The Theological Virtues in Our Lady
1. The three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity shone like
constellations throughout the life of Mary. “Blessed is she who has
believed,” (Luke 1:45) St. Elizabeth said of her. Mary's life was one
long act of faith and of love. She lived continuously in the presence of
God, being united to Him by lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity.
Her spirit of constant prayer was the result of her intense practice of
these theological virtues. When the Archangel Gabriel came down from
Heaven to bring her the tidings of her divine motherhood, he found her
absorbed in prayer. When St. Elizabeth praised and called her the Mother
of her Lord, Mary from the depths of her faith attributed everything to
God and glorified Him in her “Magnficat." When the baby Jesus was born
in the cave of Bethlehem, she adored Him with faith, hope and love as
her God and future Saviour. When she realised that Herod was searching
for her Son to put Him to death, she placed her confidence in Him. She
fled with Him into Egypt and brought Him back later to their land,
always with the same faith, hope and love. Her faith and hope were not
weakened by the loss of Jesus in Jerusalem; only her mother's love was
disturbed on this occasion. When it seemed in that hidden life of
Nazareth that Jesus was leading a life of pointless silence, her faith
and hope in Him did not fade, while her love grew greater from day to
day. In the triumphs and sorrows of His public life, she continued to
practice to an extraordinary degree these three virtues—on the road to
Calvary, at the foot of the Cross, at the removal of Our Lord's body
from the Cross, at the tomb, at the glorious Resurrection, Ascension and
Pentecost. At last, when she was alone in this world without Jesus,
these three virtues seemed to burn more brightly in her soul. She
thought only of Jesus, hoped in Jesus alone, and loved Jesus alone. Then
Jesus rewarded the lively faith, expectant hope, and flaming charity of
His Mother, for on her assumption into Heaven these three virtues
shared in her triumph and coronation.
2. We also possess the
Christian faith, or at any rate believe that we possess it, for we often
recite the Creed and were received at Baptism into the vast family of
the Catholic Church. But is our faith alive? When a man is living his
faith, he has a constant realisation of the presence of God, Who has
created him, maintains him in existence, has redeemed him, loves him,
and commands him to do good. Otherwise our faith is dead, for as St.
James writes, “faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26) If our faith
is not living, neither is our hope nor our charity. Let us examine
ourselves thoroughly. Perhaps we do not think about God enough, and as a
result our faith is weak. Perhaps we place all our hopes in earthly
things and look for these passing pleasures which cannot satisfy our
hearts. Perhaps we love ourselves and our possessions too much and have
too little love for God, our only real good. It may be that we are
constantly seeking our own interests and ease and are lacking in sincere
and active charity towards our neighbour when he is in need, even
though he is our brother in Jesus Christ and we should love him as
ourselves. If this is the way matters stand we are not genuine
Christians, for we have not the three theological virtues which should
form the basis of our lives. Neither are we sincere sons of Mary, who
possessed these three virtues in an outstanding manner. Let us examine
ourselves with a view to forming a few good and earnest resolutions.
3. O Mary, my most holy Mother, grant that my life may be, like yours, a
continual act of faith, hope, and charity towards God and my neighbour.
Grant that my faith may be active, that I may hope only for the
Heavenly reward which awaits me, and that my charity may never shrink
from whatever sacrifices the love of God and of my neighbours may
demand. Amen.
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