The following, written by St. Ildephonsus, is an ancient mediation on Mary’s beauty, virtue, and sanctity. In this lyrical reflection, Saint Ildephonsus compares Our Lady to the radiance of the sun.
The Sun
The Most Brilliant and Powerful of All Heavenly Bodies, in the Fourteenth Place, Illuminating the Entire Crown
O Mary—unbroken seal of chastity, pure lily of virginity, most beautiful of women, more delightful than all the angels, more holy than all the saints, richer than all created being in abundance of grace! Seraphim hail you, God the Father sanctifies you, God the Holy Spirit shades you protectingly, God the Son chooses you as his betrothed! The sanctity of your soul conceived God through faith. The purity of your womb bore him. The virginity of your body brought him forth into the world.
O glorious Lady, and more than glorious! O praiseworthy Virgin, and more than praiseworthy! Who is able to express your wonders or worthily to tell of your merits? For you gave joy to heaven, you bore God himself to the earth, you opened the river of celestial peace to a troubled world.
Through you, O Queen of heaven:
Light is given to the blind,
Sure faith bestowed to doubtful hearts,
Vices are brought under control,
Demons are confounded,
Ravenous hell is deprived of its prey.
heaven is enriched,
The poor are nourished,
The weak are sustained,
The humble are raised up,
The gates of paradise are unlocked.
Therefore the patriarchs long for you. The apostles embrace you. The Evangelists reverence you. The martyrs venerate you. The preachers proclaim your glory. The choirs of virgins rejoice around you. The angels glorify you, and all of creation exalts you! Even I—a lowly sinner—seek to contribute in some way to your glory and honor. And so I venture to offer to you the sun itself, the most radiant and potent of the celestial bodies, to be positioned in the fourteenth place in your noble crown. Thence it may freely shed its lustre upon you, bathing you in incomparable light!
The Sun Is Above All Celestial Bodies
For the sun possess the highest position in the celestial sphere, and the greatest sureness in its daily motion across the sky. It brings forth the greatest fertility in its effect upon the earth, while bestowing the gift of light more brilliantly than any other star. Similarly you, O Mistress, are raised up most high of all, by virtue of your sanctity and singular purity. Your immaculate heart is raised up to the uppermost rank in the seraphic courts, closest to the inaccessible light of the unseen Father. With the gentle eyes of a dove you lovingly contemplate his luminous divinity. With the fearless and penetrating eyes of an eagle you boldly perceive the depths of his majesty.
And your every action proceeds with the greatest sureness—with unfailing certainty and assurance, born of true piety. Like the sun, you traverse the earthly globe, attentively beholding the needs of the poor, the anxious sighs of youth, the pains of the elderly, the lamentations of widows, the sufferings of the sick, and the prayers poured forth to you and your Holy Son from faithful hearts everywhere. As the gracious Protectress of the entire race, you help the afflicted, the sorrowful, and those who have lost hope. You do this by the divine grace of your mercy and by your powerful intercession with your noble Son, Jesus—the King of kings and Lord of lords!
And—like the warming sun which causes the earth to flourish with springtide verdancy—so you make souls once barren to become fruitful. For who is able to moisten the dry heart like you? Or who is able so to warm the mind, frozen with despair or cynicism? All the good things, which God’s supreme Majesty has decreed to bestow on us, he has decreed to bestow through your intercession and agency. He has committed to your maternal hands the entire treasuries of his golden wisdom, the precious gemstones of his virtues, and the glowing ornaments of his graces. Through you—radiant as the sun, as gentle as the dawn—the fruits of blessings spring forth from their divine source.
How many are the former thieves you have led to repentance? How many are the reformed prostitutes you have converted to chastity? How many of the avaricious have you made generous, and to how many drunkards have you taught sobriety? How many of the wrathful have you tempered by the example of your patience and mercy, and how many of the lustful have you restrained by the example of your immaculate purity?
Utterly radiant and splendid you stand, clothed in light as with a vestment, and crowned with twelve glowing stars! As the refulgent sun dawns with golden radiance, so you adorn and illuminate the celestial Jerusalem, the city of paradise, the abode of saints, angels and God himself! And therefore the ranks of the angels are struck with wonder, and the legions of seraphim stand awestruck before you, O Mary! For you are indeed the very perfection of sanctity, the complete plenitude of grace, and the luminous fire of God’s ardent love.
Prayer
O Lady of grace, since such marvels are told of thee, pour forth, I beseech thee, thy love into my heart. Show unto me the angelic beauty of thy countenance, splendid as the noontide sun. Grant that, at the hour of my death, I may surrender my spirit—joyful in thy radiance, and secure in the hope of unfading glory. Amen.
ooo
This article is taken from a chapter in Crown of the Virgin: An Ancient Meditation on Mary’s Beauty, Virtue, and Sanctity by St. Ildephonsus of Toledo which is available from TAN Books.
