SAINT MARY MAGDALEN OF PAZZI

The anniversary of the translation of the relics of saints, from their tombs to the Church, or among Churches, was formerly celebrated with great solemnity.

All as on her Feast, May 25th, except what follows.

PRAYER.

O GOD! who hast excited in Blessed Mary Magdalen 
an unquenchable desire for suffering, 
and hast adorned her body, 
which was purified by constant mortification and penance, 
with the gift of incorruption; 
we humbly beseech Thee that Thou wilt deign 
to keep our souls free from all corruption 
of the flesh and of the world, 
and that Thou wilt lead us at last 
unto that life which fadeth not.

Antiphon. The Lord hath given wisdom to the little one more to be desired than gold and many precious stones.

Antiphon. She hath received a blessing from the Lord, for she was innocent and clean of heart.

Antiphon. Magdalen hath forgotten her people and her father’s house; and the King hath greatly desired her beauty.

Antiphon. God, a helper in troubles, was with Magdalen; therefore she feared not when she was cast into the den of lions.

Antiphon. Mount Carmel is the foundation of Magdalen’s life; and the Lord hath loved her above all the tabernacles of Jacob.

V. God shall turn His countenance upon her.

R. God is by her side, she shall not be moved.

LESSON IV.

Contempt for the world and hatred and sacrifice of self stood forth prominently amongst the virtues for which Saint Mary Magdalen of Pazzi was remarkable. She carried about the mortification of Christ in her body, and determined to suffer much, that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in her mortal flesh. Moved by God’s grace, she began, from early youth, to refuse delicate food, to lie on a hard bed, to sleep sparingly, and to trample under foot the attractions of the world and the temptations of the flesh. She tore herself with scourges, tortured herself with rough haircioth, and wore herself away with almost constant fasting. In this determination she steadfastly persevered throughout the Course of her life.

LESSON V.

The love of the Cross and of humiliation grew with her increasing years, and after she had entered the Order of Carmelites it became stronger than before. That she might be the more closely united to Christ, her spouse, who was crowned with thorns, she wove for herself a crown full of sharp points, and this she often put upon her head; for she held it a disgrace to be a delicate member under a head crowned with thorns. She passed almost the whole night in prayer; and when sleep overcame her she used no bed but the bare ground, or a board, or a rough sack. God tried her often, like gold in the furnace, by various sufferings, by abandonment and by temptations; and she used to say that her sole comfort in any trial, whether of body or mind, was to resign herself to the divine will.

LESSON VI.

She thus became a spectacle to God, to angels, and to men, and in her holiness and purity shone forth to such a degree that nothing was ever seen to offend the beholder. After her death God honored her by many signs and miracles; and amongst these a lasting wonder continues to the present day, for her body, the abode of her most pure soul, has never been subject to corruption from the day of her death until now. Although it lay long buried in damp ground, it was found, when taken from the grave, sound, firm to the touch, and sending forth a perfume of wonderful sweetness. When the nuns left their former monastery, in which the holy Virgin had died, and removed to another, this precious pledge was transported, with the permission of the Holy See, on the sixth day of December and in the year one thousand six hundred and twenty-eight. There it is honored with the utmost veneration by the faithful, while glorified by the gift of incorruption and by other miracles.

R. God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.

V. I live, now not I; but Christ liveth in me.

Antiphon. She hath come into the holy courts of religion; and she hath offered the victim of her own will to the Lord.

Antiphon. The Lord hath delivered Magdalen out of the hands of demons; and all people saw the glory of her sanctification.

Antiphon. Let Mount Carmel rejoice before the Lord, who hath done wonderful things in Magdalen.

V. God chooseth her, and forechooseth her.

R. He maketh her to dwell in His tabernacle.

Taken from the book “Saints of Carmel” (BOSTON: JOHN CASHMAN & CO., 1896).