From the writings of Thomas à Kempis:
A good and safe journey they have who carry Jesus and Mary in their hearts; who have them always on their lips and bless them; who call on them aloud and feel jubilation in their hearts; who invoke them with their eyes, have yearning for them on their faces, appease them with kisses, embrace them, and kneel to pray to them.
Happy they who with devotion often invoke and greet Jesus and Mary, remember them with love, honor them, and sing joyfully to them. How sweet Jesus is and how sweet Mary is, His beloved and holy Mother!
Happy the pilgrims who in every place and at every moment of exile here in the body are mindful of the heavenly homeland, where Jesus and Mary rejoice with all their Angels and Saints in surpassing joy and everlasting glory!
Happy the pilgrims who do not ask to remain in this world but desire to depart and be with Christ in heaven. Happy the poor beggars who daily extend their hand to receive bread from heaven and who without ceasing beg humbly at God’s table until they receive at least a crumb.
Happy they who are invited to the supper of the Lamb and receive the Sacrament of it until they reach the supreme banquet. Indeed, every time a person receives Communion with devotion or a priest devoutly celebrates in God’s honor, each one eats and drinks spiritually with Blessed Jesus and His Mother.
Such persons are disciples of Jesus, close friends of the Blessed Virgin Mary, companions of the Angels, fellow citizens of the Apostles, members of God’s household, relatives of the Saints, and friends of heaven. They flee noise and chatter, meditate on the words of Jesus, and carefully guard their hearts and senses lest they offend Jesus, Mary, and the other Saints.
From “The Secret of the Rosary” by Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort:
During her whole life, the Blessed Mother’s chief concern was meditation on the virtues and sufferings of her Son. When she heard the angels sing their hymns of joy at His birth and when she saw the shepherds adore Him in the stable, her heart and mind were filled with wonder and she meditated upon all these marvels. She compared the greatness of the Word Incarnate to His deep humility and the way He lowered Himself; she thought of Him in His manger filled with straw and then on His throne in heaven and in the bosom of His Eternal Father. She compared the might of God to the weakness of a Baby—and His wisdom to His simplicity.
One day, our Lady said to Saint Bridget: “Whenever I meditated on the beauty, modesty, and wisdom of my Son, my heart was filled with joy: and whenever I thought of His hands and feet which would be pierced with cruel nails, I wept bitterly and my heart was rent with sorrow and pain.”
After our Lord’s ascension, our Blessed Lady spent the rest of her life in visiting the places that had been hallowed by His presence and sufferings. When she was in those places, she meditated upon His boundless love and upon His terrible Passion.
A song from heaven, taught to the visionary Alphonsine Mumureke:
Queen of Heaven and Earth,
We call upon you, Mother,
Be our advocate to Jesus,
Teach us to love Him and to do His Will,
Bring Him into the world,
So we can help Him to save mankind.
Queen of Heaven and Earth,
Mother of God and Mother of ours,
Listen to those who call upon you,
Help them to know God better,
Pray for them and intercede for them.
You lived on Earth, Mother,
You know how easily we get lost,
We need to know the true way,
The way that Jesus taught,
Pray for us that He sends us His messengers.
Look at the young people trying to follow Jesus,
Pray for us to have purity of heart,
Pray that we commit to the goods of heaven,
So that we can be His messengers.
[There] are those who don’t understand
Why Jesus wants us to follow Him,
Pray for them and pray for us,
That we may know His Will and believe His words,
So we can grow to be His true messengers.
