The Lord has placed in Mary the fullness of all good. So that if there is anything of hope in us, if anything of grace if anything of salvation, we may rest assured it has overflowed into us from her. With every fiber of our being, every feeling of our hearts, with all affections of our minds, and with all the ardor of our souls let us honor Mary because this is the will of God, who would have us obtain everything through her hands.
In the monastery we are reminded of Mary often; images of her are in many nooks and corners of the Abbey. And we go to Mary for all we need from her Son, confident that she will never forget those whom her Son has entrusted to her care.
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. Lines from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermon 6: For the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.