The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics

by Raphael Brown

  Now Mary humbly knelt before her teacher Anna and asked her blessing and forbearance for the trouble she would give her. Next Mary greeted and embraced each of the other girls, offering herself as their servant and urging them to instruct and command her. After taking a meal together, they retired to their little cells.

  Mary’s room was high up, with a view over the Holy Place and the Inner Temple containing the Holy of Holies. Her cell was very plain, its only furniture being a lamp, a low round table, and a rolled-up carpet which served as her bed. As soon as she found herself alone, Mary prostrated herself on the floor and kissed it, for to her it was holy ground, being part of God’s Temple, and she considered herself unworthy of treading upon it. Then she turned to her angels and prayed:

  “Messengers of the Almighty, faithful friends, I beseech you to remain with me in this holy Temple of my Lord and to remind me of all that I should do. Please instruct me and direct me so that in all things I may fulfill the will of God.”

  Humbling herself before God, she said:

  “Infinite and Eternal Lord, if trouble and persecutions suffered in patience are precious in Thy sight, do not consent that I be deprived of so rich a treasure and pledge of Thy love. But give the rewards of these tribulations to those who deserve them better than I.”

  This prayer of Mary pleased Almighty God, and He gave her to understand that He would allow her to suffer and labor for love of Him during her life, though she would not know in advance how it would happen. Mary thanked Him with all her heart and then asked to be allowed to take in His presence the vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and perpetual enclosure in the Temple. The Lord answered:

  “My chosen one, thou dost not yet understand why it is impossible for thee to fulfill all thy desires. The vow of chastity I permit and wish thee to make. And from this moment I want thee to renounce earthly riches. It is My will that thou observe whatever pertains to the other vows as if thou hadst made them.”

  Then the holy child solemnly made the vow of chastity before God, and renounced all affection for created things, while she resolved to obey all creatures for the love of God. Her angels proceeded to adorn her with a gorgeous robe and sparkling jewels of many colors that symbolize her virtues.

  Next the Lord told her to ask for whatever she desired, and Mary immediately beseeched Him with burning fervor to send the Redeemer to the world so that all men might know Him, to bless her parents with grace, and to console the poor and the afflicted in their troubles.

  The Blessed Virgin said to St. Bridget of Sweden:

  “From my infancy the Holy Spirit was perfectly with me. And as I grew, It filled me so completely as to leave no room for any sin to enter.

  “When I had attained an age to know something of my Creator, I turned to Him with unspeakable love and desired Him with my whole heart.

  “I vowed in my heart to observe virginity if it was pleasing to Him, and to possess nothing in the world—but if God willed otherwise, that His Will, not mine, be done. I committed my will absolutely to Him.”

  V

  In the Temple

  n her first day in the Temple, after having taken before God the vows of poverty and chastity, little Mary went to her teacher, the holy prophetess Anna, and asked her to give away to the poor all the clothes, money, and other personal belongings which St. Ann had left there for her, except for a few dresses and prayer books. Anna agreed to do so and to take care of Mary as of someone destitute and poor, for the other girls had spending money.

  Then Mary asked for a rule of life. Anna consulted the old priest, and summoned Mary, who remained on her knees throughout the interview. The priest said to her:

  “Pray always for the Temple of the Lord, for His people, and for the coming of the Messiah. Retire to sleep at eight o’clock, and rise at dawn to praise the Lord until nine. During the day, as your teacher directs, engage in manual work and study the Scriptures. Take exercise before meals. In all things be humble, courteous, and obedient.”

  Then Mary asked for his blessing and kissed his hand and Anna’s.

  During the days that followed, she willingly set about learning all her new duties. Unlike the other girls, she asked her teacher to be allowed to serve them all and to scrub the rooms and wash the dishes. Often she did her own work so quickly and efficiently that she was able to help the others in theirs. To each of her companions she was always sincerely kind, friendly, and humble. With them she spinned and sewed, mended and washed the vestments of the priests, or took lessons in Holy Scripture, in singing, and in the ceremonies of the Temple. Her gratitude toward her teachers was touching.

  Thus through the years she grew in wisdom and grace and infused mystical knowledge. Even as a child she had a remarkably advanced understanding of the Scriptures, and she loved to spend hours studying and meditating on them, especially on their inspired prophecies of the coming of the Redeemer of mankind in human form.

  Often she asked profound, penetrating questions of her angels, and spoke with loving tenderness about the Messiah. And with their help she gradually pieced together many of the significant scriptural references to the Mysteries of Christ’s life, such as:

  The Promise of His Incarnation:

  “the Desired of all nations shall come . . . rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion, shout for joy; behold, thy King will come to thee, the just and Saviour.”

  The Nativity:

  “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son.”

  His Apostolate:

  “He is poor. . . . He will teach us His Way. ‘I will open My mouth in parables. Behold I Myself will seek My sheep. I will feed My sheep. I will save My flock.’”

  His Passion:

  “He hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our iniquities. . . . ‘All My enemies whispered together against Me: Let us condemn Him to a most shameful death. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ‘I have given My body to the strikers. . . .’ He will crown Thee with a crown of tribulation. Why then is Thy apparel red? From the sole of the foot unto the top of the head, wounds and bruises and swelling sores; they are not bound up. . . . ‘They have dug My hands and My feet. And in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink. . . . I am become as a man without help, free among the dead. They have laid Me in the lower pit.’”

  His Resurrection:

  “And His Sepulcher shall be glorious!” His Ascension: “Be ye lifted up, O Eternal Gates, and the King of Glory shall enter in. God is ascended with jubilee!” His Church: “And He shall rule from sea to sea. . . . And all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve Him.” His Second Coming: “God shall come manifestly: our God shall come . . . to judge His people.”

  Very often during her ten years in the Temple, Mary would meditate on these and many other prophecies in the Old Testament, and then she would retire to her little cell at night and pray for many hours. When she thought of God’s love for men and of how He was soon to come among them and suffer as one of them, in order to save them, tears flowed from her eyes as she prayed, and a supernatural light surrounded her.

  Six months after Mary entered the service of the Temple, the Lord appeared to her in a vision and said:

  “My beloved and chosen one, I love thee with an infinite love, and I desire of thee what is most pleasing in My eyes. Hence I wish that thou dispose thyself for tribulations and sorrows for love of Me.”

  Mary replied: “I wish only to choose suffering unto death for love of Thee.”

  Then the Lord continued:

  “I accept thy desires. And as a beginning of their fulfillment, I announce to thee that thy father Joachim must pass from this mortal to eternal life. His death will happen shortly, and he will pass away in peace and be placed among the saints in Limbo, to await the Redemption of mankind.”

  Little Mary, who loved St. Joachim with a holy love, felt a keen sorrow and compassion, and she immediately offered a fervent prayer for him. The Lord assured her that He
would assist her father.

  Eight days before St. Joachim’s death, Mary was told the day and hour in which he was to die, and she requested several of her angels to console him in his sickness, which they did. During his last hours, she sent the rest of her angels to help him, and she asked God to let him see them. This favor was granted, and the angels were commanded to say to him:

  “Man of God, in order that the pain and sorrow of natural death may be relieved by the joy of thy spirit, the Almighty wishes thee to know now that thy daughter Mary is to be the happy Mother of the Messiah! Since thou leavest to the world a daughter through whom God will restore it, do thou part from it in the joy of thy soul, and may the Lord bless thee!”

  St. Ann, who was standing at the head of her husband’s bed, also heard this message. In the same moment St. Joachim lost the power of speech, and he commenced his agony in conflict between joy at this great news and the pains of death. Making many fervent acts of love, faith, humility, and thanksgiving, Mary’s holy father died the precious death of the saints, and his soul was carried to the Limbo of the Patriarchs and the just, where amid intense rejoicing he shared with them the happy tidings that from Mary was to be born the Redeemer of the world.

  When the angels returned and told Mary of her father’s death, she begged God to console her mother, good St. Ann.

  Soon afterward, the Lord in His wisdom decided to train her further in the science of suffering. From birth she had enjoyed the delights of His love in frequent sensible consolations. Now He suspended all visions and similar graces, and ordered all her angels to conceal themselves from her.

  Feeling utterly forsaken in this sudden and unexpected “dark night,” in her humility Mary began to fear that it was due to her unworthiness and ingratitude for such precious graces. For days she suffered and longed for the sweet presence of her Lord. Often she said to herself sadly:

  “I seek Him, and I do not find Him. Alas for me, my striving serves only to increase my sorrow. My Beloved absents Himself. I call Him and He does not answer me. Daughters of Jerusalem, I beseech you, if you find my Beloved, tell Him that I am faint and that I am dying with love. . . . Tell me where is my Beloved. Tell me where He has hidden Himself. Tell me where I can find Him. . . .”

  Then, while the Lord continued to hide Himself from Mary, He also allowed Satan to try her, in order to increase her merit and reward. Irritated by her perfect virtue and holiness, the devil vainly attempted to incite her to commit even a slight venial sin of thought, word, or deed. During these various tests, Mary never stopped praying to the Lord for help, and though she suffered from the strain and at times she wept, nevertheless without once losing her inner union with God she successfully fought and conquered all these temptations.

  Consequently Satan changed his tactics. Since he could not influence her directly, he incited others to persecute her. Without much trouble he made the other girls become inflamed with envy against her. Seeing what a model Temple-servant she was, they began to fear that because of her their virtues would be overlooked and their faults would stand out. Driven on by the devil, soon they let themselves be moved to anger and hatred against her. Finally they plotted together to persecute her until she would be forced to leave the Temple. Now they often spoke to her in a sharp, haughty, and cruel way, accusing her of being hypocritical and of seeking the favor of the priests and their teacher. When they did this, Mary answered quietly:

  “My friends, you are right in saying that I am the least and most imperfect among you, but then you, my sisters, must pardon me and teach me in my ignorance, for as a servant I love you and reverence you, and I will obey you in all things.”

  Her sincere humility only made them more furious. For many days they continued to persecute and insult her, at times even hitting her. But little Mary remained humble, patient, and charitable, returning good for evil and praying for her enemies.

  At last one day the other girls decided to provoke her to do something rash, so that they could accuse her before the priests and have her expelled. Therefore they took her to an isolated room and began to insult and hit her. But when she showed herself immovable and only reacted with kindness and humility, it was they who lost control of themselves and screamed their hatred of her so loudly that some priests came running into the room and asked severely who was to blame for this commotion. While Mary remained meekly silent, the other girls cried out:

  “Mary of Nazareth makes us all quarrel—she irritates and provokes us so much that there can be no peace among us unless she leaves the Temple! When we allow her her own way, she becomes overbearing. But if we correct her, she makes fun of us by pretending to be humble—and then starts another quarrel!”

  Taking Mary into another room, the priests scolded her very strongly and threatened to send her away if she did not change her conduct. Deeply hurt by this threat, the innocent child answered them in tears:

  “My masters, thank you for correcting and teaching me, the most imperfect and despicable of creatures. But I beseech you—forgive me and direct me so that I may reform and henceforth please the Lord and my companions.”

  After the priests dismissed her, Mary went to the other girls and, prostrating herself at their feet, she asked their pardon. However, they continued to treat her with scorn and hostility, while she kept praying to God for help in overcoming her faults.

  Then one night the Lord said to a priest in his sleep:

  “My servant Mary is pleasing in My eyes. She is entirely innocent of anything of which she is accused.”

  The same revelation was given to Mary’s teacher, Anna. And that morning, after consulting together, she and the priest called in Mary and asked her pardon for having believed the false accusations. But the holy girl simply begged them not to consider her unworthy of being scolded, and kissed their hands as she asked for their blessing.

  Thereafter God restrained both the devil and Mary’s companions from persecuting her so much. But during all the ten years that she spent in the Temple, the Lord continued to absent Himself from her view, with only a few rare exceptions. This was of course a source of keen and prolonged suffering for Mary, though she felt herself unworthy of His loving visits and continually sought to make amends for her own negligence.

  One day, when she had reached the age of twelve, her angels said to her, still without showing themselves:

  “Mary, as ordained by the Lord, the life of thy holy mother Ann is now about to come to an end.”

  This unexpected sad news filled Mary’s affectionate heart with sorrow. Prostrating herself before God, she fervently prayed:

  “O Eternal Lord, dismiss Thy good servant in peace. Strengthen her, assist her, and let her enter into the peace of Thy friendship and grace, since she has always sought it with an upright heart.”

  God did not answer in words, but that night He commanded Mary’s angels to carry her bodily to St. Ann’s bedside. Upon seeing her dear mother again, Mary kissed her tenderly and exclaimed:

  “Good mother, may the Lord be your strength, and may He be blessed, since He has permitted me to receive your last blessing!”

  With grave affection the dying St. Ann said slowly:

  “My beloved daughter, do not forget me in the presence of the Lord, and remind Him of the need I have of His protection in this hour—do not leave me before you close my eyes. You will be an orphan, but you will live under the guardianship of the Lord. Do not leave the Temple before choosing your state of life, with the advice of the priests. Pray that if it be God’s will to give you a husband, he may be of the race of David. Share your inheritance with the poor in loving generosity. Without ceasing ask the Almighty to show His mercy by sending His promised Messiah. Beseech Him to be your protection. And may His blessing come over you, together with mine. . . .”

  Then, after giving Mary her blessing, good St. Ann reclined in her daughter’s arms and died in perfect peace. She was fifty-six years old. As the angels carried Mary back to her cell in the Temple, her
loving heart suffered a keen sense of loneliness. However, while praying for St. Ann, she gratefully thanked the Lord for having given her such a perfect mother and for having showered so many graces on her parents in life and death.

  One day not long afterward, for the first time in years. Mary’s angels again became visible to her, and said:

  “Soon thou shalt see Him whom thy soul desires! In order to console His beloved, He afflicts them. In order to be sought after, He withdraws.”

  Then gradually, by a series of mystical experiences, God endowed Mary’s pure soul with new gifts and tranquilized her spirit. At last, having raised her to a still higher spiritual plane, He again revealed Himself to her in an exalted vision which amply rewarded all her suffering and loving anxiety. Once again overwhelmed with joy, Mary prayed: