The Church applies to our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, these words attributed by the Holy Ghost to Jesus, the eternal Wisdom: “She prevents them that covet her, so that she first shows herself to them. He that awakes early to seek her, shall not labour, for he shall find her sitting at his door” (Wisd. vi. 14)
Child of Mary, let that saying inflame your heart on your awakening every morning. Respond to the love of this dear Mother by rising punctually and promptly, for she is there near you wanting to gather the first fruit of your heart. Do as the Child Jesus did; greet our Lady as soon as you awake, and offer yourself to God by her hands. As a token of your love and dependence, kiss your crucifix, your scapular, or your medal and say: “I am all thine, my dear Mother, and all that I have is thine.” Follow the example of the saints and humbly beg Mary to bless you. Interior joy will be the reward of this pious practice. Bl. Angela of Foligno was wont to ask our Lady's blessing every morning. One day she received the following answer: “Be thou blessed, my daughter, by my Son and by me,” and her soul was overfilled with heavenly consolation.
If you are already a slave of Mary, it will be better for you to remember at this moment that by your perfect consecration you have given yourself entirely to Mary, and that she, in return for that gift of yourself, has agreed to be your supplement and your all before God. Therefore, after having greeted her lovingly, unite yourself to her Immaculate Heart, enter into her dispositions and say with St. Alphonsus Rodriguez: “O most Blessed Trinity, I offer unto thee Mary's acts of humility, of adoration·, of thanksgiving and of praise.” Or if you have adopted another method keep it, but render it more perfect by uniting it to the heart of Mary Immaculate.
Then, whilst you are dressing with all necessary modesty, and, as it were, in the very presence of our Lady, take heed lest you should allow these precious moments to become a loss to your soul. Occupy your mind with holy thoughts; let your heart send forth some pious aspirations. The very best you can do during these moments, is to think over quietly and without effort the subject of your meditation, which you should have prepared the previous evening. But remember that you are not yet a perfect child of Mary, and, therefore, follow the advice of St. Louis de Montfort. Humble yourself and repeatedly call upon the Virgin most faithful to obtain for you the grace that you may be interiorly recollected during your prayer and meditation. Happy, indeed, might you consider yourself, if you were to be favoured like Bl. Henry Suso, who, when one morning he greeted the Queen of his heart more affectionately than usual, was allowed to enjoy for a moment her visible presence, and to hear her say to him: “The more thy soul shall have been attached to me by a pure and spiritual love during life, the more closely shalt thou be united to my heart during eternity.”
When the moment to say your morning prayer has come, bear in mind that you must offer it to God through Mary and that you must adopt her feelings. Try to make your soul, as it were, an Oratory of our Lady. Oh, who can tell us the admirable dispositions of Mary's heart, when, prostrated before the divine Majesty, she offered her morning praises to God! What humility! What recollection! What faith! What confidence! What fervour!
Always offer your vocal prayers to God by the hands of Mary; not only your morning prayers, but all other prayers said during the day. What graces you will obtain, if you remain united to Mary! “We readily obtain from God,” says St. Anselm, “when we pray through Mary, for he refuses her nothing.”
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