Uniting the blood of kings with that of pontiffs, the glory of St. Anne’s illustrious origin is far surpassed by that of her offspring, without compare among the daughters of Eve. The noblest of all who have ever conceived by virtue of the command to “increase and multiply,” beholds the law of human generation pause before her as having arrived at its summit, at the threshold of God; for from her fruit God Himself is to come forth, the Son of the Blessed Virgin, and the Grandson of Sts. Anne and Joachim.
Before being favored with the greatest blessing ever bestowed on an earthly union, the two holy grandparents of the Word Made Flesh had to pass through the purification of suffering. Traditions which have come down to us from the very beginning of Christianity, tell us of these noble spouses subjected to the trial of prolonged sterility, and on that account despised by their people; of St. Joachim cast out of the temple and going to hide his sorrow in the desert; of St. Anne left alone to mourn her widowhood and humiliation.
Warned from Heaven to leave the desert, St. Joachim met his spouse at the golden gate which leads to the Temple on the east side. Not far from there, near the Probatica pool, where the little white lambs were washed before being offered in sacrifice, now stands the restored Basilica of St. Anne, originally called St. Mary of the Nativity. Here, as in a peaceful paradise, the rod of Jesse produced that blessed branch that had blossomed from eternity in the bosom of the Father.
Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will – Day Ten: The soul to the Queen of Heaven
“Here I am, O Holy Mama, near Your cradle, to be spectator of Your Prodigious Birth. The heavens are stupefied, the sun is fixed upon You with its light, the earth exults with joy and feels honored to be inhabited by its Little Newborn Queen; the Angels compete among themselves in surrounding Your cradle, to honor You and to be ready for Your wishes. So, all honor You and want to celebrate Your birth. I too unite myself with all, and prostrate before Your cradle, where I see, as though enraptured, Your mother Anne and Your father Joachim, I want to tell You my first word, I want to entrust to You my first secret. I want to empty my heart into Yours, and say to You: “My Mama, You who are the Dawn, Herald of the Divine Fiat upon the earth, O please! put to flight the gloomy night of the human will in my soul and in the whole world. Ah! yes, may Your birth be our hope which, like a New Dawn of Grace, may regenerate us in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.”
Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will – Day Twelve: The soul to the Celestial Little Queen
“Here I come again to You, my dear little Baby, in the house of Nazareth. I want to be spectator of Your tender age; I want to give You my hand as You take Your first steps and speak with Your holy mama and with Your father Joachim. Little as You are, after you have learned how to walk, You help Saint Anne in the little tasks. My little Mama, how dear You are to me, and all striking. O please! give me Your Lessons, that I may follow Your childhood and learn from You, also in the little human actions, to live in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.”
The soul:
“Holy Mama, who can resist seeing You cry and not listening to Your holy lessons? I, with all my heart, promise, swear, never to do my will – never again. And You, Divine Mama – never leave me alone, so that the Empire of Your presence may crush my will, to let me reign, always – always in the Will of God.”
Ejaculatory Prayer: “Powerful Queen, captivate my heart, to enclose it in the Will of God.”