The

Virtu
of
Mar
es
y
VIRTUE
a. It is a good operative
habbit. (STA)

b. It is a good quality
of the mind by which
one lives rightly, which
no one can make bad use
of, and which God
accomplishes in us,
without us. (SA)
CHASTITY/
PURITY
Since the fall of
Adam, the senses
being rebellious to
reason, chastity is
of all virtues the
one which is the
most difficult to
practice.
Of all the
combats in which
we are engaged,
the most severe
are those of
chastity; its
battles are of
daily occurrence,
but victory is
rare.
 With reason is
Mary called the
Virgin of virgins; for
she, without the
counsel or example
of others, was the
first who offered her
virginity to God.

- Richard of St.
the standard-
bearer of
virginity.

- St. Ambrose
Turtle-dove
- Aponius

Lily among
thorns
- Denis the Carthusian
but even
that Joseph
preserved his
virginity
through
Mary.

- St. Jerome
 Mortificatio
n of the
senses
Fly the
occasions
of sin
Prayer
How could
it be since
I know no
man?
Prudence
But Mary kept
all these words,
pondering them
in her heart.

-Luke 2:19
Mary ponders
these things in her
heart. She discerns.
She doesnt react,
debate or take any
action right away.
She simply ponders
things first.
Prudence is the
virtue that disposes
practical reason to
discern our true
good in every
circumstance and
to choose the right
means of achieving
it.
 Take counsel
carefully with
oneself and
from others
To judge
correctly on the
basis of the
evidence at
To direct my
hand
actions
accordingly
The Virgin Mary was
always most prudent.
She thought within
herself about
Gabriels manner of
greeting her (cf. Lk
1:29), and she kept
all these words,
pondering them in
her heart (cf. Lk 2:19;
cf. Lk 2:51).
Let them be on their
guard against all lies
or foolish talk, for God
will destroy all those
who speak a lie (cf. Ps
5:7)
Since perfect wisdom
consists in knowing
how to please God (cf.
1 Thes 4:1), and
avoiding all sin, by
which God is offended,
they must continually
Humility
Humility is
the
foundation
and guardian
of virtues.

-St. Bernard
Mary, being the first
and most perfect
disciple of Jesus
Christ in the
practice of all
virtues, was the first
also in that of
humility, and by it
merited to be
exalted above all
creatures.
A humble heart
always
acknowledges
the special
favours of the
Lord
but the Divine
Mother, by the
greater light
wherewith she knew
the infinite greatness
and goodness of
God, also knew her
own nothingness,
and therefore, more
than all others,
humbled herself
Moreover, it is
an act of
humility to
conceal
heavenly gifts.
Mary is disturbed at
hearing herself praised by
Saint Gabriel; and when
Saint Elizabeth said,
Blessed art thou among
women ... and whence is
this to me, that the Mother
of my Lord should come to
me? . . . blessed art thou
that hast believed,
&c.Mary referred all to
God, and answered in that
humble Canticle, My soul
dost magnify the Lord,
It is also a
part of
humility to
serve others.
Mary showed herself in
Jerusalem on Palm Sunday,
when her Son was received
by the people with so
much honour; but on the
other hand, at the death of
her Son she did not shrink
from appearing on Calvary,
through fear of the
dishonour which would
accrue to her when it was
known that she was the
Mother of Him who was
condemned to die an
infamous death as a
O the humility of
the Blessed
Virgin! O father,
the humility of
the Blessed
Virgin, how great
was the humility
of the Blessed
Virgin!

- Paula of Foligno
I am the servant of
the Lord. Let it be
done to me as you
say (cf. Lk 1:38).
Faith
Eve, contrary to the
assurance she had
received from God,
believed the serpent,
she brought death
into the world;
but our Queen,
because she believed
the angel when he
said that she,
remaining a virgin,
would become the
mother of God,
When Mary
consented to
the incarnation
of the Eternal
Word, by means
of her faith she
opened heaven
to men.

-St. Augustine
Mary was
rather blessed
by receiving
the faith of
Christ than by
conceiving the
flesh of Christ.

-St. Augustine
The most holy Virgin had
more faith than all men
and angels. She saw her
Son in the crib of
Bethlehem, and believed
Him the Creator of the
world. She saw Him fly
from Herod, and yet
believed Him the King of
kings. She saw Him born,
and believed Him eternal.
She saw Him poor and in
need of food, and believed
Him the Lord of the
universe.
She saw Him lying on
straw, and believed Him
omnipotent. She observed
that He did not speak, and
she believed Him the
infinite wisdom. She heard
Him weep, and believed
Him the joy of Paradise. In
fine, she saw Him in death,
despised and crucified,
and, although faith
wavered in others, Mary
remained firm in the belief
that He was God. On these
words of the Gospel, there
Faith, at the same time
that it is a gift, is also a
virtue. It is a gift of God,
inasmuch as it is a light
infused by Him into our
souls; and a virtue,
inasmuch as the soul has
to exercise itself in the
practice of it. Hence faith
is not only to be the rule
of our belief, but also that
of our actions; therefore
Saint Gregory says, He
Mary is the
Light
of the
faithful

- St. Methodius
See things with the
eyes of Christians,
that is to say, with
eyes which look at
all in the light of
faith.

-St. Augustine
Devotion
She praised God
with great
attentiveness and
joy, saying: My
being proclaims
the greatness of
the Lord (cf. Lk
1:46).
Mary loved
God and
enjoyed
speaking with
Him all day
long.
Let us pray that we
can see prayer as a
good, not an
obligation that we
have to complete.
Praying is simple
talking with God all
day long, at home, at
work, at school,
driving, playing,
eating and resting.
Contemplare
et
contemplata
aliis tradere.
In order to
possess this
virtue of prayer
more perfectly,
we should above
all love devotion
to the Sacrament
of the Eucharist.
Obedience
When the Angel
Gabriel announced
to Mary God's
great designs upon
her, she, through
love for obedience,
would only call
herself a
handmaid: Behold
the handmaid of
the Lord. (Luke
For this faithful
handmaid never, in
either thought or word
or deed, contradicted
the Most High; but
entirely despoiled of
her own will, she lived
always and in all things
obedient to that of
God

-St. Thomas de
Villanueva
As Eve, by her
disobedience, caused
her own death and
that of the whole
human race, so did
the Virgin Mary, by her
obedience, become
the cause of her own
salvation and of that
of all mankind.

-St. Ireneus
Blessed are they
who hear the word of
God and keep it
(Luke 11:27).
Poverty
Mary could have lived in
comfort on the property
she inherited from her
parents, but she
preferred to remain poor,
and reserving only a
small portion for herself,
distributed the rest in
alms to the temple and
the poor.
From the
beginning I vowed
in my own heart
that I would never
possess anything
on earth.

- Vision of St. Bridget

"All that I could
get I gave to the
poor, and only
reserved a little
food and clothing
for myself.

- Vision of St.
Bridget

For Mary, worldly

riches were of no
more value in
her eyes than
dirt.
He who loves
the things of
the world will
never become a
Saint.

-St. Philip Neri

It justly
follows that he
who runs after
perishable
things should
himself be
lost.

-St. Teresa of Avila

This virtue does not
consist only in being
poor, but in loving
poverty. Therefore did
Jesus Christ
say,Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of
Heaven. (Matt 5:3).

-St. Bernard
Love that one
good in which
all good things
are found.

-St. Augustine
Patience
as the Angel
revealed to St.
Bridget, "as a rose
grows up amongst
thorns, so did the
Blessed Virgin grow
up amongst
tribulations.

-Vision of St. Bridget

For what can enrich
us with greater merit
in this life, and
greater glory in the
next, than the patient
enduring of
sufferings?

-St. Cyprian
By patient endurance
you will save your
lives (cf. Lk 21:19)
and the Apostle (Paul)
says: If only we suffer
with him we shall also
reign with him (cf. Rm
8:17; cf. 2 Tim 2:12).
In order to possess
this virtue of
patience more
perfectly, devoted
souls should console
themselves if it
happens that God
does not answer
their pleas quickly or
if he is not
immediately found
by them.
Charity
Wherever there is
the greatest purity,
there is also the
greatest charity."
The more a heart is
pure, and empty of
itself, the greater is
the fullness of its
love towards God.

-St. Anselm
Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with
thy whole heart
(Matt. 22:37).
Her Divine love
was so ardent that
no defect of any
kind could have
access to her.

-St. Bernard
The acts of perfect
charity formed by the
Blessed Virgin in this
life were without
number; for nearly the
whole of her life was
spent in contemplation,
and in that state she
constantly repeated
acts of love.
"Behold the power of
the Virgin Mother:
she wounded and
took captive the
heart of God.

-St. Bernardine
Mary showed
solicitude for her
neighbor, asking for
wine in Cana of Galilee
(cf. Jn 2:3); and finally,
gave salutary
instruction to the
servants, advising and
enlightening them (cf.
Jn 2:5).
Sorrow
And
Compassion
The Virgin Mary
was always most
sorrowful and
was always full of
compassion for
the death of her
Son.
She stood
near the Cross
of her dying
Son (cf. Jn
19:25).
The
Virtu
of
Mar
es
y