Santa María

“ Santa Maria is purely mestizo. In the morning, finding breakfast somewhat slow, we started for a walk, and passing by the old church, came shortly to the spot where the boy martyr was killed. From here we descended, over a long slope of gray tufa, to a pretty stream flowing through black basalt. The rock is hard and shiny with cells or air-bubbles scattered through its mass. Close by the water's edge we were shown some curious impressions, on the nearly level surface of the rock, which were said to be the imprints of the knees of the Holy Virgin as she knelt here to wash clothes in the brook ”

“ James founded on that very spot the Church of Santa Maria; and that the Virgin, in recognition of the dedication to her, descended from heaven to present its Bishop, Ildofonso, with a marvelous chasuble. In proof of this miracle, doubting visitors are still shown the marks of Mary's footprint upon a stair in the chapel! ”

“ There is a completeness and simplicity in the worship, the great crowd, rich and poor, women and men, all moved by one strong emotion. And the spell of the strange scene penetrates the spirit; one forgets its pagan, mediæval childishness; one begins to understand how these outward symbols have had power to hold the faith of the people.
The cathedral is the chief centre of all the ceremonies; and the vast edifice—Santa Maria is the largest Gothic church in the world—which is not too vast for its part in the great functions, is seen best on these days of festival. ”

“ First we shall examine those in which Saint Mary aids her devotees in acts of worship or in restraining evil passions which prevent their undivided service.
A person sincerely trying to do his religious duty could always count upon aid from heaven when his temptations were becoming too great for him or when worldly cares caused him temporarily to neglect his regular worship. A very devout woman (No. 246) used to pray every Saturday evening at the shrine of Santa María de Mártires. ”

“ Ay, yestere'en, at the Ave Maria, I spoke with her, in Santa Maria dell' Orto, coming upon her kneeling before the great picture of Jacopo Robusti—she, saint enough already to wear a gloria and looking as if the heart of her were worn away from grief! She hath need of thee daily, for her love for thee is great, and death not far. ”

“ The worship paid to the Virgin Mary in Spain and Italy exceeds that which is given to the Son or the Father. When they pray to Mary, their imagination pictures a beautiful woman, they really feel a passion; while Jesus is only regarded as a Bambino, or infant at the breast, and the Father is hardly ever recollected: but the Madonna la Senhora, la Maria Santa, while she inspires their religious inclinations, is a mistress to those who have none. ”

“ It, moreover, selected this spot for its shrine by jibbing under the immediate eye of a bishop, and refusing to be carried further up the mountain.
The house of Santa Maria de Jesu has the advantage of being at the outer end of the quadrangle, and thus having no house opposite to it, faces a sheer fall of three thousand feet. A fountain splashes in the courtyard below, and a low wall forms a long seat where the devout pass the evening hours in that curt and epigrammatic conversation, which is more peaceful than the quick talk of Frenchmen, and deeper than the babble of Italy. ”

“ Just as Santa María, when answering prayer, is not limited in her power to curing bodily ills but may also protect from harm, so in bestowing rewards she does not confine her mercies to those who are suffering. In fact she much more frequently protects them from such harm. ”

“ Santa Maria which is situated at an elevation of about 7,500 feet, is a considerable Indian village, and contains a population of three or four thousand, who chiefly find employment in the old city. In the colder months, many of them are occupied in carrying snow from the mountain, for the supply both of the Antigua and the capital. Here we procured guides, and set forward on foot; the ascent we found steep and painful, the path which was slippery with the dew, affording us a very uncertain footing. ”

“ The motherly characteristic of Santa María again comes to the front in No. 47 when she rewards a good priest who has always been punctual in his duties but gives{77} way once and, yielding to temptation, becomes thoroly drunk. This she does by caring for him on his way home, when the Devil in the form of a bull, a frightful black man, and a lion torments him. She protects him even to the point of striking the lion with a stick, then she tells him to go and sin no more. [54] At another time she rewards a faithful servant by keeping his wife from harm while he is away in the wars. ”

“ When the image of Our Lady and the cross were set up on the altar we all paid our reverence there, and Padre Fray Bartolome de Olmedo said mass, the caciques being present, and we gave the name of Santa Maria de la Victoria to the town of Tabasco. With the aid of Aguilar, the friar also spoke many excellent things about our blessed religion to the twenty women, telling them not to believe in, and no longer offer sacrifices to, their idols, but to worship and adore the Lord. ”

“ But lately all the young men and some of the old have confessed. In the principal pueblos, where the missionaries reside, many attend the sacraments on feast days. On the Day of Santa Maria the rosary is sung through the pueblo. On other occasions they are permitted to have balls, diversions, and innocent games. ”

“ And all tumble into their little cot beds,
While visions of "Calling Day" float through their heads,
Sleeping and snoring like other good boys,
For Santa Claus had filled all their stockings with toys.
But lo! from the roof comes a thundering noise,
Loud enough to waken all of the boys;
That old brass cannon had crept out of its lair,
In the Grand Celebration determined to share.
From the roof of the Barracks dark and gray
The old brass cannon blazed away,
Waking the neighbors far and near,
To let them know there was nothing to fear ”

“ In a room two Rockets were picked up by a scout,
That Santa Claus dropped as he made his way out.
While up in the cockloft, so cosy and snug,
Lay the old brass cannon, like a "bug in a rug,"
Where Santa Claus left it to be raised up higher,
And then, after all, the old thing hung fire.
What can be the matter? what's all this about?
That every boy from his bed is turned out
In the night air to shiver and freeze,
With nought on his feet but his old Reveilles? ”

“ Blessed art thou among women: “Benedicta tu in mulieribus.” Oh woman, blessed among all women, obtain for us also the divine benediction. Oh blessed plant which hath given to the world a fruit so noble and so holy: “Et benedictus fructus ventris tui.” Holy Mary, mother of God: “Sancta Maria, mater Dei.” Oh Mary, I confess that thou art the true mother of God, and for this truth I would give my life a thousand times. Pray for us sinners: “Ora pro nobis peccatoribus.” But if thou art the mother of God, thou art also the mother of our salvation, and of us poor sinners ”

“ It is enough that Mary speaks, her Son grants whatever she asks. Therefore let us always pray to this divine mother if we wish to obtain eternal salvation, and let us say with St. Andrew of Candia, or perhaps of Jerusalem: We, then, supplicate thee, oh most holy Virgin, to grant us the aid of thy prayers with God; prayers that are more precious than all the treasures of the earth; prayers that obtain for us a great abundance of graces; prayers that confound our enemies, and triumph over their forces.
2d. “Sancta Maria:” Holy Mary. The name of Mary is a name of salvation. ”

“ Now when to the blackboard for trial you stand,
Keep steady, be ready, your chalk in your hand.
Don't think of failing; stand well on your ground;
Don't let it be said—a man has been found.
This poem is respectfully dedicated to the Corps of Cadets, by
Their Maternal Friend.
[Pg 31]
THE BARRACKS.
(Photographed by G. W. Pack.)
[Pg 33]
GRAND CELEBRATION. With Pyrotechnic Lights, at the Military Academy, by Santa Claus, 12 o'clock, 1880.
Hark! what's that that bursts on the midnight air?
"The Cadets are loose," said a lady fair. ”

“ More than any other prayer, more even than the touching "Memorare" of St. Bernard, it shows the position that the Blessed Virgin has in the Divine Pattern. There is nothing of the idolatrous in the Catholic devotion to Mary. It has often been misunderstood, so I should like to make it crystal clear to our non-Catholic friends and also to refresh the memories of Catholics as well.
Mary is the Mother of God, and Catholics honor her as such. We do not worship her in the sense in which we worship God. Adoration is for God alone. ”

“ The Ave Maria is the universal prayer of each and all. The infant begins to lisp it, and on his knees, with his hands raised to heaven, says Ave Maria! The aged, weakened by infirmity, may be incapable of reciting long prayers, but they will always have sufficient strength to repeat devoutly the Ave Maria. This is the favourite prayer of just souls. Oh, how many times in the day does it rise from their hearts full of burning love, and ascend, like purest burning incense to the throne of Mary! ”

“ Let us also quote the beautiful words of a Saint. 'The "Ave Maria," well recited, is the enemy that puts the devil to flight, and the weapon that kills him. It is the sanctification of the soul, the gladness of Angels, the melody of the predestinated, the Canticle of the New Testament, the joy of Mary, and the glory of the Most Holy Trinity. The Ave Maria is a celestial dew that fertilizes the soul, a beautiful rose which we present to Mary, and a precious pearl which we bestow upon her. ”

“ Mary at the manger, and Mary at the cross, opens a vista to an abyss of joy and of grief such as the world never saw before. Mary stood there not only as the mother, but as the representative of the whole Christian church, for which the eternal Son of God was born an infant in the manger, and for which he suffered the most ignominious death on the cross. ”

“ This is so in all the Catholic churches of South America. Over the great altars always may be seen some huge and coarse representation of Mary. She is dressed after the modern style, in some rich material and an abundance of lace. The stiff wax form and awkward wax hands would make a sad appearance in a collection of wax-figures like the moral show of Artemus Ward. The form of the Saviour is pushed away off to one side in some obscure alcove. The supremacy of Mary in these papal lands is wrought into all the life of the people. ”

“ Has not God performed innumerable miracles through her intercession, as so many privileged places of devotion and of pilgrimage show us? Have not kings and princes placed their states under her protection? All who truly revere Jesus Christ raise their voices in honour of Mary. For how can he honour the Son, who despises the Mother?
3. Mary is our Hope. The Holy Church names her so, when she salutes her with these words: “ Hail, our Hope! ” God refuses her nothing that she asks, because he is her Son. Neither will she refuse anything to us because she is our Mother. ”

“ To the saviour, her son, they show a respectful pity, an humble and more distant adoration; but to Mary they give their whole confidence, looking up to her as their powerful intercessor in heaven. Hence her shrines are always well tended and filled with men and women on their knees, addressing themselves to her images with faces expressive of the most intense love and devotion. ”

“ The nativity of the same holy Virgin is kept as a solemnity in the Church, because Mary was born full of grace. Therefore, had the first moment of Mary's existence been one of sin, as that of all the other children of Adam, it never could have been made the subject of reverence by the Church. O Mary, thou bright ray of hope, penetrate our hearts, that we may rejoice in thy motherhood; thou art the dearest, purest, holiest Mother, whom we love most tenderly. ”

“ Our Latin Maria is a late introduction, brought in by that taste which in the last century made everything feminine end with an a.
It is only during the last three centuries that Maria has reigned supreme in Roman Catholic countries, marking the exaggerated devotion paid to the original. Indeed, the Italian proverb, answering to the needle in a bottle of hay, is “Cercar Maria in Ravenna,” so numerous are the Marias there. Even in Ireland there were few Marys till comparatively recent times; but now the Môr that in some parts of the island was translated by Sarah, is changed into Mary. ”

“ Chapter 1 The blessed and glorious ever-virgin Mary, sprung from the royal stock and family of David, born in the city of Nazareth, was brought up at Jerusalem in the temple of the Lord. Her father was named Joachim, and her mother Anna. Her father’s house was from Galilee and the city of Nazareth, but her mother’s family from Bethlehem. Their life was guileless and right before the Lord, and irreproachable and pious before men. For they divided all their substance into three parts. One part they spent upon the temple and the temple servants; another they distributed to strangers and the poor ”

“ After the love which we owe Jesus Christ, we must give the chief place in our heart to the love of His Mother Mary. — St. Alphonsus.
3
When we feel our cross weighing upon us, let us have recourse to Mary, whom the Church calls the "Consoler of the Afflicted." — St. Alphonsus.
4
The devotions we practise in honor of the glorious Virgin Mary, however trifling they be, are very pleasing to her divine Son, and He rewards them with eternal glory. — St. Teresa.
5
There is nothing which is more profitable and more consoling to the mind than to frequently remember the Blessed Virgin. ”