But,
whatever you do, whatever the choice you may make, you will occasion
the future weal or woe of many, perhaps for many generations. Whether
spouse of Jesus Christ or of man, whether mother of a family or of
the poor, whether a cloistered nun or a celibate in the world, you
will neither save nor lose your soul alone; the effects of your
virtues or vices shall be reproduced, long after your departure from
the scene of life, in the lives of beings yet unborn, in favor of
whom divine Providence implores your compassion. What a solemn
moment! What sublime power! Have you given it serious thought?
Transport yourself, in thought, to the house of Nazareth, recall to
mind the day on which Gabriel proposed to your Queen to become the
mother of God, asking her consent to the Incarnation, by which was to
be accomplished the salvation of the world. The angel's words
astonished Mary's humility so far as to make her recoil before such a
prodigious elevation, and, to obtain her consent, it was necessary to
assure her that the Holy Ghost Himself would accomplish in her this
prodigy.
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