CIUDAD to - the Catholic Kingdom!

THE CORONATION 245
mercy I show clemency to Saul, how shall my justice be
satisfied, since Saul persists in the deepest unbelief and
malice and with all his heart serves my enemies for the
destruction of my Church and the blotting out of my
name from the face of the earth, thus meriting my wrath
and chastisement ?" To this argument, which was so con
clusive on the side of justice, the Mother of mercy and
wisdom was not at a loss for response, and She answered :
"My
Lord and eternal God, my Son, the turgid floods of
guilt in Saul were not sufficient to extinguish the fire of
thy divine love, when, as Thou hast thyself manifested
to me, Thou didst choose Paul as thy Apostle and as a
vase of election, acceptable to thy divine mind and worthy
to be written in thy memory. More powerful and effica
cious were thy infinite mercies, by which Thou hast
founded thy beloved Church, and therefore I do not ask
anything, which Thou thyself hast not resolved upon
beforehand; but I grieve, my Son, that this soul should
for the ruin and perdition of
proceed to greater length
itself and of others (if it can be like that of others), and
that a hindrance should be placed to the glory of thy
name, to the joy of the angels and saints, to the consola
tion of the just, to the confidence afforded to sinners,
and to the confusion of thy enemies. Do not then, my
Son and Lord, despise the prayers of thy Mother; let
thy divine decrees be executed and let me see thy name
magnified; for the time and the occasion are opportune
and my heart cannot suffer such a blessing to be
delayed."
259. During this appeal the charity in the bosom of the
most chaste Virgin Queen broke out into such a flame,
that without a doubt it would have consumed her nat
ural life, if the Lord had not preserved Her by the miracu
lous interference of his almighty power. Although in
Private Use Only