Let us bear in mind that Jesus Christ looks upon us from heaven, and sweetly invites us to come and enjoy the delights of His goodness and the abundance of His love. The Most Holy Virgin also invites us as a Mother, saying to each of us: 'Courage, my child; despise not the ardent desires of my Son, and my sighs and petitions for thy salvation.' And yet, how often have we not preferred the miserable vanities and bitter pleasures of earth to those incomparable joys! Ah, faithful souls; let us henceforth accept the favours which the Most Holy Virgin and the Saints offer us. Let us promise them to walk quickly on towards heaven; and let us take hold of the hand of our good Angel-guardian, that we may never again stumble, but happily reach the gates of a blessed eternity. SPIRITUAL FLOWERS. The qualities of the material rose vividly represent the attributes of Mary, the Mystical Rose. The perfume of the rose signifies the joys of the Most Blessed Virgin; its thorns represent to us her sorrows; and the beauty of its colour her glory in heaven. Mary is the beautiful Lily who looks down from her high throne upon all other flowers, and sees them inferior to herself.--_St. John Damascen._ The difference between material and spiritual rose-trees is this, that in the former, the roses fade and the thorns remain; whilst, in the latter, the thorns pass away and the roses remain.--_St. Francis of Sales._ EXAMPLE. _The Novena of St. Gertrude to the Blessed Virgin._ St. Gertrude, a Benedictine nun, cherished a great devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin. On the eve of the Annunciation she had a vision, in which she seemed to see her religious Sisters offering nosegays of sweet flowers to Our Lady. These were collected by Our Lady and placed on her bosom, and she then adorned them with precious stones, and offered them to her Divine Son. The Saint understood that those flowers were the afflictions which these Daughters of Mary and Spouses of Jesus had endured with Christian resignation, during the course of the Novena, preceding the festival. Another time, whilst St. Gertrude was reciting the _Ave Maria_ in choir with her religious Sisters, she saw three streams come forth from the Most Holy Trinity and meet together in the heart of the Blessed Virgin, descending from her and flowing over those who during these days recited this angelical salutation. It was on this occasion that she was taught to salute Our Lady, at least once a day, in these words: _Illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte_, and was promised that, if she per severed in this practice during her whole life, she would receive the greatest consolations at the hour of her death.