MEDITATION Of The Glorious Death Of The Virgin Our Lady POINT III ~ Venerable Luis de la Puente

BERMEJO, Bartolomé 

Death of the Virgin 

1460-62

THE III. POINT. 

The hour being now come, Christ our Lord descended from heaven to fetch his mother, fulfilling in her the promise which he had made unto his apostles, when he said unto them. If I go and prepare you a place, I come again and will take you to myself. And it is certain that he brought with him an innumerable multitude of holy Angels, that they might be present at her death, driving from thence all the devils, in such sort that none of them durst there appear, nor yet approach her holy dwelling. O what cheerful words did the Son use to his Blessed Mother? Our understanding truly cannot conceive them, unless by that which is written in the Canticles: he said therefore unto her with great love. Arise, make hast my love, my dove, beautiful one, and come, for winter is now past and departed, and the end of thy labors is arrived. Come (o my spouse) from Libanus, and from the high mountain of Tyres, come and thou shalt be crowned with the crown of justice, which thou hast so well deserved.

The Blessed Virgin seeing her Son, and hearing the words which he spoke to her heart, it is to be believed, that out of the great charity which was in her, she besought him to comfort his Apostles and Disciples, by pouring upon them his abundant benediction. And immediately remembering herself how her Son gave up the Ghost upon the Cross, she repeated the selfsame words, which he pronounced, saying. O my father, in as much as God, and my Son, in as much as man. Into thy hands I commend my spirit, and in saying this she gave up the Ghost. O how precious was the death of this sacred lady in the eyes of almighty God, in whose sight the death of his Saints so precious!

1. For first her death was precious, because she died not so much of any sickness of the body, as of the vehemency and excess of love, which did consume her corporal forces: and therefore might say that of the spouse. I languished with love, and I am wounded with charity; which wound penetrating to her soul, drew the same forth of her body, to behold him which had wounded her with the wound of his inflamed charity.

2. Secondly she died without pain, her Son contenting himself with the pains which she induced when she saw him die upon the cross. And when all the jubilee of her soul was so exceeding great, which she felt in the presence of her beloved, that she felt not her departure from her body, that being accomplished in her, which the divine wisdom saith, that the torment of death shall not touch the just, because their souls are in the hands of God.

3. Thirdly, for that all her works (which were many, and most noble) then linked themselves all together, almighty God manifesting them, to the end they might accompany her, and fill her with confidence, and with joy. For if the dead are blessed which die in our Lord: now much more blessed is she who died in Christ, and that of the pure love of Christ, with so great abundance of such excellent works which did accompany her? If the servant be blessed, whom the Lord shall find watching at the time he cometh to his house: how much more blessed shall this Virgin be, who never slept a deadly sleep like as the foolish Virgins did, nor any light sleep, as the wise did, but always watched? If the just (as the wise man saith) greatly hopeth in the hour of his death; what far greater hop had the Queen of the just, in the last hour of her death? O that my soul might die the death of this glorious Lady, who by excellency deserved the name of just, and that my last things, might be like to those of hers! 

Colloquy 

O most holy Virgin, to the end that my death may in some sort resemble thine, obtain for me that I may live wounded with love, and be so full of good works, that the torment of death may not touch me. It is but just that the corporal torment of death do touch me, since it is a penalty which I have merited by my sin, but let not the spiritual torment touch me afflicting me, with disordinate fear, diffidence, and dejection of my heart, Amen

Venerable Luis de la Puente