as Jesus, was obedient unto death. She too was submissive to
the most trying dispensations of Providence. She too suffered
patiently from every manner of privation; for she was poor. She too
endured the most bitter anguish during the passion of her beloved
Son, and had her pure soul overwhelmed with agonies whereof we can
form no adequate conception. Hence, God hath also exalted her, and
given her a name which is above every name except that of Jesus.

Thus we see that even Jesus and Mary, the bright King and Queen of
heaven, are exalted above all angels and men in glory, on account of
the heroic virtue they both practised in this world, and not
exclusively in virtue of their dignity and high privileges. They both
labored for it, both suffered for it, and both deserved it as a
"crown of justice," which a just Judge bestowed upon them as a reward
of merit.

It is impossible to think of Jesus and Mary without, at the same
time, thinking of the illustrious St. Joseph. He is so intimately
bound up with them, that we can neither forget him nor separate him
from them. He was emphatically a hidden saint. He was truly "a just
man," as the Holy Ghost calls him. He was so humble, so pure, so
unspeakably charitable to the Blessed Virgin. Then, too, he loved
Jesus so much, so tenderly, and took so great a care of Him during
his infancy. Whenever he received a command, he always obeyed so
promptly, without excuse or murmur, though at times the commands
involved great privations and sufferings. In a word, St. Joseph, too,
corresponded with the grace of his sublime vocation; and he now
shines with exceeding glory near Jesus and Mary. He too is glorified
on account of His tender love for God, for Jesus and Mary, and for
his neighbor, and not exclusively in virtue of the glorious privilege
of having been the guardian of Mary's purity, and the foster-father
of Jesus. Therefore, His exceeding glory is also "a crown of
justice," wherewith a just Judge has encircled his brow.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE GLORY OF THE MARTYRS.

We shall now contemplate the glory of the vast multitude of the
blessed, who surround the thrones of Jesus and Mary. I quote from the
Apocalypse: "After this, I saw a great multitude, which no man could
number, of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues:
standing before the throne, and in the sight of the Lamb, clothed
with white robes, and palms in their hands."* This glorious multitude
represents all t