Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
Saint Bernard and Doctor of the Church very devoted to Our Lady.
He wrote many works in which he extolled his beauty, his grace and his intercession. Among these, one of the most famous is "the exhortation to Our Lady", a prayer in which one invokes her protection and her help in every circumstance of life.
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Rose Mistical
"And the name of the Virgin was Mary".
Let’s say some words about this name which is translated like "Star of the sea" and is perfectly suitable to Virgin Mary.
She is rightly compared with a star diffusing its light without losing intensity like the Virgin who gives birth to Her Son without losing Her virginal purity.
As the beams do not diminish the luminescence of the star, Son does not take any piece of integrity of the Virgin.
She is this noble star come from Jacob, whose beams illuminate the entire universe, shine in Heaven and penetrate up to the abysses. She irradiates the earth, heats the souls rather than the bodies, helps the development of the virtues and consumes the vices.
She is this beautiful and wonderful star that, indispensable, had to rise above the immense sea with the brilliance of Her merits and the light of Her example.
Whoever you are, in this sea that is the world, you that feel tossed by hurricanes and storms, rather than walking on the firm earth never turn your eyes away from the light of this star, if you do not want to see yourself submerged by floods. If the wind of temptations attacks you, if the rocks of the misfortune are facing you, look at the Star, address you to Mary.
If temper, avarice, seduction of the flesh tosses the fragile boat of your soul, turn your sight to Mary.
When, tormented by your big and atrocious faults, shameful for your dirty conscience, terrorised by threat of the judgement, you begin to feel the abyss of sadness and desperation, think of Mary.
In dangers, in anguish, in uncertainty, invoke Mary.
Shall Her name never abandon your lips and your heart. And in order to obtain the support of Her prayer, do not stop to imitate the example of Her life.
Follow Her and you will never get lost; pray Her and you will not know desperation, think of Her and you will not be wrong. If She holds to you, you will not sink; if She protects you, you will not be afraid of nothing; under Her leadership do not fear the hard work; with Her protection you will reach the port. You will personally experience then, the truth of those said words: "The name of the Virgin was Mary".
Homilies on the Gospel
Omelie sull'Evangelo
(Missus est 2,17)
