Chapter 6.
And Mary was held in admiration by all the people
of Israel; and when she was three years old, she walked with a step so
mature, she spoke so perfectly, and spent her time so assiduously in
the praises of God, that all were astonished at her, and wondered; and
she was not reckoned a young infant, but as it were a grown-up person
of thirty years old. She was so constant in prayer, and her
appearance was so beautiful and glorious, that scarcely any one could
look into her face. And she occupied herself constantly with her
wool-work, so that she in her tender years could do all that old women
were not able to do. And this was the order that she had set for
herself:1629
| 1629 For the hours
of prayer, see Apost. Const., ch. xl.; Jerome’s letters to
Læta, Demetrias, etc. |
From the
morning to the third hour she remained in prayer; from the third to the
ninth she was occupied with her weaving; and from the ninth she again
applied herself to prayer. She did not retire from praying until
there appeared to her the
angel of the
Lord, from whose
hand she used
to receive
food; and thus she became more and more
perfect in the
work
of
God. Then, when the older
virgins rested from the
praises of
God, she did not
rest at all; so that in the
praises and vigils of
God
none were found before her, no one more
learned in the
wisdom of the
law of
God, more lowly in
humility, more elegant in singing, more
perfect in all
virtue. She was indeed
stedfast, immoveable,
unchangeable, and
daily advancing to
perfection. No one saw her
angry, nor heard her speaking
evil. All her
speech was so full of
grace, that her
God was acknowledged to be in her
tongue. She was
always engaged in prayer and in searching the
law, and she was anxious
lest by any word of hers she should
sin with regard to her
companions. Then she was afraid lest in her laughter, or the
sound of her
beautiful voice, she should
commit any fault, or lest,
being elated, she should display any wrong-doing or haughtiness to one
of her equals.
1630
| 1630 One of
themss. has: She was anxious about her
companions, lest any of them should sin even in one word, lest any of
them should raise her voice in laughing, lest any of them should be in
the wrong, or proud to her father or her mother. |
She
blessed
God without intermission; and lest perchance, even in her
salutation,
she might cease from praising
God; if any one saluted her, she used to
answer by way of
salutation: Thanks be to
God. And from her
the
custom first began of men saying, Thanks be to
God, when they
saluted each other. She refreshed herself only with the
food
which she
daily received from the
hand of the
angel; but the
food which
she obtained from the
priests she divided among the
poor. The
angels of God were often seen speaking with her, and they most
diligently obeyed her. If any one who was unwell touched her, the
same hour he went home cured.
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