To thee we
sigh, groaning and weeping in this valley of tears. Come then,
our Advocate, turn those compassionate eyes of thine on us, and
after this exile show to us Jesus, the blessed fruit of thy
womb. O merciful! O pious! O sweet Virgin Mary! [Salve, Regina,
Mater Misericordiae, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te
clamamus exules filii Evae. Ad te suspiramus gementes et flentes
in hac lachrymarum valle. Eja ergo Advocata nostra, illos tuos
misericordes oculos ad nos converte, et Jesum benedictum fructum
ventris tui nobis post hoc exilium ostende. O clemens! O pia! O
dulcis Virgo Maria!]
"Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ." [Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Genetrix,
ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.--AEst. 151.]
VI. Unhappily, in the appointed religious services of the Roman ritual,
we have too many examples of prayer for benefits spiritual and temporal,
addressed directly to the Virgin. It is in vain to say that all that is
meant is to ask her intercession; the people will not, cannot, do not,
regard it in that light. It is affirmed that when the Church of Rome
guides and directs her sons and daughters to pray for specific benefits
at the hands of the Virgin mother, without any mention of her prayers,
without specifying that her petitions are all that they ask; yet they
are taught only to ask for her intercession, and are not encouraged to
look for the blessings as her gift and at her hands.
Pages:
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397