"When
a nation wishes to celebrate the memory of its distinguished men its
admiration is not confined to words, but vents itself in a thousand
different shapes. See in how many ways we honor the memory of
Washington. Monuments on which his good deeds are recorded are erected to his name. The grounds in which his remains repose on the banks of the Potomac are kept in order by a volunteer band of devoted ladies, who adorn the place with flowers. And this cherished spot is annually visited by thousands of pilgrims from the most remote sections of the country. These visitors will eagerly snatch a flower or a leaf from a shrub growing near Washington's tomb, or will strive even to clip off a little shred from one of his garments, still preserved in the old mansion, to bear home with them as precious relics........
The 22nd of February, Washington's birthday, is kept as a national holiday, at least in certain portions of the country....As the citizens of the United States manifest in divers ways their admiration for Washington, so do the citizens of the republic of the Church love to exhibit in corresponding forms their veneration for the Mother of Jesus.
Monuments and statues are erected to her. Thrice each day - at morn, noon and even - the Angelus bells are rung, to recall to our mind the Incarnation of Our Lord, and the participation of Mary in this great mystery of love.
Her shrines are tastefully adorned by pious hands and visited by devoted children, who wear her relics or any object which bears her image, or which is associated with her name.....
As no one was ever suspected of loving his country and her institutions less because of his revering Washington, so no one can reasonably suppose that our homage to God is diminished by our fostering reverence for Mary. As our object in eulogizing Washington is not so much to honor the man as to vindicate those principles of which he was the champion and exponent, and to express our gratitude to God for the blessings bestowed on our country through him, even so our motive in commemorating Mary's name is not merely to praise her, but still more to keep us in perpetual remembrance of Our Lord's Incarnation, and to show our thankfulness to Him for the blessings wrought through that great mystery in which she was so prominent a figure.
While I have great respect for "The Father of our Country," it has no comparison to the love and devotion to the Holy Mother of God!
ReplyDeleteI remember reading that at the Council of Ephesus which declared Mary to be truly the Mother of God, how the people of Ephesus filled the streets all during the night, continually crying out, "Mother of God, Mother of God!"