A Reflection from “Fairest Flower of Paradise” by Alexis Cardinal Lepicier

“Thy name and Thy remembrance are the
desire of my soul: my soul hath desired
Thee in the night” (Is 26:8–9).

God, having decreed that He would become man for the salvation of the human race, at the same time decided that He would be born of a woman, so that He might not only be like unto us by nature, but, furthermore, be one of our race.

For the fulfillment of His designs, the most High had chosen from all eternity a creature whom He freely predestinated to the sublime dignity of Mother of the Word, and likewise to be the recipient of all those prerogatives of nature and grace which so high an office requires. For this cause, God willed to raise this privileged creature, not only above all men, but also above all the choirs of angels. We need not wonder, then, if so noble a woman was, from the very beginning, by reason of the great mystery to be accomplished in her, the object of the divine complacency: “The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His ways, before He made anything from the beginning” (Prv 8:22).

Admire and adore, O my soul, with all possible humility, the justice and mercy of God’s ways. Render thanks to this great Lord, for having deigned to predestine a simple creature, of like nature with thyself, to so high a dignity. At the same time, ask of Him grace to be contented and quiet in the place He has assigned thee upon this earth, and remember that the conditions of human life are all by His disposal: so that to wish to alter them is to desire the overthrow of the social order, which after all is God’s own work.

It was reasonable to expect that the name of a woman privileged as Mary was, should comprehend in its meaning the office to which she was called, and the lofty privileges resulting from this office.

This blessed name had been pronounced by God in the very act of predestining this wonderful creature. Further, we may believe that He Himself suggested it, by an interior inspiration, to the parents of this favored child, when the time of her birth had come. This name is the name of Mary. It may mean three things: sovereignty, bitterness, and resistance; three ideas which represent the principal prerogatives of our glorious Queen.

In the first place, Mary, by becoming Mother of the incarnate Word, became also Sovereign and Mistress of the universe. Furthermore, since she was destined by God to cooperate with Jesus Christ in the ransom of the human race, she had to suffer the greatest torments which a pure creature ever endured. Lastly, by virtue of her Immaculate Conception, she was the first person to shake off the unhallowed yoke of the evil one, and thus in her own person to offer to God the first fruits of the Redemption. The name of Mary, therefore, is at one time synonymous with her unrivaled greatness, her fathomless sorrows, and her splendid victories.

Blessed and holy name! Thou art to my soul a source of boundless joy: sweeter than honey to the taste; more pleasing to the ear than the most exquisite melody.

The most holy name of Mary, joined to that of Jesus, possesses a hidden power which puts to flight the demon, and fills the soul of him who utters it in loving faith, with consolation and hope. It is a certain fact that God has attached a beneficent power of sanctification and life to the devout uttering of these two names by the faithful, and this precisely because Jesus and Mary are the dearest objects of His love.

It is, then, the duty of every good Christian frequently to pronounce these two holy names with faith, hope, and reverence. We should call upon them in our needs, and do all in our power to prevent their unworthy usage by the lips of the profane. Alas! why is it that names so great, so holy, and at the same time so dear to our hearts, are oftentimes made the butt of scorn and raillery!

O my God, may Thy great and awful name be ever hallowed in those of Jesus, my Savior, and Mary, His Blessed Mother! In them, we find our life and our salvation!

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