The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1913-12-13
Of the church's teaching and of our

of the Church's teaching and of our
belief.
The Humility Of Mary.
You will find that in all Mary's pre-
negatives there is careful reference
to the glory of Him who gave them to
her. She never asked her Son to bla-
zon her name to the ends of the world.
She remained waiting for the time
when her own glory should be neces'
sary for His. She wishes no divided
Allegiance from us, her children. II
she desires us to pray to her, to In
woke her, it is only that she would
carry our petitions and lay them al
the feet of Jesus. When on this earth
she never wished to share in the tri
umphs of her Son. When He preached
to the multitude she kept apart from
Him. When He entered Jerusalem
Mary is not recorded as being present
But, when trouble came, Mary is al
ways at hand. She met her Son on
the hill of Calvary and she stood be.
side the cross.
Even when she left this world be-
hind her, even when she was en-
throned as queen of heaven, not even
then did she wish laurels to be laid
on her brow except when they were
needed for the glory of her Son. 1t
was when Emmanuel was denied, it
was when the enemies of God and OF
His Church said that Christ was not
Incarnate that Mary's prerogatives
were proclaimed. She cared little for
her own sake; she was jealous only
of the honor of her Son. Her growth
in the generation of her children was
gentle but sure. No anathemas were
necessary to preserve her position in
the mind of the Church. "She was"
as Cardinal Newman has SO beauti-
fully put it, "she was as some fair
tree stretching forth her fruitful
branches and her fragrant leaves and
overshadowing the territory of the
Saints" Thus did she gain her posi-
ton. Hers was modest victory, but
it is all the more pleasing for it's gen.
tleness. When dispute arose about
her among her children, she hushed
it; when objections were urged
against her, she waived her claims
and waited. But when her enemies
spurned her purity as prelude to de-
nying her Lord, then did she win her
most radiant crown, and, without op-
posing voice and amid the jubilation
of the whole Church she was hailed as
Mary Immaculate.
Why We Honor Her.
And if such are her prerogatives; If
she is SO dear to the heart Of Him who
feeds among the lillies," If, looking
on her, the masterpiece of His grace.
He cried out almost in admiration of
her gifts: How beautiful art thou,
my love; how beautiful art thou! One
is my dove. my perfect one is but
one." How ought we feel towards her
who opened for us the summer of the
sunshine of God, and rent the veil
that kept US In the darkness of win
ter? If God himself so much honored
her, what ought to be the expression
of our honor? Will we honor the
representatives of wealth, and refuse
to honor her who Is the possessor of
all the riches of heaven? Will we bow
down before beauty and fail to do
honor to her who is all fair, and in
whom there is no stain? Will we pay
reverence to the learned and deny it
to the Mother of Wisdom? Oh, no!
we will take the world at its word and
cry out, "honor to whom honor is
DUE" and we will not refuse it to the
fairest, purest, queenliest being that
ever issued from the hands of Cod
we will not refuse it to Gods own
mother-to her who, despite her hui
mility, was forced by the irresistible
influence of inspiration to proclaim
her own exalted privilege, saying:
Because He hath regarded the hui
mility Of His handmade, therefore
shall all generations call me blessed"
We, at least, her children, will call
her blessed. We rejoice that in our
own day her prophecy has been so lit
orally fulfilled, that her name is pro-
nounced with the greatest reverence
by the living and the dying; that her
praises are sung in every land, at the
fireside and in the sanctuary, In
Rome's gorgeous cathedral and in the
Indian wigwam, that the best pages OF
literature flash and sparkle with her
concentrations, and the noblest eft.
forts of Christian art tell in trumpet
tones the glories of our mother.
| Mary's Protection.
And if we call her blessed; if we be
faithful to her, she will not forget U.S.
We need not fear to invoke her. She
only requires to be asked and she
grants the request. We are surely
justified in believing that God will
never refuse her prayer. If "He hear
eth him who doth His WILL" if "the
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