VESSEL OF HONOR

(1) MARY, we praise you as the Vessel of Honor because you are the Mother of God. If everything in any way connected with Christ our Savior is venerable, what an object of honor you must be to us! As Mother of Christ you stand in closer relationship to Him than any other creature in heaven or on earth.

You are a living tabernacle of God, in whom the only-begotten Son of God dwelt for nine months. He rested in your arms and received nourishment from your hands. But Jesus not only dwelt in you; He even assumed human flesh of you, for you are His Mother. You are more worthy of honor than any creature, because you are the Mother of Him who created and governs the world, and who is your Creator. You have nourished Him by whom all living creatures are sustained.

All the angels and saints of heaven pay you homage, because of your exalted dignity and unsurpassed glory; all Christians place their confidence in you; and the souls in purgatory look to you for help. You are the brightest adornment of the heavenly kingdom, the delight of the faithful, the honor of mankind. Your prophecy is truly fulfilled: "Henceforth all generations shall call me blessed" (Luke 1,48).

(2) MARY, your soul resembles a precious vessel filled with graces of every kind. For this reason the Archangel Gabriel greeted you, "Hail, full of grace!"

You are filled with sanctifying grace, which makes your soul holy and pleasing to God, a child of God and an heir to the kingdom of heaven. You received sanctifying grace in the first instant of your conception. You were preserved free from original sin and ever remained a child of grace. You received sanctifying grace more abundantly than any angel or human being. To other creatures grace is given partially; but it was poured out upon you in all its fullness. Since you were raised above angels and men by your dignity as Mother of God, it was fitting that God should bestow upon you a greater measure of grace than upon any other person. Even as an infant you excelled all the angels and saints in holiness. In every moment of your life you acquired merits, which increased sanctifying grace in your soul.

Who can number the gratuitous graces you received, not so much for your own salvation as for the benefit of mankind or the numberless miracles to help people which God has worked for you?

You also received actual graces by which God enlightened your mind and strengthened your will to avoid evil and to do good. As Mother of God you were to surpass all the saints in sanctity and merits. You were to become Queen of Angels and Saints, hence a great measure of grace was required to accomplish this. Your sanctity was never to be marred by the slightest venial sin or fault. Extraordinary graces were necessary for you to preserve the first grace to the close of your life. And since it is certain that God give graces more abundantly the more we make use of them, you received far more and greater actual graces than all other created beings. And you faithfully used every grace!

(3) MARY, you deserve all the honor I or anyone else on earth can give you. I wish to honor you as much as I am able, and I am determined to be zealous for your honor in seeking to encourage others to honor you and to have great confidence in your intercession.

Vessel of Honor, I can honor you best by imitating you. My soul is also a vessel of honor, for in Baptism the Holy Spirit purified and sanctified it, infused His grace into it, and made it the image of God and His dwelling place. Help me to esteem sanctifying grace as the most precious treasure on earth, for if I possess it, God loves me and promises me heaven with its eternal joys as my glorious reward. In order to merit sanctifying grace for me, Your Son has shed His blood on the cross. Never let me lose that grace by mortal sin.

My body is a vessel of honor, for it is sanctified when I receive in Holy Communion the body and blood of Jesus. Never let me profane the temple of the living God by sins of impurity.

Offering the Immaculate Lamb to Your Majesty, O Lord, we beg You to enkindle our hearts with that Divine fire which unceasingly glowed in the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. (Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Aug. 22)