Mary And The Angels

Gaudeamus omnes in Domino, diem festum celebrantes... Gaudent angeli, quia Christi Mater hodie in coelum assumpta est. Cum homines gaudant, qui semper sunt in tristitia et moerore, quomodo non gauderent angli, quorum natura est gaudere, quorum conditio trsititiam non admittit/ Qui gaudent super uno peccatore poenitentiam agente, quomodo non guaderent super Matre Dei coelos ascendente? Quare non gaudeant anglei, cum gaudeat Dominus angelorum? Gaudet Christus, et Matri suae hodie festinus occurrit: nec dedignatur suae legi satisfacere: per quam parentes honorari praecipit. David qui Christi figurativam gerebat imaginem, gaudebat et psallebat coram arca veteris testamenti. Putatis quod non gaudeat Christus coram novi testamenti, coram cella aromatum, coram propitiatorio exauditionis, coram sacrario Spiritus sancti? Gaudeant angeli, et occurrant dominae suae, reginae angelorum, mediatrici Dei et hominum. Attendant quid olim fecerit Joannes, dum adhuc esset in utero matris suae. Quamvis esset clausus et nondum productus in lucem, gaudens tamen gestiebat in occursum Mariae. Anima pueri liquefacta est, ut Maria locuta est. Liquefiant angeli, et vocem Mariae audituri, et Mariae praesentia fruituri. Gaudeant pro se, gaudeant pro nobis: pro se, quia suam in coelo recipiunt advocatam. Neminem, quaeso, moveat, fratres mei, quid Mariam voco reginam angelorum et dominam. Gloriantur angeli se illam habere dominam, quam Dominus angelorum sibi elegit in matrem: Ipsa quanto gloriosius et ineffabilius peperit filium et haeredem Dei, tanto differentius, et prae cunctis gloriosius nomen haereditavit. Magnum et gloriosum est in angelo quod factus est Dei minister. Procul dubio majus et gloriosius est in Maria, quod facta est Dei Mater. Sicut Apostolis dicit: Nec oculus vidit, nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit, quanta sunt, quae praeparavit Deus diligentibus se. Si Deus praeparat tam pretiosa diligenti se, quanta putatis praeparat gignenti se? Cui angelorum dictum est: Spiritus sanctus superveniet in te? Adhuc eminentiorem vobis demonstro praerogativam. Veni, electa mea, et ponam in te thronum meum. Cui angelorum dictum est unquam tam venerabile, tam amabile, tam familiare verbum: Veni, inquit, electa mea, veni. Vocatio est ad supereminentem gloriae mansionem. Multi, quidem sunt vocati, pauci vero electi. Ista est vocata et electa, non solum electa, sed et praelecta. Elegit eam Deus, et praeelegit eam. Beata, Domine, quam elegisti, habitabit in atriis tuis, imo si verba Domini attendamus, habitabit in ea, et ponet in ea thronum suum, quoniam elegit eam in habitionem sibi. Haec requies mea in saeculum saeculi: hic habitabo, quoniam elegi eam. Petrus Blenensis, Sermo XXXIII, In Assumptione Beatae Mariae Source: Migne PL 207.660b-661b

Let all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating the feast day... The angels rejoice because today the Mother of Christ is taken up to heaven. When men rejoice, who are always amid tears and mourning, how shall the angels not rejoice, whose nature it is to rejoice, whose nature does not admit grief? They who rejoice over the repentance of one sinner, 1 shall they not rejoice over the ascension of the Mother of God to heaven? Why shall the angels not rejoice when the Lord of the angels rejoices? Christ rejoices, and today He hastens to His mother, He does not refuse to honour His law through which He commands that parents be honoured. 2 David, who was a figure and image of Christ, rejoiced and sang before the ark of the Old Testament. 3 Do you think that Christ shall not rejoice before the ark of the New Testament, before the storehouse of perfumes, before the one eager to hear prayers of atonement, before the shrine of the Holy Spirit? Let the angels rejoice and run to their Lady, the queen of the angels, the mediatrix of God and men. Let them consider what once happened with John, while he was yet in the womb of his mother. Although he was enclosed and not yet brought into the light, yet he rejoiced and leapt at the coming of Mary. 4 The soul of the child melted as Mary spoke. The angels shall melt at hearing the voice of Mary, and in the enjoyment of her presence. Let them rejoice for themselves, let them rejoice for us; for themselves, because they have received an advocatess in heaven. Let no one be troubled, I beg, my brothers, because I call Mary the queen and lady of the angels. Let the angels glory for themselves that they have her as their lady, whom the Lord chose for His own mother. As she who bore the son and heir of God is more glorious and ineffable, so before all she inherited a more distinguished and glorious name. Great and glorious it is for an angel to have been made a minister of God. Without doubt it is greater and more glorious for Mary that she was made the mother of God. So the Apostle says: 'What the eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, nor has arisen in the heart of man, how much more are the things which God has prepared for those who love him.' 5 If God prepares such precious things for those who love him, how much more do you think for her who bore him? To which of the angels was it said: 'The Holy Spirit shall come upon you?' 6 Yet I shall show you a yet more eminent prerogative: Come, my chosen one, and I shall place my throne in you. To whom of the angels was anything said which was so honourable, so loving, so dear? 'Come, ' He says, ' my chosen one, come.' 7 It is a summoning to the most eminent of the seats of glory. 'Many are called, but few are chosen.' 8 She is called and she is chosen, and not only chosen but even chosen before all others. God chose her, and He chose her before all others. Blessed is she whom you have chosen, Lord, who shall dwell in your halls, and truly, if we attend to the word of the Lord, He shall dwell in her and place His throne in her, 'Because He chose her for His dwelling place. This is my rest forever, here I shall dwell, because I have chosen her.' 9 Peter of Blois, from Sermon 33, On The Assumption of The Blessed Mary 1 Lk 15.10 2 Exod 20.12 3 2 Kings 6.14-15 4 Lk 1.41 5 1 Cor 2.9 6 Lk 1.35 7 Song 2.10 8 Mt 22.14 9 Ps 131.13.14