Vigils Reading – Memorial of B.V.M.

COME MY SPOUSE, THOU SHALL BE CROWNED

From “The Glories of Mary” by St Alphonsus de Liguori7 ◊◊◊

After Jesus Christ our Saviour had completed, by His death, the work of redemption, the angels ardently desired to possess Him in their heavenly country; hence they were continually supplicating Him in the words… “Arise, O Lord, into Thy resting-place, Thou and the ark which Thou hast sanctified. Come, O Lord, come quickly, now that Thou hast redeemed men; come to Thy kingdom and dwell with us, and bring with Thee the living ark of Thy sanctification, Thy Mother, who was the ark which Thou didst sanctify by dwelling in her womb…”

Saint Anselm also says, ‘that it was precisely for this purpose that the Redeemer was pleased to ascend to heaven before His Mother that is, He did so not only to prepare a throne for her in that kingdom, but also that He might Himself accompany her with all the blessed spirits, and thus render her entry into heaven more glorious and such as became one who was His Mother.’… For this reason the Abbot Guarric supposes the Divine Word thus speaking: ‘To honour the Father, I descended from heaven; to honour My Mother, I reascended there that thus I might be enabled to go forth to meet her, and myself accompany her to Paradise…’

On first meeting her, and to console her, He said: “Arise, make haste, My love, My dove, My beautiful one, and come; for winter is now past and gone.” Come, My own dear Mother, My pure and beautiful dove; leave that valley of tears, in which, for My love, thou hast suffered so much. “Come… My Spouse… thou shalt be crowned. Come in soul and body, to enjoy the recompense of thy holy life. If thy sufferings have been great on earth, far greater is the glory which I have prepared

for thee in heaven. Enter, then, that kingdom, and take thy seat near Me; come to receive that crown which I will bestow upon thee as Queen of the universe…”

Then all the blessed spirits begin to bless and praise her; singing with far more reason than the Hebrews did to Judith: “Thou art the glory of Jerusalem; thou art the joy of Israel; thou art the honour of our people.” Ah, our Lady and our Queen, thou… art the glory of Paradise, the joy of our country, thou art the honour of us all…

All the angels then came to salute her; and she, the great Queen, thanked all for the assistance they’ had given her on earth, and more especially she thanked the archangel Gabriel, who was the happy ambassador, the bearer of all her glories, when he came to announce to her that she was the chosen Mother of God. The humble and holy Virgin, then kneeling, adored the Divine Majesty, and, all absorbed in the consciousness of her own nothingness, thanked Him for all the graces bestowed upon her by His pure goodness, and especially for having made her the Mother of the Eternal Word.

And then, let him who can, comprehend with what love the Most Holy Trinity blessed her. Let him comprehend the welcome given to His Daughter by the Eternal Father, to His Mother by the Son, to His Spouse by the Holy Ghost. The Father crowned her by imparting His power to her; the Son, His wisdom; the Holy Ghost, His love. And the three Divine Persons, placing her throne at the right of that of Jesus, declared her Sovereign of heaven and earth; and commanded the angels and all creatures to acknowledge her as their Queen, and as such to serve and obey her