I. At length, the heavens are opened, and He comes down into the world, whom the Prophets call the Just, the desired of the Patriarchs, the expectation of nations, the sent from God. The weeks of Daniel are accomplished; the prophecies of Jacob are fulfilled, for the scepter of Juda has already passed into the hands of Herod, a foreign king. A maiden of the root of Jesse, remaining a virgin, is to bring forth to the world a man, who is the Son of the Most High.

   My soul, dost thou understand what this means: The Word was made man?... O the Lord's endless goodness and mercy! Then this God loved thee so much, as to wish his only begotten Son to debase himself taking the form of a servant? And that, in order that He might suffer and die on a cross, to redeem thee from hell, and open the gates of Paradise for thee! To sacrifice himself every day on the altars and always stay with thee, giving himself as food in the Holy Eucharist!

   Holy Trinity, I humbly adore thee, and thank thee for so much love! The Father gives his Son to men: the Word consents to be made Man, and the Holy Ghost offers himself to work this great Mystery. What is my thankfulness for such great charity?... Consider my soul, on one hand, the highest dignity and the sublime favors of the Blessed Virgin, on the other hand, her perfect humility. God creates her Immaculate, who was to be his Mother; and since the first moment of her conception, He elevates her holiness beyond the tops of the holiest Mountains.

   Hear the Lord's words in the sacred Canticles: There are young maidens without number, but one is my dove, my perfect one is but one. (Cant. VI, 17). And this was the Mother of God, chosen for the highest humility that shone in her.

     In the Canticle Mary is likened to a fragrant spikenard: for St. Antonius comments, the small and fragrant spikenard plant represents Mary's humility, the smell of which ascended to heaven, and drew the divine Word into her virginal womb. Moreover, Mary is likened to a spikenard because, adds the same holy Dominican Archbishop, the Virgin's humility was the most perfect and nearest disposition to be the Mother of God. St. Bernard concludes: 'If Mary pleased God on account of her virginity, it was through humility that she conceived the Son of God'. The Virgin herself, appearing one day to St. Bridget, said: Whence did I deserve such a grace to be made my Lord's Mother, unless because I knew my nothingness, and humiliated myself? And to attest it to all nations, she had expressed that in her most humble Canticle: Because God has regarded the humility of his handmaid... he has done great things for me, for he is mighty. The most humble eyes of Mary, like those of a simple and humble dove, with which she always admired divine greatness, never lost sight of her own nothingness. And they did such violence to God himself, that he was drawn into her womb: 'Behold, thou art beautiful, my love; how beautiful art thou, thy eyes are dove's eyes!' (Cant.IV, 1).

     And the Lord in his turn, for a greater merit of his Mother, did not wish to become her son without having first her consent. And He sends to her a heavenly messenger, an Angel of the first Order, Gabriel, the strength of God, to reveal to her the great event of the Word's Incarnation in her womb. O great, O holy humility of Mary! Thou madest this Mother little to herself, but great before God! Unworthy in her own eyes, but worthy in the eyes of that immerse Lord, whom the world cannot contain!

     And how, O lady of mine, shall I too exclaim with St. Bernard, how couldst thou unite in thy heart such a humble sentiment of thyself, with so much purity, with so much innocence, with so much fullness of grace thou art possessed of?  Hail, most humble Queen; through thee and from thee the work of our redemption began. O make me then, a partaker of thy humility,  and grant me a perfect love of thee and thy Son.

 

     II. Look, O my soul: the angel is not sent to large towns, to princely palaces, to daughters of kings adorned with gold, but to Nazareth, a small town, to a virgin, the wife of Joseph the workman. Then neither birth, nor the gifts of nature attract God's looks; humility, modesty, the innocence of manners, the love of purity are true merits in his eyes.

    Mary lived solitary in her poor house, as it was revealed to St. Elizabeth, a Benedictine nun; and she was sighing and praying God with a greater desire than before, that He might send the promised redeemer into the world, when Gabriel the Archangel appeared to her. The latter gives her three titles of an incomprehensible greatness: 

- The first concerns herself: Hail, full of grace: that is thou art the holiest of all, thou art a treasure of all the graces and favors of God.

- The second concerns God: The Lord is with thee: that is, thou art protected, accompanied, governed by Him.

- The third concerns men: blessed art thou amongst women: that is, thou art privileged, elevated above all... With what respect do we address the same words to Mary, when we recite her rosary?

    And Mary is troubled and silent at the words of an Angel, who speaks to her about God. O, how much humility in her silence! Praises trouble her, frighten her: she refers nothing to herself, but all to God. She was troubled, as she revealed to St. Bridget, because being full of humility, she abhorred every praise, and desired that her Creator and Giver of all good gifts only to praised and blessed her.

    What a difference between Mary and Lucifer! Lucifer, seeing himself gifted with great beauty, aspired, as Isaiah says, to ascend above the height of the clouds and to be like the most High. And what would the proud creature have said and pretended, if he had seen himself adorned with Mary's virtues? The humble young maiden did not do so: the more exalted she saw herself, the more she humiliated herself; and this humility was the beauty that inspired the King of Kings with love. And she thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And thou, O my soul, how dost thou imitate Mary in the dangerous praises men give thee, on thy talent, vivacity, beauty, nobility? Alas! full of pride, thou thinkest thou deserved them, thou takest pleasure in them, and if thou appear to reject them, thou dost so in order to get greater ones! How many shameful falls get caused by flattery!...

    O Mary, O divine restorer of all our evils, O worthy Mother of God, how much thy extraordinary humility confounds me! Behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. How sorry I am to have so many times offended my God by pride, and afflicted thy sweet and humble heat! But if thou lookest at me with thy pitiful motherly eye, I shall soon be reconciled to Him: if I know how to love thee, I shall cease being unhappy. But all graces are in thy hand: Thou canst save whom thou wilt. O full of grace, save this soul of mine.

 

    III. At length, assured that she will not lose her virginity, Mary gives her consent in two words: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word. O blessed words, which accomplished the Mystery in Incarnation, fulfilled prophecies, repaired the disobedience of our first parents, and the sorrowful consequences of the sad conversation between Eve and the Angel of Darkness! Wonderful words, in which the quickest faith, the deepest humility, the most subdued obedience, the tenderest love, the most perfect abandonment O divine will, shine! Words, that the Church, out of gratitude, puts three times a day on the mouth of her children. Say, them, O my soul, continually too, and with the same feelings as Mary. Learn to be humble and resigned to what God disposes about thee. Get confused, that thou art so malicious and so unlike Mary; and, what is worse, thou knowest neither how to weep, nor how to pray. At least begin now to amend thy deplorable condition, detest thy disorderly life, begin to devote thyself to prayer. And if thou feelest within thyself a stone heart, address thyself to Mary, and pray her that by her Annunciation she may vouchsafe to change thy heart with hers, so pure and humble.

    O greater Mother of God, an endless sea of graces and happiness, I shall be happy too if I live under thy protection. Yes, from this day I will never neglect thee till my death to salute, love and invoke thee, by thy favorite prayer, that thou thyself taught me, of the Holy Rosary. It reminds me every day of thy extraordinary humility, of thy purity and fulness of grace, of thy divine maternity, of my redemption and salvation. In our days, thou hast opened a source of grace in the land of ruins, near the city of death, to prove to sinners, who have death in their soul, that life shall come from thee to all those who invoke thee, O Queen of the Rosary of Pompeii; to reveal to the world who expels Jesus from his bosom, that thou, Queen of Pompeii, wilt give back to Jesus to the agitated human family with a new life of grace and faith. O, Mother of Mercy, let Jesus reign in my heart; let him reign in it like a King, an absolute master, a lord of my strength and powers, so that I may live his life and be consummated in him, to live of him and with him world without end!

   O Lady of Valle di Pompeii, be thou blessed and loved by all peoples, O our remedy, our consolation, our glory. So be it.