Ave Maria Meditations
O holy Mother, sweet and fair to see,
for us beseech the King, your dearest Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ, to death for us delivered:
that in his pitying clemency, and by virtue of his most holy incarnation
and bitter death, he may pardon our sins.
Holy Virgin Mary, among all the women of the world,
there is none like you. You are the daughter and handmaid of the most high King,
Father of heaven. You are the mother of our most holy Lord Jesus Christ.
You are the bride of the Holy Spirit. Pray for us, with St. Michael the archangel,
and all the powers of heaven and all the saints, to your most holy and beloved Son,
our Lord and Master, Amen.
+St. Francis of Assisi
1. At the cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful mother weeping,
close to Jesus to the last
2. Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,
all his bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword had passed.
3. Oh how sad and sore distressed
was that mother highly blessed,
of the sole-begotten One!
4. Christ above in torment hangs;
she beneath beholds the pangs
of her dying glorious Son.
5. Is there one who would not weep,
whelmed in miseries so deep
Christ’s dear Mother to behold?
6. Can the human heart refrain
from partaking in her pain,
in that Mother’s pain untold?
7. For the sins of His own nation
saw Him hang in desolation,
all with bloody scourges rent.
8. Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
she beheld her tender child,
till His Spirit forth he sent.
9. O, thou Mother, fount of love,
touch my spirit from above,
make my heart with thine accord.
10. Make me feel as thou has felt;
make my soul to glow and melt
with the love of Christ our Lord.
11. Holy Mother, pierce me through;
in my heart each wound renew
of my Saviour crucified.
12. Let met share with thee his pain,
who for all my sins was slain,
who for me in torments died.
13. Let me mingle tears with thee,
mourning Him Who mourned for me,
all the days that I may live.
14. By the cross with thee to stay,
there with thee to weep and pray,
this I ask of thee to give.
15. Virgin, of all virgins blest,
O refuse not my request:
let me in thy weeping share
16. Let me, to my latest breath,
in my body bear the death
of that dying Son of thine.
17. Wounded with his every wound,
steep my soul till it hath swooned
in His very blood away.
18. Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
lest in flames I burn and die,
in that awful judgment day.
19. Christ, when thou shalt call me hence,
be Thy mother my defense,
be Thy cross my victory.
20. While my body here decays,
may my soul Thy goodness praise,
safe in Paradise with Thee. Amen.
This is the beautiul yet sad chant that is often heard during the Stations of the Cross in Lent. It would be hard to replace such a beautiful hymn with anything else! This chant has been in use for many centuries, so who are we to think we’ve outgrown it? Indeed, we need to medidate on Our Lady’s Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart more now that ever before, because she is our only hope.
Our Lady shared in the entire Passion, suffering everything with Jesus — and now she shares the same proportion of the glory of the risen Christ. Pray to Our Lady, put yourself completely in her hands. She alone can keep you from going astray in so many ways. She who is the mother of the Truth will keep you on the sure path, avoiding every error and deception. She will teach you humility, faith, love, and all the virtues she practiced so perfectly. She will inevitably lead you closer to Christ; for where the Blessed Mother is, there is Christ. When was that ever not true? Even on Calvary, she stood (not lay fainting) by the cross, the sword of sorrow piercing her most beautiful heart.
