the-glories-of-mary

44 GLORIES OP MAEY.
Bernardino of Sienna, Mary was then made
mother not only of St. John, but of all
men, for the love she bore them. * On this ac
count, as Silveira observes, St. John himself,
when recording this fact in his Gospel, wrote,
"After that he said to the disciple: "Behold
thy mother."f
Let it be remarked that Jesus
Christ did not say this to John, but to the dis
ciple, to signify that the Saviour appointed
Mary for common mother of all those who, be
ing Christians, bear the name of his disciples. J
I am the mother of fair love, sum
"Ego
mater pulchrse said dilectionis," Mary; because
her love, as an author remarks, which renders
the souls of men beautiful in the eye of God,
prompts her, as a loving mother, to receive
us for her children. And as a mother loves
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her children, and watches over their welfare, so
thou, oh our most sweet queen, lovest us, and
dost procure our happiness, says St. Bonaven-
Oh, happy those who live under the protection
of a mother so loving and so powerful! The
prophet David, although Mary was not yet
* In Joanne intelligimus omnes, quorum B. Virgo per dilectlonem
facta est mater. Tom 1, Serm. 55.
t Deinde dicit discipulo; Ecce mater tua. Joan. xix. 27.
\ Joanne est nomen particulare, discipulus commune, tit denototnr
quod Maria omnibus detur in matrem.
Ego sum mater pulchne dilectionis. Eccli. xxiv. 24.
i Quia tota es amor erga nos, quos in filios recepit. Paciucck.
de B. V.
[ Nonne plus sine comparatione nos diligis, ac bona nostra prouras,
quam mater carnalis?