awe, lest he in righteous intention, perchance, may unrighteously offend it. The silence of the holy Mother was ever dear to Christ—to the day when He sought, from His cross, His disciple’s protection for it.
Let us now compare our own frequent troubles with the faultless troubles of the faultless Virgin Mary is troubled by words of praise, though there is no praise of which she was unworthy, and which she would not far exceed by her merit. Do we thus receive praise, when it falls upon our ear? Do we think that—although it seems to be the word of an angel, it may prove that of a tempter? Are we ashamed of unmerited praise, do we abhor partial praise, are we afraid even of just praise, that it might not lull virtue to slumber or impair its purity? Does not the imprudent heart swallow praise as sweet food, and perhaps as a sweet poison? Does not insatiable self-love attain the shamelessness of begging praise, or of ascribing it to itself? There are those who say unblushingly of themselves, I am a good Christian; I am a true child of the Church; and they are tranquil at these words; but I own I should wish them more uncertainty and doubt concerning themselves, instead of this too careless and self-confident tranquility, which may end in a too late and extreme confusion.
The Virgin is not alone adorned with many rare virtues, but she is also gifted with grace. Gracious to an eminent degree. Mary, full of Grace!
Grace,—if we desire to fathom the fullness of this word’s meaning,—is a gift from the Most Gracious, a gracious gift; a gift by grace alone, without any previous right, or merit, or worth on the part of the receiver. If we consider that, according to the word of the Lord, there is none good but one, that is God; and that therefore we can look for the fountain of all that is good in men nowhere else than in God alone. Who grants out of pure grace, and not as a requital, for who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed to him again (Romans, xi. 35) then we might infer that man has received everything in himself, around him, his very being, life, body, soul, and the use of the powers of understanding, desiring, eating, through Divine grace. But as the good things with which God hath endowed His creatures in creating them, became in some measure their own, so that having been grace in its beginning, by its continuation it became the essence of the being and the nature of the newly-born generation; therefore, in order to distinguish, we call grace these gifts which the Most Gracious God grants to man above that which is proper and natural to him.
It is in this sense that the Scriptures use the word grace, meaning thereby the grace, or the Divine power, shedding abroad its gracious influence, as for instance in the following utterance: The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men; and as a gift given, or as a gift of grace, as for instance in the following testimony of the Apostle: Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
No great effort is needed to explain that the moral worth of the blessed Virgin Mary ought to be recognized as matchlessly high. This is evident in itself from the dignity of the mission to which she was chosen and raised. If there could have been found a virtue higher than her own, then it would have been unfitting that she should be selected above all to become the tabernacle, the throne, the Mother of God the Word. In the decrees and works of God, there can be nothing inconsistent. Consequently, as certainly as Mary is blessed among women, that is, blessed with the highest blessing above all other women, even so certainly was her virtue the highest, the purest, the most perfect, albeit she is pure and perfect through this same Christ, Who became the reward of her purity and excellence.
The time came when the fame of the wisdom and miracle-working power of the Son of Mary shone throughout Judea and Galilee. It behooved that the reflection of the Son’s glory should also soon illumine the Mother’s person. Once it seemed unexpectedly that this was about to begin. A woman, perhaps herself a mother, or one who strongly desired to be such, pictured more vividly than others the happiness of the most blessed Mother, and publicly gave way to an enthusiasm which incited her to glorify Jesus, and along with Him His Mother. A certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto Him, Blessed is the womb that bare Thee and the paps which Thou hast sucked. But mark she speaks in periphrasis, she blesses the womb and the paps, but does not utter the name of her whom she blesses. Why? Doubtless, because she knows her neither personally nor by name.
The Lord Jesus Himself conformed to His Mother’s own rule, not to appear unto men, keeping aloof as far as possible from human fame, seeking the glory which is of God, and therefore He tarried, deferring to reveal unto men the whole dignity and glory of her “who is more favored than the Cherubim, and more glorious than the Seraphim.”
Freely ye have received, freely give for the history beautiful in San Francisco.
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Publisher’s Note: This article was originally published in the Russian American Orthodox Messenger, Supplement, 1905, pp. 244-52