Adam, you were afraid to approach your Father; you were terrified at the mere sound of his voice and tried to hide amid the trees. And so he gave you Jesus as your Mediator. What shall such a Son not be able to obtain from such a Father? Undoubtedly he will be heard because of his reverence, for the Father loves the Son.
Surely you are not afraid to approach Jesus as well? He is your Brother and your flesh, tempted in all things as you are, yet without sin, so that he might have compassion. And this Brother has been given to us by Mary.
We monks love Our Lady. We go to her with all our needs and place ourselves in her keeping. Our hearts are never far from her, and we trust always in her real interest in us and our needs. And each of us monks is dedicated to her. As we celebrate Mary's birthday we recall that she is the gateway for us to all the healing that only Christ can give.
Your birth, O Virgin Mother of God, proclaims joy to the world, for from you arose the glorious Sun of Justice, Christ the Lord.
The Rest on the Flight into
Egypt, Gerard David (Netherlandish, ca. 1455–1523), oil on
wood, 20" x 17.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Used with
permission.
Quotation
by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermon for the Nativity of The Blessed
Virgin Mary, 7.
