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mystery of the Blessed Trinity, the equality of three Divine Persons, and the glory of the life to come. And we cannot but observe, adds the same holy Doctor, that although it was the desire of establishing the most sublime points of doctrine that first moved St. John to take up his pen, yet the love we owe to our brethren, after the example of Jesus Christ, is what seems to animate him through all his writings; and though the object he had in view was to prove the Divinity of Jesus Christ, yet of all the sacred writers he is the only one who has represented to us the humility of our Lord as manifested in washing the disciples' feet; by which he undoubtedly intimates to us, that the most sublime knowledge of religion ought ever to be accompanied with the virtues of charity and humility.

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin.-LUKE, i.

When the fulness of time was come, which God had fixed from eternity to shower down His blessings upon mankind, by giving them a Redeemer, the Angel Gabriel was sent by Almighty God to Zachary, a holy Priest, whose wife was Elizabeth, one of the daughters of Aaron. The heavenly messenger came to tell him he should have a son, whose name should be John, and whose birth should be a source of joy to many in Israel.

Six months afterwards, Almighty God sent the same Angel to a virgin whose name was Mary, and who lived in Nazareth, a city of Galilee.* Mary had been espoused to a holy man named Joseph, a descendant of the house of David. Divine Providence had in a special manner presided over

* Palestine, in the time of our Lord, was divided into a number of provinces, most of which are mentioned in the New Testament.

Those on the west of the Jordan were, 1. Judea, to the south; 2. Samaria, in the centre; and 3. Galilee, to the north; Galilee was subdivided into Upper and Lower.

The provinces east of the Jordan were, 1. Perxa, comprising Galaad, and the northern district of Moab; 2. Batanæa; 3. Trachonitis; 4. Auranitis; 5. Gaulanitis; 6. Ituræa. Of these Batanæa, Trachonitis, Auranitis, and Gaulanitis, were subdivisions of the ancient territory of Bashan; Ituræa lay somewhat further north, between these and the Syrian territories of Abilene and Damascus.

(See the Map of Palestine in the time of Christ, in the Bible Atlas.)

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those nuptials, which provided the Virgin with a guardian and protector of her virginity. For with the same sentiments of virtue, and in the same dispositions of mind, Mary and Joseph had entered into a mutual engagement to enter the marriage state without sacrificing the state of virginity, an engagement, of which, as the holy Fathers remark, the world had never before seen an example. Almighty God honoured this virtuous compact, by granting to the immaculate Virgin the unparalleled favour for which so many of the Jewish matrons had sighed in vain. She became the mother of the Messias who was to open the gates of Heaven, which for ages had been shut against us by the crime of our first parents. Mary was the woman destined by Almighty God to crush the serpent's head, and it was to obtain her consent to become the mother of the Incarnate Word, that God then sent His Angel to Nazareth.

The Angel, as St. Ambrose observes, found her alone. He respectfully said unto her: Hail! full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women! The humble Vir

gin was disturbed at the Angel's salutation, and trembled with fear, lest, as Eve had been deceived by the serpent, she also might be misled by a similar delusion. She considered, therefore, the sense and import of his words, thus giving us

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an admirable example of discretion, which teaches us not to be too hasty in consenting to a proposal before we understand its nature.

The Angel saw the trouble of her mind, and to appease it said: "Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favour with the Lord." He then opened the subject of his commission, and told her that she should conceive and bring forth a Son, and should call His name Jesus; that He should be great, even the Son of the Most High; that He should sit upon the throne of David; that He should reign in the house of Jacob, and that of His kingdom there should be no end. The Virgin listened to the Angel with deep attention; she heard the wonderful things he promised, but desired to know how this could possibly be accomplished, because she was a virgin. Her question was not prompted by an idle curiosity, it was a mark of her submission to the Divine will; nor was it a want of faith, but the perfection of her unsullied chastity which induced her to ask the Angel that question. The Angel, in reply, assured her that no concurrence of man was requisite for what the sole power of the Most High, with her consent, would operate within her; that by the ineffable power of the Holy Ghost, she should conceive and bear a son, and should yet remain a pure virgin. It was what the prophet Isaias had expressly foretold. But to convince the Virgin that nothing was impossible to God, the Angel, moreover, told her of the wonder which had been wrought in her cousin Elizabeth, who in an advanced age and notwithstanding the many years she had been reputed barren, had miraculously conceived, six months before. The Virgin having learned in what inanner the mystery was to be wrought within her, gave her consent. In terms the most humble and submissive, terms that expressed the holy disposition of her heart, she said: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word."

At that instant the wonderful mystery of the Incarnation took place. Mary had no sooner given her consent, than the Son of God, the second Person of the most adorable Trinity, took flesh and became man in her womb, by an invisible and inexplicable operation of the Holy Ghost, and *Isaias, vii. 14.

without the least detriment to her virginal purity. At that happy moment the work of man's redemption was begun ; an incarnate God unlocked the source of those plentiful graces which were to wash our souls from sin, and to sanctify them for eternal life.

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin.-LUKE, i.

Mary had no sooner become the mother of God Incarnate than she hastened to visit her cousin Elizabeth. With that cheerful alacrity which should always accompany the performance of a good action, she set out upon a long and toilsome journey into the mountainous district of Judea,* to congratulate her cousin upon the happy event which had been announced by the Angel.

When Mary came to Zachary's house she entered it, and without mentioning the pre-eminence of her own Divine maternity, humbly saluted Elizabeth. Elizabeth no sooner heard the sweet salutation of the Virgin's voice than she felt her infant exulting for joy within her womb. Thus John the Baptist became the first adorer of Jesus Christ upon earth, and by the impression he then made upon his mother, entered, even before his birth, upon the office of Precursor to our Lord. Elizabeth seemed at a loss how to express what she felt during this extraordinary interview: inspired by the Holy Ghost she cried out: "Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb! and whence is it that the mother of my Lord should come to visit me ?” Mary, who was not to be outdone in humility, attributed nothing of her unparalleled greatness to herself, but gave all the glory to God her Saviour. Unable, as it were, to contain the flowing tide of gratitude that filled her soul at the thought of God's goodness towards her, she burst forth into that glo

The distance from Nazareth to Jerusalem is about eighty miles; and if, as many suppose, Zachary lived at Hebron, seventeen miles south of Jerusalem, the journey, even if made by the shortest road, must have occupied many days. It should also be borne in mind, that Jewish travellers in passing from Galilee to Judea, usually crossed the Jordan, preferring to take the long circuit through Peras, rather than pass through the unfriendly and inhospitable district of the Samaritans.

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rious canticle, the Magnificat, which may be justly styled the eulogy of the humble, and the confusion of the proud. It seems most probable that Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months, until the Baptist was born and circumcised; she then returned to her home at Nazareth.

Mary teaches us by her conduct on this occasion, not to seek the applause of men by the services we do them, nor to make a boast either of the good that we have done, or of the gifts that we have received. If Almighty God in His goodness imparts to us the power or the talents to assist our brethren, to Him alone should we give the glory; to ourselves nothing is due but a feeling of confusion for having neglected our talents, or for not having employed them to the best advantage.

The Birth of Jesus Christ.-LUKE, ii.

The favours of Almighty God to His saints are oftentimes accompanied with trials and afflictions; and this the Blessed Virgin experienced upon her return to Nazareth. For when it began to appear that she had conceived, her husband, St. Joseph, was disturbed at the mystery for which he was unable to account. He had observed in his spouse nothing which was not conformable to the strictest rules of the most immaculate virtue; he had a high opinion of her sanctity, and being a just man, and unwilling publicly to expose her, he thought of putting her away privately. In this perplexity of mind he fell asleep; when, behold, during the silence of the night, God sent an Angel to comfort him and to free him from his doubts. "Joseph, son of David," said the Angel to him, be under no apprehensions concerning Mary thy spouse; that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins." By this heavenly message, Joseph was more convinced than ever of the unparalleled perfections of his spouse; and he teaches us by his conduct how cautious we ought to be in the steps we take, and in the judgments we form with respect to our neighbour, and how strictly we are bound to judge favourably of the good and virtuous, however strongly circumstances