Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen: His Love for the Blessed Virgin Mary


"Though Mary is the ideal Woman in every truly Christian life, I cannot express how real she has been in my life. As a mother carrying a child often feels the kicks of the young, so Mary has felt my rebellion, but still sought to form Christ in my soul as she formed Him in her womb. Despite the unglutted beast that strains in the body of every priest, she held onto the leash to tame its madness. Even the beast has a heart and by mysterious and intangible touches of love, she kept that inner immured plot for God. She changed eros to agape, the water of my life into wine, and helped provide those tears to wipe Blood from wounds that caped on the Cross. In my mind's eye I have gazed on her beauty, a beauty which leaves all other beauty plain. My heart thrilled a thousand times at her gentle hand's caress, knowing full well that she was content with the little I had to give, for at the Cross she took the son of Zebedee as a son for the Son of God. After many years of courtship, the deep conviction pervades my soul: she really loves me - and if she can love me, Christ is with me."

~Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
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